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March 28, 2024, 05:45:16 PM

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Feel Good Series 2

Started by Largely Babble, June 11, 2021, 12:42:24 PM

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I started watching this last night and flew through four episodes in one sitting. Fantastic. The first series I thought was great and something a bit different for a change. The writing has if anything improved. Just fantastically funny, really insightful, well observed, everything. Charlotte Richie in by far her most developed role too. A nice move away from the (I know it's well loved on here, but come on...) Sunday night "Won't offend your mum and dad" role in Ghosts.
That's all I've got to say cause as you'll find if I stick around, I often have more to say about things I hate.
In summary, if you loved the first series, this second one is going to do you just fine.

No? Gosh. Just found the first series thread only got a few replies. I'd definitely recommend it. You'll get the idea and feel pretty quickly. If you don't like the first couple of eps then probably drop it. But genuinely a great bit of writing with some amazingly ambiguous gender and sexuality stuff.

lipsink

Yeah, I've started watching this last night and I've done 2 episodes and will keep watching. I like it, really funny. My friend and I talked about it and I kinda relate to the neediness of the main character and the standup comedy (experiencing hecklers, sexism of comedians/audience members)

EOLAN

Popped up on my Netflix last Thursday and have one episode left from the two series. Funny yet harrowing. Complicatedly deep yet at times whimsical.  This combined with soccer events in Denmark and my dog (who is fine) throwing up I turning into a bit of a hydrochobdriacitic mess. Would recommend for people seeking a dark comedy with a charismatic lead actress.

Good show, they definitely added something to the second season which made it funnier but I can't put my finger on what it is.

Good. I'm glad. What with Bo Burnham I'd wondered if I'd drifted miles off the norms of what people were enjoying.

Quote from: Better Midlands on June 13, 2021, 10:03:24 AM
Good show, they definitely added something to the second season which made it funnier but I can't put my finger on what it is.

I think it might just be writing maturity. The flow and arch is better and the episodes tighter. It seems to have more of a purpose and is a bit less about the on/off aspects and concentrated more on Mae.

Some great soft-trans stuff going on throughout too.

"And the trans thing is so in right now..." "Actually, I don't think I am trans."
"A bit bit of blusher and lippy for you..." "No. Just make me up like a boy." "But you're not a little boy are you?"

Quote from: EOLAN on June 13, 2021, 03:58:49 AMComplicatedly deep yet at times whimsical.
Her Netflix "Comedians from Around The World" (UK = not Canada for some reason) is just that. Her story of stalking comedians as a 14 year old in a bowtie is heartbreakingly hilarious.

Quote from: Largely Babble on June 13, 2021, 10:09:33 AM
I think it might just be writing maturity. The flow and arch is better and the episodes tighter. It seems to have more of a purpose and is a bit less about the on/off aspects and concentrated more on Mae.

Yes, that's about right. There is a slight enjoyable whimsy to it as mentioned upthread and maybe that is a little more prominent in season 2.

Charlotte Ritchie is one major role away from being a household name at this point surely?

Quote from: Better Midlands on June 13, 2021, 10:18:21 AM
Charlotte Ritchie is one major role away from being a household name at this point surely?
Must be. There's still an element of "flatmate" to all the roles she plays, but a lead can't be far off.

olliebean

Quote from: Largely Babble on June 13, 2021, 10:29:03 AM
Must be. There's still an element of "flatmate" to all the roles she plays, but a lead can't be far off.

Ghosts? Although I guess that's more of an ensemble piece.

BTW, have a search of "All Angels" on YouTube if you're a Charlotte Ritchie fan.

Quote from: Largely Babble on June 13, 2021, 10:29:03 AM
flatmate

So true, the character she plays here could be the character she played in Dead Pixels loosened up a bit. I can see her being successful in one of those mainstream BBC shows like Call The Midwife etc.

Maybe because of the two leads, but this show reminded me of PEN15 for some reason which is also really good.

Quote from: olliebean on June 13, 2021, 10:30:28 AM
Ghosts? Although I guess that's more of an ensemble piece.
She's also sort of the ghosts' flatmate. But yeah, much more of a lead-like role.

QuoteBTW, have a search of "All Angels" on YouTube if you're a Charlotte Ritchie fan.
I shall indeed.

Quote from: Better Midlands on June 13, 2021, 10:37:52 AM
this show reminded me of PEN15 for some reason which is also really good.
I've heard (probably on here) that the godawful title is definitely worth getting over. I shall give this a look too.

Jerzy Bondov

Quote from: Better Midlands on June 13, 2021, 10:37:52 AM
So true, the character she plays here could be the character she played in Dead Pixels loosened up a bit. I can see her being successful in one of those mainstream BBC shows like Call The Midwife etc.
She actually was in Call The Midwife! 30 episodes of it.

Quote from: Jerzy Bondov on June 13, 2021, 10:42:13 AM
She actually was in Call The Midwife! 30 episodes of it.

Haha, never watched it - shows what I know.

I must have seen a clip or article at some point that was lurking in my subconscious.

Quote from: Largely Babble on June 13, 2021, 10:41:11 AM
I've heard (probably on here) that the godawful title is definitely worth getting over. I shall give this a look too.

You should, it's great.

lipsink

Charlotte Richie has the same voice as Emma from The Thick of It. I'm really loving the first series so far so I'm excited to hear Series 2 is even better.

olliebean

Watched the first episode of PEN15, frankly it didn't seem to offer much beyond typical whiny teenagers (the main two of whom are played by adults, presumably for reasons of vanity as I don't think it added anything and was just distracting), but I'll give it another go.

