Why was my comment deleted? It did not break any rules nor was it disrespectful in any way. I came here to reply to the person who commented my message and I saw it's gone. I will repost it since it did not break the rules. The comment could also be helpful to the newcomers who might think this is a brand new show.
-------Comment posted on 26 Nov 2023
Why in the world is this marked as separate show and the one from 2005 marked as Ended? This is not a reboot, but a direct continuation of the previous episode The Power of the Doctor! I know they want to call the new season Season 1 because of Disney Plus, but it is not, it's actually Season 14. It makes no sense at all. Not to mention that the specials also reference previous seasons. This is not like a reboot from 2005 when newcomers could just start watching from there and ignore Classic Who. Newcomers can't start from here! I don't understand why it couldn't say Season 14 on Disney. All the previous seasons could be imported at some point once the whatever deal they have with BBC expires (I assume that's what is stopping them from putting them on the platform right away).
This is just insane, an insult to the fans, Jodie (doctor not regenerating into her clothes), Chibnall, everyone...
How do we organize our collection now and sync with Trakt? I don't want to label it as a separate show. What's interesting is that IMDB and TVDB show seasons correctly and have Season 14. TMDB does some weird stuff.
Update: If someone is wondering how to organize the collection in Plex, just follow TVDB and it will be shown correctly.
A Tim Burton-produced Roald Dahl adaptation that does its best to capitalize on the success of The Nightmare Before Christmas via eccentric stop-motion animation. The love that seeped from every pore of Nightmare isn't here, however, and no amount of curious character design can account for that. It doesn't help that the Dahl story itself has been altered to suit a more typical film structure, stripping away much of the free-wheeling zaniness that made the book so unpredictable and entertaining. That can't have been for a lack of time, as the film is already dreadfully short: barely more than an hour, with some serious padding at both ends.
The awkward blend of animation and live-action doesn't work especially well, either. Despite one great casting decision (AbFab's Joanna Lumley as the bone-thin, witchy Aunt Spiker), the flesh-and-blood scenes feel under-produced and B-grade, a sharp contrast to the more lush, professional efforts on the other side of the coin.
At a glance, the quirky stylings that typify Burton's work seem a great match for Dahl's oddball stories. As a promo slick or movie poster, it's thumbs up all the way, but too much is missing to consider the whole effort as much more than a well-intentioned miss.
The Mandalorian started out OK, but ended up as some half-baked, lazily written show that exist merely to lure parents to justify a Disney+ subscription. Kids get the usual Disney contents, moms get Baby Yoda, dads get Star Wars nerdy reference. The show almost feels like being made by a bunch of fanfiction writers with familiarity of the setting but zero sense of screen writing.
Nothing wrong with liking it, it's just the show appears to be all style and no substance.
Storyline shows no complexity at all. In fact, most of them are fillers. You can skip 4 of 8 episodes and you'll still understand the story just fine. Characters are completely uninteresting. None of them are developed. None of them had nuances: protagonists are morally good heroes; antagonists are one dimensional evils. The show relies only on a cute muppet and flashy action, but has zero substance. Had a potential great world-building with some details, but they chose to abandon it for rule of cool (and cute).
The "it's Star Wars, so it'll be simple" excuse commonly said by the series' defenders doesn't hold up if you actually consider other Star Wars titles such as Knights of the Old Republic, Republic Commando, Jedi Academy, Thrawn trilogy, the original and Tartakovsky's Clone Wars, and so on. Those titles are known for having remarkable storytelling; something that The Mandalorian doesn't have for its poverty of creative vision.
The beginning of the episode left me wishing we could've seen more of this side of Star Wars: regular stormtroopers doing their job, getting into action, and all the unseen dynamics rarely mentioned in the mainstream film trilogies. We did have something in that vein: Republic Commando explored the lives of elite Republic clone troopers; Jedi Academy had us follow the lives of youngling under tutelage of Luke's academy; the original Battlefront showed us the transitioning of a republic to an empire through the eyes of the soldiers.
It's the lives of the mundane, the less than extraordinary, yet still gripping and intriguing. They let us dive deeper to the world of Star Wars beyond the flashy buzzing of lightsabers and spectacles of the magical force.
The Mandalorian wished it could be one of those. Unfortunately, it failed terribly.
