WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:16.160 Hello, kleets, it's me John can Sear the voice of the Crypt Keeper, 2 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:31.399 and you're listening to Chronicles from the Crypt. Hi. There, I'm 3 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:35.079 Casualty Chris, and this is Father Alone, and we are the hosts of 4 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:39.520 Chronicles from the Crypt twice a month. Look at the horror anthology series Tales 5 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:43.960 from the Crypt that aired on HBO from nineteen eighty nine to nineteen ninety six. 6 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:46.320 But I think I can speak for both of us at this point, 7 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:51.520 Father Alone. Maybe nineteen ninety six was a year too far. Definitely, 8 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:56.920 let's say season seven was a season too far. And on this episode of 9 00:00:57.159 --> 00:00:59.840 Chronicles from the Crypt, we're going to be taking a look at what is 10 00:01:00.280 --> 00:01:04.239 ultimately our penultimate episode of this show, talking about Tales from the Crypt, 11 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:08.519 at least at least the show proper season seven, episode nine and ten, 12 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:17.239 smoke rings, and about face that tell me Luca Brassi slips with a fishes. 13 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.120 Here's a strange guy. But that's not why I called this meeting of 14 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:32.200 the Five families. But to Hacklias, the Bonetties, the others. The 15 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:38.680 reason I told you altogether is this as godfather of the Goglioni family, I 16 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:47.599 say it's time that we anhorganized crime, stop frighting each other. I want 17 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:51.879 there to be peace amongst us. I want there to be a whole lot 18 00:01:51.959 --> 00:02:00.280 of pieces, which is kind of like the young man in ten Night It's 19 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:05.640 Tale, he wants a whole lot of something too. In a nasty nugget 20 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:12.439 eye call Smoke Rings. So Smoke Rings aired June twenty first, nineteen ninety 21 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:17.360 six. It is directed by Mandy Fletcher, written by Lisa Sandoval, and 22 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:22.120 it starts a lot of folks, but the ones that you're going to recognize 23 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.840 right off the bat are going to be Daniel Craig and one of my favorite 24 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:30.560 character actors, as I know you like him as well. Paul Freeman not 25 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:38.159 in this. Also Dennis Lawson's great Wedge Antilles. Yeah, I say from 26 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:42.439 something known, much more from something else, Yeah, Wedge Untilies from Star 27 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:46.800 Wars. So Father Malone again, we kind of let the cat out of 28 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.919 the bag. The Baby season seven has not been going that well, maybe 29 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:55.199 being a very light term. What did you think of the Daniel Craig episode 30 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:58.759 of this season? Because we've been talking about it like, oh, this 31 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:00.520 is the episode one Daniel, you know, what did you think of the 32 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:07.560 Daniel Craig episode. This was my first experience with the particular episode. It's 33 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:12.360 one of those episodes that whenever somebody will publish like a retrospective of the show, 34 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:14.840 like, they'll include a photograph of him from it, and I always 35 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:16.800 think, wow, Daniel Craig was in an episode that probably was pretty good. 36 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:23.199 That's incorrect. This episode is not very good. He's okay in it 37 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:27.520 all. The acting actually is pretty much across the board good. Yeah, 38 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:30.280 it is the plot of this episode that actively works against it. It really 39 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:35.280 does. And so let me just say Smoke Rings is not based on Tales 40 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:37.919 from the Crypt. It's based on a Vault of Horror number thirty four, 41 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:42.840 written by Al Feldstein and art by Reid Crandell. It is similar in that 42 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:46.639 it's about an advertising firm. In the comic, however, it's a guy 43 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:52.680 who approaches a female copywriter at an ad agency because he has a great idea 44 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:58.000 for a new way to advertise a billboard for cigarettes that actually shoots out smoke 45 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:00.719 rings to grab the attention to people. And she thinks it's a great idea, 46 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:04.639 so she leads him on that she's going to sell the idea and then 47 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:08.240 they're going to split the money, but really she just wants the money for 48 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:13.360 herself. So most of the comic is her just constantly convincing him that everything 49 00:04:13.400 --> 00:04:15.960 is still on the up and up, when it's not until the point where 50 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:18.920 they've built the billboard and the guy isn't going to take it anymore. He 51 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:24.079 knows that she's trying to screw him. So they meet at the billboard itself, 52 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:27.839 and the smoke rings that come out of the billboard are made from steam, 53 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:31.879 which there's a giant vat in a little warehouse kind of structure underneath the 54 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:36.120 billboard. That's where the steam vessel is, the giant thing of water, 55 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:39.600 which she tosses him into to get rid of him. And then the next 56 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:44.120 day they're unveiling the billboard and they have her up there and the first