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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2018 0:34:52 GMT
Anybody been watching the new series? The first episode was alright but "the pub changes" has been done too many times before. Not that funny either. This week was better but mostly for the new undertaker Iain Duncan Sheathing (yes, really... ). Thought they could have really ramped up the drama, though. If this was a new show, I'd have bailed out already, but seeing as I've watched every episode of it, I'll stick it out to the end. Which is likely to be soon. Don't think they have many ideas left.
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Post by 4th Chord on Mar 16, 2018 5:00:06 GMT
Very funny last night and enjoyed the first one. Already much funnier than the last series although it had its moments too.
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Post by curiousgirl on Mar 16, 2018 8:42:12 GMT
I enjoyed the first episode too. I hadn't realised there was a new series on. I started on iplayer with the Lee Mack show, Not Going Out which was dire and I quickly turned that off. And when I saw Still Game on my list, I thought it was a repeat. No wonder I couldn't remember it if it was a new series. I thought it was a great way to remind us of our favourite characters - the whole team and their world. May be the pub stuff has been done before but I thought it was skillfully done. The size of that 2nd hole to fish out the stuff And all the jokes about the West End pubs fare. And the twist at the end was a lovely surprise. I'm a sentimental soul, so I liked that. I don't mind taking the piss which they do well. But the Lee Mack show was simply mean and not funny at all. Great to know that there is a brand new series to look forward to.
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Post by curiousgirl on Mar 16, 2018 20:56:28 GMT
Watched ep 2 this evening and its getting better and better. I love the wicked wife of Navid. She's a great unexpected addition to the show. And I wonder how many times they rehearsed the Insurance drink gag. btw - its a sitcom, so why does it need more drama? Isn't one death enough?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2018 22:15:14 GMT
Watched ep 2 this evening and its getting better and better. I love the wicked wife of Navid. She's a great unexpected addition to the show. And I wonder how many times they rehearsed the Insurance drink gag. btw - its a sitcom, so why does it need more drama? Isn't one death enough? I think the death was awkwardly handled and it didn't shock me that much either. You could see what was going to happen a mile off. Still Game isn't all about comedy. I think that's where the writers have let it down in recent series, relying too much on slapstick and smart-arse one-liners.
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Post by curiousgirl on Mar 16, 2018 22:24:33 GMT
Watched ep 2 this evening and its getting better and better. I love the wicked wife of Navid. She's a great unexpected addition to the show. And I wonder how many times they rehearsed the Insurance drink gag. btw - its a sitcom, so why does it need more drama? Isn't one death enough? I think the death was awkwardly handled and it didn't shock me that much either. You could see what was going to happen a mile off. Still Game isn't all about comedy. I think that's where the writers have let it down in recent series, relying too much on slapstick and smart-arse one-liners. Interesting to see that you say it's not all about comedy. As I only saw a few of the early episodes, I wasn't aware of that. I only saw it as a sitcom. And in that light, the death was set up as a gag for me. And not meant to shock. What I think has changed is that its become much warmer than those few early episodes I saw, and I think it was darker then. And maybe that is what you see as drama. You've got me curious now to check them all out.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2018 22:32:46 GMT
I think the death was awkwardly handled and it didn't shock me that much either. You could see what was going to happen a mile off. Still Game isn't all about comedy. I think that's where the writers have let it down in recent series, relying too much on slapstick and smart-arse one-liners. Interesting to see that you say it's not all about comedy. As I only saw a few of the early episodes, I wasn't aware of that. I only saw it as a sitcom. And in that light, the death was set up as a gag for me. And not meant to shock. What I think has changed is that its become much warmer than those few early episodes I saw, and I think it was darker then. And maybe that is what you see as drama. You've got me curious now to check them all out. Which old episodes did you see?
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Post by curiousgirl on Mar 16, 2018 22:37:43 GMT
Interesting to see that you say it's not all about comedy. As I only saw a few of the early episodes, I wasn't aware of that. I only saw it as a sitcom. And in that light, the death was set up as a gag for me. And not meant to shock. What I think has changed is that its become much warmer than those few early episodes I saw, and I think it was darker then. And maybe that is what you see as drama. You've got me curious now to check them all out. Which old episodes did you see? I can't remember which ones, simply that I saw some.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2018 23:41:18 GMT
OK.
I can see what you mean by warm but I would call it cosy, safe and/or predictable.
Once it was Jack and Victor walking into the pub and trading lines with Boabby and that was that - no one else involved - but then it became everybody in the pub laughing out loud, like some US sitcom. The lines became forced and seemed to be written purely because the writers think people will go into work the next day and repeat them. That may have worked for Chewin' The Fat (a sketch show the writers did before Still Game) but it doesn't for fully fleshed out characters.
I would say Eric's character remained true throughout whereas with the others it was a case of the writers constantly giving the audience what they found funny in one episode and spinning it out again and again, e.g. Winston getting angry, Tam being miserly, Isa being nosy, which to now is all they seem to be about. And it's supposed to be funny, apparently.
I don't think the switch to HD does the show any favours either. It shows up the acting.
