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Post by RiP, IMDb on Dec 7, 2021 13:51:27 GMT 1
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Dec 8, 2021 8:38:27 GMT 1
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Dec 9, 2021 13:00:44 GMT 1
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Dec 9, 2021 13:38:43 GMT 1
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Dec 9, 2021 14:15:09 GMT 1
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Dec 16, 2021 19:00:42 GMT 1
That's the one! Well selected. It's like the gif that keeps on giving.
I like 2 Broke Girls. Thanks. I feel the same way. Here are a couple more... I quite like the show too. Which episodes are these from?
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Dec 16, 2021 22:46:08 GMT 1
Thanks. I feel the same way. Here are a couple more... I quite like the show too. Which episodes are these from? The first one is from Season 1, Episode 4: 'And the Rich People Problems'. The second one is from Season 1, Episode 19: 'And the Spring Break'.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Dec 16, 2021 22:58:19 GMT 1
Which episodes are these from? The first one is from Season 1, Episode 4: 'And the Rich People Problems'. The second one is from Season 1, Episode 19: 'And the Spring Break'. Thanks
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Post by AQUA SALZ! on Dec 20, 2021 21:23:23 GMT 1
I’ve been watching or rewatching (via HBO Max) and enjoying some DC Animated Universe episodes. I really enjoyed the Justice League Christmas episode, “Comfort and Joy,” particularly the Martian Manhunter storyline. (MM, whom I usually find a dull Superman retread, may just be my favorite Justice Leaguer on this show, in large part because of Carl Lumbly’s affecting vocal performance.) Something that stood out to me about Justice League is that it kind of de-characterizes Superman and Batman. ( De-characterize isn’t a word, but sideline isn’t what I mean.) That is to say, they’re in a lot of episodes, but they basically turn from characters into archetypes (Supes the symbol of justice, Bats the loner-avenger). That’s no doubt because they had their own shows previously, but I wish they’d kept their characterizations from those shows. To be fair to the writers, though, Justice League Unlimited does contain at least one amazing moment for each hero: “Am I Blue?” for Bats and “For the Man Who Has Everything” for Supes. I love so much about Superman: The Animated Series—the half-’30s, half-modern world, the character designs, Dana Delany’s Lois Lane—that I feel bad criticizing the show, but I’d say that in general the plots just aren’t that great. Random complaints: I enjoyed “Mxyzpixilated” a lot, in spite of Gilbert Gottfried—some of the visuals are really good—but I wish the writers could have come up with something cleverer or at least funnier to do with Mr. Mxyzptlk, the hardest Superman villain to write, let alone adapt. “Target,” which I’d never seen before, is such a missed opportunity to write a good Lois-centric episode. And “The Way of All Flesh,” while entertaining, does almost nothing with Metallo or Malcolm McDowell. Batman: The Animated Series is usually better plotted and more memorable than Superman; I don’t think Supes has any episode as good as “Heart of Ice.”
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Post by primemcgee on Dec 21, 2021 2:19:55 GMT 1
McMillan & Wife - I watched a season 1 episode where someone is robbing expensive jewels and the notorious "Dutchman" is responsible. No one knows what he looks like except an ex-boxer (Claude Akins). The running gag in the show is that Rock Hudson has a million ex-girlfriends all over San Francisco.
No one seems to be gay in 1970 San Francisco.
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Post by Merv on Dec 21, 2021 4:30:02 GMT 1
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Dec 21, 2021 12:27:36 GMT 1
Evil - Season 2, Episode 1: 'N Is for Night Terrors'. This season is a bit messy but still great Yeah, the last couple of episodes I watched from this season were getting a bit too 'woke'...but thankfully the most recent one I watched was a return to form and gave us not only the best episode so far this season, but one of the best episodes of the whole show, as it involved total silence (except for a few brief scenes involving the main three whispering). It had some great humour, some gross stuff and some nice moments too. All in all, it's what's mostly been missing since Season 1. I hope the remainder of this season can be more like this one and less like the two episodes that preceded it. Evil - Season 2, Episode 7: 'S Is for Silence'.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Dec 30, 2021 3:30:22 GMT 1
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Dec 30, 2021 9:18:04 GMT 1
Evil - Season 2, Episode 13: 'C Is for Cannibal'. I hadn't watched Season 1 of this show when it aired here on TV. Instead I bought it on DVD. After watching the first season and kind of loving it, I was eager to watch Season 2 and this time I didn't wait for the DVD, I watched it via recording the episodes from TV. Annoyingly, I missed ONE episode (I'd set the recorder for it, so I don't know why it wasn't recorded), which means if I ever want to see it, I probably will end up having to get the season on DVD after all (unless they repeat the second season on TV at some point). Anyway, I see what you meant about this season being a bit 'messy', @phistosgauntlet - as it did seem to lack a coherent story/direction. It was mostly case-of-the-week stuff, and there were some episodes I enjoyed more than others (the season premiere and the silent episode were easily my favourites), but I do hope next season they try not to just see how much crazy shit they can get away with doing just for the sake of doing crazy shit. There needs to be a *point* to it. Also, it was disappointing that in this season final, after David became a priest, he so easily gave into temptation. Of course, Kristen had just confessed to offing the killer who'd threatened her children (which Katja Herbers did one hell of a job portraying), and they were both probably vulnerable, but still...it was like the show totally undid the good of what came before with one simple snog between the two. It all felt like kind of a waste. However, there was ONE stand-out moment in this episode, and that was Kristen vs. Leland. After he'd been pretending on the phone she was throwing her shoe at him, she did MORE than that and thoroughly whacked him several times with it which felt VERY satisfying to watch. I especially loved the slow build-up to it (the look she was giving him as she slowly removed her shoe) and then when he said in his typical Leland sneer that she should get help, she responded mimicking his voice that this WAS her with help. That was such a great moment. There was some gross stuff with cannibalism in the episode and a winged demon, but this scene was by far my favourite. I'm hoping the show doesn't just become one for the creators to voice their political opinions with just some supernatural stuff thrown in. It can be SO much better than that. It's proven it can bring the creepy (moreso than other shows whose job it is to actually be horror. It's amazing how they fail while this show succeeds) and should really focus on what made it so great in the first season - ie. the trio of Kristen, David & Ben investigating creepy shit and the horror aspects (with a little bit of dark humour thrown in). I don't want to see it become *too* comedic, otherwise that destroys the creepy factor. Anywho, I'm glad I got to watch the show on TV this time around (I just wish I hadn't missed that one episode ).
