|
I thought this was moderately cool, definitely worth checking out the next episode at the very least. I know a lot of people poo poo on him, but I think James Franco is great and I'm enjoying him the most in this show so far. His reactions to how different things are in 1960, usually how cheap things are, were all my favorite parts of this episode. Loved his poo poo eating grin upon hearing the price of the car. I haven't read the book, but I'm thinking he has to reset at least once before making it to the assassination. I predict that the bitchy teacher he works with will be crushing on him hardcore since she'll remind her of that man that came into the diner and flirted with her so many years ago. The past resisting change and the universe fighting back is also really interesting and what makes this really feel like Stephen King to me. I just hope they don't get too weird with it, also hope we get some answers to how it works eventually.
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 16:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 11:58 |
|
|
Fast Luck posted:He did get away safely with $3500. Cojawfee posted:Why did he throw his phone away? Whenever he goes back to the future, won't he need a phone? timp posted:His reactions to how different things are in 1960, usually how cheap things are, were all my favorite parts of this episode.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 17:30
|
|
|
Tiggum posted:He can keep that though. You can bring stuff back to the present through the portal. you should really read the book..... it addresses pretty much all of your complaints
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 17:49
|
|
|
Cojawfee posted:Why did he throw his phone away? Whenever he goes back to the future, won't he need a phone? Probably to make sure no one in 1960 gets a hold of technology from 2016. He didn't mean to bring it with him and, at the time, was planning to stay for the whole 3 years, so having something that dangerous and easy to misplace was just too risky.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 18:03
|
|
|
^^^ Until someone happens to dive or dredge that river any time before 2010 or so. Does the book cover conservation of energy? Seems weird to me that you could go back in time, grab some meat, and bring it back with you. You could go back in time, throw out a bunch of garbage, come back, then reset everything.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 18:11
|
|
|
losonti tokash posted:Probably to make sure no one in 1960 gets a hold of technology from 2016. He didn't mean to bring it with him and, at the time, was planning to stay for the whole 3 years, so having something that dangerous and easy to misplace was just too risky. Which brings up the point from earlier; most glaring issue with the story as presented thus far: loving RESET dude! Call this one a wash, walk back out, and try again. Kinda weird they didn't even hint at trying that.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 18:12
|
|
|
Cojawfee posted:^^^ Until someone happens to dive or dredge that river any time before 2010 or so. In the book, he's much more thorough about it, but a book can afford to spend more time on that than a show can.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 18:33
|
|
|
It did seem weird that Chris Cooper had put all this effort into researching the JFK assassination, and had 35 years to do so, but had never just gone through the portal and waited three years and then gone to watch the actual event. Surely if you had a good vantage point and knew what you were looking for it would have been pretty easy to tell if Oswald was the shooter, or if other people were involved. Anyway, my prediction is that James Franco ends up shooting Kennedy.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 19:12
|
|
|
Comrade Fakename posted:Anyway, my prediction is that James Franco ends up shooting Kennedy. That would be lame but its definitely possible, King doesn't have the best batting average when it comes to endings.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 19:17
|
|
|
timp posted:Which brings up the point from earlier; most glaring issue with the story as presented thus far: loving RESET dude! Call this one a wash, walk back out, and try again. Kinda weird they didn't even hint at trying that. Yeah, if he was really playing it smart, he would just go back repeatedly and make the same bet to build up a really nice stash. He doesn't though, likely because the place and situation terrify him. The "why doesn't he go back and kill Oswald early on and go back and see if it changed things" criticism is valid, but only for the book, since the portal is further back and Oswald was in the US (at a Marine base, though, I think?). As people have said, in the show it would be impractical. If the universe is out to get you, you absolutely don't cross a gigantic ocean, not to mention the hostile country once you get there.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 19:19
|
|
|
They probably mentioned this and I missed it, but how does aging work in the portal? Do you age normally so that, if you spend 5 years in the portal, you'll walk out 2 minutes later looking 5 years older?
