Does Black Mirror get better, everyone seems to be raving about it. I watched the first 2 episodes of season 1 and it has to be some of the dumbest TV I have seen. Do the storeys get better, or did everyone that is touting it enjoy the first two episodes and it's maybe just not a show for me?
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I'm 7 episodes into Dark and it's very compelling. I'm having a helluva time keeping the characters straight however!
You watching the dubbed or subtitled version? It's a show that requires repeated watching as there's just so much going on and so many little details that even the most attentive viewers will miss some things the first watch through. I have to admit after watching this other shows like even Black Mirror just seem like a cut below as it's just so well done.
Does Black Mirror get better, everyone seems to be raving about it. I watched the first 2 episodes of season 1 and it has to be some of the dumbest TV I have seen. Do the storeys get better, or did everyone that is touting it enjoy the first two episodes and it's maybe just not a show for me?
The S1E1 is a bit rough. S1E2 is not a strong episode episode. Give S1E3 (The Entire History of You) a watch. It's quintessential Black Mirror. If you still don't like it, then Black Mirror is not a show for you.
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If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
You watching the dubbed or subtitled version? It's a show that requires repeated watching as there's just so much going on and so many little details that even the most attentive viewers will miss some things the first watch through. I have to admit after watching this other shows like even Black Mirror just seem like a cut below as it's just so well done.
I prefer subtitles for any non-English show, so I'm pretty much forced to pay attention. Following the relationships is the hardest part so far but it's super interesting.
You watching the dubbed or subtitled version? It's a show that requires repeated watching as there's just so much going on and so many little details that even the most attentive viewers will miss some things the first watch through. I have to admit after watching this other shows like even Black Mirror just seem like a cut below as it's just so well done.
I started watching the dubbed version but the voices were so flat and didn't reflect the characters. Switching to subtitles was much better.
If Netflix is a primary concern then a Windows or Linux based box are not recommended. The Netflix app for Windows 10 is designed for tablets and is not navigable with a remote, and there is no native app for Linux so you're left with using Netflix in a browser (no 5.1 or 4K support)
If you want something better than a Roku then I'd recommend the Nvidia Shield. Powerful enough to stream anything you want, comes with Android TV so you get the proper TV versions of all the apps, and you can use it as a gaming device as a bonus
Do people actually regularly watch in 4K? I've got bandwith caps, so other than trying it once, I never use 4k.
All remotes suck. Mini keyboards all the way. It makes searching, and pretty everything, so much easier.
Everest isn’t all that tough of a climb as long as weather remains good (relatively speaking). There are much much more difficult mountains to climb, K2 for example.
Yes, yes and the Greeks believed their Gods lived at the top of a very climbable hill.
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I wasn't really a big fan of "Hang of the DJ" as others were. It didn't hit the right level of dystopian for me. The chemistry and likeability of the leads made it an easy watch, but not very satisfying if that makes sense.
I don't think every single Black Mirror episode should end on a depressing dystopian note. if it was always a sad ending, then I would just spend the entire episode looking for the twist that is going to screw over the protagonist. they already lose most of the time, I don't need to see them lose 100% of the time.
Spoiler!
even if Hang the DJ had a happy ending, it still has morality question that is at the core of a lot of episodes. they frequently use the concept of exact replicas of people's consciousness and whether those have the same rights as the original. it was used to horrific effect in White Christmas and Black Museum, but it's still there in Hang the DJ...is it ok for the digital people to be put through endless simulations, the vast majority of which are very unfulfilling existences at best and complete nightmares at worst, just so the physical versions have a chance of a good relationship?
If the digital people really didn't matter, then the guy that has to spend like a million years stuck in that cabin in White Christmas, or the screaming electric chair souvenirs in Black Museum should be no biggie. but we should all be freaked about it lest we wake up to find one day that we're the copy and there's nothing we can do about it.
Yeah the subtitles are much better. Plus there's something about the German language that conveys anger more powerfully than English.
It doesn't matter what they are saying, it all sounds angry. They could be cooing at a kitty and it still sounds like you should be hiding in a bunker. My wife is learning German and talks at our cat, so I know this to be true.
So started 2 new series that have come highly acclaimed and recommended: Black Mirror and Wormwood.
Black Mirror - I've just finished watching S1E3. Frankly, I'm surprised so many people had been drawn in enough by the content at that point that they were excited enough to carry forward. The show had been described to me as a "X-Files, Twighlight Zone, futuristic and twisty mind-F". It has been none of those things so far. Just 3 separate, moderately interesting stories. The production is absolutely top notch. However, each episode seems like it falls well short of its potential.
I'm probably going to check out the next season (and give it a proper chance) to see if I can get into it, but as of right now I don't understand how people like, let alone even love, this series.
Wormwood - Not quite what I expected. It mixes real interviews of a real story with a well produced recreation of that story over about 25 years. The foundational mystery is what has been keeping me interested (2 episodes in), but some of the other stuff has been stuff I'm just putting up with. The erratic shots and editing depicting the characters' state of mind, and the talk of psychology and methods have been boring and confusing.