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Dec 31, 2021 9:52:28 GMT 1
Season 2 of My Brilliant Friend on DVD. I’d previously started typing out my review for this season of the show...and then, much to my annoyance, I lost all my work. Consequently, I didn’t feel like typing out my review episode-by-episode like I’d originally planned to, so instead I’ll just summarise. I found Season 1 of this series (which I’d taken a chance on after watching the trailers and buying it on DVD) to be a nice surprise, as it was a really compelling series (so much so that as soon as I finished watching Season 1, I went out and read the book series...but it’d been quite a while since I read them, so I didn’t really remember much - though there were a few things I recalled). Margherita Mazzucco & Gaia Girace, who took over playing the roles of Lenù & Lila from the child actresses (who were excellent in their own right) a few episodes into the first season, are exceptional in their portrayals of these complex characters. It’s even more impressive when you factor in that neither had really acted before scoring these roles in the show. The depth and emotion they bring to their characters is really something to behold. Gaia Girace especially impressed me as Lila, who is a very complex/complicated character. She isn’t real easy to like and seems to be her own worst enemy at times, but still I find her completely captivating to watch. I was shocked to read that the actress who portrays her so wonderfully will apparently be leaving after a few episodes in Season 3 (I guess mirroring what happened with the child actresses who’d portrayed the characters previously). At this point, I can’t imagine anyone else in the role, and I’m not sure if I’ll want to continue without her. This has truly been a stand-out debut performance from her and I hope to see her in other projects worthy of her talent. This show deserves MUCH more attention (and awards too). It’s a truly is a special series (though don’t go playing a drinking game and taking a shot every time a character threatens to kill another...otherwise you’ll die from alcohol poisoning after only a couple of episodes). Season 1 of Superman & Lois on Blu-ray. I am WAY behind with all the ‘Arrowverse’ shows, and definitely hadn’t seen the big event crossover episodes, so this was my introduction to Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane (though I had seen Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent/Superman when I started Season 2 of Supergirl). I was familiar with her from the TV series Grimm (when she was going by the name Bitsie Tulloch), and like a lot of people, I wasn’t overly impressed with her on that show. However, I was willing to give her a chance here, as I figured it was mostly the writing/character she played on Grimm that was the main problem. I was happy to see my faith was rewarded, as she proved to be an excellent Lois Lane in this show who had believable chemistry with Hoechlin’s Clark/Superman. Speaking of, it took me only *one* episode of Supergirl to know I preferred him in the role to Henry Cavill (whose arse just about everyone seems to think the sun shines out of, but who has never impressed me in his portrayal). Hoechlin’s Clark Kent brings the dorkiness of Christopher Reeve’s version, without going OTT, whilst his Superman is everything Cavill’s isn’t - ie. likeable, warm and inspirational. Added to this is the fact that he’s a pretty awesome - though not perfect - father (Lois matches him in the parenting department, as she can be stern, but not to the point where she becomes unlikeable). I liked that even when Lois got mad at Clark, she had good reasons for it, acknowledged how conflicted she felt about being mad at him (given all he has to deal with) and was able to act like an actual adult. The great thing about this married couple was they actually function as a mature adult couple - which more shows could take lessons from in regards to writing their adult couples. Together, they’re a great pair and they’re the main reason I enjoyed this show. Like others, I was resistant to the idea of a show about Clark & Lois having kids, but while both their offspring were rather annoying (especially in the first handful of episodes), what made them tolerable was their sibling relationship. Jonathan was easily the more likeable of the two (though there was one episode where it felt as though the show writers thought he was being *too* likeable, especially when compared to Jordan, and so they had Jonathan being an annoying angsty teenager just like Jordan was most of the time). On the whole, Jonathan proved to be a pretty good brother and he didn’t bother me too much. As for Jordan...well...it took quite a few episodes for me to find him tolerable (especially given all the crap he gave his parents, but especially poor Clark. I also found him to be a hypocrite at times, yelling at his parents for doing things that he’d then turn around and do himself). I did like the different lessons Clark taught Jordan about his powers (though it was a bit rough on Jonathan that Clark didn’t take him to the Fortress or introduce him to Jor-El like he did with Jordan. I could understand Jonathan not being too happy about that, but he wasn’t too much of a pain in the arse about it, thankfully). Once Jordan accepted his powers and wasn’t so angsty, he became bearable. I do hope going forward that there can be less fights going on between them/their parents and they can function more as a happy family. The other main characters in the show were varying degrees of interesting/likeable. I thought the actress who played Lana in this show reminded me of the one who plays Veronica’s mum in Riverdale - that was my first thought. My second thought was that Lana’s husband was a dick (though, to the actor’s credit, he managed to actually bring some layers to his character of Kyle/showed he had some depth. The writing probably helped too, as he certainly felt more developed than Lana's high school b/f in Smallville - Whitney). I didn’t mind their eldest daughter, Sarah. She wasn’t the typical annoying teenager. Yes, she made some questionable decisions here and there, but on the whole I liked her (I also thought the actress who played her reminded me of a young Kate Bosworth - who, coincidentally, was in Superman Returns). The younger sister, who seemed to be absent a lot, felt rather unnecessary, but on the whole I didn’t mind this other family in the show. At first the version of Sam Lane is this series seemed to be stuck in that rather thankless role the character always seems to have, which is him making life difficult for Superman. Having said that, he too showed over the course of the season that he wasn’t a ‘bad guy’ and was doing the best he could. I did feel a twinge of sympathy for him on rare occasions and I liked that he got along with Superman in this show more than I’d seen his character do in any of the other versions. I didn’t know what to make of ‘Captain Luthor’ after the first episode, since he seemed to be an enemy of Superman’s, but I guess the show creators heard the outcry over there being TWO African American characters in the show who were presented as antagonists (the other being Sarah’s b/f, who bullied