Monday, October 24, 2016

TV Discussion: Week of 10/23/2016 to 10/29/2016

Hello everyone!  This is our weekly place to discuss all non-recapped TV.  See you in the comments!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is US--Did you see that black woman from the pool in the family picture?? My wife is wondering if Jack has an afair with her? LOL on Kevin getting the part because of his Manny work. The irony of him running away from what gets him the very job he left Manny for. My wife and I agree that Kate is a head case and would have left her behind already.

Westworld--Wow, I loved the converyor breaking through the top of the mountain as they sat there while she was relating her childhood past, etc. He doesn't have any ties to the past. They felt like gods--I can see that. And great with her shock as Ford told her someone from the board is already there==now, curious minds want to know who. And when they discussed Bernard it did have some vibe that Bernard could be a robot==Ford's warning of him being sensitive and that he knew. Ford has to know that Bernard is letting Dolores run off script given all the details that Ford exhibited knowledge of in this ep. Didn't Ford say his new narrative is not tied to the past? Makes me think he could be doing away with the Western theme. But, if that's the case what will the title have to do with the show,etc?

I was a little disappointed we didn't get more robot rebellion. If the park runners wanted to make sure the robots don't rebel, they should erase and reboot them every cycle.

It's great that Ed is looking for the center of the maze as well as Dolores. Bernard says it could save Dolores and Ed thinks it's where truth lies.

Richard

Mike V. said...

This is Us - Wow...totally didn't pick up on that. That would be an interesting theory. Just seems the way they talk about him that he died...granted..he could've had an affair AND died as well. Speaking of the name Jack....did you notice that Milo V and Mandy Moore's character names are Jack and Kate? It's been said that the showrunners of This is Us are definitely inspired by LOST with their storytelling. So maybe their names are a nod to that. Agreed on Kevin...nice little twist there.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to Westworld last night. With Walking Dead back it's going to be tough. That was such a stressful hour to get through the last thing we wanted was another think piece so we switched to Shameless. lol I'll watch tonight!

Anonymous said...

This is Us--yea, I saw the pic and it looked strange and couldn't figure out how. Rewound and saw that the black woman was in the pic. Then my wife wondered about an afair. It's very strange having a family pic with someone they met so many years after the kids were born. I thought the kids were about 8+ in the last ep. I thought Kate was too old for a carebear swimsuit and that was confirmed by the other girls swimsuits.

Randall's kids seem to be about the age now as Randall was at the pool, more or less. If you assume Randall is late 30s, hand his kids in late 20s. Then there's almost 30 years from the pool scene to where we are today.

Richard

Mike V. said...

This is us - No assumptions needed. They all turned 36 in the premiere. I didn't even realize the swimsuit was care bears...I just figured because it was a 2 piece and she was overweight was the point of that story.

As for the family pic...if the woman is in it...it could just mean that she became a close family friend. But yeah...it's still a good theory on Jack.

Anonymous said...

THis is us--yea, the weight issue with the pig on the note was the big issue. But, they talked about it being a care bears suit at least 3 times. Which my wife and I thought she was too old for that. Also, it was a 2 piece while the other girls had 1 piece suits. The point in mentioning those things is that it didn't fit in with what the other girls were wearing.

Richard

Mike V. said...

This is us - I gotcha. I dunno....I was probably playing with Care Bears at a much older age than I should've been....granted...in hindsight I'm not sure I should've been playing with them at all (as a boy) but my parents bought them for us! lol

Anonymous said...

WW--after you guys watch, need to discuss MIB and timelines.

Richard

Mike V. said...

WW- Sounds good. I hate being behind!

Mike V. said...

WW - Okay I watched. I think my wife is losing interest by the episode. I told her some of the theories to make her maybe take a little more interest.

Bernard Robot....just seems really obvious now lol But who knows?? The hacienda scene with Ford was great, I agree. He mentioned he's not sentimental and it won't be a "retrospective" or something like that. So yeah...maybe it won't be western themed?? Or they'll introduce tech to the western world (Cowboys and Aliens style).....But yeah we do know there are other parks in the movie...but the movie was still called Westworld. Kinda like there are other books in a song of ice and fire but they still call the show Game of Thrones. I don't think we'll be seeing a renaming, but who knows?

Man in Black mentioned something about wanting to go somewhere where there are life stakes (by going through the maze)...so that's an interesting perspective. We got that line about the foundation he runs...I loved his response that "I'm on vacation"

Timelines....I did observe this episode that responses to park activity seems to be tied to the Man in Black storyline...not sure if that's consistent in the first 3 episodes. Supposedly William and his friend were talking about working for some place related to Man in Black's company too so that supposedly debunked the multiple timelines...maybe...but what if it's showing William at the start of working for the company before taking over or something like that?

