Watching Monday

[brigdh]

I'm inventing a new meme-like thing! It's like Reading Wednesday, but for TV. Or movies. Or whatever you happen to be watching. Because for once I am actually following along with several things, and I have thoughts.

Sleepy Hollow
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS WONDERFUL AND GOOD AND WHY ISN'T THERE A NEW EPISODE TONIGHT, WHY?

Dracula
God, this show is so crack-filled. Entertainingly so, mostly, but it is absolutely one of the most ridiculous things I've ever watched. The first episode was an hour of fascinating, constant insanity, which sadly the second and third episodes did not quite live up to. But the fourth seems to be fulfilling that promise.

AND THEN THERE WAS LESBIAN MUD-WRESTLING. See what I mean about the ridiculousness?
The whole Lady Jayne/Dracula relationship is utterly unappealing to me, particularly with Dracula explaining to her how she just wants to dominate men. Blagh. I think this was a moment when you can particularly see the problems with having the same person being the producer and lead actor.
Renfield is apparently what Dracula loves and values most! I approve of this. Hopefully the next episode involves lots of dramatic rescues.


No. 6
It's an anime about old-age-inducing bees! Okay, and also a dystopia and a very cute m/m couple and prison rescues and dogs and magic songs.

I found the beginning of this series fairly slow, but now so much is happening! Nezumi keeping the secret about Safu! Shion's 'good night' kiss! Nezumi and Shion punching each other and then promising to trust one another! Nezumi backstory! Everything is wonderful.

American Horror Story: Coven
There wasn't a new episode last week, but I just thought I'd mention I'm watching this show, too, even though every single thing they do with Delphine Lalaurie is irritating me. Um. I really like Marie Laveau?

Comments

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

nezumi and shioooooooooooont. give me all your feeeeeeeeeeeels. aren't they the MOST ADORABLE BABIES EVER and goodnight kisses and punches and ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ahhhhh.

(we don't really... talk about the bees. THERE'S NO BEES OKAY).

[lynndyre.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I think I might need to watch Dracula. And Sleepy Hollow, but I love silly Dracula stuff.

Are you watching Agents of SHIELD?

The other currently screening show I'm following is Almost Human - sci-fi cop partners, human and android. It's pretty awesome so far, and even though it's technically a crime-ridden slightly dystopian future, I keep finishing each episode grinning because Dorian and John are great.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Dracula has been lots of fun, though Sleepy Hollow is definitely my new favorite.

I haven't been watching Agents of Shield. I've seen a few of the movies, but am not really in MCU fandom. Are you enjoying it?

I did catch half-an-episode of Almost Human, and really liked it! The two main guys are wonderful.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

SO MANY FEELS.

I was very annoyed with Nezumi for hiding the message from Shion at first, so I liked that it was resolved in the next episode. And I was also annoyed with him for punching Shion, but then SHION PUNCHED HIM BACK AND IT WAS AMAZING. It was, like, the anti-seme/uke stereotype. Everyone getting to stand up for themselves and make their own stances and AHHHHH LOVE.

(The bees can be forgotten.)

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

Sounds like I need to at least try Sleepy Hollow, despite my faint, doomed sense that U.S. television is not for me, nor ever will be again. And hell, maybe even Dracula while I'm at it. How many episodes should a newcomer give Sleepy Hollow before it either takes over your brain or doesn't, do you think?

[lynndyre.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying AoS enough to finish watching it, but I'm not totally sure I like it enough to rec it to people. If you were in the MCU, definitely, a lot of the fun bits for me have been finding the intertextuality and cameos and exploration of the universe. I like Coulson a lot, but the tv-show-only characters haven't really grabbed me the same way.

It does have a good spread of women who are fully rounded characters, with different strengths and weaknesses (May is awesome), and it's building towards a good team-family vibe, which I like more than shipping anyone in particular. And I'm definitely anxiously awaiting the reveal for how Coulson is actually alive.

I guess it's that the individual weekly plots aren't grabbing me very hard? idk. It may gel together more as the team and plotlines build together, but if you're not very invested in the MCU, wait and see what people think after the season?


...and in the meantime watch Almost Human. XD

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Sleepy Hollow has been pleasing me greatly, though I don't know if it will work for you as well. It reminds me a lot of The X-Files or Buffy; it can be a bit self-consciously cheesy (and any show that uses 'Sympathy for the Devil' on the soundtrack of an episode about the devil is definitely aware of what it's doing) in its plots, but the characters are wonderfully engaging, and have great relationships with one another.

I was in love with it by episode three, and would guess that if by the end of four it's not for you, it would be a good place to stop.

(I can recommend Dracula much less wholeheartedly, though if you're in need of a show that features a vampire who plans to defeat his enemies- who all have invested in oil- by introducing free and safe electricity to the public, it's definitely a show that, uh... exists.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! You make it sound very interesting.

And ha, I probably will end up watching Almost Human. Several of the things I'm watching now and half-seasons, set to end soon, so I'm going to need more shows.

[lynndyre.livejournal.com]

^.^ I'm probably going to end up watching Sleepy Hollow. It hadn't really grabbed me from the promo stuff, but you make it sound like something I want to try!

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

ahhh yes. it's one of my favorite things about n6 - it's not the seme/uke stuff, it's an actual relationship between two clearly defined people, and they're both equally strong and weak in relation to each other.

(there're so many moments of - i don't know. unscripted tenderness, maybe? like dancing, or nezumi's shakespeare obsession, or goodnight kisses and promises).

i also think that for a m/m show it deals with safu pretty fairly. she's not demonised and she's not humiliated, and she has, albeit truncated, her own character arc, and she's not defined solely by her relationship with shion. which, granted, is not too high bar to clear, BUT STILL.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Sleepy Hollow also has the benefit of Orlando Jones (who plays a character on the show) participating in fandom via his twitter and tumblr. He's even been reccing fic from AO3 on his twitter and encouraging people to write slash starring his character.

He photoshopped a Christmas card from his character's family:
http://theorlandojones.tumblr.com/post/68721557506/first-week-in-december-checklist

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

'Unscripted tenderness' is an excellent way to put it. And cooking for one another and bandaging wounds and ahhh, so good.

I agree! I really like Safu and her plotline, and that she's not treated as ridiculous or pitiful for being in love with Shion. A lot of the secondary characters are great: Karan and Inu-kashi in particular.

[lavode.livejournal.com]

I'll definitely watch Sleepy Hollow when I get the opportunity. They were talking about Jones on fandom_wank, and that just makes me more curious.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

You should! If you're in a country that allows it, it's up on Hulu and other legal streaming sites.

Jones has also been livetweeting the episodes when they air on TV, which I find particularly hilarious as he apparently lives close enough to me that he gets the same commercials I do.

[somebraveapollo.livejournal.com]

I had actually literally forgotten about the bees. And the whole... spirit thing at the end. So when alina wrote me my Leverage/No 6 crossover I was like OKAY BUT DEAD IS DEAD AND HOW DO WE UNDO DEADNESS AHHHHHHHHHH WHAT THE FUCK and entirely forgot that we literally had resurrection in canon. With bees.

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE A SPOILER, CHILLA.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I actually don't mind the bees so much. I've certainly seen worse plot devices! They're just so easy to make fun of that it's hard to resist.