Jordan), but of course if people had just waited for longer than an episode to get all outraged and jump to conclusions/accusations, they would’ve seen that both these characters weren’t actually ‘bad guys’ after all. Sarah’s b/f eased off on bullying Jordan, and as for ‘Captain Luthor’, it was revealed he was in fact a guy named John Henry Irons from an alternate future who’d been fighting a Superman-turned-villain and was inadvertently sent back through time. He wasn’t exactly the easiest character to like (except when he was undercover with Lois - though him getting along with her was explained by the fact that in his future they were a married couple), and while I could understand him being more than a little upset that alt-future Supes killed alt-future Lois, his first instinct being to just kill this Superman without explanation or anything didn't make for the best first impression. Thankfully, towards the end of the season he became an ally (though he was still a bit rough around the edges, feeling as though he was only tolerating being around the others rather than actually thinking of them as friends...even if they now thought of him as one). The thing I was least happy about regarding his character was the flashback to him with his daughter, who didn’t at all feel as though she was also Lois’s daughter. We saw exactly *one* scene of interaction between the the mother/daughter and it was her expressing disgust at her parents snogging in bed (maybe next time stay out of your parents room or at least knock?). The rather disappointing ‘cliffhanger’ in the season final, with her character miraculously crash-landing, has me worried about the fact that it’ll likely throw a spanner in the works of the Kent family dynamic. I hope they don't ruin a good thing. This season’s villain, Morgan Edge, wasn’t particularly interesting for the majority of it, then they suddenly pulled out this reveal of him being Kal-El’s bro (Lara was with another Kryptonian before Jor-El)...and I *still* didn’t find him overly interesting. I thought maybe he’d finally become somewhat interesting when they were having him turn into the Eradicator (the name of which sounded familiar, but I didn’t really know much about except he was an enemy of Superman), but even then he was still such a disappointment (and the way he was defeated was pretty anti-climactic). So, on the whole, I found him to be a pretty ho-hum villain. I actually liked his right-hand woman, Leslie Larr, more - as I at least found her mildly interesting. The show definitely took advantage of its budget, and I actually liked the action here (whereas MoS’s constant destruction porn bored me). I thought they did a decent job of showing off Superman’s various powers, and it didn’t seem to be too often the case that they were saving their budget by having very little action. There may have been more ‘family drama’ than action/powers on display at times, but what made it work was that it got to the point where you could actually be interested in what was going on when there wasn’t super power stuff happening. I appreciated some of the show’s humour (two of the most amusing moments, I found, were played out in the background of scenes – one instance when Clark had been teaching Jordan how to use his super-strength and then was on the phone and we could see Jonathan behind him trying to punch the thing and injuring his hand as a result, whilst the other was Jonathan lingering after Lois had told him to go upstairs when they were having a fight and her knowing he was still there without even turning around). In conclusion, I found this season to be pretty good (and certainly a lot less annoying than the last DC superhero show I watched on Blu-ray – ie. Stargirl). I am worried, though, that the writers might change things in Season 2...and not for the better. I guess I’ll be waiting a while to find out.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jan 3, 2022 12:08:49 GMT 1
Just finished Season 1 of Hell on Wheels on DVD. I think I originally watched the first episode (or maybe it was the first two episodes put together? I can’t recall) of this show when they aired the series on TV here and just didn’t really get into much, thus I didn't watch any further. However, since there was a 30% sale on all DVDs/Blu-rays where I buy them at, and the show had been finished for quite a while, the complete series boxset had gone down in price a fair bit...so I decided on a whim (as I sometimes do in regards to buying shows I haven't seen on DVD) to get it, as it was at the cheapest price it was likely ever going be. As luck would have it, they had one copy left (which is unusually good fortune for me, since normally I manage to just miss out on such things). I didn’t really remember anything from when I originally watched the first episode/s, so it was likely watching them fresh/for the first time again. I also hadn’t seen the show’s lead, Anson Mount, in anything other than this and Star Trek: Discovery (though I knew he was in the failed Inhumans series, and after looking up his IMDB list of credits, it turns out he guest-starred in a single episode of some shows I watched - though I have no memory of him in them). Anyway, here he plays ‘a former Confederate States Army Cavalry Colonel, Cullen Bohannon, whose family was slaughtered during the Civil War’ (full disclosure, I got that description of him from the Wiki page for his character. Yes, I’m that lazy). As you’d expect, he’s looking for revenge and this leads him out West and to the Union Pacific Railroad. These types of lead characters are ones I’ve seen many a time, they’re gruff, not particularly friendly, have no problem killing people (if they have half a reason to) and are ‘deeply flawed’. I was surprised, however, to learn that his character owned slaves...therefore making him deeply flawed (of course, he mentions how his wife made him see the wrongs of slavery and he even mentions how he treated his slaves ‘well’, so apparently this is meant to be our indication that he’s not that bad). I guess what sets Bohannon apart from other such flawed leads in shows is Anson Mount's portrayal. He has that steely glare thing working for him, and is the strong silent type a lot of the time, but when he does speak he’s a man of few words. He’s also constantly munching on cigars (seriously, it felt as though there was hardly a scene where he wasn't). I think the show did a decent job of not taking the easy way out and making him ‘suddenly good’. He does/says some very questionable things and he’s by no means a saint, but I also think that he doesn’t do anything necessarily ‘irredeemable’ either (though in the season final, he’s walking a fine line when he kills a guy he thought was responsible for the murder of his family, despite the guy's protestations, and then discovers this was indeed the case and he murdered the wrong man). I thought Mount did a good job as this character and managed to keep him likeable enough even when he did/said things I didn’t agree with (I’d previously enjoyed his Captain Pike in Star Trek: Discover, so that may have helped). The relationships Bohannon formed with various other characters showed his own character’s complexity, as he seemed to adapt to whichever