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THE COUCH - TV Chat Thread

Sephrenia said:
The Twelve...great show with a surprising ending for me. So glad all the loose ends were sort of tied up. Best moment for me was when George's arsehole hubby got what he well and truly deserved.
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Agree, the only thing I found annoying
was we had no closure on the scarf man's motives? Like why did he want to get Kate acquitted? And what happens now he didn't?

Great Aussie show though, I did enjoy it.
 
rj90 said:
Agree, the only thing I found annoying
was we had no closure on the scarf man's motives? Like why did he want to get Kate acquitted? And what happens now he didn't?

Great Aussie show though, I did enjoy it.
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Yes, that was annoying.
Meglos said:
Disappointed with the two teams in the MKR finale, and with the whole rushed season really.
ALL of the food seems horrible to me, so I judge it on who has an endearing or entertaining personality.
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Yes, it does seem too rushed but it used to be SO long and drawn out...somewhere in between would work better I think.
 
Always seems to be one extreme or another with Aussie reality shows. I really don't think these three to four week runs really work, especially just as one show starts they then put all their efforts into promoting the next one. Each show only seems to exist to promote the next.

I think with less episodes the networks need to relook at their stripped scheduled. Seven and Ten have done this to an extent but if something is airing for only 10-12 episodes it's better off airing no more than 2 nights a week rather than being stripped over just 3-4 weeks.
 
I don't get how anyone looks at the Lord of the Rings films and thinks "yes, but they need to be longer".

Not my thing I'm afraid and I'm getting tired of TV and film studios constantly rehashing the same source material.
 
Brekkie, obviously you’re not a fan so I won’t even try to persuade you, but I do want to say that while you might have a point with source material being wrung to death in many cases, I think LOTR is a bit of a different case. Obvious bias aside.

Tolkien himself wrote so much extra material to build the world of Middle Earth with many appendices, the Silmarillion, Poetry books and even history about the fictional world he created that the material is actually ripe for this adaptation, and (again imo) doesn’t feel like wringing something out for extra cash.

Bringing my bias very much back, with the exception of musicals I don’t usually rewatch movies or TV shows…. however I rewatch the extended editions of LOTR at least yearly. Even then there are parts of the books that I wish were added to the films. One major (but understandable) missing character who takes up a huge chunk of the first book is Tom Bombadil. I am kind of hoping he makes an appearance in TROP. I acknowledge that my nerd is showing here, but this is one very definite case where I feel I won’t be alone, many fans do watch LOTR and wish it were longer. Especially lovers of the books.
 
So I watched the first two episodes last night. I reckon I’ll probably watch both eps again before next week. It is truly remarkable. It feels like an epic movie, not a TV series. The production is breathtaking and they have set up a few storylines that I’m excited about. I’d watch every episode at the cinema!
 
timmy said:
Definitely keen for this. Guardian review is here.
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Just read the guardian review…
The scale and ambition ooze from every scene; the costumes, sets, backdrops and props exist at a level of grandeur perhaps only matched by Marvel’s biggest-budget offerings, surpassing even the gritty, lived-in aesthetic of Peter Jackson’s original LotR trilogy.
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Yesssss 👏🏽
 
bleachy_dude said:
Tolkien himself wrote so much extra material to build the world of Middle Earth with many appendices, the Silmarillion, Poetry books and even history about the fictional world he created that the material is actually ripe for this adaptation, and (again imo) doesn’t feel like wringing something out for extra cash.
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They don't have the rights to adapt the Silmarillion. They only have the rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If it ain't in those, they can't legally mention it or adapt it. You better believe lawyers for those who own the rights will be watching this closely.

So it's not actually an adaption of any of all that other Tolkien work. It's taking little bits mentioned, appendices and then making the rest up. Hence why events are different, certain names and events can't be described or mentioned. Essentually loosely inspired by some Tolkien stuff, unable to actually adapt the most relevant Tolkien material.

Which is just unfortunate to be honest. In an ideal world they shouldn't even be making this without the actual ability to adapt Tolkien's writing on this part of Middle Earth's history. They should have just come up with a new story set in the world and no rewriting the history Tolkien wrote.

It's also entirely disconnected and a reboot of the world of the films. Even though they can use their visuals and designs of them

As for my thoughts on the show, I wasn't bored, I was entertained but so little story actually happened. It's not a slow burn, it's just slow. Right now I put this in the category of bad writing where they write a treatment which only requires a handful of episodes. Then drag it out over a longer number. Wasting time with stuff that is kind of irrelevant.

It could have literally just started with a village being attacked by Orcs. Jumped into the story. The characters are so one note, we don't need all this extra time just telling us the same stuff about them.

