Box Set / Series Binging - Catch All Thread

[CraftyToePoke]

Anyone else watching The Last Of Us ?
I didn't even know it was a video game, not a gamer. I think it's superb.

Oh and any under the radar Scandinoir ones ? My recommend would be Monster, out of Norway on All4. Not a stable character in it, most of all the detectives hunting the obligatory killer.

[nigel-harps1954]

The Last of Us is really fantastic. It's a certainty to win a heap of awards.

[passinginterest]

Enjoying The Last of Us too. Wasn't familiar with the game so no real expectations, had noticed a bit of hype around it and decided to give it a go. Episode three was the standout for me, the Bill and Frank story would work well as a stand alone short film, had me in tears anyway. Even the characters in it for a short time are really well developed and they make you care about them very quickly, I haven't seen too many shows that have done it as well if any. Episode 4 was probably the weakest and the action of 5 was quite good, but I think the less the infected appear the better it is so far.

[dahamsta]

Completely forgot about that, downloading now, looking forward to it. :)

[CraftyToePoke]

Episode three was the standout for me, the Bill and Frank story would work well as a stand alone short film, had me in tears anyway. Even the characters in it for a short time are really well developed and they make you care about them very quickly, I haven't seen too many shows that have done it as well if any. Episode 4 was probably the weakest

Absolutely, yes, it just came from nowhere didn't it, the change of gear from the expected narrative & how it was written, acted, just brilliant.
Agree on Ep 4, I expected a step back and build the story episode with less happenings and this one stepped back without really building, I felt.

Ep 5 is tonight for me, my lady has been working so I have to wait because she wont watch it without me as its scary, but equally wants to see it, go figure lads. Hasn't been easy as it went out early because of Super Bowl I think. So for 24 hrs no Ep 5 spoilers please ( which I realise is a ridiculous request having started the bloody thread )

[nigel-harps1954]

Enjoying The Last of Us too. Wasn't familiar with the game so no real expectations, had noticed a bit of hype around it and decided to give it a go. Episode three was the standout for me, the Bill and Frank story would work well as a stand alone short film, had me in tears anyway. Even the characters in it for a short time are really well developed and they make you care about them very quickly, I haven't seen too many shows that have done it as well if any. Episode 4 was probably the weakest and the action of 5 was quite good, but I think the less the infected appear the better it is so far.

Couple of real tearjerker moments throughout in it. The casting has been the most impressive part, for me. Pedro Pascal is a superb actor. Loved him in Narcos and think he's been the perfect casting for Joel in this.

[dahamsta]

BTW if you haven't seen Shrinking with Jason Segal and Harrison Ford, I'd give it a go. Kind of an off-centre sitcom, good characters, more LOLs than usual for an American show.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrinking_(TV_series)

[ontheotherhand]

Great shouts on here. I've been enjoying both The Last of Us and Shrinking. It's a good combo to have on as the Last of Us would leave you a bit shook and Shrinking is a nice comedic recovery show.

Agree on Episode 4 of TLoU. I've read that it was the closest to the game of any episode, i.e. they basically followed the game scene for scene. So it probably lost something for anyone who hasn't played the game.

I thought House of the Dragon was decent too. Better so far than the original Game of Thrones, at least post Season 2/3.


Couple of real tearjerker moments throughout in it. The casting has been the most impressive part, for me. Pedro Pascal is a superb actor. Loved him in Narcos and think he's been the perfect casting for Joel in this.

Yeah he's fantasic. Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett were top class as well.

I only know Bartlett from the White Lotus, where he was also very good. Enjoyed the White Lotus, especially the second season.

[dahamsta]

I loved the 1st season of White Lotus, thought the 2nd was a very poor imitation. The drawn-out nature of the show was completely let down by a weak plot and bland characters; including Jennifer Coolidge drove me nuts (but no Daddario!?); and the woeful remix of the amazing S01 de Veer soundtrack was just appalling -- the soundtrack made the 1st season, I still listen to it today and was really looking forward to something similar but new, like he did with Utopia. Not sure I'd bother with a 3rd season after that.

On which note, if you haven't seen Utopia, go do that now. Great, great Dennis Kelly show.

[ontheotherhand]

I loved the 1st season of White Lotus, thought the 2nd was a very poor imitation. The drawn-out nature of the show was completely let down by a weak plot and bland characters; including Jennifer Coolidge drove me nuts (but no Daddario!?); and the woeful remix of the amazing S01 de Veer soundtrack was just appalling -- the soundtrack made the 1st season, I still listen to it today and was really looking forward to something similar but new, like he did with Utopia. Not sure I'd bother with a 3rd season after that.

