melworks | Entries tagged with television

I watched that 'King of the Hill' continuation that just came out and I can't decide if I like it or not.

First of all, I have to admit that I was never a big fan of the show. It was okay, but mostly the kind of show I put on as background noise while doing something else. The theme song was catchy, though. That said, I was curious to see where they'd take the characters years later.

And the only one who feels like he's gone anywhere, is Bobby. He's a chef, running a German-Japanese fusion restaurant in Dallas.

Everybody else is pretty much in the same place as before, which is kind of irritating. Almost as irritating as Peggy Hill's mispronouncing Saudi Arabia.

And some jokes in the first ep just fall short. We're supposed to believe Hank Hill doesn't know about hybrid cars? He's been living in Saudi Arabia, not Bumfuckistan.

The first couple of eps feel rocky. The voice actors feel like they're struggling to reconnect with the characters. However, both the performances and the episodes get better as the season continues.

But the show is, overall, just kind of 'meh.'

I've been watching the new Doctor Who, or, as I am starting to think of it, Disney Who. And my overall reaction to this latest season is 'Meh.'
I thought Ncuti Gatwa would be a much more interesting Doctor, but despite a great smile, he doesn't really bring any charm or pathos to the role. He looks good, he delivers his lines but that's all. He feels a bit plastic.
Millie Gibson's 'Ruby Sunday' character was a big red flag in the first episode. She's a 'special' companion, with some kind of weird destiny that may be connected to extrauniversal entities like the Celestial Toymaker and the Maestro. She's Rose Tyler and Clara Oswald, although I think Gibson's character is more likeable than either of them.
The stories this season have been utter shit, IMHO. We can definitely see the Disney money evident in the production values, but not in the writing. Who the fuck thought 'Space Babies' was a good idea? Or having two episodes where your new Doctor is mostly absent? I feel like I'm watching a show ghostwritten by Chris Chibnall, not Russel T. Davies.
We're six episodes in on an 8-episode season and I am not impressed. During last night's episode, 'Rogue', I got so bored I started chatting with people online and only half paying attention to the show. I don't really feel like I missed anything.
I'll watch the rest of this season, but, honestly? I think this might be my last season watching these new Doctor Who episodes. :(

These are the things I'm currently watching:

Monday
0800 It's a Living
0830 Madame's Place
0900 Rumpole of the Bailey
1000 The Avengers

Tuesday
0800 The Golden Girls
0830 Hot in Cleveland
0900 Threesome
0930 Coupling
1000 As Time Goes By
1030 To the Manor Born

Wednesday
0800 Ghosts (BBC)
0830 What We Do in the Shadows
0900 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1000 Kolchak, the Night Stalker

Thursday
0800 Black Books
0830 The IT Crowd
0900 2 Broke Girls
0930 Year of the Rabbit
1000 The Thin Blue Line
1030 Are You Being Served?

Friday
0800 Red Dwarf
0900 Farscape
1000 Defiance

Saturday
0800 Doctor Who
0900 Saturday Night Movie

Sunday
0800 Mama's Family
0830 Married with Children
900 Sunday Night Movie

As you can see, I'm mostly watching retro stuff and a LOT of BBC comedies. The movie nights are actually just open spaces. If I can't decide on a movie, there's other shows I'll watch in those slots, like Cadfael, Poirot, Star Trek or whatever.

There aren't a lot of programs on Netflix that I'm inclined to rewatch.
But one of them that I do is 'The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House.'
It's just a really nice story that I find very uplifting and cheerful.
Sometimes, I just need that.
:)

This post is being brought to you by two, count 'em, 2 Strawberritas!

What They Do in the Shadows - still haven't watched the season finale, but I hear its good

Ahsoka - I watched the first two eps and I'm OUT. Dull story, bad CGI, bad fight scenes and it's relying too much on nostalgia re Rebels to survive. Pity. I like Rosario Dawson.

One Piece - a pleasant surprise; went into the live action Netflix show with some trepidation, but enjoying it so far.

Disenchantment - still watching but I don't know why? Could someone please make this show fucking end alrighty? The Simpson dude is not as funny as he thinks.

Strange Planet - liking this but I doubt it will get a second season.

Minx - they did a season 2. color me surpised! liking this despite all the 70s bush.

Um. I think that's it.

What are y'all watching? Got any good recs?

