Now Watching

[Julius Seeker]

As a sort of a brother/sister thread of the "Now Playing" in Gamethought.

I am watching three shows right now:

Voyager season 1-3 (currently just finished S2), while I have seen 4-7 multiple times, this is actually my first go through of the first 3 seasons. They're different from 4-7 in more ways than just having a no 7 of 9 and having Kes. They also generally have a different formula than 4-7. 4-7 tended to have the episodes focus on one character as the main (most often Seven, Janeway, or Doctor) while these S1-3 tend to give relatively equal screw time to the whole main cast. It's actually turning out to be a lot better than I thought, surpringly so.

SG-1, manages to be a very fun series, and adventurous. To me, I would describe it as Sliders-esque, although much more satisfying somehow. It is a lot different than I thought it was going to be. A lot of it doesn't make any sense (planets all based on different famous human societies throughout history: Minoans, Myceneans, Mongols, Egyptians, Vikings, etc...), but I forgive it because I think the concept is fun =) I say it makes no sense because the Star Gate was from Egypt, and the aliens supposedly hadn't visited in over 5000 years, and all of the societies so far are under 3500 years old (some like the Mongol culture are only 750-1000 years old), and also NOT FROM EGYPT. Actually, the spelling of STÅRGÅTE probably irritates me more than; while I know they are attempting to be stylish, the spelling actually reads "Storegoat"; and indeed, that complaint is minor and more funny than anything. I like Stargate. Currently about half way into season 1.

Firefly, I am watching this as well, but am finding it hard to get into. I haven't found the setting/characters/story nearly as interesting as I hoped; especially after all the praise I read on the Internet. It might just not be my thing. I haven't gotten through all of episode 1 yet.

[Flip]

I have a pretty decent list of shows I currently keep up with which is below... I'm kinda surprised at how I keep up, I didnt think I was home this often!

Game of Thrones, Dexter, Weeds, Walking Dead, Luck, Life's Too Short, Eastbound and Down, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Oddities, Comic Book Men, South, Park, True Blood, and Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

I'm sure there are more, especially when you consider some cartoons like Adventure Time and Regular Show on cartoon network, and I'll usually catch Daily Show a couple times a week.

The current goodness is in Luck. Its a first season HBO drama revolving around 3 groups of horse owners. There are the 4 degenerate but lovable gamblers, the millionaire who just got out of jail, and an old grisly horse farmer kind of guy. They all own a great racehorse to which I'm sure will lead to some good showdowns later in the season. The trainers, veterinarian, and jockeys all have their own story lines going, too. It is beautifully done in HBO quality polish and easy enough to follow even for people who know nothing about horse racing.


EDIT: Sons of Anarychy, too! How could i forget that show, along with GoT and Luck its my favorite!!

[Julius Seeker]

Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a show I have been meaning to watch for some time.

[Shrinweck]

Always Sunny is pretty great. It's somewhat formulaic in its chaos but when they get it right, it's amazing.

You're going to have to give Firefly more of a chance than its first episode (As in the pilot episode, Serenity) and probably even the second (The Train Job). They're trying to establish the setting very, very quickly and they do a good job but it doesn't make for an immediately grabbing introduction to the series. If you aren't in love by Shindig (one of my favorite episodes) then you probably won't like it at all.

Glad you're liking SG-1 - for the most part the series only gets better.

I'm still making my way through DS9 which definitely took until season three to hit its stride (I stopped watching for weeks at a time three times during season two). I'm enjoying it now but Mass Effect 3 is eating into my time that would be otherwise spent watching this.

I'm watching a bunch of other stuff that's currently airing but not much worth mentioning. Happy Endings is a nice little diversion while Community is on hiatus as it has basically the same flow of humor (a couple of the same creators as Community run it), just with a different ensemble cast.

Mad Men starts up again in a couple weeks and that will be amazing.

[Lox]

I am watching:

Alone - GoT, Community (once it comes back), Parks and Rec, the Office, Awake (love this show so far), 30 Rock on Netflix, Naruto on Netflix, The Soup, Tosh.0.

With my wife - NCIS, Criminal Minds, Amazing Race, The Middle, Modern Family, Raising Hope.

Writing all of that out really highlights how much TV I watch. haha!

[Imakeholesinu]

Currently watching:

Archer - FUCKING HILARIOUS

Luck - Great show, lots of different plot lines going. Too bad HBO just canned it because 3 of the horses died during production.

