January Meme: You should all read/watch X and talk to me about it

[selenak]

Read: Jo Graham's and Melissa Scott's Order of the Air series, various volumes of same discussed under this tag. Starts in the 1920s, has so far reached the late 1930s, offers an endearing ensemble of characters and relationships, several of whom are not straight, adventure, magic and history. I do love it a lot.

Watch: the Netflix Lost in Space. After the first season, I've written a manifesto as to why, which with some variations still applies after season 2.

The Other Days

Comments

[chelseagirl]

We just finished season 2 of Lost in Space -- we managed to get through it in 2 days and usually M is all "no, let's only watch one or two" but we just had to keep going. Wonderful performances (I am already partial to both Toby Stephens and Molly Parker), interesting concepts. Some absurd choices, and wow, the Robinsons sure are disaster prone. But I am SO TIRED of cliffhangers. After s. 1 it left them maybe in the position of the original series, sure, but s. 2 -- there BETTER be a s. 3.

[selenak]

Another commenter informs me the writers are already working on it!

[chelseagirl]

That's good news. Honestly, I only even knew second season was going to happen because there was a big advertisement up on the wall for it at NY Comiccon last fall.

I realize Netflix has new shows starting all the time, but sometimes I feel as though they just rush things out and let the chips fall where they may.

[settiai]

(hugs the Order of the Air series)

I really need to do a re-read of the entire series. And the Numinous World too, to be honest.

[selenak]

If you do a reread, make sure to alert me to any posts, because like I said, I‘d love some discussion!

[reverancepavane]

I'm definitely looking forward to Season 3 of Lost in Space (whilst the official renewal hasn't come through yet [to my current knowledge], the writers are actively writing it at the moment).

I quite enjoyed the Big Secret of Season 1 and it's role in Season 2, but I found the display of casual brutality by the supporting cast concerned with this to be particularly unwarranted and purely a mechanism to force the audience to decide that this was a bad thing morally, rather than coming to it naturally. But then, there is always the risk that given modern ethics the audience might decide this was actually acceptable. Especially as the believed that the fate of the human race was involved (and thus it would be easy for the characters in this situation to convince themselves that it was something they simply had to do).

[Hopefully all that makes sense without spoiling anything for people that haven't seen it yet. And you should see it.]

[selenak]

I see what you mean and would agree that But then, there is always the risk that given modern ethics the audience might decide this was actually acceptable - because actually and rather depressingly, given what seems to be treated as acceptable in rl these days, I suspect a part of the audience will react by saying „I don‘t see the problem there“ and that (spoiler) is being characteristically naive for objecting.

[reverancepavane]

True, but it did lack a certain subtlety, especially when it was apparent that all the bright red chickens created as a direct result their policy were quite predictably coming home to roost.

And yes it would have been quite acceptable to many people. But I also predict that a might have been a stronger message if people had been able to empathise with the bad guys in this regard - making the consequences apply to them to. As it was, especially with the lower-level flunkies, it is too easy for someone that might be tempted by such a viewpoint to distance themselves from the characters, and thus not partake of the consequence of the choice that had been made.

Still quite good and interesting. And people being people. Both good, bad, stupid, and smart.