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Post by Incandescence 112 on May 19, 2019 16:32:08 GMT -8
Hackneyed as the phrase may sound: "It gets better, trust me." Noel Murray was right. That phrase should be put on as a warning label on most DVDs for tv shows.
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Post by otherscott on May 23, 2019 8:12:21 GMT -8
"Gone Quiet"
Easily the best episode of Season 3 so far for me. It does a nice job connecting all its stories (theme of when to make noise and when to stay quiet), making them matter, fitting them into the overall arc of the season. It also, for probably the first time this season, did a really good job with character work, particularly from Bartlett and even (gasp) Sam. It's not going to win any awards or set any "Best of" records, but it was perfectly competent and what the show should be on an average basis.
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Post by Jeremy on May 23, 2019 20:01:51 GMT -8
I like how in the comment you left on my review, you spell Bartlet's name with one T, yet here you spell it with two. That's a great way to cover all the bases.
Oh, and "Gone Quiet" is indeed an early highlight of the season.
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Post by otherscott on May 24, 2019 8:07:22 GMT -8
Well, I make these comments before I read your review, and in this case your review reminded me that he spells his name with one "T". Fortunately he's a fictional character and thus there is no one to get offended by my mistake.
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Post by otherscott on May 25, 2019 14:39:56 GMT -8
“Indians in the Lobby”
Very generic episode rescued by having one of the best scenes in the history of the show, Bartlet calling the butterball hotline. And hey, even generic West Wing is a step above most of the episodes early in this season.
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Quiara
Grade School
Posts: 775
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Post by Quiara on May 26, 2019 9:35:44 GMT -8
Oh no.
I just realized the next episode is The Women of Qumar.
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Post by otherscott on Jun 1, 2019 6:39:36 GMT -8
“The Women of Qumar”
Not great. Not really the abject disaster I was expecting, there were a couple of things with some semblance of nuance. But yes, some very groan worthy lines and what the heck even was that Josh-Mary Louise Parker plotline?
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Post by otherscott on Jun 1, 2019 20:12:40 GMT -8
“Bartlet for America”
Leo is pretty reliable as far as solid character work goes, so with how little they’ve actually used him lately, building the Christmas episode around him was a bit of a no brainer. That being said, this was a solid episode but I do feel like it left something on the table. It didn’t come off quite as clean and polished in terms of themes and character work as the previous Christmas episodes have. Still, it’s a well done episode by a show who knows how to do these set piece focuses.
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Post by otherscott on Jun 3, 2019 6:41:29 GMT -8
It's with a heavy heart that I've made the decision to end the "Other Scott Watches the West Wing series." At this point the show just isn't quite clicking for me, I'm not particularly interested in what's coming next or exploring more aspects of each of these characters.
There's a lot of TV that I want to get to and find something I truly enjoy, and sadly The West Wing was taking me away from that. Sorry I couldn't enjoy one of your favourite shows more, Jeremy.
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 3, 2019 16:19:39 GMT -8
Well, that's unfortunate. For some reason, the first half of S3 seems to lose a lot of fans. I sort of understand it - it's impossible to sustain the heights of S2's final run - but it's too bad all the same.
Anyway, if the show's not clicking with you anymore, then I'm not going to pressure you into continuing. Especially when there are plenty of other classic TV dramas worth checking out as well.
All I ask is that at some point, you start an "Other Scott Watches Studio 60" thread. You know, for the lolz.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on Jun 3, 2019 17:10:11 GMT -8
It's time for 'Other Scott watches Sports Night'.
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 3, 2019 19:01:46 GMT -8
I don't know if that would be as much fun, though. Sports Night is a very good, not-quite-great show. Studio 60 is one of the biggest Epic Fails in TV history. It's always entertaining to watch people go crazy writing about how bad it is. (As I kind of did a couple of years ago.)
But if Scott's looking for another great, acclaimed 21st-century NBC drama with strong characters and storylines... I'd tell him to keep his eyes clear and his heart full.
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Post by Zarnium on Jun 3, 2019 19:20:46 GMT -8
If you want to watch more political drama, there's always the episode of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog where Dr. Robotnik's mother breaks out of the insane asylum and forces him to run for President.
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Post by otherscott on Jun 4, 2019 7:44:50 GMT -8
I don't know if that would be as much fun, though. Sports Night is a very good, not- quite-great show. Studio 60 is one of the biggest Epic Fails in TV history. It's always entertaining to watch people go crazy writing about how bad it is. (As I kind of did a couple of years ago.) But if Scott's looking for another great, acclaimed 21st-century NBC drama with strong characters and storylines... I'd tell him to keep his eyes clear and his heart full. For reasons that made sense at the time, the only episode of Friday Night Lights I've seen is the much celebrated Season 2 premiere. In general my response to sport movies and TV shows is that the main reason I like sports is because of the fact that it's not governed by a narrative, pretty much anything can happen and most often what happens is what you'd expect, meaning that the times something you didn't expect happens all that much more fulfilling. Sports shows and movies driven by narrative kind of ruin that for me. Now I fully understand than Friday Night Lights is more than "just a football show." But that being said I expect the football parts to bother me enough that I'm not sure I'll receive it in the best way.
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 4, 2019 15:24:05 GMT -8
Interesting. The typical issue that keeps people away from Friday Night Lights is that they have no interest in football; your issue is that you have too much interest.
I think I was a bit bugged by the football aspects when I first started watching, but quickly got over that feeling, as the show is accessible on many levels beyond its portrayal of sports. (Heck, a lot of the show's messages about life in America are even more resonant in 2019 than they were when it first aired.) It's almost definitely the best network drama of the 21st century, even factoring in that deeply flawed second season.
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