House of Lies - I like Don Cheadle but I feel he's out of his element, but any reason to see Kristen Bell booty dance snaps me back to reality.

Californication - I'm not sure they have much, if any material left to write on this show. Put it down gracefully.

Shameless - THE BEST SHOW ON TV RIGHT NOW! Acting, stories, drama, comedy, cast...everything.

SouthLAnd - You know, when it was banished to TNT, I thought it was going to spell the end for the series but it has bounced back this season.

Justified - Last season was great, this season I'm having a hard time getting into. I'll keep watching but it needs to impress me.

Spartacus: Vengeance - Second best show on TV. They connected Blood and Sand and Gods of the Arena storylines very well. It just sucks that Andy passed and they replaced Naviea this season with a girl who isn't as hot.

What I will be watching:

Mad Men - BOUT FUCKING TIME AMC

Game of Thrones - Looks great.

[Zeus]

Currently watching (everything throughout the year, not just what's on now):

Walking Dead - after a brutal first ep of Season 2, it picked up. Then slowed down in the middle part of the season but the last two eps have been great
Dexter - 6th season wasn't as strong as 5th or the amazing 4th but it's still a very good show
Boardwalk Empire - I though they did a pretty solid job with season 2, lookin' forward to 3
Game of Thrones - 1st season was OK, all setup. 2nd season will determine if I keep watching
30 Rock - too much of a focus on Jack and Liz now but it's still entertaining to watch
Naruto - after the first two manga-related arcs, which were quite dull, Shippuuden has been amazing, as good or better than the original series....when it's not on filler, that is. The most recent filler was the most brutal ever and too long (15-20 eps of hell) but it's so good when it's not on filler I just wait for it to come back

And I'm not sure on Breaking Bad. I have 2 eps in Season 4 to watch still but I haven't yet been able to bring myself to do it. With Season 5 being the last, I'll probably just force myself to watch them and then finish the show, but I may wait until the end of Season 5 and blitz them. I've come this far, might as well finish them

Lox, I don't know how you can tolerate Naruto dubbed, it's incredibly horrible. I had a friend I convinced to watch Full Metal Brotherhood and he watched it on Netflix. That's another with brutal dubbing. But he loved it.

[Shrinweck]

What? Brotherhood has pretty great dubbing. Funimation has claim to some of the better voice acting talent available for commercial anime.

I just watched Touch which is apparently what Keifer Sutherland is doing on TV now that 24 is over. It's pretty good, but if it turns into another "Person of the Week" to help type show then I'm going to lose interest quickly.

[Julius Seeker]

Now into season 3 of Voyager and Season 2 of SG-1

Very funny, I just watched an episode in each series (back to back) that had almost the same story. That is, due to some sort of technology, characters were forced to relive a traumatic experience in their past lives. Just in Voyager it was a false memory implanted by a virus, and in SG-1 an alien program was forcing characters to relive traumatic experiences for their amusement.

One thing I like about SG-1 and Voyager (and Farscape) is their adventurous storylines; this is something I found lacking in Battlestar and Caprica which I found more soap-operaish, and much less creative and adventurous episodes.

[Julius Seeker]

Now into season 3 of Voyager and Season 2 of SG-1

Very funny, I just watched an episode in each series (back to back) that had almost the same story. That is, due to some sort of technology, characters were forced to relive a traumatic experience in their past lives. Just in Voyager it was a false memory implanted by a virus, and in SG-1 an alien program was forcing characters to relive traumatic experiences for their amusement.

One thing I like about SG-1 and Voyager (and Farscape) is their adventurous storylines; this is something I found lacking in Battlestar and Caprica which I found more soap-operaish, and but found these series' had much less creative and adventurous episodes. Don't get me wrong, I liked BSG and Caprica, but soap-opera formats for sci-fi and fantasy are a crap formula. Robert Jordan, as much as I did like his story, I can't thank him for making it 12 books when it needed to only be 2-3 - and starting this damned trend.

