What are you watching right now? (tv series + see OP!)

[Ray]

Have you seen Zatoichi vs the One Armed Swordsman yet?

[backseatjesus]

Have you seen Zatoichi vs the One Armed Swordsman yet?

I've seen them all but the last film. I enjoyed it, though admittedly, I had no prior knowledge of the character Fang Kang, so I have no idea how well represented he is in this movie compared to how he is in his own films.

[soul.assassin]

I must be in a damn cave or something, as I didn't realize that the second season of The Last Ship just aired two months ago, so I decided to catch up.

Also, I have Sense8 lined up.

[Chuckman]

I have watched Apollo 13 four times this month and I am rapidly beginning to consider it the perfect movie.

[Shinoyami65]

Discovered Steven Universe while channel surfing the other day and got hooked. Now I've somehow marathoned all of the most plot-relevant episodes.

This show is awesome. It's been a while since I found a cartoon like Adventure Time (which also involved Rebecca Sugar) or Flapjack that is both entertaining but extremely deep and intellectual under its pastel-coloured exterior. It also explores character interactions and relationships in a more realistic manner than the standard practice of resolving all interpersonal issues at the end of one episode/two-parter.

I also like the subtle references to other anime and media that the target audience wouldn't normally get such as

SPOILER: Show

The Kindergarten basically being an apocalyptic version of Amigara Fault

and also, from 'Cry for Help' promotional materials

Episode spoilers  SPOILER: Show

[soul.assassin]

^
A work of genius.

---------
Stumbled upon the adaptation of The Man in the High Castle. Intriguing what-if that cuts through the mustard and at the same times does world-building properly (although there are some criticism in that some of the Japanese signboards are seen as gibberish, in the manner speaking of the "language of the victors").

This wasn't the first time there was an alt-history film or TV show, as beforehand there was the Rutger Hauer movie which, in a world where the Nazis reigned victorious, had his character investigating an unexplained series of violent deaths connected to the Holocaust.

[movieartman]

Finished S2 of True Detective.
Finishing Hannibal.
Finishing Constantine.
Gonna start Blindspot, Lucifer soon.

I must be in a damn cave or something, as I didn't realize that the second season of The Last Ship just aired two months ago, so I decided to catch up.

Also, I have Sense8 lined up.

Plane to watch them soon also.

[Blue Three]

I'm in the middle of re-watching The X-Files, this time including Millennium and The Lone Gunmen - which I've never seen before. It's been great so far, although, Jesus Christ, "Millenium" is such a depressing drag. I'm really just watching it since there's going to be a crossover of the two shows and they're generally considered to be set in the same universe, but I probably would already have dropped it otherwise.

[Mr. Tines]

To fend off boredom during an enforced period of bed rest over the summer, my wife borrowed a bunch of 70s TV DVDs from friends of ours, so I've been watching a selection of classic (real) Doctor Who, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), and The Champions -- and trying not to dwell too hard on the work-rounds for real special effects or location budgets. On the up-side, Alexandra Bastedo's cheekbones are just as entrancing to watch now as they were back then.

[Trajan]

For the past few weeks I've been traveling to....The Twilight Zone

It really is amazing how far ahead of its time this show was. I don't know all that much about TV prior to the 70s, but this was waaaaaaay more sophisticated than anything on TV at the time and 99% of the stuff we have now. It's definitely has some of the most sophisticated writing I've ever seen for a non-literary medium and some of Serling's insights on human nature are spot on and truly fascinating. His taste for the ironic is also wonderful. It does have its share of flaws, namely how some of the plots tend to repeat themselves (we've got four main plots: person undergoing psychological journey dealing with alienation and isolation, space and aliens, supernatural morality tales, and political commentary) and some of Serling's morality politics can get pretty heavy handed. Nonetheless, the acting is exceptional and I recognize many famous faces (one episode has Lee Marvin, James Best, Strother Martin, and Lee Van Cleef in it) some of which became famous only afterwards. Definitely worth watching a few episodes of, or a lot if you like it and have the time.

[Chuckman]

I just saw the last two episodes of Hannibal. Absolutely magnificent. Television suffers a great loss if this cast and creative team are not allowed to turn the rest of Harris' rather mundane procedural thrillers into beautiful nightmares of the surreal.

Trajan: When those episodes were made they NEEDED to be heavy handed. Sci-fi like the Twilight Zone and Star Trek were some of the only places those things were being said.

I've always preferred the Outer Limits, though.

[Paracletus]

I just saw the last two episodes of Hannibal. Absolutely magnificent.

