I'm going to approach 1899 like I should have approached Dark and not even try to figure out what's actually happening in advance. I expect it will have a similarly unpredictable conclusion, not matter how much attention you pay.
Some of the acting is less than stellar, but the story 4 episodes in is fascinating in the Dark kinda way. The music choices are exceptional, and yea that
tea moment at the start is a major WTF and still not answered 4 in...
1899 finished. It held up. Not as mindbendingly good as dark but still a stellar show.
Wednesday dropped today. Binging is on hold until Friday though 
I'm going to approach 1899 like I should have approached Dark and not even try to figure out what's actually happening in advance. I expect it will have a similarly unpredictable conclusion, not matter how much attention you pay.
After finishing the season I can say this was a very good decision.
Late to the party, but I finally watched Bridgerton season 2. I think I liked it better than the first, despite the absence of the Duke of Hastings (aka the hottest and sexiest man alive). It's pure eye candy, all fluff and no substance, and I had a great time. Eloise gets my award for best character, followed by Penelope.
I watched the first two episodes of Wednesday last night. Very fun show. It very nicely straddles the line of expanding on the source material while staying true to it and it sneaks in some nice Easter eggs for fans.
Finished Wednesday today. Really enjoyed it! Hopefully there will be a season 2.
Finished Wednesday today. Really enjoyed it! Hopefully there will be a season 2.
Watched the first episode tonight with my daughter and we both liked it.
I described it as either Harry Potter in Riverdale or Hermoine Granger’s adventures if she was the most toxic and self centered person on the planet.
I had a hard time liking her and felt she didn’t deserve Enid’s friendship. Enid was the best.
I mean, that a fair assessment if you're not familiar with Wednesday Addams. This is very much a show meant for people who loved her character from the 90s movies.
I mean, that a fair assessment if you're not familiar with Wednesday Addams. This is very much a show meant for people who loved her character from the 90s movies.
I remember the earlier depictions but she usually reserved her sh*ttiness to folks who deserved it. Folks who wore their arrogance and bigotry like badges of honor. In this, she’s just toxic and abusive to everyone including folks who are just too good for her.
In this, she’s just toxic and abusive to everyone including folks who are just too good for her.
Sounds like some teenagers I know.
Or a gifted kid that is ahead of her class and just wants to do her time and move on with her life. Enjoying the show.
I dipped and skipped my way through 1899.
When the credits rolled on Episode 8, what sprung to mind was the old hip-hop track 'Change the Style' by Son of Bazerk.
1899 start off like 'The Terror', while slowly accreting elements of
'Lost'.
Before bursting into
'The Matrix',
with a sprinkling of
'Inception'.
And finally ending up - apparently - somewhere in the area of
James Follett's 'Earthsearch'.
The reason I "dipped and skipped' was because I found the whole thing far too slow and too miserly with its revelations. A fairly small plot was stretched very thinly over 6-and-a-half hours. (By way of - perhaps unfair - comparison, 'The Lord of the Rings' film trilogy was 10-hours long.)
It reminded me a little of the last two seasons of 'Stranger Things', which felt similarly stretched. I can't help feeling like season and series length is becoming increasingly important in the Neflix's commissioning decisions. I don't think that it is delivering better shows.
But I will stick around for Season 2, and likely 'dip and skip' through that one too.
My plan with 1899 is similar to most shows like that: I might as well wait until it's done. It'll be confirmed if they get to finish their story instead of being cancelled on a cliffhanger; it'll be confirmed that the story concludes in a way that makes a convoluted journey with it; and said conclusion will probably be more enjoyable if I remember all the intricate details because I'm not 18 months removed from watching the previous season.
The Swimmers was good.
Question about 1899: Is the multiple languages distracting? Is a considerable part of the show not in English?
I ask this because we don’t watch shows that are subtitled. We only made it through S1 of Dark and watched the dubbed version - which I think contributed a bit to why it didn’t land for us. (Also because we found it a bit plodding and friends told us S2 wasn’t great but S3 was when it really got good.)
Question about 1899: Is the multiple languages distracting? Is a considerable part of the show not in English?
Most of the show is English. There are a few characters that speak in different languages, and that dialogue is subtitled, but I would estimate that 90% of dialogue is English.
(I'm only two episodes in, mind you. Enjoying the slow-burn pace and the unraveling mysteries so far.)
I didn't find the multiple languages distracting. But even if I did, I would probably watch the subtitled version rather than the dubbed. My experience is that nuance and meaning get lost in translation more frequently through dubbing, than through subtitles.
EDIT: As TastyPudding says, the majority of the dialogue is in English.
As for the pacing... I found it slow and miserly with its reveals (see my comments above). FWIW, I too started Dark, and found it intriguing initially. Then I got bored, stopped watching and never returned.
One of my favorite comedians, Neil Brennan, has a new special out and it is phenomenal.
I didn't find the multiple languages distracting. But even if I did, I would probably watch the subtitled version rather than the dubbed. My experience is that nuance and meaning get lost in translation more frequently through dubbing, than through subtitles.
EDIT: As TastyPudding says, the majority of the dialogue is in English.
As for the pacing... I found it slow and miserly with its reveals (see my comments above). FWIW, I too started Dark, and found it intriguing initially. Then I got bored, stopped watching and never returned.
I agree with you that things certainly get lost in translation and the ideal would be to watch the native language version. However, I've watched a fair amount of subtitled movies & tv over the years and I just don’t find them enjoyable. For me, video is primarily a visual medium and I find it frustrating to keep glancing up and down to read subtitles.
If you don't like subtitles just skip it.
I'll add I did not have problems with the pacing.
Pretty sure I watched dubbed Dark with subtitles that sometimes didn't match. So think I got the full context hehe.
I didn't start watching until S3 was out though and was able to burn through it. May do the same with 1899
We'll have to see if Netflix still has their heads up their ass about canceling shows if they're not immediately popular.
If you don't like subtitles just skip it.
I likely will, thanks.
Why the snark? I meant no offense to those who are fine with subtitles. p
karmajay wrote:If you don't like subtitles just skip it.
I likely will, thanks.
Why the snark? I meant no offense to those who are fine with subtitles. p
I don't think it was snark, just stating that it's not something were ignoring the subtitles will work, so if needing subtitles are a dealbreaker, then you should probably consider the deal broke. It might technically be mostly in English, but it's much closer to 50-60% than the 90% of the first few episodes, and most of the characters don't speak English at all.
With the subtitles the acting is much better than the dubbed version, less wooden and more nuanced.
We'll have to see if Netflix still has their heads up their ass about canceling shows if they're not immediately popular.
I'm always left a little bemused when I see this criticism of Netflix. It's not obvious to me that - in this respect - they're behaving any differently to traditional tv broadcasters. Neflix just receives the data they need to make their re-commissioning decisions much more quickly.
Further, I would guess that the only kind of popularity on Netflix is "immediate". There probably isn't much scope for a show to 'build' or 'die' over the course of weeks and months when an entire season is released on launch day. People see that a show has been released. They either watch it or don't. And if they watch it, they either stick with it... or don't. And presumably the data from failed shows is very granular. Netflix will know at exactly what moment(s) viewers decided that they'd had enough.
I do wonder whether this perception/reputation is due to the fact that Neflix is commissioning edgier, riskier shows, which are just more likely to 'fail'. At the risk of displaying my confirmation bias, I cannot imagine another 'network' commissioning programmes like 'The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt', 'Love. Death. + Robots' or even 'Stranger Things'. Or, of course, 'Dark'.
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