tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post6713672893635871641..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: What the fuck is happening here? By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48391362945137090712012-09-10T05:31:04.293-07:002012-09-10T05:31:04.293-07:00I love Law & Order for the most part but reall...I love Law & Order for the most part but really haven't watched those shows too much the past few years. A while back I tuned into an episode. It started out focused on the male head of a fashion company who's found murdered, possibly by his most recent sex partner. But no, it turns out that he actually cut someone off in traffic and that person posted his license plate to an online site where people egg one another on to get revenge against other people and one of the users of the site is a woman who was unbalanced. Then a few scenes of computer magic: someone on the site tracks down the victim's address using his license plate (the DMV lets just anyone search their database, right?) and then goes online and disables the security system in the victim's building (just like that!) so this unbalanced woman, who weighs about 90 pounds sopping wet, can get in and overpower this well muscled 35 year old guy and throttle him to death so the L&O team decides to bring charges against the other folks on the website who...well, it went on like that for quite some time. I mean, jeez.Shrill1https://www.blogger.com/profile/15267503850378393807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50863257248980653592012-09-07T20:54:43.617-07:002012-09-07T20:54:43.617-07:00I actually liked that episode of Perception - I pr...I actually liked that episode of Perception - I pretty much had it figured out before they explained everything though.<br />Agreed that the White Collar episode, while cute, was a bit too complicated.jenwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56629155567254438322012-09-07T16:46:49.762-07:002012-09-07T16:46:49.762-07:00Dana Gabbard,
I was hoping for a more detailed...Dana Gabbard,<br /> I was hoping for a more detailed explanation of Ken's "WTF" reaction in order to better understand his opinion, not to imply 'right' or 'wrong' or any such thing. It would be interesting at least to me why he as a writer thought "WTF" while I as a viewer thought it competent & quite watchable if a bit far-fetched. I won't be buying the series, however...darmsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18745610672781987752012-09-07T12:30:58.083-07:002012-09-07T12:30:58.083-07:00Darns says he is an engineer. Well, everyone knows...Darns says he is an engineer. Well, everyone knows they are infamous outliers for juries and political polling from being literal and detached. And evidently have a high opinion of their opinion. <br /><br />Frankly if I was a producer of either show and read this entry, Ken's reaction is what I would value (not the condescending "I'm so smart that I got it" types) and gather the tribe for a session of analyzing what the shows need to change to give the audience a break.Dana Gabbardhttp://socata.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70498614329770853152012-09-07T06:14:05.039-07:002012-09-07T06:14:05.039-07:00These are shows? On television?
I've literal...These are shows? On television?<br /><br />I've literally never heard of them before this. I'm not sure if that's on them or on me. I don't watch as much scripted dramas as I used to, but I still seem to have more than I have time for.<br /><br />Heck, I still have last year's Castle and Person of Interest shows on my TiVo. The only show I've stayed current with this summer was Longmire (and I haven't watched the finale, yet).WizarDruhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00251397305365764287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15281041923013643682012-09-07T06:11:12.878-07:002012-09-07T06:11:12.878-07:00Re Mike re Atlas Shrugged 2:
According to Tom Sch...Re Mike re Atlas Shrugged 2:<br /><br />According to <a href="https://twitter.com/scharpling/status/243945765809045504" rel="nofollow">Tom Scharpling</a>, "Just saw an advance screening of ATLAS SHRUGGED 2. It's not very good but Paul Ryan's acting is surprisingly solid."GFoylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48157927464753880812012-09-07T03:50:14.172-07:002012-09-07T03:50:14.172-07:00Never heard of "White Collar," but I rea...Never heard of "White Collar," but I really like "Perception." It's filled the lone non-comedy spot in my TV week that "House" used to take up. I think the early episodes were a little rough, but the writing has improved very quickly. Once you understand the premise, it's pretty clear when he's hallucinating because it's either a recurring character you know or it's something so off the wall, it has to be an illusion that his mind is conjuring up to help him solve the mystery. (TIP: My wife has a hearing problem and puts on the closed captions. With this show, that might also help the non-hearing impaired.) <br /><br />Also, Eric McCormack is terrific in it. He makes me forget "Will and Grace," and I mean that compliment on at least two levels.Pat Reederhttp://www.hollywoodhifi.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68225997770329232192012-09-06T20:14:00.752-07:002012-09-06T20:14:00.752-07:00Ken, now that Breaking Bad has finished its run fo...Ken, now that Breaking Bad has finished its run for the season, I'm curious as to what you think of the writing of it.