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 19:39
|
|
|
timp posted:They probably mentioned this and I missed it, but how does aging work in the portal? Do you age normally so that, if you spend 5 years in the portal, you'll walk out 2 minutes later looking 5 years older? Yea that's why Chris Cooper(Al?) all the sudden was dying of cancer. He went into the portal while Franco was having a conversation with his ex, and came out 2 minutes later. Only for him it had been long enough that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was dying by the time he got back.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 19:41
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:Yea that's why Chris Cooper(Al?) all the sudden was dying of cancer. He went into the portal while Franco was having a conversation with his ex, and came out 2 minutes later. Only for him it had been long enough that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was dying by the time he got back. Gotcha. That makes sense, thanks.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 19:43
|
|
|
Did I miss anything with regard to how going back through the portal to present day works? Does he just go back to the spot where the closet is (or will be) in the diner and *poof* he vanishes in front of anyone standing around? I couldn't tell how much the terrain and buildings had changed over the years.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 20:24
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:That would be lame but its definitely possible, King doesn't have the best batting average when it comes to endings. The reviews suggest that the ending is changed slightly from the book.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 20:25
|
|
|
pahuyuth posted:Did I miss anything with regard to how going back through the portal to present day works? Does he just go back to the spot where the closet is (or will be) in the diner and *poof* he vanishes in front of anyone standing around? I couldn't tell how much the terrain and buildings had changed over the years. In the first episode, he goes back and just goes through the spot he arrived at.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 20:33
|
|
|
computer parts posted:The reviews suggest that the ending is changed slightly from the book. This is probably not a bad thing
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 21:16
|
|
|
Comrade Fakename posted:It did seem weird that Chris Cooper had put all this effort into researching the JFK assassination, and had 35 years to do so, but had never just gone through the portal and waited three years and then gone to watch the actual event. Surely if you had a good vantage point and knew what you were looking for it would have been pretty easy to tell if Oswald was the shooter, or if other people were involved. The past gave him lung cancer after he had made it just a couple years.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 21:17
|
|
|
That was just the last trip he made while he Franco was signing his divorce papers. It's implied he's been going in and out of that portal for years, presumably 35 years since that's how long the diner's been there.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 21:45
|
|
|
Is there gonna be a Groundhog Day-esque montage where he repeatedly gets slapped by the blonde woman?
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 22:06
|
|
|
I kind of wonder what would happen if someone went in the Portal in the two minutes while he was in there.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2016 23:41
|
|
|
Al's never paid a garbage bill for the diner because he throws all his garbage into 1960.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2016 04:43
|
|
|
Lycus posted:Al's never paid a garbage bill for the diner because he throws all his garbage into 1960. Now I wish it was a 9 episode series and the first episode was written just like the pilot for The Last Man on Earth where the setting is just used for comedy purposes. Completely agree with others that him not doing at least one reset and showing that he's learnt how to handle himself in the past from his rough start seems a miss. Would've added a few extra minutes in at most. A less wild bet and a less flash car is all was needed, to show he's not approaching the past like a fanboy. Really liking this so far though, Franco is a perfect fit for a modern guy living in the past and I love seeing Chris Cooper turn up in stuff and am glad that he's still going to show up in flashback presumably.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2016 03:58
|
|
|
Small changes to the book kind of irk me, but I'm pretty satisfied thus far. If you've not heard the audiobook, you should. The narrator is fantastic. It's good that the ending is changed, by the way. It getting loving weird. Really awful spoilers answering questions on this page concerning resets: "The past is obdurate". It doesn't want to be changed. Every time he resets, he is loving up the fabric of time. Even bigger ending spoilers: The "yellow card man" is like a time cop, and the color of his card is like a meter for how broken his brain is for time traveling. In the end Jake pretty much has to confront The Time Police. RE: "how does he get back into the diner" Not really a spoiler. In the book, in the closet, you kind of "step down" like a staircase and after 2 or 3 steps you "pop" into the past. In the same way when he wants to return he kind of puts his foot up on an invisible step that isn't quite there and climbs back into the future. This is kind of glossed over because he freaks the gently caress out about this in the book. Firstborn fucked around with this message at 07:49 on Feb 19, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2016 07:43
|
|
|
He doesn't just go willy nilly killing Oswald because in the moment, killing someone is a hosed up thing to do. Even if it can be reset. We gotta remember the guy is an English teacher, not an assassin.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2016 08:00
|
|
|
As an English teacher in training, I'll warn you not to underestimate us
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2016 09:14
|
|
|
They don't show it in like a close up or anything but Jake does step up onto something that isn't there when he goes back into the diner.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2016 16:50
|
|
|
If this was an M Night Shyamalan series, I've decided that it turns out all Franco would need to do to stop the assassination is warn the milkman when he steps out into the world that he's about to drop the bottles. E: oh yeah one tiny gripe and it's something quite a few shows are guilty of: the camera work for the JFK speech felt really awkward as they didn't want to show his face. Like, it really doesn't bother me if they couldn't get a guy who is the spitting image. I hope they get over that as I can only presume JFK appears again. EL BROMANCE fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Feb 19, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2016 17:08
|
|
|
All I want is them to edit the Zapruder footage of JFK in Dallas with James Franco in the background. COME ON!
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2016 22:29
|
|
|
That was pretty good. I've read the book, but it was a few years ago so my memory of what was changed and what wasn't is pretty fuzzy, so I can gloss over all of that. I do kinda wish he went to Derry instead of Kentucky, but even if he had there's no way in hell they'd do what the book did and have him meet two of the kids from It. Ah well, we got a Castle Rock namedrop. This has potential.
