Ah right, yeah. I thought of the second one when you mentioned funeral. Had forgotten about the first one.
Ah right, yeah. I thought of the second one when you mentioned funeral. Had forgotten about the first one.
What was the extent of your exposure to this shit growing up Boyd? Any relatives directly involved / affected, etc?
Obviously if you don't feel comfortable answering that, then no worries like.
Nah, no relatives actually involved in anything. As far as I know anyway.
One uncle was in the RUC but I think he had a relatively cushy job in it. Although I think he was at the drumcree stand-off in the 90s (which was pretty mental, I remember my tiny little village having the road burnt from petrol bombs/barriers being erected and two shops in the village that were owned by Catholics being targeted). I vaguely remember a Catholic family on my estate being targeted and possibly burnt out around the same time as well.
I think another uncle was in the UDR but I've never asked about it.
But no one ever actually in paramilitaries or caught up in bombs, thankfully. North Antrim was a relatively quiet area of the country.
With the benefits of hindsight, partition should have been accompanied by massive population transfers. Bottom Ireland successfully cleansed itself of potentially restive elements by becoming a Catholic theocracy, but we just sat there like wallies and let them move around. Something to bear in mind for the future, but equally weird in period considering that the British delegation to the Paris Peace Conference warned against putting millions of Germans behind new borders because it was a recipe for aggro down the line.
Started on Letterkenny last night and polished off the first season today.
It's incredible, I sometimes find it a little hard to understand them (mainly because of the Canadian slang) but I'm loving it. Wayne in particular is a real highlight.
Also, Katy
Best thing is that Shoresy somehow turned out even better as a show. Keeso is a genius.Originally Posted by Sir Andy Mahowry
Started on Letterkenny last night and polished off the first season today.
It's incredible, I sometimes find it a little hard to understand them (mainly because of the Canadian slang) but I'm loving it. Wayne in particular is a real highlight.
Also, Katy
Finished succession tonight. One of the best series ever easily.
I thought the ending was perfect.
I managed to scroll past quickly enough in case but if that was spoilery can we pop it in tags for the slowcoaches who are still early in the show?
EDIT: Mostly the video, I can scroll past anything that appears to be a comment but the embeds are a bit more obvious.
Last edited by Ian; 03-06-2023 at 11:29 AM.
I can't believe Roman and Kendall both died.
Watched that One Upon a Time in Northern Ireland this week. Not much else to say beyond how fucking dirty the whole conflict felt. Really frank interviews as well.
I can't believe Roman and Kendall both died.
New I Think You Should Leave is fantastic.
Yep. Tim Robinson’s so funny. How does he even think of some of it.
I'm a twit
I've been lolling every time I think of the Driving Crooner.
Me too
I'm a twit
Think I might have been the OG cheerleader for this (via my wife).
Finished it today. The last series was great overall I thought. Really interesting to see things evolve and some of the subplots (Zelda and the kids) were well done. Easily one of the best shows I've seen, across almost every dimension. One of the only ones where it's a joy to watch the camera work.
YouTube is doing that thing where it decides I should be exclusively watching clips from some old telly show. I enjoyed the run of the algorithm getting me to practically rewatch the entirety of the sopranos, this time it's The Thick of It.
Loved the show at the time, but watching scenes back now...hmmm. I dunno. Bit overwritten for me, Clive. Especially Malcolm, and especially latter seasons Malcolm. It's a bit how I feel about later Peep Show - it's sorta trying to do the bleak, dry hyperrealistic thing, while also having a very zingery, unrealistic script. Still very funny at times, like late era prep show, but it just feels a bit off to me. Nicola isn't an amazing character either.
Not gonna lie, season 5 of The Wire feels up there.
Only 4 episodes in though so I’ll reserve judgement.