smoke 57 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:47.879 ring comes out and it just kind of envelops her and kills her. So 58 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:54.120 there's only the only way to go when adapting this particular comic is up, 59 00:04:54.399 --> 00:05:00.600 unless, of course, you make what we had to watch. They somehow 60 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:03.560 made it worse. Uh. Yeah, No, This is one of these 61 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:08.720 episodes where at the end of it I look back and say, what was 62 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:12.120 even the point of telling this story. And look, we've taken a lot 63 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.600 of flack and we're going to continue to take a lot of flack because this 64 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:18.079 podcast will exist until the imminent heat death of this planet. But we have 65 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:23.199 taken a lot of flack on this show, at least from people listen to 66 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:25.959 this show for you know, we don't like the show. We don't care 67 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:29.839 about the show. We're not fans of the show. You know, blindly 68 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:35.240 liking something because it's the show and not being able to view it critically is 69 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:40.839 worse than being critical of something. And I'm what am I leading to with 70 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:45.720 all of this? This season of the show is awful with a capital A. 71 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:49.240 We have seen very few, if any episode so far this season that 72 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:55.639 are redeemable. They have all been the worst versions of things we've seen before. 73 00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:00.240 And this episode is right there in a long list of episodes where it's 74 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:05.439 twist first, everything else doesn't matter. Character development nope, interesting dialogue nope, 75 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:12.279 interesting scenes nope. Gore and other visuals nope. Like why are we 76 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:15.800 even here now? Why are why are we here watching this show? If 77 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:19.720 the show has stopped respecting our time? You know, we've said this probably 78 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:24.639 a couple of times now that it does feel like the material for this season 79 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:28.480 is just the leftovers from the previous seasons, that they just opened the trunk 80 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.560 and pulled these out. I maintain that that's what happened, which is a 81 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:36.519 drag because this is the last season and they felt like we didn't deserve better, 82 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:41.160 but also a drag because you find out that you're going to get one 83 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:45.360 more season and it's going to be in England and removed from everything, and 84 00:06:45.399 --> 00:06:48.959 now you could actually take all the risks in the world. This is you 85 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:53.120 know, this is going to be the last season, so like, you 86 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:57.160 know, blow it out, like make it insane. Instead, we're getting 87 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:01.720 the filler episodes from previous seasons instead of what could have been a spectacular, 88 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:06.199 bloody gory And to the tailors from the Crypt franchise, they you know, 89 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:12.839 a Viking funeral instead of just a somber cremation. And you know that's the 90 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:16.879 sad reality is that they just kind of let this show die. Died on 91 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:21.759 the vine, right, But let's let's talk about the episode itself. Obviously, 92 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:27.439 they used the comic more than not as far as somebody who got screwed 93 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:31.000 over by an ad agency and getting revenge. It's the same basic plot here. 94 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:36.560 We have Paul Paul Freeman, who you know was fired and stepped over, 95 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:40.560 and he needs to get back at these people. So he's invented a 96 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:46.600 device that subliminally makes people crave whatever object you're offering them, which is a 97 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:51.759 great tool for advertising. And instead of just going to any ad agency in 98 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:55.959 the world and saying I'll sell this to you for ten million dollars or a 99 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:00.279 billion dollars, he uses it in this petty revenge scheme. And he doesn't 100 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:01.199 even do it himself. I mean, he uses a proxy, which is 101 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:05.360 the Daniel Craig character. And then, as you say, Chris, it's 102 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:07.600 just like they're so caught up and we have to have a twist and a 103 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:13.000 twist and a twist that I don't know. It's just laughable in a way 104 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:16.680 and at the same time not but that doesn't represent something that I kind of 105 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:20.759 hate in stories like this, Revenge or not, where somebody has invented a 106 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:26.800 device that is like so revolutionary that they would be rich beyond their wildest dreams, 107 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:30.759 and instead they use it for as just a plot device for the story 108 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:33.639 we're seeing. It's really dumb. I wish people would stop doing that. 109 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:35.519 And then on top of everything else, it's a twist within a twist. 