Current Mood: judgemental
Current Location: Downstairs, My Bedroom, My Couch
Current Music: "Dandelions" by Sheina Kalesh

So, I've been watching the Willow television series. I just finished episode six.
It's a very meh kind of show. It's just sort of something to have on in the background while I fold laundry or cook supper.
I think my biggest criticism of the show is the dialogue. This is meant to be a fantasy show, but the characters are using words and expressions right out of contemporary language. It pulls you right out of the world.
And I'm sorry, but Warwick Davis is no Peter Dinklage.
I know this show has been his dream project for ages, but sometimes dreams should not come true.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - After 3 episodes, I'm out. It's just too meh for me.
House of the Dragon - After 3 episodes, I'm out. It's just too meh for me.
Archer - Enjoying the current season, more than I should. Watching.
ST: Lower Decks - Liking this more than I expected. Still watching.
Little Demon - Very entertaining. Definitely watching.
Harley Quinn - Amusing, but not as good as past seasons. Still watching, at least for this season.
She-Hulk - I'm done. It's just not funny or interesting enough for me to watch.
What We Do in The Shadows - Still entertaining, but hope next season is funnier. Watching.
Headless - a webseries on YouTube, a comedy involving the Headless Horseman. Amusing. Waching.

I'm sitting here, drinking tea, which I shouldn't because it's High Oxalate, but fuck it.

I have to get up in the morning and drive to the county court house tomorrow for jury selection, which means I have to remember TO WEAR PROPER TROUSERS.

Tried reading this book, "Village Witch" by Cassandra Latham Jones. Got about halfway through before I put it down because the writing was so bad. Pity, because the author is quite interesting.

Television thoughts:
House of the Dragon is a HUGE BORE. Also, whoever was responsible for those godawful white wigs needs to be shot.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is being written by the same lady who wrote the Pickle Rick ep of 'Rick & Morty.' So the show should be funny. The show is NOT funny.

Little Demon is completely over the top, definitely NOT for kids and quite amusing in an exploding bullies kind of way.

Harley Quinn, in season 3, seems to have lost the plot. It still has moments of humor, but not enough. They probably should have nixed it after Season 2.

Star Trek: Lower Decks new episode is funnier than it should be, but less focus on Mariner would be a good thing. Also, hot girls trying to seduce Boymler is just funny.

What We Do in The Shadows has been a bit 'Meh' this season. I feel like they're holding all the good jokes for next season. That this whole season is nothing but set-up.

Reservation Dogs. I've tried to watch this show twice and I just can't. It is the AntiFunny, come to take us all to Comedy Hell for our sins.

And that's it.

I just finished watching the first season of Netflix's 'The Sandman.'
I thought it was excellent. 5 out of 5 stars.
Gwendoline Christie was AMAZING as Lucifer.
Still not sold on Tom Sturridge as Dream because I always thought Benedict Cumberbatch would have been a better casting choice, but that's just my opinion.
Can't wait to see how they adapt future stories, especially 'The Key to Hell' and 'A Game of You.'

So, the BBC announced today that Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall are leaving Doctor Who in 2022. This is after they finish a 6-episode story for the next season and three specials. The final special will coincide with the BBC's centenary celebrations.

Personally, I'll be glad to see the back of Whittaker and Chibnall. I think Chibnall has damaged the franchise with his poor, preachy writing. And everyone says Jodie Whittaker is this amazing actress, but that certainly isn't apparent in her portrayal of the Doctor. Her Doctor is basically a bad caricature of David Tennant's Doctor. Besides her gender, she has brought nothing new to the character.

My concern is what will happen after these two leave. Will we even get another season of Doctor Who? The show has suffered a huge loss in viewership over the last two series, going from 11 million views to a little over 3 million. The BBC might choose to pull the plug and spend that money somewhere else.

And then there is the concern that they do authorize another series, but that they continue in Chibnall's footsteps, with preachy, boring stories. The BBC does have an Inclusivity and Diversity Mandate in place for all of their programs, not just behind the scenes, but in front of it as well. Diversity and inclusivity are fine, but not at the expense of quality.

That said, I''m fine with the idea of another female Doctor. I just would like this one to be their own character and not a poor emulation of a previous Doctor.

And whoever they get as showrunner should actually like the show and be familiar and respectful of its history. I don't think that's really too much to ask.