[Lox]

Currently watching (everything throughout the year, not just what's on now):

Walking Dead - after a brutal first ep of Season 2, it picked up. Then slowed down in the middle part of the season but the last two eps have been great
Dexter - 6th season wasn't as strong as 5th or the amazing 4th but it's still a very good show
Boardwalk Empire - I though they did a pretty solid job with season 2, lookin' forward to 3
Game of Thrones - 1st season was OK, all setup. 2nd season will determine if I keep watching
30 Rock - too much of a focus on Jack and Liz now but it's still entertaining to watch
Naruto - after the first two manga-related arcs, which were quite dull, Shippuuden has been amazing, as good or better than the original series....when it's not on filler, that is. The most recent filler was the most brutal ever and too long (15-20 eps of hell) but it's so good when it's not on filler I just wait for it to come back

And I'm not sure on Breaking Bad. I have 2 eps in Season 4 to watch still but I haven't yet been able to bring myself to do it. With Season 5 being the last, I'll probably just force myself to watch them and then finish the show, but I may wait until the end of Season 5 and blitz them. I've come this far, might as well finish them

Lox, I don't know how you can tolerate Naruto dubbed, it's incredibly horrible. I had a friend I convinced to watch Full Metal Brotherhood and he watched it on Netflix. That's another with brutal dubbing. But he loved it.

It's not dubbed...everything that I've watched has been subbed (which is the last 2 seasons). I wouldn't even bother if it was dubbed. What do you take me for? haha

I'm actually done now and moving on to Shippuden. I'm reading the manga, too, which is definitely faster.

[Zeus]

We don't have the subbed ones on Netflix up here as far as I know. That's good, you can actually enjoy it rather than slappin' your forehead every 3 minutes when Naruto says "believe it!" or you hear Mustang talk. The brutality of the dubbing completely changes the experience of watching them.

[Shrinweck]

I watched every episode of New Girl in basically one sitting to mostly positive results a couple days ago. It's no masterpiece, but if you ignore Zooey doing anything (and focus on Schmidt) that isn't spazzing out then it's actually laugh out loud funny in nearly every episode (like 2 or 3 exceptions out of 17 as far as I'm concerned).

I'm up to season six of DS9 and while I'm still enjoying it, I think I'm looking forward to it ending and getting to watch Voyager for the first time more, even if it takes a couple seasons to pick up, as well.

It was a joy to see Jon Hamm last night. I mean Mad Men. It was a joy to see Mad Men last night.

[Julius Seeker]

Stargate criticism: Now I know the show is a fantasy and such - but when you have an archaeologist/historian character who subscribes to the Dark Age theory; even though it has long been rejected in all academic circles, you have a large flaw.

Dark Age theory of Stargate: As it was described in the show when Daniel was describing to the Tollans (who consider humans primitive) why humans aren't traveling through the stars yet was a result of the Dark Ages - that because of the oppressive Church during the Dark Ages, human technology advancement was set back 700 years.

Now this is very much false, and any historian would have known this.
* Most of the former Roman Empire was undergoing a golden age during this era, including Spain which possessed the largest Great Library (Cordoba) that history had ever known to that point.
* Golden Age Spain (Pre-Crusade era) saw Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike working in the same places for the better advancement of humanity.
* The Church was the major supporter of Sciences and technology during the Middle Ages (the whole anti-science sentiment only came in the early modern era)
* During this period, we got many mathematical advancements (such as algebra) that simply would not have been possible under the Roman Empire.
* We did see occasions where art, culture, and the advancement of knowledge flourished; I'll cite Charlemagne's Renaisance, and the establishment of Universities. It collapsed, but not due to Christians or Churches, but due to the Pagan Viking invasions.

In the end, the anti-Church thing came largely from anti-Catholic sentiment in the early modern era; this was largely a backlash against the Medici dynasty transforming the Catholic Church into a massive business, which sold indulgences (passage to heaven). The Medici family, were bankers, the fathers of the Italian Renaissance, and a very very powerful family; while there were some French and English thinkers who cited that the Roman Empire was a greater time period - they were only looking at their particular area; and the Medici's spread the theory in what would be the first major wave of modern propaganda (to make their Florence and the Cosimo D'Medici look like a saviour).

The theory of the Dark Ages was an exercise in Eurocentricism (and the anti-Church part an exercise in Protestantism); particularly coming from English tradition, England had come to dominate the world for centuries in the modern era, so their tradition became the dominant one for a time. There was no "Dark Age" as Daniel in Stargate proposed; Daniel's version had been refuted in the 19th century. Much of the great advancement of the early modern era England and the surrounding Europe was just the importing of stuff that other cultures had developed; and this part of Europe caught up, and soon began to dominate again.

[Shrinweck]

Interesting. I just took it as a fun idea and didn't look into it much. They don't really dwell on it, if you find it that distracting.

I'm kind of taking back what I said about liking DS9 season six. After the first six episodes of season six it was almost all episodes that barely had anything to do with the dominion story arc which is just a snooze for me. I'm still enjoying the series as a whole but now I'm looking forward to being done with seven even more, so I can continue to Voyager.

