What TV shows have you been watching ?

Quote from Backdrifter

DEVS is interesting. I've been watching this on the BBC iplayer. It starts with a young man inducted into a very secretive department of a high-tech AI company. He doesn't even know what he's supposed to do but is told not to worry, he'll understand. He stares at the lists of codes on his screen and realises what's going on... he looks terrified and runs off, nearly on the verge of a breakdown, not believing what they are doing. At this stage we the viewers still don't know what it is he saw! Things then take a very dark turn...

Halfway through, 4 more episodes to go.

I have started watching this, first 3 episodes so far. Very compelling viewing. Interesting to see how far Lily can get with uncovering the truth. Only downside for me personally is that I have never been keen on bad language and there is a fair bit in this series.

Been watching Devs too. Just done episode 3.

I'll be very interested to hear what you both think once you've finished it.

Quote from genesis1964

I have started watching this, first 3 episodes so far.

Quote from thefarmer

Been watching Devs too. Just done episode 3.

Quote from Backdrifter

I'll be very interested to hear what you both think once you've finished it.

DEVS SPOILER ALERT.

Just finished watching it. One of the best programmes I have seen . (Though there is some really good stuff around now).

Well that was a head f**k .

A nice , pleasant ending. Wasn't expecting that. DEVS is God. There is no reality. Katie wants the machine kept switched on because they would blink out out of existence if it was switched off. DEVS creates all existence and existences. Nothing and everything is real.

Or

Katie became God when Forest died. She created the alternate futures simulated existences using data from the past. There is one reality many worlds doesn't exist except in simulation. She chose to give Lily and Forest memories of their other existence.

OR.

DEVS is God and Lily is the Messiah . She was programmed to break the code and create freewill. Forest and Lily know they are in a simulation because they created it.

OR . Forest is God or the Messiah. OR Nothing is real.

OR .....OR..... OR .... infinite possibilities.....

I just watched the first episode of Watchmen last night - as usual I'm behind the curve by several months...

I haven't read any of the graphic novels , but I have seen the film, so I have no clue where the series fits in terms of characters and continuity.

But anyway, I really enjoyed it. Familiar enough to be engaging, and different enough to be interesting.

Quote from Backdrifter

I'll be very interested to hear what you both think once you've finished it.

Spolier - DEVS

Well that was strange. My mind finds it hard to comprehend shows like this sometimes. To me it seems to be about a theory called determinism (everything that is going to happen was always meant to happen).

Everyone is able to time travel where they can view what has happened in the past and even view their fate. The DEVS project I believe was only set up by Forest with one objective – so he could see his daughter again.

Ending had a interesting twist, just when you thought the future would be changed up popped Stewart to make sure all that was suppose to happen did.

Who was the main God-like character? Forest or Katie?

Quote from Backdrifter

I'll be very interested to hear what you both think once you've finished it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this series. Did you enjoy it overall?

Quote from genesis1964

I would love to hear your thoughts on this series. Did you enjoy it overall?

WARNING - DEVS SPOILERS

Overall, yes I did. It was an interesting idea and had some compelling drama. But I had issues with it.

For a start it was way too long. It really didn't need to be 8 eps. I think it could have been a maximum of 6, maybe even fewer. At times it was very slow, even to the extent of characters speaking really slowly! Forest and Lily between them drove me up the bloody wall at times, I kept pressing an imaginary fast-forward button to try speeding them up!

It built up a great dramatic pace until the end of ep4, and set up Kenton as a terrifically horrible villain. Then ep5 dragged badly for me and I felt the whole thing never really picked the same pace back up again. This all added unnecessary extra screen time.

Very rarely for me I guessed the main twist, ie that Lily would make a decision of her own and that's what screwed up the system. I didn't buy Forest and Katie's horror and confusion at this, or that two such smart people would be so devoted to determinism that it'd never occur to them she might do this.

