Josie Kafka: So, work's got me frustrated and horribly busy. I decided to spend a few hours ignoring work today to reclaim my sanity. I got some exciting things done, like watering my plants and putting WD-40 on my door hinges.
I also started watching Fallout, and I therefore just discovered, in the opening scene of the second episode, that Michael Emerson is in this show.
Fallout is not a show that I would have watched under any other circumstances. I'm not a video game person. But, like I said, the only other highlight of my week has been hinges that don't squeak, so I was willing to give it a chance. It also has Walton Goggins! And the young woman with huge eyes from Yellowjackets! It's actually pretty good! Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are producers.
But Michael Emerson, he's my bae. (Do the kids still say that?)
Is anyone else watching this show? Or secretly a little bit in love with Michael Emerson?
(Okay, so I've only watched one minute of the second episode. For all I know, that's the extent of his appearance. But I'm still really excited.)
Juliette: We’re about two thirds of the way through Fallout, it's really good :)
An Honest Fangirl: I had a very similar all caps mental reaction when I saw him at the beginning of the second episode too! I’ve only watched the first three. As someone who has spent far too many hours playing multiple Fallout games, wow, the show is great. They captured the vibe so well and I love our Vault Dweller.
I really need to finish it this weekend. At some point. In between the three movies I’m planning on seeing. (Abigail, Late Night with the Devil, and Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.)
Also, in less happy news than a surprise Michael Emerson, I just saw that Lower Decks was canceled. Season five will be its last. But Strange New Worlds was renewed! I’ve seen neither of these shows, but I also enjoy the Lower Decks reviews and I’m trying to get the courage to jump into Strange New Worlds. (Do I need to watch Discovery? Am I okay without it?)
Victoria Grossack: Reporting on my general TV watching: I just finished the Picard series, which is good because my Paramount Plus streaming service ends today (I return to Europe next week). It seems that both seasons two and three end with the power of a good hug, which is rather sweet. I liked the plot device they used to get the old gang together in season three and the reason, too for getting the Enterprise back as well.
One trick that I have discovered recently, at least for Netflix. I listen to shows in French, because it helps me keep current with French slang. But French can be difficult when spoken at regular speed. At least on my phone I can slow down to 75%, which helps me distinguish the separate words.
Billie Doux: Fangirl, the entire second season of Discovery is all about introducing, or re-introducing, the two main characters in Strange New Worlds. But honestly, I don't think it's essential to see it first. They do a good job of reminding us of the main plot lines. Did you see the original series two-parter, "The Menagerie" or the unaired pilot it was based on, 1965's "The Cage"?
Fangirl: I’ve seen “The Menagerie,” so I have a general idea of who Pike is and stuff. Knowing me, I might end up watching the first two seasons of Discovery first anyways to make my brain happy. Otherwise it’ll throw a fit for “missing” things. (Which is why I can’t just skip to season two of Discovery.)
Also, Victoria, that’s a really cool trick! I’m usually speeding up videos (not shows, but lectures and talks) but slowing it down does sound like it would be useful.
Juliette: I'm glad Billie answered first about Discovery, because for some reason my brain likes to completely forget there's any connection between Strange New Worlds and Discovery even though I've watched every episode of both series!
Billie Doux: I enjoy Discovery but the beginning wasn't great. It starts getting cool around mid-first-season.
(FYI for our readers: our Discovery reviewer has moved on, but Shari is now covering the fifth and final season.)
However, as many have said before me, Anson Mount was born to play a starship captain. Strange New Worlds just got a fourth season before the third has even aired and Mount is a big reason why. The rest of the cast is terrific, too.
Mikey Heinrich: I feel obligated to give a shout out to Anson Mount's shoulders at this juncture. They are truly magnificent.
As, obviously, is his hair.
I am a very high brow viewer.
Samantha M. Quinn: Let me add to the Fallout love. It is not only unbelievably faithful to the games, it is also considered canon by Bethesda. Not to mention it is so good, and already one of the best video game adaptations put to screen. For those who are unaware, Ella Purnell (Lucy) also voices Jinx in Arcane. So that means she stars in two great video game adaptations. I will admit I was already sold on the show with just Walton Goggins and Elle Purnell, but hearing Michael Emmerson was on board as well, I started to get excited. I'm so glad it panned out.
