Oh yeah. I explained to people that back when it came out that it was such a great mindffck that as Season 1 developed I felt like my brain had been removed from my head, scrambled in a blender & put back in again. Amazing that a show could do that to me. Felt NO WAY they could do that to me again but they did in Season 2 all over again. Season 3 is probably my fave though, despite the lack of mindffcking it resolved some mysteries & unanswered Qs, introduces some great new characters, amps up the thrills and made me feel like I was watching perhaps one of the greatest television shows ever. But then it all came crashing down for me in S4 some of the things that happened really pissed me off and the big reveal was the lamest most predictable TV crap I've ever seen. The show deserved so much more IMO. I have my own storyline for S4 that diverges from what Esmail came up with and I choose to just remember it that way. I'll rewatch the whole show again someday and perhaps change my mind on S4 but I doubt it. I did watch S1-3 three times already though.
If you didn't get wowed by S1 then I'd say the show is not for you, don't bother with the rest. The crazy twists and turns in there turned me on my head but if you felt it was meh then I don't think you'd dig the rest either.
I’ll no doubt get the complete box ( if there is one ) cheap. I’ve watched an incredible amount of tv since 2011. but I’m known to change my mind occasionally...like Justified
I don't know if they have a box or not. I bought the DVDs for S1-3 separately and have downloads of S4. Was waiting for the DVD price of S4 to come down then I will buy that and watch it again. I just hope they don't release some kind of supercool boxset that comes with an authentic Mr Robot jacket or something like that. I'll have to get that! Note for Mr Robot geeks I may someday get a custom license plate of "ER28-0652"! I wrote that down from one of the episodes but can't even remember what it actually is. Maybe Elliot's employee # at Allsafe?
Thanks for mentioning Mr. Robot. Looks interesting. I'll check it out after finishing Zero-Zero-Zero, which I also learned about in this thread. That is an incredible show. Prime has some of the best stuff.
Yep. Everything about it was terrible. The writing relied on cliches. There was no authenticity. Usually the show's creators and writers consult with people who used to be in a biker gang or authorities who used to surveil them--or SOMETHING to give the show more credibility and find details to hook the audience. They may have tried to do this, but the direction was just aimless, camera angles were awkward, production values were poor, fight scenes and firearms were handled like slop. In contrast, I just rewatched Zero Zero Zero, which is based on the homonymous book by drug traffic researcher Roberto Saviano. The show manages to have set locations in Italy, Mexico, the US and beyond. The camera work is amazing--looks better than most Hollywod films. There is phenomenal attention to detail in the action sequences. For example, the authentic tactical fighting of the Mexican army faction that breaks off to control the cartel--the way each lead soldier points the weapon at the target and approaches in semi-crouched position with several compadres following in single file behind the lead, each with their own weapons pointed down but ready to engage. You know someone did their homework about Mexican military training. The show has serious character development, too, with one of the main characters plunging into Huntington's disease and other characters embroiled in their own dramatic arcs. On top of that, ZZZ has super slick post-production. Each episode starts off with the key scene to come, and then goes into slow mo with a piano note played repetitively as the scene trails off. Then the credits roll and you start where the previous episode had ended to resume a more linear presentation. Usually I don't go for these types of gimmicks, but it's done so thoughtfully and expertly that I actually prefer it to a straight linear approach. The difference between ZZZ and SoA is night and day.
Snowfall on FX. Season 4 is currently airing. IMO it’s the best current crime drama series. For fans of The Wire, Narcos, Zero Zero Zero, ect.
Funny the three TV series listed on the thread title, I’ve watched Deadwood 2/3(complete) times now, LOsT .. a few times, strangely Mad Men only once.
Yes, I think you articulated what I wanted to say. The show just seemed "fake" and not well written or directed, cliched as you say. Not, for example, like The Shield, the way it was written/directed etc. Sometimes fake is OK but it didn't work for me.
Something I tell friends that decide to check out Mr. Robot (4get if I already said this earlier in this thread or not) but you have to just go with it. Suspend your disbelief. Don't hold your hands up in frustration with all the WTF THAT MAKES NO SENSE, THAT CHARACTER DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THAT ONE YET THEY'RE ACTING LIKE THEY DO, WAIT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE etc moments. And one caution, again giving nothing away, in this show the audience (us) is part of the show. The main character (Elliot) talks to us right from the outset, very first scene. He is telling us a story. And he makes no secret to being a drug user with mental problems. Things unfold as it goes along which were revelations that I spoke of above making it a supreme mindffck of a show. Can't say any more....
I’m definitely missing out by not streaming/ subscription.. as a lot of these shows don’t get a physical media release.
The Bletchley Circle Sherlock (cumberbatch) Holmes. Best cast choices ever - every actor is perfect for his/her part. That dam ed Baking Show, you know which one. Good Brit program(me)s
I started watching Dark again last night, when I should be watching Berlin Station...but oh well! Of course I'm only two episodes into Dark, and while I still can't remember why we had stopped watching it, it wasn't because it was too challenging. I love being challenged by what I watch. I just finished watching the original The Prisoner for the first time not too long ago. Anyway, quick take: I want to watch more. The not-so-quick-take: the cast barely squeeks by my sniff test as being too pretty to be believable. The adults all look like normal people, so far. The kids, on the other hand, most of them look like little fashion models, yet isn't that the way they portray most High School casts in film and TV? Yeah, it's eye-rolling, but like I said, the adults balance it out, so the cast gets a pass. I really should reserve judgment for later, yet I liked the premise enough to write about it. I enjoy the feel. Some of the camerawork is great. The adult actors are pretty damn good. It's well done. So far.
Both are good. US is better. UK is too “scattered”.... Too many characters which go off into too many storylines, IMO. And the UK version becomes either dark or just cartoonish after season 4 or 5.
Thought maybe the uk’s accents would be off putting for the USA appreciation ( guess subtitles help ).
I finished it up yesterday, I thought the overall conclusion was satisfactory, it made perfect sense to me.
I'm almost there, a few episodes into season 4. I think it's a great show overall but not quite at the level of the HBO shows that seem to be the best productions. Some of it is sort of juvenile and silly (a lot of the dark army stuff), but some is inspired. I don't know very much about hacking and coding, but at work our IT department makes us watch videos and take tests to educate us about phishing, social engineering, lots of the other terms that were frequently used for hackers to gain entry into a network that is supposed to be secure. Anyway, thanks for alerting me about the show @slipkid.
We re about 2/3 the way through The Morning Show and really enjoying it. Just finished the episode focusing on Mitch Kessler and the Vegas trip. wow. Highly recommend this show. Next for us will be The Handmaid's Tale.
