Ongoing goings on, going forward ...
Mission Statement: to do very little, for very few, for not very long. Disappointing the easily pleased since 1819. Not as good as it used to be from Day One. History is Bunk - PT Barnum. Artificially Intelligent before it was fashionable. Fat camp for the mind! Nothing lasts, but nothing is lost. The Shock of the Old! Often bettered, never imitated. "Wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein" - Pauly Shore.
I'm not ahead but just discovered that it existed yesterday. We've got it bookmarked to watch ASAP.
ReplyDeleteStarting out great isn't that difficult, it's the narrative build and resolution that's always the problem. Severance? Started out brilliantly, tailed off into an uninspired muddle. Remember DEVS? Me neither. We'll see if Pluribus goes the same way, but my feeling is that the first series will serve mainly as preparation for a second (and so on) rather than deliver a great story with a satisfying end. It's the problem inherent in the form. But looking forward to e02 today.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, true enough, but the one difference is that this is Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, leaps and bounds above the series you mentioned. I'm willing to bet it pays off. -Muzak McMusics
DeleteFor the most part, true enough, but the one difference is that the series you mentioned aren't SF.
DeleteOff topic but…. @Muzak McMusics. Thanks for the Alejandro Escovedo - With These Hands link, I wasn’t familiar with his work before, thank you, sorry it’s taken me two weeks to listen to it.
Deletetwo episodes watched. invasion of the body snatchers once again only this time it's woke lesbian style
ReplyDeletei doubt i'll watch it again the story line been done over and over again (nothing against lesbians but give us something new)
....woody
The only lesbians I like are the lipstick ones who writhe in the sterility of a Sapphic embrace while I observe them through my monocle from a wing chair. Eventually they become frustrated and beg me to join them so that my Manhood may take them to the heights denied them by their tragic condition. I unwrap my silken bathrobe and [contd. p94 - Ed.]
DeleteAnonymous: Sooo NOT "Body Snatchers! I ain't not ever seen this story line. This is new.
DeleteI've downloaded the first two episodes but the story line wasn't particularly appealing (so its a 'when I get around to it' type show and everything I've read here so far is not going to push it up the playlist. The amount of miserable rubbish that is coming out of Follywood grows every year.
ReplyDeleteThe question that intrigues me is which one of the major US media companies will be the first to go under (go woke, go broke). My money is on Comcast with Sky ultimately being the determining factor although that said Disney in infantilizing just about every brand it acquires (Star Wars, Marvel etc) is doing its best to keep up.
To expect something new and original is too much. It's a genre zombie/end-of-the-world story, one of hundreds, and here's what I like about it:
ReplyDelete- The twist on the story seems new to me. The zombies aren't evil. The threat is much more subtle. The idea of a common intelligence (anyone can fly a plane, etc.) is intriguing, and how the protagonist is going to overcome the indifference of the "survivors" is enough to make me hang in there. The "woke" aspect doesn't bother me at all. We're not getting hammered over the head with an agenda - the protagonist is a lesbian, and so what? I don't see how screenwriters can win this one - whoever they choose will be criticised as being too representative of a social niche or stereotypical. Another white male hero? Oh, please! A black woman judge? And so on. It's the story, and the development of characters that matters, and that's done pretty well here.
... and as to "wokeness" - the zombies are all nice, considerate people completely tolerant of ethnicity, sexual identification or whatever, and vegetarians. Doesn't that spell W-O-K-E? The protagonist is awkward, prone to anger, confrontational - does that spell woke? To dismiss this as woke programming is to misunderstand it.
Deletethere's woke and then there's woke most of our country voted against woke they wanted it to go away anti trumpers and trumpets deal with it awkwardly angrily and confrontationally from what i've witnessed.
ReplyDeleteagain it's the big one for all if you disagree in this people die but not the heroine's new girlfriend the male survivor just wants to eat and fuck (who among us doesn't) a touch of soylent green
(another great sf classic make room!make room!)
again it's just an old story line updated
...woody
I don't get the labeling of "woke" and why its being used as a criticism of things and people. It appears to be mainly used as a means to justify hate and cruelty toward minority groups, the anti-empathy that the MAGA folks seem to love.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have Pluribus on my things to watch list and am looking forward to it since I like Gilligan's other shows, and especially liked the lead actress' performance in BCS. Maybe that makes me "woke." Sigh.....................
