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Post by otherscott on May 3, 2022 12:31:25 GMT -8
Yeah, FX Now is only available with a cable subscription. I believe it's the last cable network producing original content that still has that, even AMC has its own a la carte streaming service at this point (I'm using a free trial at the moment to watch Better Call Saul).
So I'm assuming Disney Plus has a similar distribution model for FX shows that something like Better Call Saul does on Netflix, you get the previous season of the show shortly before the premiere of the next season. That being said I don't know for sure since this is a fairly recent development that FX shows have ended up showing up on Disney+. For instance, I recently watched the first two seasons of What We Do in the Shadows, but the third season hasn't arrived yet. There's also stuff that goes straight to Disney Plus without having to wait, like Reservation Dogs. And then there's things that haven't come yet at all, such as Fargo, because I'm assuming Netflix's deal overrides any new deal that can be made until that deal expires.
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Post by Jeremy on May 3, 2022 20:01:59 GMT -8
In the USA, the FX shows are all streaming on Hulu (which is owned by Disney and packaged with Disney Plus as part of the "Disney bundle"). There is also a specials designation for "FX on Hulu" programs - that is, shows that are produced by FX but streamed exclusively on Hulu (e.g. Devs and Reservation Dogs). Why these aren't just classified as Hulu originals, I have no idea. Also notable that new episodes of FX shows like Atlanta and Better Things stream on Hulu right after they air on TV. Also, I notice that a certain major streaming service is completely missing from your list of shows, which is amusing for reasons you will understand tomorrow (assuming I don't get lazy). Update: I got lazy. Will try posting tomorrow. |
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Post by Incandescence 112 on May 6, 2022 14:27:26 GMT -8
I thought the season premiere was pretty good; very bold of the series to return after four years with an episode that had nothing to do with the main characters, and an effectively disarming horror story besides. Was less enamored by the Justin Bartha episode - a few good moments, but far less funny and more didactic than the show's usual record, with a weak after-school special ending. Haven't seen the most recent one yet. The episode descriptions are amusing, but a little full of themselves, as though the series has grown familiar with some of the criticisms that "normie" viewers lob at it and wants to get out in front of them each week. I've been liking it so far. Although not as exceptional as S2, most of the episodes have still been interesting and funny. With the exception of the Bartha episode.
Also looking forward to watching the second season of Undone.
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Post by Jeremy on May 6, 2022 15:11:42 GMT -8
Yeah, I finished Season 2 of Undone yesterday. Some early misgivings with how they dealt with the fallout from Season One, but it eventually won me over, and builds to a strong conclusion (that feels more conclusive that S1's finale did). There are some surprising (and presumably coincidental) parallels with the second season of Russian Doll, plus some moments that recalled Everything Everywhere All at Once. Time-travelling and multiverses are very hip these days.
In any case, worth a watch. Even if rotoscoped Bob Odenkirk still looks like an off-kilter Saul Goodman.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on May 17, 2022 6:50:23 GMT -8
Yeah, I finished Season 2 of Undone yesterday. Some early misgivings with how they dealt with the fallout from Season One, but it eventually won me over, and builds to a strong conclusion (that feels more conclusive that S1's finale did). There are some surprising (and presumably coincidental) parallels with the second season of Russian Doll, plus some moments that recalled Everything Everywhere All at Once. Time-travelling and multiverses are very hip these days. In any case, worth a watch. Even if rotoscoped Bob Odenkirk still looks like an off-kilter Saul Goodman. Yeah, I thought Season 1 was better, because it felt more plausibly ambiguous. Season 2 at first felt like everything could be solved with some mystical stuff. But I thought the ending was solid as well (episodes 7 and 8 were pretty excellent), and more satisfying than Season 1's. Probably the best way they could've wrapped things up, and I liked the parallels to BoJack's ending. Sometimes, you have to keep trudging onward and do the best you can.
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Post by Jeremy on May 17, 2022 17:23:06 GMT -8
The writers had to contrive some new rules about time and spatial travel for the new season, but it all came together with those last two episodes, which were nicely character-focused and rounded out both seasons. I like how they broadened the story beyond Alma and used the widened scope to develop the family around her.
