What TV series are you currently watching?

[Irons]

Yep!  And also "loved" how his character blamed everything that bad that had happened to him on the police officer!    Sure [She said sarcastically.]!

Alas, pressure in one of my ears still hasn't gone away (a bit better when first waking up then it feels like half of my head is under the ocean).  Done with antibiotics and hoping that this will clear up on its own soon.  If not, I'll make an appointment with an ENT.  Reason why I haven't been listening to much music lately.  Fingers crossed here!  And thank you for asking Lol! 

PD

p.s.  Wonder whether or not I could watch the third season if I subscribed to the BBC iPlayer?  Will check into it later.

Sorry to hear that. Suffering from ear problems is not nice at all. My wife is seeing a specialist in March with very similar symptoms that you describe. She suffers the swishing effect in the mornings and also popping with itching and stinging.
I'm due to enter hospital next week for op. Walking wounded at Irons Towers! 

[Florestan]

I'm due to enter hospital next week for op. Walking wounded at Irons Towers! 

Best of luck and quick recovery!

[Florestan]

do you remember what it's like to get water in your ear whilst swimming and it taking a while for that feeling to go away--and your hearing to get back to normal? I'll probably call my GP tomorrow about it (again).

Very unpleasant indeed. I hope you mend quickly.

[71 dB]

I've been slowly making my way through BB for the last year or so.

So you have watched about one episode per week? I couldn't keep such slow speed myself. For me it is 14-20 episodes per week. Call it binge-watching if you want, but then again I watch only 1-2 series at a time so there is that... 

Definitely one of the darkest, most violent series I've ever seen, but oh boy, is it good!

Breaking Bad definitely has a very dark gritty realistic tone to it as a commentary on the American for profit healthcare system. The series contains graphic and brutal violence, but the reason why it hits viewers so hard is because of the way it is portrayed: The viewers care for the victims. It is not numbing like in many other shows/movies. The violence isn't to make viewers enjoy it, but rather be shocked by it.

Vince Gilligan, who is the brain behind the show is very very talented. He already made a name for himself as one of the writers for The X-Files and with Breaking Bad he got to fully explore his own creative visions.

Just finished Season 4 last night... what a season finale that was!

[spoiler]something[/spoiler] is perhaps over the top, but yes, the last episodes of Season 4 are very good. Wait until you see the final episodes of the whole series (season 6)!

Also, if you enjoyed Breaking Bad this much, do not skip Better Call Saul. It has a bit more relaxed and funnier tone to it (what can you expect when it is about Saul Goodman?), but I might even prefer it to Breaking Bad (matter of taste really).

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Sorry to hear that. Suffering from ear problems is not nice at all. My wife is seeing a specialist in March with very similar symptoms that you describe. She suffers the swishing effect in the mornings and also popping with itching and stinging.
I'm due to enter hospital next week for op. Walking wounded at Irons Towers! 

Good luck Lol!  I hope that your surgery goes well and that soon you will be running marathons!

And good luck to your wife too.  Did hers start off as a head cold/sinus infection (mine did)?  I felt better after antibiotics and taking various decongestants and antihistamines, but can not shake the other.  Am going to call the doctor soon (today).

And thanks all for your well wishes!

PD

[Papy Oli]

Best wishes and recovery to you both, PD and Irons.

TD:

Finished Season 5 of The Crown last night - Still gripping and "entertaining" in its peculiar way. Not as convinced by Dominic West as Charles and by Imelda Staunton as Lilibet.

Debicki on the other hand played a very good Diana.

The manipulations around the Martin Bashir interview, actually covered in the relevant episodes, made quite an uncomfortable viewing.


Planning now to continue with The Gold on the BBC, about the aftermath of the Brinks robbery in the early 80's. 

[Karl Henning]

Sorry to hear that. Suffering from ear problems is not nice at all. My wife is seeing a specialist in March with very similar symptoms that you describe. She suffers the swishing effect in the mornings and also popping with itching and stinging.
I'm due to enter hospital next week for op. Walking wounded at Irons Towers! 

Watm vibes for quick recovery for all.

[Irons]

Thank you very much for posts above, very much appreciated.

I feel like the General who marched up the hill and then marched down again as op deferred to early March. I was warned to be prepared for this as NHS under huge pressure.

PD, I have some idea what you are going through and it is extremely tough. Keep us up to how you get on. I will pass on P's prognoses once we have one. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Thank you very much for posts above, very much appreciated.

I feel like the General who marched up the hill and then marched down again as op deferred to early March. I was warned to be prepared for this as NHS under huge pressure.

PD, I have some idea what you are going through and it is extremely tough. Keep us up to how you get on. I will pass on P's prognoses once we have one. 

Oh, no!  Sorry to hear about the delay!  And, dang, how are you going to juggle around your gardening plans/work? 

