Recommendations for the 2016 Gap Year

24

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  • Sam_Gee1Sam_Gee1 Posts: 1,873
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    Argh, see, this is where all this Marvel Comic Universe stuff loses me. I don't like superheroes, not especially - I went for Jessica Jones specifically because I knew that aspect was downplayed. It's a really good psychological drama, but then there's an extended cameo in episode 13, where I spent a good five minutes going, "They sure are giving this extra a lot of character development," before I realised it was some kind of fan-pleasing crossover. It's not cute! Just let each thing be its own thing!

    Despite loving Jessica Jones S1, if I need to watch anything other than Jessica Jones S1 to get on board with Jessica Jones S2 I expect I'll probably have to skip it. That's very frustrating.

    I am right with you, i never was a big fan on the superheroes and marvel in general but i really enjoyed Jessica Jones. And if i need to watch Daredevil to know JJ S2 i'll skip it as well. But as long as this crossover stuff doesn't effect the story, it is just something extra for those fans then i'll live with it.
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    DiscoP wrote: »
    Wait. No ones mentioned Class yet. Funny that...

    Well clearly no one has been listening to P.Ness!

    Its going to show everyone why YA is actually so exciting and brave and scary and daring and worthy and brilliant and isn't at all a silly, watered down version of the much smarter adult material that people in their teens really ought to be getting into. Also its about TEENAGERS! No lives are more interesting and important than TEENAGERS!

    (Sarcasm switched off for a moment...its unfortunate that the BBC is hopping on this particular bandwagon just as the wheels are falling off. Post Hunger Games its as if the studios are just rushing to chuck out the rest of the properties they bought up five years thinking it would be a licence to print money. I mean The Maze Runner/The Divergent series...who is watching this shite? Apart from P.Ness)
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    The X-Files S10
    The Walking Dead S6 Part 2
    Daredevil S2
    Game of Thrones S6
    Fear the Walking Dead S2
    Ash vs the Evil Dead S2
    The Walking Dead S7 Part 1
    DW Xmas special

    That's a good starting point not to mention other new stuff I might start watching. I really want to start watching the DC Universe stuff properly so might binge that.

    And I will of course watch Class. Seems only fair to give it a go.
  • Sam_Gee1Sam_Gee1 Posts: 1,873
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    Well clearly no one has been listening to P.Ness!

    Its going to show everyone why YA is actually so exciting and brave and scary and daring and worthy and brilliant and isn't at all a silly, watered down version of the much smarter adult material that people in their teens really ought to be getting into. Also its about TEENAGERS! No lives are more interesting and important than TEENAGERS!

    (Sarcasm switched off for a moment...its unfortunate that the BBC is hopping on this particular bandwagon just as the wheels are falling off. Post Hunger Games its as if the studios are just rushing to chuck out the rest of the properties they bought up five years thinking it would be a licence to print money. I mean The Maze Runner/The Divergent series...who is watching this shite? Apart from P.Ness)

    Well it does seem similar to Buffy. And if it is half as good i'll be pleased.
  • MulettMulett Posts: 9,057
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    The X-Files S10
    The Walking Dead S6 Part 2
    Daredevil S2
    Game of Thrones S6
    Fear the Walking Dead S2
    Ash vs the Evil Dead S2
    The Walking Dead S7 Part 1
    DW Xmas special.

    I've just added Daredevil and Ash vs the Evil Dead to my list. I'm watching all the others. Your list and my list are very similar saladfingers81 :)
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    rwebster wrote: »
    Argh, see, this is where all this Marvel Comic Universe stuff loses me. I don't like superheroes, not especially - I went for Jessica Jones specifically because I knew that aspect was downplayed. It's a really good psychological drama, but then there's an extended cameo in episode 13, where I spent a good five minutes going, "They sure are giving this extra a lot of character development," before I realised it was some kind of fan-pleasing crossover. It's not cute! Just let each thing be its own thing!