On which note, if you haven't seen Utopia, go do that now. Great, great Dennis Kelly show.

I thought the second season was an improvement but both were good. I found some of the first seasons characters a bit weak, especially the family. Plenty rich enough to have a 2/3 bedroom place so I couldn't buy the situation they'd put themselves in! Did enjoy Bartlett though. I'll have to have a listen to the respective soundtracks. I do remember it causing a bit more tension in the first season but I think the second season did a better job of that through the plot. You knew it was going south but it was drawn out so painfully albeit there were some flimsy holes in it. It's the kind of show my wife and I watch with wine though so it's completely possible we just drank more for the second!

Will check out Utopia!

[nigel-harps1954]

If nobody has watched The Boys, showing on Amazon Prime (or wherever best 'alternatives' you get your shows from), I'd highly recommend. The anti-superhero show. Only got into it last year so had a bit of catching up to do on it. Three seasons out so far. Karl Urban playing a p!ssed off London anti-hero with a severe dislike for a group of so-called superheroes, sort of an Avengers type group, who aren't all they're portrayed to be in the media, but heavily marketed and monetised by a major corporation.

Hard to describe much more without spoilers but it's well worth a watch.

Looking forward to the next season of Rings of Power and House of The Dragon. Bit unfortunate that both came along at the same time, as HoTD really outshone the mega-budget Rings of Power, although I still enjoyed both shows. Unfortunate that it looks like neither of them will return until 2024.

Better Call Saul had a pretty spectacular ending, for another best of 2022 show. It was a bit of a slow burner all along, but I think it finally caught up with Breaking Bad and was equally as impressive, if not more impressive, by the end.

[tetsujin1979]

I read the comic The Boys is based on before the TV show came out. It's even more over the top and violent than the show, if you can believe it.

[passinginterest]

The Boys is a great show. Has some ups and downs quality wise at times, but overall I really enjoy it. Definitely not for everyone.

White Lotus has been mentioned also really enjoyed both series. Wife is with Adam, in terms of really not liking Jennifer Coolidge and preferring the first season.

I wasn't as blown away by House of the Dragon as some, not to say I didn't enjoy it and looking forward to the next season but I didn't get pulled into it as much as some other series.

Need to revisit the Rings of Power, think I only watched the first episode and it didn't really grab me. I watched the Wheel of Time too and though it was decent, I know there's been some very mixed reviews on that.

Euphoria is another one I'd recommend if you haven't given it a look yet. Reacher and Jack Ryan are others that are an easy watch, although I thought Jack Ryan dropped off a lot between season 1 and 2, haven't finished 3 yet.

On the lighter side, Only Murders in the Building is an enjoyable watch. Also on Disney, The Bear is a brilliantly acted, very intense at times, comedy/drama.

[Eminence Grise]

The Last of Us is the standout for me from the last twelve months, if not longer. From ‘that’ particular death in the first episode (anyone who’s watched it will know the one I mean) into episode 3
Frank: So, who's the girl? Girl you're singing about?
Bill: There is no girl.
Frank: I know.
which is, frankly, a superb piece of understated writing – the whole scene is building to it, and then, 14 words, 12 of them monosyllables… Whoof, it’s writing you won’t forget easily. On top of that, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay have a brilliant rapport. For a 19-year old, her presence is unreal.

Managed to get round to the first season of Babylon Berlin, and really enjoyed it. Very atmospheric and there are the gradual signs of the disintegration of Weimar Germany that, I hear, come faster as the series goes on.

A couple of English ones – the last season of Happy Valley. The first two seasons were superb, this one felt a little underwhelming. Five really good episodes, then a finale that probably should have been feature length as it left too many threads undone, or solved with a ‘by the way, the other killer, just down t’road from ere’ kind of thing. And The English, I’m a sucker for a good western (Deadwood, Godless), and this had just about everything, apart from the ending -I thought it dragged about ten minutes too long. One I’ll watch again all the same.

I started Only Murders in the Building, PI, just last week - three episodes in, so far so good.

[dahamsta]

Keep it coming lads! I'm downloading like mad here. :)

[dahamsta]

Afterparty is good craic too btw.

[ontheotherhand]

Some great calls here. Going back a bit I've really enjoyed Succession, Severance and Ozark as well. The Witcher was decent too.

