Promising start tonight.

The biggest things going for it for me, is Tom Fontana and Boston history.
The history means there's a story to tell, and Tom means they're less likely to fuck it up.

Plus, Affleck did all right with that other Boston armed heist movie thing.
And Fontana and Levinson have teamed up well before. . . .


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Man, whatever you might have heard about Euphoria, if you appreciate narrative you owe it to yourself to at least make it through the 3rd episode.

I went into it with a cynical eye, almost watching it as homework to be able to speak knowledgeably if others were discussing it. And it comes on pretty strong.

The first couple episodes are pretty frenetic and nihilistic at the same time, reminiscent of Larry Clark and Harmonie Korine of a previous generation, or Bret Ellis before that.

And it takes you a while to adjust to the spectacle. And there is TONS of spectacle, imagine every form of hedonism you can envision in the latter 20-teens and you're gonna see it somewhere in there.

But it really kicked up a notch, or else I finally got acclimated, in the 3rd episode.

It's not just the narratives themselves, but the simultaneous storytelling style and the verisimilitude. Everything is wild and out there, but still feels feasible and relatable.

It might not be my favorite episode of the entire year, but it might be the one I most admire for the craft displayed.
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Over the holiday week watched the Das Boot series on Hulu which is a sequel to the excellent 80s movie. Expectations were really high and it held up to them.
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So I watched the Romanoffs on Amazon. It bears noting that I had it on in the office while I was trying to knock some stuff out, so I undoubtedly missed some things. But it was a worthwhile watch as long as you know what you're getting into.

I didn't, but it got it's hooks into me pretty early because the first episode is really well acted. Well written too, but I'll get to that.

The big thing is if you go in with any expectations, it is important to know the structure. It is essentially like a book of short stories that are all but unrelated. They're fairly long, and are pretty intensive watches. Not necessarily what I was looking for doing work in the office but whatever. They're also straight character pieces. The relationship to the Romanov family doesn't matter, largely. And they are pretty art house-y. They also tackle some pretty heavy social issues. They do so rationally (and thoroughly), IMO, but beware if you're easily offended by that kind of stuff be advised.

Additionally on the note of the writing, it just dumps you into a story and the details come out. And as representative of real life, it's messy. So don't expect some cohesive storyline that follows a standard trope.

It wasn't what I needed to have on while trying to knock out work, but it had me hooked. That kind of stuff normally isn't my bag, but the writing and storytelling was good enough that I kept watching, even though there were clean and definitive breaks between the stories. I'm far from qualified enough to talk about it, but it wouldn't surprise me if this was remembered (perhaps far later) as a definitive work of whatever era we are in these days. All the while, I doubt it is some sort of brilliant success. It is a fairly intensive watch and that can be hard to lock up huge audiences these days.

As a guy that isn't normally into this kind of stuff, I thought it was really good.
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I watched the Amanda Peete and Corey Stull / Kerry Bishe episodes and loved them both.
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They’re all to that level IMO.
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Tomorrow night start Pennyworth. Anyone heard buzz? Excited?


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I might have to check this out.
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Gave it a look, it was alright.
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What did people think of the finale of Veep?

The final few seasons weren't as amazing as the first few but I also think the first few seasons of Veep are maybe the funniest seasons of any show I've ever seen so that's hard to live up to. Especially once the creator of the show left. Richardson was the star of the show the last few seasons IMO.
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Spades new Comedy Central show is off to a flying start, at least from the clips I've seen.

Nothing earth-shattering, just good reliable laughs.
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South Side is 3 eps in, and I think it's skyrocketing to the funniest of the summer.
The humor just comes from all angles, because the writing is snappy and the stories are creative.

It's funny because all the characters have a chance to be good, bad, sweet and sour, and just let them be that, and all the twists and angles and fast talk everyone does to justify their own little hustle has it's own energy and humanity.

It's like Robert Townsend's vision with Dave Chappelle's wit and cynicism.

It's not profound or world-changing, it's just blunt and funny.


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I know there is a thread on it, but "The Boys"! Has potential to be a real cultural fixation ala GoT.
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Two episodes into season 2 of Succession. I think it's hilarious (it's really not a comedy though) and love the characters as much as any show I can really remember. Thoroughly enjoyable and loosely based on the Murdochs.
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Looking forward to starting season 2 this weekend. Like you, I highly enjoy the characters and find myself chuckling throughout even though it can get quite sad.
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