The TV Series discussion thread

I finished watching series four of the Expanse a few days ago, and it was good. Since I've only ever read the first three novels, the fourth series went some places unknown to me, so that was enjoyable. I'm bouncing back to BSG to re-watch series three there, and then I might be back for the fifth series of Expanse. I've also started watching a show called City on the Hill, a police/FBI/legal drama set in Boston, the accents alone will keep me amused!
 
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I really liked the first two seasons of The Expanse when Thomas Jane had a primary role, but I lost interest during the 3rd season. I should probably go back and give it another shot.
 
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Yeah, I wasn't too convinced when it started, then I got into it for a while, but season 3 kind of lost me again.
 
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Having added Battlestar Galactica to my bluray collection, I tried a trial run. I loved it back in the day and wanted to see how I remembered it vs how it was. And most things are as I remembered, but the CGI, omg did they age badly. They just look awful. Very low-res and blurry. Oh, well, at least the script is still top notch.
 
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Yeah, I think the first couple of seasons of BSG are still a benchmark.
 
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It's amazing to think that's 16 years ago now - it would be like someone in 1990 discussing a show from the mid 70s. My life was very different in 2004. Perhaps it's just the age I'm at, but the two decades since 2000 seem quite amorphous and indistinct, as compared to the very clearly defined preceding decades.
 
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I loved it all, all the way through the finish line. The only thing a bit hokey was the gradual reveal of which of the crew was a cylon. That felt so artificial, melodramatic and cheap. They should've revealed most of them all at once, and maybe kept 1-2 of the main characters to the end. Or done it differently altogether. I kind of cringe at the thought that if I want to rewatch it all, I'll reach that point.

Other than that, I loved it all. And never understood the backlash around the ending. Maybe I will next time I watch them all.

Ripper said:
It's amazing to think that's 16 years ago now - it would be like someone in 1990 discussing a show from the mid 70s. My life was very different in 2004. Perhaps it's just the age I'm at, but the two decades since 2000 seem quite amorphous and indistinct, as compared to the very clearly defined preceding decades.
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Time really is a thing to behold, how we perceive it. I'm still in kind of shock that I'm around 5 years to the 40 year mark. And in moments like that I ask myself what've I been doing with my time. It's like I jumped through time after graduating from school.
 
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For me, I think there was a bit of a clash between the mythic nature of the show, and the approach of Ronald D. Moore. I remember an interview with him about halfway through the run, in which he said plot didn't interest him, and it was all about character. I think that lead to some very good writing along the way, but the show also set out this mythic saga, full of signs and portents, and hinting at an underlying meaning.

Towards the end, I felt that they didn't really know where they were going, and were grasping trying to draw all the threads together, which I didn't find satisfying, and which I thought also weakened the character drama.
 
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Ripper said:
Towards the end, I felt that they didn't really know where they were going, and were grasping trying to draw all the threads together, which I didn't find satisfying, and which I thought also weakened the character drama.
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Hm, I didn't feel that at all. Or at least, I don't remember.

I particularly liked the idea that, that strain of humanity ended up being our ancestors. Is that right? Am I remembering that right? I don't remember much about the mythology to be honest, other than that.

I also remember liking season 3, which was focused around Balthar (the science dude, not sure if that' his name actually) as a puppet president around the capture humans? I remember liking the drama of that and the situation created.

I'm surprised, I still have memories of it. There are a lot of tv series which I've pretty much forgotten almost entirely.
 
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danutz_plusplus said:
Hm, I didn't feel that at all. Or at least, I don't remember.

I particularly liked the idea that, that strain of humanity ended up being our ancestors. Is that right? Am I remembering that right? I don't remember much about the mythology to be honest, other than that.
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Yes, that was the idea - tying into "all this has happened before, and it will happen again."

I remember we used to discuss the show at the time, and that as an ending was one of the popular theories being put forward. I didn't actually mind that. For me, the problem was more that I felt the wheels started came off the bus in the second half of season 3, into season 4, and that a lot of what had been set up didn't really pay off.

The first part of season 3 was some of my favourite stuff.
 
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Yeah, BSG got a little too heavy into the quasi-religious stuff starting in Season 3 and then got outright weird in Season 4. I really think they should have stuck with the space opera vibe that was so good in the first two seasons.

Some of the later reveals were just head-scratchers that, imo, didn't add anything of quality to the story. Like…

Kara Thrace being some kind of angel and disappearing into thin air.

Stuff like that makes me think they tried to be a little too clever for their own good. In the end, it just didn't work very well.
 
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JDR13 said:
Some of the later reveals were just head-scratchers that, imo, didn't add anything of quality to the story. Like…

Kara Thrace being some kind of angel and disappearing into thin air.
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Oh, right.
I just remembered there was a scene where Kara finds a crashed fighter plane with her own badge/insignia on it, or something like that? That went over my head. But personally, I don't have much of a problem with not understanding things. As long as there is a reason that the creators did that. It adds to the mistique of the universe.

I think I'm a step away from seriously re-starting the series. It kind of got me excited.
 
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On a personal note, one of the reasons I remember the beginning of season 3 fondly, is that there was a time lapse, during which Lee had gone to the bad place, and let himself go. I went through a rough patch back then, and piled on the pounds - which henceforth has been known among my associates as the Fat Lee Adama phase. :p

lee.jpg
 
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Ahh you kiddies; I remember the original BSG which probably came out before many of you were born!! :p :)
 
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Ripper said:
On a personal note, one of the reasons I remember the beginning of season 3 fondly, is that there was a time lapse, during which Lee had gone to the bad place, and let himself go. I went through a rough patch back then, and piled on the pounds - which henceforth has been known among my associates as the Fat Lee Adama phase. :p

lee.jpg
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Man, most of the main cast were just great. From Adama Sr, to Adama Jr, to Saul, Baltar, Nr. Six. The only one that was initially quite annoying to me, was Kara. But she kinda grew on me.

Corwin said:
Ahh you kiddies; I remember the original BSG which probably came out before many of you were born!! :p :)
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I think I tried watching it once, just out of curiosity, but it felt even more cheesy that Star Trek TOS. And since there was no connection, I skipped it.
 
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JDR13 said:
I really liked the first two seasons of The Expanse when Thomas Jane had a primary role, but I lost interest during the 3rd season. I should probably go back and give it another shot.
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I won't say how or why because it would be a spoiler, but Thomas Jane has a primary role again in season 4.
 
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I loved the original BSG series as a kid. I was surprised as an adult to learn how few episodes there were. It felt like more!

I was very into the new BSG for a while, but lost considerable interest toward the end as everyone and their sister turned out to be a Cylon, and with the direction they took Starbuck and the series in general. I'm not at all against philosophical sci-fi (The Leftovers is one of my favorite TV series ever), but the stuff they did in BSG did not work for me.
 
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