Amph [The Last Ship] The Solojones Show

I see America's list of stereotypical villains is showing up. What next? The Chinese?

 

Is this show good or bad? You're all saying things that mean it is bad but at the end you say it is good. I don't go in for "we've only got ten minutes to save the world" dramas, so I'm not going to watch it anyway, I'm just curious.

 

I haven't said it's good.

In fact, my main criticism is that it feels like a wikipedia article being acted out.

 

You don't say anything is good, vivec, I just assumed your active participation in this thread meant it had your approval, even while you described how bad it was.

 

Also why is there so much god bothering in this show. I feel like this show is rubbing its christianity all over my face.

 

Eeth-my-Koth What did he think of Pacific Rim?

 

weedlord hotboxes the writer's room on the reg, and they get all spiritual and **** when that happens

"like, what if, like... god is like... the only thing saving us from a virus wiping us off the planet?"

 

Well most of the people I work with think I'm Jewish, so clearly I have spent tons of time blabbering on about how they need Jesus

The show runners are both Jewish, and one is a staunch atheist. People talk about God in the show sometimes because that's what would happen because:

1) A huge percentage of people in the armed forces are religious in one way or another.

2) If the world were ending, a lot of people would bring up God even if they weren't normally very religious.

It would be more strange if no one mentioned God in these circumstances. It's safe to assume not all the characters feel the same, though.

As to the reality of the virology... I do agree that in any work of fiction the most important thing is to establish the rules of that world and to stick by them. Particularly when, as is the case with our show, you make an effort to plot it so that this is a primordial virus unlike anything seen before. That signals that it can behave in unusual ways. And the crew members question how much Dr. Scott could know for sure about a virus like this. So the show tells you its own parameters and reality.

Now, the thing is, this is also distinctly not The Walking Dead, The Strain, or Helix (which btw, just coincidentally also used the ancient polar virus thing... Neither of us copied the other as our pilot was sold in 2012 and they were doing their own thing already. Just a case of the same idea cropping up twice but being taken in radically different directions). It is not broad sci-fi or horror, so in keeping with that they chose to make the virus more realistic. But it is still genre and a show and a fake virus with some of its own rules that keep things interesting and dramatic. Sticking to those rules within those parameters is fine by me as a sci-fi fan.

I mean, I sometimes don't understand where standards of realism are and aren't enforced with regards to shows. Sometimes people speak as though they want all shows to be very realistic, then they turn around and love Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, shows that thrive on realistic human emotion but in totally fantastic and heightened contexts designed for maximum drama. And they're great shows.

Yes, it is possible to make an ultra realistic show. But the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are The Wire and In Treatment. And a lot of people will clamour for realism but find those shows boring. I don't. I think the realism makes them unique and interesting. But I also don't fault other shows that aren't as realistic if they are still believable in their own parameters and world.

But sometimes you can't control what you can buy or not in a show. Especially if you have some knowledge in an area and a show purports to be in that arena in the real world. Like I personally have a hard time watching medical dramas like House that are supposedly in the real world but unfold so fantastically. I prefer early ER where it's more a heightened dramatic fast paced version of a department that actually exists.

 

Solojones, may I ask you a few questions?

You seem to be defending the show quite a lot in this thread. Is this because you worked on the show or because you actually like the show? Do you think you're being objective about it, I mean, or do you simply enjoy working on it?

If you could pick another new show you could be working on instead, is there one you would prefer, do you think?

Good luck with this one, in any case. Like I said, it's not appealing to me, but it looks like the kind of thing people who watch TNT would watch, so it will probably be popular there.

 

maybe you've heard of us? "we know drama"? yeah. thought so

 

He thought it was only okay. But he liked the audio effects.

 

Something tells me this thread has nothing to do with the Sting penned musical.

 

I've got a feeling that a few folks over at TNT realize how over the top it is, but nevertheless a new catchy term that's entered into their marketing lexicon.

 

That's kind of an issue I think all creative people have to deal with if they're also trying to make a living in the entertainment industry. But I reject the old binary of "sold out/not sold out." I'm sure Rachel doesn't think this show is a huge step forward for the art form or anything and, given her druthers, she'd probably rather be working on a show like Breaking Bad or The Wire, that's really changing the game in some way, that's a true artistic masterpiece. But people have to eat and it's often really enjoyable to work on a creative endeavor, even if it isn't Hamlet.

 

Thanks for responding, solojones!

 

If I could work on any other show I would choose Girl Meets World. I would spend most days leering and being overly Montieish toward Topenga. The end game would be to bed her on the set.

 

I think the show has a lot of potential. They didn't exactly hit the first two episodes out of the park, but there's a lot of variety that can be thrown at the basic problems: find fuel and supplies, research virus, don't get infected, avoid saboteurs, spies and various combatants, mourn the loss of loved ones, try to find out if there's a command structure anywhere, stay sane, use sunscreen, know your Mutiny on the Bounty scenarios, secure fresh fruits and vegetables if possible, and don't eat the dog until it becomes absolutely necessary. Also, beware the guys coming onto the boat to help celebrate the captain's birthday. And, what are all the nuclear submarines doing? Why don't you hook up with them?

 

This is the best TV show ever

 

Up there with Terra Nova?

 

In part to large swaths of the (human) population dying?



Asterix_of_Gaul I of course recognize the fellow in the photo there, but can't tell if it's an old meme, or if you just made that up.

 

in part, yes, but it evokes so many of the tv centers of the brain, like the ones for Star Trek Voyager and Lost in Space, BSG, and even the Incredible Hulk. The whole ship and its crew are more or less a metaphor for the plight of Dr. Bruce Banner.

 

I'm not sure it's a meme, it's just something ridiculous that he said that I have never been able to forget. Obviously all this talk of "boom" reminded me of it. Knowing you're a sports fan, I was hoping you'd catch the reference, but maybe it's a reference that's more exclusive to Chief's fans.

 

I did assume Crennel had said that phrase (why else would he be in the photo, then? ), but I didn't figure that necessarily occurred during his tenure with the Chiefs.