But for all those quibbles, it kept me watching and as I say it had a strong central idea. Some of the visualisation was very effective, eg when we first get a sense of what they're doing and we faintly see the crucifixion I thought that was a powerful and creepy moment. By the way, something no-one's been able to explain to me yet: at the start of ep3, Katie is running through a series of images through time - early cave paintings, Joan of Arc, etc. Just after we see Forest's daughter blowing bubbles, there is a brief glimpse of a strange alien-like being. I thought its significance might become clear, but in fact we never see it again. Any ideas what it was? Oh and, wasn't that giant statue of the girl one of the freakiest things in the whole show? It was frightening!

Quote from thefarmer

OR .....OR..... OR .... infinite possibilities.....

Yeah I was very unsure of what was what at the end. I thought where we started was the real world which Katie remained in, but that when Lyndon broke the rules and introduced the multiverse approach the system gained the ability to not just visualise the other realities but apparently transport people into them which is how Forest and Lily ended up there. I don't think it was implying any of them were God or the messiah. I do think that in a general sense the story was a parallel of how we perhaps imagine ourselves to be like gods in the way we are evolving AIs, and certainly how super-advanced tech companies thnk they can do whatever they want - that was another element that was a bit hard to take, that a seemingly gentle man like Forest would accept murder as a necessary aspect of achieving his goal.

I'm just glad there was no hint of it going to a second series.

You both are able able to express yourself a lot better than me.

I must agree I also think it was a little long but still kept me captivated. I still don't think I understood it very well

This week saw the final edition of Grayson's Art Club, in which artist Grayson Perry looked at how people are using art during their experience of lockdown. Each week members of the public and a celebrity guest submitted their own creations relating to a different theme in each episode.

Some of the works were really interesting and a number of people who'd sent stuff in talked to GP about their works. It led to a range of stories and viewpoints and at times it was very touching.

It's been a terrific series, very uplifting and I'll miss it. At the moment it feels like a strong contender for my favourite TV show of 2020.

Quote from Backdrifter

WARNING - DEVS SPOILERS

Overall, yes I did. It was an interesting idea and had some compelling drama. But I had issues with it.

For a start it was way too long. It really didn't need to be 8 eps. I think it could have been a maximum of 6, maybe even fewer. At times it was very slow, even to the extent of characters speaking really slowly! Forest and Lily between them drove me up the bloody wall at times, I kept pressing an imaginary fast-forward button to try speeding them up!

It built up a great dramatic pace until the end of ep4, and set up Kenton as a terrifically horrible villain. Then ep5 dragged badly for me and I felt the whole thing never really picked the same pace back up again. This all added unnecessary extra screen time.

Very rarely for me I guessed the main twist, ie that Lily would make a decision of her own and that's what screwed up the system. I didn't buy Forest and Katie's horror and confusion at this, or that two such smart people would be so devoted to determinism that it'd never occur to them she might do this.

But for all those quibbles, it kept me watching and as I say it had a strong central idea. Some of the visualisation was very effective, eg when we first get a sense of what they're doing and we faintly see the crucifixion I thought that was a powerful and creepy moment. By the way, something no-one's been able to explain to me yet: at the start of ep3, Katie is running through a series of images through time - early cave paintings, Joan of Arc, etc. Just after we see Forest's daughter blowing bubbles, there is a brief glimpse of a strange alien-like being. I thought its significance might become clear, but in fact we never see it again. Any ideas what it was? Oh and, wasn't that giant statue of the girl one of the freakiest things in the whole show? It was frightening!

Yeah I was very unsure of what was what at the end. I thought where we started was the real world which Katie remained in, but that when Lyndon broke the rules and introduced the multiverse approach the system gained the ability to not just visualise the other realities but apparently transport people into them which is how Forest and Lily ended up there. I don't think it was implying any of them were God or the messiah. I do think that in a general sense the story was a parallel of how we perhaps imagine ourselves to be like gods in the way we are evolving AIs, and certainly how super-advanced tech companies thnk they can do whatever they want - that was another element that was a bit hard to take, that a seemingly gentle man like Forest would accept murder as a necessary aspect of achieving his goal.

I'm just glad there was no hint of it going to a second series.

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DEVS SPOILER.

