A few times, I told you about the shows I watched. And it was fun, so I am going to do it again! This was another really good batch, but I have also been more willing to quit stuff I don’t like. Also, I spend a significant portion of my time rewatching The 100, so.
So, a list of the shows I’ve been watching since whenever the hell the last post posted was! Also wow wee, I have watched enough stuff to make a fourteenth one of these? Moderately impressed with myself!
3 Seasons; Concluded Properly
When I started this show, it was literally the most depressing shit I had ever watched, full stop. I didn’t know if I’d finish. It was compelling, but I felt like I was punishing myself by continuing. It was brutal. But then it balanced itself out and ended up being pretty great and giving me a pretty solid show hangover.
Okay, I’m on it!
So basically, everyone just died. A few folks had an idea that something was coming, but a very few. Some people just so happened to be saved by being underground, but the bottom line is, some aliens wiped out most of humanity. And the ones they didn’t get? They tracked ’em down one by one and executed them with headless metal dogs.
Hate it.
Anyway, we follow several groups of survivors as they try, well, to keep surviving. But there are so many mysteries and such to uncover, so that is fun. Here is another situation of me never having read the source material, so I haven’t a clue if it follows true or anything. Regardless, I went from feeling compelled but tortured to just compelled within the first several episodes. And I genuinely could not stop watching. It ends in an appropriate and satisfactory way too, so you won’t have to worry about it being all for naught.
No it definitely is, ma’am.
Verdict: 
2 Seasons, Renewed for Season 3
Ooof this one was a yawner. On paper, it seemed like it should be my jam, right? Cool planets, revolutions, clones I think… but wow this was a convoluted mess for me. I have heard that it gets better, but do I care enough to try? Not a ton, tbh.
Sorry, not sorry.
Look, the main girl who was leaving her home planet to save the universe or whatever, she seemed okay. Generic, but okay. That was the only plot I could follow, frankly. There were some kids on a depressed planet I think, and then the main “city” or whatever, which is where all the wealthy jerks live I guess. Including these guys, who are all… apparently the same guy? Like they just keep making him at several-decade intervals? Idk I would gladly take a CliffsNotes right about now.
He seems like an asshat at every age, too.
Like, this is directly from the Wikipedia page about the first episode: “Brother Day exiles Seldon and Gaal to the Periphery world of Terminus, where they are to build the “Foundation”, a repository of human knowledge that Seldon claims will shorten the dark age after the Empire’s demise from thirty thousand years to a single millennium.” What?! Worrying about that kind of time is… it’s stupid, frankly. Look at where our ancestors were 30k years ago. I mean, according to ChatGPT, 30,000 years ago, humans were drawing in caves and shit, not exactly worried about what I’d be doing. “Dude, should we draw this mammoth with rocks so some dumb girl doing things we can’t comprehend will care about it?” It just… Idk.
Don’t mind if I do.
Does part of me want to see if it gets better? Kind of. Does part of me also high key want to hate-watch it a little? Also kind of. But the truth is, my time is finite, and unless I get really desperate in the future (or I heard it gets so phenomenally good that I am inspired to try), I am tagging out.
Me, noping right out.
Verdict: 
Cancelled after Season One
Ugh, here we go with the cancellations. This one… well, there were definitely a lot of questions and mysteries left to be answered, but it also ends at a place where… I mean it definitely is unfinished but it also isn’t the worst stopping point? These streaming services have set the bar so low, haven’t they? 😩 Anyway the best way I can explain this without spoilers is this: a mom astronaut is longing to get back to her daughter after a terrible accident where she loses a member of her crew. She has to figure out how.
Pre-accident, clearly.
And that is just the beginning of the “what the heck is going on here?” questions. She is from Sweden and I guess currently in Germany, but Americans and Russians are involved too, and folks are hiding all kinds of things.
The Russians are always up to Space Shenanigans™ on Apple shows, tbh.
There are a lot of very cool ideas that are introduced in this show, and I do wish we’d seen them all play out. At the same time, some of the stuff seems a little… much? There is a lot of symbolism and such, and that stuff always goes over my head. In this case, there is just more of it than I needed, so I don’t think I’ll miss that part, but there were a lot of very cool ideas that we won’t see the fruit of, but some questions at least do get answered.
Not space bracelet closets though, never those.
Verdict:
Renewed for Season 2
Disclaimer, I have never played Fallout, or frankly, even heard of it before the show. As such, I think I found the first couple episodes a little underwhelming? But it did pick up, and I have so many questions, but in the good way.
My question exactly, my man!
I mean on paper, it’s got all the crap I like: apocalypses, bunkers, dark survivalism, etc. So I did certainly end up enjoying it. And I’ll go ahead and assume that my early confusion is because of my lack of prior knowledge. I felt too like the first few episodes were a bit slow, but alas. Basically, Lucy has lived her whole life in a bunker, told that hundreds of years and many generations of folks have been surviving underground because the earth is not survivable (heh, sound familiar?) but then some grounders people break in and steal her dad and kill some people and Lucy knows she has to get him back. And she finds… well, plenty of survivors, but none like anything she’s seen in the bunker.
Exactly.
She encounters some really messed up people along the way, and learns way more than she’d ever learned in the bunker. And we too learn a lot about the world, though it generally leads to even more questions, but in the exciting way, not the frustrating way (for the most part heh). I found myself quite curious by the end, and I will definitely watch the next season because I guess now I’m invested.
