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

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alexikeguchi

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I love Gary Oldman. So I decided to watch his series on AppleTV called “Slow Horses.” And I binged it. This is good storytelling and a fine cast in a mystery/action/drama about a group of British intelligence outcasts and their boss (Oldman.). It left me wanting more and apparently more seasons are on the way.
Thanks for pointing me to this series. I enjoy thrillers and have just finished watching the first episode. I like the premise, balance of suspense and humor, and acting so far.
 

Ananas Astra

Get woke, go broke!
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"House of the Dragon" has got to be my highlight of the year!
What an episode again!

Not to spoil anything but...if you go to a wedding in Westeros...don't expect it to have a nice outcome.
GRRM is a LOUSY wedding planner, so to say.
 

Ananas Astra

Get woke, go broke!
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oh and BTW the new season of "Cobra Kai" is pretty awesome as well. Silly at times (as usual) but badass and awesome.
Johnny Lawrence remains my spirit animal. Daniel LaPusso is still annoying. His wife kills it, as does Carmen and her mom. And Robby in this season. Anthony is also on his redemption path. Hawk is awesome as usual. I found Miguel and Sam to be pretty annoying again.
 

Japanfan

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I hate watch Handmaids Tale now just to see it through to the end (although I read there will be a 6th season :( ). Every since Elizabeth Moss started taking a directing role I find the series has far too many closeup shots of June being angry/crazy/whatever emotion to the point I loathe the character now.

But the early seasons are great and very true to the book with Atwood's involvement and seal of approval.
I love The Handmaid's Tale and continue to do so, especially since the series took a new direction in the last episode.

But I agree about there being too many close-ups of June. And Moss has a somewhat limited range of expressions.
 

Jimena

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I used to love The Handmaid's Tale. But I just don't find it believable anymore that June is still alive.
 

Bunny Hop

Queen of the Workaround
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I love Gary Oldman. So I decided to watch his series on AppleTV called “Slow Horses.” And I binged it. This is good storytelling and a fine cast in a mystery/action/drama about a group of British intelligence outcasts and their boss (Oldman.). It left me wanting more and apparently more seasons are on the way.
Thanks for the tip. I will give this a try to justify my AppleTV subscription. Still trying to find time to finish Foundation - I need to re-watch the episode I 'saw' last week as I wasn't paying sufficient attention and now don't understand what's going on (and it wasn't that clear to start with).
Not to spoil anything but...if you go to a wedding in Westeros...don't expect it to have a nice outcome.
Even this non Game of Thrones watcher knew that. :lol:

I have to say that Matt Smith is killing it. I was always somewhat meh about his Doctor in Doctor Who but bloody hell he's good in HotD.
 

vgerdes

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oh and BTW the new season of "Cobra Kai" is pretty awesome as well. Silly at times (as usual) but badass and awesome.
Johnny Lawrence remains my spirit animal. Daniel LaPusso is still annoying. His wife kills it, as does Carmen and her mom. And Robby in this season. Anthony is also on his redemption path. Hawk is awesome as usual. I found Miguel and Sam to be pretty annoying again.
Sam and Miguel are annoyingly cutesy as a couple. I find both characters more interesting when they're not interacting with (or mooning over) each other. Anthony has grown on me, but my favorites are Hawk, Chozen and Johnny. In that order. I think most of the characters on this show are pretty awesome though. Yes, it can be silly, but I think that's intentional.
 

Buzz

Socialist Canada
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37,308
Started watching The Bear instead and it’s a much better show! Certainly more fun to watch! :cheer2:


ETA:
Still can’t believe something with this much cussing is on Disney!!! :rofl:
 
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Cachoo

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The Bear is so good. Just all around fantastic. No idea what they’re going to do with a second season. I barely breathed during episode 7.
They were smart to make it 30 minute episodes. It moved so fast and captured the frenzy of that kitchen. I wasn't sure how I felt about the final episode this season. But I'll be watching next season anyway.
 

misskarne

Handy Emergency Backup Mode
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Finally got the chance to watch Episode 4 of Rings of Power today...

Excuse me while I throw the whole Adar storyline out the window, a corrupt elf, you must be shitting me, how they absolutely dare.

Galadriel is still too impetuous, too impatient, too young. She is supposed to be, at minimum, 3000 years old at this point. She's wise. She's experienced. She spent centuries at Doriath's court, she knows how queencraft works, she knows how to be diplomatic! Stop having her rush headlong into stuff without thinking! She is a princess and queen in her own right!

At this point, if I knew nothing, I would say Elrond was the elder, and Elrond is most definitely younger - he's supposed to marry her daughter, and her husband isn't even on the scene yet!