individual he was interacting with and did/said what he needed to to keep on their good side (most of the time). Of course, there were some characters he interacted with who he just had no time for whatsoever, and those ones he wasn’t afraid to let know his true feelings (ie. beat them up, shoot off their ears, kill them, etc). I knew Dominique McElligott from a few shows I’d seen her in, but most recently The Boys where she plays a very different character (with a very different look) to the one she plays here. Lily Bell is the wife of a Union Pacific Railroad surveyor, Robert Bell, and carries the nickname ‘The Fair-Haired Maiden of the West’ (thanks again, Wiki!), but then they’re attacked by Native Americans, he’s killed, and she proves herself no shrinking violet by plunging one of the arrows she had gotten shot with (through not only her shoulder, but her hand as well - teaches her for putting out her hand in an effort to stop from being shot, as now she had two wounds whereas if she hadn’t done that, she would’ve just had one) into the neck of the guy who killed her husband and shot her, slowly pushing it in until he eventually dies. This made it clear from the outset that when push came to shove, she could handle herself and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Naturally, given the way she looks and how she dresses (after she recovers from this incident), everyone seems to just dismiss her as a ‘prim and proper’ lady, but it became obvious that she was entirely capable of playing a certain role to get what she wanted/where she needed to be. She could play the ‘lady’, but at the same time was making plans and was not going to be somebody else’s pawn or trophy. There were times where she lost her cool and lashed out (sometimes it was even warranted), but most of the time she was able to see what she needed to do or say to get others to do what she wanted/needed them to in order to benefit herself. Clearly this was a tough environment for her to be in and she was doing the best she could given her circumstances. I appreciated that Lily knew when she had to swallow her pride and just go along with what someone wanted of her, but stood up and said ‘no’ when it really mattered. I also really enjoyed the scene where she told off the relatives of her deceased husband who were badmouthing her behind her back and made clear to them that she wasn’t a ‘damsel’ and was the one who took care of her husband’s killer (whereas up until that point, everyone had believed her husband died saving her and *he* had been the one took out his killer). That was a pretty “HELL YEAH!”-worthy moment from Lily. I knew that she and Bohannon were eventually going to be interested in each other, and there was the expected not-seeing-eye-to-eye on everything (with her calling him an insufferable arse and him assuming she was just some spoiled aristocrat), but then they slowly came to respect each other, he taught her to not jump to conclusions/form opinions/jump into action when angry and she taught him he didn’t have to be the stone-cold killer he thought himself to be. I already know that things won’t end well for her character (spoiled myself, but not so much that I know the details), and I’m bummed about that, as Dominique McElligott had impressed me in The Boys and was one of the main reasons I was willing to give this show a chance. I guess all I can do is appreciate the episodes I have left with her character and hope they handle her exit from the show well. One of the characters who I was referring to when I said she knows how to ‘play’ them was Colm Meaney’s Thomas ‘Doc’ Durant, who’s Vice-President of the Union Pacific Railroad. I do remember when I originally watched the first episode/s on TV, I’d thought to myself, “ This is supposed to be the main bad guy?”, as I didn’t find him very menacing, nor even particularly intimidating. Since then I watched the actor in Star Trek: The Next Generation and this time around when watching his character in this show, I still didn’t find him overly effective as a ‘bad guy’, but I did have a newfound appreciation for the actor’s performance, as I saw glimmers of a half-decent person and even some vulnerability which made me almost feel a twinge of sympathy for him on rare occasions (I said almost). I will hand it to Colm Meaney for managing to make his character not just be one-dimensional. I wasn’t as unimpressed with him this second time around and I even liked his different dynamics with Bohannon, Lily and various others (though the inevitable 'love triangle' between him, Lily and Bohannon was as predictable as it was eyeroll-worthy). One of those 'other' characters I speak of was a freed slave by the name of Elam Ferguson played by rapper, Common, who managed to impress with his performance. I’ve seen some rappers try to act before...and they should've probably stuck to rapping, but he actually did a decent job of bringing depth/nuance to his character. As would be expected, at first he didn’t really get along with anyone else, then there was his dynamic with Bohannon which started off as them being at odds, but slowly they came to respect one another and whilst I wouldn’t go so far as to call them ‘friends’, I’d say they’re at least reluctant allies now and possibly even acquaintances. It was interesting seeing how one minute the two of them would be getting into fistfights, then the next they’d be helping each other out (Bohannon showed how much he came to trust Elam by teaching him how to shoot a gun, and Elam returned the favour by saving Bohannon at times. Actually, they saved each other on more than one occasion). I did find their boxing match to be a bit weird, since at first Bohannon was so thoroughly kicking Elam’s arse (I don’t think he even landed a single punch during the first Round), and then their roles were reversed with Elam kicking Bohannon’s arse and him suddenly seeming like he’d forgotten how to fight, but then it was later revealed someone had helped Elam cheat...not that he was aware of it. I did wonder how they’d go in a fair fight, but I guess we might find out at a later date as I'm sure they'll come to blows again. I liked Elam’s relationship he developed with a tattooed prostitute named Eva played by Australian actress, Robin McLeavy who I only really knew as the delightfully psycho Lola (aka ‘Princess’) in the 2009 Australian horror film The Loved Ones. She gave good crazypants in that movie, but here she appeared to be playing ‘the whore with a heart of gold’, as she not only came to care for Elam, but also stood up for Lily and other characters who she felt weren’t treated right. I did grow to like her character quite a bit since she saw Lily as a person in need of help and wasn’t as mean to her as the others were. I did feel that in the season final, her misinterpreting Elam’s declaration of love as him wanting to marry her (when that wasn’t in fact the case) and getting angry just seemed like 'drama for drama’s sake'. She then went to dance with the Irish racist railroad worker (appropriately named Toole), who’d miraculously survived a gunshot to the face from Elam, which made it clear how mad she was at Elam since this other jerk had treated her so badly previously. Apparently surviving what should’ve