Shows I've Been Watching
I watch a lot of TV. Probably too much. I would get a lot more done if I didn't watch TV, but I keep watching. TV, in all it's flaws, can be a source of inspiration. Just as how reading books or watching movies or playing games can be.
Here are some of the shows I've been watching recently with my impressions of each.
Hannibal
Currently in Season 2, this is like watching a chess game where the pieces eat each other in the most gruesome way possible after being taken. Brutal, intelligent, and not for the squeamish, this show is perfect for those who like thrillers with a little more class and a lot more gore.
At it's core, Hannibal is a CSI type show, but what sets it apart is, of course, the characters and the type of murders they are investigating. As it's based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, it has familiar characters to those who've seen Silence of the Lambs, or read the books of the same name. And, for those who don't know, they are investigating murders where the people killed also had body parts removed for consumption.
Hannibal is one of the main characters, but it moreso deals with Will Graham, a brilliant psychological profiler who can empathize and get into the head of a killer like no other. This ability presents problems with his mental state as the series progresses, and so Will takes on Hannibal as his psychiatrist, Hannibal knowing full well that Will is investigating some murders that he committed.
It's a compelling watch and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 10/10
Black Sails
Black Sails is a pirate adventure set twenty years prior to the events of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Unlike the novel, it's a more adult oriented story. Mature subject matter, blood, and nudity, is present throughout.
I enjoy everything related to pirates, in case it wasn't apparent, and this is no exception. It's an interesting story where it's main character, Captain Flint, is on the edge of madness and glory and content to kill any and all who may get in his way, including his own crew.
The one problem I have with the show is that the action is sparse. Every episode has conflict, but I expected more visceral fighting when dealing with people like pirates. There needs to be more ship battles, and I can certainly see more coming, but when each episode is almost an hour, I expect more.
Rating: 7/10
The Newsroom
The Newsroom is on HBO, which, for me, has a proven track record for drama and intelligent story. The Newsroom is generally set well in the past, necessary for a story of this type. It stars Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy a news anchor on a fictional network and shows the general trials and tribulations that a news station may have dealt with during certain critical stories over the past years.
The show begins with Will McAvoy's very public "breakdown" where he tells off a college student for what he considers a stupid question. I saw that portion of the show on Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqOYB..., and I was hooked immediately. The show itself continues from there and how Will comes back from the breakdown and the changes that are made when the love of his life becomes his Executive Producer.
The show just finished it's second season, and has been renewed for it's third and final season. I love it's take on news and stories that have taken place over the past while. It's intelligent, witty, and eye opening. I like the characters and how it shows their flaws just as well as it shows their strengths.
The only problem that I have with the show is that sometimes the characters can be too perfect in their execution of the news. As it's dealing with news stories that have already happened, the writer of the show knows what happened, the audience generally would know what happened, and somehow the team doing the news has the forethought not to jump the gun on false positives to show how smart they are. It all feels like wish fulfillment to me sometimes, especially when sometimes it contradicts what they've done in earlier shows.
Rating: 9/10
I'll end it here, but these are only a small sample of the shows I'm actively watching or have been watching recently. I may make another post with another batch later on. King of the Nerds, True Detective, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Masterchef, these are just a sample of what I might talk about next time.
Until then, stay entertained.
Here are some of the shows I've been watching recently with my impressions of each.
Hannibal
Currently in Season 2, this is like watching a chess game where the pieces eat each other in the most gruesome way possible after being taken. Brutal, intelligent, and not for the squeamish, this show is perfect for those who like thrillers with a little more class and a lot more gore.
At it's core, Hannibal is a CSI type show, but what sets it apart is, of course, the characters and the type of murders they are investigating. As it's based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, it has familiar characters to those who've seen Silence of the Lambs, or read the books of the same name. And, for those who don't know, they are investigating murders where the people killed also had body parts removed for consumption.
Hannibal is one of the main characters, but it moreso deals with Will Graham, a brilliant psychological profiler who can empathize and get into the head of a killer like no other. This ability presents problems with his mental state as the series progresses, and so Will takes on Hannibal as his psychiatrist, Hannibal knowing full well that Will is investigating some murders that he committed.
It's a compelling watch and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 10/10
Black Sails
Black Sails is a pirate adventure set twenty years prior to the events of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Unlike the novel, it's a more adult oriented story. Mature subject matter, blood, and nudity, is present throughout.
I enjoy everything related to pirates, in case it wasn't apparent, and this is no exception. It's an interesting story where it's main character, Captain Flint, is on the edge of madness and glory and content to kill any and all who may get in his way, including his own crew.
The one problem I have with the show is that the action is sparse. Every episode has conflict, but I expected more visceral fighting when dealing with people like pirates. There needs to be more ship battles, and I can certainly see more coming, but when each episode is almost an hour, I expect more.
Rating: 7/10
The Newsroom
The Newsroom is on HBO, which, for me, has a proven track record for drama and intelligent story. The Newsroom is generally set well in the past, necessary for a story of this type. It stars Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy a news anchor on a fictional network and shows the general trials and tribulations that a news station may have dealt with during certain critical stories over the past years.
The show begins with Will McAvoy's very public "breakdown" where he tells off a college student for what he considers a stupid question. I saw that portion of the show on Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqOYB..., and I was hooked immediately. The show itself continues from there and how Will comes back from the breakdown and the changes that are made when the love of his life becomes his Executive Producer.
The show just finished it's second season, and has been renewed for it's third and final season. I love it's take on news and stories that have taken place over the past while. It's intelligent, witty, and eye opening. I like the characters and how it shows their flaws just as well as it shows their strengths.
The only problem that I have with the show is that sometimes the characters can be too perfect in their execution of the news. As it's dealing with news stories that have already happened, the writer of the show knows what happened, the audience generally would know what happened, and somehow the team doing the news has the forethought not to jump the gun on false positives to show how smart they are. It all feels like wish fulfillment to me sometimes, especially when sometimes it contradicts what they've done in earlier shows.
Rating: 9/10
I'll end it here, but these are only a small sample of the shows I'm actively watching or have been watching recently. I may make another post with another batch later on. King of the Nerds, True Detective, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Masterchef, these are just a sample of what I might talk about next time.
Until then, stay entertained.
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