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Donnerberg posted:The books were planted by the FBI guy. I disagree. As far as we know he never even knew her backstory. He was there because her parents were concerned about her behavior, and he was just checking up. He is just a minor character and there isn't anything nefarious about him. It is 99% certain she ordered the books.
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 23:05 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 12:28 |
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See, I liked the movements that open portals / heal the sick concept. It's different and interesting. The problem for me is the complete tonedeafness of it all. It's unaware of how unbelievable characters motivations are, like when Phyllis shows up to the meeting because she saw the youtube video. Or how the dumb kid stabs her out of nowhere because, hey he sucks, and we're supposed to feel... what, exactly? Or the painfully self-important narration. Every episode had at least one scene that had my eyes rolling like a slot machine. It's all so solemn and reverent, when it actually feels like it was made by clueless flakes who feel like they've tapped into something profound about the universe. So while the ending might be the most cringe inducing thing maybe ever, it's just a symptom of a bigger problem. The saddest part is that buried deep in this junkyard is a really cool 2+ hour sci-fi movie about abduction and death. Someone should make an edit.
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 23:47 |
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I finished watching this a couple weeks ago. Like most I found the ending to be complete poo poo. Like rather than an actual ending they instead gave us a "it doesn't matter if it's true or not!" interpretive dance instead. If I do watch the second season it will just be because I want to see where they go with the whole afterlife being an actual place, potentially in the rings of Saturn? thing.
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# ? Jan 19, 2017 04:32 |
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Surprised to see such a strong negative reaction to this show. I actually wasn't sold on the show til the very end which I thought was incredible.
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# ? Jan 19, 2017 07:42 |
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Origami Dali posted:See, I liked the movements that open portals / heal the sick concept. It's different and interesting. The problem for me is the complete tonedeafness of it all. It's unaware of how unbelievable characters motivations are, like when Phyllis shows up to the meeting because she saw the youtube video. Or how the dumb kid stabs her out of nowhere because, hey he sucks, and we're supposed to feel... what, exactly? Or the painfully self-important narration. Every episode had at least one scene that had my eyes rolling like a slot machine. It's all so solemn and reverent, when it actually feels like it was made by clueless flakes who feel like they've tapped into something profound about the universe. So while the ending might be the most cringe inducing thing maybe ever, it's just a symptom of a bigger problem. The eco-terrorist cult movie that this same Brit Marling team made had a lot of the same problems. There was a solid kernel of a good movie in there, but it gets ruined by the same type of tonedeaf hamfisted scenes and self importance. They'd be so much better served if they focused more on a tight narrative and just let whatever message they wanted to relay come from that more organically instead of the approach they seem to have of layering more and more poo poo on plus extra bonus scenes in case anyone missed the point they wanna make with their movie/show.
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# ? Jan 19, 2017 16:04 |
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Story issues aside this is a beautifully shot and cast show. I think the guy who plays Shawn is particularly good. I'm just kind of glad someone said yes to the pitch for this show as it's nice to watch something so entirely different like this. Also the late credit sequence in the pilot is one of the slickest things I've seen from a tv show in awhile. Le Saboteur fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Jan 19, 2017 |
# ? Jan 19, 2017 17:05 |
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Le Saboteur posted:Also the late credit sequence in the pilot is one of the slickest things I've seen from a tv show in awhile. I legit liked that.
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# ? Jan 20, 2017 19:31 |
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So there was no explanation on what the point was on making people leave their front doors open, other than to signal "Some poo poo is about to go down" when someone closes one.
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# ? Jan 21, 2017 02:23 |
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greententacle posted:So there was no explanation on what the point was on making people leave their front doors open, other than to signal "Some poo poo is about to go down" when someone closes one. It's not functional, it's representational -- more ritual than literal, if you get my drift? She's asking her potential followers to do something that leaves them vulnerable, out of trust in her.
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# ? Jan 21, 2017 06:49 |
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I feel like at some stage over the writing table someone said "Why the hell are these kids putting any stock into what this woman is saying, let alone creeping back to an abandoned house night after night?" "Because I'm Brit Marling!" That being said, the scenes focusing on the subjects where captivating, and I do appreciate the attempt at something fresh...interpretive dance cafeteria notwithstanding.
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# ? Jan 21, 2017 08:14 |
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So like everyone else I loved the show up until the last 30 minutes. It's like it couldn't decide what kind of ending it wanted to have. What was the significance of leaving the doors open? I don't remember that ever having a payoff. I joked to the wife when it was first mentioned "She better not be an old school 'invite me in' vampire or something"
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# ? Jan 21, 2017 09:34 |
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I think the open doors thing was asking them to take a bit of a leap of faith, similar to how she asks them to "pretend to believe, until you actually do". All religions or cults or stories presented without any evidence require a leap of faith on the part of the believer. If they weren't even willing to leave their door open, they probably wouldn't be adherents to her faith (regardless of the truth of it). Just like for a hypnotist show, the hypnotist will often ask volunteers do to the "fall backwards and I'll catch you" thing to see if you're really willing to buy in.
