The Good Place and other things..
Nov. 16th, 2018 12:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatTook today off -- mainly because if I didn't, I'd lose the day. It's the last personal day of the year, and per contract they give you back a percentage, not the full amount of the day if you don't take it prior to Thanksgiving.
Also, I wanted a break from work and commuting.
Saw a few television show fall finals this morning. They are calling them "Fall Finals" now, we can thank streaming and cable for this change. Before they just didn't tell us, and would show reruns or maybe an off-shoot standalone in December and two in January.
If you want to know why this happens? It's because they only shoot 13-22 episodes a year. And they shoot (aka film) between July and October, or there abouts. Take a break. Then pick up again and shoot for the second half. So basically they are filming during January through March or something like that. And, in the US, the broadcast networks do not broadcast television series during the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Years, with the view that most people aren't watching or just want to watch holiday fair. Also the advertisers dictate broadcast programming in the US. So what pops up between Thanksgiving and around the Second Week of January are a lot of Awards shows, reality shows, Christmas specials, Christmas movies, musical variety specials...and Football. Lots and lots of Football. In short, it is a great time to catch up on your DVR queue, and binge watch things on Hulu, Netflix and Amazon, also HBO.
I used to hate it when they did this. Now? I'm relieved. Gives me a chance to catch up. I've over 50 hours saved on the DVR. Mainly because I've a couple of shows that I'm beginning to wonder why I'm bothering taping.
The Good Place
Frigging NBC puts a ton of commercials right before the last five minutes of the show, so as a result, the show runs over the allotment and my DVR cuts off the last two-three seconds, which are over the credits. (It's a nifty trick to get me to watch whatever is programmed after it. Which would be fine if I liked what they programmed after it. I do not. Which is why I don't remember to tape it just so I can see the last two seconds of The Good Place.)
Anyhow...I asked the FB Good Place Fanboard which is entitled "The Boundless Void"...
ME: Can anyone tell me what happened in the last two-three seconds of the Good Place? (Huge Spoiler Space) Did they go into the Boundless Void?
Poster: Yep.
Me: Thank you. It cut off when Janet was explaining all the risks of going into the Boundless Void.
I was actually relieved that the demons showed up en force and drove them into the Boundless Void, because I wasn't liking the alternatives. (Janet and Michael hunting down the Accountant, while the other four hung out with Doug and took care of his pets and the local sociopath. That joke worked in this episode, but it would not have worked stretched out over the course of five episodes.)
This episode did a rather good job of exploring the philosophy of how making everyone happy, often at the great detriment of oneself, in the hopes of gaining points to get into the Afterlife isn't such a great idea. (ie. Being a Slave to Other's Happiness or the Utopian Happiness Duff.) Starred Michael McKeon as the Happiness Duff, Doug. And it revealed how there is something wrong with the Good Place's point calculation system.
I'm still wondering about the character of Jason, who to date, exhibits the least growth. (YMMV, although no one has convinced me yet.)
Eleanor: We have to leave immediately. You go out that exit, and we'll go out -
Jason (lighting up a maltov cocktail): Or we can just - here you go suckers -
Eleanor: No!
Later..
Michael: What we need to find is some evidence.
Jason: No, Michael, you are confused. Evidence is not something you want to find, it is something you want to destroy so you won't go to jail.
Michael: Jason, could you please go find me the coaster that fell behind that pillar over there?
Jason: Oh sure...(of he goes like a puppy)
Michael: Sorry, I needed a 30 second break.
Group: We totally understand.
Yep. Right there with you. Jason is slowly moving into grating territory.
This is a weird show for me. Usually, I care most about the characters -- in this series, I care more about the philosophical humor and satire. I don't know why this is...but I haven't really emotionally invested in a situation comedy character since the 1990s. It's why when people write long-heart wrenching bits on these characters, I find I'm channeling Spike from Buffy, "I'm paralyzed with not caring all that much" -- which is what is keeping me from falling in love with or obsessing over this show. I like a few of the characters a great deal, can even sort of identify (Eleanor, Michael, and Chidi), but I don't love them, and the other three, I find tolerable at best and grating at worst.
That said...there were some great bits here.
The scene where Michael and Janet realize what is wrong with this picture. That Doug is truly miserable and not a good representative, or if he is one...there's clearly something off about the system. This bit makes fun of the "do good deeds to get into heaven" religious philosophy that is at the forefront of many religions.
And the aforementioned ones regarding how they were going to escape. And Eleanor figuring out they were surrounded by Demons (providing an extra weight and meaning to what Michael had shown her earlier -- nice plotting there).
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend -- I fast-forwarded through about 80% of this weeks episode. I'm finding it harder and harder to watch. And not at all funny. There were two musical numbers -- but neither really worked. I can see why this is the final season. And they are doing a good job of wrapping things up, I guess. I'm hanging in there out of curiosity, but it's fading.
Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 both ended on cliff-hangers. Liked Grey's better. Station 19 hasn't quite found it's footing.
blackish -- did a tribute to Prince, which was a wee bit too over-the-top. It made fun of people who'd never heard of Prince, but was a tad over-the-top in how it went about it.
Also, I wanted a break from work and commuting.
Saw a few television show fall finals this morning. They are calling them "Fall Finals" now, we can thank streaming and cable for this change. Before they just didn't tell us, and would show reruns or maybe an off-shoot standalone in December and two in January.