In episode 5, @ShrimpBoatSteve has said that the series has became too predictable, and I agree - the finale shows how predictable the whole season is. https://trakt.tv/comments/264475
After the long flashback which most parts we've already seen in previous episodes - seemingly making the scenes feels almost like a filler - The Mandalorian episode 8 seems reluctant to set their foot to the ground with its notable world-building as previously seen in Eps 7 and Eps 1 to 3. As I have previously said, after everyone gangs on The Mando (Eps 7), Baby Yoda/Little One's background (who Baby Yoda is, why is he wanted, what the Imperial remnants wanted to do with him, etc) remains unresolved. As the episode shows us Moff Gideon rising with a darksaber in hand, yet another reference moment: every substance the show can possibly offer will be dealt only in Season 2 (or, worse, more).
Stormtroopers in Star Wars have been infamous for their terribly inaccurate shots, but in this episode it feels like their incompetency is amplified to the point of parody and, of course, plot armors. Scout troopers - which is supposed to be snipers - can't shoot droid right in front of their eyes. Instead of coming in squads, troopers only come individually (incinerators burning the building, a few troopers slaughtered by the blacksmith, a few others guarding the tunnel, and the most stupid of all, Moff Gideon waiting for nightfall just for no reason) which makes for a convenient plot armors for our heroes to trek on their way.
Of course, there are casualties - what is a story without something seemingly at a stake? - but it is nothing more than devices to delay the heroes from their trek. Taking cues from Eowyn's "I am no man" of Lord of the Rings fame, in less than moment-defining fashion IG-11, which himself came as a sort of droid ex machina, said that it is no "living being" while resurrecting The Mando from fatal injuries, remedied every possible threat with its healing devices.
Antagonists can be dumb, but there is a limit to dumbness that can suspend audience's disbelief. This episode has antagonist almost feels like they are intentionally dumb and there is nothing really at a stake when everything can be easily remedied.
This episode is not the worst, certainly, as the action sequence is flashy and satisfying. The one near ending where The Mando utilizes a neat jet jump is clever and actually can show the extent Star Wars can be when the director wanted to think creatively beyond the force. Knights of the Old Republic and the aptly named Star Wars Bounty Hunter played with clever tricks similar to this once a while, and the trick doesn't feel cheap as they stand on a very good storytelling.
The Mandalorian's flashy action, regardless, seems to serve only as explicit fanservice - a style over substance.
There are plenty of action, which, by itself, is quite well-done. The consistently hardly imposing threats, unfortunately, dull down the possible thrill those scenes can offer - in a typical corny action heroes such as Gerard Butler's character in Has Fallen trilogy. The scene, for example, with The Blacksmith let us peek into the martial arts capability a Mandalorian can exhibit. But the rather plot armor of incompetent stormtroopers leave no stake at hand; the martial arts dexterity looks more like a cheap imitation of main trilogies of Jedi's acrobatic feats.
Redemption ultimately ends with nothing to be redeemed about, as the people in this show seems to be forever clumsy. From start to finish, everyone made questionable decisions. Nobody blasted the Mando's group with that large amount of stormtroopers. Nobody checked whether Moff Gideon is dead when the fighter was down (Gideon also miraculously survive the crash), with Carga, a supposedly veteran bounty hunter, lightheartedly saying they are already free of the Empire's grasp.
Everything people said in this episode, just like many episodes prior, are not crafted as if the actors were having human conversation. They were rushed by time - they seemingly appear to be set in motion by the plot's demands, to say X so Y happens; to say A when B moment happened.
This episode almost feels like a filler to conclude the dragging episodes this season has been. Screenwriting-wise, this whole season is nothing but bait-and-switch to justify next season(s).
There is much to be said about this kind of terrible business model, where series is written with nothing exactly in mind but to find reasons to continue producing the franchise - the same business model Disney has been using on their MCU franchise and Star Wars films/spinoffs - but the crowds of gladly willing moms awing for Baby Yoda and nerd dads geeking over Star Wars reference doesn't leave enough rooms for those commentaries.
After the 2014 Godzilla film, people demanded a dumb monster movie.
The result is something that joins the ranks of Jurassic World 2, Pacific Rim 2 or Rampage.
Happy now?
Pro's:
- Creature design/VFX.
- The set up for the 3 main human characters (the idea that drives them).
Con's:
- Massively overblown (especially at the end).
- Too much exposition and way too plot driven. Emphasizing the plot is never a good idea when you make a film like this.
- The dialogue in this is awful, and does the actors no favours.
- The characters are hollow shells, and constantly act in unnatural ways. Especially what they did with Vera Farmiga's character felt lazy and not earned.
