TV Shows You're Watching

The Incredible Hulk - Mystery Man (Parts 1 & 2). David is involved in a car crash that causes him to Hulk-out, and then collapse and wakes up with both facial bandages and amnesia, not even remembering his own name. Brought to town by reports of another Hulk sighting, investigative reporter Jack McGee becomes convinced that this "mystery man" knows something about the creature, and arranges a private flight to get him to a specialist in recovering memories. But when the plane goes down in the wilderness, Jack and the amnesiac David find themselves fighting for survival... I haven't liked season 2 as much as season 1, but this cracking two-parter is definitely the highlight thus far. A great survival story as well as an almost unique opportunity for these two characters to actually get screen time together (is this show weird or what, it has just three regular characters, and none of them can ever really interact! ). There's even a dramatically satisfying ending as, although Jack still doesn't get to find out David is alive, he does get to see the masked David transform into the Hulk, and realise at last that the Hulk is actually a person most of the time. It's a fine pay-off for a great story.

The BBC remake of Howards End, on and off. Not too bad really, 'corset porn' is alive and well!

The first 17 minutes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 2 hour season 5 premiere have been released online.

https://nerdist.com/seth-macfarlane-star-trek-fan-film/

Oh dear

Black Mirror series 4. If the first few episodes are anything to go by the show's best days are behind it.

X-Files season 11 starts this week and it's confirmed to be Gillian Anderson's last. Looking forward to it, especially after the season 10 cliffhanger.

Adam Ant Driver wrote:X-Files season 11 starts this week and it's confirmed to be Gillian Anderson's last. Looking forward to it, especially after the season 10 cliffhanger.

What the hell was going on in s10!? I mean I only used to watch the odd one of the original run, but the tone was even more wildly all-over-the-place than s1 of Nu Who! Particularly when there were only 6 episodes and a story arc to shove in, too.

Although I'd be lying if I didn't say that "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" made me laugh a fair bit...

Season 10 was a bit too hit or miss and I think it could have been more consistent if they had more episodes to work with. 6 wasn't enough and not only did they try to balance myth arc and case of the week episodes, but they also threw out all of the classic myth arc and started over. The old mythology was a mess so I'm glad they wrote it off. Season 11 is 10 episodes long so it's an improvement but I think 13 would be ideal.

Mott1 wrote:Although I'd be lying if I didn't say that "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" made me laugh a fair bit...

Best episode of the season by far and one of my favourite episodes of the entire show. Darin Morgan was always one of the better writers and he'll be returning to the new season with episode 4, "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat".

Adam Ant Driver wrote:Season 10 was a bit too hit or miss and I think it could have been more consistent if they had more episodes to work with. 6 wasn't enough and not only did they try to balance myth arc and case of the week episodes, but they also threw out all of the classic myth arc and started over. The old mythology was a mess so I'm glad they wrote it off. .

And I'm afraid that's where they lost me. You can't do that and pretend you're a continuation. Either continue the story the likes of me spent nearly a decade watching, or reboot the whole thing.
That was just BS and I lost interest very quickly when I realised that's what they were doing.

Babylon 5-  I'm no stranger to it, having seen them all on BRAVO in 2000, I'm introducing my mum to it presently. Superb cast, great writing. She loves Londo and Vir, she always wonders where he goes when he does'nt appear in an episode. Sad to think half the cast have snuffed it.

Ha, I just started watching it. Bought a box set ages ago. It's OK so far. Only watched the first couple of discs from S1 so far. When does it start to pick up a bit?

Season 1 is a bit meh, though there are a couple of really pivotal standout episodes, particularly Signs and Portents, which introduces the character of Mr Morden and the start of the "Shadows" arc, and the finale. It really takes till season 2 to really take off and become more consistent and compelling though IMO.

Just watched The Skys is full of Stars and Deathwalker, seems to be getting interesting. Christopher Neame in that first one

iank wrote:

Adam Ant Driver wrote:Season 10 was a bit too hit or miss and I think it could have been more consistent if they had more episodes to work with. 6 wasn't enough and not only did they try to balance myth arc and case of the week episodes, but they also threw out all of the classic myth arc and started over. The old mythology was a mess so I'm glad they wrote it off. .

And I'm afraid that's where they lost me. You can't do that and pretend you're a continuation. Either continue the story the likes of me spent nearly a decade watching, or reboot the whole thing.
That was just BS and I lost interest very quickly when I realised that's what they were doing.

