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What was the last TV show you watched?

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12,017
Location
East of Los Angeles
...No offense to anyone who likes Matthew Perry, but I just don't think he can act.
...Mathew Perry seemed a parody of his former self of "Friends."...
Matthew Perry is what I call a "one trick pony" actor. He plays that wisecracking, sarcastic, neurotic, insecure, often-afraid-of-his-own-shadow character rather well, but he's played a version of that same character in almost every movie or television show I've seen him in. He's good at it and people like him, which is why he gets cast if that's what the role calls for, but I can't remember ever seeing him step out of that particular comfort zone and play a different type of character.
 

Ernest P Shackleton

One Too Many
Messages
1,248
Location
Midwest
Vikings. new season started on Thursday the 19th. I really, really wish they could write a story. I love the setting, the costumes, the technical side, the cast, and the potential history. It has so many things going for it...but the story. The dialog can be weak, but I can deal with the crudity of it. They do such a terrible job of storytelling. The holes and then the way they sort-of and imply things to fill those holes. I don't get it. Did they blow the entire budget on the costumes and effects, so they hired part-time writers from Winchell's Donuts?
 
Messages
17,215
Location
New York City
Vikings. new season started on Thursday the 19th. I really, really wish they could write a story. I love the setting, the costumes, the technical side, the cast, and the potential history. It has so many things going for it...but the story. The dialog can be weak, but I can deal with the crudity of it. They do such a terrible job of storytelling. The holes and then the way they sort-of and imply things to fill those holes. I don't get it. Did they blow the entire budget on the costumes and effects, so they hired part-time writers from Winchell's Donuts?

+1, I watch this show for the things you highlight - the settings (the landscapes are gorgeous, breathtaking, better than most travel documentaries), the costumes (fun) and the technical side (a lot of CGI, but the seams only show sometimes) and the history (as you note, sketchy on this one) - but the story is messy and inconsistent; plot flaws are poorly elided and, by now, I just don't care about the plot. I watch it for the other things.
 

hatguy1

One Too Many
Messages
1,145
Location
Da Pairee of da prairee
The Man Who Would Not Be Washington. A great biography of Robert E Lee. What a tragic life. A man that was so tied to George Washington, his father was Light Horse Harry Lee, he was the son in law of Washington's son, they even had slaves that were direct descendants of those on the Washington plantation. And of course Arlington, the shrine to Washington! He would have been a shoe in for President if he had stayed loyal. He wasn't even sure if succession was legal, it was just easier to do nothing!

Not sure I can agree he took the lazy way out. Remember, Lincoln originally asked him to command the Union side. But because of loyalty to his home state of VA he refused.

There was a lot about the South's position that Lee wasn't exactly gung ho on, to say the least. Firstly, slavery; he himself never owned any that he hadn't inherited along with Arlington. And he was in the process of freeing them one by one when the war broke out. But because of his humanity he couldn't just kick them loose sink or swim, so to speak. Instead, he was lining them up with work once free so they could support themselves in a lifestyle they had no frame of reference for. So he was making sure they had ways of being self-sufficient, had shelter etc and once he'd established such for each, they were freed. Then the war broke out before he'd freed them all.

In fact, his ambivalence towards 1) slavery and 2) rebellion cost him early on in the CSA military & got him relegated to a mere adivsor to Jefferson Davis. If Joe Johnston hadn't got injured and taken off the line for a while, he might never have ascended to field command at all. But once there he proved himself quite sly and cunning on the field - until Gettysburg.
 
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Stearmen

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,202
Not sure I can agree he took the lazy way out. Remember, Lincoln originally asked him to command the Union side. But because of loyalty to his home state of VA he refused.

There was a lot about the South's position that Lee wasn't exactly gung ho on, to say the least. Firstly, slavery; he himself never owned any that he hadn't inherited along with Arlington. And he was in the process of freeing them one by one when the war broke out. But because of his humanity he couldn't just kick them loose sink or swim, so to speak. Instead, he was lining them up with work once free so they could support themselves in a lifestyle they had no frame of reference for. So he was making sure they had ways of being self-sufficient, had shelter etc and once he'd established such for each, they were freed. Then the war broke out before he'd freed them all.

In fact, his ambivalence towards 1) slavery and 2) rebellion cost him early on in the CSA military & got him relegated to a mere adivsor to Jefferson Davis. If Joe Johnston hadn't got injured and taken off the line for a while, he might never have ascended to field command at all. But once there he proved himself quite sly and cunning on the field - until Gettysburg.

The reason he was relegated to adviser was his loss at Cheat Mountain, Virginia (now West Virginia) on September 11, 1861. There were a lot of cries about how the South needed Soldiers not Engineers, which was Lee's specialty. Lee believed that slave owners had it worse then the slaves. Not true of course, but that's was a common defense. He only released slaves because he was bound by George Washington Parke Custis's will. Here is a good synopsis on the Arlington slaves! http://www.nps.gov/arho/historyculture/slavery.htm
 

hatguy1

One Too Many
Messages
1,145
Location
Da Pairee of da prairee
The reason he was relegated to adviser was his loss at Cheat Mountain, Virginia (now West Virginia) on September 11, 1861. There were a lot of cries about how the South needed Soldiers not Engineers, which was Lee's specialty. Lee believed that slave owners had it worse then the slaves. Not true of course, but that's was a common defense. He only released slaves because he was bound by George Washington Parke Custis's will. Here is a good synopsis on the Arlington slaves! http://www.nps.gov/arho/historyculture/slavery.htm

With due respect, remember it's the winner that writes the loser's history.

The issues in and around that conflict are very interesting. Other Southern generals had slaves before and during cessation, but Lee did not (other than those, as you pointed out, he inherited along with a nearly bankrupt Arlington).

As I'm sure you're aware, there are several books of Lee's writings available as invaluable first-person references to his thoughts before and after the War of Northern Aggression/War Between the States/Civil War.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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2jakes

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,680
Location
Alamo Heights ☀️ Texas
Almost, but not quite. It looks like they might be walking into another trap though. Either that, or the series ends this year?? :confused:



Before the series ends...I would like to know...[huh]
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Perhaps I are the only one going the other way...:eusa_doh:
 

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