been a fatal shot made the jerk turn over a new leaf, kneel before Elam and beg his forgiveness for everything he’d put him through. I honestly don’t believe it for a second, but I guess we’ll see whether he’s being legit or not in due course. The other notable character in this show is ‘the Swede’...who’s apparently meant to actually be Norwegian, but I don’t think his accent sounds right, and he's played by an actor I’m quite familiar with named Christopher Heyerdahl, as he’s been in numerous things I’ve watched but I’ll probably always remember him for/associate him with his role from Supernatural where he did his best (?) Marlon-Brando-in- The Godfather voice. Seems he has a thing for doing questionable accents, as this is another role where he’s putting on one which I’m not quite sure he was up to the task of pulling off. Anyway, his character had it out for Bohannon and I got pretty tired of it by the end of the season, to the point where I just wanted Bohannon to off him already. Sadly, all we got was Bohannon pistol-whipping him and then whacking him repeatedly with a leather strap (which he richly deserved, since he liked to do that to others) in one episode, and then other people who’d had enough of the Swede’s shit tarred and feathered him in another episode...yet, annoyingly, he still draws breath. I’m hoping he’s offed within the next season or so, as I think I’ve just grown tired of the actor and his shtick. I used to think he was really good, but over time I’ve thought less so. It’s possible his role in the TV series Van Helsing is to blame for me feeling this way, as he became supremely annoying in that and my dislike for him there may have carried over to here (which might not be fair...but there you go). Various other characters in the show I wasn’t that into, but some were more likeable than others. I didn’t mind the character of Joseph Black Moon, who’s torn between his real family and his adoptive ‘father’, the Reverend - a character who alternated between annoying the crap out of me and boring me to tears. Even when he decapitated a dude at the end of the season, I still found him boring. Add to that the fact that he was apparently a drunk/abusive father and husband, plus him telling Bohannon (who was seeking guidance, due to not wanting to be just some cold-blooded killer guy) to choose ‘hate’, as it was easier than being good, and he’s a pretty bad Reverend. There were two Irish brothers who I vaguely recalled from when I originally started watching the show, and I couldn’t help but wonder why they were given so much focus as they seemed more like supporting characters/recurring guest-stars than the ‘regulars’ they actually were (meanwhile, characters who did feel like 'regulars' - such as Eva and the Swede - I was surprised to find weren't actually). They randomly disappeared for a period of time during the season and I wondered if they were so pointless that the show had just decided to drop them entirely...but, no, they returned at the end of the season to waste more screentime that should've gone to the actual interesting characters. Honestly, I just don't find these two in any way compelling and am counting the episodes until one of them gets offed. I knew before watching this first season on DVD that there was going to be quite a bit of violence (nope, didn't need to see people being scalped, thanks...nor someone with their dong stuck in their mouth), and I was bracing myself for the part I'd read about someone having to put down their horse because it'd been shot in the leg (it was Bohannon, and thankfully he showed care towards the horse and was gentle with his mercy-killing of it, making sure to cover its eye), but on the whole there wasn't anything *too* bad (or if there was, coincidentally enough I just so happened to be looking elsewhere when it occurred). I was also surprised by how *bright* this show was (at least on my TV). Day scenes were almost blinding in how bright they were (but thankfully the night scenes didn't make things hard to see). I guess I've just grown used to darkly-lit shows over time. Considering I wasn’t overly impressed when I originally started this show on TV, I was surprised to find myself actually getting into it as the season progressed. that just shows you need to give TV series more than one or two episodes to judge them fairly (unless, of course, the first couple of episodes really turn you off). Once again, I’m happy I took a chance on a complete series boxset of a TV show, as it would’ve been a royal pain in the arse if I’d ended up hating it. Thankfully, there have only been a couple of shows I’ve regretted purchasing on DVD or Blu-ray, and I’m glad this wasn’t one of those.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jan 7, 2022 11:50:14 GMT 1
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jan 7, 2022 13:52:13 GMT 1
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Post by AQUA CAT! on Jan 8, 2022 2:46:39 GMT 1
Disney + just fell into my possession. I'm 5 episodes into What If now. Pretty cool, I like it.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jan 10, 2022 11:52:36 GMT 1
Finished Season 2 of Hell on Wheels on DVD. After taking a chance on this show, buying the complete series boxset, I was relieved to find I actually quite liked Season 1 after it got going. So once I finished that, it was straight into Season 2, which begins with Bohannon having left Hell on Wheels after killing an innocent guy who he thought was the one who'd killed his wife. He’s now joined a bunch of rebel bandits who’re robbing trains (complete with sacks over their heads like some low-rent Scarecrows). There’s one decent member of the gang - a doctor - who Bohannon befriends and they eventually ditch the gang. Bohannon was due to be hanged, but Durant makes a deal with him for his freedom. In other developments, Eva the prostitute has married Irish racist Toole who supposedly turned over a new leaf after miraculously surviving a bullet through the mouth that exited his neck courtesy of Elam last season. Clearly she didn’t marry this jerk out of love, but she’s preggers and it’s Elam’s kid (how she knows this for certain, I’m not too sure), which is obviously going to cause problems, but even after she confesses it to Toole, all he does is get mad, yell a bit and storm off instead of what his old self would’ve likely done (ie. probably beat her or worse). He does manage to keep up the act of becoming ‘decent’ for most of the season (though he’s still a major jerk and his racism rears its ugly head at times), but it’s not until he catches Eva with Elam in the tiny house he built for them (which seemed to take a grand total of a couple days/two episodes) that he finally loses it completely, despite Eva telling him that she went there to inform Elam they can never be together. Rather than shoot either of them, Toole shoots himself - which apparently upset Eva but caused me to cheer and say “About damn time!”