If you want to know why this happens? It's because they only shoot 13-22 episodes a year. And they shoot (aka film) between July and October, or there abouts. Take a break. Then pick up again and shoot for the second half. So basically they are filming during January through March or something like that. And, in the US, the broadcast networks do not broadcast television series during the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Years, with the view that most people aren't watching or just want to watch holiday fair. Also the advertisers dictate broadcast programming in the US. So what pops up between Thanksgiving and around the Second Week of January are a lot of Awards shows, reality shows, Christmas specials, Christmas movies, musical variety specials...and Football. Lots and lots of Football. In short, it is a great time to catch up on your DVR queue, and binge watch things on Hulu, Netflix and Amazon, also HBO.
I used to hate it when they did this. Now? I'm relieved. Gives me a chance to catch up. I've over 50 hours saved on the DVR. Mainly because I've a couple of shows that I'm beginning to wonder why I'm bothering taping.
The Good Place
Frigging NBC puts a ton of commercials right before the last five minutes of the show, so as a result, the show runs over the allotment and my DVR cuts off the last two-three seconds, which are over the credits. (It's a nifty trick to get me to watch whatever is programmed after it. Which would be fine if I liked what they programmed after it. I do not. Which is why I don't remember to tape it just so I can see the last two seconds of The Good Place.)
Anyhow...I asked the FB Good Place Fanboard which is entitled "The Boundless Void"...
ME: Can anyone tell me what happened in the last two-three seconds of the Good Place? (Huge Spoiler Space) Did they go into the Boundless Void?
Poster: Yep.
Me: Thank you. It cut off when Janet was explaining all the risks of going into the Boundless Void.
I was actually relieved that the demons showed up en force and drove them into the Boundless Void, because I wasn't liking the alternatives. (Janet and Michael hunting down the Accountant, while the other four hung out with Doug and took care of his pets and the local sociopath. That joke worked in this episode, but it would not have worked stretched out over the course of five episodes.)
This episode did a rather good job of exploring the philosophy of how making everyone happy, often at the great detriment of oneself, in the hopes of gaining points to get into the Afterlife isn't such a great idea. (ie. Being a Slave to Other's Happiness or the Utopian Happiness Duff.) Starred Michael McKeon as the Happiness Duff, Doug. And it revealed how there is something wrong with the Good Place's point calculation system.
I'm still wondering about the character of Jason, who to date, exhibits the least growth. (YMMV, although no one has convinced me yet.)
Eleanor: We have to leave immediately. You go out that exit, and we'll go out -
Jason (lighting up a maltov cocktail): Or we can just - here you go suckers -
Eleanor: No!
Later..
Michael: What we need to find is some evidence.
Jason: No, Michael, you are confused. Evidence is not something you want to find, it is something you want to destroy so you won't go to jail.
Michael: Jason, could you please go find me the coaster that fell behind that pillar over there?
Jason: Oh sure...(of he goes like a puppy)
Michael: Sorry, I needed a 30 second break.
Group: We totally understand.
Yep. Right there with you. Jason is slowly moving into grating territory.
This is a weird show for me. Usually, I care most about the characters -- in this series, I care more about the philosophical humor and satire. I don't know why this is...but I haven't really emotionally invested in a situation comedy character since the 1990s. It's why when people write long-heart wrenching bits on these characters, I find I'm channeling Spike from Buffy, "I'm paralyzed with not caring all that much" -- which is what is keeping me from falling in love with or obsessing over this show. I like a few of the characters a great deal, can even sort of identify (Eleanor, Michael, and Chidi), but I don't love them, and the other three, I find tolerable at best and grating at worst.
That said...there were some great bits here.
The scene where Michael and Janet realize what is wrong with this picture. That Doug is truly miserable and not a good representative, or if he is one...there's clearly something off about the system. This bit makes fun of the "do good deeds to get into heaven" religious philosophy that is at the forefront of many religions.
And the aforementioned ones regarding how they were going to escape. And Eleanor figuring out they were surrounded by Demons (providing an extra weight and meaning to what Michael had shown her earlier -- nice plotting there).
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend -- I fast-forwarded through about 80% of this weeks episode. I'm finding it harder and harder to watch. And not at all funny. There were two musical numbers -- but neither really worked. I can see why this is the final season. And they are doing a good job of wrapping things up, I guess. I'm hanging in there out of curiosity, but it's fading.
Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 both ended on cliff-hangers. Liked Grey's better. Station 19 hasn't quite found it's footing.
blackish -- did a tribute to Prince, which was a wee bit too over-the-top. It made fun of people who'd never heard of Prince, but was a tad over-the-top in how it went about it.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-17 04:22 am (UTC)I think it's one of those YMMV things. (shrugs). Because it obviously works for you on an emotional level and for quite a few others online.
I think you may be right about the "point system" -- and that it is possible no one gets into the Good Place because the system is rigged. Hence, a point system only a demon can love.
Doug was far too satirically over the top for me to find remotely tragic or care much about. Sorry. I did find him funny in places, mainly because I have one too many plant-based diet gurus on FB. It's very hard for me to emotionally invest in satirical, metaphorical or allegorical characters. This show relies heavily, possibly too heavily on satire and allegory -- distancing me a bit from the characters. It's a problem I've always had with satire and allegory. Also parody. Exaggeration comedy does not work for me. The Good Place works ...because for the most part it is rather subtle and the humor tends to be more intellectual.
I do agree that the fight was rather funny, although I spent most of it wondering why no one bothered to try and close or get rid of the bad place porthole. Maybe they just couldn't?