The Glade 4.0

It's a good time for TV.

Anyone catch the first episode?

_________________
When he's underwater does he get wet? Or does the water get him instead?

I lubs it. #vaginagalaxy

I meant to ask -- anybody know of any way to get this a la carte?

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

You can add a STARZ subscription to either Amazon Prime or through Apple TV, so you can probably just sign up directly on their site.

First episode was utterly perfect.

The casting is brilliant.

The visuals are ethereal and wistful at times. And brutal and stark at others.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

What's the basic gist of the show?

It's based on a novel by Neil Gaiman.

A man named Shadow is released from prison early when his wife is killed. He's hired by a man known only as Mr. Wednesday, who seems to know more about him than he should, and appears to be planning for some kind of "storm." The story takes a turn into the surreal as figures from mythology, and new gods based on modern concepts begin interfering in Shadow's life.

I could say more, but I'm curious how the show feels to someone who doesn't know the identities of the characters from before the first episode.

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

Gods are real and they live among us. Old gods band together to take on new gods given power by modern forms of worship/obsession (tech, media, etc).

I watched the first episode having no prior knowledge of the show or concept. It was weird and I'm not sure I'd give it a chance for more if not for this thread.

I can see Ep 3 being a breaking point for a LOT of people.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

Also, you can get a free 7-day trial of Starz through Amazon Prime. Just wait until all of them have aired and then binge them in that time. Or just pay $9/month or so.

_________________
When he's underwater does he get wet? Or does the water get him instead?

I <3 Mad Sweeney.

_________________
When he's underwater does he get wet? Or does the water get him instead?

Bummer that ep 4 was basically a recap episode but it did answer some questions.

Laura Moon is the **** worst.

It helps that she's quite stinkin adorable.

I kinda loved that ep. I didn't know I needed more Laura backstory... until I had it.

Jacquel remains awesome.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

I would put this show up there with Firefly, B5 and BSG for how entertained I am.

_________________
Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

That's an odd combination.

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

All really good shows

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

In certain respects, yes. All of them, however, were seriously flawed in one way or another that generally preclude them being great classics.

Firefly's only flaw was that it was cancelled after a mere 14 episodes.

Bab5 had an incredible story arc, but coupled with horrible acting, special effects, sets/costumes, and early CGI.

BSG had production values, acting, and atmosphere through the roof, but had no direction or coherent story to pull it all together.

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

American Gods has amazing casting and acting, interesting visuals, but a storyline that is kind of all over the place and doesn't explain much. So, sounds like it's in good company.

Neil Gaiman relies on you knowing (or looking up) various elements of mythology. He doesn't come out and say Wednesday is Odin right out of the gate, although that reveal doesn't take long. He's relying on you knowing that Wednesday is literally "Odin's Day" and making the connection between that and the story of Odin trading his eye for the power to see into the future to come up with the conclusion that the one-eyed man is the Allfather himself.

Odin is a manipulative schemer, second only to Loki among the Norse pantheon. He has plans within plans. This entire story is one of Odin's Machiavellian schemes, and so you aren't going to be told upfront what that scheme is. Neither is the scheme hidden from you entirely. Neil puts pieces of ancient mythology in plain view as signs which point to who people are and what they're planning.

Consider who the characters are. Things that happen within the story are not happening by accident. Everything that occurs is deus ex machina, and can be nothing else. There is no such thing as coincidence and happenstance, not because this is a story written by an author, but because the characters are all gods.

Symbols mean something and names are significant. Shadow's name isn't an accident, nor is Odin picking him up right away to be an errand boy. The central character is, to put it bluntly, Odin's Shadow. That is metaphorical and allegorical, not just literal.

_________________
Buckle your pants or they might fall down.