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Post by 4th Chord on Mar 17, 2018 8:00:50 GMT
OK. I can see what you mean by warm but I would call it cosy, safe and/or predictable. Once it was Jack and Victor walking into the pub and trading lines with Boabby and that was that - no one else involved - but then it became everybody in the pub laughing out loud, like some US sitcom. The lines became forced and seemed to be written purely because the writers think people will go into work the next day and repeat them. That may have worked for Chewin' The Fat (a sketch show the writers did before Still Game) but it doesn't for fully fleshed out characters. I would say Eric's character remained true throughout whereas with the others it was a case of the writers constantly giving the audience what they found funny in one episode and spinning it out again and again, e.g. Winston getting angry, Tam being miserly, Isa being nosy, which to now is all they seem to be about. And it's supposed to be funny, apparently. I don't think the switch to HD does the show any favours either. It shows up the acting. Humour is subjective. I found the last two episodes laugh out loud funny. Mrs Browns Boys on the other hand I find utterly grim.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2018 10:54:16 GMT
OK. I can see what you mean by warm but I would call it cosy, safe and/or predictable. Once it was Jack and Victor walking into the pub and trading lines with Boabby and that was that - no one else involved - but then it became everybody in the pub laughing out loud, like some US sitcom. The lines became forced and seemed to be written purely because the writers think people will go into work the next day and repeat them. That may have worked for Chewin' The Fat (a sketch show the writers did before Still Game) but it doesn't for fully fleshed out characters. I would say Eric's character remained true throughout whereas with the others it was a case of the writers constantly giving the audience what they found funny in one episode and spinning it out again and again, e.g. Winston getting angry, Tam being miserly, Isa being nosy, which to now is all they seem to be about. And it's supposed to be funny, apparently. I don't think the switch to HD does the show any favours either. It shows up the acting. Humour is subjective. I found the last two episodes laugh out loud funny. Mrs Browns Boys on the other hand I find utterly grim. I do too. Your first point would make more sense if this was a new show we were talking about. But it's not. The humour has changed in Still Game. The dynamics of the show are different.
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Post by curiousgirl on Mar 17, 2018 18:39:20 GMT
So @deepthroat, I'm snowed in down here in London (not really but it is snowing now) and I've found a few old episodes on line. I've seen "Cauld" and "Lights Out" (I think both from series 1), "Swotting" from Series 3 and "Dial a bus" from series 4.
And the big difference is budget. They all had far more locations than the revived series. And this is why you say it had more drama. On the whole, I thought each set up was for the punchlines, so still a focus on the humour. Though "Dial A Bus" did have plenty of drama too. The lack of locations in the current limits the stories and makes it more of a traditional sitcom.
I was wrong about the tone, I don't detect any difference. And somehow, I'd missed Navid's wife from the earlier episodes I'd seen.
Thanks for nudging me to check this out. They're great. And a lovely way to spend a relaxing Saturday afternoon.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2018 21:37:18 GMT
I wouldn't say the lack of locations in later series was/is down to budget. More that the writers realised that there was only so many scenarios where, for example, J+V could try to get a lift door shut before Isa reached it. There's virtually no reason to have lift scenes now.
The pub features far more than it used to, but to get all characters together it has to be, I guess. Though, it has reduced the show to Boabby says something, Jack says something, Boabby takes it further, Victor tries to top that, etc. Not ideal when the "banter" is crap.
It's inevitable that they would run out of ideas but the show, mainly, is no longer about getting old. It's what new things J+V can get up to each week. Some of these have been the predictable like, a new shop opening or the pub changing, or the ridiculous, like Tam's wife getting pregnant and appearing on Lorraine Kelly. Utter garbage.
I actually thought the last episode was more in line with the old episodes but too rushed. Cut out the crap about One Direction and the pointless Mick character and it wouldn't have been.
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Post by curiousgirl on Mar 17, 2018 21:54:41 GMT
The number of locations used in any TV series is affected by budget. The numbers of exterior scenes versus the number of fixed interior locations is also affected by budget because it is more expensive to film on location than it is in a fixed set based in a studio.
From the 4 episodes I watched, I noticed the following one off locations - a supermarket where Tam was eating free chocolates. The university areas where Jack and Victor took their evening classes. Bobby cycling up to the loch and the exterior of the other pub. The bus sequences. I'm sure I've missed some out. I was actually surprised by how varied the use of locations and extras were because that means that the show was not cheap to make, even if it didn't look it. There were also more extras in the earlier series than there are in the current show.
Have you ever wondered why old fashioned sitcoms used so few locations? It is because that keeps down the costs of set building and filming.
Cost is exactly why there are far few locations and therefore story possible options in the current series. Doesn't mean the show has to be bad though. It simply means that the writers have to work harder. I'm sure they will.
Interesting to note that actually you thought Ep2 was mostly good. I didn't think it was too fast. Agree with you on Methadone Mick. I didn't mind the One Direction joke. But when I saw Cauld this afternoon, I realised that they'd done the death gag far better than this episode. Finding Willie frozen in his flat was clever.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2018 0:48:11 GMT
Have you ever wondered why old fashioned sitcoms used so few locations? It is because that keeps down the costs of set building and filming. Cost is exactly why there are far few locations and therefore story possible options in the current series. There's also this to consider; the writers have exhausted ideas thus have exhausted locations they can use. There's only so many places a story can be set. And why would they continually use far-out locations when it would upset the iconography of the show and the theme of community they're trying to establish? Of course, they could write a whole series of episodes where Jack and Victor are out on the road but it would go beyond the realms of what would be considered plausible by the viewers. Yeah, those doing the budget would most definitely rule it out, but in the case of episodes from the last series being filmed around Glasgow and the next two episodes this series to heavily feature location shooting, it isn't the case that someone has said they can only film with the sets they've already got. Dial-A-Bus is an isolated example. It's meant to be overblown. So many locations were used because the story dictated it. I personally think it's a dull episode. Series 4 was when the show went downhill for me. The humour got crude, the accents were toned down, peripheral characters became the focus.
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