Had high hopes for Westworld but I think they lost the plot pretty early.

[lofty9]

If you liked The Wire, watch We Own This City. Need's a lot of concentration as a lot of the scenes time hop, takes a bit of getting used to. Very good though.

[passinginterest]

Had high hopes for Westworld but I think they lost the plot pretty early.

First season of Westworld was so good, second started to lose it's way and third I'm not sure why I stuck with it. Had season four series linked and ended up just deleting it without watching a minute.

I need to go back to Succession and We Own This City, watched a couple of episodes but didn't get back to them, same with Better Call Saul. Watched the first few seasons of Ozark but then drifted away and I think left it too long and was a bit lost with the third season, might need to go back and watch from the start.

I drop in and out of Brassic too. It's an easy watch with some good moments but not great overall. Joseph Gilgun is a super actor, he's probably a bit wasted in it really and without him it would be fairly unwatchable.

[dahamsta]

Succession is the bees knees. I had the theme tune as my ringtone for a while. :)

[joey B]

Mindhunter on Netflix is well worth a watch….
Gomorrah is brilliant aswell…

[SkStu]

Some great calls here. Going back a bit I've really enjoyed Succession, Severance and Ozark as well. The Witcher was decent too.

Had high hopes for Westworld but I think they lost the plot pretty early.

Huge fan of Ozark and glad it ended while it was still excellent.

Regarding Succession, I think it is one of the best shows out there. Absolutely fascinating characters and enthralling story. Up there with The Wire as one of the greatest shows ever in my opinion.

We're late to the party on Mad Men, just recently started watching it and 3 seasons in now. Its very good, also an easy watch with good character development - even though they're all generally despicable. John Hamm is excellent and its a good mix of drama and low key humour. Interested in how it plays out. I'd recommend it, if I'm not the only person who hasn't watched it...

Other recommendations are Band of Brothers and The Pacific - kind of part of the same theme regarding WWII. Really gripping.

I'll also throw in a recommendation for Seasons 1-3 or 4 of Billions. It has completely jumped the shark in the last couple of seasons but the first 3, for sure, were excellent.

[SkStu]

If you liked The Wire, watch We Own This City. Need's a lot of concentration as a lot of the scenes time hop, takes a bit of getting used to. Very good though.

Agree here too. Really enjoyed We Own This City. Baltimore is an interesting place...

[ontheotherhand]

I sense a ranking coming so I'm going to get ahead of it.....

Not including pure comedies or cartoons......that's a whole different ball game. There's also a few I haven't seen (Band of Brothers has evaded me somehow). Will also try to only take shows who are good all the way through OR haven't yet fallen apart.....

The Sopranos - I used to say The Wire was top dog but I rewatched both a few times and I think the Sopranos just about wins out.

The Wire - Actually maybe The Wire is better..............

Succession - So good that I want it to end before it gets bad.

Ozark - dark and funny, similar to the Sopranos in that it puts a family drama in the middle of an unusual context.

Deadwood - Have to rewatch some scenes to make out what they are saying but when you tease out the dialogue it's just brilliant.


Never got into Mad Men, Breaking Bad (enjoyed the first 2 seasons of Saul though) or Lost which some might have up there.

Just thought of another good watch - The Terror.....you have to basically dismiss one plot piece (you'll know it when you see it) but outside of that some of the acting is excellent and it's paced well.

[CraftyToePoke]

Just thought of another good watch - The Terror.....you have to basically dismiss one plot piece (you'll know it when you see it) but outside of that some of the acting is excellent and it's paced well.

Caught the last five minutes of it on terrestrial Irish TV once and it just had something, that bit of presence, found out what it was but back in the UK had to get BritBox side scam Shuddr to watch it, did the seven day trial & really glad I did, superb, different, different setting ( almost unique I'd say ) and so well acted. Only difference is I liked the Tuunbaq.

[ontheotherhand]

Caught the last five minutes of it on terrestrial Irish TV once and it just had something, that bit of presence, found out what it was but back in the UK had to get BritBox side scam Shuddr to watch it, did the seven day trial & really glad I did, superb, different, different setting ( almost unique I'd say ) and so well acted. Only difference is I liked the Tuunbaq.

I should have liked it as well. If I'd stumbled across it myself I might have but my da prepped me beforehand, possibly creating an unfair bias. Makes me wonder if I should take back my comment above! I was also reading a book (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602593/madhouse-at-the-end-of-the-earth-by-julian-sancton/) at the time with a similar story so maybe I was looking for more realism.