    Despite loving Jessica Jones S1, if I need to watch anything other than Jessica Jones S1 to get on board with Jessica Jones S2 I expect I'll probably have to skip it. That's very frustrating.

    (Another example, which is a bigger mid-late season spoiler...)
    All that stuff with Simpson and the red pills and blue pills felt really dissonant, it didn't match the vibe of the rest of the show - it was more schlocky, more comic book. Had no inclination it was another comic book character, just felt weird. It felt like plonking a video game character in the middle of a tense, psychological thriller. That's not a slight against video games, love them, think they're better than telly, but just that tonal mismatch. It was distracting and didn't quite fit with the aesthetic they'd established, like they were changing the rules too late in the game.

    Well considering they have at least 2-3 more spin offs on the cards not to mention the possibility that Jones and other members of The Defenders could (only a vague possibility at the moment) find themselves involved in the MCU with Avengers:Infinity Wars and a new MCU canon reboot of Spiderman I think you're going to be disappointed if you expect it to remain entirely standalone. But then thats not the point. Daredevil and Jessica Jones and Luke Cage and The Defenders are supposed to all tie together which is why Netflix bought them and is carefully sowing the seeds of various crossovers in the way they did with the movies. However I think they will be mindful to not alienate completely those viewers who dont want to dedicate themselves to multiple shows or formats so if you are able to ignore the fan service you should be ok.

    Why anyone would ignore Daredevil is beyond me...aside from the one major 'Superhero' element in the origin it was in fact by far the most brutal and naturalistic product Marvel has ever put out. More akin to The Wire or The Shield than The Avengers and it compliments JJ nicely.
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    Mulett wrote: »
    I've just added Daredevil and Ash vs the Evil Dead to my list. I'm watching all the others. Your list and my list are very similar saladfingers81 :)

    Brilliant choices! Are you a fan of the old Evil Dead movies at all? If so you're in for a treat. It's very funny, ridiculously gory and great fun. The only odd thing is the episode structure- 10 x 25 minutes (aside from the pilot which is extended) which almost makes it feel sitcom/cartoon-esque but this almost works in its favor.

    Daredevil is brilliant. If you like JJ you will enjoy it. Its quite a slow burner like JJ but worth sticking with. :)
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    Sam_Gee1 wrote: »
    Well it does seem similar to Buffy. And if it is half as good i'll be pleased.

    If its even a 1/3 as good as Buffy I will get P.Ness tattooed inside a red heart on my chest and post the pictures here.

    I am quite comfortable that no one will have to be subjected to this. :D
  • MulettMulett Posts: 9,057
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    Brilliant choices! Are you a fan of the old Evil Dead movies at all? If so you're in for a treat. It's very funny, ridiculously gory and great fun. The only odd thing is the episode structure- 10 x 25 minutes (aside from the pilot which is extended) which almost makes it feel sitcom/cartoon-esque but this almost works in its favor.

    Daredevil is brilliant. If you like JJ you will enjoy it. Its quite a slow burner like JJ but worth sticking with. :)

    I love the old Evil Dead movies so will look forward to watching this. Thanks for the recommendation.

    I've had Daredevil on my 'to watch' list for a while but am going to bump it up to the top of the list now.
  • LMLM Posts: 63,503
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    The Librarians
    Comedy drama fantasy show similar to Warehouse 13. But better imo. Good mix of standalone and arc episodes.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,244
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    Well considering they have at least 2-3 more spin offs on the cards not to mention the possibility that Jones and other members of The Defenders could (only a vague possibility at the moment) find themselves involved in the MCU with Avengers:Infinity Wars and a new MCU canon reboot of Spiderman I think you're going to be disappointed if you expect it to remain entirely standalone. But then thats not the point. Daredevil and Jessica Jones and Luke Cage and The Defenders are supposed to all tie together which is why Netflix bought them and is carefully sowing the seeds of various crossovers in the way they did with the movies. However I think they will be mindful to not alienate completely those viewers who dont want to dedicate themselves to multiple shows or formats so if you are able to ignore the fan service you should be ok.

