Netflix/Prime/Hulu/BritBox Binge Watching: Coronavirus Edition

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clairecloutier

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We started watching the first episode of House of the Dragon, up to the point where some random guy’s private parts get cut off in a random cruelty display, and stopped there.
 

MacMadame

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We started watching the first episode of House of the Dragon, up to the point where some random guy’s private parts get cut off in a random cruelty display, and stopped there.
I never watch when they do violence if it's a big protracted scene like that. (If it's quick and unexpected, I might watch by accident.)
 

ilovepaydays

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Just finished watching season five of The Crown. Anyone else thinking that they should have just made this season with more episodes (like 15 instead of 10 and have it end in ~2022) and just ended it here?
 

VGThuy

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Just finished watching season five of The Crown. Anyone else thinking that they should have just made this season with more episodes (like 15?instead of 10 and have it end in ~2022) and just ended it here?
I was kind of confused about the pacing and what they decided to emphasize and spend so much time on and what they glossed over. And it starts in 1990-ish and ends around summer 1997 so it feels like less time was covered. They usually devote an episode or a few to talk about the state of Britain and the prime minister but I felt John Major was barely given any time outside of having to deal with Charles and Diana issues most of the time. To me, I got tired of that story (and for so much time being dedicated to l them, I felt it was very shallow) and the best episodes were dealing with people outside the royal family.

There was one episode where I thought I was watching the opening credits of the Amazon series The Romanovs for a while. That episode started out strongly but became a boring episode episode about Elizabeth and Phillip.
 

skatingguy

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Just finished watching season five of The Crown. Anyone else thinking that they should have just made this season with more episodes (like 15 instead of 10 and have it end in ~2022) and just ended it here?
The '90's were a particularly down period for the British Royal family, and the whole season seems to be focused on the Queen's state of mind, and sort of crisis of confidence, or existential dread that seems to be overwhelming her. I was a little surprised that they didn't touch on the end of apartheid in South Africa because that was a real focus of the events of 4th season. Based on the end of the season it seems that they wanted enough time to deal with the death of Diana at the beginning of the 6th season, and deaths of Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother.
 

MacMadame

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I hate, hate, hate Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the Queen. She always looks like she's just eaten a lemon even during scenes where she's supposed to be happy. She's missing the warmth and twinkle in the eye that we saw in prior seasons.
 

VGThuy

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I hate, hate, hate Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the Queen. She always looks like she's just eaten a lemon even during scenes where she's supposed to be happy. She's missing the warmth and twinkle in the eye that we saw in prior seasons.
I've had issues with all the actresses playing the Queen, but Staunton makes faces that are very "Umbridge" and I say that because I know it's not just her face as she does not always do that in her roles.

I usually like Imelda in the roles I've seen her in, but when she misses, she misses. Her "Rose" in the West End production of the Broadway musical Gypsy was one of the worst things I've seen (it was filmed) and she totally missed the point and mark of that character. She was just aggressive with nothing else...to the point where I thought she was going to start punching members of the audience during her songs.
 

skategal

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I hate, hate, hate Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the Queen. She always looks like she's just eaten a lemon even during scenes where she's supposed to be happy. She's missing the warmth and twinkle in the eye that we saw in prior seasons.
I’m only half way through the season but I agree the casting was much better in previous seasons.

Besides the Queen’s miscasting, Diana is coming off as sulky and whiny. Prince Phillip seems super mellow. And Charles is coming off as someone who wants to push mummy in front of a truck.

I doubt very much if any of those portrayals are accurate.
 

VGThuy

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I’m only half way through the season but I agree the casting was much better in previous seasons.

Besides the Queen’s miscasting, Diana is coming off as sulky and whiny. Prince Phillip seems super mellow. And Charles is coming off as someone who wants to push mummy in front of a truck.

I doubt very much if any of those portrayals are accurate.
This is truly the best summary of the acting of this season. These are all very good actors, but I think the writing/directing failed them. I will say the actor playing John Major is very good (I don't know if it's accurate or not) as is Olivia Williams as Camilla (she is eerily exactly what I would think Camilla would be like).

I think they hired Dominic West as Charles because he's much hunkier than the actual Prince Charles and they wanted a "sexy" actor to say those phone sex lines with Camilla.

Regarding the romance between Diana and Dr. Khan, the critically-lambasted and little seen biopic about Diana starring Naomi Watts actually did a wonderful job showing that romance and gave it some real depth and character. Here, it seems the show is now going through the motions of just covering footnotes and emphasizing things we don't need 50 minutes to go through.
 

MacMadame

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I think this was posted in another thread (or maybe not? can't find it now) but it is relevant here.

Wasn't there a thread just for The Crown at some point?
 

Sparks

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I am only 4 episodes in. I can't get over some of the casting choices. I cannot unsee Dolores Umbridge in the Queen.
The new Charles is way too rugged and is not weasely enough.
 

