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DC Universe's Titansverse

hbenthow

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bionicbob said:
Here's a good EW article about what is known about the show....
https://ew.com/tv/2018/11/02/doom-patrol-everything-we-know/

Very interesting. So far, it looks potentially promising, and has a great cast (although I wish Ray Fisher was playing Cyborg). It looks sort of like a weirder, more comical version of the X-Men. The one thing that has me worried is Greg Berlanti's involvement. His shows tend to go downhill in a big way sooner or later (usually sooner).
 

bionicbob

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hbenthow said:
Very interesting. So far, it looks potentially promising, and has a great cast (although I wish Ray Fisher was playing Cyborg). It looks sort of like a weirder, more comical version of the X-Men. The one thing that has me worried is Greg Berlanti's involvement. His shows tend to go downhill in a big way sooner or later (usually sooner).

The Doom Patrol is easily one of my favourite Silver Age comics.   
A team of outcast freaks led by a wheelchair bound genius.... yes, it sounds very much like the X-Men, with both titles premiering within months of each other.   But the similarities pretty much end there.   The Doom Patrol was quirky and off beat, embracing the weirdness of the Silver Age storytelling and battling bizarro villains.  They were also unique as the first super team to get killed in their final issue.

The Doom Patrol went through multiple resurrections and reboots over the decades, but the most revolutionary was the run by writer Grant Morrison in the early 90s, which took the weird concept to all new, way, way, way out there directions.   The impact of his interpretation of the Doom Patrol continued to shape the team for years after wards, and appears to be a significant influence on this tv version.
 

bionicbob

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Now available here in Canada on Netflix.

Watched the first three episodes... overall, I actually liked it more than I expected I would.

I don't like some of the creative/audience marketing choices....
...This is an "R" rated tv show.  The violence is overly graphic.  Many of the themes and tones are very adult oriented.  The show is OBSESSED with dropping the F-Bomb.  It is ridiculous how much they use it.  Only three episodes in, and it's use has grown tiresome.

So for anyone who thought of using this show to introduce their young kids (depending on maturity, not younger than 13?) to the teen comic book heroes of their youth, they may wish to seriously reconsider.  Introduce them to the YOUNG JUSTICE cartoon instead.

Despite this, and the significantly re-imagining/deviation of some key characters from their comic books origins, I do find what I have watched thus far very intriguing.

To be continued....  ;)
 

bionicbob

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6 episodes in...

So far, I like:

Raven -- good actress, comes across very sympathetic
Beast Boy -- provides some much, much, much needed levity
Hawk & Dove -- good dynamic, totally instantly buy their relationship
Jason Todd's Robin -- pretty much nailed it perfectly

I LOVE: 

The Doom Patrol -- quirky, weird, tragic and funny.  Though I agree with the recasting of Chief with Timothy Dalton.  Dalton can easily bring the needed delicate menace the character needs and that actor Bichir lacked.

So far, meh...

Starfire -- the actress is good, the writing is bad... or I just can't wrap around my comic book brain around the changes to the character????

Dick Grayson's Robin -- like Starfire, very different from any incarnation I have read or watched.   Robin is supposed to be the optimistic/hopeful side of Batman.  He leaves Batman's side to become his own man.  Here they are writing him more like Jason Todd from the comics, a character on the edge of becoming a psychotic.   Still a likeable actor and brings many positive traits to the foreground.

The tone continues to be fairly dark and joyless.

But the story continues to evolve and remains pretty interesting....

To be continued...
 

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Completed the 11 episode run....

The best part of the series?

Well, it made me dig out my New Teen Titans collection from storage and revisit it.  The run by Wolfman and Perez, is easily in the Top Five Best comic runs in history for me.  My revisit reminded how dark and mature this comic series was at times, dealing with some very serious subject matter.   But even in it's darkest storylines, there was always the light of heroism and hope shining through.

The tv series?  Not so much.

I liked the series.  There is some good stuff scattered throughout it.  But the tone is just too dark for my tastes.  In terms of characters, storytelling and look, it is all too Zack Snyder for me.  I am not saying it has to be laughs, as I noted the original comic was very dark at times too, but there could have been a better middle ground.

The actual arc is a bit frustrating.   While not plodding, the Raven and her father arc is keep so mysterious and purposely vague until the last couple of episodes, that there is no sense of building tension or ticking clock.  Also, the final episode is incredibly frustrating.   As a Robin-centric episode it is excellent, as the final episode to the first season it is terrible.  My understanding is there was a 12th episode, but it was pulled for reshoots to be used as a bigger, better season two opener.

So as a whole, quite a mixed bag for me.   It is decent, but not Subscription Worthy imo. 

I give this first season a C+.
 

