BSG: Frak one, marry one, kill one...

[Bleedin Green]

I have the 4 at a time thing, and I've had my movies for over a year and haven't watched 1 of them yet... Getting up to put a disk in seems like so much work.

Maybe I'll hire pac to do it for me.

Wow... that's impressive. In that case, why the hell haven't you just downgraded your service dumbass? You do realize that all you need is the 1 at a time and you get unlimited instant watch, right? Well, unless you can track down The Wire somewhere online I will say it's worth it to suck it up and get the discs. Since I can't be bothered downloading anything, the site I've always used for finding shows streaming online is sidereel.com, which usually works for me, if you or anyone else wants to give it a shot.

[slats]

Wow... that's impressive. In that case, why the hell haven't you just downgraded your service dumbass? You do realize that all you need is the 1 at a time and you get unlimited instant watch, right? Well, unless you can track down The Wire somewhere online I will say it's worth it to suck it up and get the discs. Since I can't be bothered downloading anything, the site I've always used for finding shows streaming online is sidereel.com, which usually works for me, if you or anyone else wants to give it a shot.

I downloaded the entire box set using Vuse. Only sampled it, but it looks good.

I need the files so I can watch at work. Have no decent wifi/3g there.

[Bleedin Green]

Different genre but IMO BSG > then Wire - and I think the Wire is great.

I just finished season 4 of the Wire last night and been thinking about it quite a bit today. Vic said I'd be rewarded with a great season 5 so looking forward to it. I want to see Marlow, Chris, and Snoop eviscerated.

That's quite the statement, I was definitely majorly hooked on the Wire from the beginning. Well it's not like there's sh*t on TV over the summer anyway, and given all the talk going on about BSG, I definitely plan on starting it soon. It actually got me to finally get back and wrap up the last season of the last show I was watching so I can get started on that.

[slats]

That's quite the statement, I was definitely majorly hooked on the Wire from the beginning. Well it's not like there's sh*t on TV over the summer anyway, and given all the talk going on about BSG, I definitely plan on starting it soon. It actually got me to finally get back and wrap up the last season of the last show I was watching so I can get started on that.

Make sure you watch the mini-series first. Haha! I didn't, and was confused about stuff it seemed like I was supposed to know but didn't. The mini-series really sets up the entire run.

[Dan.]

I still need to get going on BSG, it's been in the queue of TV shows to watch for a while now, just kind of fell off track for a while. One of the first shows I actually did that with was The Wire, and I definitely highly recommend it. Amazing show, and I would probably even go back and watch the entire series again at some point.

I've seen Season 1 four times and Season 2 twice already. Soooooooo gooooood! I haven't moved on to the fourth and fifth seasons yet, though.

[Dan.]

That's quite the statement, I was definitely majorly hooked on the Wire from the beginning. Well it's not like there's sh*t on TV over the summer anyway, and given all the talk going on about BSG, I definitely plan on starting it soon. It actually got me to finally get back and wrap up the last season of the last show I was watching so I can get started on that.

Repeat message, dumb phone

[Dan.]

That's quite the statement, I was definitely majorly hooked on the Wire from the beginning. Well it's not like there's sh*t on TV over the summer anyway, and given all the talk going on about BSG, I definitely plan on starting it soon. It actually got me to finally get back and wrap up the last season of the last show I was watching so I can get started on that.

I think the Wire is objectively better as a whole, but BSG is more fun/suspenseful (so far).

[Dan.]

And to answer this thread's initial question, I don't like any of them. All three are lame and weird. Maybe they will get better.

[Bleedin Green]

Make sure you watch the mini-series first. Haha! I didn't, and was confused about stuff it seemed like I was supposed to know but didn't. The mini-series really sets up the entire run.

I was actually looking into all of that earlier tonight. Between the mini-series and the movies stuck in between seasons I wanted to make sure I get it all right.

[Jets Voice of Reason]

I was actually looking into all of that earlier tonight. Between the mini-series and the movies stuck in between seasons I wanted to make sure I get it all right.

