The Swamp

BSF21 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:39 am Thanks to Rush I just finished this season of Barry. I really can't say how much I'm enjoying it. It's a brilliantly written and acted show. Had an off episode with the one in the middle with the TKD instructor, which was strange and served little purpose, but other than that, it's a 9.5/10.

Hader is great, but I noticed several of the episodes I really enjoyed had Emily Heller heavily involved. She's a hilarious comic and it's nice to see her having success. Sarah Goldberg in the penultimate ep of S3 was perfect. Steven Root...wow. I know he's more prevalent than Milton from Office Space, but Fuches is such a great character. I really can't wait to see where it goes from here.

[+] spoiler

Well, except for killing the cop who was trying to get Fuches to fuck over Barry. And also, it was by far the best episode of the season!

Giff wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:57 am

BSF21 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:39 am Thanks to Rush I just finished this season of Barry. I really can't say how much I'm enjoying it. It's a brilliantly written and acted show. Had an off episode with the one in the middle with the TKD instructor, which was strange and served little purpose, but other than that, it's a 9.5/10.

Hader is great, but I noticed several of the episodes I really enjoyed had Emily Heller heavily involved. She's a hilarious comic and it's nice to see her having success. Sarah Goldberg in the penultimate ep of S3 was perfect. Steven Root...wow. I know he's more prevalent than Milton from Office Space, but Fuches is such a great character. I really can't wait to see where it goes from here.

[+] spoiler

Well, except for killing the cop who was trying to get Fuches to fuck over Barry. And also, it was by far the best episode of the season!

[+] spoiler

I suppose. I just didn't care for the way they did it. Kinda ruined the world they had created for me, but YMMV.

[+] spoiler

I think the other thing people miss about that episode is how much of a test it was of Barry's resolve to not kill anyone any more, taken to Keystone Cops extremes since the show is technically a comedy. It would have been really easy for him to say fuck it and just shoot the guy, but he didn't and one of the consequences of that was having the kid end up coming home and having to deal with that. It's very much a show about the choices we make and the reasons we make them. And not just Barry frankly, but even a more secondary character like Noho Hank.

brian wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 12:59 pm

[+] spoiler

I think the other thing people miss about that episode is how much of a test it was of Barry's resolve to not kill anyone any more, taken to Keystone Cops extremes since the show is technically a comedy. It would have been really easy for him to say fuck it and just shoot the guy, but he didn't and one of the consequences of that was having the kid end up coming home and having to deal with that. It's very much a show about the choices we make and the reasons we make them. And not just Barry frankly, but even a more secondary character like Noho Hank.

[+] spoiler

I get that aspect. It was the weird superhuman shit that threw me out of it. It didn't jive or make sense with anything they had done up to that point, or anything they did after it.

Rex wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:02 pm Also, he died in a plane crash, which means my next 2 hours of Internet browsing are set.

The Tomarkens were volunteers with Angel Flight West, a nonprofit organization that provides free air transportation to needy medical patients. They were en route to San Diego to pick up a cancer patient who needed transportation to UCLA Medical Center for treatment when their airplane crashed. The charity and the Tomarken children have since established a "Tomarken Heroes" fund in memory of the couple.

brian wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:43 am

Jerloma wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:20 am If we ever had an accident* like that, I'm absolutely convinced that we'd handle it as irresponsibly and unethically as the Soviets did.

*I'm only two episodes in and nobody seems to have any idea how a nuclear core would explode instead of melting down, so I suppose there's always a chance it wasn't an accident.

I don't think this is a spoiler, but it was an accident. If at the time there had been any chance it was sabotaged, the Americans would have been blamed. It's honestly kind of amazing that the Soviets didn't go that route anyway. If it had happened in the 60s or 70s, it's entirely possible that's how it would have gone down until the truth eventually came out.

That said, they do eventually explain how it happened in the show.

brian wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:56 am Finally got caught up on the first three episodes of Veep and that show is definitely going out on top. I admit thinking it was overrated at times before (mostly w/r/t awards, etc.) but there's no questioning how hilarious this final run for Selina is going. The jokes fly so fast and furious sometimes.

(And I admit being amused at how it's the only show on television to joke about how Nevada is always mispronounced by politicians and how that sticks in the craw of Nevadans. I mean you'd think considering it's the third state to vote after Iowa and New Hampshire that most of these people would learn how to pronounce it correctly.)

[+] spoiler

Guess they thought it needed a coda.But it really lost any subtlety about how awful a person Selina was.I found the ending to be just unpleasant.

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:35 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:09 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 12:37 pm Every HBO show ever, ranked.

Long, but well done and worth your time. I have some minor quibbles, but largely think the rankings are right on.