EOLAN

Last episode. Was a bit of a turn where
Spoiler alert
Mae's father, who appears to be decent, concerned if somewhat bumbling parent and overpowered by Lisa Kudrow: has let and played along with his daughter getting significant blame for something that was his fault. Contributing to her path of detachment from the family, increasing distrust between mother and daughter. I guess it was at a stage where she was in some shit already so he didn't feel at the time too much of offsetting some further blame on her, whereas as a constant quiet wannabe pleaser he terrified of getting the tiniest criticism himself.
Thought he got off extremely lightly. Maybe lucky his dream adopted child of Phil didn't witness the reveal.
[close]

Icehaven

Just finished and enjoyed this but I should have rewatched the first series as I didn't remember the Scott or Phil characters at all but they were so significant in this one it felt a bit like watching the second half of a film without seeing the first.
I really like when people aren't so damn sure of themselves when everyone seems to think you should be, so I can spend a lot of time with characters like Mae.

thundarrshirt

Quote from: icehaven on June 15, 2021, 12:44:40 PM
I really like when people aren't so damn sure of themselves when everyone seems to think you should be, so I can spend a lot of time with characters like Mae.
Aye that's a really good point, and I suppose an example of how strong the writing (of the second series in particular) is. You've got the hackneyed old storytelling credo of "a character wants something" but Mae's character doesn't have a specific goal they're shooting for. Abstractly they may be aware of/working on their addictive personality and co-dependency issues, but the show doesn't fit the standard recover/relapse narrative.

The scene where they
Spoiler alert
encourage George to cop of with someone else at the club in Canada
[close]
, it's not clear what they're hoping to get out of the situation -- prove that they're not so dependent? That they're cool and modern and up for an open relationship, despite how they act? Actually does find it sexy? -- and that plays out on their face.

paruses

Also just finished it. Icehaven's expressed why I like it so much I think. I couldn't quite get a grip on that all the way through. Also agree it seemed to have stepped up in "being funny" somehow between this and the last series (that I also really enjoyed). I think Mae Martin might just be one of those people who is funny. Charlotte Richie very much has a style but seems to do low key and funny really well.

I see that there's no more series planned which is probably a good thing although I wouldn't complain if they made more.

ETA: Agree with EOLAN on that front.

olliebean

Bailed on pen15 halfway through episode 2. Just dreadful, and really nothing like this afaics. Pain in the arse, as now I'm gonna have to eat Better Midlands' family.

Quote from: olliebean on June 15, 2021, 08:23:16 PM
Bailed on pen15 halfway through episode 2. Just dreadful, and really nothing like this afaics. Pain in the arse, as now I'm gonna have to eat Better Midlands' family.

Eek, sorry you didn't like it OB.

lipsink

#23
Just finished Season 2 and really liked it. Think it's a good way to end it.
Spoiler alert
The MeToo stuff was certainly interesting, particularly with the agent.
[close]
Perhaps they could make more maybe
Spoiler alert
with George and Mae starting a family?
[close]
The only thing that disappointed me slightly is that they tend to make too many of the characters around George and Mae just exaggerated, wacky idiots with not much depth. When they
Spoiler alert
introduced the new teacher that George slept with I was expecting we'd see more of him and have a bit of a love triangle. But instead he just became another exaggerated stupid character who then faded into the background.
[close]

MigraineBoy

I loved it.  My only quibble was that either Covid or the budget ruled out an actual visit to Toronto for the last ep, and when street scenes are trying to be somewhere else it never works.

chveik

yeah the parody of the woke poly guy is so tone-deaf considering what the series is about. frankly i thought the whole thing was mediore

thundarrshirt

I thought they did a good job with either Rizzle or Kicks as the poly guy. Didn't come off as tone deaf to me at all, he's actually pretty well-rounded as a character? He obviously does some light manipulation of the Mae/George dynamic to his own ends, but he never becomes moustache-twirlingly evil and subsequently deserve some "comeuppance." Thought the point was more that his way of approaching dating etc was appealing, but didn't actually work for George. Hey ho. The bit where she
Spoiler alert
shows him the nun gang bang was great.
[close]

Icehaven

I might have misremembered despite watching it a whopping 24 hours ago but when he threw his slight tantrum when George wouldn't go away with him, didn't he say something like "But I did everything right!", as if his whole schtick was an act to get George (and others) into bed? I thought that was supposed to suggest he was actually a total creep.

Quote from: icehaven on June 16, 2021, 03:35:43 PM
I might have misremembered despite watching it a whopping 24 hours ago but when he threw his slight tantrum when George wouldn't go away with him, didn't he say something like "But I did everything right!", as if his whole schtick was an act to get George (and others) into bed? I thought that was supposed to suggest he was actually a total creep.
Yeah. That's what I got. He's just saying what she wants to hear so he can bang her. He also clearly couldn't handle a woman having her own opinion of porn.

thundarrshirt

Quote from: icehaven on June 16, 2021, 03:35:43 PM
I might have misremembered despite watching it a whopping 24 hours ago but when he threw his slight tantrum when George wouldn't go away with him, didn't he say something like "But I did everything right!", as if his whole schtick was an act to get George (and others) into bed? I thought that was supposed to suggest he was actually a total creep.
Oh god yeah totally slipped my mind that in the whopping week since I saw it, fair fair.