Yep. The miniseries is pretty much episodes one and two for the show. If you just sat through the "pilot" of season one, they pretty much just dive into the story, not explaining any of the characters or their back stories at all, and make plenty of references to what happened in the miniseries.

[Bleedin Green]

Yep. The miniseries is pretty much episodes one and two for the show. If you just sat through the "pilot" of season one, they pretty much just dive into the story, not explaining any of the characters or their back stories at all, and make plenty of references to what happened in the miniseries.

Well it looks like Netflix was smart about it, and if watch the series on instant-watch it actually has it setup with the miniseries as the first couple of episodes. As it is, I can't start watching shows that are even currently on TV without going back and catching up because of that. It's just beyond annoying not knowing things being referenced.

[Bleedin Green]

Well I can see now that it's definitely one of those shows it's very hard to not think "just one more episode" on. Already got through the miniseries and half of the first season so far this weekend. Although I have to ask, does this president bitch get any less intolerable at any point in this show? She's the one character that annoys the crap out of me and given the entire background of the character, I find it beyond asinine that not only does she interject herself into so many of these situations that she has no clue about, but that people actually listen to her. The only other person I found real irritating at the beginning was Lee, because in the early going he was a seriously whiny bitch, but it seems that they've chilled out on that a bit already which is nice. Otherwise, so far so good for the most part. Although I'm still going to hold off on any statements about this show's supposed superiority to The Wire.

[CTM]

Pres is cool .. Lee adama is a whiney bitch

[Bleedin Green]

Pres is cool .. Lee adama is a whiney bitch

Interesting, well we'll see if I come to agree with you on that regarding the pres. A bunch more episodes later and she's still annoying the crap out of me. I'm definitely hooked on this show hardcore now though. Only real criticism would probably be that they utilize a strategy that has unfortunately become WAAAY too common in TV and movies lately. Every now and then there's something they decide they want to do in the show that has no real rationale behind it, so they just choose to do it anyway and simply offer no explanation. I've definitely found myself thinking "there's nothing about that which makes any sense", even when accounting for the obvious strange things that are to be expected on the basis of what's going on in the story.

[slats]

Only real criticism would probably be that they utilize a strategy that has unfortunately become WAAAY too common in TV and movies lately. Every now and then there's something they decide they want to do in the show that has no real rationale behind it, so they just choose to do it anyway and simply offer no explanation. I've definitely found myself thinking "there's nothing about that which makes any sense", even when accounting for the obvious strange things that are to be expected on the basis of what's going on in the story.

I think I thought the same thing - that there were a few "fluff" episodes, that really didn't push the plot forward. A sidetrack with some problem that had supposedly been there all along, and was just being talked about now by the otherwise busybody president and commander/admiral. Like - oh sh*t, we need 20 episodes, but we've only got 17 or 18 good ones!

I'm midway thru The Wire right now, and I'm seeing absolutely none of that fluff so far. Running a series that's only 10-13 episodes per season probably helps, but they are true 60 minute shows on HBO as opposed to the 43 minutes a BSG episode lasted. So far it's awesome. I have no idea why I didn't get into it at the time. One thing that's killing me is how fast technology has come in the real world. That show aired in 2002, and was shot for square TV's - which is the first thing you notice. But then you get one young character who should really know better completely amazed at how a search engine on a (Gateway!) computer works, or that a digital camera doesn't take film.

Oh, in between BSG and The Wire, my son wanted me to watch BBC's Sherlock which is an updated Sherlock Holmes series. Series One is just three hour and a half episodes. You have to buy in to Sherlock in the 21st Century (a.k.a. - now), but it's definitely fun, clever, and worth a look. It's got a modern edge where everyone views Sherlock as a freak, and Sherlock similarly has little regard for all the stupid people around him wasting their time thinking about stupid things such as whether the Earth revolves around the Sun or vice versa. For reference, the guy who played the Jim character in the British Office plays Dr. John Watson. He's well cast.

