Guys I need recommendations on the next TV series I should start watching.

[Warhead36]

Ozark ending was great. Don't want to spoil anything but really glad they ended the show after four seasons. Any season beyond this would definitely feel like they're milking it.

[Momma There Goes That Man]

1 hour ago, Die Hard said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Exactly. What was he even going to do? He wasn’t given any orders by anyone to do follow her let alone take any additional action.

 

Also, I don’t understand why Ruth needed to go to jail to visit the guy who stole Wyatt’s guitar. She already knew he didn’t kill them… what the hell else was she expecting him to say about it?

 

 

Spoiler

It seemed like she genuinely wanted to know why he took Wyatt‘s guitar and see upon looking at him if there was anything more sinister with him to where perhaps she might have left him in there. 
 

but it’s just one of ton of things this season that was poorly explained or poorly executed. 

 

[SkinsFTW]

The new series on Netflix called Meltdown about 3 Mile Island was really interesting. 

 

I was about 6-7 when that happened and don't really remember much about it even though it took years for it to finally be cleaned up. 

 

In California there was a Nuclear Reactor about 10 miles from my school and we had to do drills sometimes. Maybe it was because of this. 

[Yohan]

\

 

 

[Warhead36]

Need shows(and I guess movies) on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and/or HBO Max to binge for my flight to Amsterdam next week. Go go go.

[Momma There Goes That Man]

12 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

Need shows(and I guess movies) on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and/or HBO Max to binge for my flight to Amsterdam next week. Go go go.

have you seen sharp objects on hbo? 8 episode mini series starring Amy Adams as a reporter investigating a murder in her hometown. Loved it. 

Edited May 7, 2022 by Momma There Goes That Man

[Ball Security]

This guy put out two good videos about Ozark.  Connected some dots that I missed as seasons 1-2 were so long ago.

 

[Momma There Goes That Man]

2 hours ago, Ball Security said:

This guy put out two good videos about Ozark.  Connected some dots that I missed as seasons 1-2 were so long ago.

 

Lol “we can safely assume that Wendy will take Marty’s life at some point.” That’s a pretty ****ty show if the best parts of the story are assumed to happen years later after the show ends 

[88Comrade2000]

Doctor Who fans; the 14th Doctor has been announced. Actor Ncuti Gatwa , first black male to be Doctor.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Finished Ozark.  And @Momma There Goes That Manis gonna hate me but I'm here like Ruth*.

 

 

Spoiler

Was the ending perfect?  No, absolutely not, but I still liked it.

 

Did it feel rushed?  A little bit, I suppose.  But that's the track they were on, that build over a few seasons when everything's coming to a head and the days, hours, minutes matter.  It felt rushed because THEY were rushed.  IMO, the last three or four episodes are them racing around, making calls, pulling strings, making threats to keep everything together in order to get them where they need to go.  Yeah, it was rushed and that was okay, they had a timeline of sorts (fundraiser) to meet.  

 

But it nailed home the theme of the show.  That if you're rich, white and connected, you can get away with anything.  And while Mel had that heavy handed speech (I don't like it when the characters have to spell the theme out for the audience, either) at the end about being one of the Koch's, being one of the Kennedy's, no one said that to Marty and Wendy before.  But that's the trajectory they were on, to become a main power broker in the middle part of the country. 

 

And if you're pissed about the Byrde's making it out unscathed, well, you should be.  That's the feeling you get whenever the Koch's do something and get away with it.  That's the feeling you get when a Kennedy ****s up but doesn't get punished in the way that any of us would.  I mean, can't you easily see a 35 year old Jonah Byrde flipping a car into a lake and escaping, leaving his female passenger to drown and then going on to be a decorated Senator?   

 

That's the whole point of the show, that the bad guys win in real life and they get away with it.  It was always going to work out for the Byrde's.  Couldn't you tell after that car accident where they all walked away?

 

It unfortunately, doesn't work out for people like Ruth, both on the show and in real life.  Poor white trash who's trying to get ahead.  ****, I wanted her to make it out, didn't you?  Didn't all of you?  Easily the best character on the show, the one you're rooting for for from the beginning.  Unlike Marty and Wendy she had heart, she had soul and a fierce sense of family pride.  

 

And what hurt the most, IMO, at the end was that Marty and Wendy didn't even try to alert her on the boat.  Didn't make an attempt, didn't lift a finger.  Because they KNEW that they were in the clear with her gone.  Yeah, maybe they were upset about it a little bit but not enough to try...because Ruth had served her purpose.  They didn't need her for anything else.  You can bet that if Ruth was still of use to them, they'd have found a way to get her out of there.