. I didn’t mind Eva in Season 1, but she was kind of hard to like this season with her constantly knocking back everything Elam did to help her/make it so they could be together. While I understand her situation left her with very few options, it still resulted in me feeling a bit sorry for Elam every time she refused him. Then once Toole was dead, it was like she was basically saying, “Does that offer for me to live with you in your tiny house still stand?”, but then of course the house sadly got burned down in the season final - what a waste...that took two whole episodes to build! It was weird how she became someone who Durant was willing to have take care of him after he got shot by one of Bohannon’s ex-crew of train robbers who started shooting up the town. Even Durant’s wife, who appeared this season, didn’t really seem to have a problem with Eva...probably because she wasn’t doing her husband - unlike Lily, who was (not that I think she ever really wanted to, but she was put in a situation where she felt this was one of her only options). Speaking of Lily, this season she got more involved with helping to ensure the railroad got built. To start with she got herself in a spot of bother after a prostitute was killed by some jerk and Eva came to her, wanting the guy punished, but no one was willing to do it, so Lily enlisted Elam’s services. He offed the guy, but then the townspeople were pissed, one of the Irish brothers seemed to take credit for it, that got them in strife, and eventually Lily revealed to Durant that she was behind it and he cast her out. So she was down in the muck, having to build herself a shelter and experiencing problems with floorboards until Bohannon returned and helped her out. This season they grew closer (she was still mad he skipped town after she waited for him at the dance at the end of last season and that’s why she reckons she ended up getting with Durant instead - because Bohannon buggered off). Naturally, they had their arguments this season and they judged each other wrongly at different times, but eventually they came to understand each other and even went to dinner with Durant and his wife (who was a mega bitch to Lily, but then I guess that’s mostly due to the fact that Lily had been boning her husband). We also learned that Bohannon had an aristocratic background and he wasn't quite what he appeared. One thing I liked seeing this season, other than Lily asserting herself and taking more control, was she got herself a nifty outfit which she wore most of the time. It was far more practical than dragging dresses around in the mud like she did last season. Lily helped out various characters, but eventually ticked off Durant SO much that he sent Elam to kill her. I was pissed at Elam for seemingly being willing to go through with it (they had a discussion about it, where he said he’d either strangle her or cut her neck), but she had a gun ready, so clearly she could’ve taken him out if she’d wanted to...but instead she put the gun on the table and made him a proposition - which was that he could get Bohannon’s job once Bohannon got Durant’s job after she took Durant down by sending off his ledger which showed his bookkeeping didn’t add up (I think that's what was going on). Elam accepted this deal, but I’m still annoyed that if she hadn’t offered him that, he may well have gone through with murdering her just to keep his tiny house and the land he built it on (which Durant promised him in return for Lily's murder). As she pointed out, she’d never done anything to him, and it was a real insult that her life meant so little to him. I knew she would meet her end this season (having spoiled myself when watching last season), but I didn’t know that there was going to be the Elam-killing-her-fake-out. I did, however, know her true murderer was going to be the Swede. Ah, the Swede. Boy, do I HATE this guy - even before he murdered Lily. I’d grown to dislike him in Season 1, but in Season 2 my dislike grew into downright loathing for his character as the writers seemed to just be randomly changing what he was all about from episode to episode. First he was recovering after having been tarred, feathered and run out of town at the end of last season, and he got stuck with the job of disposing of dead people. Then he was riling up the townspeople after the guy who killed the prostitute was killed. He was encouraging the crazy Reverend to be even MORE crazy (helping him supply the Indians with rifles) and then he decided to briefly try to become one of the Indians...but that didn’t really work out, and in the end he was given Elam’s mission by Durant (after Elam failed to follow through) and was the one to off Lily - which he was only able to do because Bohannon made the classic mistake of leaving just one inept guard to watch over the Swede (he got his throat cut as a result of his hopeless guarding skills) - but not before doing his dance of craziness in the middle of town which was aflame thanks to an Indian tribe who attacked and set the place on fire. I am SO SICK of seeing characters who’re obviously crazypants doing their dance of craziness. You see it all the time, and it’s supposed to illustrate just how nuts they are (doing random dances at inopportune times), but it’s just become such a cliché at this point. It’s not ‘cool’, it doesn’t make the character ‘awesome’, it’s just so predictable and eyeroll-worthy at this point. Like, WE GET IT. You’re a nutjob! We don’t need to see your dance of craziness to make that any more clear! Anyway, I was really annoyed with how Lily got taken out, as she had a gun...but it inconveniently ran out of bullets at the time she needed them the most (she’d used them up shooting those who were attacking the town) and then she pointed out to the Swede, as he wrapped his hands around her throat, that she was good to him (his thanking her for that was of little consolation), and the last thing I think she said was that Bohannon would kill his arse out of revenge...which was what he seemed to *want*. I was really hoping she’d put up more of a fight against the Swede as he strangled her. I wanted her to scratch his face, poke his eyes, knee him in the goolies - ANYTHING, but she didn’t do any of that and consequently I was very disappointed. For someone who’d been so strong against other males in the show, she ended up dying pretty helpless. Such a waste, considering her and Bohannon’s relationship was just getting going. I’ll miss Lily/Dominique McElligott in the show (especially since she was the main reason I started watching). At least I can see her in Season 2 of The Boys (which I still have yet to watch after buying it on Blu-ray quite a while ago). I was also annoyed that no one in town really seemed to react much to Bohannon carrying Lily’s body through the remnants of the flaming town. Considering she was decent to most of them, they could have at least looked sad (except, of course, for Durant and his bitch wife who were no doubt glad). Bohannon’s not having much luck with women so far - first his wife died when he wasn’t at home to protect her, now Lily died because he was off elsewhere. There’s a lesson to be learned here. He was already having a pretty crappy season, since he was almost hanged, constantly had to deal with irate townspeople, the Swede not giving up his mission to make his life hell, Durant, Indians (he put a guy out of his misery who was being tortured by them at one point), then he also had to kill his doctor friend (who, thanks to the Swede, got sentenced to death for 