MacMadame

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I am only 4 episodes in. I can't get over some of the casting choices. I cannot unsee Dolores Umbridge in the Queen.
The new Charles is way too rugged and is not weasely enough.
And Lady Diana is way too tall. The actress seems pretty good in the role to me but when she stands next to people who in real life she didn't tower over and towers over them, it just distracts and I lose my suspension of disbelief. I mean I know Diana was 5'10" which is tall for a woman but this actress is a full 4+ inches taller.
 

skategal

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I am only 4 episodes in. I can't get over some of the casting choices. I cannot unsee Dolores Umbridge in the Queen.
The new Charles is way too rugged and is not weasely enough.
I feel like because the Queen was very aged when this was written and Charles was getting nearer and nearer the throne, the writers went for a softer edit for him and hired the most handsome, likeable actor they could reasonably get away with to portray him.

So far it’s all “Charles tried for 11 years to make the marriage work. Diana doesn’t understand how the royal family works and wants to blow it up. Diana is unreasonable and could have had a good life in the system. Everything Charles does is because he wants to be a leader in the UK and modernize the monarchy.” :rolleyes:

As per usual, I am enjoying Margaret. :lol:
 

LeafOnTheWind

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The Vow, Season 2, Episode 5

It comes with a triggering warning. Take it seriously. There is so much bad in this episode. :( The events listed here are what eventually made Nancy Salzman wake up and realize Keith Raniere was a really bad man. It's when she decided to testify against him.
 
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ilovepaydays

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I hate, hate, hate Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the Queen. She always looks like she's just eaten a lemon even during scenes where she's supposed to be happy. She's missing the warmth and twinkle in the eye that we saw in prior seasons.

I've had issues with all the actresses playing the Queen, but Staunton makes faces that are very "Umbridge" and I say that because I know it's not just her face as she does not always do that in her roles.

Count me in as another who couldn’t stop thinking about Umbridge during this season. Even by the third & fourth episode, I couldn’t stop thinking, “HM Queen Elizabeth would NEVER want to torture Harry!” 😣

I think Diana’s script this season was sorely lacking and made it impossible for Elizabeth Debicki to really “pull off” the role.

I didn’t realize that Dodi got engaged to someone else earlier the summer before he got involved with Diana.

And yes, the scene where Charles is breakdancing really did happen!
 

Sparks

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This is from a friend. I agree

Every portrayal of Diana including through her children's memories has been about her warmth especially when it comes to her children. She adored them and to paint her as an aloof person who put herself before her children is just blasphemous
 

VGThuy

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To be fair, Diana was spiraling at that point and did act in a way that seemed to put her interest above William's (I'm sure she justified it to herself). Nobody's perfect and that doesn't make her a bad person. She was just in a dark period and was angry. I remember reading reports of William being angry at Diana for the Panorama interview and other things she was doing to bait the media. Of course, I had no idea Martin Bashir played into Diana's paranoia about being spied on via doctored and downright fake evidence, and also playing into her natural empathy/sympathy for those who have been "othered" or "ostracized" to get that interview. I don't blame her for her state-of-mind.
 

Allskate

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I can't bring myself to watch this season of The Crown. I watched last season. I am old enough to remember Diana, and I really didn't like the way she was portrayed last season. I have no desire to see what they do with her and Charles and their children this season. From what I have read, The Crown is highly fictionalized and I just have a hard time watching them fictionalize this family, especially if they are rehabilitating the images of Charles and Camilla.
 

gkelly

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I watched the first episode of this season. Based on the comments above, I'm feeling less eager to continue.

I'm not personally invested in the real-life British royal family. But I do find it weird to have fictionalized drama about real people, many of whom are still alive, but not involved in the production in any way.
 

MacMadame

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From what I have read, The Crown is highly fictionalized
Up until now, it's actually been a lot more accurate than I expected. I am constantly looking things up with a "did that really happen"? question and usually it really did.
 

skatingguy

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Up until now, it's actually been a lot more accurate than I expected. I am constantly looking things up with a "did that really happen"? question and usually it really did.
I think what @Allskate is referring to is the personal interactions between the various members of the Royal family.
 

Allskate

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Up until now, it's actually been a lot more accurate than I expected. I am constantly looking things up with a "did that really happen"? question and usually it really did.
It's obviously not entirely fictional. There are major historical facts, such as mining disasters and weddings. But, Netflix itself has said that it is fictionalized though inspired by real events. I remember reading that the portrayal of what Queen Elizabeth did when Margaret wanted to marry was quite fictional. Entire conversations are made up. Specifics of historical events are changed or made up. Diana's brother is not a fan.
 

VGThuy

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That JFK episode from season 2 was probably to most egregious example that borderlines real person fan fiction to the point where the premise and interactions were so absurd it almost turned the show from “prestige” television to one of those cheap daytime BBC soaps.

If any fan could ignore or even like that episode, and continue watching the show, then anything else the show had to offer thus far has been nothing.
 
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