Rhea Seehorn is terrific. She brings her considerable emotional intelligence to a fine script. True character, no stereotyping, fully dimensional, and not begging to be liked. And yes, sneering at wokeness in this is a misdirection of a very valuable sneer. Why is is getting the sneer? Because she's lesbian? There can be no other reason. Her sexual orientation is incidental, not political, as anybody's should be. Nothing to get upset about. Watched the second show and there's enough that's unexpected in it to make me want to watch the third, and it doesn't get better than that.
DeleteHoping to start watching it tonight. Toss up between it and the new remake of Frankenstein.
Deleteenjoy the series
ReplyDeletethe lesbian part doesn't bother me i think it just a gimmick
i myself have both lesbian and trans others in my household even got a little color here too we all love and tolerate each for the most part. maga i ain't i'm just cranky
"woke" though is something we all will have to deal with at some point good bad or indifferent
enjoy the show
...woody
...woody
Well, Mrs. D'raftervoi and I watched the first two episodes tonight, and it's good. Not "woke" to my eyes; to me that means characters are multi-culti to edify us and make a political point, they don't serve the tale. 10 non-assimilated out of 8 billion with a random shuffle n' draw, I wouldn't expect to be dealt a flush. It'd be a crap hand, most likely that you couldn't do much with...and that's what the writers did. None of 'em look like they're qualified to do much of anything. Of course, there's the five wild cards that don't speak English out there; they might be a full house of bio-tech experts.
ReplyDeleteI will have to review the Rick and Morty episodes with the hive mind "Unity."
In the meantime, let's see...what would I do? I'd have a million questions. D.B. Cooper! Front and center! Zodiac Killer, reveal thyself! Okay, which one of you bastards told my high school girlfriend that I was cheating on her? Jeez....I guess I could burn down the DMV...suspend my license will ya.... I bet I could get Paul and Ringo to do a concert....
*attempts elderly whiteboy high five with draftervoi, loses balance, falls into shrubbery*
DeleteWatched the 1st episode and am really intrigued by the overall concept. Gilligan really does like using NM as the backdrop to his stories. Hoping the rest are as good as the premier.
ReplyDeletewatched the 1st one. watchable is the best qualifier i can offer. very "body snatchers" vibe. it's disheartening that people are finding this show so exciting.
ReplyDeleteDisheartening? Why? You expected more of "people"? You assumed that "people" are as discerning as you, and are disappointed that they lack your critical perspective?
DeleteNow have watched both. Two things leap out to me. First, Gilligan is used to having the luxury of more time/episodes to fully develop characters and have the audience buy into them. This is just a 10 episode season. But, only 2 eps in and he has covered a ton of ground. I guess its helpful when all but 6 of your characters are zombies. Still but still he's pulling it off with a much shorter timespan. Secondly, I'm curious as to when he developed this story. Because its starting to look like one hell of an analogy to present day US and so many people just wanting to not make waves and believing that a life without personal choice is some type of utopia.
ReplyDeleteIt's "disheartening" that "people" are dismissing it because they are clever enough to identify the genre. Those only willing to enjoy something entirely new should not expect it from mainstream entertainment. Movies, music, whatever, it's all been done before. Every chord sequence has been repeated a billion times, every story told and retold. It's how well the same hand is played that matters. We're not going to get any new cards at this stage of the game.
DeleteI'm not one that subscribes to labeling things by "genre." Hell, I normally loathe superhero shows, but the latest iteration of The Penguin was a fantastic series. No idea what "genre" Plur1bus belongs to, and really don't care. Its decidedly different and engaging. Only downside is that I now have a genuine fear of chemtrails.
