TV Thread - beware, [expletive] can get spoilery

[Jocephus]

[Radbird]

Anyone else watching The Plot Against America? It's good! And terrifying. Hits a little close to home over here.

I have and yes; very well done (as most HBO offerings tend to be)

One thing that bugs me though...when they’re at places out and about, they get looks from strangers/people they don’t know. How is that? Jews don’t look any different than any of these other Caucasian people, so how do they know they’re Jewish just by looking at them?

they don't know. It's to accentuate the mood - paranoia you feel when things are off, or you feel targeted. Everybody is looking at you then.

We get a small whiff of that when going out in public now-social distancing etc.

If it was just a look, then I’d get it...the show runners setting the mood etc as we the viewers know they’re Jewish

But these strangers actually say things to them showing they know they’re Jewish; like when they were looking for the house in the first episode

I read the book but had not heard about the show. Will put it on the list.

[heyzeus]

Anyone else watching The Plot Against America? It's good! And terrifying. Hits a little close to home over here.

I have and yes; very well done (as most HBO offerings tend to be)

One thing that bugs me though...when they’re at places out and about, they get looks from strangers/people they don’t know. How is that? Jews don’t look any different than any of these other Caucasian people, so how do they know they’re Jewish just by looking at them?

they don't know. It's to accentuate the mood - paranoia you feel when things are off, or you feel targeted. Everybody is looking at you then.

We get a small whiff of that when going out in public now-social distancing etc.

If it was just a look, then I’d get it...the show runners setting the mood etc as we the viewers know they’re Jewish

But these strangers actually say things to them showing they know they’re Jewish; like when they were looking for the house in the first episode

So here's some background stuff I can share that might help. Ethnic divides were very real. In the big cities in that era (including St. Louis), Jewish people kept to certain neighborhoods (just as did Italians and Irish and so on). The segregation was pretty strict. A Jewish person would feel very self conscious leaving their own neighborhood, and it would be noticeable when someone not from your neighborhood would show up -- and people would be quick to identify what "type" of person it was intruding on their turf. Jewish people were not as assimilated at that point; dress, speach, and physical appearance, coupled with "not being from these parts," would likely be enough for someone to identify someone as a Jew. And yes, there are some stereotypical physical traits associated with eastern european Jews, which is where most Jewish immigration was from in that era, even if those traits are not universal.

But like others have said, the show does a good job blending both the real bigotry that a Jew might face when out of their neighborhood, as well as the paranoia that the Levins might internally feel. And yes, even in recent times, I've had strangers say things to me, assuming I'm Jewish, without actually mentioning my name or anything else.

[Jocephus]

i binged thru ash vs evil dead's 3 seasons on netflix this weekend. i suppose it depends on if you've seen the evil dead movies and enjoy them, etc but i liked the series for the most part. i think ash williams is a great "hero" and i enjoy bruce campbell so it's certainly fun to see him in the role again and enjoyed lucy lawless and the other series regulars. they're pretty slick episodes, the practical effects looked great...something about how Evil Dead does demons is "iconic", if you will. that said, i found the digital effects to seem kinda cheap/bad but i don't know the budget and all that. didn't ruin anything but i found it noticeable. i suppose the last few episodes of season 3 kinda started to feel repetitive since it really just boils down to smashing deadites and seeing the effect of that but still pretty funny and seemingly wrapped things up...for the most part.

[cardinalkarp]

Been watching Legion on Hulu (which it was a FX show) and it's a very different concept (it's a Marvel Comic based show) and we're really enjoying it.

[Jocephus]

[go birds]

got a free sub for apple tv+ so been watching The Morning Show and Servant. Both are really entertaining and worth checking out.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

The Bulls/Jordan 30 for 30 starts tonight. First 2 episodes of 10.

[ghostrunner]

I just started Peaky Blinders and I'm on Season 2 now. Short seasons. I guess it's ok. I'm curious what Tom Hardy will bring to it. Very much has a familiar gangster show feeling though. It's like a better Sons of Anarchy, but a lot of the same tropes. Sam Neill is kind of wasted in his part and not the formidable opponent they seemed to promise in the beginning. Still not really sold on the use of modern music either - and the Nick Cave song they use in the opening credits is his most famous and I can't disassociate it from other contexts I already have for it.

It's got a lot going for it though - setting, historical context, cinematography, good performances - and I'll probably keep up with it since it's only 6 episodes a season.

[Fat_Bulldog]

Ozark - season 3 was fun.