I did like the framing of Tar-Miriel and Tar-Palantir's story, though. I don't mind that they dropped the icky part of Pharazon's story - that he forcibly married (and likely raped, though Tolkien didn't like to be explicit with such things unlike certain other series) Miriel and usurped her queenship. Miriel is really believable as the regent queen who is trying to do her best for her people but also fears the end of Numenor. Since we're going to just...skip over the several dozen kings and queens of Numenor before her, it seems she's getting a few different character traits added to her, such as being willing to help the elves.

I've never been so relieved that the shining thing in the chest that Durin had was mithril. I was absolutely in fear that it was a Silmaril or something like that. This may actually be roughly on storyline though I think the dwarves knew about mithril earlier than that. I get the feeling Elrond is going to end up in trouble with that ingot Durin gave him.

I love that we got to touch upon Elrond's backstory and the tale of Earendil, particularly in that lovely part about Durin arguing with his father. That was really beautifully done. Of course Elrond would want his friends to keep their bonds with family; he has none left, save Gil-Galad and Galadriel and they are only distantly related (at least until he marries Galadriel's daughter). I did have a good laugh at Durin cursing Elrond's kin if he spoke of the mine - my dude, Elrond loses everyone he loves anyway, no need for dwarven curses.

There's definitely a lot of building going on, and I'm a bit concerned that they won't be able to resolve a lot of the threads before the season ends.
 

sk8pics

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There’s a free 4-month trial of AppleTV+ available through Target. I had it before but had canceled it when I finished watching Ted Lasso, probably late last year, and it worked fine.

I meant to cancel my Hulu subscription but didn’t realize they charged my credit card the day before it showed up on my credit card, so I missed the chance. There are only a couple of shows on Hulu that I like to watch, so I’ll cancel it before the next billing date and then reinstate it to binge those shows (The Resident and Grey’s Anatomy).
 

Aussie Willy

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I started watching Dahmer yesterday. We probably all know the story but the first couple of episodes were so well done and engrossing. Evan Peters is truly amazing in his portrayal.
 

TanithandBenFan

Author of the Ice and Edge Series
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If anyone watches the movie Meet Cute on Peacock let me know how it is. Every streaming movie I’ve watched lately has been a disappointment.
 

VGThuy

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If anyone watches the movie Meet Cute on Peacock let me know how it is. Every streaming movie I’ve watched lately has been a disappointment.
That’s how I feel too with some exceptions. A lot of the made for tv movies on Netflix that get green lit make me wonder if there’s any quality control going on outside of marketing and demo research that they get from big data.
 

MacMadame

Doing all the things
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Netflix's philosophy seems to be to throw a lot of things at the wall and see what sticks.

I'm okay with this because it means things get made that might never get made if they were actively looking for hits.
 

manhn

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Do Revenge is getting good notices, even though I thought it was only okay. I did enjoy Wedding Season.

I have found some nice gems on Tubi: Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, Say You Will, and Plus One.
 

VGThuy

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I actually think Netflix carefully picks and choose the projects they produce but the projects they come up with are not coming from a creative place but more of a commercial one. They develop programs based on what the data they collect from their subscribers and their viewing habits. That big data tells them what things people like to watch or what segments of their subscribers each like to watch, so they produce things just to appeal to their various niche subscribers. They have some very good programs that come from that and they also fund projects that other networks don’t because they can have such access to data of their subscribers that they can exploit minority or niche markets.

An example of above was how House of Cards was developed. They got the rights to the original British series after they found a good portion of their subscribers liked British political “thrillers”. Then from more data they gathered, they found that those who watched the original tended to also loved watching David Fincher fans and would watch Fincher films Netflix hosted. And there was enough numbers that they decided to invest enough money to pay for high level writers, actors, and made sure David Fincher directed the pilot and was associated with the American remake. And boom…a hit series.

However, many times, when they see a trend or their data says something is worth investing in, and to strike while the iron is hot, they can rush out or make projects that they can market to their subscriber base but they obviously made the project based on collected data rather have a project come to them from a more creative source and I find you can tell in a lot of those programs. A lot of it also seems to only superficially fit what people want to see more of but are disappointing when you see the execution. You can tell if a project is only meant to quickly cash in on one of their “niche” markets depending on the money and talent involved.
 

misskarne

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Watched Episode 5 of the Rings of Power:

Hello, we're finally getting somewhere, and I don't mind it.

I thought they really missed an absolute gimme of a plot line in this episode, but that may draw back to them not being allowed to touch too much on the First Age stuff. Elrond and oaths. Oh my god, does Elrond ever know about oaths and the damage they can cause. They could have done so much with that, with his being fostered by Maedhros and Maglor and his seeing the dreadful consequences of the Oath of Feanor firsthand. But I guess that's way too much First Age stuff for the show to be able to work in.

It does seem Elrond's backstory is going to need more explaining though, as Earendil is described by Celebrimbor as a mortal man, which is both technically true (in his writings Tolkien confirmed that the children of elf/mortal marriages are mortal by default unless granted otherwise by the Valar or Eru) but also not true, as Earendil was the son of an elf/mortal marriage, and his wife, Elwing, was the daughter of a marriage between an elf and a half-elf/half-mortal. So casual viewers who picked that tidbit up are probably going to be scratching their heads as to how Elrond is so very clearly an elf, and also I don't think the show has connected that Elrond is the twin brother of Elros the first King of Numenor yet.

