What Have You Been Recently Watching

[Sock Monkey]

I am loving it! Sad that it is ending soon. (Next week, I think.) I love the variety of extraterrestrials, the scummy corporate overlords, the morality and ethics of the children in the hybrid bodies...That said, I'm hoping they wrap up the story in one season, rather than milk it out over additional seasons. I've pretty much had it with big-budget streaming shows that go years between seasons. Bring the show back, but make it an anthology show, like Fargo or American Horror Story.

Nice to hear you're enjoying it. It seems the fans are a split--as to be expected--with one side liking the expansion and the other pretty much just wishing it was just more of Alien and Aliens. I, too, like the new creatures and curious as to where it leads. I've read a lot of complaints about the script, and even my wife 'noped out' after three episodes, stating she felt the show wasn't well-written. I see the concerns, but I also get the feeling Hawley's playing the long game here. I will say, though, that Alien: Earth doesn't feel as narratively tight as Hawley's Fargo. I also think that Hawley was stuck between a rock and a hard place with making sure enough xenomorph action was happening from the get-go to head off any complaints from fans.

I haven't heard anything about a renewal for future seasons, but Hawley has mentioned that he has a multi-season (five, I think) plan. I'm not sure what that would look like, but I think I'd like an anthology show, where each season is tangentially linked or built upon the last but without relying on the same characters. That being said, I am enjoying Sydney Chandler as Wendy (the only actor I think nails the whole "kid in an adult body thing" without feeling forced), Essie Davis (who I just realized is the mother from The Babadook) as Dame Sylvia, and Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh. I'm also getting the feeling that I might enjoy the season more on a rewatch.

[Sock Monkey]

No. I hadn't gotten to that one yet. My Brother In Law mentioned to me that the timeline/sequence of events doesn't work within the overall story arc.

I'm curious as to your thoughts once you get a chance to watch it. I've also heard complaints about the timeline and how it relates to the movies--particularly that Alien and Aliens imply that there has been no contact with the xenomorph prior to these films, but clearly with the show, we have the xenomorph on Earth prior to Ripley's exploits. I'm sure there's a plan to sort this out, but I've also read that the idea is that Alien: Earth is kinda on its own and not necessarily beholden to the films. I'm kinda torn on where I land with this aspect of the show myself.

[dannyboy121070]

Nice to hear you're enjoying it. It seems the fans are a split--as to be expected--with one side liking the expansion and the other pretty much just wishing it was just more of Alien and Aliens. I, too, like the new creatures and curious as to where it leads. I've read a lot of complaints about the script, and even my wife 'noped out' after three episodes, stating she felt the show wasn't well-written. I see the concerns, but I also get the feeling Hawley's playing the long game here. I will say, though, that Alien: Earth doesn't feel as narratively tight as Hawley's Fargo. I also think that Hawley was stuck between a rock and a hard place with making sure enough xenomorph action was happening from the get-go to head off any complaints from fans.

I haven't heard anything about a renewal for future seasons, but Hawley has mentioned that he has a multi-season (five, I think) plan. I'm not sure what that would look like, but I think I'd like an anthology show, where each season is tangentially linked or built upon the last but without relying on the same characters. That being said, I am enjoying Sydney Chandler as Wendy (the only actor I think nails the whole "kid in an adult body thing" without feeling forced), Essie Davis (who I just realized is the mother from The Babadook) as Dame Sylvia, and Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh. I'm also getting the feeling that I might enjoy the season more on a rewatch.

I just read an interview with one of the cast members (I won't spoil who, since their character obviously survives the finale), and they said they are filming season two "about a year from now", which probably means a two-year break between seasons, and that the current storyline will be the focus of the entire series, as long as it continues.

As for the continuity...eh. The movie continuity was screwed up as soon as Ridley Scott introduced the dopey Engineers, and none of the films ever really dwelled on what was happening on Earth, so whatever they do in the series, I can accept it.