And thanks!  Would like to hear how they (hopefully) figure out how to help her.

PD

[krummholz]

So you have watched about one episode per week? I couldn't keep such slow speed myself. For me it is 14-20 episodes per week. Call it binge-watching if you want, but then again I watch only 1-2 series at a time so there is that... 

I have a one DVD at a time account with Netflix so I have to wait for them to send me the next disc. Typically when I get a disc from a series like Breaking Bad I will watch one episode every other night (on nights where I don't have to get up early the next day). But then I alternate Breaking Bad with Madam Secretary, The Handmaid's Tale, and a movie from a list of acclaimed movies of the past 5 years, interspersed between any two series. If I finish a disc tonight and mail it back tomorrow, I'll probably get a notice on Monday that they've sent out the next disc in my queue, which takes 3-4 business days to arrive. So it's typically two months or so from when I receive one disc from a series to when I receive the next one from the same series.

Breaking Bad definitely has a very dark gritty realistic tone to it as a commentary on the American for profit healthcare system. The series contains graphic and brutal violence, but the reason why it hits viewers so hard is because of the way it is portrayed: The viewers care for the victims. It is not numbing like in many other shows/movies. The violence isn't to make viewers enjoy it, but rather be shocked by it.

I agree, though I'd say the commentary on our healthcare system is only one dimension of the show's relevance. There is also a lot about addiction, the violence of the drug trade, white collar crime (Ted Beneke), and lots else.

Gustavo Fring's death is perhaps over the top, but yes, the last episodes of Season 4 are very good. Wait until you see the final episodes of the whole series (season 6)!

Errm... you might want to insert a spoiler alert there, Poju! Though I knew the character was going to die, I had no idea when and I'm glad I didn't know.

Also, if you enjoyed Breaking Bad this much, do not skip Better Call Saul. It has a bit more relaxed and funnier tone to it (what can you expect when it is about Saul Goodman?), but I might even prefer it to Breaking Bad (matter of taste really).

I was attracted to Breaking Bad because of the character of Walter White, his predicament, and how it draws him into an underworld in which he is really out of his element, until he degenerates out of desperation into just as bad a person as the criminals he has to deal with. Saul Goodman, on the other hand, strikes me as just a caricature of the sleazy crime-world lawyer. Of all the regular characters on Breaking Bad, he's the least attractive to me and I'm not sure I'd want to watch a series in which he's the central character... though I might try the first couple episodes after I'm done with Breaking Bad.

[George]

[Bachtoven]

The last of Us on HBO Max. Compelling, but not for the faint of heart!

[DavidW]

The last of Us on HBO Max. Compelling, but not for the faint of heart!

As a huge fan of the games, I am very happy with this adaptation!

[71 dB]

I have a one DVD at a time account with Netflix so I have to wait for them to send me the next disc.

DVD? You are watching in SD-quality? Ugghh! I bought the complete series on Blu-ray back in 2014. It was very cheap (sale), something like 40 euros ($45).

Typically when I get a disc from a series like Breaking Bad I will watch one episode every other night (on nights where I don't have to get up early the next day). But then I alternate Breaking Bad with Madam Secretary, The Handmaid's Tale, and a movie from a list of acclaimed movies of the past 5 years, interspersed between any two series. If I finish a disc tonight and mail it back tomorrow, I'll probably get a notice on Monday that they've sent out the next disc in my queue, which takes 3-4 business days to arrive. So it's typically two months or so from when I receive one disc from a series to when I receive the next one from the same series.

We don't have this kind of service in Finland. Sending discs back sounds crazy. Who bothers to do something like that in 2023? Why don't you just stream instead (and on HD-quality!)?

I agree, though I'd say the commentary on our healthcare system is only one dimension of the show's relevance. There is also a lot about addiction, the violence of the drug trade, white collar crime (Ted Beneke), and lots else.

Sure, there is a lot, but the for healthcare reality is what makes the idea of the series work. As they said, Breaking Bad wouldn't make much sense in other countries. People in the UK don't cook crystal meth to finance their cancer treatments, do they? No, because they have NHS.

Errm... you might want to insert a spoiler alert there, Poju! Though I knew the character was going to die, I had no idea when and I'm glad I didn't know.

Didn't you just finish season 4? What the hell happened in the season 4 you received from Netflix? Also, this series is "old" at this point.

I was attracted to Breaking Bad because of the character of Walter White, his predicament, and how it draws him into an underworld in which he is really out of his element, until he degenerates out of desperation into just as bad a person as the criminals he has to deal with. Saul Goodman, on the other hand, strikes me as just a caricature of the sleazy crime-world lawyer. Of all the regular characters on Breaking Bad, he's the least attractive to me and I'm not sure I'd want to watch a series in which he's the central character... though I might try the first couple episodes after I'm done with Breaking Bad.