[Jets Voice of Reason]

I think I thought the same thing - that there were a few "fluff" episodes, that really didn't push the plot forward. A sidetrack with some problem that had supposedly been there all along, and was just being talked about now by the otherwise busybody president and commander/admiral. Like - oh sh*t, we need 20 episodes, but we've only got 17 or 18 good ones!

I'm midway thru The Wire right now, and I'm seeing absolutely none of that fluff so far. Running a series that's only 10-13 episodes per season probably helps, but they are true 60 minute shows on HBO as opposed to the 43 minutes a BSG episode lasted. So far it's awesome. I have no idea why I didn't get into it at the time. One thing that's killing me is how fast technology has come in the real world. That show aired in 2002, and was shot for square TV's - which is the first thing you notice. But then you get one young character who should really know better completely amazed at how a search engine on a (Gateway!) computer works, or that a digital camera doesn't take film.

Oh, in between BSG and The Wire, my son wanted me to watch BBC's Sherlock which is an updated Sherlock Holmes series. Series One is just three hour and a half episodes. You have to buy in to Sherlock in the 21st Century (a.k.a. - now), but it's definitely fun, clever, and worth a look. It's got a modern edge where everyone views Sherlock as a freak, and Sherlock similarly has little regard for all the stupid people around him wasting their time thinking about stupid things such as whether the Earth revolves around the Sun or vice versa. For reference, the guy who played the Jim character in the British Office plays Dr. John Watson. He's well cast.

Totally agree. We're in the middle of the second season, but there are definitely a few filler episodes that are self-contained and don't push the plot forward at all. And like you said, there are ancillary storylines that suddenly become the focus after everyone ignored them for a while.

Dan and I hated the episode where Lucy Lawless is making the documentary. I thought the crew just did things that were completely out of character, hated that the culprit in the episode was some schmuck you saw for like 5 minutes, and the ending where the cylons are watching the documentary made me want to barf.

I also have an issue with some of their music. For some reason, they do "titanic-esque" sappy nostalgic tunes in season 2 that makes it feel weird. I like most of the music on it, but I just felt like sometimes it's hokey as sh*t.

Love the show overall though. Most of the writing and acting are very good. None of my complaints about it made me less hooked .

[CTM]

If only I could think of a riff on siskel and ebert involving a hippy and a multi-personality tranny

[slats]

If only I could think of a riff on siskel and ebert involving a hippy and a multi-personality tranny

Ah... the deep, rich irony of a Phish fan trying to make a derogatory remark about a hippie, or CTM making a derogatory remark about trannies.

[CTM]

Hah? What's derogatory about calling you guys critics?

[slats]

Totally agree. We're in the middle of the second season, but there are definitely a few filler episodes that are self-contained and don't push the plot forward at all. And like you said, there are ancillary storylines that suddenly become the focus after everyone ignored them for a while.

Dan and I hated the episode where Lucy Lawless is making the documentary. I thought the crew just did things that were completely out of character, hated that the culprit in the episode was some schmuck you saw for like 5 minutes, and the ending where the cylons are watching the documentary made me want to barf.

I also have an issue with some of their music. For some reason, they do "titanic-esque" sappy nostalgic tunes in season 2 that makes it feel weird. I like most of the music on it, but I just felt like sometimes it's hokey as sh*t.

Love the show overall though. Most of the writing and acting are very good. None of my complaints about it made me less hooked .

Yeah, that one would probably stand out to me, too.

I really liked the show, and watched it all the way thru because I was hooked in - but the whole premise is actually kinda silly. The fact that there's a civilian government at all, or a free press? Haha! As much as I love me some liberal liberties, that situation calls for a benevolent military dictatorship. Train up a large group of citizens to be your police force in exchange for better food/quarters/etc., and squash absolutely every last bit of subversive nonsense before it starts. These people need the military to keep them alive. Shouldn't be that hard to keep them in line.

OTOH, just finished up season two of The Wire last night and I'm loving every moment of that show. I love the way they take their time really putting together the plot. Every scene pushes it forward, and develops the characters more. One character mentioned The French Connection in the second season, and before he did I knew the writer/creator of this show had to be a big fan. He loves telling parts of the story without any dialog at all. I bet they'd do more of that if they didn't know that they'd lose a lot of people's attention.

