Television Recomendations

[eitlobsaboo]

This weeks Community was pretty fantastic. Also was Annie's cleavage always so noticeable?

[Robert McSantos]

I have significant problems with all the Scooby Doo movies because they feature real ghosts/zombies/monsters/etc instead of just dudes in masks.

For me, supernatural stuff isn't an inherent dealbreaker on it's own. I've seen it done really well (13 Ghosts) and really poorly (Zombie Island). It's all in the execution.

I will agree with you that the movies are generally bad. Ghoul School was the only one I have fond memories of, and that's probably just because it reminds me of Darkstalkers.

Mystery Incorporated is the only traditional Scooby product that I've truly enjoyed. I sorta liked A Pup Named Scooby Doo when I was a kid, but that series has not aged well at all. The rest I hated intensely, even in my youth.

[Agrajag]

The rest I hated intensely, even in my youth.

Well then you have no soul then

I don't have problems with fantasy in general. I mean I read a shit ton of fantasy and sci-fi. But I have a problem with it in Scooby Doo. I didn't mind in 13 Ghosts because that was basically a different show, but the movies were in the "main canon" so to speak. Also in 13 Ghosts it was always "real" and everyone knew that going in. Whereas the movies usually started off as normal mysteries but then when they tried to pull the mask off found out it was real. I think the show is changed significantly for the worse by making it real monsters. You can't do that and also keep the same formula for the everything else and have it still work.

[Robert McSantos]

100% agree, that makes all the difference in the world.

The thing I hate about Scooby Doo is the formula. Every episode is exactly the same. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.

The thing I liked about 13 Ghosts and Ghoul School is that they completely abandoned the formula and just did their own thing. The thing I hated about Zombie Island is that it tried to have its cake and eat it too, bringing in real zombies while still sticking to the Scooby formula.

That being said, the only episode of Where Are You? I liked was the one with the "ghost robot" that turned out to be just a regular robot, because it's the only one that's different from all the others.

[Kelso]

I liked the one where Scooby turned out to be Old Mister Jenkins in a dog suit all along.

[Agrajag]

I mean, all mystery shows are formulaic in some respects. Even the really good ones like Colombo or Poirot. I mean I'm sure Scooby was worse because they couldn't actually make the mystery too complicated since it was for kids, but it didn't bother me too much. I definitely enjoyed the ones where they tried to shake things up though. 13 Ghosts was good, as were the Scooby Doo Movies (where they had "guest stars" like the Harlem Globetrotters or Don Knotts or Batman).

I really enjoyed Pup Named Scooby Doo for similar reasons. I haven't watched it in years though. I'm not too surprised it hasn't held up.

[eitlobsaboo]

Man I haven't watched Scooby Doo since a kid. Lots of being chased by the ghoulies and Scooby saying 'ruh-roh'

[Agrajag]

Also pot metaphors.

[Robert McSantos]

That's the other thing about Scooby Doo though (particularly Where Are You?). It really wasn't a mystery show. The "clues" the gang would find were never clues to the true identity of the monster. They were just clues that the monster wasn't real, which everyone who's ever seen the show before would know anyway, even kids.

Not that it wasn't always laughably easy to figure out who the monster was, since it was always the one person in the episode who didn't have a motive.

[Agrajag]

Yeah, but I think it's good to have a tv show that encourages kids to be skeptics.

Also half the time there was only one other character in the show besides the main cast. HMMM I WONDER WHO THE MONSTER COULD BE.

[eitlobsaboo]

Finished watching season 6 of Skins last night. What a tear jerker that was.

Watched the first of Avatar Korra too. Its pretty great. I like that little bald air bender kid. Reminds me of Aang.

[eitlobsaboo]

GAME OF THRONES

[stock]

HOLY SHIT.

[Ben]

Started watching Beweare the Bitch in apartment 23.

Funny show on it's own, the bits with James Van Der Beek (Dawson from dawson creek) in are fucking amazing. He's like an early season how I met your mother Barney in terms of what he brings to the show.

Basically he plays himself, a struggling actor who no one can see as anyone but Dawson and he hates the role. But he still has a flannel shirt on hand for whenever he wants to score with a chick who was a fan of the show. It's fucking hilarious and you should all give it a shot.

[MrSquishyDBC]

I saw the ads for The B in Apartment 23 and I didn't think it looked that good, but I was pleasantly surprised! Not the best thing on TV by a large stretch, but it has its moments.

You're definitely right that James Van Der Beek is the best part. The other characters are okay, if not a little predictable. But JVDB is great as an entirely ridiculous caricature of himself.