Devs

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Casual Observer
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Re: Devs

Post by Casual Observer »

Made it to episode 4. Best thing is I love her pet homless guy, he's so much cooler than the real ones I walk past every day on the way to work.

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Re: Devs

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Casual Observer wrote: Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:24 pmAlso, the they must have filmed in the middle of the day or on a weekend because it would be pure gridlock when they're claiming the commute.
The version where every episode was just 60 minutes of all of the characters sitting in traffic did not focus-test as well as the final version they settled on.
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Re: Devs

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It seems like the "Big AI/Quantum AI" boogyman is the new plot device for a bunch of scifi. So far recently theres a super similar theme in shows like:
- Star Trek Discovery (Control AI is going to destroy all life)
- Westworld (super powerful AI monitors and directs everything)
- Devs (quantum AI sees the past and predicts the future)
- Picard (AI based artifical life forms will destroy all humanity).

AI has always been a staple of scifi but It's almost like AI is the new God for nerds. I get it, in fact I've always been an athiest but once I started learning about quantum mechanics that has affected my spiritual belief system in terms of the idea of connectedness. This is an enjoyable show but I'm starting to see a pattern of these types of shows almost taking a shortcut of using AI as an easy plot point to make anything realistically happen.

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Re: Devs

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DEVS EPISODE SIX COMMENTARY (extremely minor spoilers)
==================================================
I had my first good ol' LOL at the show during this, one of its odder episodes.

There's a thing called a "bottle episode" in serial television, and that refers to an episode of a show where -- for financial or artistic reasons -- they reduce the cast and environment to just a few characters and a small location. An episode "in a bottle", thus. Breaking Bad's "Fly" episode was a perfect example -- just Walt and Jesse, alone together at the lab.

Devs #6 was something of a bottle episode, as Lily and Jamie go to visit Nick Offerman and Alison Pill, which I'm still not sure what their first names are on the show, so I just refer to them as Nick Offerman and Alison Pill. During the visit, the women pair off and go talk to each other, while the men stay outside to go talk with each other.

The funny part is -- Here were are dealing with an issue of Ultimate Importance and Seriousness -- the Devs project, its consequences, the crimes commited to protect it -- and the women are dealing with it very Importantly and Seriously in the kitchen, with lots of intense, meaningful stares and coolly dangerous talk.

Meanwhile, Offerman -- the guy who came UP with this whole thing -- and Jamie -- the guy Offerman's henchman busted up -- share some nervous, silent energy, then eventually start talking in quiet tones, but by the end of the episode, are playing frisbee in the street.

That's hilarious. Even in the most intense, dangerous, potentially earth-shattering circumstances, put two of the most important women together, and they will discuss it seriously, and put two of the most important men together, and within a half hour they'll just start playing frisbee.

Pretty much.
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Tdarcos
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Re: Devs

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Casual Observer wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:18 am I've always been an athiest
As a fellow atheist, all I can say is, Jesus Christ! Can't you remember to spell the goddam word correctly?

(If you don't get it, this is a joke)
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Re: Devs

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forgot about the old i before e except after c rule, damn spellcheck has failed me

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Re: Devs

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Pinner, what did you think of this week's episode? Kinda dark and brooding. I wasn't a huge fan of the directing of this episode, especially the soundtrack, the slow focus on things like slicing a lemon before the shit hits the fan, or the cheap 'dur, tech companies have too much power conversation" (gee that's an easy popular point to make even though they made a point in the first episode that "it's not really a tech company", continuity folks). Liked the twist about the homeless guy, now I have to re-watch some episodes to see if I notice the clues. Also, that bridge looks pretty cool and I had no idea it was there, imma have to check that out when we're allowed back into parks.

Gotta quibble about geography again though cause I'm a little aspergerish: Which is it Devs? is the company on the east bay because people drive across the bay bridge to get there or is it south san francisco because they drove north on 280 from silicon valley? You wouldn't do both commutes unless the campus is some kind of quantum double slit photon experiment.

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Re: Devs

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I thought it was great. I thought the opening particularly was one of the best openings of any TV episode ever. But I like dark and brooding.

I thought it was great. I mean, the things that are suboptimal about the show (namely: the lead actress, it does tend to explain things a bit much, oh and it's the most preposterously ridiculous premise in the history of storytelling) will always be suboptimal, which is why I'm glad it's just a one-off and will be done after next week.

But what it does right, it does so remarkably right that I look past the flaws and just gobble it straight the fuck up.

I do believe you when you say the geography's all fucked up.

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Re: Devs

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Ok, finished this. I hate that they "lifetimed" the series (if you ever watch a movie that your wife is watching on the Lifetime network, you'll see that they like to take forever to set up the story and then write off the ending in the last 15 min). Really, they can spend five minutes making us watch a guy cut a lemon but they can't spare a few extra minutes to explain the bullshit crazy ending.

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Re: Devs

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It was not a wholly satisfying ending, but it was never going to be, because the entire show was ridiculous from the outset. Granted, the end was even MORE ridiculous, but I suppose that's fitting.

I think eight was the right number of episodes. It was spectacularly well-made, and I love it a lot, but any more and the fact that it's obviously the most outrageously absurd show in history would start to weigh on it.

Thanks, Devs. You were great. Now go away.
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Re: Devs

Post by Casual Observer »

pinback wrote: Fri Apr 17, 2020 4:20 am It was not a wholly satisfying ending, but it was never going to be, because the entire show was ridiculous from the outset. Granted, the end was even MORE ridiculous, but I suppose that's fitting.

I think eight was the right number of episodes. It was spectacularly well-made, and I love it a lot, but any more and the fact that it's obviously the most outrageously absurd show in history would start to weigh on it.

Thanks, Devs. You were great. Now go away.
Super great production values, agreed. Like many sci-fi's, they took one idea, focused on it, beat us over the head with it, and followed to the extreme conclusion.

I'd rather just go watch Deja Vu again for the 20th time though.

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Re: Devs

Post by Casual Observer »

How come Devs almost entirely copied a Linkin Park video's girl statue????

Image

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Jizaboz
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Re: Devs

Post by Jizaboz »

Casual Observer wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:04 pm How come Devs almost entirely copied a Linkin Park video's girl statue????

Image
Maybe someone in the show ends up making music that sucks so bad they end up committing suicide.
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