From what I've heard of the first episode, it sounds like they're retconning the retcon and going back to the old mythology again this season!

iank wrote:From what I've heard of the first episode, it sounds like they're retconning the retcon and going back to the old mythology again this season!

It's a bit of both now. Instead of impending alien invasion or new world order lying about an invasion to cover their tracks as they plan to release a new virus, it's now aliens helped the new world order create the virus. And even though the retcon took place early in season 10 they decided to write out the entire finale as Scully having seizures and hallucinations.

Stranger Things. Watched both seasons, great stuff, can't wait for season 3! Forget the 80s setting, what was really retro about this show was finding a modern TV program utterly devoid of political correctness, race-baiting, gender-baiting, identity politics BS whose primary concern is to tell an actual fricking STORY.
How refreshing!

I've also just started on the new Twin Peaks. Which, from the first two episodes, is even more batshit crazy than the original series, and that's saying something.

Star Trek TOS. Finished season 1 and a couple of episodes of season 2 and it's pretty good stuff so far, only episode I remember not caring for was "The Alternative Factor".

Adam Ant Driver wrote:Star Trek TOS. Finished season 1 and a couple of episodes of season 2 and it's pretty good stuff so far, only episode I remember not caring for was "The Alternative Factor".

Its funny everybody hates that episode but I loved it. I thought it was one of the best and was quite shocked TBH to see it on fandoms hate list.

Lazarus' fate was one of the most horrifying things the show ever came up with. Terrified me when I was younger. Also it was the first Star Trek explored the multiverse concept too.

I don't get what everybody's beef is with it? In some ways its better than the later multiverse episode. The later one is great fun and obviously more iconic, but really The Alternative Factor makes more sense.

burrunjor wrote:I don't get what everybody's beef is with it?

I'm not sure myself, it wasn't badly written or anything and it wasn't below the standard production values but something felt off. From the very first minute I just wasn't interested and I don't know why.

Three episodes into the first series of Mindhunter. It's great. Anyone else seen this? I was told the first three were a bit slow but apart from the shipping in the first episode, it hasn't been a problem.

The new Twin Peaks. Oh dear. To be honest, I thought this was mostly a pile of complete bollocks. I had my concerns from day 1, partly because of the time gap, and partly because I never liked the movie much and heard this was more like that than the original series, but still... talk about a patience tester. Not so much a new season of Twin Peaks as David Lynch actively taking the piss for 18 episodes. There was about maybe 10% of some gold in there, but 90% of it just irked or bored the shit out of me, and by the end I was just "Go away".
Can't imagine I'll ever sit through this again.

Armchair Thriller: The Limbo Connection. James Bolam is a hard drinking failing writer whose wife disappears after an emergency admittance into a private clinic for food poisoning. The police begin to look at him as a possible suspect, but Bolam begins to suspect she never left the clinic and that they are hiding some very dark secrets... Bolam is on great form in this entertaining installment from the late 70s British anthology thriller series, with some great guest support from many names that Who fans will recognise - Milton Johns, Christopher Benjamin and even Beatrix Lehmann, who I've never previously seen in anything other than The Stones of Blood! I really enjoyed this.

Shadows of Fear: Did You Lock Up? A wealthy couple's home gets burgled while they are away on holiday, and the husband becomes obsessed not just with protecting his property but with getting even on the burglars. Great start to this early 70s British anthology thriller series, with a wonderfully macabre ending. I squeed when I realised one of the burglars was a young(er) Mark McManus, Taggart himself! And he didn't even have a Scottish accent either!

I also watched the pilot of early 70s murder mystery panel show Whodunnit. The pilot is a good 10 minutes shorter than the other eps, and Edward Woodward is a panelist rather than host (who was some guy I don't know), but I still very much enjoyed this too. I may have to order the next one with Pertwee.

First episode of the apocalyptic 70s BBC drama about a virus wiping out most of the world's population, Survivors. Very good so far. They killed Peter Bowles. You b******s!

Ian : was that series remade relatively recently?

A shame to kill off Peter Bowles, I've been enjoying him in the classic sitcom Only When I Laugh., and iconic in To The Manor Born, of course. Rumoured to be the perfect gent in real life, and was one of the most impressive performers in ITV's Victoria.