Anson Mount is on my short list of favorite captains, and yes his hair is close to reaching sentience.
Also unexpectedly wonderful, X-Men '97. It is a sequel series to the somewhat mediocre cartoon from the 90's, which was not necessarily due to writing, but budget limitations and the time period it was made in has been deeply unkind to the original series. They kept the same basic style of animation and made it like 1000% better. Some of the dialogue is a bit clunky in the first episode, but they had to cram a lot of exposition into 30 minutes. Since then, every episode has just gotten better and better. Your mileage may vary depending on whether you are feeling the superhero burn. Also it delves pretty deeply into X-Men lore, and while not required for watching, it may help with some context.
I just started a new rewatch of Supernatural watching episodes weekly. I know that is going to take some time... wait... six years! OMG. I may have to rethink this one.
Mikey Heinrich: Breaking News: Anson Mount's hair officially passes the Turing Test.
Billie Doux: There are "Anson Mount's Hair" fan groups on Facebook and Twitter. Anson himself seems to find it a bit embarrassing. He said somewhere that he didn't choose Pike's hairstyle, which is of course true.
Mikey Heinrich: Now I feel a little bad about being glib about his hair. I'm going to go back to objectifying his shoulders. I'm going to call that moral high ground...
In the approximately two weeks since I learned of the existence of the show Blown Away, I've blown through all four seasons of it and am officially obsessed. I'd consider taking a class in glass blowing myself, but my shaky, shaky hands would almost certainly lead to an amusing housefire.
Samantha M. Quinn: Speaking of obsession, I stumbled onto the show 9-1-1, an ABC procedural. But the cast is amazing, the show is exciting and goes in strange and interesting directions, and they embrace diversity and inclusion, found family and supporting one another through hard times and tragedy. I blew through season one in less than a week, and I'm still watching at least an episode a day right now.
Billie Doux: I'm hooked on 9-1-1, too. And the showrunner is Tim Minear, who spent years as a writer/producer for Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse. Angela Bassett and Peter Krause, both terrific actors, are the leads.
An Honest Fangirl: I would love to take a glass blowing class, but I also know that I would be tempted to touch the molten glass the entire time, or I would swing it around and right into my thigh. It is beautiful, though.
More and more shows are getting canceled, more importantly to me is CSI: Vegas. Was it as good as its predecessors? No. But I really enjoyed it and I'm sad that it won't be on air next fall.
Mikey Heinrich: And I just discovered that season three of Ghosts is only ten episodes. Boo. Stupid strikes.
By which I mean stupid studio execs whose greed made the strikes necessary, obviously.
Glad to hear that Fallout is good, especially coming from Douxies(?). It's next after I binge through S02 of American Rust. Just finished rewatching S01 and it is better than I remembered. It's set in a small town in Northern Appalachia near Pittsburgh, but as one character put it: "a lot closer to West Virginia than Pittsburgh". It's a dark study of toxic masculinity. A serial drama so start from the beginning. Good but if you're looking for a fist pumping feel good show look elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteGot into the habit of just watching one show at a time during Covid since not much new was happening. This may be a permanent change. I find that I get much more into a show if I concentrate on it solely. I'm too dumb to read six novels at once and am now feeling that way about TV shows. So one at time (except for anything Trek). Has anyone else changed their TV habits since Covid?
Not into video games but I enjoyed 2 recent adaptations a lot. I just take them as stories, good or bad, regardless of origin. The Last Of Us was great and has been renewed. Halo is fun to watch for the action set pieces but doesn't have much character development. So bring on Fallout.
I'm glad to hear that Fallout works for players not familiar with the games. For those of us who've played all of them, it's like a constant state of squee over the pip-boys, the vault doors, the jump suits, the power armor, the billboards, the red rocket stations, the radios, everything has been so lovingly recreated. It really deserves an emmy for its production design.
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I love how one of the tags for this post is "Anson Mount's hair" and that this is not the first post with that tag.
ReplyDeleteSame!!!
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