Television Discussion Thread

[diabsoule]

Originally Posted by Splat

I don't care what anyone says Roseanne was a great show, it's sad that peoples hatred of Roseanne Barr has taking away from the show.

I don't like her away from the show either but thought she was great on the show and had a great supporting cast.

That said the last season was a complete joke and has really taking away from how good the rest of it was.

But I'm used to people hating on it rant over...

I agree. I like Roseanne, the supporting cast was terrific, but the final season sucked.

[Brodeur]

Originally Posted by Bengals78

All it means is that we are back to square one in terms of Dexter evolving. I always thought the more the show focused on others interpersonal relationships, it got very drawn out.
Seasons 1-3 were fantastic. But the end of 4 was very unsatisfying and I am not looking forward to season 5 at all now.

I wouldnt have killed Rita of all characters. I really liked the evolution of Dex through the show. But now I feel like its gonna go all the way back to square one with Dex being emotionless and all. Deb is annoying and I wish they would have axed her instead. Or anyone but Angel and Rita. Felt like they didnt know how to evolve him more as a family man/non-psychopath and just wanted to start over.

He still has his biological son, and he's probably going to be taking care of Astor and Cody. He has extremely deep affections for what he considers to be his kids, so he's not going to be an emotionless monster.

[Bengals78]

Originally Posted by Brodeur

He still has his biological son, and he's probably going to be taking care of Astor and Cody. He has extremely deep affections for what he considers to be his kids, so he's not going to be an emotionless monster.

Killing Rita means more Deb which I could definately do without and Julia Stiles is his new love interest so it is gonna blow major ****. Add in he already killed Trinity (again, could have lived without Lithgow naked) I just have a bad feeling the first few episodes will be him whining about it. How he finally can't avenge someone and how he doesn't know what to do. He even says midseason how he doesnt know what he would do if Deb died. So they should have killed her off.

[Brodeur]

Originally Posted by Bengals78

Killing Rita means more Deb which I could definately do without and Julia Stiles is his new love interest so it is gonna blow major ****. Add in he already killed Trinity (again, could have lived without Lithgow naked) I just have a bad feeling the first few episodes will be him whining about it. How he finally can't avenge someone and how he doesn't know what to do. He even says midseason how he doesnt know what he would do if Deb died. So they should have killed her off.

Since Jennifer Carpenter is married to Michael C. Hall, it probably wouldn't make him too happy off screen.

[Bengals78]

He can ******* suck it up. HA.
But I have a sneaking suspicion that might be why it unfolded as it did.

He still remains a personal choice to be Yin.

[LizardState]

Originally Posted by Notredameleo

So, I just finished the Sopranos....Can anyone try to explain this ending to me? I knew since before I started watching the series the whole ending, with the fading to black. I loved the show, but I am confused and dont know what to say about the ending. I dont know if I love it or hate it? Did he die? Did the show just end? Any help is appreciated.

Here's an in-depth analysis done a wk. after it aired by The Gawker:

http://gawker.com/269638/the-soprano...ve-got-answers

And here's the Wikipedia take:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in...he_Sopranos%29

Literary analysis is one of the few worthwhile things a grad degree in English is good for, lol. I've watched that series finale 4-5 times now & came to these conclusions:

Basically everyone gets killed, the antagonist Phil Leotardo, Bobby Baccalieri (only member of the crew to physically beat Tony & be congratulated later for it) in the previous episode, Silvio Dante on life support in the hospital & not expected to live, + the whole immediate Sopranos family whacked, all 4 of them. The way they all packed into the booth & not in a corner which would have been safer. We're talking mass murder here, & their configuration parallels the Last Supper by Da Vinci. But the best Shakespeare tragedies, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, etc, ended with the curtain coming down on a stage full of dead bodies

Didn't you notice the menacing lone guy ("Man In Members Only Jacket" per cast notes, the anonymous assassin) at the counter of the restaurant turning to scowl at them in their booth several times & even repositioning hiself for the best angle? This gunsel was scouting his whack about to happen. His going to the bathroom was a direct reference to the scene in Godfather I where Michael gets a hidden gun from the restroom & comes out shooting. And the only other episode in which Tony is shot & has a death journey involving mistaken ID & a briefcase that Death is entitled Member's Only, hmmmmm.