110 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:39.240 Yeah, who's double crossing? Who oh? And then it turns out that 111 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:43.960 Paul Freeman's character actually is in on it because they're testing the new device, 112 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:48.960 the secret device that they were actually testing on Daniel Craig when he was supposed 113 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:50.600 to be testing the device that Paul Freeman gave him. No, no, 114 00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:56.279 stop. Yeah, you're dragging yourself into a hole of your own creation. 115 00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:05.720 You're downward spiraling so hard show with your incomprehensible, convoluted storylines that go nowhere, 116 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:13.559 that are now just attempting to salvage name value of the series by still, 117 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.000 you know, copying the titles of old Vault of Horror stories. Yeah. 118 00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:18.600 Like, I've got this device and I think it could be a real 119 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:22.840 winner. We need to test it out. I'll pretend to be a guy 120 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:26.480 who lives in these steam tunnels and we'll find a criminal who's really charming, 121 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:31.360 and we'll go through this big charade, like what the hell are you kidding? 122 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:35.360 No, it's very convoluted, and yeah, Daniel Craig is the best 123 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:37.159 part of the episode, but that's because he's not I mean, he's not 124 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:41.720 given much to do, but he's the character you see the most. It's 125 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:46.759 because it's Daniel Craig. He's a movie star for a reason. Like Ah, 126 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:50.120 the sad thing about Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Daniel Craig, 127 00:09:50.159 --> 00:09:52.720 but I think that's because of the most of the roles that Daniel Craig 128 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:54.759 has played. The writing is not great. I e. James Bond, 129 00:09:54.879 --> 00:10:00.639 but I will agree with you he's a charismatic actor. He's more charismatic in 130 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:03.159 this then he is in a lot of the Bond movies, which is funny 131 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:07.799 given how important charisma is to that character. But that character that Bond, 132 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:15.360 that is that Craig plays as Bond is a charismaticalist black hole intentionally, but 133 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:18.600 he is a charismatic actor and it shows in this. But even his charisma 134 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:22.879 can't save this episode. No, nothing could save this episode. It's rotted 135 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:26.639 from the core, which is a dumb idea just to you know, waste 136 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:31.039 twenty two minutes of time, like you know that, you know it's there's 137 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:33.960 nothing supernatural in it, which is as anyone who's listening to the show knows. 138 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:37.360 I prefer and that's fine. It's not even a real love triangle. 139 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:41.360 It's just I don't know. It's poor. It's poor, and it's a 140 00:10:41.399 --> 00:10:46.360 story that ultimately goes nowhere. There is no payoff, there is no you 141 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:50.840 know, earned twist. The twist is very lazy. It's not good. 142 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:56.240 No, sorry England. So let's move on to the next episode. About 143 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:01.840 Face, the whole thing. I'm a vampire. Ah, so she eats 144 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:07.600 called justin king match smells Yeah, my goold thinks I'm a vampa leather and 145 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:16.600 me when we embraise, I said, fab old bloodsucker my right off of 146 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:22.679 face. Yeah, thank god? Thanking him a chat. Now, I'd 147 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:30.360 like to play for you another little rhythm and booze decomposition of man. It's 148 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:35.200 about a man who's about to make a good progression of his own and a 149 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:43.399 nasty five finger hackxercise I call about Faith. So About Face aired June twenty 150 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:48.480 eighth, nineteen ninety six. It is directed by Thomas E. Sanders. 151 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:54.519 The screenplay is by Gilbert Adler, Ale Katz and Larry Wilson. And the 152 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:58.720 kind of the biggest actor of note and this is Amelda Staunton. Yeah, 153 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:03.639 who would go on to be Dolores Umbridge and Harry Potter. Yeah, which 154 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:09.679 another another Britain connection there, obviously again with the show being filmed in England 155 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:11.480 during the time. What did you think of this episode? Father m On 156 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:15.879 It's an improvement over the last one. That's not saying much. I know 157 00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:18.559 a lot of times it's all by comparison, So if you had shown me 158 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:24.759 this devoid of the previous one, I'd probably mark it less. But it's 159 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:31.360 it's okay. It feels more Tales from the Crypt than not. But it's 160 00:12:31.559 --> 00:12:35.720 just not very good. I mean, the first of all, the makeup 161 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:39.320 is weird. It's you know, the makeup for this entire season has been 162 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:43.159 off. They seem to be doing like relying on just sort of I'm assuming 163 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:50.440 television level makeup artists, whereas in America it was like, you know, 164 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:54.039 a team not necessarily run by Kevin Yeager for every single episode. But when 165 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:56.360 you think about makeup art like I know who Kevin Yeager is, Like I 166 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:00.600 couldn't tell you who did the makeup in this like didn't stand out, you 167 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:03.559 know, I don't know. It's it's okay. Anna Friel is good in 168 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:07.240 