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2016 01:36
|
|
|
Tiggum posted:No one was suggesting he should stay in the past three years and then reset it and try again, but he definitely should have reset it after that first day because he really hosed up and it had only been a day. timp posted:Which brings up the point from earlier; most glaring issue with the story as presented thus far: loving RESET dude! Call this one a wash, walk back out, and try again. Kinda weird they didn't even hint at trying that. EL BROMANCE posted:Completely agree with others that him not doing at least one reset and showing that he's learnt how to handle himself in the past from his rough start seems a miss. They had a whole scene with Al where he tells him that if he puts it off it will be too easy for him to keep rationalizing pushing it back further and further until he just ditches it altogether. He's running on inertia and if he chickened out on his run the first day he was there then there's no way he would be able to handle 3+ years of the universe loving with him. timp posted:I thought this was moderately cool, definitely worth checking out the next episode at the very least. I know a lot of people poo poo on him, but I think James Franco is great and I'm enjoying him the most in this show so far. His reactions to how different things are in 1960, usually how cheap things are, were all my favorite parts of this episode. Loved his poo poo eating grin upon hearing the price of the car. Agreed. I really liked the book but Jake kind of came off as a blank slate at times, Franco gives the guy a lot more personality and humor. Also I really like how they're handling the whole "the past pushes back" thing by making it much more overt and spooky and visual. The ending of the scene with the phone booth was legitimately creepy and the way that "you shouldn't be here" is used over and over is really effective and also lets you share some of Jake's paranoia.
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2016 20:47
|
|
|
Yeah, I love that people keep saying it to him in ways that are totally appropriate for that situation (backstage, in a burned out building, etc) but in context they are super creepy.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2016 00:54
|
|
|
The creepiest was the car crash.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2016 01:19
|
|
|
Cojawfee posted:^^^ Until someone happens to dive or dredge that river any time before 2010 or so. The way it works (and he did the same thing with his phone in the book) is that if he goes back to the future, his phone is still in the lake. But if he goes back in again (which it seems like he might) the phone is unrecoverable. It's vanished in an erased timeline. Should he save the Janitor's family but then go in again, he'd have to do it again. Plus side is Car Accident Girl and Boarding House Kid will be alive. The meat too was literally the exact same meat. Al went back over and over to the same day and bought the same cut of meat for decades. The reset thing is handy. For example he can keep the $3500 he got from the bookie, but if he goes back again that bookie won't remember him and he doesn't even have to go back to place the bet--he's still got he cash. He can knock over a bank and as long as he gets away he can go back and do it again and again. Not to get too spoilery with the book, but IIRC the "past pushing back" only came in at the very end. He was able to change small things easy. By bringing that element in so early, they are making the story a lot more dangerous and interesting. Though it makes me wonder why Al thought he'd ever have a shot at saving JFK if just going to watch a tertiary guy have a meeting nearly gets you killed... Overall though I loved the book and think the show is a great version of it. Franco is fantastic, I've always liked him.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2016 19:39
|
|
|
Absolutely loved the book, especially the narration. It was such a great mix of small Americana stories wrapped around this plot to stop Oswald. I keep having such fond memories of the book that I need to go back and re-listen to it but this show is helping with the fix provided I keep reminding myself that it's going to be a small subset of what the book is. In the book, he did begin to see the past push up on him on the onset as he had car trouble and the road being blocked when trying to save the girl from the hunting accident that were pretty minor in nature but enough resistance to make the point about the past pushing back. It definitely is much heavier handed in the book, can't imagine what it'll be later when he actually is doing REAL things like stopping killers (in Derry) and stopping Oswald, supposed that's what they're saving the giant earthquakes following the event to be the magnitude. Not sure how I feel about the biblical locusts.... Regardless, I'm along for the ride and Franco is doing an excellent job. This is the type of book that would need several seasons to do it justice. As it has been iterated multiple times in the thread already, if you have even the vaguest interest in this TV show do yourself a favor and read/listen to the book. It's incredible and the background on the characters and their motivations mostly make sense in comparison.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2016 19:59
|
|
|
Fast Luck posted:
I agree. Then you have people binge a season straight so they can write the first reviews. Or only review the first few episodes and label it a review for the show. Netflix would get better results I think if they released two episodes a day. That's still pretty much a binge.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2016 21:46
|
|
|
Honestly I think that Hulu is just motivated by greed and doing it so that people can't just subscribe for one month and watch the entire thing. You either gotta wait until it's over or pay for multiple months to watch it while its airing.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2016 21:58
|
|
|
So I guess this show "airs" on Mondays so we should be getting a new episode at some point today, right? How does that work exactly? And just for my own personal info and because I'm a whiny bitch baby when it comes to avoiding spoilers, how will that work in this thread? I'd hate to wander in at some point today and get spoiled on an episode I can't watch until I get home tonight...
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2016 15:14
|
|
|
Edit: I completely forgot the standard forum rules on these, nevermind. losonti tokash fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Feb 22, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2016 16:44
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 11:58 |
|
|
When it's Monday, don't click on the thread until after you watch the latest episode if you don't want spoilers. That seems very reasonable to me.
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2016 18:11
|
|