TV/Streaming shows

[Sonic Budgie]

I agree. I'm coloured by learning more about the human/daemon relationship in The Secret Commonwealth, but I think even the revelations and plot developments in the original trilogy make sense only if you have built up a sense of just how strong and intimate the bond is, and I'm not sure the opening episode even established the normal physical limits on separation.

I'd still give it 3, probably 4, stars, just not quite 5.

I really need to get round to reading The Secret Commonwealth (no spoilers please ), enjoyed La Belle Sauvage, actually, I'm rarely disappointed by Pullman.

[JohnToo]

I hoped what I wrote constituted a teaser not a spoiler

[Sonic Budgie]

I hoped what I wrote constituted a teaser not a spoiler

Perfectly

[LowlifeDes]

Perfectly

How can you know before you read it?

[Sonic Budgie]

How can you know before you read it?

[Dunckel]

Off streaming dramas and a diversion into documentaries.

There are two people on tv whose programmes I refuse to miss; Jim Al-Khalili and Rich Hall. Mr Hall's latest offering on BBC4 this week "Red Menace" is part of the BBC's cold war season and it follows the arms race and US/USSR relations from WW2 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, seen from the American perspective. All of Rich Halls documentaries on modern American history are light, humerous and delivered with a raised eyebrow reflecting his awareness of some of the absurdities of American culture and beliefs.

I commend this documentary to the house as an entertaining and informative take on some very dark times in recent history.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b1gw

[Greg]

The End of the F***ing World is f***ing brilliant, so f***ing watch it.

[Whiskeyjack]

The mandalorian, loved it

(disclaimer) im a Star Wars geek

[Sonic Budgie]

The mandalorian, loved it

(disclaimer) im a Star Wars geek

Disney streaming?

[Whiskeyjack]

Disney streaming?

Disney plus launches in March over here I think. Seems insane that a company like Disney couldn’t get this sorted.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-styl ... 00181.html

[Sonic Budgie]

Disney plus launches in March over here I think. Seems insane that a company like Disney couldn’t get this sorted.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-styl ... 00181.html

Where's the Mandalorian then?

[Whiskeyjack]

Where's the Mandalorian then?

Sorry. only on Disney at the mo so its a pain to watch here unless you go through hoops, or are prepared to use other nefarious means to view it. I think it will be worth the sub price for a couple of months.

[Sonic Budgie]

4 episodes into HDM, we've now been introduced to Iorek and Lee, more than happy with both of those.
Still concerns me the lack of daemons for the background characters but I'm learning to ignore it. They're starting to flesh out the daemons too and on reflection it wasn't all explained at the start of the book what they were so the curve may be about right on them and if they get it right, then we'll really start to get it in the next episode.
Lyra's character is developing well, we saw far more of what she's about in Ep.4, and I think Dafne Keen is doing an excellent job with her. Overall happy with all the casting so far aside from Coulter, I still don't think Wilson is quite right.
BUT, Serafina's daemon is a Snow Goose, that was NOT a Snow Goose!
Overall HDM gets 8 Budgies from a possible 10.

[JohnToo]

4 episodes into HDM, we've now been introduced to Iorek and Lee, more than happy with both of those.
Still concerns me the lack of daemons for the background characters but I'm learning to ignore it. They're starting to flesh out the daemons too and on reflection it wasn't all explained at the start of the book what they were so the curve may be about right on them and if they get it right, then we'll really start to get it in the next episode.
Lyra's character is developing well, we saw far more of what she's about in Ep.4, and I think Dafne Keen is doing an excellent job with her. Overall happy with all the casting so far aside from Coulter, I still don't think Wilson is quite right.
BUT, Serafina's daemon is a Snow Goose, that was NOT a Snow Goose!
Overall HDM gets 8 Budgies from a possible 10.

Largely agree (and I actually think Ruth Wilson is quite good as Coulter). The Gyptians are good, the Magisterium possibly a little stereotyped. Slight question mark over Iorek's voice (again a touch of stereotyping - just stick a few growls in and it'll sound OK?) but Lee better than the film version. But the shortage of Daemons is seriously grating with me. People and their daemons are supposed to be inseparable - it should be natural always to see a daemon everytime you see a person - the idea of a person without a daemon should be unthinkable.

[Sonic Budgie]

Largely agree (and I actually think Ruth Wilson is quite good as Coulter). The Gyptians are good, the Magisterium possibly a little stereotyped. Slight question mark over Iorek's voice (again a touch of stereotyping - just stick a few growls in and it'll sound OK?) but Lee better than the film version. But the shortage of Daemons is seriously grating with me. People and their daemons are supposed to be inseparable - it should be natural always to see a daemon everytime you see a person - the idea of a person without a daemon should be unthinkable.

I think Wilson is playing the part perfectly, she just doesn't look like Coulter for me.
If I let it the background daemons will drive me to distraction, it's a big mistake but it's not going to change so I have to ignore it.
I know what you mean about Iorek, but I don't know what the answer is, they can't always cast James Earl Jones, Geoffrey Cox maybe?