'aiding and abetting' the bandits who ended up shooting Durant earlier in the season even though he’d left that gang when Bohannon did). It was a sad moment when Bohannon had to kill his friend, and I’m not sure how he’s going to manage now that he doesn’t have Lily around to keep him from going all murderous. The *one* person who I did want him to murder was the Swede...but he wasn’t even granted that satisfaction since the Swede jumped off the completed railway bridge down to the water below before Bohannon could hang him. Despite the fact that he landed where it looked pretty shallow and we saw him floating off seemingly dead, I know he’ll survive for seasons to come and that royally pisses me off. I hate these bad guy characters that TV show writers fall in love with writing for and so they give them ‘plot armour’ which protects them and they escape death time and time again when by all rights they should've died ages ago. If there was one character who annoyed me almost as much as the Swede (sometimes even moreso), it was the crazy Reverend who tried to be all ‘white saviour’ to the Indians and was going to off people on the train (he managed to stab one engineer through the back with his sword), including his daughter, until Joseph thankfully stabbed him, ridding us of his ‘holier than thou’ self. He was SO DAMN ANNOYING. Now his daughter’s taken over and is already better at her father’s job than he ever was, but she is also stuck in a ‘love triangle of doom’ between Joseph and one of the Irish brothers who I really don’t care about, so it’s irritating that so much time is spent on them. They just seem to go in whatever random direction the writers feel like taking them at any given moment, not really having much of a *point*. Anyway, I’m not sure how into this show I’m going to be with a character I really liked having been offed whilst ones I hate continue to draw breath. Maybe I’ll go straight onto Season 3 or maybe I’ll take a break from the show and watch one of my other many as-yet-unwatched TV shows I have on DVD/Blu-ray.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Jan 10, 2022 16:00:39 GMT 1
Finished season 1 of "Hit Monkey" on Hulu. I expect it to be the only season since it was a left over project.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jan 16, 2022 9:44:40 GMT 1
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Post by Merv on Jan 17, 2022 19:39:53 GMT 1
Finished Season 2 of Hell on Wheels on DVD. Season 2 of Hell on Wheels in when I ragequit the show. At the end of season 2 there was no reason for the main character to still be a part of the train. {Spoiler} His revenge felt secondary and his newfound love interest was dead. Why wouldn't he move on? On top of that, as you said, so many characters I enjoyed wound up dying while others I absolutely hated continued breathing. I needed a far better balance of likeable and unlikeable characters as well as logical decisions being made to continue and it just wasn't in me. I remember how mad i was at the end of this season still to this day. One of the biggest dives in enjoyment for a tv show for me.
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Post by Merv on Jan 17, 2022 19:44:49 GMT 1
WandaVision....several episodes in and really enjoying it. Proof that Wanda is hot in every era.
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Post by Jayman on Jan 17, 2022 22:59:55 GMT 1
What if..., Smallville, Lou Grant, Mission Impossible '88, Seinfeld, and The Odd Couple.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Jan 18, 2022 3:54:45 GMT 1
Cobra Kai, Peacemaker, Smallville, The Lost World, Sheena, La Brea, Land of the Giants, The Time Tunnel...
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jan 18, 2022 8:12:52 GMT 1
Finished Season 3 of Hell on Wheels on DVD. Oh boy, did this show have a noticeable decline in quality this season. There'd been a time lapse between the end of last season and the beginning of this one (which always frustrates me when an important character gets killed off and a time lapse just seems like the easy way out, as then the writers don't have to deal with characters mourning for a period of time). Bohannon went full caveman and was living in isolation where it snowed and he had to contend with a random wolf who happened by. I was sad for the wolf, who clearly just wanted a meal and was presented with one...but then denied it on account of Bohannon punching the wolf, causing it to yelp ...but at least the wolf got a bite in. He then left, hoping to find a meal that'd put up less of a fight. It's not until later into the episode that Bohannon shed the caveman look and dressed up fancy-like to get what he wanted (everyone was surprised by his alive status, since they figured him dead). One thing this season dealt with was Bohannon doing some stuff he really didn't want to do - like when a family needed to be moved, as they were in the way road of railway progression, but the father refused and then Bohannon's chief of police (who had the weirdest-looking mustache, but seemed like a decent sort - especially to Elam) got shot and despite it being fairly obvious the father did it, he was willing to let his eldest son take the blame...as well as the punishment, which was hanging. Bohannon gave the father multiple chances to 'fess up, but he wouldn't budge, then when Bohannon begrudgingly went through with the hanging of the son, the father acted like it was Bohannon's fault his son died when in fact *he* was to blame himself. This grudge he held came back into play by the end of the season when he kidnapped Bohannon and put him on trial (we got a different trial of Bohannon earlier in the season as well, though that one was more Durant's doing - and, boy, if there's one thing that can bring a season of a show to a screeching halt...it's trial episodes. Is there anything more boring? And, of course, the trials are never fair, characters who're on the side of the one who's on trial end having their words twisted, etc - it's all very paint-by-numbers/predictable, so having two was even worse). The Swede, who's a character that clearly the writers are in love with (either that or the actor who plays him), but literally served no point this season until the end (he spent the rest of it pretending to befriend a family, but it was obvious from the start he was just biding time until he offed them - naturally the father and mother bit the dust, but the boy got away), where he became the one to put Bohannon on trial, intent on having him hanged (after Bohannon attempted to hang him in last season's final and failed, due to the Swede making an escape and miraculously surviving jumping off a bridge down into shallow water), but instead he and the father who wanted revenge on Bohannon suddenly changed their minds. Probably the best reaction this whole season was Bohannon's wide-eyed look of shock at the reveal that the daughter of the guy who wanted him dead (who Bohannon had banged near the start of the season) was pregnant with his kid. His look of disbelief was quite hilarious. Anyway, the father who had wanted nothing more than to see Bohannon swing begrudgingly allowed him to live when he said he'd marry his daughter and would stay there and build a life