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DOOM PATROL now airing on the Canadian SPACE CHANNEL...

Watched the two episode premiere last night and overall enjoyed it.

Like Titans, it is a bit too Snyder at times for my tastes and the producer's obsession with dropping the F-Bomb and other expletives gets old real fast.  I get it.  It's not a kiddie show.  Seeing Cyborg's arm get sawed off made that abundantly clear.

Overall, I thought the first two episodes were better developed than Titans.  It is fun mix of Silver Age weirdness and Grant Morrison madness.  Alan Tudyk steals every scene, while the rest of the cast fill out their roles very nicely.

A promising start.  I look forward to seeing how it develops.
 

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bionicbob said:
Like Titans, it is a bit too Snyder at times for my tastes and the producer's obsession with dropping the F-Bomb and other expletives gets old real fast.  I get it.  It's not a kiddie show.  Seeing Cyborg's arm get sawed off made that abundantly clear.

Overall, I thought the first two episodes were better developed than Titans.  It is fun mix of Silver Age weirdness and Grant Morrison madness.  Alan Tudyk steals every scene, while the rest of the cast fill out their roles very nicely.

I'm five episodes in, and that's pretty much how I feel as well. It's mostly good and has an enjoyably weird sense of humor, but it's one of those shows in which if feels as if the writers decided that since they're getting a lenient rating, they should cram in everything that they can get away with at every chance they can get, even if it's not necessary or helpful.
 

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Finally finished DOOM PATROL.

Weird.
Surreal.
Absurd.
Bonkers.

I grew to like this very dysfunctional family, as there are some very strong, emotionally powerful moments buried in all over the top madness.  While I never grew to love the series, often forgetting it was even on, but when I did watch it always kept me engaged and baffled.  It is very true to the insane spirit of the Grant Morrison, so I give it props for truly, unabashedly, leaning into its bizarre source material.  Not everything worked for me, sometimes it just felt weird just for weird's sake, and I think the R-rated material was sensationally excessive at times, but it was a very well narratively constructed season and pays off nicely, though the finale felt overly stuffed and rushed.

So a good and innovative show, but by itself, certainly not subscription worthy.  And definitely not something you can watch with your kids.  Which is too bad, as the central messaging of inclusion and individuality, is one of the show's key strengths.

Again, I question the entire business model of a Comic Book Channel that only produces R rated original content?

edit: and to tie it all back to The Titans.... how does it connect? Not a single mention of Beast Boy the entire season. Did the introductory spin-off episode not even happen? As I said before, it is a weird show.
 

bionicbob

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Season two teaser....


After the mediocre first season this does not excite me.... I will still check it out but my expectations are exceptionally low.
Which means they have no where to go but up, right?  :p
 

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TITANS
Season Two


Before I go ranting, let's just get my score out of the way first... 2 out 5

When I watched season one last year, I ended the show underwhelmed and ultimately disappointed.

So I figured with season two there was no where to go but up, right?
Nope. Apparently you can lower... much lower.

Titans continues it downward spiral by continuing to make this a hard R rated show with extreme violence and sex, where our "heroes" drop the "F" Bomb every 5 seconds, where they claim to be about family but abandon and turn on each other continually, where they beat the crap out of people not to protect the innocent or for justice, but because they get off on it.

I grew up reading The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. It is a classic and is considered by most as one the Great Series. I also read and enjoyed the much critically lauded Geoff Johns relaunch. And then I look at this show, and I do not see anything I recognize.

I do not see any heroes.

The first 5 episodes are so depressing, lacking any fun or levity. We get a brief respite when Superboy and Krypto show up in episode 6, but even that storyline goes dark incredibily fast.

The series views these classic character through such a distorted, dysfunctional, dark lens that it is very difficult to connect or root for anyone. All the characters start in such a low, dark place and just continue to descend, it is hard to believe in them or feel sorry for them, when you have never seen them at their best.

You know a show about superheroes is in trouble when the most heroic and inspirational character is KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG!

Titans is supposed to be about Youth Empowerment. But at every turn, it is Daddy Batman that has to step in and guide them.

So once you get to the final episode, to the big RA-RA-The-Team-Is-Back-Together to save the day, it feels... "meh". The final wrap up the big Deathstroke arc that driven the whole season happens in the first act in a very anti-climatic fashion, making you wonder what was point? And then it gives the viewer a left field death to one of the Titans that just leaves you empty.

This series is a hot, steaming MESS.
Or maybe I am just a Grumpy Old Fanboy.
 

Gaith

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bionicbob said:
Or maybe I am just a Grumpy Old Fanboy.

Grumpy? Our fearless bob doesn't know the meaning of the word! As I've read elsewhere, this series is a mess, is all. Oh, well, they can't all be winners. :p
 
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