The Official TV Thread

[herman]

An ensemble cast can be effective, but DC/Synder might be doing it backwards.

On the MCU side, they introduced most of the Avengers in solo films, or cameos in other solo films, so there was no need to spend time on individual exposition. DC has Batman and Superman set up (although really only Superman/Cavill in this particular universe), but they're including Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, and probably a new Green Lantern in a story titled Batman v Superman, which really ought to be an indepth character study of contrasting ideologies and similarities in goals and the loneliness that comes from that vocation.

On Arrow season 3, we're seeing some of the unevenness that comes from shoehorning too big a plot and too many characters into play (basically going too big for the character's premise). It's success came from tight (mostly) contained plots that dovetailed with Olivers growth into heroism.

 

[bustaheims]

As for the too many characters/Spiderman-3 syndrome, well we'll have to see exactly how that plays out. It could definitely be a problem, but I feel like all the non-Superman/Batman/Wonder Women characters likely won't have too big of a role in BvS.

Yeah, but that kind of brings me to ask "why both with them then?" I mean, if they're just going to kind of be there, what's the point? Also, the world going from having 1 super powered being to suddenly have like a dozen superhero types? Is everyone like "hey, this Superman guy is out there, now I can be too?"

 

[Kin]

Honestly I kind of like that DC is taking a completely different approach to superhero movies by being dark and gritty. I mean there's going to be like 8 different superhero movies a year, I want some variety there. And I really like the whole 'should Supes be trusted' idea that BvS seems to be exploring. Definitely a very different take that we haven't seen before (although Captain America 3 could also be looking at something like that).

I think though that the key word Busta used there was joyless. A move being dark and a movie being humourless aren't two sides of the same coin. Take a Tarantino movie, frequently dark, frequently very funny. Heck, look at the Daredevil series we're talking about.

I think any movie, no matter how dark it's intended to be, should always look at humour or lightheartedness as a club in the bag. You don't have to use it often but you need it there for when circumstances demand it. It's one of the reasons why Heath Ledger's performance in the Dark Knight stands out so much. He seems like the only person who's having any fun.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Yeah, but that kind of brings me to ask "why both with them then?" I mean, if they're just going to kind of be there, what's the point? Also, the world going from having 1 super powered being to suddenly have like a dozen superhero types? Is everyone like "hey, this Superman guy is out there, now I can be too?"

I mean doesn't that kind of make sense in a real world type situation?

As for the dozens of characters, that's a bit of an exaggeration isn't it? Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are all confirmed and they'll be the key characters. The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg have been cast but their roles in the movie aren't know yet. What's the point of them being there? I don't know yet, nobody does really. I think that's my biggest problem with the talk about this movie. It seemed like 95% of people just decided to hate it the second it was announced. I had a friend tell me that he hated to admit that the trailer looked great. Why on earth would anybody feel like that?

 

[rdowdall]

As for the too many characters/Spiderman-3 syndrome, well we'll have to see exactly how that plays out. It could definitely be a problem, but I feel like all the non-Superman/Batman/Wonder Women characters likely won't have too big of a role in BvS.

Yeah, but that kind of brings me to ask "why both with them then?" I mean, if they're just going to kind of be there, what's the point? Also, the world going from having 1 super powered being to suddenly have like a dozen superhero types? Is everyone like "hey, this Superman guy is out there, now I can be too?"

I  think continuity has always been DC's problem.  They started off flawed in the beginning when they tried to keep a golden age set of their heroes around and then when that got messy, they tried to merge it all in to one with the Crisis on Infinite Earths series.  That resulted in more mess, which I assume eventually lead to the new 52.  It's an assumption because I stopped reading DC comics after Crisis.  The only series I picked up was the Death of Superman series, which IMHO is a set of movies that DC should really do.  For me it's hard to make Superman compelling because he is just too powerful.  I like my heroes to face adversity, and have to make the hard choice to do the right thing.  Superman doesn't really have to do that.   

 

[herman]

As for the too many characters/Spiderman-3 syndrome, well we'll have to see exactly how that plays out. It could definitely be a problem, but I feel like all the non-Superman/Batman/Wonder Women characters likely won't have too big of a role in BvS.

Yeah, but that kind of brings me to ask "why both with them then?" I mean, if they're just going to kind of be there, what's the point? Also, the world going from having 1 super powered being to suddenly have like a dozen superhero types? Is everyone like "hey, this Superman guy is out there, now I can be too?"

I  think continuity has always been DC's problem.  They started off flawed in the beginning when they tried to keep a golden age set of their heroes around and then when that got messy, they tried to merge it all in to one with the Crisis on Infinite Earths series.  That resulted in more mess, which I assume eventually lead to the new 52.  It's an assumption because I stopped reading DC comics after Crisis.  The only series I picked up was the Death of Superman series, which IMHO is a set of movies that DC should really do.  For me it's hard to make Superman compelling because he is just too powerful.  I like my heroes to face adversity, and have to make the hard choice to do the right thing.  Superman doesn't really have to do that. 

Have you read the Injustice: Gods Among Us series? It's the comic companion to the video game. The Superman portrayal in that book is compelling because he goes off the rails and uses his near omnipotence to bring about 'world peace'. The DC universe is then fractured into two camps: Superman's and Batman's.

 

[rdowdall]

As for the too many characters/Spiderman-3 syndrome, well we'll have to see exactly how that plays out. It could definitely be a problem, but I feel like all the non-Superman/Batman/Wonder Women characters likely won't have too big of a role in BvS.

