Television programmes [2]

Forest Shepherd wrote:I have not watched any of these shows at all.

First two seasons of the Mandalorian are largely good fun. Don't watch them for depth, but then the last time we watched Star Wars for depth was when we were 14 years old.

chris63 wrote:Apparently the 2nd series of The Last of Us isn't out till 2025. What's with 2 years to make a series all about. Goes for most shows these days. I might not be alive to see the end of series 6.

I think there is a significant time jump between the games so maybe they just want Bella Ramsey to age a bit.

{{{ If the story follows the games narratives then dont worry Chris, only the 1st game had a good story, lot of folk were not happy with part 2 at all and it got accused of a lot of wokery.

Spoilers for part 2

Spoiler:

}}

I'm 60 in a couple of months. Apparently 20% of men die in their 60s. So I have a 1 in 5 chance of seeing it to the end.

Depressing thought.

{{ In parts of the west coast of Scotland, particularly in Glasgow, life expectancy is as low as 54! So you're doing fine, I'll probably shuffle off this crabbit coil before you do Chris with your sunny Oz living. }}

chris63 wrote:I'm 60 in a couple of months. Apparently 20% of men die in their 60s. So I have a 1 in 5 chance of seeing it to the end.

Depressing thought.

Don't you mean a 1/5 chance of NOT seeing it to the end? (I'm assuming you expect to end in 10 years).

I skipped ahead in Boba Fett to the 3 episodes with the Mandalorian. More enjoyable. But the best part is the music over the end credits of these episodes, the vocal orchestra is worth sticking around to the end.

Correct. Not seeing the end halfy.

See I'm going down hill already.
My wife said she was going to dance on my grave.
I said good. I'm getting buried at sea.

Forgot all about this show. Series 1 was good.

Watched the first series of Broadchurch.
Very good.

Watched the first 5 episodes of the Wicher. Every one saying it's not good. I think it's great. Shame we won't see him in the next series.

I enjoyed the first season of the witcher, but a lot of the story developed in the first season never paid off. It just meandered and I lost interest.

The whole plot of The Witcher missed me by. Booooring.

I was willing to forgive the lack of plot in the first season because it looked like pieces were being set in place. But nothing was really done with them (this post just rewords my last one).

So after about a year's hiatus I'm back to watching Midnight Diner/Tokyo Stories. I brought it up before, but returning made me fall for it even harder.

It's set in a small diner that's only open during the night shift, so gets all the oddballs and misfits - and the gentle background theme is that they are lovable because they are oddballs and misfits. I don't think I've ever seen a show that has such obvious love for its characters and by extension humanity in general. Sweet gentle shows about criminals and gamblers, night club "hostesses" and office workers. Somewhat like "Cheers" but with more depth in the innocent way of such shows.

Every show is titled after a Japanese diner dish that some character or other has a connection to...with a quick note at the end about how to make it. The music echoes the depth and sweetness of the show. It's obviously Japanese pop/alternative music, but not the girl group/boy group schlock inflicted upon the world. Each song is a touching little musical ornament, and I'd love to find a compilation...this should be Japan's contribution to world music. Very western in construction but somehow you feel a Japanese perspective coming through. No doubt any song that's picked for the show quickly becomes popular.

Anyway, if you haven't seen it, pick a day when you are feeling stressed or down, put on Midnight Diner to remind yourself that even in a bustling mega warren like Tokyo, individual people are remembered and appreciated.

{{ Sounds good, as a night worker I can concour you meet interesting characters at 3am.

If youve been duly heartwarmed by Midnight Diner I offer up to follow the best sitcom to ever come out of Scotland and another show full of heart, community and quirky characters, and a healthy dose of pathos to leven the Scottish humour. The wonderful Still Game. Go introduce yourselves to Jack and Victor and the inhabitants of the (fictional area) of Craiglang in Glasgow. You wont regret it. (every episode also has a post credit scene, dont miss those)}}



{{ and if you want an added layer of surreal absurdist humour turn on youtubes subtitles as it tries desperetly to interpret Glasgowegian, it managed to turn "di yi wunt sum o' whit this useless bastard is getting" into "tell what this useless bastard skinned a woman."!! This is why voice recognition devices struggle in Scotland.     }}

Yep, that needs subtitles almost as much as the Japanese does! I was catching maybe 60%.

{{ Well thats more than half, not bad! More you see more you will pick up, and you'll learn some great Scots slang words along the way. Like most sitcoms it takes a few epiosdes to fully grow into itself, the above, though counted as the first epiosde these days was actually the pilot episode. }}

The amazing thing about Midnight Diner is it arrived fully formed. Not only does each episode stand alone, but the stock characters and relationships change very little with time. The show is story driven rather than character driven: the stock characters (which float in and out) are just there to provide color and commentary, though they often get an episode or two filling out their back stories. Most episodes are based on short time visitors to the diner, each bringing their own story.

{{ Taking a nosey round to try to find somewhere to watch the first ep Halfy. It sounds like similar to a couple of other things Ive seen before, neither of which I can recall the names of! One was set in a cheap hotel and it was over different nights, with new guests each time, and the other was a similar idea only it was a housing estate, and each episide was a different home and family.
Its a good writing format tends to give a sort of Waiting for Godot vibe to a piece.}}

there's a movie for free on youtube, but it's not the same actors, not the same music, something of the same feeling but in the few minutes I watched it (to see if it was the same) I didn't get the same instant relaxation the TV show provides. The show is truly uncanny in the way it's like settling into a perfect quiet pub. It just does something to you from the moment you enter.

{{ Having a look for it from less, um legitmate sources....shows should not make it so hard to sample them!
In meantime, dont know if youve had chance to watch episode 2 of Still Game, but its a good example early on of how it will balance moods and themes. And it has a guest role from a Lord of the Rings cast member as a bonus. }}

In my efforts to discover a free episode of Midnight Diner I came across the following, which is NOT midnight diner but hits some of the same buttons of Japanese culture, food, and the intrinsic sweetness which seems to be built into any japanese show that does not involve karate or pure drama.  Not the same genius mix of drama and comedy (this is pure food with scraps of story), but a series I can watch more of for the smile it puts on my face.

So beating the horse again, Midnight Diner is now available for free on Amazon Prime video.

Not sure that benefits Europeans much, who seem to have about as much exposure to Amazon Prime as to Walmart. But if you do have Amazon Prime give Midnight Diner a shot - they are short episodes, I think it'll put a smile on your face.

Very entertaining. Highly recommend it.