[Imakeholesinu]

Game of Thrones: Last night's episode seemed to me like it was a recap of what happened in the previous season. Also, Geoffry is still a dick.

Spartacus: I think the show just imploded.

Spoiler: show

They killed off Mira, Gaius, Lucretia, Asher and Doctore. Not only that Lucretia takes a dive off a cliff with Ilithya's kid. I don't know how they are going to really do another season with 5 main characters dying. Also, Katrina Law is fucking hot.

Shameless: What a way to end the season. I really like this show and I really like Emmy Rossum.

[Shrinweck]

I have no idea why I watch Shameless. When I think about it, I basically have no affection for the show, but when I'm actually watching it I find it enjoyable. Decent enough finale, will continue watching next season, I suppose. It's better than House of Lies. God, I don't think I'm going to get behind another season of that show. I hate almost all the actors and Kristen Bell alone can't justify me watching the show. Okay, maybe she could, but not in a supporting role.

Holding off on Spartacus for now, I've got the last two episodes in the chamber.

I liked Game of Thrones. I got something like a third of the way through the second book, so it was interesting watching the show with an idea of what's going on. I heard someone talking about how they pitied people who hadn't read the book since this first episode covered so much and did it very quickly. I would watch this show just for Dinklage. The fact that it's so well done is just peach-y. The second episode is available via piracy/HBO Go. I'm going to try to wait until next week so I don't have to wait two weeks for a new episode haha

I finished DS9 and I can see why it doesn't have the fan support the other series seem to have. The characters are very strong and the Dominion story arc was very interesting, but the bulk of the show was carried by the strong characters. I found the actual content a big of a slog. I'm satisfied but it could have been better. I would have liked a

Spoiler: show

Quark-Dax

relationship at the end more than what actually happened. I feel like they missed an opportunity.

I'm something like 2/3s of the way through the first Voyager season. By the end of the first episode I think I liked it more than DS9. I like Janeway the least out of the captains I've seen so far but she's growing on me fairly quickly. I enjoy the dynamic of the main story more than TNG and DS9. I also enjoy how the characters are already complaining about how it feels as if they're exploring much more than continuing on their journey home. The Doctor is one of my favorite actors in Stargate and it's a joy to get to see (much) more of him in this series. Probably would have watched it sooner if my IMDB-fu was stronger.

The Killing is still delivering slow-paced murder-mystery-drama. Will continue watching for now. I think I like the atmosphere and camera shots more than the story and most of the actors.

[Julius Seeker]

If you like Doctor, from about season 4 and onward he becomes one of the most used characters.

With Voyager, most people will generally say 4-7 are better than 1-3; but I felt that season 2 of Voyager was one of the strongest seasons of any star trek (I just saw it for the first time a couple months ago). Prepare for the episode Threshold, it is one of the worst episodes (but sort of in an unintentionally funny way) Star Trek Episodes since the Animated series =P

I have never watched Enterprise, a lot of people have said it is bad, but I am not sure where that notion comes from since none of those people actually watched it. I am probably going to start that around Christmas, or whenever I finish the Stargates.

Speaking of Stargate, the episode where they go back in time to 1969 had one of the funniest moments ever, the soldier asks the captured SG1 crew in Russian "Are you Soviet Spies?" and Daniel answers "Nyet" =P

[Imakeholesinu]

Skins Season 1 (UK): Pleasantly surprised with this show. The only character I don't like is Tony

Spoiler: show

and I'm glad they did something about that at the end of the season

Also, since I've been watching Game of Thrones I see that some of the cast has actually migrated to that. Didn't know it was where Dev Patel got his start either. Very awesome series, can't wait to watch season 2.

[Blotus]

Also, since I've been watching Game of Thrones I see that some of the cast has actually migrated to that. Didn't know it was where Dev Patel got his start either. Very awesome series, can't wait to watch season 2.

The adaptation for season 2 has been great so far. Episode 2 was awesome.

[Julius Seeker]

I'm watching season 4 of Voyager now (I've decided that the best way to watch two series at once is do it by season; so one season of Stargate then one season of Star Trek). On Voyager, in my opinion, the series is at its very best from about midway through season 4 until some time in season 6; there is a high concentration of very high quality episodes here. Of all the Star Trek I have ever watched, this period in Voyager is my favourite.

I have been looking for the series Enterprise as well; I have heard a lot of people say it is a bad series, but none of those people have actually watched more than a few episodes (if any). Whereas I have had some strong recommendations from others.