 

Again, if that made you mad, if that hurt you, good.  It should have.  Same with Mel, although he wasn't as likable and as Ruth and not as impactful to the story.  But he was there to represent "good."  He couldn't be bullied, he couldn't be bought.  He was extremely diligent, hard working, noble.  And in the end it didn't matter.

 

Marty and Wendy were bad.  Evil.  And they came out ahead in the end.  That's life.  The bad guys win.  

 

 

I hope you don't take the gif personally, you're one of my favorite posters on here but the gif was too good not to use.   

Edited May 8, 2022 by Spaceman Spiff

[Die Hard]

1 hour ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

Finished Ozark.  And @Momma There Goes That Manis gonna hate me but I'm here like Ruth*.

 

 

  Hide contents

Was the ending perfect?  No, absolutely not, but I still liked it.

 

Did it feel rushed?  A little bit, I suppose.  But that's the track they were on, that build over a few seasons when everything's coming to a head and the days, hours, minutes matter.  It felt rushed because THEY were rushed.  IMO, the last three or four episodes are them racing around, making calls, pulling strings, making threats to keep everything together in order to get them where they need to go.  Yeah, it was rushed and that was okay, they had a timeline of sorts (fundraiser) to meet.  

 

But it nailed home the theme of the show.  That if you're rich, white and connected, you can get away with anything.  And while Mel had that heavy handed speech (I don't like it when the characters have to spell the theme out for the audience, either) at the end about being one of the Koch's, being one of the Kennedy's, no one said that to Marty and Wendy before.  But that's the trajectory they were on, to become a main power broker in the middle part of the country. 

 

And if you're pissed about the Byrde's making it out unscathed, well, you should be.  That's the feeling you get whenever the Koch's do something and get away with it.  That's the feeling you get when a Kennedy ****s up but doesn't get punished in the way that any of us would.  I mean, can't you easily see a 35 year old Jonah Byrde flipping a car into a lake and escaping, leaving his female passenger to drown and then going on to be a decorated Senator?   

 

That's the whole point of the show, that the bad guys win in real life and they get away with it.  It was always going to work out for the Byrde's.  Couldn't you tell after that car accident where they all walked away?

 

It unfortunately, doesn't work out for people like Ruth, both on the show and in real life.  Poor white trash who's trying to get ahead.  ****, I wanted her to make it out, didn't you?  Didn't all of you?  Easily the best character on the show, the one you're rooting for for from the beginning.  Unlike Marty and Wendy she had heart, she had soul and a fierce sense of family pride.  

 

And what hurt the most, IMO, at the end was that Marty and Wendy didn't even try to alert her on the boat.  Didn't make an attempt, didn't lift a finger.  Because they KNEW that they were in the clear with her gone.  Yeah, maybe they were upset about it a little bit but not enough to try...because Ruth had served her purpose.  They didn't need her for anything else.  You can bet that if Ruth was still of use to them, they'd have found a way to get her out of there.

 

Again, if that made you mad, if that hurt you, good.  It should have.  Same with Mel, although he wasn't as likable and as Ruth and not as impactful to the story.  But he was there to represent "good."  He couldn't be bullied, he couldn't be bought.  He was extremely diligent, hard working, noble.  And in the end it didn't matter.

 

Marty and Wendy were bad.  Evil.  And they came out ahead in the end.  That's life.  The bad guys win.  

 

 

I hope you don't take the gif personally, you're one of my favorite posters on here but the gif was too good not to use.   

And you forgot the FBI agent, didn’t work out to well for her either.

 

Spoiler

Although what’s the deal with the FBI okay with the cartel continuing to launder money thru the Belle so long as they continue to get money seizures.

 

Does the American govt keep this money as a revenue source? Or is it just for public appearance that they’re an effective institution and to justify its purpose?

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Die Hard

[Spaceman Spiff]

10 minutes ago, Die Hard said:

And you forgot the FBI agent, didn’t work out to well for her either.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Although what’s the deal with the FBI okay with the cartel continuing to launder money thru the Belle so long as they continue to get money seizures.

 

Does the American govt keep this money as a revenue source? Or is it just for public appearance that they’re an effective institution and to justify its purpose?

 

 

You're right, it didn't work out well for her.  But I was just really focused on what happened with the Byrde's and Ruth and to a lesser degree at the end, Rachel (I was rooting for her, too).

 

Spoiler

Yeah, that's one thing I wasn't clear on.  I'm sure the FBI had their reasons for being involved with the cartel but it wasn't clear to me.  IMO, it really only served to remind the viewers how shady the government is to begin with.  Like, it's reminiscent of Iran/Contra with the gov't pushing coke. 

 

In a way, I think Ozark should have taken place in the 80s.

 

[TheGreatBuzz]

2 hours ago, Die Hard said:

And you forgot the FBI agent, didn’t work out to well for her either.