DeleteThe industry depends on selling ideas to producers, and the first thing a producer wants to know is what genre the project falls under. Pluribus was definitely pitched as SF, with dystopian/zombie topnotes.There's nothing artificial or magical or meaningless about it. It's useful to me, too. If a movie (whatever) falls into the bio-pic bag, I'm disinclined to view it, because based on experience and personal likes, I'm not going to enjoy it. Nor sports movies, or anime, or superhero franchises. There may be the occasional brilliant work of art I miss as a result of this genre screening, but that's the price I'm willing to pay. Nor is identifying a genre any indication of quality. Plenty of bad movies in every genre.
DeleteThat's why I tend to overlook genre tagging - we really don't watch a ton of new shows/movies and I don't want to miss something enjoyable simply because some marketing whiz decided how to slot it.
DeleteHmm... also "alien invasion" is possible. Given the vast interstellar distances and barring faster-than-light travel, how do you conquer the galaxy? "Conquer" may be the wrong word; how to you make the galaxy more to your liking? Hey, there are other species out there, they may be hostile...so let's turn them into a bunch of wimps who won't step on an ant. Look at the Plur1bus hive-mind....could punch an alien in what passes for a face and say, "Welcome to Earth!" ?
Deletepmac, "slotting" a movie or a book or whatever starts well before the marketing department even knows about it. I appreciate your ruggedly individual stance and open-mindedness.
DeleteInsert Sally Fields' voice: "Sob.... they like me, they really like me!!!!
DeleteE03 - Nice. I like the way I can't predict what the next scene is going to be, nor how it plays out. And I like the clever mix of humor and Deep Issues. I like the thoughtful, relaxed pace - no manipulative tension and jeopardy. I watched it all the way through without getting up to do something that doesn't need doing, which is what I do with most TV.
ReplyDeleteYup. No downvotes from me.
Really enjoyed it, too. When she stopped the other plane at the end of ep 2, T thought it was to join the Vegas excursion, not what it turned out to be. W,as reading a magazine article today, that ostensibly had nothing to do with the show, but which did contain a huge reveal that simultaneously pissed me off that it was letting me in on a secret, but excited about what it did reveal.
DeleteThanks for keeping it to yourself! I'm avoiding reviews and commentary. (NB to others - no spoilers here please!)
DeleteI'm two episodes in and deeply engaged. Given Gilligan's track record I'm pretty sure we're not going to see the sort of devolution that undermines so much television. He was also a writer on the X-Files, a show I never really got involved with, but my kids were deeply invested in.
ReplyDeleteA little side note here....I watched the "Unity" episode of Rick & Morty and there's a couple of things there that are echoed in Plur1bus. Plur1bus they lick the doughnuts, Unity barfs in your mouth. Plur1bus would give her an atomic bomb; Unity detonated one in a city just for fun ("don't worry, we evacuated ourselves first!")
ReplyDeleteE04
ReplyDeleteThis show is very subtly ignoring all the usual constructs and clichés. What is there not? Let us count the ways:
- Usually, the protagonist has a more or less defined task to perform. We know what they're trying to do. Here, not even the protagonist knows what she's trying to do.
- Usually, relationships are central to how the narrative develops. Here, there is no human relationship at all (unless you count memories). No pets. No companions, friends, parents, kids ... just a very alone protagonist.
- Usually, characters have an arc - a development and "destiny" that's apparent early on. Here. we have no clue if the protagonist is going to end up happy or dead or zombified. There is not one single apparent character arc in the entire show. They're all fully-formed.
- Usually, the protagonist is in jeopardy, under threat, set against an adversary. Here, there is no antagonist in the traditional sense, no bad guys or End Boss in control of the bad guys. The protagonist doesn't seem to be in much jeopardy - the "threat" is happiness and contentment.
- Usually, there is a lot of inter-cutting between scenes in an attempt to stop us channel hopping. Here, the protagonist is at the centre of every scene.
- Usually, the protagonist is likeable, and has us rooting for them. Here, she's not particularly likeable, nor is she trying to be.
- Usually, the script is littered with lazy clichés. Here, there's no "Let's do this, people!" No "You just don't get it, do you?" The speech is natural, neither too smart or too dumb, with no forced wisecracks.
