cathyw | Entries tagged with television

Ran through four episodes (3-6) yesterday while folding laundry. Daughter joined me. We are both enjoying it quite a bit. It still feels like 'it knew what it was, embraced that, and pulled it off' is a good way to describe the overall quality/vibe - it's not a cinematic masterpiece but I'm not looking at it wondering 'wtf is Zhu Yilong doing in this schlock?' and that seems to be where they were aiming.

The one thing I'm confused about: I was under the impression that Wu Xie was the designated obelisk-licker, but so far Pangzi has gotten the most 'YOU PUT THAT RIGHT BACK WHERE YOU FOUND IT OR SO HELP ME' and also 'STOP BLOWING UP THE ANTIQUITIES'... :) Wu Xie has gotten his own share of trouble though. ("Dude. The door opened by itself. You are alone. DON'T... oh, you did. Who could have possibly predicted that it would close behind you?")

I am amused by (and not unappreciative of) the number of excuses they find for Xiaoge to take his shirt off. THE SNAKE ATE HIS SHIRT AND LEFT THE REST OF HIM UNHARMED we are blessed... (I am not sure where the subtitles got 'Kylin', which is what they use when the dialogue actually says 'Xiaoge'? I know 'Tianzhen' is subbed as 'Innocent' or 'Naive' which is a literal translation...)

also my powers of 'given the subtitles I can figure out what he actually said in the dialogue' seem to be expanding. Go me. At present rate I'll be able to watch unsubtitled dramas in 2037...

Current Mood: okay

( Loki Season 2 spoilers )

Current Mood: exanimate

...and when they made Boubou and Yang Kai battle to "Wu Gan" in the finals almost all my other thoughts drained out of my head. Whatever Yibo said about the battle was subtitled as "I'm quite vexed" and I suspect at a minimum what he was thinking was not suitable for a family program even if your standard for "suitable for a family program" includes a pair of jeans that announces that one's cock is gluten-free.

put me down as vexed right along with you there, Yibo. having your dancers battle each other was bad, but using your music to do it was twisting the knife.

(another person whose feels I felt: Su Lian Ya. "My first ever battle I had to go up against Boubou and Yang Kai and I didn't win but I also didn't run away screaming before it started and that's its own kind of victory.")

wasn't surprised Boubou lost, I'd realized a few episodes back that he wasn't going to be allowed to win. wasn't surprised his "home life" video was about how much he loved living in China and was having a great time getting acculturated there and learning the language. (the other memorable home life video: Lin's largely consisting of his mom dragging him around town to brag about him to all the local aunties. :) couldn't help but wonder how many of the local aunties had given her crap about "your son's a *dancer*? hrmph.")

The actual final battle actually felt anticlimactic, maybe because I'd never formed much in the way of an opinion about Chao? but Yang Kai's stamina. Damn.

Current Mood: cheerful

Yes, it's from three years ago. Yes, I know who wins. It's about the journey, not the destination.

I just finished episode 9 and so far...
( Technically spoilers )

- favorite routines so far: TaoTao and CiCi's wedding dance; Team Rockets Boom's exploding briefcase.

- but nearly everything I've seen has been amazing.

Current Mood: enthralled

Yes. And I have gone from 'want to slap Eliot' to 'want to wrap him in a fluffy blankie and give him cocoa until he stops being sad'.

And I was just... blown away... by a thing that happened in 1x10 ("Homecoming"), where they did a thing I don't think I've ever seen on my teevee before (and almost definitely not on basic cable). I know I am approximately three years late to this party but I want to gush.

( Cut for spoilers, also discussion of barely-SFW content )

While I'm gushing, I'd like to say that I'm pleased with the level of representation in the show. THEY CAST A TRANS ACTRESS FOR A RECURRING PART WHERE BEING TRANS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CHARACTER, is that allowed? Eliot is clearly queer (unclear whether he's bi or gay) but the only impact it's had on his story is that his lover was a man rather than a woman. Out of the seven characters I'd describe as the main cast, at most four are played by white actors??? The character who became disabled was not given a magic fix? most of the characters are mentally ill, traumatized, you name it, and that matters?

Good job, y'all.

Current Mood: impressed

Urge to slap Eliot and Margo: Decreasing.
Urge to slap Quentin: Increasing. Mostly because he was a dick to Julia.
Enjoyment of show: still good.

Hubby asked what I was watching, and I told him - described the show as...
- Hogwarts, but they're American grad students and mostly assholes
- Hermione didn't get in so she's learning magic on the docks
- They're shipping Harry and Luna pretty hard
(- I might kind of over-identify with Alice and also she looks really familiar somehow)
- Also shipping Harry/Ron and Harry/Draco
(- it is anyone's call whether Eliot is Ron or Draco in this scenario; either way he ships himself with Quentin)
- And not glossing over the fact that Harry is a kind of mediocre wizard
- guest-starring the Alpha Vampire from SPN as Dumbledore and Amber from House as McGonagall.

I don't think I'm wrong on any of these points... :)

He also noted that he and his other partner had wanted to watch the show which I was just... argh. We all have the same taste in TV but N can't sit and watch TV for more than about one episode so the list of shows we want to watch keeps getting longer and longer... and so I'm just going ahead, I'm enjoying it enough so far to rewatch it if it ever gets to the top of her list.

also, I noted some discussion about a month ago from Sera Gamble's twitter, in a conversation with other female showrunners about how she's pushing the limits of what Syfy will let her show as far as active female sexuality and... yeah, I can see it, totally, and I appreciate it, which also makes me wonder if she got any pushback from WB or the CW about the episode of Supernatural where an Amazon basically kind of threw Dean down on the bed and had her way with him.

Current Mood: cheerful

...at the recommendation of

dorkael. Umm. I'm about halfway through the first episode, is the urge to slap Margo and Eliot the usual reaction or just a sign that I am an Old?

...on the other hand I kind of like Quentin and Julia? so? hrm.

Current Mood: annoyed

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Cathy

Entries tagged with television

Reunion: Sound of the Providence: so far, so good?

have you ever experienced a moment of perfect intertextuality?

for what it's worth I did finish SDC3 like a month ago

Street Dance of China, Season 3: viewing in progress

Am still watching The Magicians.

Still watching The Magicians.

I started watching The Magicians

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January 2025

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