I’m guessing once stacks and needlecasting had been invented there wouldn’t be much call for further technological development, or rather what R&D there was maybe wouldn’t impact the part of the world we see as viewers as they wouldn’t be huge breakthroughs. Remember that even in the first season the rebellion was over 200 years ago and technology hadn’t really fundamentally changed in that time. One might even say it had regressed a bit, with AIs becoming uncommon.
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I felt it did, though they tread some older ground, too, but in what I thought was an interesting way.
Same here. I always go for subbed rather than dubbed if possible.
Really? I thought it was fine.
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Well I’m German so watching it without subs and I find the acting a bit stilted, like much of German TV acting. It would be different if you were reading subtitles I’m sure.
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Ah! Didn’t realize you were German!
I guess the cast is mostly pulled from German TV? Are some of them more well known from other shows? I’m always kind of curious about that when I watch shows from other countries…
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Yeah, most of them are known from TV and theatre (there’s a much bigger overlap between those two in Germany, maybe comparable to the UK) but it’s not like there are any huge stars in Dark.
So the thing I have a problem with is that there is a very stilted, standard German way of speaking (what’s called Hochdeutsch, High German; maybe comparable to RP or, in earlier times, a Mid Atlantic accent) that nobody really uses in real life, because everyone has a bit of a regional accent. However everyone on TV uses this neutral language, no matter where it takes place and it always takes me out of the reality of the situation. Imagine a drama taking place in, say, Birmingham without anyone using even a hint of a Brummie accent or something taking place in the US South and everyone speaking like a news anchor.
(And before other Germans or linguists jump on me: yes, I said nobody speaks perfect High German and I stand by it. Even people from Hannover have a detectable accent that is much closer to news anchor German but does depart from it in places).
I may be wrong (and wikipedia doesn’t say where Dark takes place) but from what I have seen the region gives me a central Western German vibe (so Northern Hessen, Southern Nordrhein-Westfalen, maybe Sachsen Anhalt). These are regions with detectable accents and at least the older people should have them.
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I was aware of this! You get the same in American TV usually, unless it’s meant to be pretty region specific (like in the deep south or in NYC), sort of the average American accent… Same for British TV until pretty recently, with everyone speaking received pronunciation. This is starting to change in the US and UK, so perhaps that will also be true in German TV?
I was wondering about that! Even though parts of the show are set in the cold war era, no mention of which germany it is in is made. I found that an interested choice to just avoid it altogether… also, nothing in the world wars or during the rise of nazism… (BTW, no spoilers from the current season, this is more for folks who have not seen the show at all).
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Well I now live in Norway where it’s the exact opposite. Everyone just uses their regional accent which often even comes with different orthography and it’s completely normal. I guess that’s what happens if you live in barely accessible valleys for centuries…
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I’m a big Doctor Who fan, and have gone back and watched what’s available of the original run, you can see the shift from RP to more natural accents in the 80s (with Ace and the 7th Doctor). But when they rebooted the show, the Doctor has a northern accent (“lots of planets have a north”) and none of the first core cast spoke in RP, but in a more natural, regional accent.
And then here in the US is the Walking Dead, which starts out in TN, north GA area, so lots of people have southern accents… but in at least a couple of cases, they are pretty generic “southern” accent. The most authentic to the area is probably Norman Reedus, who is from north Florida and Melissa McBride who is from Kentucky. Although Lauren Cohan, who is from Jersey, does a pretty good rural, south of ATL GA accent. I find Andrew Lincoln (who is British) to do too generic an accent…
But weird that Germany is lagging on representation on regional accents. I wonder how they do with that in France, too?
Oh, since you’re in Norway, have you seen that show the Beforeigners? A friend of mine just started watching it and said it was pretty good…
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No, I’ve heard of Beforeigners but haven’t watched it yet. Haven’t even watched Norsemen. (I’m always a bit weary of “Viking” stuff because it’s too close to my field of study but I hear that one is good). The only Norwegian TV I’ve watched fairly recently is Occupied, which is good as well.
