What I've Been Watching: Sci Fi and Sports, Plus Ted Lasso Rules!
It's no secret that over the past couple of weeks @mrsbozz and I have been making our circuit through Michigan and Ohio to watch our nieces and nephews participate in their fall sport of choice. Between this account and my @bozz.sports account, I have shared a lot of those experiences with you.
It's also no secret that of all the sports we watch, soccer is probably my least favorite. I know... It's the most popular sport in the world, but for the most part I find it boring. Even more boring than baseball if you can believe that. I will admit, that has changed a little bit, and I will explain why in a second.
Besides sports, @mrsbozz and I have also been trying to work through some television shows that we have had on our list, but haven't gotten around to watching yet. As I have in the past, I am going to share a couple of those with you today.
I'll do my best to make it more exciting than soccer!
Ted Lasso
Speaking of soccer, it's only right that I should start my post talking about Ted Lasso. I'd heard a lot of really good things about this show, but I was hesitant to start watching it simply because of my disdain for soccer. Even more so, I wasn't sure if @mrsbozz would be on board with watching it given her equal disdain for soccer.
I floated the idea to her and she seemed receptive to try a couple of episodes before we fully committed to it. I am not ashamed to say I was pleasantly surprised by this show. I can totally see why some people were subscribing to Apple TV Plus simply to watch Ted Lasso.
It's just that good and my only complaint about it is the fact that there was only three seasons.
In fact, it was so good, I actually appreciate soccer a little bit more now and I have learned some new things about the game that I didn't know before. I still don't know what off sides is, but I'm pretty sure that is a made up thing anyway.
The characters are really well played and you fall in love with them almost immediately. There are sad moments, serious moments, and tons of funny moments. One of the things I love about the show is all of the call outs and references to pop culture and old school things. Like obscure shows or movies from the 80's and things like that. It's nostalgia that is really well done and not as in your face as shows like Stranger Things.
I still believe that Apple TV Plus is one of the best streaming services out there right now and a big part of that reason is because of Ted Lasso.
If AFC Richmond were a real team, I would definitely be a fan!
Secret Invasion
I've been a fan of the Marvel Universe from the first movie. I can't say I have watched them all, but I am pretty close. I was never much of a comic book guy when I was younger, but in my opinion, the movies and Agents of Shield have been pretty great shows to watch.
When Secret Invasion was announced along with the return of Nick Fury, I was pretty pumped. We've seen bits and pieces of him here and there, but for the most part he has been off the radar since "the blip".
Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed by Secret Invasion. I felt that the pace was really slow and I just didn't care about the characters like I thought I might. I watched the whole thing, it was relatively short after all, but I found myself messing around on my phone most of the time.
It just wasn't that compelling to me. I feel like they made some big leaps that left a lot of the story untold.
Like I said, perhaps if I had followed the comic series this is based on, it might have hit a little harder with me. I'm not sad I watched it, but I don't really feel like it added anything to the Marvel Universe as a whole. Maybe when some of the other movies start coming out it will make sense.
I still have to watch Guardians of the Galaxy 3. I'm not sure if that will tie into this at all or not.
If you're a purist, you obviously have to watch it, but if you are approaching the Marvel Universe as a newbie and this is the first thing you watch, you might be disappointed. I would have been.
Strange New Worlds Season 2
A while ago I got an offer from T Mobile that I could get a year of Paramount Plus for free just for being a customer. Like Apple TV Plus, it's probably not something I would have initially signed up for if I had to pay, but since it was free, I figured why not.
I like Picard and Discovery, plus there were some other shows on there that I thought might be good. Also like Apple TV Plus, now that I have it, I can't imagine not having it. Mostly because of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This is probably some of the best Star Trek since Next Generation or The Original Series.
Anson Mount is absolutely perfect as Captain Pike. If you want a proper introduction to him, you should try to watch Star Trek: Discovery as his character was first introduced there. His time on Discovery fully convinced me that I need to watch any show that he was in.
Season 2 picks up where season 1 left off and interestingly enough, much of the action in the first several episodes takes place off the ship. In fact it isn't until the third or fourth episode that we finally have one that is ship centered.
Probably the thing you have heard most people mention about Strange New Worlds season 2 is the fact that there is a musical episode. I can verify that is indeed true, and between you and me, it was spectacular. I honestly couldn't stop smiling through most of the episode. They did it in a way that was fun and not too cheesy.
If you aren't convinced yet, I have five words for you: "Klingons as a boy band".
Trust me, you want to watch it.
They also did a crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks which was fun despite my not knowing the characters. I haven't watched the animated show yet, but I kind of want to now. The humor is complex and fun. Likewise what we briefly saw of the characters, they were likable and well written.
Even if you aren't a traditional Star Trek fan, I highly recommend you check out Strange New Worlds. It's probably one of the best things I have watched all year so far.
Sports Talk Social - @bozz.sports
I think you are very much familiar with sports and all
That's cool
Thanks, I appreciate that!
Shame about Secret Worlds but you have piqued my interest in Strange New Worlds and Ted Lasso. I still need to activate my Apple TV subscription, it could be a good time.
There is some really good stuff on there. I am also watching Invasion which is just phenomenal. I think the Foundation series looks good as well. It's definitely worth it especially if you are getting it for free.
As to Secret Wars... generally I really dislike movie or TV adaptions of books. I'm one of the few who didn't like the LotR movies, for instance. While they hit it out of the park with the casting of Ian McKellen, they changed so much from the books and simplified everything... I wasn't a fan.
Then again, I haven't read the Secret War comics, so I don't know. If I liked the movie I'd probably then be disappointed when I went back and saw how much they changed from the original story.
I still need to get to Strange New Worlds!
Yeah skip Secret Invasion and go right to Strange New Worlds. There's only two seasons right now, so it is a good time to dive in. I remember reading the book Timeline and then being really disappointed by the movie version. It didn't help that Paul Walker was just a really bad actor (RIP), but they could have done so much better.