- It overuses the orange and teal look to a degree where Zack Snyder would be jealous of it.
- If you thought the final season of GoT had a lot of deus ex machina and 'plot armour' moments, just know that you've seen nothing yet.
- The action scenes in this are incoherent and underlit, and therefore hard to follow.
I find it funny that whenever we get one of these, the take away for most always seems to be: too much focus on the humans, not enough on the monsters!
Well, here's the thing: you can't really develop characters like Godzilla or King Kong, so watching them for 2 hours walk through buildings and punching things is going to get dull very fast.
Therefore, you need the human focus.
You know which director knows this? Steven Spielberg.
You know which movie knows this? Jurassic Park.
So instead of demanding more shallow elements for the next one, let's maybe ask for the filmmakers to develop the characters for once, and stop focussing on a plot we've seen hundreds of times at this point.
2.5/10
Imagine making a movie that has such big stakes, but make it so nobody cares about any of the characters.
Jean Grey - Yawn, she struggled with controlling her powers, controlling her emotions. Some part understandable but I felt no emotion.
Professor X - Acts like a Villain for the first half of the film.
Mystique - Shouldn't have hired Jennifer Lawrence, she couldn't handle the make-up. Attempts a death scene but leaves no emotional impact.
Quicksilver - Has some of the most iconic scenes in comic book films and they don't give him his scene. Gets injured early on and just disappears until the end of the film.
Storm - Was just there to do damage.
Beast - The only character with correct motivation and you somewhat understand why he feels the way he does. Just feels like bad casting personally. Hoult is just too youthful and skinny for beast.
Cyclops - His character is just completely centred around Jean. Feels like we never get to see just Scott.
Nightcrawler - Where does this come from, he just become a murdering psycho and the build up just seems too out of character for him.
Magneto - Probably the best performance, character flipped sides very easily considering his motivation for wanted to kill Jean.
Jennifer Chastain/Aliens - Why, what, who, what, why.
Good scene - Using their power to fight over control of the helicopter
Bad Scene - Every single one with Jennifer Lawrence
I am incredibly grateful to Game of Thrones for this adventure I have found myself sucked into for some years now. I am grateful for all the emotions it brought me since day one, bitter and sweet alike. I am grateful for all the laughs, all the tears, all the jokes and gags, every single bit of it, I really am grateful and appreciative of it all. It's been just... wonderful.
That said, I am feeling robbed and betrayed right about now. This ending is arguably one of the worst series finales in the history of television and trust me I realize how bold of a statement that is. The terrible violations the characters have suffered this season, the lack of proper resolution to many of the plots and narratives developed over seasons worth of buildup, the seeking of shock value at the expense of quality writing... that and much much more solidified this as an absolute disappointment of a finale, as opposed to the marvel wrap it could've given this cultural phenomenon.
This episode does have its positives, as always the score, acting and cinematography are perfectly performed but I just do not think it's nearly enough to compensate for how lackluster the writing has been, as much as I wish they did. Oh well, sad as it may be, I'll just hold on to the good stuff and hope that GRRM's book, once finished, will tackle the ending in a more coherent, more respectful and more meaningful way. It's been real y'all...
P.S: I'll leave this here lest some people jump me again. This comment is a representation of my own personal opinion, I am entitled to one just as all of you are. If you enjoyed this season and felt this finale delivered what you were looking for then more power to you mate, but that doesn't nullify my opinion nor does it make yours any valid. If you want to discuss or challenge my views, I'd be more than happy to engage you on that basis but if all you have to offer are petty remarks then please keep them to yourself.
"In the name of the warrior, I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the innocent. Arise, Brienne of Tarth, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms".
Sir Brienne! Goof Lord! Tears of joy. I applauded like I've never done it before. I had the biggest grin in my face. I was much like Tormund there. I can't believe a simple scene like that almost made me shed a tear. Let's enjoy this moments before everything goes down.
The calm before the storm. Anaesthesia before the pain. You name it. I enjoyed This episode so much. I get why people might dislike it, but I get the feeling that this is the episode I'm gonna remember. Seeing how everyone decided to spent their last night was beautiful. I especially enjoyed the hearth scene. Everything, from beginning to end was perfect. Amazingly directed and acted!
Arya and Gendry, Ed reunited with his Night's Watch brothers, every Jamie-Briene moment, Jamie's look when talking to Bran, lovely Gilly, Tormund and his milk from a giant story (their faces had me in stitches), and Sir Davos and that Shireen look-alike. That scene almost broke my heart. And my favourite in terms of emotion: Sansa hugging Theon. That was absolutely lovely!