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760229533287495672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81628746544562179312012-09-06T19:59:52.438-07:002012-09-06T19:59:52.438-07:00The ONLY episode of Perception I've ever seen ...The ONLY episode of Perception I've ever seen was the one you described; I thought it was me who was having difficulty keeping the wives, and hallucinations, straight.Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16185220319287127312012-09-06T18:56:03.882-07:002012-09-06T18:56:03.882-07:00The White Collar staff has woven a nice little wor...The White Collar staff has woven a nice little world which I like to visit. The exterior scenes show NYC at its most beautiful. But they seem to write 2-hour episodes that they then chop down to 40 minutes by cutting out the middle and throwing in a deus ex machina or two.<br /><br />For instance, there's the one where Jones' ex's husband mysteriously vanished halfway around the world. Missing-guy's boss just happens to be in NYC, so the gang crashes a party to try to get some intel on him. While the party is going on, who should show up outside but missing-guy! He wants to see his boss, too. Case closed in just 15 minutes! Oh wait, missing-guy spends a couple minutes giving us exposition about evil boss that would take too long if it were acted out, and now it appears they'll have to pull a caper for the next half hour to really solve the problem. Just awful pacing.Lou H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-97563277315441392012-09-06T18:49:11.753-07:002012-09-06T18:49:11.753-07:00I thought that particular "White Collar"...I thought that particular "White Collar" episode was detailed, though perhaps clumsy, but still easy to follow and understand. No complaints here!<br /><br />I find it hard to believe that "The story was impossible to follow." <br /><br />Instead of saying "What the fuck is happening here?" do you have more specific questions pertaining to the plot? Otherwise, it seems like you missed a few key points at the beginning that screwed the episode for you the remainder of the way.<br /><br /> Damon Rutherfordnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63114290078479222702012-09-06T14:25:44.732-07:002012-09-06T14:25:44.732-07:00I dunno, personally once I accepted the convention...I dunno, personally once I accepted the conventions of "White Coller" as 'real' (which they obviously are not) I enjoyed and had no trouble following that particular episode. For me there were no jarring notes to cause me to lose my "willing suspension of disbelief" and I liked that I couldn't guess the outcome until the end of the show. Since you are a highly-skilled comedy writer and I am but an employed engineer I do value your opinion but would like to know more if you care to discuss this further. You said "What it really was was a complete utter mess. The story was impossible to follow. Pages and pages were devoted to exposition trying to get the audience on board but the explanations were even more arcane than the action. There were coordinates, codes to be broken, treasure maps, clues, and the whole while I just kept saying, WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING HERE?". I on the other hand had no problem following the plot and as for the "coordinates, codes to be broken, treasure maps, clues, et al", I took them in stride as the underlying tone of the show is to me "tongue in cheek". Certainly I enjoyed this episode far more than the recent Nicholas Cage "National Treasure" movies which IMHO I found to be ridiculous...darmsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37549409339790765792012-09-06T14:22:59.502-07:002012-09-06T14:22:59.502-07:00My first thought is these scripts are the natural ...My first thought is these scripts are the natural descendants of "Lost" <br /><br />Not soap operas, but complicated enough to keep the truly devout fully engaged -- like baseball or the Catholic Church.Phillip Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08498595633633248863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12810015880402355302012-09-06T13:43:52.153-07:002012-09-06T13:43:52.153-07:00@Mike:I'm wondering how Atlas Shrugged 2 will ...@Mike:<i>I'm wondering how Atlas Shrugged 2 will handle a whole new cast.</i><br />At the start of the film, an announcement to the audience:<br /><b>The entire cast of <i>Atlas Shrugged 1</i> has been fired and replaced by a younger and cheaper cast.</b><br />The audience for <i>Atlas Shrugged</i> will understand.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39674122142851260502012-09-06T12:26:51.416-07:002012-09-06T12:26:51.416-07:00Question, if you have a series and you introduce a...Question, if you have a series and you introduce a new actor to play a character, do you just let it sink in for the audience, or do you do anything special to make the audience comfortable? Any difference for a movie series? I'm wondering how Atlas Shrugged 2 will handle a whole new cast.