Either way I think you can enjoy it with or without that angle. Agree that it felt unique.

[lofty9]

I sense a ranking coming so I'm going to get ahead of it.....

Not including pure comedies or cartoons......that's a whole different ball game. There's also a few I haven't seen (Band of Brothers has evaded me somehow). Will also try to only take shows who are good all the way through OR haven't yet fallen apart.....

The Sopranos - I used to say The Wire was top dog but I rewatched both a few times and I think the Sopranos just about wins out.

The Wire - Actually maybe The Wire is better..............

Succession - So good that I want it to end before it gets bad.

Ozark - dark and funny, similar to the Sopranos in that it puts a family drama in the middle of an unusual context.

Deadwood - Have to rewatch some scenes to make out what they are saying but when you tease out the dialogue it's just brilliant.


Never got into Mad Men, Breaking Bad (enjoyed the first 2 seasons of Saul though) or Lost which some might have up there.

Just thought of another good watch - The Terror.....you have to basically dismiss one plot piece (you'll know it when you see it) but outside of that some of the acting is excellent and it's paced well.

Loved all them apart from Lost. The Shield for me should always be talked about, brilliant throughout and a quality conclusion unlike some.

[ontheotherhand]

Started 'Bad Sisters'. Not far enough along to rate it properly but the first two episodes are solid. Bit like an Irish version of Pretty Little Liars but.....possibly actually good.

Last episode of TLoU was a cracker. It's figured out about 4 or 5 different ways to make me choke up at this point.

[dahamsta]

Bad Sisters is good craic, I enjoyed it. Really very hard to go wrong with Sharon Horgan, she's great.

[ontheotherhand]

Bad Sisters is good craic, I enjoyed it. Really very hard to go wrong with Sharon Horgan, she's great.

I enjoyed Catastrophe. Anything else she's done that you recommend?

[passinginterest]

I enjoyed Catastrophe. Anything else she's done that you recommend?

This Way Up, with Aisling Bea is good.

[SkStu]

Bad Sisters is good craic, I enjoyed it. Really very hard to go wrong with Sharon Horgan, she's great.

She is. One of my wifes favourite irish actresses. Loved Bad Sisters too. Thought Eva Hewson and Brian Gleeson were excellent in it too.

Catastrophe was excellent. Thought they could have gone with another season.

[dahamsta]

Her first show was Pulling, which she wrote with Denis Kelly of Utopia fame. And she co-created Motherland, which is good craic. And she was in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret with David Cross, which is David Cross funny. :)

I've just discovered another show she created called Shining Vale, which stars Courtney Cox. Downloading now!

[CraftyToePoke]

TLoU seem to have left themselves a lot to get through in the remaining two episodes, obviously there will be a S2 but S1 needs a befitting end point to a really super few weeks of TV.

[nigel-harps1954]

Finished the first series of The Last of Us. Felt a little rushed in the ending, as it takes quite a significant longer amount of time to get through some of those parts in the game, but overall it's a hugely enjoyable TV show.

Probably have to wait two years for the next season, as with most major HBO shows.

[Kingdom]

ANyone enjoy Taboo?
I'm a complete Tom Hardy fanboy, but I really really liked that show.

also, the wire ftw. fullstop.

[ontheotherhand]

Finished the first series of The Last of Us. Felt a little rushed in the ending, as it takes quite a significant longer amount of time to get through some of those parts in the game, but overall it's a hugely enjoyable TV show.

Probably have to wait two years for the next season, as with most major HBO shows.

The last episode did seem a bit condensed as a few things happened that might have been stretched out to full episodes but I haven't played the game so I don't know how they differ.

It worked for me as a standalone, particularly seeing how their relationship dynamic shifted from the opening scenes to the closing ones. It was a pretty big change but it was believable given what happens in the episode. And their actions, Joel's especially, are believable in the context of the shift. Great watching.

Would the game be worth playing after seeing the show?

[nigel-harps1954]

Would the game be worth playing after seeing the show?


Definitely, yes.

[dahamsta]

Currently watching Mindhunter, 4 episodes in, very good so far. Had it in Jellyfin for ages, was reminded of it by Anna Torv in The Last Of Us. :)

[nigel-harps1954]

Started watching 'Pepsi, Where's My Jet?' on Netflix. Looks promising enough.