the role. She's one of those actors who seem like they were going to 169 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:11.360 be big for a little while. They they they got a lot of roles 170 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:13.279 like that. But I think the last thing I saw her him was that 171 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:16.759 Land of the Lost remake with Will Farrell, which is awful. I think 172 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:18.960 she's good, but you know, it's okay, it's it's good. It's 173 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.399 like a little bit of a shocker, I suppose, like, okay. 174 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:26.039 This is a Haunt of Fear twenty seven, written by Carl Wessler, drawn 175 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:28.879 by Graham Angles. The story is effectively the same. It doesn't sort of 176 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:35.600 have the take on like this priest and his wife, like that's not in 177 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.879 the original comics. The original comics just a guy and he's married to his 178 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:41.159 wife, and she gives birth to twins, and they tell him that one 179 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:46.360 twin is so horrible that he should never see it. And then and then 180 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:52.799 a comic goes fifteen years later, and which is just ludicrous, because how 181 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:56.000 would you not see both of your daughters at one time in fifteen years, 182 00:13:56.519 --> 00:14:00.919 no matter how stringent the wife is in keeping you from them. And then 183 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:03.720 he decides that he needs to kill the one so that the other one can 184 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:07.240 be happy or something. I don't know, it's really bad. I view 185 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:11.399 the episode as an improvement over the last episode and as an improvement of the 186 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:16.960 source material, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's that great. I mean, 187 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:20.720 what do you think, Chris, It's bad. I mean, it's just 188 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:24.240 not good. It's again, it's another one of these love triangle stories with 189 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:30.440 a twist that comes out of nowhere that adds nothing, that ultimately makes me 190 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:33.320 question what was the point of telling this story if this was always going to 191 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:37.840 be the twist? Just I'm so sick of the twist in this show just 192 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:43.919 not having a purpose. And then you have these poor actors in this show, 193 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:46.759 like Amelda Staunton, who's a great actress, and she's just sitting here 194 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:50.879 like looking at the screen, like help me, I'm being held hostage. 195 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:54.320 Yeah. I did, Like, I mean, I like the interplay when 196 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:56.399 the bad twin would sort of come out and menace them, Like I thought 197 00:14:56.440 --> 00:15:00.519 that was I thought that was pretty good. But the as he said, 198 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:05.639 the twist is eventually just predicated on a deformity, and like that's enough of 199 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:09.720 a shock and is it? No? Like I'm not saying it needed to 200 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:13.960 be more, but it kind of needed to be more. Yeah, I 201 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:18.120 would agree. I think I think it needed I think it needed something. 202 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:24.960 It needed something to offset how generic the setup felt. Oh you have a 203 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:26.879 sleazy priest. Man, we've never seen that one before. Oh and he's 204 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:30.879 you know, going around and acting more pious than everyone else. But it 205 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:33.559 turns out he actually has two daughters. Man, this is such a unique 206 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:37.960 story that you're telling. Yeah, it's really somebody who you know, wanted 207 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:41.600 to take a jab at organized religion. And I don't have any problem with 208 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:45.960 that as long as it's something original. And this was not exactly what you 209 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:48.840 said, like, oh my god, this guy is actually like a licentious 210 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:54.120 prick and he preaches the gospel. Like how many times have we seen that, 211 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:58.200 Like, you know, a million times exactly. That's exactly it, 212 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:03.399 And it just it doesn't like the story is so not even the caliber of 213 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:07.480 Tales from the Crypt at all at all. It's not a it's not a 214 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:11.080 caliber of even the like even some of the stories that they were telling in 215 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:17.639 season six. This is so much more generic than the show deserves. Yeah, 216 00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:21.960 if if you know, we had to subtitle this entire season it's these 217 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.720 actors deserved better. And we've said that for previous seasons certainly, but it's 218 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:29.639 always on an individual basis, Like there are highs and lows, and in 219 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:33.120 the lows we tend to commiserate with the actor who had to portray the part. 220 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:36.960 But here it's like every single episode it's like, Wow, these are 221 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.360 good people, Like I'm excited to watch them do their thing, but they're 222 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:45.679 not given anything character wise. And ultimately, if they were just ciphers as 223 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:48.639 characters and the plot was interesting, then we could root for that. But 224 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:51.320 they kind