Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)

[Pseudonym]

It was the being pointedly corrected that irritated me, but then I never like being told I'm wrong.

Ha, that's an unfortunate meaning!

[Artemis]

I love my name, but nobody ever spells it right.  It's not an unknown name, and the spelling of it is the most common one.  People just can't do it.  When I tell them my name, I see the little pause in their expression as they're struggling to figure it out.  I've seen it misspelled at least 25 different ways, probably more.  I've taken to spelling it out for them myself immediately after saying it.  People always say, "But it doesn't follow the rules of English!"  That's because it's a German name, you morons.

 

Rawr.  I didn't actually intend for this post to turn into a rant, but I guess it did, lol.

 

 

[Pseudonym]

Ah well it's the right place! :D

[Fantasy Lover]

If I remember correctly, a friend told me Zachary (I believe partial, not full, but not Zach) actually means ball in some part of Asia. Yah, THAT ball.

 

So Zach actually sounds pretty good, it's probably the only way to avoid the connotation. :p

Lol, fun fact: Erik is Turkish for plum.

[T.o.b.y]

Sigh... Because Google knows way too much about me, I get all these Sherlock related video suggestions whenever I go to YouTube. And lately it seems like they're just one long "Season 4 was awful and I hate Stephen Moffat" rant.

 

Guess I will have to put S4 on my list of stuff that I am apparently the only fan of who likes it. Along with Return of the Jedi (am I really the only Star Wars fan who likes the Ewoks? I even have an Ewok tee-shirt).

[J.P.]

Ok-kayyyyy…
So…
I'm on holiday. I was invited by a friend to a place in Poland at the coast. I hesitated because it's really FAR (over 1000 kilometers/11 hours), but the pix she posted on FB convinced me. So I'll be leaving on Sunday.
 
I still have the winter tyres on, so I need an appointment at the garage. Good. Got it for tomorrow. Thought it would be the main problem to solve.
I was wrong.
Wanted to download the needed maps to my ancient smartphone (anyone remember Symbian? but it could navigate offline!)
Nope, cannot download anything anymore. Bugger.
Ordered a new phone. Came today, hooray.
Only that it needs a micro-SD.

The only one micro-SD I have is one I usually take for surfing with my computer. Not a big problem… but it decided it won't do anymore. Great.
So I'll need another pre-paid card. Oh, yes I can navigate offline (as the description said), but the offline app has no voice - not good if you drive alone. This I found out after merrily fidgeting with the settings for several hours.
In the meantime I also realized I need a car mount (the old phone was delivered with one) and a car charger - because now (hallelujah!) the phones are charged via only one usb-port. I've sewn a little pouch for it, I can make a mount with stuff I have at home, but the charger…
 

 
In the meantime I was freaking out searching for my international car insurance papers.
 
Have I said I love travelling?

[Carol the Dabbler]

(... am I really the only Star Wars fan who likes the Ewoks? I even have an Ewok tee-shirt).

 

I love Ewoks!

 

You might enjoy a novel called Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper.

[Fantasy Lover]

Guess I will have to put S4 on my list of stuff that I am apparently the only fan of who likes it. Along with Return of the Jedi (am I really the only Star Wars fan who likes the Ewoks? I even have an Ewok tee-shirt).

I have never heard of star wars fans hating that movie, the prequels however... Also, Ewoks are cute.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Sigh... Because Google knows way too much about me, I get all these Sherlock related video suggestions whenever I go to YouTube. And lately it seems like they're just one long "Season 4 was awful and I hate Stephen Moffat" rant.

 

Guess I will have to put S4 on my list of stuff that I am apparently the only fan of who likes it. Along with Return of the Jedi (am I really the only Star Wars fan who likes the Ewoks? I even have an Ewok tee-shirt).

 

(... am I really the only Star Wars fan who likes the Ewoks? I even have an Ewok tee-shirt).

I love Ewoks!

 

You might enjoy a novel called Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper.

 

Guess I will have to put S4 on my list of stuff that I am apparently the only fan of who likes it. Along with Return of the Jedi (am I really the only Star Wars fan who likes the Ewoks? I even have an Ewok tee-shirt).

I have never heard of star wars fans hating that movie, the prequels however... Also, Ewoks are cute.

Love Ewoks, Episode 6, & S4. I've even watched Ewoks and the battle for Endor multiple times as a kid.

[Artemis]

Sigh... Because Google knows way too much about me, I get all these Sherlock related video suggestions whenever I go to YouTube. And lately it seems like they're just one long "Season 4 was awful and I hate Stephen Moffat" rant.

 

Guess I will have to put S4 on my list of stuff that I am apparently the only fan of who likes it. Along with Return of the Jedi (am I really the only Star Wars fan who likes the Ewoks? I even have an Ewok tee-shirt).