 

  Hide contents

 

Does the American govt keep this money as a revenue source? Or is it just for public appearance that they’re an effective institution and to justify its purpose?

 

 

It's a TV show.  But yea, probably. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

One more thing to add:

 

Spoiler

Didn't care for the blackout, followed by the gunshot a second or two later.  When it went black I went "OH COME ON" kind of like the end of Sopranos.  Then heard the gunshot which was somewhat gratifying but...I dunno, just didn't like how it was done.

 

[Momma There Goes That Man]

@Spaceman Spiff good thoughts thanks for sharing. I guess I just didn’t think the story it told (of the establishment of a Koch or Kennedy dynasty) was that satisfying. At so many times it felt like it was supposed to be something else or was going to be something else but ended up being that which felt hollow. 
 

I also didn’t think any of the Wendy political stuff was believable which I think contributed to the unsatisfying story of their rise as an empire. The Byrds are new money. Extremely new and extremely tainted new money. They idea that they become these crazy power players in US politics because Wendy ran a state senate campaign 15 years ago good ole Jim got on the Senator hotline and got everyone to play along was absurd. She would never so quickly get the upper hand on established families protecting their fortunes that have decades of experience and contacts on her. She had Jim.
 

my biggest problem with all of this, is that it was all told to us. None of it was shown. We have no idea who, or why, or how any of these political machinations came to fruition. We never meet any of these politicians or why the believe and trust the Byrds, we are just told they are secured because Jim made some magic phone calls. Which makes it all feel cheap, easy, and unearned.
 

If you want to tell that story, it could be really interesting but it’s significantly less so when it’s just Wendy calling up Jim crying, Jim saying there’s not much he can do but he will give it the ole college try and then shockingly everything always works out with no real explanation given. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

2 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

@Spaceman Spiff good thoughts thanks for sharing. I guess I just didn’t think the story it told (of the establishment of a Koch or Kennedy dynasty) was that satisfying. At so many times it felt like it was supposed to be something else or was going to be something else but ended up being that which felt hollow. 
 

I also didn’t think any of the Wendy political stuff was believable which I think contributed to the unsatisfying story of their rise as an empire. The Byrds are new money. Extremely new and extremely tainted new money. They idea that they become these crazy power players in US politics because Wendy ran a state senate campaign 15 years ago good ole Jim got on the Senator hotline and got everyone to play along was absurd. She would never so quickly get the upper hand on established families protecting their fortunes that have decades of experience and contacts on her. She had Jim.
 

my biggest problem with all of this, is that it was all told to us. None of it was shown. We have no idea who, or why, or how any of these political machinations came to fruition. We never meet any of these politicians or why the believe and trust the Byrds, we are just told they are secured because Jim made some magic phone calls. Which makes it all feel cheap, easy, and unearned.
 

If you want to tell that story, it could be really interesting but it’s significantly less so when it’s just Wendy calling up Jim crying, Jim saying there’s not much he can do but he will give it the ole college try and then shockingly everything always works out with no real explanation given. 

 

I don't disagree with any of that.  

 

I think one thing where they failed is that they didn't explain the timeline enough...exactly how long did it take for all of this to occur?  It could have been more believable then.  For example, Rachel tells Ruth "I haven't seen you in over a year," which is really the only indication anywhere of how much time has elapsed.  They kind of make it seem like Marty uprooted his family in Chicago, moved them to the Ozarks and this all took place in a few months.  But in reality, I think this happened over the course of a few years?  There's no way to really tell.  

 

But you're right, she has Jim and he pulls the strings.  Like at the end, he started ripping off names of people who were investing and it's like...who?  How?

 

I'm waffling on whether or not I found the overall story satisfying.  On the whole, I really liked the series and it's up there with some of my favorites (it's not on a Breaking Bad level) as I found the interesting parts to be how Marty/Wendy would finagle their way out of situations.  Yes, that did include calls to Jim who magically made things happen for them. 

 

But I also think that the writers had an interesting conundrum on their hands...partway through, this really became more about Ruth, less about the Byrdes.  And that's fine, I just don't think they really knew how to handle what appeared to be a secondary character taking over.  She was the heart and soul of the show.

[Dan T.]

24 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

...

I'm waffling on whether or not I found the overall story satisfying.  On the whole, I really liked the series and it's up there with some of my favorites (it's not on a Breaking Bad level) ...

 

But I also think that the writers had an interesting conundrum on their hands...partway through, this really became more about Ruth, less about the Byrdes.  And that's fine, I just don't think they really knew how to handle what appeared to be a secondary character taking over.  She was the heart and soul of the show.

 

You mention Breaking Bad.  I see an interesting parallel between Ruth Langmore in Ozark and Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. 