Yes, it's slow. That's rather the point. But for viewers used to swiping through memes on their phone, this is going to be a deal breaker. Fuck 'em. This is brilliant.
as it has progressed, i'm all in.
DeleteWhile not under threat, there's still under coercion. Like a religious group that has a promise (salvation, eternal life) once you join, the hive-drones aren't just proselytizing paradise, they didn't give individuals a choice. Their discovery led them to "rush things" and kill 900,000,000 people. Our protagonist & the other unmelded are clearly not going to be given a choice, "Your life is your own" is only true until the Hive figures out how to make the merge happen.
DeleteAnd actually...think about that...what a weird ****ed up thing on which to be working. On one side, you've got about 7 billion 300 million hivers, the combined expertise of all of civilization, all the leftover tech, with instantaneous worldwide communication, and on the other side 12 people, none of whom have shown any sign of the knowledge and wherewithal to break up the hive mind. My guess is that they're able to work on a bazillion things at once but jeez, forced assimilation would be way down my "to do" list if I were 7 billion people.
And there's the "what the heck" lurking 600 light years away. As a way to say "hello" from one radio-capable civilization to another, this is no Chuck Berry-on-a-gold-plated-record. If we had done the opposite, wouldn't it be considered an attack? "Hi, hive-ants, you're now all individuals! scrambling to out-compete each other, fighting over resources, mates, and social status! You can thank me later!"
draftervoi awarded prestigious Purple Sash o' Perspicacity™ for this splendid comment. Wear it with pride!
DeleteLatest episode was curiously very short. I'm still enjoying it, but its supposedly been approved for a 4 season 40 episode arc. Currently, there really are no likable characters. The horde lacks any emotional appeal (by design) and the story has really only focused on one other character, who is also not very likable (again, by design). Not sure how sustainable that is from an overall series standpoint. but, Gilligan has, in the past, gotten people to love a meth mfr/dealer and a lawyer shadier than anything I ever did, so who knows......
ReplyDeleteWe handed in our reports on the minute! Yours was curiously short (a description you're used to, I'm sure).
DeleteSir, how dare you (as he stares downward, hopelessly, at his manhood)!!!!
DeleteMaybe, Gilligan is, sadly, making a comment on the human condition (just read your review, and that thought hit me)?!?
DeleteE05 - hour passed like nothing, but it ended with a very common cliché shot, which was a shame. Should have gone black before we saw her reaction.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the cut to black point you make. But I get the feeling Gilligan is responding to a TV market that has grown increasingly ADHD-addled by presenting a relatively slow paced, high concept storyline that's going to take its time in playing out. As such, it'll likely lose some of its audience, but I'm willing to go along with the pace as it's now set presuming there will be payoffs. I certainly found that was true of Breaking Bad where Gilligan's tapestry didn't complete all its motifs from early seasons until the last chapters. Case in point: the two doofuses from early on who Walt then puts to work freaking out his former partners in the final stages of the storyline. What has been a disappointment is the official podcast. With Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, I found the commentary tracks worthwhile in finding out how various technical effects were achieved. Gilligan does lots more of the same with this show, but because I see it as being more interior and philosophical work, I want to know more about Gilligan's thoughts on hive mind and less about how he achieves the effects that wow us.
DeleteWonder if this is the segue way to a Solent Green type of discovery?!?
ReplyDeleteIf it is, I'm bailing.
DeleteIt would be disappointing if it were just "Duke City Dairy is people." I won't quit yet, I still want to see where this is going.
DeleteThis is one of the problems with sci-fi these days; we've got roughly 130 years of aliens invading the earth and post-apocalypse stories, the audience wants the shock of the new, a thing we haven't seen done-to-death, something that's not a "trope."
One thing I like that is new is the "invasion by information" possibility: that's new. Another possibility is that it's just a screw-up by the aliens, "Hey, we're a hive, we figure YOU were a hive and you'd know what we were talking about. How were we to know this would mess you up?"
I'm going to go drink some milk now.
If it avoids the "they're eating us!" trope, I will swear undying fealty. Eating pets would be okay. Or back issues of Popular Mechanics. Anything but us folks.
Delete