Unfortunately, it seems that the only season available around here is season 2 (of 4). That's all I've seen at multiple stores =P

[Shrinweck]

Do the Netflix Instant Watch licenses carry over into Canada? Netflix has all of Enterprise on Instant Watch. As well as SG-1 and Voyager (and Stargate Atlantis and Universe, for that matter). I'm going to give Enterprise a try just because Bacula was entertaining in Men of a Certain Age. I got through the boring DS9 seasons, the least I could do is give it a couple seasons.

[Shellie]

Game of Thrones, duh

is it weird I have a crush on Peter Dinklage?

I have got to finish the second book SOON

[Julius Seeker]

We have Stargate, that's how I'm watching it, but no Star Trek.

Although I expect we have a shot at getting Star Trek here because we do have all the movies available. I have all of TNG, TOS, Voyager, and 2 seasons of DS9 on DVD; so I figured getting the other 9 seasons of Star Trek should be a future goal. The seasons I do have are the result of several years of collecting. The Star Trek DVDs have cool cases =)

The early part of season 4 has some great episodes too (The Year From Hell is the most notable, followed by Scorpion), but I felt that the second half was just overall stronger with episodes like The Killing Game. I just finished Revulsion (Season 4 episode 5) which mixes two very different flavoured plot lines - one is dark and intense , it has Belana on board a ship with a murderous hologram who hates "organics" (he smashes her with a hammer, and reaches into her chest and squeezes her heart; I actually had to look away from the screen) - and the other storyline is a playful social learning story between Harry Kim and Seven which has one of the funniest moments in the history of star trek; the episode was written by Lisa Klink, who did several of my favorites including Message In a Bottle (the one guest starring Andy Dick for the one time in his life where he appeared sober on camera and actually acted quite well).

EDIT (New Post below)

With Voyager, in hindsight, if they were to restructure the series, I think it would have been beneficial to have re-order the macro-story so that immediately after the episode "Caretaker" that they follow it up with the 3rd season episode Blood Fever (as one of the first 5 episodes), and then finished the first season with Scorpion (the Borg). While there are a lot of great episodes in the earlier seasons, the real big hook of series was the Borg; it is the Star Trek race that was of greatest interest.

When Voyager began, it was after about 4 years of steady ratings decline in the franchise, and that didn't actually stop until season 4 of Voyager (Scorpion part 2 had the highest ratings share since season 1 of Voyager, and season 4 had ratings share on . I think the context of being in contact with the Borg and in Borg space is something that really would have maintained a greater portion of the initial audience; Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise all suffered similar issues where the first few episodes were very high in ratings, and then they quickly declined and continued in a steady decline; I believe Enterprise had a ratings boost in season 3 as well.

Anyway, if season 2 was bookmarked with Scorpion 2 instead of The 37's (which I felt was a very good episode, but not a good season premier), and then followed with largely what we had for season 4, I think Voyager would have overall been a hotter series. I think the 37's would be a good fit for almost anywhere else in the series, except season 2's premier; it really should have been a Borg episode.

Season 2 was excellent (or at least I thought it was), and I think the addition of Seven and the Borg would have made it popular as well as excellent. I forgot how much I actually liked the character of Seven until I got into the second disc of season 4.

[Shrinweck]

I just got through the first third of season four of Voyager and it really did get a lot better. Year of Hell was a nice two parter but I thought the end was an utter waste of time. I do like Janeway a lot more now but since

Spoiler: show

none of it actually happened I find myself caring a little less.

I see now how much more modern science fiction shows take and twist out of the Star Trek universe. Resurrection in BSG is very similar to what was touched upon in DS9 with the Vorta and Voyager is basically Stargate Universe without, you know, Stargates.

[Blotus]

Game of Thrones, duh

is it weird I have a crush on Peter Dinklage?

I have got to finish the second book SOON

As long as you're not fetishizing him! And yes, read read read. The transition from the very good ACOK to the superb ASOS is great.

[Zeus]

The transition from the very good ACOK to the superb ASOS is great.

Wow that looked, um, weird :-)

[Blotus]

The transition from the very good ACOK to the superb ASOS is great.

Wow that looked, um, weird :-)

What's so weird about the superb A sauce coming out of a very good A cock?

[Julius Seeker]

I just got through the first third of season four of Voyager and it really did get a lot better. Year of Hell was a nice two parter but I thought the end was an utter waste of time. I do like Janeway a lot more now but since

Spoiler: show

none of it actually happened I find myself caring a little less.

