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Post by Waverly on Apr 9, 2017 1:54:43 GMT -5
There's a bit of a Skype chatroom going on for folks who are watching the first episode tonight. Join us here - join.skype.com/wazd7aPLU8fa
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Post by BoB3K on Apr 9, 2017 1:56:33 GMT -5
I miss how it doesn't show my joined data under my avatar any more...it showed how ooold I am.
3 minutes.
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Post by BoB3K on Apr 9, 2017 2:00:56 GMT -5
It's up!
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Apr 9, 2017 2:02:05 GMT -5
It's here!
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Post by gerswin on Apr 9, 2017 3:38:37 GMT -5
Just finished the first episode and it's actually... good. They did it!
I could nitpick (as I'm sure thousands of people will today), but overall they nailed it.
My only real complaint is that some of the jokes fire off before I have time to register what's on the screen. This is a minor complaint though.
There are a thousand ways this could have gone terribly wrong, but they somehow beat the odds. It's great!
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Post by Waverly on Apr 9, 2017 3:41:19 GMT -5
Just watched it again and laughed at stuff I didn't before during the previous screenings. Hope you all enjoyed it as well. Thanks for backing! Thanks for watching! Can't wait for you to see the rest!
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Post by Triple_sSs on Apr 9, 2017 3:47:42 GMT -5
I like it VERY MUCH! That was pretty great, I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would! Can't wait to see the rest of the new season! <3
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Post by gorncaptain on Apr 9, 2017 4:11:03 GMT -5
In spite of the stream buffering a tad too much for me, loved it! Catching lightning in a bottle twice is no easy task, but they did it. The scope of the show is so much larger, yet it's soul is intact. Seeing the Gizmonic Institute again, but like never before was amazing. And at least one of the cameos made my 1970's inner child jump for joy. And a perfectly goofy monster flick to start off on. The really painful films can come later. The new arrangement of the love theme is wonderful. I hope it will be released on it's own eventually. And what a great song! It's already stuck in my head.
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Post by angilasman on Apr 9, 2017 4:25:55 GMT -5
I liked it. Wish I could articulate more, but: sleepy.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Apr 9, 2017 4:44:26 GMT -5
Just finished it myself. My thoughts? It's...IT'S... Complicated. Here's the thing, I think people are going to see what they want to see in this episode. Those who are convinced that bringing the show back is a great idea will enjoy, but it's also going to annoy those who don't think the series should have been brought back. This particular episode reminded me a lot about the first Family Guy episode after it was brought back where there seemed to have been some need to cram everything that made the series a cult hit into a single episode in order to keep those viewers that had been anticipating it's return with baited breath. It's very rapid fire, and it fires on all cylinders. It doesn't always hit, but it has enthusiasm. The trouble with moving so fast is that often a riff drops THE EXACT MOMENT the screen changes to what it's riffing on and it kind of kills the joke, because it feels mechanical and not like a reaction. That said, I liked it. It's buggy, and hopefully will be ironed out (but considering how quickly production went, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't), but this was overall a satisfying experience. More spoilerish thoughts... On the show presentation and host segments: *The opening prologue with Wil Wheaton was adorable. It went on a little too long trying to explain Jonah's character, especially when none of it matters once he gets captured, but I really dug it.
*The new theme and (I'm assuming it doesn't get changed up) opening credit sequence I'm mixed on. I loved how they turned it into a big song and dance number, but the lack of the traditional "clips from the show" opening the series used to have made it feel a bit plain. But this is speculation that this wasn't exclusive to this episode.
*The new doorway sequence initially disappointed me. The doors just being numbers looked underwhelming, but then I noticed what was going on the sides of the doors, in which each one turns into a different room on the ship. That was really cool. I'm really glad I watched this on my TV because I would have completely missed this if I watched it on my laptop. After I noticed those details I think it might be my favorite doorway sequence.
