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From: Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Subject: Re: What Did You Watch? 2025-01-20 (Monday)
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2025 20:29:15 -0800
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On 1/21/2025 8:08 AM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
> On 1/21/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
> 
>> What did you watch?
> 
> I'm counting yesterday as my last "official" vacation day - it's not, 
> really (I still have more coming), but it might as well be.
> 
> So, yesterday, I basically just watched TV, focusing on finishing out 
> season #2 of "Silo", and getting through a couple of Lifetime flicks I 
> recorded:
> 
> Silo (Apple TV+) - Last 3 episodes of season #2.
>     At least I can say that I thought season #2 has a strong ending (if 
> you think about it for a second, you realize that there's not even 
> really a cliffhanger in regards to Juliette!).

Agreed.  We *know* where she got her suit from...

>     I can't say I loved the "children of Silo 17" subplot, though at 
> least it kind of resolves in an OK way. And the actual backstory of Solo 
> ended up being pretty much exactly what you would have expected.

Yep.

>     Back in Silo 18, Lukas Kyle eventually runs down the decoding of 
> Salvador Quinn's letter from the time of the last Rebellion (140 years 
> prior), and realizes that a "Safeguard" has been implemented in all of 
> the Silos. Separately, Juliette and Solo figure out that Silo 17's 
> people somehow figured out how to abort the Safeguard.
>     The new Rebellion in Silo 18 is well underway, and the Mechanical 
> people figure out a way to trick Bernard. Unfortunately for them, 
> Patrick Kennedy is convinced it's safe to go outside, and so hijacks the 
> rebellion intending to open the vault doors.
>     That's when we get the superior ending.

And we learn where the Pez dispenser came from.  ;-)

>     Finally, we get a flashback to the "before times", which of course 
> if vague about what went wrong. I'm wondering if this "flashback" stuff 
> is from the books, but I am guessing it is.

I have not read the books.  That being said, my understanding is gung 
obbx 3 vf nyzbfg ragveryl n cerdhry.  Fb lrf.  Nccneragyl Whyvrggr fubjf 
hc ng gur raq bs obbx 3 naq jungrire unccraf va 3 vf arprffnel gb 
haqrefgnaq obbx 4.

>     They've already started filming season #3 of this one, so hopefully 
> we'll get it before the end of 2025.
> 

Both season 3 and 4 have been green lit.  Hopefully they film season 4 
too so they can air them back to back without multi year gaps in between.

> soaps: DOOL - Fri's ep. Leo ropes Marlena into helping him "sting" Kerry 
> as Lady Whistleblower - in the end, Leo interrupts Javi and Kerry to 
> accuse Kerry of being Lady Whistleblower!... Holly is an idiot, and 
> crashes Doug III's final payoff, and then mouths off to the thug - 
> she'll probably get herself beaten up for this. Tate and Sophia have 
> their first ultrasound. And Rachel the Brat has gone missing. (I hate 
> that they are about to recast both Sophia and Rachel, esp. the Sophia 
> recasting.)
>     GH was preempted by Inauguration coverage on Monday.  :/
> 
> Then I watched two Lifetime flicks I had recorded over the past week:
> 
> The Killer Is Calling (recorded off Lifetime on Sunday night) - I 
> actually quite liked this one.
>     Rob Stewart is his most EVOL!!1! here as an ex-con thirsting for 
> Revenge! REVENGE!! against the people he feels are responsible for his 
> family dying years ago, including the 911 operator (Janaya Stephens) who 
> bungled his family's 911 call the night of the house fire that killed them.
>     Also in this is Duane Keogh (who I consider to be Canada's poor man 
> version of Paul McGillion!) playing the 911 operator's semi-estranged 
> husband, and Alex Hook (from "I Am Frankie") playing her college-aged 
> daughter, both of who are put in danger by EVOL! Rob Stewart. The 911 
> operator also has a trainee (Robert Bazzocchi) who is along for the ride.
>     Most of the movie is the 911 operator and her trainee trying to 
> figure out what is going on, and then trying to stop EVOL! Rob Stewart 
> from hurting their family and coworkers.
>     The setting of this threw me for a loop - I thought for sure this 
> was filmed in the Gulf Islands of BC, but it's apparently set in the 
> Outer Banks of North Carolina(?), and was actually filmed in Ontario 
> (apparently the ferry is in Picton, Ontario).
>     I thought the ending of this was relatively weak, but before that I 
> thought this was a pretty good thriller.
> 
> The Bear Lake Murders (recorded off Lifetime a week ago Sunday) - This 
> wasn't a bad thriller, but I didn't think it was nearly as good as "The 
> Killer Is Calling".
>     This opens with as tedious "serial killer" storyline, in which a big 
> city(?) grrrrl! detective (Mercedes de la Zerda - it amuses me that she 
> got her start playing Debby Ryan's sidekick in the 2012 Disney Channel 
> film "Radio Rebel"!!) takes down a serial killer. Her boss thinks it's 
> all been too much for her, and forces her to take leave in her family's 
> lakeside cabin.
>     Of course, the serial killer soon escapes.
>     Meanwhile, at the lake, she comes across a couple of old flames, 
> including one (Tom Stevens) who is now the local sheriff.
>     Of course, mysterious deaths (murders?!...) start happening up at 
> the lake. Is it the serial killer out to taunt the lady detective? Or 
> have these lakeside murders been happening for years, which means a 
> local is doing it?...
>     The denouement for this flick was mediocre IMO. The mystery up to 
> that point was mildly OK.
> 
> 
> What did you watch?
> 
> 
> 