Also...there was one shot of campfires that transitioned between the 2 storylines...I meant to rewind to see if it looked like the same locale to prove they're happening at 2 different times. But, I was tired and my wife doesn't care to over analyze! lol

Still enjoying the show...it does raise a lot of questions to discuss. But, I do wish the show was a tad more entertaining to watch. I'm engaged the whole episode but a little comic relief wouldn't hurt. The "I'm on vacation" was the only funny line I can remember!

Anonymous said...

WW, as it has unfolded and become more complicated I've grown to like it more. Proving again, about what I like on TV being different than most--lol.

MIB--there are so many obvious things that are going on and possibly more. For one, what's his health like. He's in the medical business and seemingly very wealthy. He spends his vacation time in this GAME. Good catch on what he does outside of the game. Perhaps after 30 years AND in developing bad health he is seeking to do just the EXACT opposite of what a Bernard of Dolores wants to do. Recall what Arnold said about being a robot vs human. Arnold preferred robots. Maybe Arnold died trying to become one. Maybe MIB wants to become a robot or atleast see what it would be like? Maybe MIB is on the board and so he has found out some things the average guest doesn't know about through that association. Logan is the obvious candidate for a board member. Maybe there are two board members? You would think Theresa would know who's out there in the park but maybe they don't show her everything. I rewatched the hacienda scene since it was so good and seemed to have a lot in it. In the second watch it seems Ford was almost threatening Theresa or atleast it could be taken that way. Anyway, MY theory is that MIB is likely searching for something related to becoming a robot--at least for now.

Timelines--I haven't been watching looking intently for clues of different timelines. I hope they don't go that route. I don't like timeline useage as it can take what you "know" about a show and put it in the trash can. Unless it's up front and a part of the plot.

William--in this ep he started shooting much like the other guests. He's already changed some. Going on a bounty hunt is kind of aggressive when you think about it. I thought Logan's character was needed along with MIB to make sure the audience doesn't forget that this is a game, that nobody gets killed.

I agree, I don't think they'll change the show's name. I'm not expecting that Ford will create Futureworld either, as in the second movie. I'm expecting he's going to create something more "real" somehow. Maybe the robots will be programmed to hunt the humans? His line on not wanting the "money men" in could also have something to do with the new narrative.

Yea, after this ep I'm about 80%+ that Bernard is a robot. If that's the case I'm really curious why Bernard was given a narrative where his son died?

I'm also starting to see where Maeve may end up being the big catalyst in starting the rebellion. I thought it was Dolores but now she's on this quest. Has Dolores worn the same dress in every ep? I thought the first one was different?? IF different, then something about timelines could be gleamed.

Maybe in the next ep we'll find out where the snakes lay easter eggs?

Richard

Mike V. said...

WW - Yeah I definitely am enjoying it too. I barely looked at my phone the entire episode which is always a good sign. But, I don't think it's going to get mainstream appeal which goes to your point. lol Still...IMDB ratings are pretty high, and I do see a lot of activity on its subreddit so who knows? I just know my wife would rather be doing anything else when the show is on. She hasn't told me that though. I can just tell!

That's a pretty good theory with MIB. I don't know exactly how that would work. Maybe he does have a terminal illness and wants to transfer his mind into a robot or something like that. (There was a johnny depp movie like that recently wasn't there?) I'm still sketchy on some of the names. Which one is Logan? The 3rd Hemsworth brother? lol (oh wait...is Logan William's friend? I was reading along with what you said further down)

Timelines - yeah...it would certainly confuse things...well at least William and MIB don't have to be the same person. There certainly could be multiple timelines they're showing us. Unless we think William and MIB will run into each other on their respective quests.

Wait...there's a 2nd movie?? lol Didn't know that. Interesting theory on the robots hunting humans.

It's probably a safe bet on Bernard. Hmm...maybe Ford put some of his own past into Bernard's narrative?

I don't recall Dolores wearing anything else on the show. Is Maeve the brother girl that is becoming self aware? Yeah...there are definitely 2 robots who are becoming self aware. So I'm sure both are important.

perhaps on the easter eggs. lol



Anonymous said...

WW--Transendence is the movie where the guy becomes the computer and more actually. Yea, that's where I think MIB and some other things are going, maybe even Ford's new narrative. I think his ability to take over as did Depp in Transendence is why he exhibited so much power at the hacienda. It may even be possible that we will meet Arnold in another form?? I bet you heard that theory here FIRST--on Mike's blog!!!

Maeve is the girl who works in the brothel.