S1 is probably a bit better on the character and story fronts (helped by the freshness and novelty), but S2 is certainly a worthy followup.
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Post by otherscott on May 18, 2022 4:55:34 GMT -8
I once infamously put My Brilliant Friend in the best shows of the 2010s despite having only seen one season. You may be wondering how it's measured up since.
I think Season 2 was quite strong, but Season 3 really did get away from the things the show did well. I think the show thinks that a big part of it is the push and pull between Lenu (the main character) and Nino (her love interest that has eluded her throughout the entire show), but that's really the least impactful part of the show. The show is about the interplay between Lenu and her best friend Lila, and the 3rd season sidelines Lila way too much despite her being the far more interesting character. In the last 2 episodes, the crux of the season, I believe Lila is in a total of one scene. Unsurprisingly, it's the best scene of the finale. I think Season 3 will have one episode make my top episodes list (Episode 6), but otherwise this will not be one of the top shows on television this year. I think there is still a lot of hope for Season 4 if it leans more into Lila and eases off the Nino stuff, because the things the show does well it is still doing very well.
In other news, starting a rewatch of Westworld again so I'm not completely confused going into Season 4 (I think the show may be better on a rewatch because you can actually follow everything), finishing off Foundation (pretty uneven but decent enough) and keeping up with current Apple TV+ shows which are all pretty good at the moment.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on May 18, 2022 8:08:39 GMT -8
I once infamously put My Brilliant Friend in the best shows of the 2010s despite having only seen one season. You may be wondering how it's measured up since. I think Season 2 was quite strong, but Season 3 really did get away from the things the show did well. I think the show thinks that a big part of it is the push and pull between Lenu (the main character) and Nino (her love interest that has eluded her throughout the entire show), but that's really the least impactful part of the show. The show is about the interplay between Lenu and her best friend Lila, and the 3rd season sidelines Lila way too much despite her being the far more interesting character. In the last 2 episodes, the crux of the season, I believe Lila is in a total of one scene. Unsurprisingly, it's the best scene of the finale. I think Season 3 will have one episode make my top episodes list (Episode 6), but otherwise this will not be one of the top shows on television this year. I think there is still a lot of hope for Season 4 if it leans more into Lila and eases off the Nino stuff, because the things the show does well it is still doing very well. In other news, starting a rewatch of Westworld again so I'm not completely confused going into Season 4 (I think the show may be better on a rewatch because you can actually follow everything), finishing off Foundation (pretty uneven but decent enough) and keeping up with current Apple TV+ shows which are all pretty good at the moment. That's disappointing. I thought Season 1 was brilliant (lol), though I haven't got the chance to see Seasons 2 & 3 yet.
Oh man, Season 3 of Westworld is one of the biggest slogs I've ever sat through. On par with modern Star Trek. Just completely inane from every conceivable angle. Season 2 was a confusing mess, Season 3 is just flat, and I really hope Nolan rights the ship in Season 4. Curious to see what you make of it.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on May 18, 2022 8:13:17 GMT -8
The writers had to contrive some new rules about time and spatial travel for the new season, but it all came together with those last two episodes, which were nicely character-focused and rounded out both seasons. I like how they broadened the story beyond Alma and used the widened scope to develop the family around her. S1 is probably a bit better on the character and story fronts (helped by the freshness and novelty), but S2 is certainly a worthy followup. They also used a very light touch regarding the subject matter in episode 7, which was appreciated.
The time/space travel never made complete sense to me, but nor was it completely incoherent. Sure, it was nonsense, but not complete nonsense. And the trippy visuals helped smooth over those cracks, because they captured Alma's sense of disorientation well. Rarely was it weird for its own sake.