I'm a twit
I just finished series 1 of Succession. That final episode was not at all what I expected. And that final scene. Crikey
Well thank you then. (And your wife)
I didn't realise how much I liked the show until half way through the last season when I realised there wasn't going to be anymore. It was only then I realised I was really going to miss it.
Is there no love for Stath Lets Flats? I searched and saw RL say it was shit, and nothing else. I watched all 3 seasons over the past few weeks and I laughed more than I have at any sitcom. It's childish, silly and relies on a lot of physical comedy, but aren't comedies meant to make us laugh?
I loved it - and I reckon it'll have plenty of rewatch appeal, too.
I think I watched three episodes and wasn't having a terrible time but it didn't hook me enough to stick with it.
I really liked it, the incredibly stupid little world they created.
seen any more?
TBF, after wanking on about why it's shit with @Jimmy Floyd and co the other day, I've actually reached S5 on my current rewatch and I'm enjoying far more than I've ever done before. The pacing is all over the place, but it does make the episodes quite fun. Plot strands that would have taken half a season previously are introduced and resolved in a fucking episode.
2 to go I think. Love it. 5 >>>
I'm a twit
This is an unbelievable take.
I'm a twit
Let 5 settle and you'll come round.
Succession:
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Since I stan dad, I'm alive and wellSuccession:
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Episodes 2 and 3 of Season 3 are absolute peak comedy.
Tim Robinson is amazing.
I'm a twit
Shout out to his boy Squiggle for cooking up the beat.Since I stan dad, I'm alive and well
The new series of Black Mirror is a mixed bag. Not too much of a fan of the slide into supernatural rather than technology. I also feel that the later stuff with the increased budget has been more an excuse for Brooker to just recreate the British High Street circa 1980.
Black Mirror jumped the shark as soon as Netflix got its hands on it, as usual.
It's main problem - and it has been for some time, but this series is worse than ever - is predictability. I saw most storylines coming a mile off.
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I thought Joan is Awful was good because it was actually quite funny, and not just build up for an attempted emotional gut punch ending.
Finished Succession last night. What an ending. That musical motif is used across the whole series, but never feels dated.
Have also been following along on Black Mirror. I thought Loch Henry was excellent television.
I've read too much of Charlie Brooker over the years to ever really get on with him. He's always had the hint of the gimp on the back page of PC Zone writing, "Pissy poo piss." as every punchline.
I enjoyed Black Mirror at first but when they took it to Netflix and bloated the episode length it put me off, looking at the episode list I only watched one of the 2017 series and that's as recent as it got. Stranger Things having a 2.5 hour episode can fuck off as well
As an aside, I've just ready Brooker's System Shock review from 1994. Hey, I know getting a six page review for a 90s PC game is a rough ask but I can't have him cramming jokes in (and then explaining said joke) to boost his word count.
Maybe that's why Netflix bloats their episodes. For engagement and advertising space.
Netflix is a strange beast. Everything on there, whilst often enjoyable, is just... saccharine? I don't know. There's never anything with a real intellectual heft to it. It's all painting by numbers. I probably sound like a cunt saying that, but fuck it.
It's a strange mix of virtue signalling and whatever straight to tv/dvd shite was going cheap. Every platform having their own streaming service doesn't help in the quality stakes, unfortunately.
I only subscribe to Netflix for the period when Stranger Things is released. Nothing anyone has told me about in between those times has sounded worth it.
I think it's hard not to conclude that the eponymous golden age of television might finally be grinding towards its conclusion. All good things get swallowed by corporate avarice.
Only two episodes into Black Mirror's lastest season, and I think both have been good so far. Loch Kenny was brilliant, actually.
Beyond the Sea is good too. Then it declines.
I suspect part of Brooker's problem may be that having made it and become a very successful and very rich individual, he's lost his edge.
A long time coming imo. TV peaked in the early noughties and has been on a slow decline ever since.
The TV licence guy came to my door today. I just told him I play the PlayStation and I don't need one.
They'll be getting the door closed on them next time.
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