I see now how much more modern science fiction shows take and twist out of the Star Trek universe. Resurrection in BSG is very similar to what was touched upon in DS9 with the Vorta and Voyager is basically Stargate Universe without, you know, Stargates.

I am actually watching Year From Hell right now. It's a popular episode and rated fairly highly, but it's actually one of my least favorites from the season, and my least favourite two-parter. I just wasn't a huge fan. I can't even justify or quantify why I didn't like it as much as the general fanbase does; I just didn't.

I think a lot of people liked it because it was dark and had Red from That 70's Show guest starring; but there are other very dark episodes as well (Revulsion, and the Hirogen series in this season) which I thought were better and more fun. Another reason is that it is somewhat tied to another episode where Kes went back in time from the future; and this episode was supposedly a disastrous part of their journey.

Edit

I am finding the second part, at least the Tom and Chakotay part that takes place on the Krenim vessel to be much more interesting than part 1.

[Zeus]

The transition from the very good ACOK to the superb ASOS is great.

Wow that looked, um, weird :-)

What's so weird about the superb A sauce coming out of a very good A cock?

I just thought you were discussing the Game of Thrones books not giving intimate details of what you and your wifey did last night :-)

[Julius Seeker]

Tonight marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. I remember being a little kid back in the 80's, the Titanic disaster and the Pompei/Vesuvius disaster were the two that fascinated me the most. Anyway, I just recently got back from Titanic 3D; and I mus say this movie indeed has more than just a timeless feel about it - it's still something that blockbuster film creators don't yet seem to know how to top even today.

Titanic is nearly 15 years old now, but remains one of the most visually impressive films I have ever seen. With the 3D treatment, it really sparkles (for lack of a better word). The mix of a historical film, tragedy, bravery, romance, a culture clash, and the best disaster sequence ever filmed also makes it one of the most emotional I have ever seen; it is a roller coaster in many ways for certain.

I enjoyed The Hunger Games as well (which I also watched recently, it's kind of like Caprica meets Battle Royale - except way better than either - and probably the best movie I can remember seeing for some time now), but my fond memories of it have been quickly eclipsed by this viewing of Titanic.

The audience was different from the first times I saw it in theater, it was a large mix of people ranging from the very old to the very young - whereas the first time it was always mostly teenagers; I think many people were watching it now for the first time on the big screen. I really hope a lot of those pretentious types who turned their nose up at it due to philosophical reasons (jumping on the backlash-against-everything-popular bandwagon) and actually give this one a chance this time - because I think it truly is an experience that shouldn't be missed.

Watching the movie in 3D really brought out the depth and detail all that much more; it was very immersive in a lot of areas - fine details like how the water splashes, dust, smoke, debris, are now very visible an attention catching; it's a very colorful and detailed film, and is certainly at its best on the big screen in 3D. Watching the people fall to their deaths was fairly disturbing though (more so than the floating bodies later) =P

They just don't make movies now like they used to... I have been having that thought more and more now, thinking about the movies the 90's gave: Titanic, Silence of the Lambs, American Beauty, Schindler's List, Goodfellas, Braveheart, etc... Well, maybe the Hobbit will help change that (I thought the Lord of the Rings was one large exception, even though it is borderline 90's) =P

[Shrinweck]

I finished Voyager and I was fairly satisfied with how it ended, even if I think a couple plot lines are sloppily thrown together during the last few episodes, namely

Spoiler: show

Seven of Nine's romance and Neelix's departure.

I began Enterprise and I'm actually enjoying it so far. Not the intro music, but the rest of it. Looking forward to seeing the actors later in the series when they've had more time to sink into their roles.

Community Law and Order parody episode last night was pretty fantastic. The opening was great. I'm not sure how I feel about this season as a whole. On one hand it has my favorite episode, but a lot of the episodes just aren't hitting home with me. I think it may actually need less Troy-Abed interaction. That's always some of the best stuff in the series but they're overdoing it to the point of over saturation.

[Lox]

I finished Voyager and I was fairly satisfied with how it ended, even if I think a couple plot lines are sloppily thrown together during the last few episodes, namely

Spoiler: show

Seven of Nine's romance and Neelix's departure.

I began Enterprise and I'm actually enjoying it so far. Not the intro music, but the rest of it. Looking forward to seeing the actors later in the series when they've had more time to sink into their roles.