I watched:

V (blu-ray) 1983 miniseries about aliens who come to Earth promising 
peaceful intentions, and seeking humanity's help, but in reality they 
slowly take over the planet.  The series is a science fiction version of 
"It Can't Happen Here," and an allegory for what a fascist takeover of 
the United States would look like, with many people gleefully signing up 
to work for the aliens.  Many keep working for them even once it's clear 
the aliens are evil.  The Beast Master stars as a TV reporter who first 
catches on to the alien's true intentions.  He then goes on to help lead 
a resistance movement against them.  A young Robert Englund plays one of 
the few nice aliens.  Englund would of course later go on to fame by 
playing The Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera," Raymond Beaumon in 
"Wishmaster" and of course Professor Wexler in "Urban Legend."

The series holds up great and so does the message.  "We have to help, or 
else we haven't learned a thing."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EV_7ben0W0

Although I was surprised by how much I remembered and was expecting to 
see came from the second series.

V: The Final Battle (blu-ray) 1984 sequel miniseries which picks up with 
The Beast Master still fighting aliens this time with help from a half 
human half alien star child (Jenny Beck who was the lead in "Troll"). 
As everyone knows whenever a human has sex with an alien the resulting 
child will of course have magical powers.  That's just science.  Also, 
the aliens want to steal the water from Earth because water is an 
unusually rare element that can't be found anywhere else. I know this is 
true because they said it in the series. Apparently Kenneth Johnson, who 
wrote and directed the first series, was contracted to write and direct 
the second series but quit and had his name removed because the studio 
was trying to make the second series on the cheap and didn't care about 
script quality.  I can't imagine what changes the studio forced that he 
didn't agree with.  Anyway, "Final Battle" has Michael Ironside joining 
the series playing a tough guy.  I know it's hard to imagine Ironside 
playing a tough guy, but you just have to suspend your disbelief.  Sarah 
Douglas joins the fun to try and steal scenes from Jane Badler. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4JBPhh9bA8

And of course, in this series we finally get to see the much talked 
about conversion process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBWBFVFtqMI

While the first series was a very serious thought provoking drama, the 
second series devolves pretty much into nonsensical camp. But I love it 
anyway!  And all the stuff I actually remember comes from the second 
series.  It may not have been as good, but it was far more memorable.


Alien Nation (blu-ray) 1988 sci-fi movie set a few years after a crashed 
spaceship strands a half million aliens in California and they have been 
integrated into Los Angeles.  James Caan stars as a bigoted cop who 
reluctantly reams up with an alien partner (Mandy Patinkin).  Caan's 
former partner was killed by an alien so he figures partnering with one 
will help him catch who's responsible.  The movie holds up well enough. 
Although I liked the TV series better.  Coincidentally, Kenneth Johnson 
also did the Alien Nation TV series.  I have the Alien Nation TV movies 
on DVD, I'm tempted to check them out, but I'm worried about the DVD 
picture quality.


Mayfair Witches (AMC) - "Cover the Mirrors" - Rowan calls a family 
gathering to protect everyone from Lasher, but has to lie to get 
everyone there.  So far, I'm just not caring this season.
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