The blacked-out screen was mass death for the principal cast members, & death is everywhere, even when the episode starts: Tony 1st seen on his back in bed like episode #1 (both the only ones creator David Chase directed) as if in a coffin at a funeral, he turns off organ music as if from a funeral from his clock radio, death stalks him as it has throughout the Sopranos saga, Tony has had a couple of near misses with being shot & car wrecks, but death is closing on him now.

The Journey song is a reference to the Catholic last rites, the Eucharist administered to the dying is known as the Viaticum, or Latin for journey.

Doom & Destiny: IMO Tony lost all his protection & made himself vulnerable for death b/c he killed his favorite, his surrogate son Christopher in that auto accident for no apparent reason, Christopher was pivotal in the series b/c he was a screenwriter & Creator David Chase's alter ego, Tony's own son Anthony was depicted as totally worthless & a complete loser, Meadow the hot daughter was the overachiever success story. And Tony cut himself off from his only avenue of return to life & redemption, his crucial relationship with his psychiatrist Dr. Melfi which opened the series 8 yrs. earlier, he dissed when she told him off that surprised me b/c she had taken him back as a patient 3 times earlier. Dr. Melfi the shrink, played by Lorraine Bracco when she showcased some of the best legs in show business, was one of the best characters in the series IMO & I couldn't get enough of her.

Symbolism: There is orange everywhere in the diner, & the orange cat that's over Tony's shoulder, orange = death like in the Godfather, Tony even eats an orange wafer like the Eucharist/Last Rites administered by a priest as his last act of life. The cat is a harbinger of death, Paulie even mentioned a cat sighting as a bad omen in obvious foreshadow in the previous episode.

The survivors: I always thought only the Soprano bloodline was important, non-Sopranos like Carmela always commented on their pathological greed & bloodthirsty ruthlessness. With his crew & family wiped out Tony is survived only by Uncle June -- Corrado Soprano -- who is out of it with dementia from Alzheimer's, & Bobby's widow Janice Soprano Baccalieri -- maybe her baby grown up will be the new godfather of the crew in the sequel. I believe Paulie Galtieri survived but was sent on a suicide mission.

Series creator David Chase (really named David Chianese) told critics about that final episode that "it's all there" -- Uncle Junior is played by his brother Dominic Chianese btw. Chase loved to sprinkle the series with references to classic gangster film & Italian-American stereotypes, hence the many refs to the Godfather series, my fave was always Silvio's Michael Corleone impression he did at parties of "Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in!" Interesting that the dessert diner where the last scene was filmed almost didn't happen b/c the town of Bloomfield, NJ where it's located b/c they thought the final episode (titled Made In America, ironic as the Sopranos are completely unmade in America with the only appropriate retribution for a lifetime of crime) was offensive to Italian-Americans.

[A Perfect Score]

Dexter is retardedly amazing, and season 4 was the 2nd best of all the seasons. While I do agree that the ending was shocking and a bit off putting at first, Im very excited to see where the show goes from here on out. Its addition by subtraction: its like you said, the character almost gets a reboot at this point, and Im very interested in where they take it. Not to mention, Michael C Hall bitchslaps anyone else acting on TV at thet moment.

[Brodeur]

Cranston is better than Hall.

[LizardState]

Originally Posted by Bengals78

In terms of bad endings, just finished season 4 Dexter and that was the worst ending to a show's season that wasnt the end of a series.

SPOILER ALERT: I wasn't crazy about it either I rented the whole Season 4 of Dexter & watched them in order for like 2 days, felt my time & $ wasted with that finale. I guess Julie Benz became so popular she moved on to other higher-paying roles like on Desperate Housewives.