Now, Pod singing was the cherry on the top. It totally reminded me of Pippin singing in "The Lord of the Rings". It felt like a "Home is Behind" moment. It gave me the goosebumps. And the transition to see what the characters were doing until we got to the crypts with Dany and Jon was outstanding.
Speaking of, I loved Emilia Clarke in that scene. She totally sold it with just the look on her face. She did an amazing job.
Everyone kept saying that going to the crypts was the safest place, but didn't they realize that the Night King can raise the dead?
Some saying they'll be dead, some that they might survive, some about the Iron Throne and here I am, coming up to terms with the deaths that are to come.
I hear what a lot of fans are saying, but this isn't supposed to be modern day star trek, this is a time when the federation was just formed and people are still trying to unify their morals with the ideals of the species as a whole. This is a time of desperation, and desperation has always led to starfleet officers to having battles of morality. I think it's a great launching point to the modern idealistic universe that the federation turns into, and find it super interesting that it came through not so moralistic means. At the end of this arc with the klingons we know that they sign the Khitomer accords, and the federation and Empire usher in a new era of peace. I find it awesome how they're going about it, each plot is dynamic and I cannot call what will happen from episode to episode, and the fact that the federations launching point is based in moral ambiguity leaves very deep interpretations that you can consider, such as Cpt. Picard's moral virtousness being grounded on the actions of less moral men, because the federation made it to the point where it was established and unified. I dunno, i'm enjoying the series and am looking forward to each new episode!
4.9/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. As I've often said about the most recent incarnation of the show, even when it has a not-so-great episode like this one, there's usually the grain of a good idea present. In "The Last Traction Hero," that good idea is Marge and Smithers commiserating together over both being caregivers to men who don't appreciate them as much as they should. The fact that it provides a basis for their bond, and helps them to understand their own situation better, is a canny narrative choice. (And the gag where they imagine the other's "mate," shudder, and then imagine their own and sigh happily is great.)
The problem is that the deftness of that choice last for about one scene before it becomes wrapped in to an odd plot where Marge needs to get emotionally revved up by Smithers in order to want to have sex with Homer. It's a fairly bizarre storyline that doesn't fit with the tone of the show, and gets into some uncomfortable territory to boot. I'm not averse to the show getting a little uncomfortable -- bright, ebullient Marge being tied to a man who only intermittently acknowledges how much she does for him is meaty territory (though there's the risk of breaking the show by making people think about it too hard a la "Homer's Enemy"). But making the lens of that story a sex thing cheapens it, and makes Homer's eventual redemption feel weak.
Even within the story, there's a grain of sweetness to the idea that Homer is willing to forego a big cash settlement for his trapdoor injury in exchange for Burns allowing Marge and Smithers to hang out, but 1. it's still odd (especially coupled with Marge wanting to kiss Smithers) and 2. the whole storyline is rushed and disjointed to where the plot developments happen too fast to be meaningful. Homer making the attempt to really talk to Marge is a step in the right direction, and a nice note to go out on, but it's too little too late and ends with cornball slapstick.
Which was also a problem throughout the episode. Whether it's Homer's initial interminable fall through the trapdoor or he and Marge falling down the courthouse steps, or Burns jumping down to talk to the foreman, there was a lot of sketch-esque humor about nothing in particular that not only served as fodder for underwhelming cartoony gags that felt like too much, but also clogged up the runtime for telling the emotional Marge-Smithers story the episode wanted to tell. The show's no stranger to stretching the limits of physics or reality writ large, but it went too far too often here, with a bevvy of dumb jokes, and that really hurt it.
There's also a massively undercooked B-story about Lisa wanting to stop fights on the bus, being given the responsibility to assign seats, and going mad with power. Again, that's a solid premise, but everything happens in way to abbreviated a fashion. We're never really given a reason why her system -- which seems to initially produce a nice quiet bus -- turns to anarchy only a day later. The idea of tamping down on Lisa's "knowitalism" is solid and using an unruly bus as a testing ground for that works, but the way the show does it (included a pretty bland Apple commercial parody) leaves a lot to be desired.
Overall, the episode is watchable, which is more than I can say for some episodes during the show's true nadir. But it feels like three-rounds of edits away from actually being good, which is in some ways, more frustrating. There's episodes that feel like they're doomed out of the gate, and others that feel like the folks behind the scenes really had something and let it get away. This is very much the latter.