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# ? Jan 21, 2017 11:38 |
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I was reading this thread shortly before bed last night, and was rewarded with a dream about an alternate version of the show where at the end they did a line dance to "Achy Breaky Heart" instead of the movements Thinking about it this morning, I'm pretty sure that could still work.
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# ? Jan 21, 2017 15:44 |
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Wtf did I just watch
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# ? Jan 22, 2017 01:55 |
The newest season of So You Think You Can Dance, they went in a weird direction this season.
Invalid Validation fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Jan 22, 2017 |
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# ? Jan 22, 2017 02:05 |
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The thing about the dancing is that it is fully integrated into the show, has moments of actual emotional depth (the resurrection) and while hokey, isn't the actual problem. It's the bizarre out of nowhere school shooter moment that everyone actually hates. No foreshadowing, no reason he would just stand around the cafeteria and not shoot anyone. Just absolutely shatters the "what is really happening" themes they've built up with a completely unreal character. The protracted shots of dancing around him just make him that much more unbelievable.
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# ? Jan 22, 2017 04:47 |
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Unoriginal Name posted:The thing about the dancing is that it is fully integrated into the show, has moments of actual emotional depth (the resurrection) and while hokey, isn't the actual problem. Emphasis mine, obvs. He is foreshadowed -- The OA's apparently prophetic dreams featuring the sounds of gunfire and dropped trays, there's at least one news bulletin about an escaped shooter... there's probably more. I mean, we're told repeatedly that something bad is coming, and though the tone of the show suggests it might be apocalyptic or supernatural, it turns out to be something far more grounded, but still none-the-less terrible. So there is foreshadowing, some of it quite explicit. Whether you liked what happened or not is a different matter.
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# ? Jan 22, 2017 07:06 |
Foreshadowing is being very generous. The ending is what killed it for a lot of people, the creep with the human habitat was way more compelling than whatever message they were trying to convey with the shooter. The last episode is a kick in the nuts if you actually enjoyed everything up to that point.
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# ? Jan 22, 2017 08:27 |
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Invalid Validation posted:Foreshadowing is being very generous. The ending is what killed it for a lot of people, the creep with the human habitat was way more compelling than whatever message they were trying to convey with the shooter. The last episode is a kick in the nuts if you actually enjoyed everything up to that point. Nah
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# ? Jan 22, 2017 10:08 |
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Open Source Idiom posted:Emphasis mine, obvs. I mean, it would be terrible...if they had shown any actual consequence. Instead, he wanders into a school to watch a dance number and then accidentally shoots the crazy woman who shouldn't be there anyway. Since his face is kept indistinct, and he isn't shown to shoot anyone, he's utterly toothless.
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# ? Jan 22, 2017 22:52 |
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Origami Dali posted:See, I liked the movements that open portals / heal the sick concept. It's different and interesting. The problem for me is the complete tonedeafness of it all. It's unaware of how unbelievable characters motivations are, like when Phyllis shows up to the meeting because she saw the youtube video. Or how the dumb kid stabs her out of nowhere because, hey he sucks, and we're supposed to feel... what, exactly? Or the painfully self-important narration. Every episode had at least one scene that had my eyes rolling like a slot machine. It's all so solemn and reverent, when it actually feels like it was made by clueless flakes who feel like they've tapped into something profound about the universe. So while the ending might be the most cringe inducing thing maybe ever, it's just a symptom of a bigger problem. This right here is exactly how I felt watching it. It was also some of the worst acting I have ever seen on an actual TV show. I mean I've seen worse in student films and homemade poo poo, but not much worse. I was actually thinking that maybe the terrible acting was how it was supposed to be, like it was some bigger theme to the show overall. But after finishing it, that is a big No. They were all just pretty much terrible.
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# ? Feb 2, 2017 14:19 |
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Yates posted:This right here is exactly how I felt watching it. It was also some of the worst acting I have ever seen on an actual TV show. I mean I've seen worse in student films and homemade poo poo, but not much worse. I was actually thinking that maybe the terrible acting was how it was supposed to be, like it was some bigger theme to the show overall. But after finishing it, that is a big No. They were all just pretty much terrible. You want bad acting? Watch Master of None. Its funny as hell, but that's despite the horrible acting all the way through.
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# ? Feb 2, 2017 16:55 |
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I actually think this show is pretty good. And the lead actress is mesmerizing when she is monologuing. I need to watch the last 3 episodes, though.
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# ? Feb 2, 2017 20:10 |
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Your Taint posted:I actually think this show is pretty good. And the lead actress is mesmerizing when she is monologuing. I advise against it.
