The Master Of None Highlights the Latest Barstool DVR Round Up
Been a while since we did some TV talk on here and recently I feel like there’s been a whole bunch of new shit back on the scene to discuss so lets dive into it.
Master of None starring Aziz Ansari
Banged out all 10 episodes this weekend on Netflix. They’re easy 30 minute comedy episodes so you can rip through them no problem on a lazy Saturday. The show is funny and very, very relatable. Its corny and cheesy at times. Its got that sort of goofy Aziz Ansari flair to it where he’s doing funny voices and clowning around. But if you’re between the ages of like 22 and 35 this is all stuff that hits home. Some of the stuff they tackle they nail 100%. From hooking up to getting married to having kids its all spot on. Almost in a scary, sort of depressing way at times, There’s a scene where Aziz envisions his own marriage and the wedding vows are so unbelievably accurate its hilarious and sorta terrifying. The Plan B scene, the bad dates, the friends with kids, interacting with parents, all very relatable. Like I said its got its corny feel good moments but its a nice change of pace from the general depressing and over-serious TV we all watch now. Its got some happy heartfelt shit at times and I dont think thats bad.
Man In The High Castle
New series on Amazon Instant that finally drops November 16. This was originally part of the Amazon Pilot program where they created 1 episode for several new series and the most popular ones were continued into a full season. Episodes 1 and 2 are available now if you have Amazon Prime. The show is based on a book of the same name. The show takes place post in the 60s, about 15 years after Nazi Germany and Japan won the Second World War. America is split between German and Japanese rule and theres a Resistance where insurgents are trying to maintain the American way of life. There’s a new Cold War brewing between Japan and Germany, and the two main characters both fall into possession of a movie reel of footage depicting America winning the War which the Nazi and Japanese government are trying to suppress.
Its a fantastic idea. I have my doubts on whether or not the series will be able to successfully pull it off. Its a huge undertaking to create this entire new world with the United States of Axis Powers. Its awesome – there are little nuggets about how the world would be different that really create this entire new setting for America. And the first 2 episodes are really well done painting that picture. But I wonder if this show is just a really awesome, intriguing idea that will kind of fizzle as you watch episode after episode.
The Leftovers
People have been clamoring for me to do my Leftovers recaps. And I hate to disappoint, but I dont think they’ll be happening. Playoff baseball took precedence over this show, and so now I’ve been playing catch up and I’ve been watching them half heartedly. Plus to top it all off, I dont understand this season nearly as much as I understood season 1. I dont know what the fuck is going on. The show has done a great job of pivoting from season 1 and changing the subject matter after the exhausted everything in the book. And there’s been a couple more phenomenal episodes: the one with Matt Jamison and Laurie to be precise. Both of those episodes were absolutely fantastic. There are still all the major themes of life and death and hopelessness in season 2, I just think season 1 was much clearer when it was all focused on the Departure. Season 2, in this new setting, with new characters is a little more just like “Here’s this wacky show where everyone lives in this post apocalyptic world and theres a lot of fucked up stuff going on. We’ll show it all to you.”
Some highlights for me though:
1) Tom getting raped by Liv Tyler and then almost set on fire was some intense shit
2) Matt Jamison had sex with his comatose wife thinking she had awakened
3) The only guy more fucked up than Kevin Garvey is Kevin Murphy
4) The Laurie episode was fantastic. Seeing her come back to life after her time with the Guilty Remnant was very well done.
Show has been great. I just dont think I have the reviews in me. Cant force that sorta thing.
Fargo Season 2
I’m 2 episodes into Season 2 of Fargo and its just as good as expected. Season 1 was one of the most underrated seasons of TV in a long time. If you havent watched it I highly recommend going back and binging that. Its right up there with True Detective S1 as one of the best stories out there. Season 2 is a prequel of sorts. Takes place back in 1979. Its the same old quirky, bizarre, peculiar Fargo, with a lot of blood and murder and mystery. Landry Todd got fat AS FUCK for his role:
and Kirsten Dunst, Ted Danson, Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brother, and a ton of other actors you recognize round out the cast. Its a very unique type of show but if you’re into it, you’ll love it.
The Showtime Shows – Homeland and The Affair
The Affair is the single most depressing show on television. Keep in mind that I just wrote about a show where over 100 million people disappeared and the whole world is grieving, and a show where there’s tons and tons of cold blooded murder. Thats how fucking depressing the Affair is. Because its all real life shit for the most part. Its just like “Hey, here’s life. And it kinda sucks. You’ll get married and it will all fall to shit. You’ll all cheat on each other, divorce will ravage your family, and then you’ll probably end up going through something terribly traumatic. Like your kid dying or the murder of a family member. In the end everyone involved will have their lives ruined! Tune in Sundays at 10!”
The wife seems to love it. I’ve kinda faded on it. The flashbacks are too different now. The show used to tell the same story from 2 different perspectives so you could kinda of compare and contrast the two perspectives, but now the differences are so large that it kind of loses that appeal. Maybe thats the point – people do see things VERY differently. But it doesnt make for as good of TV as season 1 in my mind. Also the murder story seems kinda forced in there. Whenever we flash forward and we’re doing the murder trial I always think its out of place.
PS – If that old guy murdered his dog I would have stopped watching on the spot.
Homeland – Crazy Carrie is back! Unreal that Clare Daines can just flip a switch and act like that. Shes pretty incredible with that. I’m one or 2 episodes behind now but Homeland is kind of just sticking to basics. Quinn doing Quinn things, Carrie going crazy, double crosses and back stabbings with Saul, and a topical type of international conflict – this time, hacking classified documents. It works. Will they ever capture the level of Season 1 that hooked everyone? No, probably not. But its subject matter that people always seem to like mixed with good acting.
Legends
Anybody watch this? I just watched the first episode on Netflix the other day. Seemed fucking awesome. Ned Stark aka Sean Bean is a deep-cover agent who’s infiltrating one of America’s most dangerous terroristic militias. Loved it. Thought it was a really solid premise and when I saw it was from the creators of Homeland and 24 I was excited. But then I learned that its a TNT show and the second episode kind of had that Law and Order feel and now I dont know if I should stick with it or not. Would love it if it was like Homeland but for undercover agents. But I’m not interested in like a procedural sort of show where every episode is a new cast of characters and a new investigation. If anybody is watching let me know if its worth it.