'Whatchu Watching About, Willis?!' DIGRESSION ALERT: Please, for the love of all that is, don't call it that. 2.

I've not payed for the WWE network in ages; with such a big group of friends all getting together to watch PPVs, we got by on free introductory months and special offers and rarely had to pony up cash. And because it was generally my flat, I got to keep the network between shows

And I've got a friend's NOW TV for Thrones because I gave her mine last year.

WWE is the only sub I've kept since subbing as I watch NXT, around two PPVs a month and anything else like in August we have the Mae Young Classic.

With other shows I like it is normally sub for NOW TV 2 months, watch GoT then cancel, re-sub for TWD and so on

This is the longest time I've had Netflix as they've seemed to have dropped a lot of shows I want to watch at once but can't see anything for a while beyond Death Note.

masofdas wrote:

This is the longest time I've had Netflix as they've seemed to have dropped a lot of shows I want to watch at once but can't see anything for a while beyond Death Note.

Not long until Defenders now, is it?

Defenders is before Death Note.

Oh okay. Yeah, I'll probably cancel after Death Note, until either the next Marvel thing or Bojack Horseman.

Back on Game of Thrones, we were talking about it at work yesterday. The consensus seems to be that it's still the best thing on telly, but it's not as good as it was. I think it has definitively crossed the line from intriguing political and character drama to high fantasy bollocks, to be fair.

It was always to culminate in that though, considering what the overarching threat is in GoT.

Well that's the irony, isn't it? For so much of the books and show's life, we've all been wishing for the day the dead invade, or Danaerys reaches Westeros, or Arya becomes a cool magic ninja but now that it's here, I miss all the petty squabbling.

Tbh I'd rather they deliver on that than try and stretch out a season with stuff way may have seen before plus as I said before white walkers are cool as fuck!

The opening scene of the first episode is still probably my favourite in the whole show.

Spoiler:

Also, when the Winds of Winter gets a proper, official, not going to be postponed again, release date - I'm definitely going to start pacing myself through the old books; a couple of chapters a night. It'll be interesting going through them again at a sensible, rather than break neck, pace that'll have me refreshing my memory and picking up on stuff I'd missed the first time around.

Muss wrote:

The opening scene of the first episode is still probably my favourite in the whole show.

I remember when I first picked up the book, knowing nothing about any of it, it said on the back "you'll be hooked in the first three pages". That scene did it, for sure!
I've always loved the whole dynamic of the world being on the brink of ruin from the Long Night while the lords and kings of Westeros squabble over their petty ambitions. It is a brilliant analogy for the real world utterly failing to acknowledge the inconvenient truth that is probably going to kill us all soon. Tyrion pretty much out-and-out said as much recently.

Quote :

Also, when the Winds of Winter gets a proper, official, not going to be postponed again, release date - I'm definitely going to start pacing myself through the old books; a couple of chapters a night. It'll be interesting going through them again at a sensible, rather than break neck, pace that'll have me refreshing my memory and picking up on stuff I'd missed the first time around.

Samesies! I did it with the show ready for this season, an episode a night for 60 days, but the books will be even better. They're so good!

On the subject of thrones, here's last night's episode:

Ser Bronn:

My eyeballs are on Make Or Break, the Channel 5 reality show about eight couples who need support in their relationships. Like all good sagas there are heroes and villains. We're also watching Celebrity Big Brother, which is the same.

I recently watched an episode of Dogs: An amazing animal family, which takes a look at the history of dogs and it's family tree. Recommended.

In today's 'Balla Catch-Up Special', I watched Garth Marengi's DARKPLACE, which is top, and the first episode of Heroes, which is a bit dull - apart from Hiro who is adorable and I want to hug him.

If you intend to carry on with Heroes, I suggest stopping after the first season; I read an article that suggested that the good first season was the blip, which it kind of was.

Don't worry, The Lady has strictly forbidden me from watching more than the first season for precisely that reason. #unintentionalpoetry

Balladeer wrote:

In today's 'Balla Catch-Up Special', I watched Garth Marengi's DARKPLACE, which is top, and the first episode of Heroes, which is a bit dull - apart from Hiro who is adorable and I want to hug him.

I didn't think Garth Marengi's Darkplace would be your thing but it really is superb stuff, isn't it?

It is! I watched it basically start to finish all at once, and I don't know how well it would've worked spread out over several weeks - the joke might have started to wear a bit thin. But it's sublimely ridiculous. Garth himself is particularly so. He reminds me of Jim Sterling a bit, both in appearance and in the whole 'Thank God For Me' shtick.

Quote :

He reminds me of Jim Sterling a bit, both in appearance and in the whole 'Thank God For Me' shtick.

I do get what you mean though & it makes me think he's (Jim Sterling) even more of a prick for not coming up with something original.

One of my favourites that. Particularly fond of the all the ludicrous footage in the introduction that's never used in the show proper.

Also just managed to catch the first episode of this season's Game of Thrones - it is due to be taken off now tv tonight, so good thing I happened to subscribe today!

I think with Heroes, the slow build was necessary for budget reasons and worked well for the first season. The problem is that they then try to repeat the trick with later seasons, which leaves you feeling disappointed that all this build-up never goes anywhere.

I loved heroes all the way through, I'm not sure if I'd enjoy it to the same level now, but I enjoyed watching the powers evolve as it went on. I even enjoyed Reborn...

Heroes shat the bed after Season 1, but it certainly had its moments.

I can't say I'm too disappointed with Now TV, having picked it up for the sole purpose of watching Game of Thrones. It is good. That said I am a bit disappointed that it limits itself to a 30 day rewind though (except when it doesn't). I'm not expecting an entire series to be on there, but there are things like Cowboy Bebop which I'd really like to watch, but would now have to start from episode 11 of season 1. It's just. It is still a good deal, anything other than GoT is a bonus for me clearly, but compared to Netflix I'm not sure it's all that.

Also it segregating Sports/films/entertainment, I can understand. But I think it's really cheeky that they ask for an extra £2.99 per month if you want to watch Kids TV extremely good, wholesome, PG cartoons for big boys and girls that are real.

Fuck me lads, that Thrones hey?

Also, Rick and Morty's on and it's still ace.

I really enjoyed that penultimate episode. Don't understand the people who think this season the show has gone to pot. Sure, logic has gone out the window and the episode limit is hurting character development. But I really fell out with Thrones after season 3. It became a little meandering and I increasingly found book omissions/changes weird (BRING ME STRONG BELWAS!). Still a great show, but I was kind of done with it.

It existing firmly beyond the narrative of the books helps, but the direction on all the action sequences has been cracking and went a long way towards reinvigorating my interest in not only the show, but the books as well. I'm ready for the heavy intrigue when the books come, and I've no doubt they're going to deviate substantially from the show, but for now I'm super pleased to just be along for the ride.

I can understand some frustration with the series as it went on. Game of Thrones felt like the smartest, most interesting and different thing on TV and used to be very close to the books. I now feel it's become something else entirely, but I can embrace that new thing. The books are coming, and one day I'll read through all the old ones again and the final two and I'm sure it'll be absolutely brilliant. Until then, though, I'm enjoying the show in much the way I enjoy the Fast and Furious films. I love the characters, I enjoy the spectacle, and I hope the goodies win.