Television shows I am currently enjoying: The Barbarian & The Troll, The Owl House

Television shows that I am currently on-the-fence about: Loki, Star Trek Picard, Sweet Tooth

Television shows that I have given up on: Star Trek Discovery, Star Wars The Bad Batch, Batman The Long Halloween

Television shows I'm thinking of Binge Watching: Ghosts(BBC), What We Do In the Shadows, Farscape, Max Headroom, Star Trek DS9

I should be doing more than just watching television anyway. Right? Shouldn't I go outside and expose myself to the Hot Bright Thing in the Sky?

Eh. Maybe not.

So, I've been watching a lot of tv lately via stream. Here's what I've been watching and snapshot reactions.

The Nevers - I watched the first ep of this HBO Max show and wasn't interested enough to watch the second episode. If anyone out there is watching this and it gets better later on, or in a second season, let me know and maybe I'll return to it. 2 out of 5 stars.

The Great North - This is an animated show on Fox, about a family living in rural Alaska. I lived in Alaska for ages and find this show both amusing and strangely accurate. Plus, it doesn't remind me too much of Bob's Burgers, a show that I find incredibly irritating. 3 out of 5 stars.

Shadow & Bone - I binged this the other day. Is it all that? Honestly? No, not really. It's entertaining, but the A Plot didn't really draw me in. I was much more interested in the B Plot and its characters, The Crows. If they do a second season (which is iffy IMHO) I hope they focus more on those characters than the A Plot characters. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Falcon & The Winter Solder - Enjoyable, but predictable to anyone who's familiar with the comics. The big heel turn re a secondary character in the last ep came as a bit of a surprise, and now, of course, they're doing a new Captain America movie. 3 out of 5 stars.

I haven't had a chance to watch 'Invincible' yet, but I'm going to. Eventually. Everyone says its very well done. And, of course, I'll be watching Jupiter's Legacy when it comes out, at least the first episode. And that's pretty much what I've been watching. If anyone's got any recs, please let me know. I tend to vaccilate between genre fiction, period pieces and biopics.

It's been a while since I shared what I've been watching, so here's the breakdown:

Doom Patrol. I've watched the entirety of seasons 1 & 2 and enjoyed it quite a bit, despite the liberties they took with comic canon. Of all the DC Stream/HBO Max shows out, this one is the one I've enjoyed the most.

The New Adventures of Monkey. Ah. This show takes me back to the old Legends of Hercules/Xena, Warrior Princess days of yore. It is super-cheesy but lots of fun.

The Owl House. I watched the first ep of this a while back and got hooked right away. This is an animated show on Disney, with great voice actors, and a fun/interesting story. I'm not a plushy person, but I wouldn't say no if someone made one with voice responses when you cuddle it. Just saying.

The Umbrella Academy. The first season was excellent. The second is actually better and weirdly topical. I've particularly enjoyed the interactions between Five and the younger version of Sir Reginald. I'm not binging this show because I want to savor the goodness.

What We Do In the Shadows. One of the best comedies I've seen in ages. It actually makes me laugh, not just sigh despondantly (Star Trek: Lower Decks I am looking at YOU!), wondering what happened to humor. Great cast. Great writing.

Wizards: Tales of Arcadia. This is the final series/installment of the Tales of Arcadia series that began with Trollhunter and then continued with 3 Below. I'm only 2 eps in, but I'm enjoying it, mostly.

Weirdly, I spend more time watching YouTube videos and binging crap on Pluto TV than anything else these days. Go figure.

Today was day 2 of the $5-A-Day-Food Challenge.

I got better stuff at the store this afternoon, as I felt pretty crappy this morning. I suspect it was the potato chips that I ate last night. My body's not used to getting that much fat and oil all in one go.

But today was better.

I bought:
1 Can of Dark Kidney Beans
1 Can of Light Kidney Beans
1 Small Can of Tomato Sauce
1 Pack of Microwave Long Grain Rice
4 Bananas.

Mixed the beans and rice and tomato sauce together, spiced with pepper and salt and garlic powder.

I decided to save the banans for tomorrow, and had a bag of popcorn instead. The challenge rules say you can use stuff you already bought and leftovers, so I feel okay doing so.

Now I'm sitting here watching Picard and The October Faction. Picard was good, but I'm not sure about The October Faction.