What was the last TV show you watched?

[Inkstainedwretch]

Ford's partner's name was Arnold, not Howard. Otherwise, they do appear to be specifically selecting names for the characters that may or may not have deeper meaning.

Right. I got carried away with the parallel and remembered Arnold as Howard. That would have been too perfect.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

' DCI Banks '
' Unforgotten'

 

[Zombie_61]

Scientology and the Aftermath. I won't BS. I'm a little fascinated by Scientology. The fact that followers know the backstory of LRon Hubbard, how he was informed, etc...yet they still buy into it at a devout militant level is fascinating. It's like conformity studies where people who know the color is blue eventually get twisted into thinking it is now red from pressure and situation. That Scientology is also so systematically malicious and powerful to those who cross them. The reconciliation with the facts and fiction...

I was out with friends one night in 1979 or '80, most of whom were Christians. This was in the days when most people had never heard of Scientology, and one of the friends mentioned it and asked if any of us knew anything about it. Without hesitation, another friend said, "I looked into that a couple of years ago. It's a cult that brainwashes people into believing whatever they want them to believe. Stay away from it."

Right. I got carried away with the parallel and remembered Arnold as Howard. That would have been too perfect.

You're still doing better than I am. I've seen every episode, but I still have to use IMDb to look up the characters' names.

 

[Fading Fast]

Vikings. A show that feels zero obligation to doing the work to forward the characters and story. Now, that shouldn't imply the characters and story don't progress. They do. Very little of it is earned. That's all. It has the strangest pacing or editing or directing of maybe any show in recent memory. It's possible that a viewer could wonder if every scene is maybe a dream sequence. The byproduct of that is a rather relaxed pace and tonality, which I do enjoy. I'd call it arty, but it feels more like a shortfall than a virtue. I wonder how the actors feel about consistently having a word, two words, maybe a dozen words every single scene. Is it a pleasant and rewarding challenge? Is it frustrating? I understand the vikings were illiterate, but I doubt they talked like cavemen. Look at their rich culture. The dialogue, or lack thereof, is weird.

You accurately describe what caused us to stop watching the show about two seasons ago.

 

[Fading Fast]

The Top 10 Dallas Cowboys of All-Time on the NFL Network.

To show you what a sad and shallow mind I have, I first read this as "The Top 10 Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders of All-Time..." and I thought, really, they made a show based on that? At least I thought the idea was dumb, but of course, it was kinda my idea, at least subconsciously.

 

[Fading Fast]

Another episode of "Good Girls Revolt." New rule, if Amazon is going to make an entire show that only my girlfriend and I watch (I don't think another person on earth has seen this show), then they should consult directly with us as to where we want the plot and character develop to go.

That said, the show, which was a bit of a mess - a bit of a poor man's "Mad Men -" in season one, has really, really improved in season two. It's 1970 and the full force of the cultural / social revolution is hitting the newsroom of the fictional "News of the Week" magazine (think "Time") and all heck is breaking use.

You need a score card to keep track of who's zooming who as, in particular, the women feel quite released to experiment now that the rules of that game are changing. Straight laced men and women are trying weed and drugs as peer pressure and the seeming omnipresence of the drugs almost make you feel left out if you don't. Women employees (the inspiration for the title) of the magazine are about to sue for equal rights for advancement and pay. And on it goes.

The theme that is being handled really well is, how do people deal with seeing all the old rules and guardrails come down at once? The answer is in a chaotic and confused manner. The fun is watching people - from different backgrounds, at different stages of life, with different core beliefs - see all their all guideposts fall and try to adjust on the fly.

Now, it would be nice if more than two people actually watch this very good show.

 

[Touchofevil]

To show you what a sad and shallow mind I have, I first read this as "The Top 10 Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders of All-Time..." and I thought, really, they made a show based on that? At least I thought the idea was dumb, but of course, it was kinda my idea, at least subconsciously.

I expect that you are not alone in what you thought you saw. And really it would not be all that surprising to see such a show, sadly.

 

[Touchofevil]

TUF 24 Finale
while watching
Eyewitness
2 episodes of Gotham (gotten so much better)
and finally, episode 2 of Westworld

 

[Touchofevil]

Wake Island: Alamo of the Pacific

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

a documentary, exposé on quilting. Very interesting and admirable work. 3600 hours into a single quilt? That's amazing dedication. Turning down $15K prize money because you have to forfeit the quilt? Also impressive.

Comic Book Men. Some would consider these guys losers. I don't. I like them. Not crazy about the fake situations on the show, but I like that these middle-aged nerds are an example on TV. Lots of paths to take in this world.

 

[Worf]

To show you what a sad and shallow mind I have, I first read this as "The Top 10 Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders of All-Time..." and I thought, really, they made a show based on that? At least I thought the idea was dumb, but of course, it was kinda my idea, at least subconsciously.