[Jets Voice of Reason]

Yeah, that one would probably stand out to me, too.

I really liked the show, and watched it all the way thru because I was hooked in - but the whole premise is actually kinda silly. The fact that there's a civilian government at all, or a free press? Haha! As much as I love me some liberal liberties, that situation calls for a benevolent military dictatorship. Train up a large group of citizens to be your police force in exchange for better food/quarters/etc., and squash absolutely every last bit of subversive nonsense before it starts. These people need the military to keep them alive. Shouldn't be that hard to keep them in line.

OTOH, just finished up season two of The Wire last night and I'm loving every moment of that show. I love the way they take their time really putting together the plot. Every scene pushes it forward, and develops the characters more. One character mentioned The French Connection in the second season, and before he did I knew the writer/creator of this show had to be a big fan. He loves telling parts of the story without any dialog at all. I bet they'd do more of that if they didn't know that they'd lose a lot of people's attention.

LOL! I forgot to mention that, Dan and I said the same thing. Although there were only 50,000 survivors or so to start, luckily, the entire free press was unscathed. Boom mics, broadcasting equipment, and cameras all intact and everything! And yeah, I agree. When it's the fate of humanity on the line, civil liberties would probably take something of a backseat realistically.

Dan's favorite season of The Wire was the second season. I really liked the Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell storyline better though.

[Sharrow]

I just figured there was a "journalism ship" among the fleet.

[Bleedin Green]

Yeah, that one would probably stand out to me, too.

I really liked the show, and watched it all the way thru because I was hooked in - but the whole premise is actually kinda silly. The fact that there's a civilian government at all, or a free press? Haha! As much as I love me some liberal liberties, that situation calls for a benevolent military dictatorship. Train up a large group of citizens to be your police force in exchange for better food/quarters/etc., and squash absolutely every last bit of subversive nonsense before it starts. These people need the military to keep them alive. Shouldn't be that hard to keep them in line.

OTOH, just finished up season two of The Wire last night and I'm loving every moment of that show. I love the way they take their time really putting together the plot. Every scene pushes it forward, and develops the characters more. One character mentioned The French Connection in the second season, and before he did I knew the writer/creator of this show had to be a big fan. He loves telling parts of the story without any dialog at all. I bet they'd do more of that if they didn't know that they'd lose a lot of people's attention.

Yeah, that's been a huge part for me that really has left me shaking my head at nearly every turn. Which is what I think more annoys me about the president situation than the actual character itself, the entire concept just seems so ridiculous. That said, given how some events unfolded at the end of season 1 / beginning of season 2 that at least helped make me feel a little better about it all (although I know it's not going to last).

LOL! I forgot to mention that, Dan and I said the same thing. Although there were only 50,000 survivors or so to start, luckily, the entire free press was unscathed. Boom mics, broadcasting equipment, and cameras all intact and everything! And yeah, I agree. When it's the fate of humanity on the line, civil liberties would probably take something of a backseat realistically.

Dan's favorite season of The Wire was the second season. I really liked the Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell storyline better though.

The second season took some real getting used to for me. I was such a huge fan and so hooked on the first season, it really threw me off when they made such major changes to the focus and parts of the main cast. Of course they tied it all back in and made everything work, but at the beginning it definitely threw me off. I really did end up liking everything from the entire series, but I'd probably side more with you in terms of what I preferred. That said, anything that involved my man Omar was just awesome (and I have no doubt he is surely a JN favorite).

[CTM]

Yeah, that one would probably stand out to me, too.

I really liked the show, and watched it all the way thru because I was hooked in - but the whole premise is actually kinda silly. The fact that there's a civilian government at all, or a free press? Haha! As much as I love me some liberal liberties, that situation calls for a benevolent military dictatorship. Train up a large group of citizens to be your police force in exchange for better food/quarters/etc., and squash absolutely every last bit of subversive nonsense before it starts. These people need the military to keep them alive. Shouldn't be that hard to keep them in line.