Yeah, but that kind of brings me to ask "why both with them then?" I mean, if they're just going to kind of be there, what's the point? Also, the world going from having 1 super powered being to suddenly have like a dozen superhero types? Is everyone like "hey, this Superman guy is out there, now I can be too?"

I  think continuity has always been DC's problem.  They started off flawed in the beginning when they tried to keep a golden age set of their heroes around and then when that got messy, they tried to merge it all in to one with the Crisis on Infinite Earths series.  That resulted in more mess, which I assume eventually lead to the new 52.  It's an assumption because I stopped reading DC comics after Crisis.  The only series I picked up was the Death of Superman series, which IMHO is a set of movies that DC should really do.  For me it's hard to make Superman compelling because he is just too powerful.  I like my heroes to face adversity, and have to make the hard choice to do the right thing.  Superman doesn't really have to do that. 

Have you read the Injustice: Gods Among Us series? It's the comic companion to the video game. The Superman portrayal in that book is compelling because he goes off the rails and uses his near omnipotence to bring about 'world peace'. The DC universe is then fractured into two camps: Superman's and Batman's.

No, but it does intrigue me.  Doesn't Alfred take a Superman pill and beat the tar out of Superman?  They are up to year 3 in that series, are they not?

 

[herman]

Yes. On all counts. Pretty much everything you've thought should happen in mainstream comics sort of happens here (e.g. Wonder Woman takes out Black Adam with the lasso by getting him to say his secret word, depowering him).

Everyone done Daredevil yet? I'm a bit surprised that no one who encounters him twigs to the fact that he is blind with that low visibility mask on.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I'm a bit surprised that no one who encounters him twigs to the fact that he is blind with that low visibility mask on.

I always figured Dumb Donald from Fat Albert grew up and was fighting crime.

 

[mr grieves]

Really lovely ending to Justified tonight.

I just got a chance to catch it and I agree it was very well done. A little on the nose in some places maybe but it was a solid wrap up to a really good show.

I recently rewatched it with the pilot and some of the season finales (especially 4, where Raylan sets up Nicky Augustine). There was a really nice symmetry to the ending, where certain character traits set up at the outset ('big' stuff) and gestures, lines, motifs (smaller stuff) returned. Baby Crowder was really the only thing that was too on the nose for my tastes.

But I mostly enjoyed it for being a modest, satisfying, and sort of self-effacing wrap-up, completely free of the self-important desire -- or apparent pressure that bigger shows suffer -- to come up with a grand, near-apocalyptic summation.

 

[Kin]

So I finally got to finish Daredevil and while I stand by my earlier assessment of it being really great I think the finale had a case of what's a pretty big problem in this era where so much of the big media being produced is comic book based.

No matter how well acted, no matter how serious the subject matter, no matter how much gravitas something builds up to if the story involves super-heroes there's always going to be a point where SPOILER ALERT the hero puts on his super-hero outfit and the whole thing takes on a deeply, deeply silly vibe.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

So I finally got to finish Daredevil and while I stand by my earlier assessment of it being really great I think the finale had a case of what's a pretty big problem in this era where so much of the big media being produced is comic book based.

No matter how well acted, no matter how serious the subject matter, no matter how much gravitas something builds up to if the story involves super-heroes there's always going to be a point where SPOILER ALERT the hero puts on his super-hero outfit and the whole thing takes on a deeply, deeply silly vibe.

I thought the horns were the only aspect of his costume/outfit that were out of place, or pushed it onto the "silly" territory. I did like the manner in which he went about getting the outfit though. There was obviously no way he was going to be able to keep fighting in just a shirt and pants.

 

[herman]

So I finally got to finish Daredevil and while I stand by my earlier assessment of it being really great I think the finale had a case of what's a pretty big problem in this era where so much of the big media being produced is comic book based.

No matter how well acted, no matter how serious the subject matter, no matter how much gravitas something builds up to if the story involves super-heroes there's always going to be a point where SPOILER ALERT the hero puts on his super-hero outfit and the whole thing takes on a deeply, deeply silly vibe.

I thought the horns were the only aspect of his costume/outfit that were out of place, or pushed it onto the "silly" territory. I did like the manner in which he went about getting the outfit though. There was obviously no way he was going to be able to keep fighting in just a shirt and pants.

I thought they diegetically laid out the reasoning/emotional choices behind the suit's aesthetic very well and made it very Nolanesque in practicality.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Get a load of this badass!

 

[Kin]

Get a load of this badass!

That was a great moment in a pretty depressing episode. I can't believe there's only two left. I'd happily watch this show for another half a dozen seasons.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Indeed, it took a pretty interesting turn with Don, looking forward to following g that thread.

I really enjoyed the Roger and Peggy interaction too, the rest was very dark, I agree.

I'm excited to see what Wiener has next, I'm sure it'll be great.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Well, it looks like I'm never going to have to watch another 19 Kids and Counting...

 

[rdowdall]

Well, it looks like I'm never going to have to watch another 19 Kids and Counting...

It might be giving them too much credit thinking that they would understand odds.

 

[Tigger]

The first three episodes of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell have been pretty good, and the last GoT was special too, winter is here...

 

[Tigger]

Second season of True Detective starts this Sunday, looks like I'll be watching that and Hannibal this summer.