MerrySkeptic
@MerrySkeptic@sh.itjust.works
- Comment on What are you watching and, what do you recommend this week? 1 week ago:
Oh man. Perfectly skewers megachurch culture. Outrageous, over the top characters. Can be surprisingly heartfelt at times but also random dick shots that give you no warning whatsoever. It has a very Danny McBride feel, so if you like his other stuff you’ll like this.
- Comment on What TV series would you call some of the earliest examples of 'prestige' TV? 1 week ago:
Most people would probably say The Sopranos marked the beginning of the prestige TV era, but there are some precursors that come to mind, mostly from HBO. Rome and Oz, for example, in terms of high production value.
You could make a case to go back even further with shows like NYPD Blue (90s) or even Hill Street Blues (80s) as examples of high quality TV with long, dramatic character arcs, though these shows didn’t have much in the way of contemporaries to define them as part of an era.
- Comment on What are you watching and, what do you recommend this week? 1 week ago:
I’ve been watching Blue Lock and really enjoying it so far. I usually watch more fantastical anime like JJK, stuff that involves magic or superpowers. This is the first one I’ve watched where the show isn’t based in anything superhuman, but it’s kind of presented that way. Like eyes flash or players get an aura when they’re in the zone, and it really works. Also some genuinely surprising plot development.
I’m over halfway through the latest season of Fargo. This one is a bit more on the nose with its commentary than previous seasons but it’s still better than most TV. Jon Hamm is just sinister in this.
Just started the latest season of The Righteous Gemstones. I love this show because I came out of a conservative Christian household so all the observations about the hypocrisy of megachurch culture ring especially true for me.
- Comment on What's an example of a TV show that came out at before its time, or just at a bad time? 1 week ago:
Set in the 2050s as mankind has learned to predict and use naturally occurring wormholes for interstellar travel, they are drawn into a war with a new alien species that destroyed a colony. The show focuses on a squadron of fighter pilots in space One of them is a cloned, enhanced human used to fight in an earth bound war against synthetics and is seen as subhuman by many.
The show had a very good plot, a serialized story but also self contained episodes, interesting moral dilemmas. But it was horribly marketed by Fox so it died after a season or two. The final episode was a huge cliffhanger too.
- Comment on What's a highly-rated, critically acclaimed TV series that you couldn't get into, or have no interest in? 2 weeks ago:
I tried to watch Downton Abbey with my wife. I can appreciate the acting, costumes, and sets, but I could really not have cared less about the minutiae of the lives of 1910s British upper class and their servants
- Comment on What are you watching and, what do you recommend this week? 2 weeks ago:
Just finished the latest season of Invincible. Overall I enjoy it, even is sometimes the animation is meh. This season really did a good job of showing the tension between taking a principled moral stand vs practical realities. Sometimes you can be a good person, or you can save the world, but you can’t always have both
- Comment on The Righteous Gemstones is fantastic 3 weeks ago:
Keefe spotting Kelvin on the bench press
- Comment on What's the best "good-bad" TV series you've seen? 4 weeks ago:
Agents of SHIELD. Full of camp but also full of heart. It also had some pretty great fight choreography at times. Its canonicity with the MCU is currently up in the air but still very much worth a watch IMO
- Comment on What are some lesser-known obscure TV series that went under the radar, that you would recommend? 5 weeks ago:
How about two with Rosa Salazar?
Undone on Amazon Prime, a trippy psychological show about a girl (Salazar) exploring the link to her present and her dead father (Bob Odenkirk). It’s rotoscoped to add to the trippiness
Brand New Cherry Flavor on Netflix, where an aspiring writer gets her career ruined by a director when she turns down his sexual advances. She makes a deal with a witch to get revenge
- Comment on Top 50 TV Shows Of All Time Ranked by the most known sources of ratings like IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic etc. Agree? 1 month ago:
Stranger Things should not be that high
- Comment on is it wrong/selfish to cut contact with my trump-supporting father? 2 months ago:
Do whatever you can live with. That said, you have other options besides all or nothing. You can tell him that it’s taxing to be around him and ask for specific behavioral changes you’d like to see to make things more tolerable. Whether or not he agrees to them is up to him, but you’re at least trying for a workable relationship.
I emphasize behavioral change because he can’t just flip a switch on his beliefs. No one can. Our beliefs are a conclusion based a number of factors including our experiences, the information we are exposed to, our emotions, etc. He couldn’t switch his off and on any more than you could.
If you really want to affect his beliefs he will have to feel like you hear and understand them first. Be curious without expressing judgement. If he feels heard he might be more open to reciprocating that feeling and hear you out.
But you’re not obligated to do that. If you can’t take it then be honest with yourself and take care of you. Just don’t get stuck in black and white thinking
- Comment on Justice should be equal 4 months ago:
- Comment on Justice should be equal 4 months ago:
Yes there are double standards but this is the wrong comparison to make that point.
Most school shooters are minors who are inelligible for the death penalty, and a large percentage don’t survive their own shooting. Either death by cop or suicide.
I have no love for insurance CEOs or our capital-first justice system, but if you’re gonna make a point don’t leave it open to be so easily picked apart.
- Comment on US Elections question: Bernie Sanders said that the Democrats abandoned the working class, and the working class abandoned them. How is this true? 5 months ago:
I think what Bernie is saying is that for decades Dems have paid lip service to working class concerns while not actually doing much. In reality Dems have been much more beholden to corporate interests.