OTOH, just finished up season two of The Wire last night and I'm loving every moment of that show. I love the way they take their time really putting together the plot. Every scene pushes it forward, and develops the characters more. One character mentioned The French Connection in the second season, and before he did I knew the writer/creator of this show had to be a big fan. He loves telling parts of the story without any dialog at all. I bet they'd do more of that if they didn't know that they'd lose a lot of people's attention.

see to me, the subject matter of the wire seems a lot less interesting.. Galactica got into some deeper themes... I'm totally ignorant of the wire, so I could be off base, but I like the whole god / evolution element in bsg

there was definitely plot holes, but lost was just a giant mess in terms of plot holes, but the subject was interesting..

LOL! I forgot to mention that, Dan and I said the same thing. Although there were only 50,000 survivors or so to start, luckily, the entire free press was unscathed. Boom mics, broadcasting equipment, and cameras all intact and everything! And yeah, I agree. When it's the fate of humanity on the line, civil liberties would probably take something of a backseat realistically.

Dan's favorite season of The Wire was the second season. I really liked the Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell storyline better though.

I didn't think it was the entire free press. I'm sure out of 50k people you could expect several "press" people.. Espeically considering the attack happenned during the decommisioning of the battle star galactica, which presumably some of the pres would've attended..

And I do buy that there'd be a struggle between milatery dictatorship and the need for a civilian government / democratic process.. after moving out of war mode and into survival mode

[Dan.]

Dan's favorite season of The Wire was the second season. I really liked the Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell storyline better though.

I found the Sobotka family very compelling.

[slats]

The second season took some real getting used to for me. I was such a huge fan and so hooked on the first season, it really threw me off when they made such major changes to the focus and parts of the main cast. Of course they tied it all back in and made everything work, but at the beginning it definitely threw me off. I really did end up liking everything from the entire series, but I'd probably side more with you in terms of what I preferred. That said, anything that involved my man Omar was just awesome (and I have no doubt he is surely a JN favorite).

Izzy's penis would be popular on JN, too. Wonder how it compares to JVoR's...

Watching all in one lump made it easier. I remember catching a couple episodes when it first ran, but not being seriously involved made it impossible to follow. That's actually one of the best things about the show. I find myself going back over scenes to make sure I understood what just happened. I also find myself fighting the urge to use phrases like, "mos' def," and "ya feel me?"

[Dan.]

Izzy's penis would be popular on JN, too. Wonder how it compares to JVoR's...

Watching all in one lump made it easier. I remember catching a couple episodes when it first ran, but not being seriously involved made it impossible to follow. That's actually one of the best things about the show. I find myself going back over scenes to make sure I understood what just happened. I also find myself fighting the urge to use phrases like, "mos' def," and "ya feel me?"

Lol I love saying "mos' def" now. It's catchy.

[Dan.]

Oh and I <3 Omar too.

[Bleedin Green]

see to me, the subject matter of the wire seems a lot less interesting.. Galactica got into some deeper themes... I'm totally ignorant of the wire, so I could be off base, but I like the whole god / evolution element in bsg

there was definitely plot holes, but lost was just a giant mess in terms of plot holes, but the subject was interesting..

I didn't think it was the entire free press. I'm sure out of 50k people you could expect several "press" people.. Espeically considering the attack happenned during the decommisioning of the battle star galactica, which presumably some of the pres would've attended..

And I do buy that there'd be a struggle between milatery dictatorship and the need for a civilian government / democratic process.. after moving out of war mode and into survival mode

Definitely true about Lost, but I think I was a bit more accepting of it with Lost simply because they made no bones about the fact that from the beginning the entire premise of the show was based on just crazy whacked out ideas. While the setting of BSG certainly fails under the category of sci-fi / fantasy, I feel like the basis for the story of the show and the characters is still supposed to be more reality based, which is why I'm perhaps less accepting of some of those things. Although as the show progresses on, I'm seeing that perhaps that isn't as much the case as I originally thought (given the credence they've been giving to all of the god / scripture stuff as the show has gone on).

