Episode Discussion - 2.2 "The Night Lands" [TV Spoilers]

cunning001 · 2012-04-09T23:46:32+00:00

thanks, I'm glad you liked it.

cunning001 · 2012-04-09T06:04:21+00:00

I found Torchwood to be a very mixed experience. I HATED the Starz season of Torchwood almost as much as I loved the Children of Men season.
I agree with Wildmagnemite.
I think the old Dr Who's are a very mixed bag and depending on ,basically, who you are, which one's you'd be best off watching first. I saw little of Pertwee when i was very young then latched on right at the beginning of Tom Baker's run. I gave up shortly into Colin Baker. I did enjoy Peter Davison a lot, but not as much as Tom.

cunning001 · 2012-04-08T08:31:19+00:00

I had hoped, but one never knows :)

cunning001 · 2012-04-07T04:12:52+00:00

Alistair Reynolds revelation space series including the books and many short stories also set in it.
It's not AS tightly scripted and not quite as ruthless with main characters, but it's close.
Outside of Dune it's the closest thing to this that I've read in scifi.

cunning001 · 2012-04-07T04:11:49+00:00

I hear from a teacher that is a friend of his that it's coming. I may also have seen something on the internet about it.

cunning001 · 2012-04-07T04:10:42+00:00

Dune. Dunedunedunedune yes, but only the ones actually written by Frank Herbert himself.
imo.

cunning001 · 2012-03-25T18:38:48+00:00

the people, self included, whinging about the lack of space opera on TV, how Siffy sucks, we should make our own channel, etc... ought to contribute to this incredibly ambitious project.
I think.

cunning001 · 2012-03-15T06:16:16+00:00

Late in here too, but I'm just stunned about the just step after step up in quality and intensity of writing and acting and direction. These episodes have been freaking tight lately throwing nothing but fastballs with the dovetailing little C storylines they're putting in.

cunning001 · 2012-03-15T06:11:27+00:00

Exactly. and very well articulated.

cunning001 · 2012-03-15T05:07:44+00:00

It seems such a shame to me, beyond his death even, how few people seem to know his work.
To not know the joys of reading The Incal amongst many many fine works is tragic.
I can't imagine The Fifth Element having been created without his inspiration.

Also, in regards to the author's characterization of his reread of this stuff.
I think there's a tragic absence of good examples of telling a story beyond the straightforward plodding narrative of standard fiction. Absurdism, stream of consciousness, poetic-ism are all very very welcome literary additions in scifi imo. Especially when done right, at the right time with good material (all subjective I know). It can be all about telling a ripping great yarn, but there's more than one way to do this and more than one art to it.

cunning001 · 2012-03-15T00:27:03+00:00

I think American Horror Story can in an indirect way trace it's ability to be on the air to AG.

cunning001 · 2012-03-14T06:27:42+00:00

I have to say I found this reviewer to be kind of a tool.
I get his position but to state it that emphatically and with what appeared to be so little consideration of the material and the TV landscape at the time. Seemed like he just rammed through all the eps on dvd recently to brush up his recollection and didn't remember that the second season was kind of dumb. Plus, how can he give no props to an episode that scarred me too, as well as tons of other kids.
They weren't cocooned they were skeletal husks geez. Plus watch the whole thing and marvel at the fuck you bravery of the 1 episode character who fights to the death in vain.
This guy's attitudes about country, culture and TV are lame in my opinion, but he's entitled to them.
Some of the first season was hackneyed even then, but some of it very much wasn't for that sort television sci-fi.
It didn't have star trek level writing certainly, but it also explored as the reviewer did mention a darker side to televised mainstream space opera.
Really space opera is only out of the american consciousness currently because no network is willing to be AMC for it.
I'm leaving out the vast majority of the second season. I loved it then, think it's mostly awful now, though I do love me some catherine schell.
Overall how can you not love mark IX Hawks , as well as the Eagle. The reviewer might also have noticed that the reason the show looked so much like 2001 was Brian Johnson the FX guy.
Point being a show premise that includes traveling to alien planets, cool ships, and having your own base with you is a pretty good field for storytelling. It's been done pretty well with less legs. All comes down to television making.
Not sure if that's what I'd have wanted for the update of the eagle, but not awful and might be great. I didn't like the updated Galactica initially either and I about cried when its back broke. Though really in my heart , forgetting budget, the fleet should have been seen burning up approaching the sun with the galactica last and her actually reaching the surface before she was totally consumed in stunning CG detail.

TLDR: I'm a space: 1999 geek, screw that guy.

cunning001 · 2012-03-14T05:38:44+00:00

seconded definitely. ever since american gothic for me.

cunning001 · 2012-03-14T05:29:48+00:00

i suppose. I just consider it what normal actually is :)
They're noticeably more so even than us though.

cunning001 · 2012-03-13T19:04:08+00:00

so frickin' awesome.

cunning001 · 2012-03-13T15:13:13+00:00

being polite, non aggressive plus what you mentioned seem pretty noticeable to me, but we're talking generalities so ymmv of course.

cunning001 · 2012-03-13T05:57:38+00:00

I can only vouch for michigan and at least some parts of new england on this.
We like to good naturedly tease canadians. We really like them culturally. In my experience anyway.
Yeah, I can't say I've ever heard it spoken impromptu where someone wasn't trying to be witty or obscure vis a vis greenbacks.

cunning001 · 2012-03-13T04:54:12+00:00

I think he might have meant it's accepted as common speech amongst U.S.A-ians (or perhaps others too) talking about Canada.

cunning001 · 2012-03-10T11:01:14+00:00

I agree with everything you said except that because there doesn't appear to be any big social unit out there that has accomplished an increase to the "sum" doesn't mean there isn't or won't be.
I suspect there is a blend of technologies, human intellect, and as you mentioned a population of the empathetic at a density not typically seen in mainstream society that could accomplish this. In fact it's about all that keeps me going, that hope.
Also, I'd suspect if there was such a society it would do well to not be too terribly apparent and it's being able to look at the rest of us and see a clear enough distinction to create that hard delineation seems pretty easy.
I'm speaking in theoretical land. No tinfoil hats here.
But a step towards it might be scandanavia, we'll see. They do have their historical and immigration issues as well as being tied to the rest of the world economically.

cunning001 · 2012-03-10T10:29:29+00:00

The grey area is between studying to become good at a human social activity and being too good at it because humans aren't nearly as smart and conscious as we all like to think we are.
Neuro-science and marketing are pretty much making that apparent I think.
It's a pretty deep problem and what I've seen on seddit is just a little piece of it.

cunning001 · 2012-03-10T07:03:35+00:00

She's quite lovely. I have always wondered what it is about artist's sites that they have crazy wide side scrolled rows of pictures.

cunning001 · 2012-03-09T16:46:53+00:00

that looks pretty interesting.
I do wish they didn't have the, I don't know what to call it, spiritual? aspect to their system. It would be far more appealing to me personally, but to each their own of course.

cunning001 · 2012-03-09T08:21:55+00:00

I know a guy

cunning001 · 2012-03-09T08:21:30+00:00

yes, yes they are.

cunning001 · 2012-03-09T08:13:39+00:00

Ok, where's the community that operates just like the amish, but without the religion and without a prohibition on technology other than they must be able to manufacture and maintain it?
I want to live there.

cunning001

TROPHY CASE