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Post by Jeremy on May 18, 2022 14:50:05 GMT -8
They also used a very light touch regarding the subject matter in episode 7, which was appreciated. Yes, absolutely. Many TV shows and movies would take a ham-handed approach with that sort of subject, but the series handled it very deftly. And the time-travel conceit made just enough sense for it to move the story along without bogging it down with overabundant exposition. Still need to catch up on My Brilliant Friend; I'm currently following a whole bunch of other HBO shows - Barry, The Flight Attendant, Hacks, The Baby. And once Emmy season is over, I'll probably dive back into the Apple TV vault, since they seem to be on a hot streak right now. |
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Post by Jeremy on May 31, 2022 16:12:12 GMT -8
Overall mixed thoughts on Season 3 of Atlanta. It maintains the "anything goes" philosophy of earlier seasons, and takes it to new extremes, which can mean some exciting and outlandish bursts of spontaneous brilliance. But it's also constantly at risk of overdosing on shtick, with the weirdness often struggling to balance comedy and profundity.
This is best illustrated in the anthology episodes, two of which ("Three Slaps" and "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga") are pretty good, while the other two ("The Big Payback" and "Trini 2 De Bone") are among the show's weakest installments. In order for an Atlanta story to work without any of the main characters, the plot needs to be either funny enough or disturbing enough to feel immersive without coming off as preachy, and the track record here was pretty hit-or-miss.
The episodes with the central cast fared better (particularly "Sinterklaas is Coming to Town" and "Cancer Attack"), but the lack of the show's titular setting and the aloof presentation of certain character arcs wound up hurting the overall narrative. Van was particularly underserved; the show has never fully known how to properly develop her character, and S3 gives her a handful of scattered moments before culminating in that bafflingly left-field finale.
It's still a well-directed and good-looking series, but very little really sticks out to me as particularly great - particularly compared to S2, which is still strikingly memorable over four years later.
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Post by ThirdMan on May 31, 2022 20:25:13 GMT -8
I've heard the difficulty producing television during the early part of the pandemic was one of the reasons there were so many episodes that didn't feature the core cast. Apparently Season 4, which has already been filmed (back in Atlanta, I believe) leans more fully towards Earn, Al, and Co. Speaking of being "aloof", that's the very definition of LaKeith Stanfield's character, who was just hovering around in the background being stoned nearly the entire season. I'd rather get to know him a bit more, to be honest. I've also seen some rumblings re: black viewers thinking Glover has a bit of a passive-aggressive attitude -- if not contempt -- towards black people and culture. He did seem to, most of the time, position black folks as the antagonists in the anthology episodes centered on white protagonists. One female black writer thinks most of this is rooted in Glover being a nerd in his youth, who was rejected by the popular, pretty black girls. Quite a bit to unpack, though much of it may be based on pure conjecture... www.slashfilm.com/861437/atlanta-season-3-episode-9-is-a-mixed-bag-of-disappointment/Personally, I just think the show tries to not portray most of its regular/recurring black characters in stereotypical fashion. Though I'm sure Glover's directorial instincts were pretty influenced by Caucasian-produced arthouse cinema. |
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 1, 2022 16:12:45 GMT -8
On the one hand, I don't think Glover is aiming to be stereotypical or passive-aggressive in his portrayal of black characters. (A recurring problem with the anthology episodes is that there's not a lot of time to set up characters and develop them properly within 30 minutes beyond making them feel like political proxies.) He's trying to focus on a lot of issues re. race in America, and some of the minor characters will inevitably engage in stereotypical tropes. Making several white-centric episodes is a way of subverting common TV narratives about average American families (and making the show's white liberal viewers uncomfortable, which is always a fun bonus).
On the other hand... Atlanta consistently makes a point of race for pretty much any character in the series (e.g. whether a minor character is black or white is often meant to have some sort of subtext re. how their role in the story plays out). So the series inevitably provokes this sort of race-based discussion.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jun 1, 2022 18:35:03 GMT -8
(and making the show's white liberal viewers uncomfortable, which is always a fun bonus). I guess the implication here is that most white conservatives would never watch the show to begin with? |
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 1, 2022 19:33:30 GMT -8
I mean, I'd wager the show's viewership composition is overwhelmingly liberal. But Glover and co. (clearly aware of their viewers) make a conscious effort to poke specific fun at liberal white people who Mean Well. So you get scenes like the white partygoers bullying a Korean woman over perceived racism in "The Old Man and the Tree" or the "racism will be done by 2024" speech in "White Fashion." And of course there was the Get Out-style season premiere with the lesbian couple effectively driven mad by their need to be as woke as possible.
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