    Why anyone would ignore Daredevil is beyond me...aside from the one major 'Superhero' element in the origin it was in fact by far the most brutal and naturalistic product Marvel has ever put out. More akin to The Wire or The Shield than The Avengers and it compliments JJ nicely.

    Daredevil's been on my "maybe" list for a little while, but I'm not ignoring it any more than I'm ignoring any of the other million shows I haven't watched - I just haven't watched it! I get that cross pollination is great for the Marvel fans but for me it sort of undercuts itself. Not saying it's the wrong approach, it's an inventive approach and that's great thing unto itself, but as a very casual viewer who couldn't give a toss about the Avengers it's an approach that I find kind of alienating - and even from a storytelling perspective, I like Pixar films but I wouldn't want characters from Toy Story to develop in Cars 2. The idea that the Incredible Hulk is off making a nuisance of himself is weird and dissonant, I appreciate Jessica Jones was set up from day one as a space where those superheroes exist, but even with that in mind the two don't feel like they belong together. It's like pairing Nolan's Batman with Burton's Mr Freeze.

    I'm sure you're right, and as Marvel expands its portfolio you're only going to get more crossovers, but just as loving Ratatouille doesn't mean I want to watch The Good Dinosaur, liking Jessica Jones doesn't necessarily mean I'll want to watch her mate galavant about when he hits Netflix this year. I want to follow a programme, not a studio - and if that's harder with Jessica Jones, it won't make me any more inclined to watch Luke Cage, it'll just prevent me from rejoining her when her show returns.

    Still! Despite all this, I'd still second your recommendation. Jessica Jones was a great ride, works brilliantly on its own. For me, that sentence comes with an asterisk, but only a small one. I do not regret getting invested at all. Delighted I checked it out.
  • GDKGDK Posts: 9,477
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    I notice the recommendations for Jessica Jones and (implicitly) Daredevil. Against my expectations, I've recently thoroughly enjoyed the Marvel MCU movies (I'm not normally a superhero fan) for their shear popcorn entertainment value. I'm also intrigued by the interconnectedness of the movies to each other and the multiple Marvel TV series, so I was wondering about the other MCU TV series.

    Would anyone care to recommend Agents of Shield or Agent Carter?
  • Lord SmexyLord Smexy Posts: 2,842
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    Sam_Gee1 wrote: »
    Well it does seem similar to Buffy. And if it is half as good i'll be pleased.

    Buffy is one I would love to revisit sometime for a full on marathon this year, I still think it stands strong as one of the greatest TV shows ever made and hasn't aged a day. Joss Whedon had a talent for making the characters' ordinary personal lives just as engaging as the sci-fi horror events going on around them, and I've never felt like I've personally known a group of fictional characters as well as Willow, Xander, Giles, etc.
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    GDK wrote: »
    I notice the recommendations for Jessica Jones and (implicitly) Daredevil. Against my expectations, I've recently thoroughly enjoyed the Marvel MCU movies (I'm not normally a superhero fan) for their shear popcorn entertainment value. I'm also intrigued by the interconnectedness of the movies to each other and the multiple Marvel TV series, so I was wondering about the other MCU TV series.

    Would anyone care to recommend Agents of Shield or Agent Carter?

    I gave up on AOS halfway through S1. I found it terribly uninspired and formulaic. At times it was almost a pastiche of a Whedon ensemble show but with none of the flair or excitement. Unlike the Netflix shows it was also clearly bound to stricter network regulations on violence etc and so seems quite tame compared to those and lacking their depth. I hear it has improved immensely since S1 but I havent bothered going back to it. I find the 22 episodes per season thing just too much these days. I much prefer the quality over quantity you get with half that number of episodes. I started The Flash recently and am enjoying it but 23 episodes in a season is a daunting prospect partly because you can expect so much filler. .