with her/work on the farm. Apparently no one was interested in her since she'd been with Bohannon, so she didn't have many options and her father was willing to let this marriage happen. This threw a spanner in the works as far as the Swede's hope of seeing Bohannon swing was concerned, but then it appeared he was just going to make Bohannon's life miserable (as indicated by him wasting the water Bohannon's new wife wanted to bring him as he plowed the field). Honestly, the Swede should've died at the end of last season, as now he seems to lack any purpose other than being a thorn in Bohannon's side and he's not even an entertaining villain...just a supremely annoying one. Also annoying was the stuff with the Irish brothers. I've never been the least bit interested in them, as they just seemed to move on from one career to another - bar owners, brothel owners, now it appears a casino with gambling and becoming Mayor of the town is actually an option? For the one that lived, anyway. I guess that was an upside of this season - that at least one one of them was finally offed (by the other one). There was some vague history hinted at with them, but it all seemed rather pointless. I did grow to like the character of the Reverend's daughter more this season, since she seems to be one of the only decent people in the show now. I also enjoyed her scenes/dynamic with Bohannon...though it was weird to think of them together, as had been hinted may have happened if Bohannon hadn't been forced to marry the girl he'd knocked up. Both his new wife and the reverend's daughter appear quite a good deal younger than Bohannon, so it's a bit squicky to think of him with either of them (though I'm aware in that era nobody would've blinked an eye at such things). Eva, who *was* a character I liked in the first season, became increasingly annoying this season. Her whole baby storyline annoyed me, as is usually the case with any shows that have babies as a major plot point. The one time I sort of liked her was when she was trying to save the chief of police and told whoever to shut her kid up who was making a racket. They then wasted a whole episode on the kid being taken (it seemed Brother of Toole was the culprit, but he pleaded his innocence and got beaten up by Elam's pal, Psalms, for his trouble until the child was returned), and then by the end of the season Eva had given her child to Brother of Toole anyway and sent it with him on a train to escape the cholera outbreak in the town. Naturally, this pissed off Elam, he threw her out, and then in the last episode he was as nice as he was capable of being to her before going off to try to help save Bohannon...but instead got into a fight with a bear (yes, really). The last we saw of the two of them, she apparently experienced a feeling of Elam's soul having passed on, informing the Reverend's daughter that he was dead, and we saw him all bloodied and lying on the ground next to the dead bear. If this is indeed the end of Elam...what a weird/random death. If he's still alive...then what was the point? This is like Kim Bauer encountering the cougar in 24 levels of randomness. One thing this season showed was Bohannon and Elam becoming more like 'friends' (though that didn't stop Bohannon from making the odd quasi-racist comment or admitting to Elam that he never freed the slaves he had like he'd always maintained - though Elam had figured as much). There was one totally ridiculous time-waster/filler of an episode involving the two of them getting involved in a lethal game of 'stickball' with some Indians, which felt like it was from a totally different type of show, but it did lead to them having a heartfelt exchange of words as they thought they were going to die being burned at the stake. In the end, it seemed as though they'd grown pretty close. As for Durant, I was pissed he got away with ordering the hit on Lily Bell last season and nobody really seemed to bring it up or hold a grudge against him for it. He met a new potential love interest, and she seems like she's not to be messed with, but neither of them interested me. Nor did the new character introduced this season who was a female reporter by the name of Louise Ellison. If she's supposed to be our replacement for Lily/Dominique McElligott...then major fail. I didn't find her the least bit interesting, even when they revealed she swings the other way. About the only positive thing I can say regarding her was she seemed decent to one or two of the other female characters, but that was about it. Oh, and the introduction of a kid who started out seemingly feral, but gradually became less so, was not exactly an addition I was happy with. The fact that he's totally useless and constantly needs rescuing (it got ridiculous when Bohannon would have to pick him up/carry him when the kid's quite capable of walking/running himself) certainly doesn't help. Kids ruin shows, that's pretty much ALWAYS the case. Add to this horses, mules and bears all dying throughout the season (kill as many lousy humans as you want, show, but leave them animals alone! The worst was when Bohannon and his horse desperately needed water, the horse was sniffing it out and Bohannon let it go drink before finding a sign that the water was no good/poisonous. He threw his hat in frustration and thankfully we didn't actually have to see him shoot his horse - all we saw was him carrying the stuff it had been carrying - and I guess it was a 'mercy', him shooting it, but still...if he'd held onto it and been a bit more cautious, there wouldn't be yet another horse to add to the increasing pile of dead horses he leaves in his wake - which also includes mules). So, on the whole, this season was pretty disappointing...but then I kind of expected as much after what occurred in last season's final. There's not really anything or anyone keeping me particularly interested in the goings on, but I still have two seasons of this show to go in the DVD set I bought. Finished Season 2 of Hell on Wheels on DVD. Season 2 of Hell on Wheels in when I ragequit the show. At the end of season 2 there was no reason for the main character to still be a part of the train. {Spoiler}His revenge felt secondary and his newfound love interest was dead. Why wouldn't he move on? On top of that, as you said, so many characters I enjoyed wound up dying while others I absolutely hated continued breathing. I needed a far better balance of likeable and unlikeable characters as well as logical decisions being made to continue and it just wasn't in me. I remember how mad i was at the end of this season still to this day. One of the biggest dives in enjoyment for a tv show for me. I probably would've stopped watching after Season 2...except I have the complete series set, so I'm going to finish it one way or another.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Feb 4, 2022 9:39:49 GMT 1
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Feb 10, 2022 11:52:19 GMT 1
Castle - Season 7, Episode 5: 'Meme Is Murder'.
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Post by Merv on Feb 11, 2022 1:14:27 GMT 1
Hawkeye...really great. Seinfeld...just casually watching through it all...on season 6 now i think.
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