*Seeing the prologue going right into the theme and in turn right into the series itself, which seemingly takes place some time later, was a little weird for me. We literally just watched Jonah get highjackex in space and when we next see him he's in good spirits and knows almost everything that's going on. That didn't gel with me.
*Those wondering why Crow and Servo are back...continue to wonder. There is no explanation for why they're back on the SOL. Story arc? Nooooooooo!
*The Mads aren't given much to do. They introduce themselves, apparently TV's Son of TV's Frank is really named "Max." Don't know if that's a running gag or not, but if it is I hoped they reconsidered. It was funny the first time, but I don't see much more to be gained by milking it. Felicia and Patton predictably are dynamite with what little they're given.
*I'm enjoying Rebecca's Gypsy. We don't see much of her Mad character outside what the preview showed, but the end credits names her "Synthia."
*I mostly liked the host segments, despite finding the Invention Exchange awkward (the Mads didn't even present an invention) and I'm not quite sure where the letters came from given the history of this project. I enjoyed the song, however it felt ill-placed. Most songs like this are saved for the third host segment and here it is boom right in the first. This goes back to what I'm saying about it shooting everything at the viewer, because there's pretty much no time to settle ourselves back in before this hits. I'm probably not one to talk, but I felt this should have been saved for later in the show, to give the finale a bit of a push into he home stretch of the episode. Thoughts on the movie and riffing: *When I first heard they were doing Reptilicus, I gave a fangirl squee. The movie is pretty perfect for the show and it was the right choice for the first episode.
*As noted earlier, the riffing feels a bit all in. When it's funny it's really funny, when it's not they're already on the next joke. I feel the riffing should simmer down a little bit. Not every square inch of the episode should be jokes.
*Servo now enters the theater by himself. This might be nitpicking but...I miss him being carried in. This kind of looks awkward. He uses his hover skirt a LOT in this episode. Little of it is really funny, but it just feels like a demo of what they can do now.
*Baron and Jonah still sound similar. Meh.
*Puppetry doesn't quite have the right feel yet. Crow's beak is very awkward, as it keeps bending out of place in the host segments, meanwhile in the theater his mouth just kind of opens wide for riffs. It doesn't feel as expressionable as when Trace and Bill controlled him
*Gypsy appearing in the theater and throwing out a riff or two was a pleasant surprise. I have no clue what the hell she's doing there (dropping off some basket or...?), but it was fun.
*Riffing was overall funny. The movie riffing flavor felt something like Gamera meets Beginning of the End. I wouldn't rank this episode quite as good as those two, but I had a blast.
*The answer is yes, there is a stinger. And it's perfect. Good appetizer, but I feel the series after this probably HAS to be better. That's my first impression at any rate.
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Post by PeteF3 on Apr 9, 2017 4:55:56 GMT -5
Interesting that you thought the riffs were too crammed. What jumped out at me (and I should note that I only watched until a little after the first host segment, as I was working overnight and watching on lunch) was how little anyone talked over any dialogue. We had some long stretches with no riffs because the characters were talking--longer than I remember in the Joel-Mike era--even when there seemed to be the opportunity to insert a quick joke or reaction. During long stretches of relative silence (like the doctor falling asleep in the lab, or the attempted comedy with Overall Guy), the riffs were more fast and furious. It *did* seem more mechanical that way.
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Post by Treadwell on Apr 9, 2017 5:59:35 GMT -5
Pretty good start. What I liked is what we've all liked about the show since the beginning. Jona's not as awkward as I found him in the Turkey Day stuff, fortunately. Not quite a natural, though...but better than I feared. Nice hallway sequence. Nice theme song. Nice bumpers...who knows why they even have them, but well done. Good riffing, plenty of laughs.