[dannyboy121070]

I'm curious as to your thoughts once you get a chance to watch it. I've also heard complaints about the timeline and how it relates to the movies--particularly that Alien and Aliens imply that there has been no contact with the xenomorph prior to these films, but clearly with the show, we have the xenomorph on Earth prior to Ripley's exploits. I'm sure there's a plan to sort this out, but I've also read that the idea is that Alien: Earth is kinda on its own and not necessarily beholden to the films. I'm kinda torn on where I land with this aspect of the show myself.

I always assumed that, at least by ALIENS, there had been extraterrestrial contact, as the Marines talk about "Bug-hunts" repeatedly, which I figured meant that the Marines had been in regular conflict with some type of alien lifeform that was up to no good.

[Ben Staad]

I don't disagree. I wasn't overly worried about continuity but it made me not jump right in. I don't tend to get to wild for shows these days until they have a few seasons under their belts.

I just read an interview with one of the cast members (I won't spoil who, since their character obviously survives the finale), and they said they are filming season two "about a year from now", which probably means a two-year break between seasons, and that the current storyline will be the focus of the entire series, as long as it continues.

As for the continuity...eh. The movie continuity was screwed up as soon as Ridley Scott introduced the dopey Engineers, and none of the films ever really dwelled on what was happening on Earth, so whatever they do in the series, I can accept it.

[Ben Staad]

Finished up season 1 of Patriot on Prime. Not bad, a little sluggish in places, but I enjoy the way this is shoot. It's a little quirky and uses music well.

[sholloman81]

Just finished watching the TV series Black Sails. Missed it while it aired and had never gotten around to it until now. While not perfect, I really enjoyed it. I've always loved Treasure Island; so, it was cool to me the way that they were able to mesh real world pirates and events with Treasure Island characters to do a Treasure Island prequel of sorts. The production values were also top notch, and the CGI still holds up well for a show almost a decade old. Overall, I'm glad that I finally watched this series and may even rewatch it again up the road.

[Ben Staad]

I am considering cancelling Netflix and switching to Hulu. Anyone have a pros and cons to doing so? I've never had Hulu so I would imagine there is a good amount of content to checkout.

[dannyboy121070]

I am considering cancelling Netflix and switching to Hulu. Anyone have a pros and cons to doing so? I've never had Hulu so I would imagine there is a good amount of content to checkout.

I had Hulu with ads as part of a 99 cent deal, and the amount of ads, even for less than a buck a month, were just unbearable. I now get the same plan as part of my cable package, so I canceled the 99 cent deal and will get it "free" starting next month, but...I get Disney + with ads free, as well, and I almost never watch, because it seems like it is NOTHING but ads. Hulu just raised their ad-supported tier to, I think, $12 a month, which is just insane. They have about 4 or 5 long ad breaks during movies. I, personally, don't think Hulu is worth paying for.

[Ben Staad]

I wouldn't watch Disney either. The note regarding the volume of ads certainly makes me pause on making a switch. Netflix is really struggling to keep me though as I'm finding very little to watch. They have a ton of foreign shows, a lot of teen stuff, and a library of things I just don't watch. I really have to dig to find something there. I wish they still sent out DVDs! LOL.

I find myself watching TUBI, ROKU live, or one of the other free streamers on a more regular basis.

I had Hulu with ads as part of a 99 cent deal, and the amount of ads, even for less than a buck a month, were just unbearable. I now get the same plan as part of my cable package, so I canceled the 99 cent deal and will get it "free" starting next month, but...I get Disney + with ads free, as well, and I almost never watch, because it seems like it is NOTHING but ads. Hulu just raised their ad-supported tier to, I think, $12 a month, which is just insane. They have about 4 or 5 long ad breaks during movies. I, personally, don't think Hulu is worth paying for.

[dannyboy121070]

You might want to look into Shudder for a month or two, if you're in a Horror mood. I generally subscribe during the summer and get rid of it after Halloween...You can probably get through everything you're interested in watching fairly quickly. I agree about Netflix, it has almost nothing that interests me, but my wife loves all of the chick shows.

Paramount + has a lot of shows that we both love (Lioness, Tulsa King, 1886, 1923, Landman), most with multiple seasons, as does Apple TV + (Monarch, Slow Horses, For All Mankind).