 

Originally, Jesse was destined to be killed off in season one of Breaking Bad, but Vince Gilligan recognized the great chemistry (no pun intended) between Aaron Paul's character and Bryan Cranston's Walter White and decided to keep him on.  So Jesse grew into the character who develops the glimmer of a moral compass even as Walter White sinks into moral depravity. 

 

I haven't read anything about how the Ruth Langmore role evolved in Ozark.  But the pattern seems similar - she starts out as a secondary character early in the series and grows into one character you can root for through all the chaos, immorality, and violence. 

 

...So there are some interesting similarities there (leaving aside the ultimate fate of the two characters)

[Warhead36]

3 hours ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

I don't disagree with any of that.  

 

I think one thing where they failed is that they didn't explain the timeline enough...exactly how long did it take for all of this to occur?  It could have been more believable then.  For example, Rachel tells Ruth "I haven't seen you in over a year," which is really the only indication anywhere of how much time has elapsed.  They kind of make it seem like Marty uprooted his family in Chicago, moved them to the Ozarks and this all took place in a few months.  But in reality, I think this happened over the course of a few years?  There's no way to really tell.  

I beleive there was a time jump at some point. I mean look at Jonah and Three. They went kids from practically grown ass men. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

30 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

I beleive there was a time jump at some point. I mean look at Jonah and Three. They went kids from practically grown ass men. 

 

Well I just attributed that to they filmed the last season 6 or 7 years after the first one. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

3 hours ago, Dan T. said:

 

You mention Breaking Bad.  I see an interesting parallel between Ruth Langmore in Ozark and Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. 

 

Originally, Jesse was destined to be killed off in season one of Breaking Bad, but Vince Gilligan recognized the great chemistry (no pun intended) between Aaron Paul's character and Bryan Cranston's Walter White and decided to keep him on.  So Jesse grew into the character who develops the glimmer of a moral compass even as Walter White sinks into moral depravity. 

 

I haven't read anything about how the Ruth Langmore role evolved in Ozark.  But the pattern seems similar - she starts out as a secondary character early in the series and grows into one character you can root for through all the chaos, immorality, and violence. 

 

...So there are some interesting similarities there (leaving aside the ultimate fate of the two characters)

 

I see that parallel too, although I don't think the characters in Ozark are as deep and as well developed as the ones in Breaking Bad.  But yeah, she is the Pinkman in Ozark, for sure.  

[88Comrade2000]

On 5/8/2022 at 9:19 AM, 88Comrade2000 said:

Doctor Who fans; the 14th Doctor has been announced. Actor Ncuti Gatwa , first black male to be Doctor.

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, they were leaning towards someone else but he was the last one interviewed and must of blown them away because he got the gig.

 

Just give him good scripts something that the last 2 Doctors didn't get.

Edited May 10, 2022 by 88Comrade2000

[purbeast]

Past 2 episodes of Better Call Saul have been pretty weak.  It could be too that the one prior to that was just oh so good.

 

But considering next weeks episode is the last one for the first half of this season, it's definitely been a slow burn.

[zCommander]

Watching Breaking Bad again is like watching it for the first time.

 

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

On 5/9/2022 at 10:35 PM, 88Comrade2000 said:

Apparently, they were leaning towards someone else but he was the last one interviewed and must of blown them away because he got the gig.

 

Just give him good scripts something that the last 2 Doctors didn't get.

 

Horrible choice, imo.  

[Spaceman Spiff]

I don't know if this goes in the move thread cause it's technically a documentary but whatever.  

 

"Our Father." on Netflix.

 

I feel like I'd heard about this before but didn't know all the details.  In Indianapolis in the late 70s and early to mid 80s there was a fertility doctor who...well, basically inseminated his patients with his sperm.  These were women who were having issues conceiving and either using a sperm donor or their husbands sperm to conceive.  There were times where the husband would arrive with his wife with his sample and the doctor would leave the room momentarily, whack off into a vial, ditch the husband's sample and come back and use his own.  ****ing disgusting.

 

Fast forward to the mid 2010s when 23 and Me became a thing and this one woman was baffled as to how she had so many close DNA matches.  She starts the hunt and uncovers people left and right who are technically her half brother/half sister.   This one doctor inseminated about 100 people.  And most of them are in a 25 mile radius of each other.  This one woman turned out to be a half sister of someone she was relatively friendly with, a parent of a kid on her daughters rec-league softball team.

 

But the sickest part was one woman who comes to find out that he's her father but he's also her doctor.  

 

This thing is like a boa constrictor, it starts off slowly squeezing you until you're balled up on your couch and having a hard time breathing.  These people can't walk down the street without wondering if perfect strangers are related to them.