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[shadowkat]

Back to work tomorrow -- after a lengthy break. Oh well at least it's just two days until the weekend. The hardest part is getting up at 5:45 am and getting on the subway. Using the new bag that my brother got me for Xmas -- we'll see how well it works. My brother considers himself a bag expert.

One of the things I accomplished this year was to improve my relationship with my brother and niece. So progress. Not that we were ever really estranged, but I'm working on keeping us a bit closer. And not letting dumb things like pride and envy get in the way.

Been sleeping in late, and staying up even later -- so this may be tricky.

Also need to figure out what I should binge-watch next.

*Witcher?
* The Inheritors/Heirs (Korean Drama on Netflix)
* The Expanse S4
* Finish watching The Crown

Or something else? I should watch The Irishman, Marriage Story, Judy, Ad Astra, and Downton Abby - I suppose, but I'm just not in the mood.

Did get some work done on current book (subversive and possibly unpublishable contemporary romance novel), but wanting to go back to sci-fi which is shorter and closer to done. (OR at least the first book in the series is done.) I write stories for myself mostly. My mother did tell me that her choir director is anxiously awaiting my next published novel. Apparently he's read Doing Time on Planet Earth twice and adores it. It's nice to have a few fans. I figure if you can please one person outside of yourself with a story -- or have connected with one person, you've achieved something -- even more so if he/she/they are a stranger that you've never really met. Which is the case here.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

I saw all of The Witcher last week. It starts slow and some things only make sense in the last episodes. But it does get more enjoyable. I am still early into S4 of The Expanse but it sounds like people have been happy with it so I suspect I will also be glad to have seen it. I liked the first half of S3 of The Crown more than the last half but I enjoyed the whole thing. Plus the friend who I introduced it to during our visit binge watched the whole thing and then we started on S1.

[shadowkat]

Thanks. I think I'll continue on the Crown then, start The Witcher, and see the Expanse.

I did finish His Dark Materials -- which surprised me by how good it was. While Marvelous Mrs. Maizel disappointed. Lost in Space also surprised me - S2 is so much better than S1.

[yourlibrarian]

I'd been wondering about Dark Materials. I haven't seen S1 or S2 of Mrs. Maizel yet, though it's on my list. I figure I'll be moving through various series on Prime this month and then will see if I continue on through February. I plan to pick up Disney+ but probably not until April.

[shadowkat]

His Dark Materials was by far among the best series I've seen this year. Well-written, and well-cast. (I also had read the books but about 20 years ago...) Maizel S1 and 2 are good, 3 has issues.

[mefisto]

I didn't figure it out until Ep. 4, but The Witcher is showing 3 different timelines for the 3 main characters. There are clues, but they were too subtle for me until Ep 4 made it obvious. One character is present day, one starts maybe 30 years in the past, and the third starts roughly 50 years in the past. They gradually converge.

[shadowkat]

Oh, thanks. That will help greatly when I start watching. Another television show that plays around with narrative timelines is This is Us. An episode will start in the 1980s, then jump to the 1990s, then back to the 1980s, then back to the 1970s, then skip 9 months from the present date, then jump back to the present, then forward to 2040, then back to nine months from 2019. It's really jarring at times and you have to pay close attention to figure out when you are, it doesn't always tell you.

[mefisto]

If you want, I'll tell you which character is on which timeline. I don't think it's much of a spoiler.

[shadowkat]

I've sort of already guessed. Geralt is the 50 year, Yennifer the one in between, and the young damsel the present day.

[mefisto]

Almost. Yennefer is the 50 year, Geralt is 30 years ago or less, Ciri is present day. Still, you did better than I did; as I say, it took me until Ep 4 to realize that there even were different timelines.

[shadowkat]

I saw the character pre-trailers online. But Yennefer being the 50 year old is interesting and fits with the trailer. I'm thinking of watching for her character -- which is trope that I adore, and that character intrigues me. Weirdly Geralt and Henry Caville don't interest me much at all. Which is odd, yet consistent -- I don't tend to be turned on by actors like Caville - they bore me for some reason.

[mefisto]

I'm totally watching for Yennefer, though I could see focusing on Ciri also. From what I've read on line, Ciri is probably the most important character, though I have no idea why (unspoiled). I see The Witcher more as a narrator, with help from Jaskier (a great secondary character; I hope he's in future episodes).

[shadowkat]

Ciri is the reason I'm on the fence about it -- she looks like the cliche fantasy blond damsel that I've grown very tired of. But I may try this weekend -- it's been rec'd by a lot of people whose opinions I trust.
Also, the production style looks good.

Word of warning though? It's on Netflix. Expect no more than 3 seasons, if that. Netflix has a thing about 30 episodes or not too many seasons for its shows. It's a very odd programming model.

[mefisto]

To put it in Buffy terms, I gather Ciri is The Key. I won't pass on the quasi-spoilers I've read, but it sounds like she does a lot and leads a pretty interesting life.

Yeah, others have warned about Netflix, so that's a risk. I'm hoping Amazon picks it up if Netflix lets me down. And hey, Netflix is giving 4 seasons to Stranger Things, so there's hope.

[shadowkat]

Like I said, Netflix is weird. Stranger Things should have only had two, maybe three seasons, if that -- it gets more, while other better shows got yanked. Very odd network.

[shadowkat]

I've gotten up to four episodes now -- and thanks for the warning about the three time lines -- even with the warning, I got surprised by episode four, when I realized -- oooh, Geralt is 30 years in the past! He met Yennifer before Ciri was even born.

This is not at all what I expected from the trailers. It's a whole lot more interesting, and weirdly feminist. And not as much focus on the monsters, also the monsters are somewhat innovative and interesting in of themselves.

There's a heavy anti-destiny theme, and a lot about breaking curses.

But I really like the characters and am somewhat pleased that they are doing the three time lines -- because it means I get to see more of the characters that I rather adored in the first episode. They seemingly kill off Jaskiar, Yennifer, and Ciri's grandmother and her grandmother's consort in the first episode.

Also, I can see what you mean by Ciri as The Key -- she seems to be the key to the other two character's journeys. As if all three somehow inadvertently effect each other's journeys by their own actions. And Ciri is a much stronger and more interesting character than expected. I thought they were going for the stale older non-aging timeless guy, with a dark shadowy past, and innocent yet powerful young girl romance (see Angel and Buffy) -- which I despise. Or worse, a love triangle between Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer. But no! It's three separate time lines, and three separate character journey's that merge at various points. That's new and innovative. I'm pleasantly surprised by this turn of events.

[mefisto]

It's hard to respond without spoilers, but I can say that the timelines will start to converge from here on out. And yeah, the story looks to be far more interesting than a love triangle (ick, in this case).

[shadowkat]

Ick would be right. Geralt would have been old enough to be her grandfather. I can do May/December romances...but if you go much past the 15-20 year mark, it's just icky.

I'll be done soon enough. It's only about 8-10 episodes.

[mefisto]

Only 8. :)

[shadowkat]

Oh, I'll be through with it by today then. Killed my digestive system yesterday, got little sleep, just want to sit and binge watch tv shows.

[mefisto]

Let me know what you think.