Season 4 of Dexter was made by John Lithgow as the Trinity killer, he's really an underrated actor who dresses up everything he's in. His new young wife never figured out who he really was but came very close in the finale, the only other one who discovered he was the Harbor Killer was his Sgt. at the Miami PD & then he got offed, as did Lithgow.

[A Perfect Score]

Originally Posted by Brodeur

Cranston is better than Hall.

Not by a long shot. Im done Breaking Bad now, and while great, it isnt nearly as good as advertises. Not only is Dexter far superior as a show, but Michael C Hall is much better then Cranston as far as acting goes. In fact, I think I might say that Cranston isnt even the best actor on Breaking Bad. Aaron Paul absolutely dominates the last season as far as pure acting goes.

[Brodeur]

Cranston's probably been the best actor I've ever seen on a TV show, so you are soooooooooo wrong.

[Boston]

Originally Posted by LizardState

SPOILER ALERT: I wasn't crazy about it either I rented the whole Season 4 of Dexter & watched them in order for like 2 days, felt my time & $ wasted with that finale. I guess Julie Benz became so popular she moved on to other higher-paying roles like on Desperate Housewives.

Season 4 of Dexter was made by John Lithgow as the Ice Truck killer, he's really an underrated actor who dresses up everything he's in. His new young wife never figured out who he really was but came very close in the finale, the only other one who discovered he was the Harbor Killer was his Sgt. at the Miami PD & then he got offed, as did Lithgow.

What are you talking about?

[Hollywood]

Originally Posted by A Perfect Score

Not by a long shot. Im done Breaking Bad now, and while great, it isnt nearly as good as advertises. Not only is Dexter far superior as a show, but Michael C Hall is much better then Cranston as far as acting goes. In fact, I think I might say that Cranston isnt even the best actor on Breaking Bad. Aaron Paul absolutely dominates the last season as far as pure acting goes.

[LizardState]

Originally Posted by Boston

What are you talking about?

That everybody who learns who the real Dexter is doesn't live very long. Lithgow played the Trinity killer, fixed it, sorry.

[Bob Sanders Dreadlock]

ESPYs anybody?

[Philliez01]

Originally Posted by Bob Sanders Dreadlock

ESPYs anybody?

I hate that, there's no prestige in those things. It's like winning a Kids Choice Award when you lost out on a Grammy. Plus fan voting of any kind (if they still do that) is a joke.

But yeah, I might tune in; I kind of like Seth Meyers.

[P-L]

Originally Posted by Bengals78

In terms of bad endings, just finished season 4 Dexter and that was the worst ending to a show's season that wasnt the end of a series.

Really? I think that was one of the best season finales I've seen.

[M.O.T.H.]

For real...that was a fantastic ending.

[vidae]

Yeah dood, that season finale was both jaw dropping and awesometown. How could you hate it!

[yo123]

I wish I would have been surprised by the ending of Dexter season 4 but I found out how it ends like half way through the season. :(

[A Perfect Score]

Originally Posted by Brodeur

Cranston's probably been the best actor I've ever seen on a TV show, so you are soooooooooo wrong.

Originally Posted by Hollywood

You both fail epically. Breaking Bad was good, I agree, and the writing was top notch. That said, the nuances of both characters arent comparable, at least IMO. Dexter is an incredibly detailed and complex character, whereas Cranston has been playing arguably the same Jekyll/Hyde character from the very beginning of his series. I suppose it all comes down to personal opinion, but I find not only the narratives of Dexter to be more intriguing, but the character himself to be infinitely more complex.

[EvilMonkey]

Beavis and Butthead shall rise again
http://www.movieline.com/2010/07/con...medium=twitter

[WMD]

APS once you realize your mistake of underrating CRANSTON, you will no longer allow yourself to eat dinner.

[killxswitch]

Just had to blur my eyes past a ton of Dexter posts. Seems like people are not using the Spoiler tags the right way.

[Job]

Originally Posted by killxswitch

Just had to blur my eyes past a ton of Dexter posts. Seems like people are not using the Spoiler tags the right way.

Seems like you're not using TV the right way.