This is US==yeah, I was right about Jack being dead!!! Of course others are too, I just am glad that he didn't have an afair. And now we know where the title came from. A very deep complex concept by an otherwise outwardly seemingly shallow guy. And William on Kevin needing more confidence makes a LOT of sense. His brother was super smart and from the carebears ep we see that Katy got a lot of love and support. We also now know why kevin pursued the football so hard in the pool!!! Superbowl Sunday conception--I bet that happens a lot--lol.

Richard

Mike V. said...

WW - Yep, that's the one! I never saw it but I remember the previews. So there's a theory that Arnold is alive and is at the end of the maze. Or maybe Arnold has "transended" (Believe me or not...I actually wrote that before I read your theory right there lol).....so yeah I think that's definitely a possibility.

You're pretty good with these names unless you have IMDB up when you're commenting! lol I'll get there. :)

This is Us - Well, he may still have had an affair but yep you were right on the dead thing. I kinda read a leading headline before I watched the episode so I had a feeling the entire episode was leading to the fact that the girl still watches the Steelers to be close to her deceased father. (bad with names on this one too! Ahh good you wrote her name...Katy...which I guess she's named after her mother) lol on the Superbowl Sunday conception.

Guess we now have to see WHY and WHEN Jack dies. And then what happened to the other guy's wife that he's now with Kate?

Anonymous said...

Kate actually vs Katy as I'm thinking about it.

I have near zero auditory related memory but great visual memory. So, for a show I like and think I might stick with, I google to find a site with the character faces and names attached. Then I have a mental picture I keep. At least normally--lol. I also sometimes watch with closed captioning so I can form a picture memory of the words.

My wife and I were shocked to see Miguel there with a pretty wife with whom he shares kids. I find it hard to believe she died too. Kate wearing the neckless just speaks volumes to me, particularly when she's married to Miguel and Miguel has to have asked why she's always wearing that necklace. I mean, as a husband I'm not sure I'd like to have my wife wearing something that meant so much from your first husband. Unless there's something special going on that transends the normal.

But, when I visualize Kevin's "this is us" painting it kind of makes sense that so many are interrelated.

Richard

Mike V. said...

This is Us - Yeah mandy moore is Kate (if you remember I called out the Jack/Kate LOst comparison last week lol)

Funny with the way you remember the names. That probably explains why I can remember the names better on my treadmill shows because I have closed captions on to help me "hear" the dialogue over the treadmill.

Good points with the necklace and other wife "not" dying too.

Anonymous said...

DSurvivor--It's a HUGE ask for us to buy off on the bomb shelther and it being built of special material. Firemen are trained in materials and chemicals. Especially fire inspectors. Point being that for the congressman to have survived the shelter would also have had to survive at least in enough strength and dimension to have allowed him to avoid almost all injury. Look at him walking around. And with that much in tact bomb shelter made of strange material it would have been obvious to all the same day that something was going on. Virginia Madsen character is such a snake on the surface but may end up being Prez's best ally but I'm not counting on it. The outwardly supportive congressman obviously has something else going on. He acts so innocent--is he really or just a ruse?

With some of the things coming out on wiki it really makes this show seem more plausible.

Richard

Mike V. said...

DS - Also how did he disappear in a split second? Did he magically transport to this bomb shelter? I agree with the "unrealisticness" (I know it's not a word) of the whole scenario. Isn't the outwardly supportive congressman also the survivor of the blast? I just assume that the terrorist organization is a red herring and that it's really some internal threat. It was usually the case with 24 and probably the same with this show. lol So yeah...I don't think that Congressman is being entirely honest..especially if he survived because he was in a bomb shelter.

Now when is the FBI going to become completely transparent with the President? It sure seems like there is a delay in getting vital information to him. lol

Touche' on wiki-leaks.

AHS - Still an entertaining ride. They're getting picked off one by one...but so far only 2 seem to be by the actual "ghosts" (if they really are ghosts). Everyone else is getting murdered by former stars of the reality show (Kathy Bates) or by former house residents.

I do like the excuse they're using for recording with the smart phones....they want to show the actual footage unedited by producers. (of course now that they're all dead why would they keep recording??) The problem with Blair Witch was why did they keep the camera on all the time? They just had one dude screaming "turn the camera off!!" the entire time. lol

Anonymous said...

Blacklist--Poor Aram, the girl everybody thought had an ulterior motive--did. I would have found it more interesting if she was a for real girlfriend since that would have been a legit twist. I wonder if Alexander will ultimtely live or die on the show? I would think die, but not necessarily. Mr. Kaplan's story line is growing on me. I keep thinking she's going to kill that guy who saved her.


Richard