The whole idea of Beth, Jerry and Summer being in on their adventures just doesn't sit well with me. It seems as if the show is taking a more family-oriented turn.
South Park tends to be too preachy for my taste. And their "controversial" humor seems entirely politically correct compared to Brickleberry or Drawn Together.
There was an on going plot with Summer wanting to take part in Rick's escapades in season 1, the season finale even fully involved Summer.
The Family was always involved in one way or the other, specially Summer. No idea what show you were watching if you think the family was never made part of the adventures in season 1.
Also it was always part of Rick's character that he was at least somewhat caring behind all that Assholishness, he even killed King Jelly when THAT happened back in season 1. He was never a one note character like you seem to imply.
No idea why the cast being more dynamic would be considered a bad thing in any show, a cast who stays in the same exact place as where they started is boring, just look at the Simpsons and Family Guy.
The humor of Rick and Morty was always more poignant because it always felt organic, it didn't stick to sitcom formula.
Rick and Morty is a good show, but the second season doesn't seem to be quite as good as the first. But when it comes to animated sitcoms, Drawn Together definitely takes the crown. Brickleberry is also very good. It's a shame they got cancelled after three seasons.
From what I saw it looks like they are leaning more on the plot this season, so it has a different feeling to it. I really like how Rick has a soft spot for his grandkids but he is such a drug addict sometimes he act like he doesn't give a shit.
Morty: Holy cow, Rick! I didn't know hanging out with you was making me smarter!
Rick: Full disclosure, Morty — it's not. Temporary superintelligence is just a side effect of the Megaseeds dissolving in your rectal cavity.
Morty: Aw, man!
Rick: Yeah. And once those seeds weahh-wear off, you're gonna lose most of your motor skills and... you're also gonna lose a significant amount of brain functionality for 72 hours, Morty. [checks arm watches] Starting ruh-ight about now.
Rick: I'm sorry, Morty. It's a bummer. In reality, you're as dumb as they come. And I needed those seeds real bad and I have to give 'em up just to get your parents off my back! So now we're gonna have to go get more! And then we're gonna go on even more adventures after that, Morty. And you're gonna keep your mouth shut about it, Morty! Because the world is full of idiots that don't understand what's important, and they'll tear us apart, Morty! But if you stick with me, I'm gonna accomplish great things, Morty, and you're gonna be part of 'em. And together we're gonna run around, Morty, we're gonna- do all of kinds of wonderful things, Morty. Just you and me, Morty.
Morty: [gurgling] No, no, no....
Rick: The outside world is our enemy, Morty! We're the only fehh-friends we got, Morty! It's just Rick and Morty! Ruh-ick and Morty and their adventures, Morty! Rick and Morty forever and forever, 100 years, Rick and Morty's things! Me and Rick and Morty running around and... Rick and Morty time! All day long, forever... all- a hundred days! Rick and Morty forever a hundred times! Over and over, rickandmortyadventures.com. Www.rickandmorty.com. Www.rickandmortyadventures. All 100 years. Every minute, rickandmorty.com. [closing garage door inside] Www.100timesrickandmorty.com.
Rick and Morty is a good show, but the second season doesn't seem to be quite as good as the first. But when it comes to animated sitcoms, Drawn Together definitely takes the crown. Brickleberry is also very good. It's a shame they got cancelled after three seasons.
From what I saw it looks like they are leaning more on the plot this season, so it has a different feeling to it. I really like how Rick has a soft spot for his grandkids but he is such a drug addict sometimes he act like he doesn't give a shit.
Morty: Holy cow, Rick! I didn't know hanging out with you was making me smarter!
Rick: Full disclosure, Morty — it's not. Temporary superintelligence is just a side effect of the Megaseeds dissolving in your rectal cavity.
Morty: Aw, man!
Rick: Yeah. And once those seeds weahh-wear off, you're gonna lose most of your motor skills and... you're also gonna lose a significant amount of brain functionality for 72 hours, Morty. [checks arm watches] Starting ruh-ight about now.
Rick: I'm sorry, Morty. It's a bummer. In reality, you're as dumb as they come. And I needed those seeds real bad and I have to give 'em up just to get your parents off my back! So now we're gonna have to go get more! And then we're gonna go on even more adventures after that, Morty. And you're gonna keep your mouth shut about it, Morty! Because the world is full of idiots that don't understand what's important, and they'll tear us apart, Morty! But if you stick with me, I'm gonna accomplish great things, Morty, and you're gonna be part of 'em. And together we're gonna run around, Morty, we're gonna- do all of kinds of wonderful things, Morty. Just you and me, Morty.