    I havent seen anything of Agent Carter but its supposed to be brilliant. There is almost too much to watch at the moment so a few things are passing me by.
  • daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,416
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    Lord Smexy wrote: »
    Buffy is one I would love to revisit sometime for a full on marathon this year, I still think it stands strong as one of the greatest TV shows ever made and hasn't aged a day. Joss Whedon had a talent for making the characters' ordinary personal lives just as engaging as the sci-fi horror events going on around them, and I've never felt like I've personally known a group of fictional characters as well as Willow, Xander, Giles, etc.

    Agreed and if you've never watched Buffy, worth giving it and it's spin off Angel as a lot of the two Series arcs are similar in structure to the earlier RTD's ones. Not only that there are some ideas from both shows you may recognise. For example Cordelia's Alien pregnancy in Angel is very similar to Gwen's in an episode of Torchwood.....

    Plus as mentioned, if you haven't listened to any Big Finish audio's yet, now is the time to try some. I'm listening to the main monthly range at the moment and there are some really good stories in there(admittedly a few bad ones as well)

    Listening to these you'll get to know the Eight Doctor better and hopefully will make you see a completely different side to the Sixth. I can almost guarantee if you don't like his TV Doctor, you will shocked but how much calmer and better he is on the audio's. Plus the Seventh Doctor gets some 'normal stories' and if you enjoyed the Fifth Doctor there is some great stories in there with Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough and if you think there 5th Doctor/Peri partnership was too short you really are in for a treat!

    So give them a go!

    :)
  • jodojodo Posts: 279
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    I've seen one recommendation for the Man in the High Castle - any others? I really enjoyed the book many moons ago.

    I'd recommend The Blacklist for James Spader alone but it is pacy, well written and twists and turns and often surprises.

    Flash is great fun and almost the polar opposite of Smallville in that the writers, to me, have the approach of assuming each season might be the last so they aren't holding back on introducing anything or anyone to the mix and Arrow has improved noticeably for me in last two seasons but I think Agent Carter is of a better quality than both overall.

    Supergirl was lightweight and a bit weak to begin with but slowly improved and now has added J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, which will keep me watching (I think he's such an underrated comic book character) for some time. It's still finding its feet but the lead is very engaging and Calista Flockhart steals every scene she is in with aplomb.

    I've also just watched season 1 of The Affair whilst working away from home and the premise of his and her versions of events has been very well done indeed! Plus it has Ruth Wilson from Luthor - what's not to love?
  • garbage456garbage456 Posts: 8,225
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    Well.
    Batman vs superman film
    Classic who on horror
    Class doctor who spin off
    New top gear bbc
    New top gear amazon.
  • donovan5donovan5 Posts: 1,023
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    Watch Lucifer the pilot was really good.

    Is that based on the comic book?
  • theAREtheARE Posts: 1,847
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    Despite not having watched Flash or Arrow I have to say the Legends of Tomorrow trailer looks good. As someone who watched Prison Break, and Alias (and obviously DW) the cast of LoT looks awesome to me so will definitely be checking that out.

    Not enough good things can be said about Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Looking forward to DD S2 and Luke Cage (if that lands before JJ S2).

    Gotham is it's fabulous self.

    Agents of Shield continues to be an intriguing weekly bite-size chunk of the MCU.

    We've got all new Tenth Doctor / Donna Big Finish audio's coming up in a few months
    Plus, all their other new series stuff - River Song, Unit, Torchwood, War Doctor, etc

    There's no lack of new Who material, and no lack of interesting things on various TV services.

    We'll survive I'm sure.
  • GDKGDK Posts: 9,477
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    Two more recommendations:

    Neither have any DW connections.

    I just watched Mr Robot on Amazon Prime Video. It's set in the present day. The central character works for a cyber security firm by day and is a skilled hacker by night. He is pretty cynical, isolated and emotionally detached. The tech and hacking techniques shown in the series are quite realistic (there's none of the "hacking-as-a-superpower" rubbish you tend to get in movies). If you can get used to the fairly constant narration by him the story has some neat twists and turns.