Documents the Leonard v Pepsico court battle in the mid-90s, over Pepsi points vs false advertising..in a nutshell.

[John83]

Currently watching Mindhunter, 4 episodes in, very good so far. Had it in Jellyfin for ages, was reminded of it by Anna Torv in The Last Of Us. :)
I found it a bit prestige-TV-glacial at times, but it's very good. Sadly cancelled without enough notice to draw things to a conclusion.

Speaking of which, I've finally gotten around to Raised by Wolves. Ridley Scott directs the first couple of episodes, establishing striking visuals. It's of a piece with his Alien and Blade Runner movies: interested in AI and humanity, faith and logic. A colony on a new world is established based on embryos raised by a pair of androids fleeing a religious vs atheist conflict that's made the Earth uninhabitable. It's uneven in terms of plotting and dialogue, and the second season especially is full of flanderised characters and Lost-style micromysteries which seen to be written on the fly but the highlights are very worth it if you like scifi.

[dahamsta]

I loved Raised By Wolves at the start and disliked it by the end. A wasted opportunity.

[CraftyToePoke]

TLoU seem to have left themselves a lot to get through in the remaining two episodes, obviously there will be a S2 but S1 needs a befitting end point to a really super few weeks of TV.

Slowcoach here finally got to the final episode of TLoU the other night, testament to the show how difficult it was to avoid spoilers in daily life, online and at work while I got around to it.

Jesus, that was a thing wasn't it, loved it.

Looking at Station Eleven next, has reviewed comparably with TLoU on the usual suspect rating sites, post societal breakdown pandemic story again, a flu this time evolves to kill us pretty much on the spot. Set in the outbreak itself period, two years later and twenty years later with the backfill on the first three episodes shaping this up very intriguingly.

[dahamsta]

Loving Mindhunter, onto S02 now, although I know I'm going to be disappointed by the cold open scenes, I assume they won't be resolved.

Downloading Station Eleven now, but I couldn't jump into a new show so similar so quickly! The reviews are indeed great though, must try to remember I have it.

Going to try Loot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loot_(TV_series)) tonight, was reminded of it by a trailer on YouTube. Looks like a lark.

Dying to watch Succession, but I hate week-to-week, going to try to hold tough. :)

[SkStu]

Dying to watch Succession, but I hate week-to-week, going to try to hold tough. :)

haha - exact same!! My wife is mad though - so we've settled on letting 5 episodes build up before starting. :)

[CraftyToePoke]

Downloading Station Eleven now, but I couldn't jump into a new show so similar so quickly! The reviews are indeed great though, must try to remember I have it.

Definitely give it a spin, IMO, & it was the week to week situation with TLoU which led me to it, I couldn't wait basically so I went looking for a gap filler which ( big statement incoming ) has matched TLoU comfortably thus far. Beautifully written, shot, structured & delivered.

[dahamsta]

I jumped into Station Eleven and I'm glad I did, it's different enough to TLoU to be absolutely fine. I'm finding it both fascinating and frustrating. :)

Watch E07 Goodbye My Damaged Home last night, it was one of the best episodes of TV I've watched in a while.

[pineapple stu]

Caught Secrets of the Chippendale Murders on BBC the last two Mondays. It came on after BBC quiz night; hadn't particularly intended on watching three hours of a documentary on a male strip troupe, but it was fascinating stuff. Way more actual murders than I'd expected.

[passinginterest]

Caught Secrets of the Chippendale Murders on BBC the last two Mondays. It came on after BBC quiz night; hadn't particularly intended on watching three hours of a documentary on a male strip troupe, but it was fascinating stuff. Way more actual murders than I'd expected.

Caught the last 45 minutes of the documentary. Had just finished watching the drama version on Disney a few days ago. The drama is very watchable, it's had mixed enough reviews but there's a lot worse out there. All the acting is solid and they story is engaging enough. I was sorry I didn't catch more of the documentary, it's always interesting to see where artistic licence has been taken versus the reality (or at least the version of reality presented by the documentary!).

[ontheotherhand]

Definitely give it a spin, IMO, & it was the week to week situation with TLoU which led me to it, I couldn't wait basically so I went looking for a gap filler which ( big statement incoming ) has matched TLoU comfortably thus far. Beautifully written, shot, structured & delivered.


Enjoying Station Eleven as well. The book is great and so far they've done a brilliant job of bringing it to the screen.

Succession has been fantastic.

Shrinking is my new favourite comedy.

Sucker for alliteration I suppose.