TV: His Dark Materials (HBO)

[Jussi]

Man, the Finnish by the English actress was hilariously bad. At least the guy spoke perfect Finnish. Aand his character was called "samoyed hunter" and played by Pasi Antero Remsu. Never heard of that name before.

 

[Osprey]

I've watched all 5 episodes so far and it's just not doing anything for me. I find myself rather bored by it. I don't find the story compelling or the characters interesting and the writing doesn't seem so great. For example, the girl does about the dumbest thing possible--use her secret, highly rare magical compass while walking through a populated camp--so that the writers could have her brought in and questioned about it by the authorities. Also, the compass seems like a rather convenient plot device, considering that she can apparently get an answer from it to get out of a jam or learn where to go next. Finally, there are just little things that don't work for me, like how most of the animals sound completely human... yet the bear actually sounds like a bear might sound if it could speak English. Anyways, I've given it time to grow on me and maybe I'll stick it out to see if it gets better down the stretch, but it hasn't worked for me so far.

 

[Peasy]

I've watched all 5 episodes so far and it's just not doing anything for me. I find myself rather bored by it. I don't find the story compelling or the characters interesting and the writing doesn't seem so great. For example, the girl does about the dumbest thing possible--use her secret, highly rare magical compass while walking through a populated camp--so that the writers could have her brought in and questioned about it by the authorities. Also, the compass seems like a rather convenient plot device, considering that she can apparently get a answer from it to get out of a jam or learn where to go next. Finally, there are just little things that don't work for me, like how most of the animals sound completely human... yet the bear actually sounds like a bear might sound if it could speak English. Anyways, I've given it time to grow on me and maybe I'll stick it out to see if it gets better down the stretch, but it hasn't worked for me so far.

Well daemons are part of a person's soul so imo it makes sense for them to sound human. The polar bears are not daemons.

 

[Osprey]

Well daemons are part of a person's soul so imo it makes sense for them to sound human. The polar bears are not daemons.

Thanks for the explanation. I still don't like it, but at least I know that it's deliberate.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Bump for season 2 now airing (on BBC here at least)

 

[Blender]

Bump for season 2 now airing (on BBC here at least)

I liked season 1 well enough, so I'll watch season 2. Supposed to premier here next Monday I believe.

 

[Jussi]

The Finnish names of the witches... Katja Sirkka

 

[Osprey]

I didn't like Season 1, so I may wait to see reviews of the first few episodes. It seems strange that the release is staggered so greatly, with the UK getting each episode just over a week earlier. HBO would've never allowed that for GoT. Of course, this isn't really an HBO show, but I don't see why they can't air each episode within a day of the UK release. This makes it less of a global event and harder for people around the world to discuss the show, since a lot of people will be always be an episode ahead of others. Maybe they'll synchronize the releases by the end of the Season, but it would've been better if they were synchronized from the start, IMO.

 

[Jussi]

I didn't like Season 1, so I may wait to see reviews of the first few episodes. It seems strange that the release is staggered so greatly, with the UK getting each episode just over a week earlier. HBO would've never allowed that for GoT. Of course, this isn't really an HBO show, but I don't see why they can't air each episode within a day of the UK release. This makes it less of a global event and harder for people around the world to discuss the show, since a lot of people will be always be an episode ahead of others. Maybe they'll synchronize the releases by the end of the Season, but it would've been better if they were synchronized from the start, IMO.

Considering US gets an overwhelming majority of their own series ahead of most countries, there's a heavy breath of entitlement in that comment.

 

[Osprey]

Considering US gets an overwhelming majority of their own series ahead of most countries, there's a heavy breath of entitlement in that comment.

I think that you either misunderstand that word or are projecting. Thinking that it'd be better if worldwide release dates were more synchronized is not acting entitled. Are you telling me that you've never wished for the same thing when you've gotten shows well behind their US air dates? This is something that we should be able to agree on. It'd be nice if worldwide release dates were more synchronized, period, whether that means European shows not being delayed in the US or US shows not being delayed in Europe.

 

[t0nedeff]

I think that you either misunderstand that word or you're projecting. Thinking that it'd be better if worldwide release dates were more synchronized is not acting entitled. Are you telling me that you've never wished for the same thing when you've gotten shows well behind their US air dates? Don't be a hypocrite. This is something that we should be able to agree on. It'd be nice if worldwide release dates were more synchronized, period, whether that means European shows not being delayed in the US or US shows not being delayed in Europe.

Literally who cares when you can download the episodes the moment it drops overseas?

 

[Osprey]

Literally who cares when you can download the episodes the moment it drops overseas?

Are you talking about illegally downloading them? If so, the answer to that should be obvious.

 

[Jussi]

Are you talking about illegally downloading them? If so, the answer to that should be obvious.

In several countries, like Finland, downloading is legal. Sharing isn't.

 

[Jussi]

I think that you either misunderstand that word or are projecting. Thinking that it'd be better if worldwide release dates were more synchronized is not acting entitled. Are you telling me that you've never wished for the same thing when you've gotten shows well behind their US air dates? This is something that we should be able to agree on. It'd be nice if worldwide release dates were more synchronized, period, whether that means European shows not being delayed in the US or US shows not being delayed in Europe.

As I said, the situation heavily favors the US. It's not just streaming services who air the shows, it's actually tv networks. They can't buy "all the shows" and provide subtitles for each.

If HBO wasn't involved in this, we might actually get the show the day it airs here in Finland like with Doctor Who episodes. National broadcasting companies, the tax payer funded, share content between each other fairly quickly and at reasonable prices (IIRC).