    10 episodes in season 1. I don't know whether it's been renewed or not.

    Currently half way through Making a Murderer on Netflix. This is a documentary series filmed over a period of 10 years or so about the victim of a miscarriage of justice (and its consequences) that took place in smalltown USA. He was wrongfully convicted of a violent sexual attack in 1984 and spent the following 18 years in jail before eventually being exonerated. That's just the start of the chain of events. If that sounds dry and boring - it's not a bit of it. I am finding the twists and turns in this real life story by turns quite gripping and shocking. I constantly want to know what happens next and I fear it did not turn out well for the person at the centre of this story. Compelling viewing for anyone with even the slightest concern about civil liberties.

    10 episodes. I doubt there'll be another season. I think the story will be complete by the end.
  • doctor blue boxdoctor blue box Posts: 7,338
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    theARE wrote: »
    Despite not having watched Flash or Arrow I have to say the Legends of Tomorrow trailer looks good. As someone who watched Prison Break, and Alias (and obviously DW) the cast of LoT looks awesome to me so will definitely be checking that out.

    Not enough good things can be said about Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Looking forward to DD S2 and Luke Cage (if that lands before JJ S2).

    Gotham is it's fabulous self.

    Agents of Shield continues to be an intriguing weekly bite-size chunk of the MCU.

    We've got all new Tenth Doctor / Donna Big Finish audio's coming up in a few months
    Plus, all their other new series stuff - River Song, Unit, Torchwood, War Doctor, etc

    There's no lack of new Who material, and no lack of interesting things on various TV services.

    We'll survive I'm sure.
    Not to discourage you, but most of the characters are from Flash and Arrow, and have their backstories in those shows, so you may be a little lost at first.

    Then again, as it's own new show, they may take time to re-iterate the details of the characters for new viewers. I don't know either way for sure, I just know as a watcher of Flash and Arrow that every main character other than Arthur Darvill's character have already been in one of those two shows (most of them quite a bit too)
  • VopiscusVopiscus Posts: 1,559
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    All the surviving episodes of Doomwatch are being released on DVD in April, if you're in the mood for environmentally-aware British SF from the early 1970s with dodgy special effects and some ill-advised use of stock footage (not unlike some Doctor Who of the time).
  • tiggerpoohtiggerpooh Posts: 4,182
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    Supergirl.

    Gotham.

    Heroes: Reborn.

    The X Files.

    Elementary.

    Lucky Man.

    What have these got to do with Doctor Who? :o Just something to fill the gap for a while, I suppose.

    Anyway, I bought Legend: The Notorious Story of the Kray Twins on DVD yesterday in my local Sainsburys. I didn't realise it at the time, but Christopher Eccleston is in this.

    I've got the original 1995 book about the Krays that the film was based on.

    I shall enjoy watching this, as I didn't see this in the cinema. I may watch the Martin and Gary Kemp one from 1990 first. I've got that on DVD too.

    :)
  • Brandon_SmithBrandon_Smith Posts: 2,908
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    donovan5 wrote: »
    Is that based on the comic book?

    Loosely
  • Jedi_KnightJedi_Knight Posts: 613
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    tiggerpooh wrote: »
    What have these got to do with Doctor Who? :o Just something to fill the gap for a while, I suppose.

    Anyway, I bought Legend: The Notorious Story of the Kray Twins on DVD yesterday in my local Sainsburys. I didn't realise it at the time, but Christopher Eccleston is in this.

    I've got the original 1995 book about the Krays that the film was based on.

    I shall enjoy watching this, as I didn't see this in the cinema. I may watch the Martin and Gary Kemp one from 1990 first. I've got that on DVD too.

    :)


    Nothing much, just to pass the time. There is more to life than Doctor Who.
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