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PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   2803 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 7, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Time for another tv recommendation: Severance. In my opinion it's the first show in a while that quality-wise stands among the other greats of the "golden age of television"; or at least it has done so far. It has an interesting combination of dark comedy, satire, character work, and philosophical introspection with a heaping dose of mystery. If you're unaware what the show is about or have heard nothing about it, here's a teaser; I wouldn't seek out more for fear of spoilers.

It was a long, long gap between seasons 1 and 2 (the former aired near the end of 2022, the latter is airing now). But it's the first sort of "appointment viewing" for me and my friends in a while, and we've decided to get together as a group every other week or so and watch the new episodes. It's nice to experience these things with other people and it's the kind of show that very much benefits from group discussion/reflection.

Man, for some reason I cannot get into Season 2. It reminds me of Westworld where season 1 is good but then the show becomes so full of itself it tortures every facial expression and line of dialogue to try to exude some sort of gravitas.

I'm still liking season 2 a lot, but it feels like a significant step down from season 1. I think the first season did a better job balancing the every day life of the severed workers against unfolding the plot mystery, whereas season 2 is a lot more focused on the mystery. Plus I find all the scenes with the bosses boring because the show won't reveal to us what their true motives/goals are, so it's always this cryptic emotionless stare-down with no context, and it gets old fast.

Yeah the writing has been a little less coherent, the satirical/comedic elements a little less tight. It's been a step down but not a massive one.

My biggest fear though was that they would just spool this out forever but the show seems to be quite forthright in charging through the plot.

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