It's impressing how they managed to turn the 'Red Dragon' arc into a kind of meta-narrative on author\audience relations and fanfiction. The finale itself work as as both the faithful closer and a pretty clever joke on both the series and the audience - to the point where it left me a bit disappointed and\or frustrated at first. To carry out all of this while staying pretty faithful to the series' core is what one may call victorious, I think.

There's a feeling I find hard to shake off, though - that S3E07 is the Ending of the story as a Story, while the rest is a kind of an epilogue \ commentary \ meta-games, but it's more or less OK with me. Seeing how we got three so different and valuable endings to Hannibal story (S2E13 cathartic heartbreak; S3E7 sort of bleak afterglow; S3E13 full throttle fanfiction shipping mode) - there's pretty much nothing left to complain about.

[Trajan]

Now that I'm actually watching it all the way through, it's impressive just how good Avatar: The Last Airbender is for a show that aired on Nickelodeon of all places. I'm about 75% of the way though Season 2 and while Season 1 had some ups and downs, Season 2 has been thoroughly excellent so far.

[Ray]

Now that I'm actually watching it all the way through, it's impressive just how good Avatar: The Last Airbender is for a show that aired on Nickelodeon of all places. I'm about 75% of the way though Season 2 and while Season 1 had some ups and downs, Season 2 has been thoroughly excellent so far.

Welcome to the family brother.

[Sachi]

Just finished both seasons of Bojack Horseman per Reichu's recommendation. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality this show had to offer! Seeing the advertisements beforehand had me thinking it would be another absurd and nonsensical adult humor show (which can be okay, on occasion), but within the first couple episodes Bojack had really struck a chord with me. The humor can be really funny, especially the darker stuff ("nothing on the inside, nothing on the outside" had me dying with laughter), and when the show did get serious, it really was heart-throbbing--I literally cried at times at the way Bojack's depression was represented and how much it resonated with how I deal with my own depression ("tell me it's not too late for me"). The show is definitely a gem, and I'm really happy I took the time to give it a chance. Highly recommended!

[backseatjesus]

So, I binged watched Hannibal over the last few days. I honestly want to slap myself for missing this show when it aired.
and I really hope it isn't cancelled
though I will say

SPOILER: Show

I think the finale of season 3 would be a great ending to the entire thing, but if it does come back, as much as I love Will, I feel that his story is basically over with that episode.

[Chuckman]

I'm not really sure they can continue it. Doing the whole thing again with Clarice would be redundant and

SPOILER: Show

The show already covered most of the 'Hannibal' novel plot already, leaving only Silence. Although I would love it if they eked out another season or two and ended with Hannibal observing Alana while delivering the 'old friend for dinner' line. Honestly at this point it feels unnecessary. I'll be satisfied if they never make another episode. I will definitely watch it if they end up continuing somehow, though.

It's better this way. I can dream of Mads-as-Hannibal taunting Kata Mara as Clarice through the glass without it feeling ruined when they pick someone else.

Continuation seems highly unlikely. Show have been resurrected before but this production has an all star ensemble cast that all have other commitments and the showrunner has moved on to another series that will probably run for years. I'm not holding out any hope that it will come back.

Also I've heard rumors that Harris is not pleased with the adaptation and may be involved with the rights being screwed up (the rights to Clarice Starling and Barney the orderly and a few other characters belong to a movie studio still and Fuller can't use them without their go-ahead)

[Trajan]

The Mission Impossible series is pretty fun and a sterling example of the whole spy-craze of the 60s. It's weird seeing Steven Hill is the IMF strategist/leader for the first season though when I remember him solely as DA Adam Schiff from Law and Order. It's pretty much Martin Landau's show though.

[Rosenakahara]

So that latest doctor who episode.........
Coming from someone who LIKED most of season 8? This was shit.

SPOILER: Show

Look i get that everyone loves the daleks but if you overuse them like any good thing they get STALE.
All this episode made me want to do was go watch genesis of the daleks and "dalek" again.

Oh and missy's dialogue is getting cringeworthy now, sorry missy but you will NEVER live up to the name of the master at this rate.
Clara is more annoying than usual here as her gimick is long worn out and despite all the attention the show gives her there have been much better companions, i still miss donna......

Finally I like peter capaldi's doctor i really do but moffat rarely does him RIGHT, when he is done well he feels like a return to classic doctor form but with a modern edge but when he is done wrong he ends up feeling like a background element to his companions adventure, all in all i think im just tired of moffats writing quirks.

I'm not going to mention all the plot contradictions because even classic doctor who did that.

[Kazuki_Fuse]

Rewatched This is England '86 and '88 in anticipation of '90.