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Solo: A Star Wars Story may have been unnecessary fan service but Donald Glover was a suitably smooth Lando and I think this could actually be a pretty fun spinoff. Some of the biggest weaknesses in the storytelling of the Solo movie (like the out-of-nowhere and ultimately pointless return of Darth Maul) might actually work to the advantage of a TV series where stuff can get teased out a little at a time instead of a standalone movie that should function as a self-contained story.
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I just watched The Aeronauts. It’s a beautiful movie. Visually I mean.
The story is pretty much exactly what you would probably expect but gripping enough. Seeing it through the eyes of those that see it for the first time it really gets across the beauty of high altitudes that we all forget when we sip our coffee and look out the airplane window.
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Shows I watched recently.
Dark
I have watched several shows recently but none have stuck with me like Dark has. it consists of 3 seasons. The first season takes a bit of patience as they introduce the elements of the story and set a sort of base line. While it may start off seeming slow it won’t be long before your wall is covered in photos connected with string. I’m being intentionally vague not just to avoid spoilers for the typical reasons but also, the way story opens and unfurls and splits like a fractal, foreknowledge will take away some of the joy of that discovery process. I will just say that the plot of the first season is just a small piece of a much larger story. Supernatural elements are eventually introduced. I should add a warning that Dark requires some active and non-distracted watching to get the most from it.
The sound design and sound tracks are an absolute joy me.
Season 1 soundtrack
Season 2 soundtrack
Season 3 soundtrack
Devs
I wasn’t sure about this show and took a break between episode 1 and episode 2. I’m glad I came back to finish the season. The overall story structure is simple and leans on some well worn tropes. Employee at mega tech company learns about super secret program that will change the world. But once the seasons gets past that I was entertained and surprised more than once when they subverted my trope aware expectations. Unlike Dark this is easy to follow and I watched it in a single sitting.
Soundtrack
Tales from the Loop
What a beautiful and touching show. Inspired by the paintings of Simon Stålenhag. Each epiosde delves into the interconnected lives of the townsfolk living above the loop. A device to unlock the mysteries of the universe. It’s kind of a grown-up melancholy Eureka for those that liked that show. I’m currently halfway through the season but so far I am blown away. I wont say which episode I watched last night other than I needed a good cry and got exactly that. I love the quiet beauty in every episode.
ETA: I just finished season 1. What a beautiful, delicate, story. The last episode wrecked me. They really capture the sense of irrevocable loss to time. That special kind of ache that can’t be healed. Overall the stories are uplifting/positive but fuck me when they decide to gut punch you, you feel it.
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I keep scrolling past Dark and considering whether I want to risk it or not…
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I really enjoyed it. It is very convoluted, but they did a pretty good job wrapping the entire story up in 3 seasons in a satisfactory way.
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I’m watching the Magicans right now, and I really cant say whether I like it or not.
I quit Nos4ra2 because the kernel of a good idea never went anywhere…
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For me it was one of the most satisfying shows I have watched in recent memory. I think I will rewatch all 3 seasons soon as there is so much to catch on my second viewing.
But my likes can be quirky and don’t always match what the larger populous enjoys, for better or worse. From previous posts I know you and I have overlap in what we like but it isn’t 100%.
Maybe this additional description ( no spoilers) will help you decide one way or another. Most science fiction is clean and antiseptic in terms of esthetics. Dark is the smell of the forest, earth, moss, foggy mornings. It’s about people and their connections with those around them. It’s about passion and mistakes that can’t be forgiven. It’s about how we age and change with time.
Also… The show Lost tried to balance two types of narrative, romance and scify mystery. Largely the two types of stories ran in parallel but ultimately had only minor effects in each other and so much we obsessed about didn’t matter leaving most viewers feeling cheated.
Dark weaves those two types of narratives into a beautiful and complex narrative. Pull on one thread, and it effects the other parts of the weave. It succeeds in where Lost failed epically.
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Excellent shows, all around.
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Currently rewatching Torchwood… Forgot how uneven the first season was (some pretty bad episodes, but also the pretty grim but great Countrycide and Captain Jack Harkness episodes). Season two starts with Capt. John Hart (Spike from Buffy)…
And was much more solid as a season… really just rewatching to see Children of Earth again, tho. It seems like a great metaphor for sending kids back to school in the fall, actually (though so many districts are now starting the year out online). Children of Earth will cheer me up about 2020, right?
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