Morty: [gurgling] No, no, no....
Rick: The outside world is our enemy, Morty! We're the only fehh-friends we got, Morty! It's just Rick and Morty! Ruh-ick and Morty and their adventures, Morty! Rick and Morty forever and forever, 100 years, Rick and Morty's things! Me and Rick and Morty running around and... Rick and Morty time! All day long, forever... all- a hundred days! Rick and Morty forever a hundred times! Over and over, rickandmortyadventures.com. Www.rickandmorty.com. Www.rickandmortyadventures. All 100 years. Every minute, rickandmorty.com. [closing garage door inside] Www.100timesrickandmorty.com.
Yes, that was one of the two(?) episodes I saw, and I love that... exasperating hopelessness in that rant, it is hilariously nightmarish
I really wanna watch more of it now
I'm gonna be a bit moderate here, and disagree that it is better than SP (walpknut), as SP simply has a lot more depth to it, sure it can be preachy, but it still has a very good grip on things, they still deliver good gems (although there is more distance between the all-out-hysterical hilarity in the recent seasons) as a whole, SP is almost unbeatably strong
Judging something based on some announcer on a videogame is seriously some of the most asinine shit I've read in a very long time...then trying to rationalise your logic for it...wow.
As asinine as you completely making up that I did any of that, then complimenting yourself with that smug "wow" at the end? Nope, not remotely.
Good job not reading ANYTHING I said. Cause I said, very in-detail, that I was watching clips from the show, and they did nothing for me. "Wow" right back at'cha, bucko. =P
I said I was INTRODUCED to the name by the Announcer Pack in-game preview. Then I found the full list of lines on youtube. THEN I went and looked up videos of the actual show on youtube. You know... how EVERYONE explores a new thing they just learned about? Gradually and progressively?
So? You saying one is better than the other is no different than me saying the one doesn't make me laugh. It's all just subjective response. Who really cares which you like more? [EDIT: Yes, that also includes "Who really cares which *I* like more?" too.] I will agree that South Park has been declining in some sense, but NOT in terms of quality. Where some episodes were just jam packed with ideas to toss around in your head AND outrageous (and then-edgy) hilarity, later episodes might not be as contemplative nor very deep but even more funny (like "More Crap"), and yet other episodes might be more on the philosophical and dry side while offering less humor (like "The Hobbit"... incidentally a GREAT social commentary episode). Still, on the whole, it's an amazing show, and new episodes keep being hilarious.
As for a show going more for plot than comedy... reminds me of Futurama. I never really got into that show as much as many of my friends when it came out, cause it wasn't as riotous as The Simpsons (at the time), and later I would even recognize that it was more concerned with its ongoing plot and character development, so it just didn't have the same level of effort put into the comedy. I LIKED it, just didn't really go out of my way to watch it. Like most people, I'm a sucker for that episode with Seymour the dog. That loyal mutt just kills me... T_T
To me Rick And Morty just has so much more creativity than South Park while keeping a consistent tone and narrative, it's also helped by not being preachy in the least, and allowing characters to be extremely flawed and sometimes downright Douchebags without making them caricatures. The show also makes use of Retro Scripting, which is the reason why it always feels so organic. Just my opinion tho, I have fallen out of love with South Park pretty heavily, last time I cared about SP was with the Obsidian game, and then they went ahead and ditched Obsidian like a pair of old trousers for the sequel, so now I am even more skeeved out by SP.
To me Rick And Morty just has so much more creativity than South Park while keeping a consistent tone and narrative, it's also helped by not being preachy in the least, and allowing characters to be extremely flawed and sometimes downright Douchebags without making them caricatures. The show also makes use of Retro Scripting, which is the reason why it always feels so organic. Just my opinion tho, I have fallen out of love with South Park pretty heavily, last time I cared about SP was with the Obsidian game, and then they went ahead and ditched Obsidian like a pair of old trousers for the sequel, so now I am even more skeeved out by SP.
I also had a period of falling away from SP, the past few seasons have not been the best, with a few "favorite picks" each season, while older seasons are fun-riots from start to finish
You have to admit though, 17? 18? seasons, they're putting up a good fight! There is no doubt that their "golden age" is past, but it's far from over for them, well, maybe not miles and miles from over...
They are renewing South Park for at least a couple of more years, so there's that. But yeah, they'll probably need to vent their creativity somewhere else at some point. SP, as much as I love it, has lost its edge quite a while ago. It's not impossible it will turn for the better, however. New season is hitting in three weeks or so, and I am excited.