Verdict:
Renewed for Final Second Season
I admit, this started off a little slow for me. Or maybe a little confused? Whatever, it did pick up a lot and I ended up quite invested, but the first episode did not suck me in, so keep that in mind when watching, I guess. I have not read the books, and probably won’t because time, so I haven’t a clue how it compares. Now, I have no idea how to explain this plot to you without spoiling anything, frankly.
Sorry.
The one thing I really liked about it was that it has a lot of different stuff happening- it isn’t too sad, or too sciency, or too emotional, it has a great mix of everything, once it gets going. It is certainly adventurous, and high stakes, but there are also a lot of great friendship moments, and lighter moments, and bittersweet moments. And a lot of “whoa that was messed up” moments, don’t forget those.
Legit.
I am so glad that they are doing another season to tell the whole story, though I am not sure why they are wrapping it up- maybe that was always the plan? I have no idea. But I did get really into the characters and the story, even when I was a wee bit lost. And I will definitely be watching the next part, for this was a show that got better as it went on for sure.
Guess we’re done here then.
Verdict:
One Season
The show opens with, as you might have surmised, news that an asteroid is headed for Earth- and South Korea is one of the many places that will be directly impacted by it. Obviously, all hell breaks loose, and people want to get to safer pastures, and quickly. Only, shocking, the “safe” countries are not exactly standing around with their doors open. Some rich and privileged manage to get out, but most of the country is left to basically fend for themselves.
Oopsie whoopsie.
We meet main character (more on that later) Jin Se-kyung, a school teacher-turned disaster volunteer who loses quite a few of her students in the opening chaos- and vows to protect the others who remain at all costs.I won’t spoil anything, but people have apparently been hating on this because it is “slow”, but it isn’t slow, it’s character-driven. Which honestly makes sense- did they really think it was going to be 12 episodes of people screaming as an asteroid hurtles to Earth? I thought it was freaking beautiful, so I am kind of mad it is getting the low ratings. The townspeople coming together was kind of everything, and Se-kyung’s fierce love for her students (and really, the whole town) was both badass and inspiring.
Bad. Ass.
While Jin Se-kyung was the de facto “main” character, we see a significant focus on a few of her peers as well: her fiance and brilliant scientist Ha Yun-sang, army captain Kang In-a, and young priest Father Woo Sung-jae, who ends up in charge of the church when their beloved Father Baek disappears in the chaos. Apparently, Ha Yun-sang was supposed to play a much bigger role in the show, and some of the things that we didn’t get answers for were because of this. The reason his scenes were cut is so freaking dumb though. Netflix intentionally reduced the character because Yoo Ah-in tested positive for drugs. Like… okay? He wasn’t selling drugs to kids or something, he just had some low levels of marijuana and propofol in his system. I… could not possibly care less? Especially since the more I dug into his history, the more decent a dude he seems to be. So I am mad on his behalf, honestly. And ours, because it could have been even more awesome. Anyway, watch the trailer because it is impossible to find GIFs. I made the two I have, and literally the only clips online are the trailer, so.
Love it.
Verdict:
What are some of your current favorite shows? Anything I must watch? Have you seen any of these? I am always here for recommendations/peer pressure (obviously, heh)!
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You touched upon one of the reasons why I gave up on TV. Cancellations were so frustrating. I hated not getting the closure I needed after dedicating however many watching hours. I think every canceled series should get a wrap up tele-movie so that the viewers can get some answers.
Honestly I do NOT blame you! It is so annoying- especially when they end on HUGE cliffhangers! And I agree a million percent- you end on a cliffhanger, you absolutely owe me at least a two hour wrap up!
Orphan Black and the German show Dark were fabulous!
Oh yes! Those are two favorites! Have you watched the OB spinoff? I don’t know if it would hit the same without Tatiana Maslany tbh.
I haven’t watched any of these yet – last thing I watched was Baby Reindeer (Netflix) – that show needs to come with several trigger warnings.
Ooooh was it good though? I have it on my “maybe”- I can deal with messed up as long as it is worth it!
I’ve barely finished Foundation Season 1; it was too dull and we didn’t get any explanations. The characters were interesting, but not enough to replace the lack of clear plotlines 😂😂
I haven’t played Fallout either but the show looks very interesting, I’ll definitely give it a try 😄
Oh GOOD I am glad that I didn’t miss much! I just could not bring myself to care! I haven’t played it either, which I think maybe helps in that we do not know any of the “secrets”? Though I also feel like they assume you HAVE played so I haven’t a clue what is happening, but not in a terrible way? I hope you like it if you try it!
How did I not know there was a War of the Worlds series? Adding that to my list to watch. I also gave up on Foundations. Thanks for some new show ideas for me to watch! Don’t know if it’s your type, but I just started Maxton Hall and am enjoying it so far.
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2024/05/30/e-galley-review-alls-fair-in-love-and-war-miss-prentices-protegees-1-by-virginia-heath/
Glad I am not the only one re: Foundations. Kind of makes me mad that it is renewed over and over when good stuff isn’t ugh. Ohh I will check that out, thanks! And I hope you enjoy WotW if you watch it- it is reeeally dark but gets more hopeful eventually!