As far as The Wire goes, I don't think any explanation can give it justice, you really just have to watch it. There have been so many crime dramas over the years, that I think a lot of people expect that The Wire is more of the same BS, but it's definitely a completely different take and perspective than anything else out there. What makes The Wire so interesting isn't really the overall theme of the show as much as the real details of the characters and specific events. Frankly, I wouldn't even really try to directly compare the The Wire and BSG because they are just such different shows from top to bottom.

[Jets Voice of Reason]

see to me, the subject matter of the wire seems a lot less interesting.. Galactica got into some deeper themes... I'm totally ignorant of the wire, so I could be off base, but I like the whole god / evolution element in bsg

there was definitely plot holes, but lost was just a giant mess in terms of plot holes, but the subject was interesting..

I didn't think it was the entire free press. I'm sure out of 50k people you could expect several "press" people.. Espeically considering the attack happenned during the decommisioning of the battle star galactica, which presumably some of the pres would've attended..

And I do buy that there'd be a struggle between milatery dictatorship and the need for a civilian government / democratic process.. after moving out of war mode and into survival mode

Disagree. When the world ends, i'll ******* show you who's right.

Obviously, this is a purely hypothetical situation, so who the hell knows who would be right, but I think something like that would really come down to the type of people who are left standing. There are lot of people in this world who would get greedy with power. Once you get into a martial law situation, I'd imagine that it'd be really difficult to transition back into a civilian government, especially when the civilian population would be so small. Kind of difficult to launch a grass-roots campaign when there aren't many seeds planted.

And yeah, I agree. BSG has plot holes and other issues, but it was head and shoulders above most of the generic shows out there. Very entertaining.

[slats]

see to me, the subject matter of the wire seems a lot less interesting.. Galactica got into some deeper themes... I'm totally ignorant of the wire, so I could be off base, but I like the whole god / evolution element in bsg

I liked that. You mentioned it before I started watching and maybe I expected more, as I really enjoy religious/philosophical exploration. The god stuff really bordered more on fantasy than anything real, to me, anyway.

Agree with BG that you can't compare The Wire to BSG. Two shows couldn't be more different. You'd compare Wire to -say- The Sopranos, and say the Wire was better.

[CTM]

I liked that. You mentioned it before I started watching and maybe I expected more, as I really enjoy religious/philosophical exploration. The god stuff really bordered more on fantasy than anything real, to me, anyway.

Yeah, i liked the episodes that dealt with that and was interested that the Cylons had a more "modern" view on divinity then the humans did.. What is god, what makes you "alive". It's interesting to me, that if you beleive in intelligent design, you kind of acknowledge that we are in a way, machines built by god, running his design.. So if some day some programmer creates true AI, is he god like?

[slats]

Yeah, i liked the episodes that dealt with that and was interested that the Cylons had a more "modern" view on divinity then the humans did.. What is god, what makes you "alive". It's interesting to me, that if you beleive in intelligent design, you kind of acknowledge that we are in a way, machines built by god, running his design.. So if some day some programmer creates true AI, is he god like?

Yeah, I don't want to ruin the ending for people who haven't seen it yet, but I might've done a couple things differently.

Also, another thing that I found distracting was that they did everything in contemporary English, except that they frakked on morpha, Godsdamnit.

[CTM]

Yeah, I don't want to ruin the ending for people who haven't seen it yet, but I might've done a couple things differently.

Also, another thing that I found distracting was that they did everything in contemporary English, except that they frakked on morpha, Godsdamnit.

lol and agree about the ending, wasn't a fan.. all of the gods damnit stuff got a chuckle.. oh my gods..

[Bleedin Green]

Yeah, I don't want to ruin the ending for people who haven't seen it yet, but I might've done a couple things differently.

Also, another thing that I found distracting was that they did everything in contemporary English, except that they frakked on morpha, Godsdamnit.

Funny thing is as I sit here watching another episode, I actually came in this thread to post about all of the frakking "frak". It's just a little frakking excessive, isn't it? Seriously, I've heard it said at least 5 times since I started typing this frakking post. Nobody says **** 1/10th as often as these frakking people frakking say frak.