More TV

[osprey_archer]

My biggest TV thrill this fall has been the return of the Great British Baking Show, which is going up an episode a week on Netflix. When I first saw this scheme of release, I decided that I would save up the episodes to watch all together… but of course within three days my resolution broke down, I watched the first episode, and I have no regrets, because now I have an episode to look forward to every week for the rest of autumn.

And we’ve finished the first half of Miraculous Ladybug season 3, which continues to be great, although ill-served by Netflix, which put up the episodes in completely the wrong order, and - and - AND! did not air at all the episode in which two new superheroes got introduced! We see them for the first time in “Party Crasher,” but it’s clear that this is not their first appearance, because Chat Noir greets them both by name. And we don’t even get to see their transformation sequences. What is this outrage?

On a show level, rather than a Netflix level, I’m not super thrilled that these new additions mean there are now more male superheroes than female, although hopefully that state of affairs won’t last forever? We’ll see when Netflix finally puts up the second half of the season.

But one thing I DID love is the fact that Chloe Bourgeois actually resists akumization because she wants so much to be a good superhero. We’ve never seen anyone do that before! That’s so badass! And actually totally in character for Chloe: I absolutely believe that Chloe Bourgeois is stubborn enough to heroically resist evil if she puts her mind to it. It’s just that previously all her stubbornness has been flowing the other way.

We also finish season 3 of The Good Place, which continues to be excellent, and I am crushed by the knowledge that the new season is coming out as I type and I won’t be able to see it till next year.

It’s impossible to discuss this show without spoilers, so I’m putting in a

One thing I love and admire about this show is its willingness to reinvent itself. The season kicks off with Eleanor meeting Chidi again (but on earth this time), and they could have spent much of the season getting the gang back together, having them learn about ethics again, seeing if they can in fact get better if they work together - but instead they change things up entirely just a few episodes in, when the gang overhears Michael and Janet explaining the point system, which means that they are now no longer eligible to earn more points and are therefore doomed to hell, and the show is off to explore a whole new philosophical question (which is nonetheless related to the other philosophical questions it has been exploring): how do you find meaning in life if you know that you’re doomed? What are the reasons to be good under those circumstances?

I really like the way that they weave together these philosophical issues with the storylines. The episode where Eleanor dives headfirst into determinism is a particular tour-de-force in this area.

And not content with that sudden about-face, the show reinvents itself a couple of more times before the season is over. It’s just fascinating to see how much the show can change while remaining at heart the same, just exploring new facets of its main core theme: what does it mean to be a good person?

Comments

[asakiyume]

I enjoyed Season 3 of The Good Place too--especially once they started in on trying to help their loved ones (and where they went after that). And like you, I'm going to have to wait a year for season 4.

In better news.... New season of She-ra comes WHILE YOU ARE AT MY PLACE.

[osprey_archer]

OH MY GOD. On the one hand I am not sure that driving across country to sit down and watch TV is the best use of time and space, but ON THE OTHER HAND, a new season of She-Ra is actually premiering then, it is like it was PRE-ORDAINED that we should watch it, who are we to argue with the power of fate??????

In other news, I finished revisions of part one of the Little Red Riding Hood story about ten minutes ago, so clearly this Monday is coming up 100% me.

[asakiyume]

Agreed: we'll make you run around a track a couple of times first and THEN sit down to do some watching ;-) (Also we can watch it in suitable portions--we don't have to binge it!)

Yay RRH story!

[osprey_archer]

I figure we'll just watch it instead of a movie? If it's as short as seasons 2 and 3, then it will actually be not much longer than the movie would have been, AND much easier to spread out over two or three days.

Do you still want to beta-read the RRH story?

[asakiyume]

I do! Please send!

And yes, She-Ra will provide us with a viewing experience we're [pretty much?? We hope??] guaranteed to love. DON'T DISAPPOINT US, SHE-RA. [... not a fan of Gilmmer's new costume; I like Catra's though]

[redrikki]

I just got into Miraculous Ladybug over the last week and it's utterly charming. Word on the out of order thing, but apparently that's how it's produced. Like, they're all out of order which I, personally, as someone who likes having a sensical timeline with consistent characterization across it, find intensely frustrating. I went on Youtube to fill in the gaps of episodes they haven't added to Netflix yet. Apparently there are two new lady heroes as well, so that's 5 lady heroes to 5 boy heroes.

[osprey_archer]

We ended up going to Wikipedia, where they've got the episodes listed in internal chronological order, and followed the order there as we watched... which worked fine except that a couple of the episodes that should have been in the first half of the season simply were not there. It seems like such a shoddy way to put a show on a streaming service: it's like they want to drive viewers away.

I am glad to hear that there are two new lady heroes too, though!

[redrikki]

There's a Wikipedia chronology? Oh, thank god. I know where I'm headed next. I was all set to try to make one myself.

[anelith]

The Good Place is just amazing and it astonishes me that it ever got to network TV. The fact that we are getting 4 seasons of it is a miracle.

[osprey_archer]

It is a miracle! I know the show runner had a number of previous hit shows, so maybe that's why the network decided to take a chance on it despite the fact that the premise is a little bonkers.

[silverusagi]

I do love how The Good Place constantly keeps me guessing. It reinvents itself over and over and also moves along at a breakneck pace, so nothing ever stagnates story wise.

[osprey_archer]

And despite that breakneck pace, it never feels like they're skimping on developing the characters or the implications of their crazy new plot twist. They're just incredibly economical and pack so much into so little space!