TV Series

BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
I'm giving The English another chance - up to the last 2 episodes now.

I'll finish the series - it's OK - but my initial impression remains. The series is over-dramatized. It's as if the writers/producers got together and brainstormed - what would be a really cool, gruesome scene? Hey, what if a bunch of Indians were killed with a gatling gun? - Nice! Wow! Let's fit that in somehow!!!
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That scene was based on Wounded Knee where they used Hotchkiss Guns which fired 50 rounds per minute, 2 pound shells. I thought it was really well written and researched and the mix of nationalities and accents made it very interesting.
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
That scene was based on Wounded Knee where they used Hotchkiss Guns which fired 50 rounds per minute, 2 pound shells. I thought it was really well written and researched and the mix of nationalities and accents made it very interesting.
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Cheers - each of us has his or her own taste.
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The chief failing of The English - IMO - is as I've stated above. It's a series of stitched-together, overly dramatic scenes - the plot is driven by the episodic moments of extreme theater - as opposed to character/narrative.

Compare, "The English," with, "River" - River is one of my most favorite ever series with a sympathetic main character and a plot that's character driven, fun, engaging and emotionally riveting.

Another series similar in appeal is, "Undone," - available on Amazon Prime.

I can't recommend enough that viewers of this thread watch River and Undone if you haven't already done so.
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Cheers - each of us has his or her own taste.
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The chief failing of The English - IMO - is as I've stated above. It's a series of stitched-together, overly dramatic scenes - the plot is driven by the episodic moments of extreme theater - as opposed to character/narrative.

Compare, "The English," with, "River" - River is one of my most favorite ever series with a sympathetic main character and a plot that's character driven, fun, engaging and emotionally riveting.
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The one with Stellan Skarsgård?
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
That scene was based on Wounded Knee where they used Hotchkiss Guns which fired 50 rounds per minute, 2 pound shells. I thought it was really well written and researched and the mix of nationalities and accents made it very interesting.
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There have been so many propaganda movies based on the lie that the native Americans were vicious savages and the invaders with guns the good folk doing right by Jesus, that many folk struggle to comprehend that the ‘settling’ of North America was the largest and most heinous genocide ever committed and that peaceful native men & women, little babies, children and old folk were routinely and brutally raped tortured & murdered in their millions, to clear them off their land, for government paid reward bounties and for the fun of doing it.

I thought that, as awful as it was portrayed, The English pretty much downplayed how barbaric the settlers were towards the native people who were slaughtered for fun shits & giggles for a long time beyond the period and are still denied their rights to this very day.
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
Good show but I just remember the main thing about that was sorrow and guilt whereas The English is about revenge for a violent act. And then there's the backdrop of the end of a brutal war and genocidal atrocities.

Not sure how that story is told without a bit of drama.
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Drama - and indeed (for me) terrible violence - is fine - for example, Game of Thrones - just awesome and full of drama and gore. Ditto some of my other favorites - The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Just Call Saul and so on. Each of these series are full of ineresting, memorable characters - both good and bad.

What's been missing in The English - for me - is lack of a compelling, characters. It's an episode-driven plot with characters as an afterthought.

The English isn't terrible - it's just not must-see TV.
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A bit off topic - but has everyone seen, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog? - this is must-see TV. If you haven't seen it - you really must give it a try. Totally awesome - even after all these years. I rewatch, "Horrible," every 2 years or so - simply because of the songs.
 
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Echo 3 watched the full season not sure it was ok suppose but seemed a lot of fill in episodes..

When Amber Chesborough goes missing along the Colombia-Venezuela border, her brother and her husband struggle to find her against the backdrop of a secret war.

 
Started Orphan Black (available on Channel 4 website/Sky TV catch up thingy) the other night and will probably finish off the first season tonight. Pretty decent so far.
 
hammocity said:
Don't know if you ever watched Still Game but "Tam" makes a cameo appearance, "six ex wives and 3 wains"!
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Found it an odd pick as it makes it look like he aged about twice as much as the others in the group who were all roughly the same age in the 80s scenes. Almost as odd as seeing them all cutting aboot greenan shore in t-shirts and those light mod jackets.

Protein Junkie said:
I watched the two part BBC1 Drama “Mayflies” last night , first broadcast over Christmas and its about assisted dying.
Take my hat off to Tony Curran - excellent acting.
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Finished it now, thought it was excellent. Great acting, by all involved. Rough story but told with bits of humour and poignancy. Good pace to it, keeps it interesting and unfolds well. Plus a bit of a love letter to Ayrshire, and Manchester as an idea, thought more here would enjoy it. City even get a mention, to add to the list of mentions in tv shows. Even though, we didn't actually exist back then, as we wouldn't be formed for another 30 years. Only 2 episodes, well worth a watch.
 
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