By the time these plans came out, too many working class folk were already disenfranchised. They saw a party that was vocal about social issues that frankly were not high on the list of priorities for most of them. They were more concerned that inflation was out of control and they could not afford basic expenses. Sure Trump was racist but at least prices were lower when he was in office, or so they would conclude. If he could bring prices down, they would go with him.
Basically Dems were just out of touch with the most important part of their base until it was too late.
- Comment on how do I accept that a doctor earns more than double what I do? 7 months ago:
Is it too late to become a nurse practitioner?
- Comment on I feel like a flashbang went off in my head, so the only question that I can think of is, "What now?" (Details in body.) 8 months ago:
A therapist shouldn’t tell you what to do, just provide a safe space to explore your feelings, work through all the relevant questions you can think of, and maybe help brainstorm if you can’t come up with your own options.
Your wife and daughter’s situations are relevant, but so is yours. If your wife isn’t in love either but neither of you want to divorce, it sounds like your options are to either work on repairing and rekindling the marriage within the constraints of her diagnoses, or mutual agreement to keep the marriage going for now but see other people. Both are full of challenges and risks. If she’s not ok with either of those, then you may have to make a decision for yourself.
- Comment on why isn't anyone calling for Trump to drop out. 9 months ago:
The truth is that Trump has done more for conservative causes than any president prior. He installed the far right justices that have toppled Roe v Wade and affirmative action. He enacted things like the Muslim travel bans. In short, either they know he’s a scumbag and don’t care because he gets results, or they don’t believe their own lyin’ eyes because look at the results he produces. It’s all about the bottom line, and the ends justify the means.
- Comment on How long does it take for neurotypical (or just typical) people to get over a minor fight? 10 months ago:
I wouldn’t say there’s a norm, everyone varies. What would probably help a bunch is some sort of validation for how that fight sucked for the other person, no matter who’s right or wrong.
“Hey, I’m sorry we fought. I hate it and I know you do too. I don’t ever mean to make you feel bad. I love you and want us to be ok. Is there anything else you need me to understand?”
- Comment on How do you get into wild camping, it seems so overwhelming and a lot of information to try and gather? 11 months ago:
I am in the US so I don’t know much about the UK specifically, but generally speaking I would think about starting small and working your way up.
For example, in the US there are many state or national parks that offer campsites where you could rent a basic cabin so you don’t have to worry about a tent. Or you could get a site with a covered pavilion with tables and benches so you don’t have to worry about seating or shade. Many have built in charcoal grills and fire pits. I would also recommend you start with somewhere that has access to plumbing and maybe even electricity for your first few go rounds.
There are also privately owned parks that cater to the “glamping” crowd where you can have access to a fancier cabin and other amenities like swimming pools, sports equipment, etc.
As far as camping equipment I would highly recommend you start off buying used gear. Good equipment can be pricey because it is meant to last, and you are not even sure if this is something you’re going to stick with yet. Try out some used gear and see what you like and don’t like about it. If you decide to stick with this you can always invest in better gear later. The basics should include a sleeping bag, tent, and maybe a propane stove. There are many things you probably already have or can make do with something. For example you don’t need to go buy specialty camping cookware when you can just bring a pan and utensils from home. You don’t need a backpack unless you plan to do some actual backpacking; a trunk or duffel bag is fine if you’re driving into your site.
Anyway, hope this helps! Enjoy your journey!
- Comment on Where do we stand on sex work? 11 months ago:
All work is not degrading. Underpaid work is degrading.
Hyperbole will just undercut valid arguments and convince people they don’t need to tune in
- Comment on is Texas really that cold and cruel as depicted in movies of the Coen brothers, the novels of Cormac Mccarthy and the movie Hell or High Water? 1 year ago:
I have lived in Texas my whole life. My knee jerk reaction is no, absolutely not.
First off, what part of Texas?Texas is a huge state with several metro areas, smaller cities, and lots of rural areas. Eas h has their own quirks.
There are parts of Texas that are so racist that POCs shouldn’t drive there at night. There are parts that are as progressive as any other metro area in America (at least within the limitations of the state government). There are parts that are essentially artist communes. Texas is huge and diverse. No one viewpoint can capture it all.
- Comment on What did you thought about Castlevania Nocturne? 1 year ago:
Overall I enjoyed it. I really liked the setting of the French Revolution and the way that the Church allied itself with darkness in the face of an existential threat. Very relevant I think to many religious institutions today.
I REALLY liked Olrox. An Aztec vampire that can transform into a serpent god? Yes please. And they made him a three dimensional character, neither totally good or bad.
I agree that more time could have been spent on Rictor and Marie’s upbringing, but that wasn’t critical. I assume Rictor just comes by his skills naturally by way of being a Belmont and doesn’t need formal training. Marie was obviously trained by her mom. I really liked her power of conjuring creatures from another dimension, especially that one particular moment on the last battle with her foot.
Anne was a cool character but I agree she took too much responsibility for Eduoard’s death. But she’s also young and he was one of her only friends, so I can also kind of understand. She has a lot of growing to do.
I thought the idea of reformed Night Creatures was intriguing. Elizabeth Bartlett was underdeveloped as a villain, and Drolta wasn’t much better. Grandpa Belmont coming out of left field was weird and didn’t add much to the story since he didn’t do much.
Whatever it’s flaws, they weren’t enough for me to not enjoy it.
- Comment on Let's play a game. How would you reboot The Jetsons if you were tasked with doing so. 1 year ago:
I’d keep it the same, but with blackjack and hookers!