 

[Osprey]

In several countries, like Finland, downloading is legal. Sharing isn't.

Downloading copyrighted content is not legal in Finland or elsewhere. It's just rarely prosecuted because it's much more efficient to go after the ones doing the sharing. Do a little googling and you'll find stories of Finnish courts issuing search warrants and requiring ISPs to hand over IP addresses for alleged downloading of copyrighted content. It's the same way in the US, Canada, UK, etc. The law is against you if the copyright holders want to come after you, but they rarely do (or pursue it beyond initial threats) because it's a lot better to go after the source, instead.

As I said, the situation heavily favors the US.

That may be and thanks for sharing that perspective, but just don't confuse not having that same perspective for entitlement.

 

[Jussi]

Downloading copyrighted content is not legal in Finland or elsewhere. It's just rarely prosecuted because it's much more efficient to go after the ones doing the sharing. Do a little googling and you'll find stories of Finnish courts issuing search warrants and requiring ISPs to hand over IP addresses for alleged downloading of copyrighted content. It's the same way in the US, Canada, UK, etc. The law is against you if the copyright holders want to come after you, but they rarely do (or pursue it beyond initial threats) because it's a lot better to go after the source, instead.

First off, to clarify, it's not considered "a criminal offense" under Finnish law.

Law's changed about that. ISPs are not required to keep records of user activity anymore which has rendered a certain infamous law firm (Hedman brothers) redundant. My local phone company doesn't even block Pirate Bay, unlike some ISPs, because according to my buddy's former schoolmate, who works there, they have "better things to do".

 

[Kurtz]

This is a show for kids - I think that back when I was a kid, I would have liked it.

 

[t0nedeff]

Are you talking about illegally downloading them? If so, the answer to that should be obvious.

I guess you can continue whining while the rest of us discuss the episodes that you "can't" watch until they drop on the network that you are probably paying for.

 

[Osprey]

I guess you can continue whining while the rest of us discuss the episodes that you "can't" watch until they drop on the network that you are probably paying for.

Stating that it'd be nice if the release dates were synchronized has nothing to do with my ability to watch the episodes. I don't know why you're assuming that there's a connection, especially since I said that I don't plan to watch them any time soon, anyways. How can I be "whining" if I don't really care? In fact, I think that that lack of interest and saying that I didn't like Season 1 is what bothered both of you, since there's no good reason to get personal because I said that it'd nice if the release dates were synchronized. That ought be something that you can agree with if you care about discussing episodes. The way that it is now, some international viewers here may be hesitant to discuss episodes in depth because they're always a week ahead and some North American viewers may not participate in this thread if they're afraid of next week's episode being spoiled. That won't deter everyone, but everyone that it does deter reduces the discussion here. That wouldn't be an issue if, ideally, everyone got to watch the same episode each week. That's all.

 

[Jussi]

This is a show for kids - I think that back when I was a kid, I would have liked it.

The science stuff in the latest episode plus the killing in general tend not put some limits. This show has a "12" rating in the UK. It's definitely not for the youngest kids.

I felt the second episode helped in clarifying some elements of the series.

 

[Siamese Dream]

It's more "Young Adult" genre than kids. It airs at 8pm in the UK, still pre-watershed (after 9pm when you're allowed things like swears and sex) but not exactly prime time for kids.

Unlike when I read the books I actually find the "kids" storyline with Lyra much more entertaining than all the "adult" stuff. I find myself really not caring when there's any scene with the Magesterium people, and I put that down to relatively poor world-building in the TV adaptation. I felt the opposite when I read the books (which was only recently as an adult)

I liked the first episode of this series with Lyra meeting Will and building their relationship. Episode 2 was really slow and a bit too much of a science overload. It felt like they rushed to explain in 2 minutes stuff which needed many pages in the book.

 

[Jussi]

It's more "Young Adult" genre than kids. It airs at 8pm in the UK, still pre-watershed (after 9pm when you're allowed things like swears and sex) but not exactly prime time for kids.

Unlike when I read the books I actually find the "kids" storyline with Lyra much more entertaining than all the "adult" stuff. I find myself really not caring when there's any scene with the Magesterium people, and I put that down to relatively poor world-building in the TV adaptation. I felt the opposite when I read the books (which was only recently as an adult)

I liked the first episode of this series with Lyra meeting Will and building their relationship. Episode 2 was really slow and a bit too much of a science overload. It felt like they rushed to explain in 2 minutes stuff which needed many pages in the book.

Yeah, that is one aspect of the show which has not been done well.

Lyra and Will are the best parts of the series. Dafne Keen...As if it wasn't already apparent in Logan that she was going to be a star, this show just highlights it. She also seem's to be aging/growing quite rapidly in real life. If she's taller than Will's actor next season... I may have said it before but when Feige eventually gets to do X-Men proper, I wouldn't be surprised if Dafne Keen is there.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Yeah, that is one aspect of the show which has not been done well.

I feel like they didn't really establish the "rules" of Lyra's world nearly enough in season 1. We know Will's world is essentially our real life world, but it doesn't really go into enough detail about what sort of technology they do or don't have in Lyra's world or really any of the geopolitical structures which are essential to understand for that side of the plot.

 

[Siamese Dream]

This series seriously needs more Andrew Scott

 

[Jussi]

This series seriously needs more Andrew Scott

A bit weird to hear him talk in that accent.

I felt the show got a little more confusing again though I noticed the knife is in the opening credits.