"Return of the Jedi" was my favorite one! And who doesn't like Ewoks??

 

If you think you're alone in that, trying being someone who likes the Anakin trilogy as much or more than the Luke trilogy, lol.

 

I had more problems with S4 than the previous three, but I definitely don't hate it. I see a lot of those ranting videos around too, and I refuse to watch them. Regardless what anyone liked or disliked about the series, the writers, actors, photographers, and countless other people put so much love and time into it. Analysis is fine, criticism is fine; but there's no point in spending my time listening to someone tear it to bits because they didn't have their way.

 

Unreasonable hate is unreasonable.

[Arcadia]

Another Ewoks fan here, I cheered when they clobbered the storm troopers. Rather liked parts 2 and 3 of the Anakin trilogy. Would happily assassinate Jar Jar Binks, though.

 

Didn't hate Jedi ... a bit disappointed, but didn't hate it. Same with Sherlock S4. Well, okay, I really hate T6T, but I'm willing to overlook one major mistake (imo) and am also willing to bet when I finally get around to watching it again I won't mind it so much anymore. Will find out soon.

[T.o.b.y]

Yay, finally some other Ewok supporters! Usually, whenever I hear somebody talk about Star Wars or watch / read a Star Wars related anything, it seems as if the consensus was "Return of the Jedi was awful and the Ewoks suck".

 

I am just such a sucker for happy endings. And for David vs Goliath scenes.

[Carol the Dabbler]

It's not so much that I like "the Luke trilogy" as that I like "the Han Solo trilogy."  (So unless he pulls a Gandalf, I have qualms about the remaining two movies, especially the final one with no Leia.)

 

I like Series 4 better than Series 3.  In fact, I like both T6T and TLD (with the latter being an acquired taste -- disliked it on first viewing).  I do NOT care for TFP overall, but it does have some excellent scenes.  In fact, it's nicely done overall.  But it's icky.

 

[Artemis]

What didn't you like about S3, Carol?  I like it almost as well as 1 and 2.  TEH is one of my very favorite episodes of the show (except for Sherlock's "trick" on John at the end, bad Sherlock).  I probably re-watch it the most.  But I don't think I see it as being as comedic as you do.

TLD is my favorite of S4 by far, and maybe the only one I really like a lot.  There were some things I really didn't like about it, which I've probably expressed enough times in other threads, lol; but overall I thought it was a great emotional episode and really well done.  I'm less enthusiastic about T6T and TFP, each for different reasons; but they had their good points as well.  (Still bothered by the secret Holmes sister though.  Might be the one thing about the show that I can say I actually hate.)

 

 

[Artemis]

"No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key".

Why laptop, whyyyyyyyy...

 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

What didn't you like about S3, Carol? I like it almost as well as 1 and 2. TEH is one of my very favorite episodes of the show (except for Sherlock's "trick" on John at the end, bad Sherlock). I probably re-watch it the most. But I don't think I see it as being as comedic as you do.

 

"Comedic" is only one of my objections to TEH.

 

First, the title is a dreadful pun (though I'm getting sufficiently used to it by now that I can very nearly accept the title on its own terms).

 

Second, even though the "fan" theories are cute, they really did need to give us the real explanation that they'd been promising for two years. The version that we see Sherlock give Anderson has several annoying holes in it, plus it's not shown within any context, so we don't even know if it's supposed to be "real" or not. I get the feeling that they hadn't thought it through nearly as carefully as they'd been claiming ever since TRF.

 

Count me as another who doesn't care for Sherlock's little live-bomb "joke" at John's expense (wasn't the past two years quite sufficient?). Plus, John's line about "the best and wisest man" was so blatantly lifted from Conan Doyle, despite being not especially appropriate ("wisest"? gimme a break!).

 

However there are some things that I do like. Number one may be Sherlock's return and his clueless efforts to get back into John's good graces -- and John's reactions.

[Artemis]

Plus, John's line about "the best and wisest man" was so blatantly lifted from Conan Doyle, despite being not especially appropriate ("wisest"? gimme a break!).

I agree. I like that line, but I thought it seemed really out of place in that context.

 

What about the other episodes of S3?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well, I like TSo3 pretty well. The plot is beautifully constructed (similarly to what's called "structured programming" in computer jargon -- as opposed to the "spaghetti code" in the other two episodes), plus it's got a nice mix of humor and drama. My main complaint is that it's a bit fluffy, too lightweight to carry the rest of the Series.

 

As for HLV *sigh* lemme get some sleep and I'll get back to you.

[Carol the Dabbler]

OK, HLV.  I like certain bits and pieces of this episode, specific scenes and bits of business, but I still balk at the plot, or maybe I should say plots.  I can sorta see why they made Irene Adler into a sex worker -- but sweet little Mary Morstan is now a retired assassin?  That strikes me as just an excuse for a bunch of gratuitously "exciting" events such as Mary shooting Sherlock.  Mercifully, that sub-arc lasted only two episodes (though it seems to loom much larger).