Bob Odenkirk (playing Saul Goodman) is much better (hahah) in Better Call Saul, because the series concentrates on his character. It tells the story of how Jimmy McGill becomes Saul Goodman and the character is much more sympathetic. If you enjoy Breaking Bad a lot, you should definitely try Better Call Saul as well. I'd be surprised if you didn't enjoy that series too.

[vandermolen]

Best of luck and quick recovery!

+1

[vandermolen]

Very unpleasant indeed. I hope you mend quickly.

Yes, same from me PD 

[vandermolen]

Sorry to hear that. Suffering from ear problems is not nice at all. My wife is seeing a specialist in March with very similar symptoms that you describe. She suffers the swishing effect in the mornings and also popping with itching and stinging.
I'm due to enter hospital next week for op. Walking wounded at Irons Towers! 

Sorry to hear this Lol (no bad-taste pun intended  )
All strength to you and Mrs Lol.
 

[krummholz]

DVD? You are watching in SD-quality? Ugghh! I bought the complete series on Blu-ray back in 2014. It was very cheap (sale), something like 40 euros ($45).

You took me too literally. I do have the Blu-Ray plan - and the Breaking Bad S4D3 disc was indeed a Blu-Ray. But Netflix sends me whatever they have on hand - sometimes it's a Blu-Ray, sometimes it's an old-style DVD.

We don't have this kind of service in Finland. Sending discs back sounds crazy. Who bothers to do something like that in 2023? Why don't you just stream instead (and on HD-quality!)?

Because, browsing their catalogs of titles available on "DVD" (including Blu-Ray) vs. streaming, there were MANY titles I was interested in that were not available for streaming. The reverse was true as well, of course. For a time I had both DVD and streaming plans... until early last year, when they upped the price of one plan or the other - I think it was the streaming plan. I had to make a choice, so I ditched streaming and stuck with the "crazy" send-the-discs-back plan.

Sure, there is a lot, but the for healthcare reality is what makes the idea of the series work. As they said, Breaking Bad wouldn't make much sense in other countries. People in the UK don't cook crystal meth to finance their cancer treatments, do they? No, because they have NHS.

Interesting perspective, never really thought about it that way. Remember that for Americans like myself, this healthcare system is our way of life. And it's unlikely to change anytime soon.

Didn't you just finish season 4? What the hell happened in the season 4 you received from Netflix? Also, this series is "old" at this point.

Ummm, Poju... you seem to have missed my point. It may be an old series, but many people have yet to watch it, and may not appreciate knowing ahead of time exactly who is going to be killed off exactly when.

Bob Odenkirk (playing Saul Goodman) is much better (hahah) in Better Call Saul, because the series concentrates on his character. It tells the story of how Jimmy McGill becomes Saul Goodman and the character is much more sympathetic. If you enjoy Breaking Bad a lot, you should definitely try Better Call Saul as well. I'd be surprised if you didn't enjoy that series too.

Like I said, I probably will give it a try. But I seriously doubt that I could relate to Saul Goodman or any of the characters I've seen on Breaking Bad that he associates with. I find Walter White and his family, on the other hand, far more sympathetic, likewise DEA agent Hank and his family, in many ways typical suburban Americans who just happen to live with one foot in a world of crime, both white-collar and the most violent kind.

[71 dB]

You took me too literally. I do have the Blu-Ray plan - and the Breaking Bad S4D3 disc was indeed a Blu-Ray. But Netflix sends me whatever they have on hand - sometimes it's a Blu-Ray, sometimes it's an old-style DVD.

If you pay for Blu-ray plan, you should get Blu-rays or at minimum be refunded for getting DVD only.

Because, browsing their catalogs of titles available on "DVD" (including Blu-Ray) vs. streaming, there were MANY titles I was interested in that were not available for streaming. The reverse was true as well, of course. For a time I had both DVD and streaming plans... until early last year, when they upped the price of one plan or the other - I think it was the streaming plan. I had to make a choice, so I ditched streaming and stuck with the "crazy" send-the-discs-back plan.

Quite messy I would say. I don't like the "you own nothing" economy where you rent stuff instead of owning them. It is insane how much the owner class gets to dictate what other people consume with their money. You can see this only on DVD, but you can't stream it, but you can stream this, but you can't see it on Blu-ray etc.

Interesting perspective, never really thought about it that way. Remember that for Americans like myself, this healthcare system is our way of life. And it's unlikely to change anytime soon.

Well, as an outsider I can point this out easily just as you could point out easily weird things (such as gambling machines in grocery stores    ) about Finnish way of life I take for granted.