A few rough edges, which I mention not to be negative right off the bat, nor to overstate their negative impact: just stuff that wasn't as strong:
(and a few have already been mentioned)
- The skipping over of Jonah learning the ropes. Not even a little bit of it. They didn't even describe the premise beyond the theme song lyrics. The mads mention nothing of collecting data, or that this is an experiment. And she complains to TVFJr about quality of film choice? Isn't badness the point? - I like Felica Day. But she's trying too hard. She could dial it back a notch. - The mads didn't have an invention. - Not in love with using a handheld camera on the mads. - Riffs were being said almost before what they were talking about even happened. This would happen on the original on rare occasions, but it was rather frequent here. - There were slight lulls, which is fine for pacing, but then some riffs were too right on the heels of each other. - Synch issues with bots: Crow and Gypsy would be flapping their mouths a good second and a half after speaking. - Floating Tom is a worthy experiment, but so far it isn't funny or contributing anything. It wasn't funny when Joel would interact with the screen in early seasons, either--thought they had learned their lesson. - The song was great. Perhaps overlong by a verse or two, but fun. - I miss found objects on the walls. 3D printed generic shapes....feh. - Three people per robot. Are we overthinking puppetry a little bit? ONE guy did voice, mouth and body all by himself before...
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Post by slainmonkey on Apr 9, 2017 6:18:22 GMT -5
Let's discuss the elephant in the room......Gypsy, now I am fine with the decision to make Gypsy played by a woman and to make her smarter (she got smarter as the show progressed after all).......but she should have still been Gypsyish, she's been an established and ever developing character across 10 seasons. I feel that kinda throws her personality out the window. I need to collect my thoughts on it more, but I won't say it's not disheartening!
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Post by opoth on Apr 9, 2017 7:53:51 GMT -5
I really enjoyed myself with the premier, but I feel like I may be more adaptable than some people - I started watching at the end of season 5, so I had no attachment to either host since there was still plenty of Joel around in reruns.
- the riffing was solid and the host segments were pretty inspired. I don't think they over millenialized it, for lack of a better term. Some modern references mixed with general references.
- Tom flying around was okay. Someone mentioned that Joel stopped interacting with the screen at some point, but I always thought that was a Joel thing that just didn't really carry over to the Mike Era, sort of like how they gave up on invention exchanges shortly into Mike's run. Both are Joelisms, so I'm not surprised to see them both back in the new iteration of the show.
- I'd like to see more interaction between the Mads and Jonah/bots in future episodes.
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Post by starsteam on Apr 9, 2017 7:55:49 GMT -5
Just finished watching it. Took me three hours because I had to stop and let it buffer every three minutes, but it was worth it.
Hilarious episode, I felt right at home within minutes. I liked how the theme song was incorporated into the opening story, but I imagine we'll get a more traditional opening for the rest of the episodes.
The host segments ranged from funny to decent. The song reminded me of the Godzilla Genealogy Bop. Felt a little weird to have the letters segment outside of the last host segment. I suppose my only real gripe is that the last three host segments felt a little short.
I did like how the commercial signs were handled, except we only get them during movie segments, which seems kind of pointless since no one is going to say "we have commercial sign" during the movie. I feel like the movie should be uninterrupted outside of host segments, and the host segments should have the commercial sign - which would also cut off having to sit through the door sequence (which is incredible) twice within the same 3 minutes.
I do admit, while I could hear three different voices, I had a hard time knowing which voice was coming from who. I'm sure eventually I'll learn to pick them out. Crow's mouth movements felt a little more out of sync than usual. Some of the jokes start before the scene they're riffing in question even comes up, I get that if the scene is only there for a split second it can be hard to riff in time but starting the joke a moment before makes it obvious that it's scripted.
I like that Gypsy is around more, but her new voice just kind of put me off. To the point where it doesn't really feel like Gypsy is here anymore. But I get it, Rebecca didn't have to sound like the way Gypsy does, and the show does at least acknowledge the change. It's going to take getting used to.
Hate just little my minor complaints, but it's a lot shorter than writing everything I loved about the episode. I can't wait to see the rest.
At the rate they're putting backer names in the credits, I probably won't see my name until the final episode.
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