They are renewing South Park for at least a couple of more years, so there's that. But yeah, they'll probably need to vent their creativity somewhere else at some point. SP, as much as I love it, has lost its edge quite a while ago. It's not impossible it will turn for the better, however. New season is hitting in three weeks or so, and I am excited.
Only part that made me cringe was when he is complaining about being lonely.... then his super hot female drug seller comes to his house and offers him some Ectasy and he is like "Oh what a drag". That just reeks of studio mandate.
They are renewing South Park for at least a couple of more years, so there's that. But yeah, they'll probably need to vent their creativity somewhere else at some point. SP, as much as I love it, has lost its edge quite a while ago. It's not impossible it will turn for the better, however. New season is hitting in three weeks or so, and I am excited.
I saw The Sopranos mentioned earlier on, so I figure this is the thread to give my own mini-rant about it.
The series is good, but its main issue is that it doesn't have a single likeable character. The closest thing you actually get to likeable characters are Bobby Bacala, Tony Blondetto and Paulie (and they also have their moments of being plain disgusting). I'm nearing the end of it right now and I realized that every single person who died in the entire series
Steve Buscemi's character excluded
left me feeling pleased (
especially when it was Christopher
). What is it about this series that makes a lot of people see it as HBO's finest? In my opinon, Deadwood wipes the floor with it, and Boardwalk Empire is far better regarding any mafia-related stuff (although the issue here might be that the mafia back in the 20s actually had a granule of charm, whereas Tony Soprano and his lackeys never advance beyond being common thugs).
Speaking of Boardwalk Empire... I used to really love that show, but looking back on it, it seriously fell apart after the first season. Between the 4th and 5th season, the show had a GREAT opportunity to use all of that character building they'd established and show what these characters we've "grown" with would do when they entered the true heyday of organized crime, at the height of prohibition. What did the show actually DO? Skip ahead a decade, skip past the death of Arnold Rothstein, skip past Al Capones ENTIRE career, skip past Lucky Luciano's rise to prominence. It had such a wealth of opportunity, and it actively spurned it. Granted, it would've been "more of the same", as EVERY story that takes place in prohibition era organized crime tends to focus on the height period, not the waning end nor the unsuspecting beginnings, as Boardwalk Empire dared to showcase. But still, it shot itself in the foot by avoiding these things.
The series was ALWAYS focused on the present, and even when Nucky was suffering from post traumatic stress induced by the murder of a loved one in season 3, it was all showcased by facial expression and a little bit of exposition. No flashbacks (with a few exceptions at the end of season 2). This show is all about the present and about moving forward! Then season 5 OPENS on a flashback, and bouncing back and forth from present to past becomes a recurring theme for the rest of the season. It wasn't necessarily a bad decision to change the show's direction, but it was just so inconsistent, you didn't have much of a feel for what they WANTED to show to be. I guess ending the 4th season on a daydream opened that door for the 5th to have lots more subjective material and mental escapes.
The worst thing about it was characters they started you off loving, only to make you hate them. I used to like Gillian Darmody, only for them to QUICKLY turn her into a merciless and amoral bitch whose character arc only continued to spiral down and down and down. Not enough that she's a murderous whore? How about adding heroine junkie to the list??? YEAH! I liked Jimmy Darmody, who was practically the protagonist of the show at the beginning, who also acted as a mirror to Al Capone's character in the sense that they were both kids on the rise to power in this changing gangster world. Then suddenly his story becomes all about escaping from reality, and even spurning his acquired power and influence, because he'd rather recklessly escape his troubles. His story became self-destructive and unlikable. Was it by design? Maybe. But still, he went from a protagonist to a supporting character to a background character, all the while becoming less and less likable. It was a shame, and a waste of a great role with a lot of great personality to convey. Richard Harrow was about as close to a valiant character as the show ever had, and his story was tragedy from start to finish. He was very likable, but it was never easy to like him, every step of the way.
Taking liberties with historical fact was also a bit of a sticking point with me, but up to a point I was okay with it. Having a war on the boardwalk in 1921 when that never really happened between the two parties involved was just a way for a smaller-scale conflict to take place in the show for drama's purposes without causing too many waves that would disturb the otherwise consistent history. Having Nucky's last name be Thompson instead of Johnson was just another way to including a bit of artistic license, but it wasn't a total abandonment of the historical events. Having the exact nature of the crime war that took place, which eventually led to the establishment of the Commission, and of modern day's crime syndicate organization, was another tiny change up that I could deal with. Having Al Capone's tax evasion be the result of an inside job when in fact it was just a legal loophole was yet another deviation from history that I was fine with.