Community Law and Order parody episode last night was pretty fantastic. The opening was great. I'm not sure how I feel about this season as a whole. On one hand it has my favorite episode, but a lot of the episodes just aren't hitting home with me. I think it may actually need less Troy-Abed interaction. That's always some of the best stuff in the series but they're overdoing it to the point of over saturation.

There is a lot of Troy/Abed, but I thought the Pillow fort vs. Blanket fort episode told as a war documentary was awesome.

[Shrinweck]

Maybe I'm wrong then. Harmon has a running joke about it being basically impossible to meet expectations for the show but I'm usually not the kind of person who's guilty of unrealistic expectations for TV. I mean, I liked how Twin Peaks ended. I'm not really picky. It's fucking television :D

[Julius Seeker]

Heh, I am into season 5 of Voyager; mostly because I am alternating between it and Stargate by season and Atlantis will be in the mix soon, so three different series going. Although I am going to consider Atlantis as the same series and watch episodes by air dates (I heard they're like Xena and Hercules, essentially the same show with the same major plot arcs, but in a different part of the world with different main characters)

This is my third or fourth time watching through the later Voyager seasons though (last time was about three years ago), so it's fairly familiar material.

I read Sine's post in the Farscape thread, and so I am definitely going to do Babylon 5 first after I finish off Stargate Universe (which is after Atlantis and SG-1 from what I understand); also because one season of Startrek Enterprise is comparable in price to all 5 seasons of Babylon 5. Neither Enterprise or Babylon 5 are on Netflix here.

Movie news - Titanic with the 100th anniversary re-release has sold nearly $300 million worldwide, pushing Titanic sales past 2 billion, the second movie in history to do so. James Cameron's top 3 movies (Avatar, Titanic, and Terminator 2) have grossed a combined 5.4 billion dollars.

[Shrinweck]

If you don't want to complicate things I found it completely enjoyable to finish SG-1 completely before watching Atlantis. Also Atlantis has my favorite actor/character in it so I would have found it difficult not to just blast through Atlantis while ignoring SG-1

Yeah Universe is definitely dated after Atlantis, as they make references to the final moments in Atlantis in the crossover episode in season two.

[Julius Seeker]

I think I will at least watch seasons by air date, if not episodes. I like a little variety in what I'm watching anyway.

I've noticed that Q has infiltrated the SGC in season 5 =P

[Julius Seeker]

Speaking of Stargate SG-1:

Major General Hammond:

[Shrinweck]

I finished Star Trek Enterprise and I found it rather enjoyable. They did pretty well for only having what I would say is two or three good characters. The actors really managed to hold together what could have been a pretty terrible show. Not in the beginning, though, those episodes were painful. Season three may be one of my favorite Star Trek seasons, even though the transition to season four was probably the worst season storyline segue in all of Star Trek.

I'm trying to make my way through TOS right now. Very slow start up. And good lord... that pilot episode.

[Julius Seeker]

So I am now into season 9 of SG-1.

The Ori are interesting, they seem to be based off of an anti-Christianity so to speak - with some anti-Zoroastrianism thrown in. In one episode, their High Priest becomes a host to the Ori - and strongly resembled the biblical demon "Legion" - only the Demon was viewed as good to the followers of Origen (the Ori religion); and then there was an Ori version of the mustard seed parable: "The unbelievers plant a small seed of doubt could blossom up into a huge poisonous tree of evil" - which is the opposite of Jesus's "The Kingdom of heaven is like a small mustard seed, which when planted grows into a tree, and the birds of the sky lodge in its branches." Not to mention the Ori manifest as flames; but can possess the bodies of the living.

This season of Stargate reminds me A LOT of season 5 of Hercules the Legendary Journies, where the God Dahak was attempting to conquer the world; and it doesn't help that Tony Todd was involved in both story arcs =P

I think this series worked very well in showing the development of humanity from a 90's tech using a Stargate to explore the universe, and blossoming into a spacefaring one with improving ship technology.

Speaking of Hercules, Baal reminds me a lot of Ares. Not just in look either, they act similarly.

[Eric]

=/ rip Kevin Smith.

[Shrinweck]

What are you talking about?

[Eric]

Actor who played Ares on Hercules/Xena.