I meant God in the sense that they created the multiverse by creating DEVS. Or all existence is an illusion created by DEVS. I really liked the ending where there are so many possibilities. The multiverse must be a simulation because no one in it realises they are in except for Forest and Lily. Who or what created that. So you I and are not real . I have never seen you nor you I . How can we know we exist?? Love it. Anyway usually I prefer like you a complete series and I don't think there will be another, but I would like one. As Lily gets on with her new existence DEVS is still there. Forest and Lily do their best to enjoy life but everything turns out not so good until the only recourse left is for Lily to shoot Forest in the eye. I think that's what happens. My mind has been conditioned not accept a happy ending in a TV drama.

While lockdown has been on I have being going through some series on BBC iplayer. One I finished this week was Bodies.

This is from 2004-06 and my main reason for watching it was it being created by Jed Mercurio. I loved Line of Duty and Bodyguard which he wrote and it is reported he said of Bodies that it was the drama he was most proud of. It was good but not great, perhaps it just has not dated well. I thought the story line was good at the beginning but then it started getting unrealistic. One of those series that you start watching and think this is going to get better and it doesn't and then before you know, you are half way through it and you think I may as well watch it all now.

The finale episode is not even worth talking about.

Now to find something else to watch........

Quote from genesis1964

While lockdown has been on I have being going through some series on BBC iplayer. One I finished this week was Bodies.

This is from 2004-06 and my main reason for watching it was it being created by Jed Mercurio. I loved Line of Duty and Bodyguard which he wrote and it is reported he said of Bodies that it was the drama he was most proud of. It was good but not great, perhaps it just has not dated well. I thought the story line was good at the beginning but then it started getting unrealistic. One of those series that you start watching and think this is going to get better and it doesn't and then before you know, you are half way through it and you think I may as well watch it all now.

The finale episode is not even worth talking about.

Now to find something else to watch........

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I either never saw Bodies or I did but have forgotten it. I looked it up and it sounds the sort of thing I probably would have watched, especially as it featured Susan Lynch and Hattie Morahan both of whom I really like. Then again, it was originally aired on BBC3 which I didn't tend to watch much. I definitely did read the original novel though, which wasn't a particularly easy or pleasant read.

The novel was based on his own experiences as an NHS doctor, as was his first TV series Cardiac Arrest, in the mid-90s. This still stands as the best medical drama series I've ever seen, with the possible exception of ER at its peak. It was a bit controversial at the time as it was a very stark and uncompromising depiction of life in an NHS hospital. I don't know how it'd stand up now as I've never re-watched it, but it was very compelling at the time. Helen Baxendale played the acid-tongued Dr Claire Maitland which I have to admit was a big draw for me.

I thought the first 3 series of Line of Duty were superb and it really peaked with series 2 and 3, the Denton story. Keeley Hawes gave one of the best TV drama performances I've ever seen. Craig Parkinson as Cottan was on top form too. I stayed with it for series 4 and 5 but they tailed off in quality for me, even though still being very watchable. I know they're doing a 6th and I kind of hope they end it there.

I've been enjoying W1A on the iplayer, which I only caught bits of before. I used to work at the BBC and I feel like I know some of those characters! Also re-watching The Thick Of It as I periodically do, one of my favourite TV shows ever.

I've now started watching Bodies. Like the book wasn't a pleasant read, the show is not a pleasant watch but as you'd expect from JM it's compelling.

I've just finished watching a repeat showing of the TV series Quatermass, known in some territories as The Quatermass Conclusion, written by Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale. I hadn't seen it since it originally aired in 1979. It depicts an England where society has fallen apart and is under military control. A kind of sect of young people who believe they will be taken to another, better planet, are causing trouble. Into the middle of all this the elderly Quatermass (played by John Mills) comes looking for his granddaughter who he fears has fallen in with the 'planet' sect. At a massed gathering of the sect a huge beam of light from the sky apparently fries the youngsters, reducing them to dust - or have they achieved their dream of being transported to another planet?

Although it was quite creaky and clunky as you'd expect from a late 70s series I still found it watchable and liked the bleakness of it. It also took me back to schooldays!

The Quatermass repeat was on Talking Pictures, on Freeview 81. It's become a go-to channel for me, re-showing some classic 70s series such as the original Van Der Valk, Callan, Special Branch, and lesser-remembered ones like Rooms. I'd love it if they showed Moody & Peg or Crown Court. They mainly show films from the 50s-70s.