Good article, and a reminder that I should watch The Leftovers. I really enjoy Crashing, which this article ranked as one of the worst shows. The show isn't great, but I love the NYC comedy scene, and seeing so many world class comics playing themselves in the show appeals to me. I briefly listened to Pete Holmes' podcast when he started, and heard him on several other pods, so I don't have a hard time imagining the cartoonishly naive character he plays probably isn't much of an exaggeration of who he was when he started out. I love that he is willing to go so deep and making himself into a cringe-inducing naive clown for laughs.

One of my quibbles is I would probably have The Leftovers at #3, behind The Sopranos and The Wire, but that's just me and I don't think it was dismissive at all of The Leftovers' greatness.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:52 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:35 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:09 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 12:37 pm Every HBO show ever, ranked.

Long, but well done and worth your time. I have some minor quibbles, but largely think the rankings are right on.

Good article, and a reminder that I should watch The Leftovers. I really enjoy Crashing, which this article ranked as one of the worst shows. The show isn't great, but I love the NYC comedy scene, and seeing so many world class comics playing themselves in the show appeals to me. I briefly listened to Pete Holmes' podcast when he started, and heard him on several other pods, so I don't have a hard time imagining the cartoonishly naive character he plays probably isn't much of an exaggeration of who he was when he started out. I love that he is willing to go so deep and making himself into a cringe-inducing naive clown for laughs.

One of my quibbles is I would probably have The Leftovers at #3, behind The Sopranos and The Wire, but that's just me and I don't think it was dismissive at all of The Leftovers' greatness.

Syb - I totally agree about Crashing! I think there's an age group of mostly dudes that grew up watching Comedy Central when it was 99 percent stand-ups and listened to Cosby and Carlin on vinyl that is pretty deep into this scene. Not enough to carry an HBO show, but we are out there...

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 12:37 pm Every HBO show ever, ranked.

Long, but well done and worth your time. I have some minor quibbles, but largely think the rankings are right on.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 1:12 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:52 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:35 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:09 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 12:37 pm Every HBO show ever, ranked.

Long, but well done and worth your time. I have some minor quibbles, but largely think the rankings are right on.

Good article, and a reminder that I should watch The Leftovers. I really enjoy Crashing, which this article ranked as one of the worst shows. The show isn't great, but I love the NYC comedy scene, and seeing so many world class comics playing themselves in the show appeals to me. I briefly listened to Pete Holmes' podcast when he started, and heard him on several other pods, so I don't have a hard time imagining the cartoonishly naive character he plays probably isn't much of an exaggeration of who he was when he started out. I love that he is willing to go so deep and making himself into a cringe-inducing naive clown for laughs.

One of my quibbles is I would probably have The Leftovers at #3, behind The Sopranos and The Wire, but that's just me and I don't think it was dismissive at all of The Leftovers' greatness.

Syb - I totally agree about Crashing! I think there's an age group of mostly dudes that grew up watching Comedy Central when it was 99 percent stand-ups and listened to Cosby and Carlin on vinyl that is pretty deep into this scene. Not enough to carry an HBO show, but we are out there...

Vinyl? Never owned a record as a toddler, never became a hipster.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 3:31 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 1:12 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:52 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:35 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:09 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 12:37 pm Every HBO show ever, ranked.

Long, but well done and worth your time. I have some minor quibbles, but largely think the rankings are right on.

Good article, and a reminder that I should watch The Leftovers. I really enjoy Crashing, which this article ranked as one of the worst shows. The show isn't great, but I love the NYC comedy scene, and seeing so many world class comics playing themselves in the show appeals to me. I briefly listened to Pete Holmes' podcast when he started, and heard him on several other pods, so I don't have a hard time imagining the cartoonishly naive character he plays probably isn't much of an exaggeration of who he was when he started out. I love that he is willing to go so deep and making himself into a cringe-inducing naive clown for laughs.

One of my quibbles is I would probably have The Leftovers at #3, behind The Sopranos and The Wire, but that's just me and I don't think it was dismissive at all of The Leftovers' greatness.

Syb - I totally agree about Crashing! I think there's an age group of mostly dudes that grew up watching Comedy Central when it was 99 percent stand-ups and listened to Cosby and Carlin on vinyl that is pretty deep into this scene. Not enough to carry an HBO show, but we are out there...

Vinyl? Never owned a record as a toddler, never became a hipster.

I didn't own it, my dad did.

I started taping my mom's Willie Nelson, Fleetwood Mac and Bruce Springsteen albums on a recorder in the late 70s. I'd put the speakers on both sides of the cassette recorder and tape away. That's also how I'd tape The Electrifying Mojo so I could hear mixes of Kraftwerk and Africa Bambaata and the like.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:43 pm Funny, I bought George Carlin's AM/FM album on vinyl when I was in 7th grade. I wore that sucker out and memorized a good portion of it. Vinyl was not hipster then, it was the standard! I also had a cheap cassette recorder and would record radio songs I liked as they played on my parents' big-ass hi-fi console. I guess this all goes in the Things that make you realize you are old thread.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:52 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:43 pm Funny, I bought George Carlin's AM/FM album on vinyl when I was in 7th grade. I wore that sucker out and memorized a good portion of it. Vinyl was not hipster then, it was the standard! I also had a cheap cassette recorder and would record radio songs I liked as they played on my parents' big-ass hi-fi console. I guess this all goes in the Things that make you realize you are old thread.