Of course, at only 2 of 6 episodes it could all come together in the end. Right now, though, it is just distracting from the intriguing mystery aspect at the base of the show.
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"I see as much misery out of them moving to justify theirselves as them that set out to do harm." -Dr. Amos "Doc" Cochran
Black Mirror - I've just finished watching S1E3. Frankly, I'm surprised so many people had been drawn in enough by the content at that point that they were excited enough to carry forward. The show had been described to me as a "X-Files, Twighlight Zone, futuristic and twisty mind-F". It has been none of those things so far. Just 3 separate, moderately interesting stories. The production is absolutely top notch. However, each episode seems like it falls well short of its potential.
My understanding, not having watched the show yet, is that seasons 1 and 2 were produced by some other entity prior to the show being picked up on Netflix. Season 3 and 4 were produced by the new regime (not sure if it was Netflix itself), and are of a different quality altogether.
When I do get around to it I'll probably just skip the first two seasons unless someone tells me I shouldn't.
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^^ I think a lot of people (myself included) actually started with season 3, as there was a time period (a month or so maybe?) in which that was all Netflix had loaded for content. They actually added seasons 1 and 2 after the fact.
If you started with S3, it would hook you.
I agree S1 was the weakest, "The Entire History of You" aside.
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My understanding, not having watched the show yet, is that seasons 1 and 2 were produced by some other entity prior to the show being picked up on Netflix. Season 3 and 4 were produced by the new regime (not sure if it was Netflix itself), and are of a different quality altogether.
When I do get around to it I'll probably just skip the first two seasons unless someone tells me I shouldn't.
Don't skip it, there are some good ones. You absolutely do not need to watch them in any sort of order however, except for the odd hidden Easter egg here and there.
The first two seasons were produced in the UK for Channel 4. Netflix took over production for season 3. There is a marked increase in the quality of the show for the Netflix seasons.
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Anyone ever watch "Riverdale" on Netflix? I can't wait until it comes back on next Thursday. I used to read the Archie comics as a kid, this show is really nothing like them, other than the main characters, but still a great show.
My understanding, not having watched the show yet, is that seasons 1 and 2 were produced by some other entity prior to the show being picked up on Netflix. Season 3 and 4 were produced by the new regime (not sure if it was Netflix itself), and are of a different quality altogether.
When I do get around to it I'll probably just skip the first two seasons unless someone tells me I shouldn't.
i'd recommend starting with season three, and if you like it, then i'd definitely recommend going back to seasons one and two, as there are a number of very good episodes in there, even if the quality isn't quite there.
specifically,
S1: Ep3 The Entire History of You...initially frustrating but eventually, gutting
S2: Ep1 Be Right Back...again, more cerebral, but poignant
Christmas Special: the great John Hamm and a very interesting episode; classic misdirection imo
OK episodes
S2: Ep2 White Bear. Not for everyone, but i thought is was super interesting how it gradually revealed itself
S2: Ep3 The Waldo Moment: became a touchstone after Trump got elected, with people referring back to this episode as being prescient.
S1 Ep1 Not sure, but it seems to have been a bit divisive... i thought is was pretty clever esp in the day and age of youtube and things going viral
Again, if you don't feel compelled by any of the episodes in S3, it simply might not be the show for you...
Last edited by oldschoolcalgary; 01-13-2018 at 09:25 AM.
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I think the essence of what the filmmakers were going for, and the story they were trying to tell, could have been accomplished in a 2 hour runtime documentary, rather than a 4 hour split-chapter series. Much of the content was pointless, and a lot of it was repeated or displayed in slightly different ways over and over.
The whole series reminded me of the experimental films I watched in various college film courses. That is, if you took every single element and tried to jam into a single film project alongside a very real and serious mystery topic about the CIA. It was so scattered, and it kind of seemed desperate to come off artsy and psychological, but it just sucked.
By the fifth chapter I had lost complete interest and just left it on in the background. I looked up the case of Frank Olsen and MKUltra and was able to gather absolutely everything presented in the series in a 10 minute read. And it was more interesting.
The Metacritic and RottenTomatoes disparities between critic and viewer scores should say enough. I would not recommend Wormwood unless you are at the very end of your rope for streaming options.
__________________ "It's a great day for hockey."
-'Badger' Bob Johnson (1931-1991)
"I see as much misery out of them moving to justify theirselves as them that set out to do harm." -Dr. Amos "Doc" Cochran
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Anyone ever watch "Riverdale" on Netflix? I can't wait until it comes back on next Thursday. I used to read the Archie comics as a kid, this show is really nothing like them, other than the main characters, but still a great show.
I like seeing the "altered universe" characters. Jughead as a gang member, Reggie Mantle/drug dealer, Miss Grundy/pedo slut... just for examples. I like how they slipped Hot Dog in too! The "older" characters are from tv/movies from my youth that I forgot I used to love.
Really like it.