But Nucky dying at the end, after losing everything? WHY? The real Nucky not only kept his power the entire time throughout prohibition and afterwards, and would even go on record to joke at there ever BEING prohibition, but he also lived into his olden years, happily retired, living with family. Show Nucky, meanwhile, was this major tragic character who progressively lost everything precious to him. He starts the show without any deep relationships, later on revealing that he lost his family around the time he started getting anywhere. Then when he makes a wonderful relationship in the form of his future wife, he botches it by using her for his own political interests, prompting her to pay him back in kind, two acts that would cause them both to grow more and more estranged from each other, in time. He ends up screwing up his step son by unintentionally fascinating his with arson. He loses them all when his wife flees with the children after her adultery is exposed, and never gains them back, as his path gets him more and more isolated. Meanwhile he's been cheating on his wife, as well, and at this point we're introduced to a newly displayed habit of Nucky's... that he cyclically goes for the show girls, looking to find those "lost" and "saving them", as he tried with his mistress, only to further alienate his friends and family. He gets his loyal attendant and butler killed and is none the wiser about what happened to him. He plays the political game so poorly that all his more important allies turn on him, and finally he sides with the wrong people in the end, loses all his power and territory, and when you think all he has left is to AT BEST live obscurely in isolation (presuming he doesn't get bumped off, which was implied to be intended) he gets gunned down by some kid who was watching him the entire season, trying to make up his mind if he wants to kill him or be like him. Such a POINTLESSLY anti-climatic ending.
While it was running, BE was tied with GOT as my favorite show on TV, and I was happy than when one was on break, the other was playing, so I had great TV to enjoy all year round. Now I have half a year of withdrawal while I wait for new GOT. XD But, unlike GOT (which in its own ways has had some decline as the years go on, but is otherwise a great watch), Boardwalk Empire really just started off great, and gradually got worse and worse with each passing season. I guess it's great that it's over, so it could end before it got TRULY shitty. But looking back, none of the seasons were as compelling or interesting or fun or with as many likable characters and arcs as the first season. It's a shame it couldn't keep that pace up. =/
As for other shows (besides GOT)... I LOVED True Detective. At least the first season. I know the second season has been going, but I missed it, so I'll get around to watching it eventually, though I have yet to see it.
I could never really get into GOT. Having read the books before HBO even bought the rights to the series, I imagined the characters and world differently. Even most character names ended up being pronounced differently from how I used to pronounce it. They also took a lot of artistic licence with that show. And it a huge turn-off when they started using Dubrovnik as the set for King's Landing. Having a familiar city as the set, plus the King's Landing of the TV series being nothing like the one in the books makes suspension of disbelief hard. The name changes from the books were also very irritating. They changed Robert Arryn's name to Robin for no reason whatsoever. As if it's not enough that they think the audience is retarded enough to be confused by two characters who are in completely different parts of the continent having the same names, they also seem to think that the audience is retarded enough to be confused by two characters which aren't close to one another having similar names (Asha Greyjoy and Osha). And Asha Greyjoy wan't described like that in the books, the one from the TV show looks like a young Angela Merkel.
But the show's greatest sin is that it's very blunt where the books are subtle. Throughout the books, the homosexual relationship of Renly and Loras is hinted at, subtly, to the point of many readers not even realizing that they're gay. Oberyn Martell's alleged homosexuality in the books is just that - alleged. It's a rumour, yet the show feels the need to have the character openly display his bisexualiy in the very first scene he appears in. And why did they make Loras Mace Tyrell's only son when he was in fact the third (one of them is only spoken about in the books, while the other appears briefly)?
The issue of Robb's marriage is also tackled in a poor manner. Robb's decision in the books (to marry Jeyne Westerling with whom he lost his virginity while she was tending his wounds) made some political sense, to the point that Robb might have actually thought that he could get away with it, as creating an alliance with a noble family at Casterly Rock's doorstep wasn't such a terrible idea. But to piss off Walder Frey by marrying a foreigner with no relevant political connections or pedigree? Never mind the fact that Jeyne survived the wedding, and that whether or not she might be pregnant is still a plot point.
They completely altered Sansa's entire story. In the books, she is taken from King's Landing to the Eyrie by Petyr Baelish, pretending that she is his bastard child, and arranges for her to marry the next in line (after Robert) to the throne of the Vale. But in the series, she gets to play the role played by fake Arya.
GoT became a huge pile of shit right after the beginning of the second season, and from then on it keeps getting worse and worse. To whoever read the books, at least. The fact they ADMITTED they are going to spoiler events from books wich have still to be published - many thanks GRRM, you lazy self righteous fatty - is the proverbial cherry on top of the cake.