Quote from Backdrifter

I've now started watching Bodies. Like the book wasn't a pleasant read, the show is not a pleasant watch but as you'd expect from JM it's compelling.

Be interested to rad you opinion further down the line.

Watching the 3rd series of Killing Eve (one of those series that should have stopped when it was on top)

Quote from genesis1964

Be interested to rad you opinion further down the line.

Watching the 3rd series of Killing Eve (one of those series that should have stopped when it was on top)

So far we're up to s1 ep2 of Bodies and intending to continue for now.

My partner and I watched Eve series 1. While it certainly had its moments, when it ended I decided not to continue with it. I found the Villanelle character really annoying, I just didn't buy the obsession she developed with Eve, and overall the series had a feeling of being rather too pleased with itself. Mrs Backdrifter chose to carry on with s2, which she didnt enjoy as much, but has in fact enjoyed s3 better. However, much of the reaction I've seen elsewhere suggests fans are losing patience with it.

Quote from Backdrifter

I've now started watching Bodies. Like the book wasn't a pleasant read, the show is not a pleasant watch but as you'd expect from JM it's compelling.

I've just finished watching a repeat showing of the TV series Quatermass, known in some territories as The Quatermass Conclusion, written by Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale. I hadn't seen it since it originally aired in 1979. It depicts an England where society has fallen apart and is under military control. A kind of sect of young people who believe they will be taken to another, better planet, are causing trouble. Into the middle of all this the elderly Quatermass (played by John Mills) comes looking for his granddaughter who he fears has fallen in with the 'planet' sect. At a massed gathering of the sect a huge beam of light from the sky apparently fries the youngsters, reducing them to dust - or have they achieved their dream of being transported to another planet?

Although it was quite creaky and clunky as you'd expect from a late 70s series I still found it watchable and liked the bleakness of it. It also took me back to schooldays!

The Quatermass repeat was on Talking Pictures, on Freeview 81. It's become a go-to channel for me, re-showing some classic 70s series such as the original Van Der Valk, Callan, Special Branch, and lesser-remembered ones like Rooms. I'd love it if they showed Moody & Peg or Crown Court. They mainly show films from the 50s-70s.

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Moody & Pegg, ah yes, that was a great show. You could try searching YouTube, there's lots of old shows on there, a friends was following the Invaders on there, a few years back, and I watched the whole 4 series of Blake's 7 on there last year.

Quote from foxfeeder

Moody & Pegg, ah yes, that was a great show. You could try searching YouTube, there's lots of old shows on there, a friends was following the Invaders on there, a few years back, and I watched the whole 4 series of Blake's 7 on there last year.

I will.

I liked the theme tune of M&P. And both the theme tunes of Crown Court, one of the rare shows to have different opening and closing music - I especially liked the end tune.

When I worked in Greenwich there was a really nice shop there that did unusual dvds, including ones of Moody but I held off buying them as they were series 2 and 3 and I'd rather start at the beginning. I kind of regret it now.

Continuing the theme of lockdown-inspired TV, as per my comment on Grayson's Art Club. On the BBC iplayer we've been watching a series of shorts called Staged. It features Michael Sheen and David Tennant essentially playing themselves, having been about to rehearse for a West End play that's been delayed by lockdown and are cajoled into rehearsing it online by the rather ineffectual director (who is also the writer/director of this series).

It's become the best TV show to emerge from lockdown along with Art Club. Both leads show great comic touches and in ep5 there is a very moving moment. The eps are only about 15 minutes each so the Zoom-style format doesn't outstay its welcome, and I've been left wanting more each time. It covers various lockdown-related themes such as boredom, trying to make the most of the time, neighbour relations, etc. There have been a couple of guest appearances so far, one of which was bizarre and unexpected but a real pleasure. One episode to go and I'll really miss this little show. I recommend it to all who can access the iplayer.

We also watched the 1st episode of The Salisbury Poisonings which was very compelling, a dramatisation of the outrageous Russian attack on a former spy and the ripple effect it caused.

Bashee. The most gripping show I have seen in years. Visceral, lots of nudity and sex but acting and storyline are top notch.