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1645634759791998062012-09-06T11:47:13.655-07:002012-09-06T11:47:13.655-07:00simple shows, like Chuck, spell the plot out for y...simple shows, like Chuck, spell the plot out for you in one or two sentences. This usually happens at the same time my roommate walks in with a report on dinner. (or my brain is so wrapped up in trying to figure out where I've seen that actress before, that I miss it)<br /><br />Almost all season, Once Upon a Time ran in a timeslot that somehow conflicted wth me reading my email. Also, summer existed. So now I have to rewatch the entire thing (I should have done it first - as it turns out, Smash is mid-season and could have waited)<br /><br />Roommate watches Burn Notice and stuff on Syfy. Luckily those run multiple times. I've been watching network primetime Live for a while now (something I haven't done since I moved my TV to the bedroom in 1999 and watched absolutely everything off VHS). The DVR has been dreaking files on drive 1 - putting holes in episodes that stop playing in the middle. Need to get brother t replace drive (and vacuum out the duck feathers).<br /><br />So glad I never tried to watch Lost. Soneone tweeted that Clinton was going to explain it last night.<br /><br />Oh right - the reason i'm watching live TV. We don't have digital cable, but we get digital HD for the broadcast networks over our cable and it's shinier and prettier than analog SD from DVR. Cable networks look prettier on DVR (I figure the TV is getting the crappy end of the multiple split in the signal).<br /><br />A lot of people explain things, leaving out many important details cause they live with it too long. TV writers shouldn't be among them.Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40223655119245689232012-09-06T11:14:17.086-07:002012-09-06T11:14:17.086-07:00Ken, the most recent episode of PERCEPTION was equ...Ken, the most recent episode of PERCEPTION was equally convoluted. The murder of a campus coed involved a royal playboy, a deluded stalker, a devious chemistry student, and an experimental drug, with the subplot involving plagiarism, a brain injury and McCormack interacting with a hallucinatory version of his college-age self. That said, sometimes these shows need all the bells and whistles they can get to avoid that 'been there, done that' feeling.<br /><br />The show is basically A BEAUTIFUL MIND as a procedural, so, yeah,the hallucinations were there from the beginning.jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88075682413071719912012-09-06T10:41:08.692-07:002012-09-06T10:41:08.692-07:00Compare the post's first photo to this one: ht...Compare the post's first photo to this one: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/shortcuts/2012/apr/11/breivik-lawyers-scandinavian-crime-drama<br /><br />Just sayin'...Anehttp://angelundercover.blogg.no/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63764322311208730002012-09-06T10:37:50.879-07:002012-09-06T10:37:50.879-07:00I whole-heartedly agree with this and you should s...I whole-heartedly agree with this and you should send it out to everyone, not just in TV but movies too. It's a huge problem that's just getting stupider by the minute.tbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48316850602160281882012-09-06T10:21:32.637-07:002012-09-06T10:21:32.637-07:00"Inception" seems simple and easy compar..."Inception" seems simple and easy compared to these shows.Max Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706524941272103444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40415486414996609012012-09-06T09:42:21.369-07:002012-09-06T09:42:21.369-07:00The most recent episode of "Leverage" to...The most recent episode of "Leverage" told us what actually happened to D.B. Cooper -- so congratulations to the writers for figuring that out! (Okay, it was actually their fictionalized version, and I figured out the surprise twist half an hour before the characters did -- but it was still a fun idea.)BigTednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13352992427984322152012-09-06T09:19:14.760-07:002012-09-06T09:19:14.760-07:00There was actually a spy ring commanded by Washing...There was actually a spy ring commanded by Washington during the American Revolution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culper_Ring.<br /><br />Mitchell Hundrednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73737858574977268152012-09-06T09:15:50.294-07:002012-09-06T09:15:50.294-07:00Yeah, I agree. I tried to get into "White Col...Yeah, I agree. I tried to get into "White Collar" but found it a little too difficult to follow for someone who is not a die hard.RJ Hopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05229936470433204180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38618201660119740842012-09-06T08:56:02.522-07:002012-09-06T08:56:02.522-07:00I suspect how much people liked the White Collar e...I suspect how much people liked the White Collar episode was dependent on how much they like Mozie.<br /><br />I thought the White Collar episode in question was purposefully intricate to mirror how convoluted Mozie's backstory about his life and parents had become.<br /><br />White Collar has occasionally strayed into overly complicated plots (how else can you make white collar crimes TV-interesting?), but the spy ring episode was more of an outlier and the show has earned the right to try something a bit different.JasonRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10426377351617976662012-09-06T08:15:11.367-07:002012-09-06T08:15:11.367-07:00There's no shortage of reasons to dislike &quo...There's no shortage of reasons to dislike "Perception" (though I confess I'm still watching it), but "we learn he sometimes has hallucinations" isn't one of them. It's the foundation of the show, and was established within minutes in the premiere.Jon88https://www.blogger.com/profile/16908049871851563389noreply@blogger.com