[Shrinweck]

Oh, oops. :(

[Julius Seeker]

Heh, just when I thought this show had become as close as it was going to get to the Dahak arc of Hercules/Xena:

Spoiler: show

Vala gives birth to a daughter of the Ori in the same way Gabrielle gave birth to a daughter of Dahak; both of whom are female Antichrists. Both Hope and Adria aged at unnatural speed, and both wield unnatural knowledge and power of their father - who in each case is an evil fire-like spirit posing as "the true God" in a religion that is essentially "Anti-Christianity" (the difference is that the Ori are multiple minds and Dahak is one - even with that difference, the Ori are still treated as a single entity). Also Arthurian legend is tied into both stories - even if in very different ways.

[Julius Seeker]

Onto Stargate Atlantis now. One thing I've noticed with Stargate, BSG, Andromeda and such, is that science fiction shows outside of Star Trek feature largely Canadian casts. Almost everyone on Atlantis is Canadian.

[Shrinweck]

Kind of expected Draper to

Spoiler: show

"Fredo kiss" Peggy

in this weeks Mad Men.

[Julius Seeker]

On to season 2 of Atlantis now. So far I am really enjoying it; but I find it funny how in the last few seasons of SG-1 how they all spoke as though what was happening on Atlantis was much more interesting and important than what they were doing; but in Stargate Atlantis, the feeling seems to be that what is going on at SGC (in SG-1) is much more interesting and important.

A lot of people in the communities seem to have this division on early SG-1 (larger focus on exploration) vs late SG-1 (larger focus on intergalactic warware). The fans of the early portion of the series bash later characters like Vala; who I actually like quite a bit. Personally, I am a fan of both early and late portions of the show, and I like seeing that overall evolution that seems somewhat the natural flow of things. I also felt like the Ori were a suitable enemy, it gave a bit more of an insight into the world of the ancients; and hey, by this point in the series they had already expanded to several other galaxies - why not add enemies more powerful than the Goa'uld in other galaxies? Then of course, there is Baal, who has a much greater presence in the later seasons that even the early series fans are likely to admit is at least one of the most interesting of the Goa'uld (Baal is the one who seems to be based on Hercules/Xena's Ares).


Anyway,

I just finished the episode where Aiden Ford tricked the team into becoming Heroin-Speed-Steroid addicts.

It's a drug that takes away the pain and care, increases alertness and activity, and also allows a person to increase their strength and physically recover faster.

Unfortunately all of the bad side effects happen to, as was apparent when Rodney took too much:
Withdrawal symptoms are heavy, potentially deadly.
His heart rate and blood pressure were increased to near fatal levels.
He was roid raging.
The combined symptoms clouded his intellect, and he was becoming stupid.

SG-1 had a similar storyline, but the drug they were taking was more like the "Drive" from Xenogears, but without the berserk side-effect. The negative side-effect in the SG-1 episode was that it only lasted for a limited period of time, and could not be reapplied afterwards.

[Shrinweck]

If it makes you feel better - remember the SGC has no idea what's going on in almost all of season one of Atlantis. The show gets to be much more important and influential in the following seasons once communication is opened up between Atlantis and Earth. If you enjoyed season one at all then you're in for a treat for the rest of the show since it gets so much better and they finalize the team.

Rodney is my favorite character and I can only assume a fan favorite since they built the best episodes in the later seasons around him.

I've been re-watching SG-1 and other than the odd episode that I skip (the more annoying one-offs, clip episodes) it has been fun so far.

[Julius Seeker]

Well, I'm going at a rate of 1-2 episodes a day, and am about 2/3rds through season 2 now. So they have had contact with Earth for a while now. The Daedalus has been a factor for a while - and I'm already past the Goa'uld surprise.

As for Rodney, he's been my favourite character on the show since the beginning. Despite being a dick in the SG-1 episodes, I liked his character during his SGC/Area 51 days. He reminds me A LOT of Star Trek Voyager's Doctor, who is my favourite Star Trek character. I do know that Robert Picardo becomes a regular or semi-regular cast member in Atlantis, so I am looking forward to that.

Speaking of Rodney, when he almost died again in the last episode I watched "Grace Under Pressure", where the jumper sinks down several thousand feet into the ocean, I realized I have lost count of how many times Rodney has almost died in the series; it seems like it's between 1 out of every 2 or 2 out of every 3 episodes.

I'm also looking forward to having Carter as a main/semi-main character later on as well.


Anyway, speaking of Canadian sci-fi actors; Erica Durance (Best known for Smallville, but has had appearances in various Canadian sci-fis, like SG-1 -where she had an affair with Teal'c- and Andromeda) and and Michael Shanks (Daniel from SG-1) are starring in the Medical drama Saving Hope. I am not sure how it is doing in the US, but it is the top show in Canada.