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# ? Feb 2, 2017 23:23 |
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Open Source Idiom posted:Emphasis mine, obvs. That is not foreshadowing. All the things that you claim are foreshadowing could mean almost literally anything with guns.
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# ? Feb 3, 2017 08:24 |
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Just finished this. Agree with most people that the ending was weak. I think what they wanted to do was a finale with the magic dance as a climax, but without solving the plot of the other captives and the angel hunter just yet (gotta save something for s2!) but the school shooter stuff was just a whole lot of nothing I gotta say pretty much everything else was great though. I was fascinated with the angelhunter and his experiments and the captives stories and the weird druggy glimpses of the afterlife/other dimensions or whatever it was. I hope we continue that later
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# ? Feb 4, 2017 19:17 |
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I absolutely loved how they handled the school shooter. Violent outbursts like that are usually about craving attention, about wanting to go down in a blaze of glory and be mythologized. gently caress that guy. He's a non-entity. It's not his story, and it never should be. They didn't even show his face and he got taken down alive.
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# ? Feb 5, 2017 22:57 |
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I loved this show. I agree with what others here have said about it being a beautiful story about bringing people together and healing. (And the rings of Saturn thing was super cool). While I would have preferred a more wrapped up ending, I can appreciate the ending that is open to interpretation. What is real, what is not? It requires some thought on part of the viewer. I'm still on the fence about a few things and whether they were intentionally ambiguous or sloppy writing. -- FBI guy in the house. If he was there to plant the books, why? That makes no sense. Government conspiracy? That would be the lamest. But why else would he be there? -- Her scars. How did the captives get a knife to mutilate themselves and why didn't they use it against Angel Hunter? Also, this is what bugs me, how could she make perfect symbols on her own back? Not exactly an easy region to reach. I gave up on the Leftovers after season 1 but maybe I should watch season 2.
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# ? Feb 6, 2017 23:25 |
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They are planning a second season. I'm sure many of those questions will be addressed.
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# ? Feb 7, 2017 00:42 |
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frenchnewwave posted:-- FBI guy in the house. If he was there to plant the books, why? That makes no sense. Government conspiracy? That would be the lamest. But why else would he be there? Dunno why FBI guy was there, that was the night the family skipped town right? I don't quite get why they were so afraid that they needed to get away? She was just chillin with some friends in an abandoned construction site telling spooky stories. It's not like she was molesting kids or getting them into drugs or anything. As for scars didn't it show one scene with either her or homer scratching the symbols with their fingernails? As for accuracy, yeah it'd be tough but they got plenty of time to take. You'd think she'd do it somewhere visable though, hows she supposed to read her own back?
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# ? Feb 7, 2017 01:09 |
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TheDon01 posted:Dunno why FBI guy was there, that was the night the family skipped town right? I don't quite get why they were so afraid that they needed to get away? She was just chillin with some friends in an abandoned construction site telling spooky stories. It's not like she was molesting kids or getting them into drugs or anything. 1. Yes those seemed like Not Very Good parents. Loving, yes, but kind of clueless otherwise. 2. They showed Homer etching into his side. I didn't realize he was using his fingernails. The whole thing is annoying. If you get amnesia and forget the moves, how are you supposed to remember what the symbols mean? I enjoyed the show regardless, just found these two nits to pick.
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# ? Feb 7, 2017 01:33 |
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But didn't she just make most of the story up? She Keyser Soze'd the poo poo out of everybody to cope with her abduction, so the scars are probably from being mutilated by her kidnapper.
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# ? Feb 7, 2017 01:39 |
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Origami Dali posted:But didn't she just make most of the story up? She Keyser Soze'd the poo poo out of everybody to cope with her abduction, so the scars are probably from being mutilated by her kidnapper. You can choose to believe that, but there were perfectly legitimate reasons for her to be interested in the subject of the books under her bed.
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# ? Feb 7, 2017 03:02 |
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Normy posted:They are planning a second season. I'm sure many of those questions will be addressed. Looks like someone has never watched anything else Brit Marling has made. She loves never resolving anything.
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# ? Feb 7, 2017 06:20 |
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We'll find out sooner or later -- show got renewed for a second season.
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# ? Feb 8, 2017 19:18 |
Next season will be learning intricate Tango steps instead of weird contemporary dancing.
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# ? Feb 8, 2017 20:14 |
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I really don't like the idea of the show continuing with the same story :\
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# ? Feb 10, 2017 09:16 |
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I do, as the story had just started
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# ? Feb 10, 2017 09:18 |
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Also it's called "the oa" which is her name, so
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# ? Feb 10, 2017 09:18 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 12:28 |
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i am excited for season 2 glad they're doing it
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# ? Feb 10, 2017 10:31 |