Mwa ha ha ha ha ha... Best laugh I've had in weeks... You're a brave man to admit this faux pas. However, back in the Aikman and Emitt years an argument could be made that, despite winning 3 Superbowls... the cheerleaders were more popular than the team.

Worf

 

[Touchofevil]

Mwa ha ha ha ha ha... Best laugh I've had in weeks... You're a brave man to admit this faux pas. However, back in the Aikman and Emitt years an argument could be made that, despite winning 3 Superbowls... the cheerleaders were more popular than the team.

Worf

Or at least equally so. Although, I would take Emmitt everyday. There's no way any cheerleader could carry the team with two bum shoulders as he did.

 

[Touchofevil]

a day of NFL. Not very productive but oh well.

 

[Stearmen]

Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later. I have to admit, I never thought about what a courageous act Roosevelt carried out the day after the 7th. He walked up the aisle in congress to the podium! I know that sounds like nothing, but his legs were almost completely useless. To simulate walking, his legs were bound in painful metal braces, and then locked solid. He then held his son James arm and used a cane to balance, literally throwing one leg out, then inching forward, then repeating with the other leg, very slow. If he had fallen, Hitler and Tojo would have had a propaganda field day! The other brave act was his now famous speech, his entire cabinet was against it, yet he over ruled them, and the rest is history!

 

[Zombie_61]

Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later...

I wish I'd taken note of what it was called, but a few weeks ago I saw a new documentary that revealed someone had uncovered a letter from F.D.R. that outlined eight military maneuvers that were designed purely to provoke Japan into attacking a U.S. military base; the target would presumably be Pearl Harbor. Winston Churchill had been all but begging Roosevelt to aid Britain in their efforts against Germany. But Roosevelt had no justification for doing so unless/until the U.S. was attacked in some way, so he and his advisors created this plan so the U.S. could use the attack as an excuse to enter the war in Europe.

 

[MisterCairo]

The Walking Dead then Talking Dead.

 

[Doctor Strange]

The Westworld season finale. Like the rest of the season, it found it overlong and redundant, punctuated with occasional interesting moments and fine performances. I came away not very enthused about where it looks like the second season will be going.

SPOILER ALERT!

And come on, was there any way that the Dr. Ford who Dolores shot was NOT a host acting as a Life Model Decoy?!?

 

[Fading Fast]

"The Crown" Episode 6
- Still very good
- Oh those Royals and their divorces (and libidos).
- Shouldn't the queen have a bigger plane and it be a jet?
- Even with a bazillion dollars, I'd still prefer to dress myself
- Showing the "inside baseball" of a call from sister to queen was brilliant
- The architecture (large and small) of The Empire is incredible
- I want Phillip's MG / he's becoming a bit of a bore (notice the show's influence on me?)
- Pip Torrens is killing it as Tommy (everyone should have someone like him managing their life)

 

[Benzadmiral]

"Jerkwater," a second-season episode of the 1959-1961 Nick Adams vehicle The Rebel. Johnny Yuma is wounded by a town's leading citizen, who threatens everyone else with death if they help Johnny. So Johnny enlists aid from his "uncle," John Sims, another former Confederate soldier, played by John Dehner. Most of us know Dehner, who sported a fantastic voice *, and who usually played villains or corporate bankers or both (with the exception of a memorable turn in the Twilight Zone episode "The Jungle"). This was the first time I'd ever seen him do something else -- and he did it to perfection. His battered corduroy coat and unraveling muffler, his tinted wire-rimmed glasses, his careful reading of his Bible, and his tall unbashed flat-brimmed hat made his Uncle John Sims as memorable as the "Yee-hah!" rebel yell he gives while spurring into action in the climactic gun battle.

It turns out this was Dehner's second turn as John Sims. I need to see that first episode!

* He played Paladin on the radio series of Have Gun -- Will Travel.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I was out with friends one night in 1979 or '80, most of whom were Christians. This was in the days when most people had never heard of Scientology, and one of the friends mentioned it and asked if any of us knew anything about it. Without hesitation, another friend said, "I looked into that a couple of years ago. It's a cult that brainwashes people into believing whatever they want them to believe. Stay away from it."

In a recent biography of Robert A. Heinlein, the author quotes Heinlein about Hubbard. Apparently he was a very creative fellow, with a solid imagination -- a necessary thing to write and sell science fiction, especially then. Heinlein tells of one night when he was out on the street talking with Hubbard, and pointed out a whirling dust devil in the alley near them. Hubbard glanced over, said, "Oh, that's just Kitten," and went back to whatever he was talking about.

Heinlein excused himself and made a quick note of the scene. It gave rise to his short story "Our Fair City."