Yes, you are right. The American healthcare system isn't changing anytime soon or if it changes it is probably for into the wrong direction (repealed Obamacare and defunded Medicare). There is no limits to the cruelty of the Republicans and even some Democrats.

Ummm, Poju... you seem to have missed my point. It may be an old series, but many people have yet to watch it, and may not appreciate knowing ahead of time exactly who is going to be killed off exactly when.

My point is there is a "courtesy period" of a few years during which tv shows and movies shouldn't be spoiled, but after that period everyone can blame himself/herself for not having watched the show/movie. What I spoiled has been out for viewing for 10 years or so! Of course it takes time to watch series. I watched 60's Doctor Who for the first time about 10 years ago (50 years late!), but if I get spoiled I blame myself. I can't expect the whole planet to use spoiler tags forever, because it takes me decades to watch something old.

I tried to add spoiler tags to my post, but it doesn't work so I wrote "something"

Like I said, I probably will give it a try. But I seriously doubt that I could relate to Saul Goodman or any of the characters I've seen on Breaking Bad that he associates with. I find Walter White and his family, on the other hand, far more sympathetic, likewise DEA agent Hank and his family, in many ways typical suburban Americans who just happen to live with one foot in a world of crime, both white-collar and the most violent kind.

It is your choice. I have given my recommendation and you do what you want with it. Saul Goodman is the "Walter White" in Better Call Saul. Different character and personality of course, but imho not a bit less sympathetic.

[krummholz]

If you pay for Blu-ray plan, you should get Blu-rays or at minimum be refunded for getting DVD only.

I agree up to a point, but there are nice things about DVDs, at least with my Blu-Ray player. With most Blu-Ray discs, if you halt play and turn the player off, it will restart play at the outermost level or the beginning (even forcing you to forward through the coming attractions, if any), instead of resuming play at that point or even giving you the option to resume there. I have yet to find a DVD where the player doesn't automatically resume play where you stopped it.

Quite messy I would say. I don't like the "you own nothing" economy where you rent stuff instead of owning them. It is insane how much the owner class gets to dictate what other people consume with their money. You can see this only on DVD, but you can't stream it, but you can stream this, but you can't see it on Blu-ray etc.

Technically, of course, that's true even of the music on a CD - you may own the physical media, but the content is owned by the author (composer) and/or the company that produced the disc. In the case of e-books, this ownership model has caused no end of grief and excess expense for libraries. I'm not sure, but I've been under the impression that the issue is worldwide and not confined to the U.S. or even the West.

Well, as an outsider I can point this out easily just as you could point out easily weird things (such as gambling machines in grocery stores    ) about Finnish way of life I take for granted.

Yes, you are right. The American healthcare system isn't changing anytime soon or if it changes it is probably for into the wrong direction (repealed Obamacare and defunded Medicare). There is no limits to the cruelty of the Republicans and even some Democrats.

I don't think either of those things will actually happen - what is more likely is that Medicare premiums and/or co-insurance rates will go up drastically, and probably coverage will be reduced. Obamacare, as enacted, was never a very good program. I don't see this as a political problem - it is a social / cultural one, and stems directly from the American tendency to want to have things yet pay for them on endless credit, an obviously unsustainable practice. Both Social Security and Medicare, as implemented in this country, have been called a form of Ponzi scheme. But that's a topic for another forum.

My point is there is a "courtesy period" of a few years during which tv shows and movies shouldn't be spoiled, but after that period everyone can blame himself/herself for not having watched the show/movie. What I spoiled has been out for viewing for 10 years or so! Of course it takes time to watch series. I watched 60's Doctor Who for the first time about 10 years ago (50 years late!), but if I get spoiled I blame myself. I can't expect the whole planet to use spoiler tags forever, because it takes me decades to watch something old.

I tried to add spoiler tags to my post, but it doesn't work so I wrote "something"

Well of course, but it's still a worthwhile courtesy IMO. I always try to put in a warning before spoiling events in movies, etc. regardless of how long they have been out. But you are right; I looked for spoiler tags and couldn't find any, which is why I settled for white font. An imperfect solution, but there is no available font color that matches the background color of quoted text. It would be nice to see spoiler tags added to this BB.

It is your choice. I have given my recommendation and you do what you want with it. Saul Goodman is the "Walter White" in Better Call Saul. Different character and personality of course, but imho not a bit less sympathetic.

So Jimmy McGill was just an ordinary chap before he became Saul Goodman? Now you have my interest piqued. And I've read that Gustavo Fring appears in Better Call Saul - of all the villains in Breaking Bad, I always found him the most interesting, especially given the events of "Hermanos". As I said, I'll give the series a try once I'm done with either Breaking Bad or The Handmaid's Tale, whichever comes first (I think the 5th season of Handmaid's Tale will probably not be out on DVD/BD by the time I'm finished with the 4th, so maybe then).