Random TV Thread

Anyway, what are thoughts on Sopranos?  Considering a re-watch, but my recollection was the first 2.5 seasons were amazing but the rest until about the last half of the final season were nowhere near the same level.

posted by gut
Everyone did.  The ending really grew on me.  I don't get why Chase was so reluctant to give what he thought the ending was - great writing has multiple interpretations and people can legitimately see something different than what the creator thought he showed.  The 12 Monkeys creators have done this and talked about how they had heated arguments and have completely different takes on how it ended.  And IMO that only adds to the show.

You don’t understand why Chase never answered what happened, but then praise the ending for ability to have different interpretations? I’m confused.

posted by Laley23

You don’t understand why Chase never answered what happened, but then praise the ending for ability to have different interpretations? I’m confused.

Try re-reading my post.  I didn't think it was confusing.

posted by gut

Try re-reading my post.  I didn't think it was confusing.

People can’t see something different than what the creator intended. That’s dumb. Once you know what Chase was going for, that’s what it is.

Starting Friday Night Lights

posted by friendfromlowry

Starting Friday Night Lights

For the first time?? I'm jealous.

posted by Laley23

People can’t see something different than what the creator intended. That’s dumb. Once you know what Chase was going for, that’s what it is.

That's beyond ignorant.  You're unequivocally wrong.  No argument or debate - you are 1000% wrong.  Great art/writing SPECIFICALLY lends itself to multiple interpretations.  That's sort of the definition.

Chase understood all that.  And people like you are why he was so reluctant to "define" the ending by disclosing his perception of the events- he didn't want to dumb down to his art.

The main creators of 12 Monkeys have completely different takes on the ending.  There were edits and cuts to enable multiple interpretations, but the point is there is a valid interpretation beyond what the creators intended.

Yeah...until he told us what happened, he had accomplished that. Now, not so much. He’s telling you Tony died, yet you want to sit here and say...”well actually, maybe, possibly, he didn’t”

That’s fucking stupid. Sorry you disagree. 

Finished season 2 of Alone. I've finished seasons 1, 2, 3, and 6 at this point.

posted by justincredible

Finished season 2 of Alone. I've finished seasons 1, 2, 3, and 6 at this point.

What’s the one on Netflix? 6?

I liked it but just don’t have any desire to watch the others. It feels like a show that if you’ve seen one season you’ve seen them all. Are any of them drastically different or do they all play out pretty much the same?

They’re roughly the same, but it’s a subject of great interest to me as someone that does a solo canoe trip to the Minnesota wilderness every year. I might try to get on a future season if it sticks around for a while. I probably won’t, but I’d absolutely love to do it. 

posted by justincredible

Finished season 2 of Alone. I've finished seasons 1, 2, 3, and 6 at this point.

How about anger management Larry in season 2!?  Lol

posted by ernest_t_bass

How about anger management Larry in season 2!?  Lol

Larry is me.

posted by Laley23

Yeah...until he told us what happened, he had accomplished that. Now, not so much. He’s telling you Tony died, yet you want to sit here and say...”well actually, maybe, possibly, he didn’t”

That’s fucking stupid. Sorry you disagree. 

He left it intentionally vague, so his perception is not the final word.  But he knew dipshits would take his vision as what actually happened, eventhough that's not what he intended to show.  He knew dumbasses would be spoiled by his opinion, rather than the actual film standing on its own.

Like I said, the two main writers of 12 Monkeys completely disagree on how it ended.  They literally cut scenes to make it vague and facilitate multiple interpretations.  It's great to know the show creators perspective, but he does admit there are multiple, valid, interpretations.  That was their intention, and that was what Chase intended.

Chase believes he showed Tony dying.  That doesn't make it the only interpretation.   I'm surprised a grip doesn't know better.

posted by gut

Anyway, what are thoughts on Sopranos?  Considering a re-watch, but my recollection was the first 2.5 seasons were amazing but the rest until about the last half of the final season were nowhere near the same level.

I thought they were all pretty good. First 3 were better than the last 3  but I enjoyed them all.  

I finished the Sopranos yesterday. The first half of the last season was alright, but the last three episodes were fantastic. Knowing the ending, you see the crumbs being left by Chaseabout Tony would go. 

I was fine with last scene as knowing how it ends, the indication that either the guy from the bathroom or the guys near the counter got him makes sense. My wife watched the last 2 episodes and hated the ending.

Overall, yeah I can see how it was one of the all time great series. It is probably fourth in my book all time behind Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and the Wire. 

Really getting into The Orville. Never thought I would like a sort of Star Trek spoof but it is not all jokes like I assumed it was. It has an interesting story on its own. 

Almost done with season 2. Season 3  coming on Hulu later this year. 

Last Chance U new season dropped on Netflix the other night. So far, not as good without Jason Brown. He absolutely made that show. 

posted by ptown_trojans_1

I finished the Sopranos yesterday. The first half of the last season was alright, but the last three episodes were fantastic. Knowing the ending, you see the crumbs being left by Chaseabout Tony would go.

I read every tv critic review I could find back then.  My take was he may or may not have died then, specifically, but that the scene is almost like a premonition.  The scene does sort of standalone, and it's also somewhat disconnected from the timeline of the show (i.e. it could have been 2 years later).  The most popular theory, at the time, was that Chase "whacked the audience".  And some also noted that the ending left open the door for a movie or some sort of sequel - that was a hope for a long time, even rumored, and might have happened if James G hadn't died unexpectedly.

Chase had always said that Tony had to pay a price, and that an anti-hero couldn't escape some form of justice.  Of course, The Americans showrunners said pretty much the same thing...

I've forgotten 90% of what made that last scene so amazing.  I wasn't really "tuned-in" to all the symbolism and throw backs to The Godfather that Chase routinely used.  But because of that, people found all kinds of clues in that setting, many of which I'm sure Chase had no intention for other than to create the setting of a diner.  But it became not unlike a painting, where people were even analyzing the playlist on the jukebox for hidden meanings.

I was all "WTF" like everyone else when I watched it live.  But IMO it's now one of the singularly great scenes in television and movie history.  And that's just from a story-telling standpoint.  The rest of it in terms of execution, ambience and cinematography doesn't lag, either.

We’re watching Golden Girls. Such a great show.