 

As I've said elsewhere, I also do not care for sadistic villains or bullies.  They strike me as a cheap substitute for a more relatable character with understandable motives.  True, CAM has the additional motive of furthering his business empire.  But what we see on-screen is often a sadistic bully -- peeing in Sherlock's fireplace, stealing Sherlock's olive, threatening to have Mary killed, and most visibly, flicking John's face.

 

I was very uncomfortable seeing John, normally a very capable man, being hit by one nasty surprise after another, to the point where he can do nothing meaningful.  That may be an interesting story to tell, but once again, it feels alien to the Holmes universe.  They apparently resolved that story arc during Series 4 (climaxing in an utterly anti-Holmesian scene), so hopefully Series 5 will finally be back in more familiar territory.

 

Also, I find the timeline confusing -- scenes seem to be all jumbled up with no particular regard for when they happened.  I don't mind flashbacks and such (in fact, I enjoyed the structure of TSo3), but the relationship between events needs to be made clear, which generally means somehow making it clear what happened when.

 

[Artemis]

That may be an interesting story to tell, but once again, it feels alien to the Holmes universe. They apparently resolved that story arc during Series 4 (climaxing in an utterly anti-Holmesian scene), so hopefully Series 5 will finally be back in more familiar territory.

That's how I felt about most of S4. I don't know what it was exactly, the style, the story, the execution... but it felt unfamiliar. Not very Holmesian, and not even very "Sherlocky" at that. In a way it seems like its own thing.

 

I wasn't thrilled about Mary as an assassin either. I was actually surprised by it because it seemed very cliche, and I wasn't expecting that from the writers. I knew something was going to be off about her, but I was expecting something more creative than ye olde "female orphan assassin". I did like HLV though, overall, although it feels like a heavy episode to me.

[Pseudonym]

Bl00dy British weather. All weekend it has been freezing cold, grey and raining, Monday morning it's hot and sunny. 

[Arcadia]

I was very uncomfortable seeing John, normally a very capable man, being hit by one nasty surprise after another, to the point where he can do nothing meaningful.  That may be an interesting story to tell, but once again, it feels alien to the Holmes universe.  They apparently resolved that story arc during Series 4 (climaxing in an utterly anti-Holmesian scene), so hopefully Series 5 will finally be back in more familiar territory.

Which scene is that, Carol? I'm not familiar enough with what makes something Holmesian to know when something isn't, although I would guess Sherlock and John raising a baby girl in 221B might fit that description. I still can't figure out why they gave John a child.

 

Also, I find the timeline confusing -- scenes seem to be all jumbled up with no particular regard for when they happened.  I don't mind flashbacks and such (in fact, I enjoyed the structure of TSo3), but the relationship between events needs to be made clear, which generally means somehow making it clear what happened when.

 

I have no trouble following the sequence of events in HLV, it's the amount of time between them that has me confused. All so they could have Sherlock kill a man on Christmas Day. Whoopee. Like the Die Hard movies hadn't already done that to death.

 

I still think HLV may be my favorite episode, though. Somehow it just gets to me every time.

 

Some of you might like to read this. It's rather lengthy, but it's a dialog between 2-3 people about the pros and cons of Moffat's writing style. I tend to come down on the pro side; for all their flaws, Moffat's scripts engage me emotionally, and apparently that's what is most important to me. In spite of the bombast of the plots, I find myself caring deeply about what happens to the characters .... and that's not an easy thing to do. I tend to hold myself distant from the emotional content of most TV shows. Not Sherlock, and I think Moffat's scripts are a big reason why. But as the writers in the link point out, everyone comes at a story from a different angle.

[Carol the Dabbler]

No, the anti-Holmesian climax I mentioned was John kicking the crap out of Sherlock. (I will admit it kinda gets lost among the other anti-Holmesian plot elements, such as Mary being a retired assassin.) I hope that Moftiss, like John, have now gotten *that* out of their collective system.

 

I'm not sure I favor any particular writer's style. My favorite episodes per season are ASiP/TGG (tie), Moffat/Gatiss; TRF, Thompson; TSo3 (all 3 writers); and TAB (Moffat & Gatiss). I guess I will say that I think Moffat and Gatiss balance each other very nicely and Steve Thompson has been vastly underrated.

[Arcadia]

Aha, I see. Okay, thanks.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Bl00dy British weather. All weekend it has been freezing cold, grey and raining, Monday morning it's hot and sunny.

Uhm.. do you think the pilot and cop who saw you in your casual dresscode informed the meterology department to manipulate the weather on weekends to avoid see that.. you..eh.. those?