Spoilers, but a big bulk of the first two episodes was spent with Galadriel wanting to pursue the threat, everyone saying it's over or best not to worry about it. She feels it in her waters. Then at the end there's an Orc. So the threat is there. Why did it need to waste all that time? What did it add? Even the King is like, "yeah she's right, but eh time to let it go." Not efficient story telling.

I will keep watching, I didn't dislike it. I was entertained enough but I am very aware of where it isn't succeeding.

I don't like team sports applied to these things, but House of Dragon is also slow, yet that is more a slow burn as the material happening is more dense and compelling. Each scene building and leading to the next. As opposed to gladriel floating around the ocean and a sea monster for nothing to do with the actual plot. Just stuff happening to drag it out.
 
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up_all_night said:
They don't have the rights to adapt the Silmarillion. They only have the rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If it ain't in those, they can't legally mention it or adapt it. You better believe lawyers for those who own the rights will be watching this closely.

So it's not actually an adaption of any of all that other Tolkien work. It's taking little bits mentioned, appendices and then making the rest up. Hence why events are different, certain names and events can't be described or mentioned. Essentually loosely inspired by some Tolkien stuff, unable to actually adapt the most relevant Tolkien material.

Which is just unfortunate to be honest. In an ideal world they shouldn't even be making this without the actual ability to adapt Tolkien's writing on this part of Middle Earth's history..

It's also entirely disconnected and a reboot of the world of the films. Even though they can use their visuals and designs of them
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Ah fair enough. I kind of just assumed they were using the Silmarillion etc. As much as I love LOTR I’ve never read anything outside of the actual Hobbit and LOTR books.

I guess I would still say his world building allows for a series like this to still be a rich story.
 
I found this helpful from the Wikipedia on the show

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are set during the Third Age, while the First and Second Ages are explored in other Tolkien writings such as The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth. Because Amazon only bought the television rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the writers had to identify all of the references to the Second Age in those books and create a story that bridged those passages. These are primarily in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, but also in certain chapters and songs. Tolkien's estate was prepared to veto any changes from his established narrative, including anything that contradicted what Tolkien wrote in other works. The writers were free to add characters or details, and worked with the estate and Tolkien lore experts to ensure these were still "Tolkienian". They referenced letters that Tolkien wrote about his works and mythology for additional context on the setting and characters. Simon Tolkien, a novelist and the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, consulted on the series and helped develop its story and character arcs. The showrunners disagreed with suggestions that the series was only "vaguely connected" to Tolkien's writings. McKay said they felt it was "deeply, deeply connected" and a "story we're stewarding that was here before us and was waiting in those books" to be told.
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Haha if this series is disliked by JRR Tolkien Purists and I really love it … this is not unfamiliar territory for me 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
The RoP thread on Whirlpool starts with 50+ pages of people bitching about wokeness, political correctness, etc. spanning many, many months before yesterday's release. So many people with shitty opinions. And guaranteed, when you click on the profile for members sharing those opinions their "aura" is almost always "pervasively low". Actually that goes for WP member with shitty opinions on pretty much anything, really.
 
Converse said:
I have also tuned in and watched some episodes of this new MKR on seven...lol. I guess there is only so much you can take of "The Block" and that other "wacky" singing show...lol
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Is it just me or is Converse writing really really tiny? I only watch the room reveals on the block, they spend so much time rehashing things.
 
Farmer Wants A Wife 2022...just started to watch it...I hope there are no pretty purple flowers this season or I may have to crop dust the property concerned with Roundup!

Oooh! Chook on the cheese plate no, no, no! The chook should only be on the cheese platter if it's cooked!
 
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timmy said:
The RoP thread on Whirlpool starts with 50+ pages of people bitching about wokeness, political correctness, etc. spanning many, many months before yesterday's release. So many people with shitty opinions. And guaranteed, when you click on the profile for members sharing those opinions their "aura" is almost always "pervasively low". Actually that goes for WP member with shitty opinions on pretty much anything, really.
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Nutters w/issues are skewing Rotten Tomatoes People can't play nicely grrrrr
www.hollywoodreporter.com

Is ‘The Rings of Power’ Getting Review Bombed? Amazon Suspends Ratings

The 'Lord of the Rings' TV series has only a 37 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with some complaining about the show's diversity. Amazon halts reviews to prevent trolling.
www.hollywoodreporter.com www.hollywoodreporter.com
 
Sephrenia said:
Farmer Wants A Wife 2022...just started to watch it...I hope there are no pretty purple flowers this season or I may have to crop dust the property concerned with Roundup!

Oooh! Chook on the cheese plate no, no, no! The chook should only be on the cheese platter if it's cooked!
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No one seemed too bothered or tried to stop it.
Don't they know where that chook's feet have just been?
 
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