I bought "Occupation Foole" when I was 12 or so. On vinyl of course, because that was all there was.

EdRomero wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:08 pm I have cynically laughed along with every Meryl Streep is an acting goddess joke, but she absolutely kicked ass in the first episode of the second season of Big Little Lies.

Rex wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:01 pm Hey, Press Your Luck is back! And because of that, I learned that Peter Tomarken died 13 years ago. WTF? I don’t remember a Swamp thread on that.

BSF21 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:39 am Thanks to Rush I just finished this season of Barry. I really can't say how much I'm enjoying it. It's a brilliantly written and acted show. Had an off episode with the one in the middle with the TKD instructor, which was strange and served little purpose, but other than that, it's a 9.5/10.

Hader is great, but I noticed several of the episodes I really enjoyed had Emily Heller heavily involved. She's a hilarious comic and it's nice to see her having success. Sarah Goldberg in the penultimate ep of S3 was perfect. Steven Root...wow. I know he's more prevalent than Milton from Office Space, but Fuches is such a great character. I really can't wait to see where it goes from here.

[+] spoiler

Considering the pains they seem to take to keep the show somewhat grounded in reality, it was a bit much.

[+] spoiler

It'll be interesting to see where they begin the next season. It seems clear that Barry's dreams of acting (and all plots with Sally) will have to be finished. And Sarah Goldberg's rant at Barry by the pool was Emmy calibre. We reran the scene just to watch her lose her mind, get it back and then lose it again.

mister d wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 9:02 am

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 1:12 pmWatched 5 out of 10 episodes so far. Great show, but not remotely what i was expecting. I thought it would be a slightly dark buddy comedy. I mean, Will Ferrell produced this show! It's really good, but much more a drama than a comedy. Actually, abut the only comedic scene is in the trailer, and the show starts with that scene, and that's about it for the comedy. A few dark chuckles, I guess, but more from uncomfortable social interactions than actual comedy. The writing and acting are great, and the show just moves so fast and seamlessly. It's really hard to stop watching.

Interesting. I'd absolutely consider it a comedy and its gotten a few legit LOLs which possibly says something about me?

[+] spoiler

I'm super pumped about Stranger Danger coming back! Watched the first show yesterday before we hit up dinner and fireworks and it was pretty fantastic. Bringing in the whole "mall craze" sure brought back a flood of memories.

I'm up for whatever this season, but I have to say, they are creeping into dodgy territory in terms "where is this all going." I have to think they have plotted this thing out, and I'd be up for a longer than 5 season run (against my "rules") but as this season rolls on, it's going to need to start getting more specific about what the fuck is actually going on.

brian wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:15 am A show called "The Seinfeld Chronicles" debuted 30 years ago today. It would go on to become the most profitable show in the history of television (an estimated $7 billion and still growing -- about $2 billion from its original run and about $5 billion in syndication). Jerry Seinfeld is expected to become a billionaire by 2021.

Giff wrote: ↑Sat Jul 06, 2019 11:25 am Last season, not episode. The last episode blew, but that show ended on a peak, IMO.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Sat Jul 06, 2019 12:54 pm The last season had Kruger and those episodes ruled.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:42 pm

brian wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:15 am A show called "The Seinfeld Chronicles" debuted 30 years ago today. It would go on to become the most profitable show in the history of television (an estimated $7 billion and still growing -- about $2 billion from its original run and about $5 billion in syndication). Jerry Seinfeld is expected to become a billionaire by 2021.

I still remember watching the pilot and thinking it was a horrible show. Then several months later, my friends convincing me to give it another chance, and yada yada yada...

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:57 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:42 pm

brian wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:15 am A show called "The Seinfeld Chronicles" debuted 30 years ago today. It would go on to become the most profitable show in the history of television (an estimated $7 billion and still growing -- about $2 billion from its original run and about $5 billion in syndication). Jerry Seinfeld is expected to become a billionaire by 2021.

I still remember watching the pilot and thinking it was a horrible show. Then several months later, my friends convincing me to give it another chance, and yada yada yada...

That first season is unwatchable. To be frank, I'm not sure there's that much quality in the first three seasons. I mean, Wayne Knight was a quality addition later into the third season, but IMO it's not until they come back from California is when the show beings to take off, and that's where the real quality additions to the cast begin to take place. It was also huge when they finally wrote about Elaine in the work environment, too. Mr. Pitt and then obviously J Peterman.