Anyway, I didn't much like the whole mithril-bringing-back-the-light thing, and I very much didn't like how Elrond worded it to Durin; a wordsmith like him could have made it much clearer that he'd been manipulated into the situation. But I'm glad Elrond and Durin are still friends. Their friendship is quite fun.

Meanwhile over in Numenor, I'm glad we're getting to see more of manipulative Pharazon, which is much more canonical. Miriel being told not to go to Middle Earth is a bit of a headscratcher, but I'm glad she's still going and holding to her faith, also more canonical. I really thought Pharazon's creepy son was going to try and claim Isildur was burning the boat when Isildur lied to cover his ass, but he didn't, mercifully.

Galadriel seemed much more mature this episode, which is a relief, and I'm glad she apologised to Halbrand. I'm also glad that we got to see a little more of Halbrand's past, but even with all the darkness behind him I'm so thrilled he chose to return to Middle Earth and take up the Kingship of the Southlands once more...even though we know his people are doomed because the Southlands will become Mordor.

We had a lovely moment with the Stranger getting accepted by the Harfoots only for that weird ice incident to happen. This was one thing that made no sense to me. Nori has seen the Stranger do a dozen scary things, even some directed at her. Why has this incident freaked her out? It was her fault for putting her hand on his arm.

And I'm glad the men who chose to leave the tower and take the offer of "mercy" from the orcs have learned quickly what that really means, even if it came at poor Rowan's expense.

Anyway, at least things are finally moving. Interested for next week's episode.
 

Ananas Astra

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The latest episode of "House of the Dragon" was pretty awesome again.
The new actresses portraying Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) are killing it and I enjoyed Rhaenyra's family life with her gay husband, 3 bastard sons from her sworn sword and her sworn sword Ser Harwin Strong very much...only to have the entire thing destroyed in like 5 minutes. **** you, Larys!

Daemon was super calm this episode which means he will lash out and commit crimes again next week...and I am LIVING for it.
Felt sorry for gorgeous Laena, though. The scene with Vhagar was heartbreaking. The old lady really didn't wanna do this, but DRACARYS!

Oh yeah, and Alicent is a ****. A vicious ****. Poor Viserys...no wonder he has already lost an arm due to his sickness which is being fueled by all this family drama.

Rhaenyra's kids are absolutely adorable and Alicent's are a pain in the ass.
 

LeafOnTheWind

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Overall I've been enjoying(?) watching The Patient. I don't know if enjoying is the right word given the topic but I do have some nitpicks with episode 6.

They are taking way too long to bury the body. I get that the doctor is supposed to be trying to remain calm and deal with the murder that happened right in front of him and that it probably would feel like an eternity. But the eternity keeps going for a show that is only 20 minutes long. We get it.
 

TanithandBenFan

Author of the Ice and Edge Series
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Overall I've been enjoying(?) watching The Patient. I don't know if enjoying is the right word given the topic but I do have some nitpicks with episode 6.

They are taking way too long to bury the body. I get that the doctor is supposed to be trying to remain calm and deal with the murder that happened right in front of him and that it probably would feel like an eternity. But the eternity keeps going for a show that is only 20 minutes long. We get it.
This show is truly terrifying. I have to watch it on my afternoon snack break because no way could I handle it at night.
 

Matryeshka

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I have not had good luck with shows. I tried to watch Devil in Ohio, because Dr. Temperance Brennan practices psychology, but...no. I'm not exactly put off by the whole Satanic cult element exactly, but there are so many things and none of them are done well. The family's characters aren't developed enough to be interesting. It would have been better with one well-developed child instead of three useless ones. The ensemble just doesn't come together. It's not creepy enough to pull off thriller vibes, but it's not mystery enough either. It either needs to be less creepy or more creepy. Honestly, the only reason I like the main character is because my mind refuses to not see Bones. I keep waiting for Dr Saroyan to come and straighten out all their nonsense. The husband is dull. I hope Mae sacrifices him to the Dark Lord. And the middle daughter too. I'm kinda rooting for the Prince of Darkness, honestly. If I had to live in Nowhere, Ohio I'd probably think starting a cult was a good idea too. I think someone saw The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina too many times and tried to make a version their grandmother could watch.

I was looking forward to ReBoot, but again a no and for the same reason. Just not enough. It's not serious enough, it's not funny enough, does it want to be a comedy, a satire, what? I don't know. Neither do they. That one might get better--I'm going to give it another chance to develop.
 

LeafOnTheWind

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For the latest mini docuseries in "humanity is really screwed" I present to you The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist on Netflix.

There is really not much to say other than you walk away shaking your head.
 
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