of cut their legs out from under them at the get go. 225 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:57.840 What can we tell you, folks. Yeah, I think my exasperation with 226 00:16:57.960 --> 00:17:03.319 this season is I'm disappointed by the fact that it was all true the things 227 00:17:03.359 --> 00:17:08.039 I really didn't remember about season seven because I had seen it, I just 228 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:14.400 didn't remember it. Man, Like, I this really is the worst season 229 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:18.920 of the show. Yeah, it kind of is. And without a without 230 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:26.000 comparison, yeah, it's stultifying. It's shocking how just kind of across the 231 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:30.799 board. It's the most wrote tales from the crypt stories you could imagine, 232 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:37.519 and on top of everything else, you have characters who are being written in 233 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:41.119 such a way that the actors who are portraying them are having to essentially just 234 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:45.400 look around and ask themselves, like why am I even doing the show? 235 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:49.079 There? They're those the scripts are not even giving these actors anything to do. 236 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:56.720 Yeah, ultimately, very disappointing. It's wild, it's it's it's wild. 237 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:00.079 How cheap the show looks now, it's wild. How poor the writing 238 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:03.799 is. It's wild, how poor the directing is, how it all looks 239 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:07.680 like a set. It all looks very set down now. Like, man, 240 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:14.359 the stark contrast from season six to seven is just it's so I didn't 241 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:15.599 think it was going to be this obvious, but man, it was. 242 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:19.319 It's been obvious and just end slowly declining. Yeah, you know, the 243 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:23.200 first couple episodes of the season, they were avoiding some of those pitfalls. 244 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:29.359 They seem to be out on location and it was interesting looking and even if 245 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:34.039 the episode wasn't spectacular, there was some good visuals going on. But it's 246 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:38.839 like this slow decline where any little joys you could snatch from some of the 247 00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:44.720 earlier parts of the season are now stripped away entirely, and now it's everything 248 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:47.799 I don't like about tamacrypt Like you said, like to me, No matter 249 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:51.680 the story if it's shot well, I'm gonna at least derive a pleasure from 250 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:55.079 that that it doesn't look like it's a bunch of actors standing on a sound 251 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:59.000 stage and it's OVERLT and you know, you get the sense when you see 252 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:00.720 something like that that ever is just waiting for lunch time, you know. 253 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:07.720 And in these past few episodes and obviously on into the future, it's been 254 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:11.759 kind of a drag how workman like it's been. It's funny because, like, 255 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.799 you know, if the plot's not good and it's shot well, then 256 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:18.359 I can kind of give it a pass. Or if it's like a really 257 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:21.839 well written episode and the production value ain't great, then I'll give that a 258 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:26.400 pass. But this is this is aiming for the first baseline. That's not 259 00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:30.359 you know, like they're not swinging in anything here. They're just got everyone 260 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:33.519 seems to be cashing a check. And what's a particular drag about that is, 261 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:37.359 you know, these are a lot of really good actors and in some 262 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:41.200 cases actors who hadn't yet kind of made it, so you know, they're 263 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:45.000 hungry for this kind of a role where they get to like do their stuff, 264 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:48.720 and then they're not really given anything to do, so they just sort 265 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:52.319 of go back into anonymity until their big break. This could have been their 266 00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:55.440 big break had the series supported them in a way. Oh, I completely 267 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:59.279 agree. I mean, that's that seems to be for me. The biggest 268 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:04.960 kind of shape of this show is just like how how much it is wasting 269 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:08.880 the time of people who need this kind of work. And like you said, 270 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:12.559 these people are they want to be successful, you know, I mean, 271 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:18.480 good lord, you know Emelda Stanton, she wasn't the star that she 272 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:22.799 was then or now she wasn't then that she wasn't the star then that she's 273 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:26.319 now neither with you and McGregor, yeah, or you and McGregor, Daniel 274 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:30.359 Craig. And it's like Jesus Christ, Steve Coogan, like Eddie is art 275 00:20:30.519 --> 00:20:33.559 is in an episode coming up like this, you know, there's a lot 276 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:38.079 of really good talent on the way or you know that we had gotten but 277 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:44.480 ill served yea, And I mean in the new in the in the next 278 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:48.319 episode we talk about is that the one that has uh, it's someone that 279 00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:53.160 has Eddie Izzard and Saran hines Um and Alan Armstrong. It's probably not gonna 280 00:20:53.200 --> 00:21:00.000 be good. You'll have to tune in and see don't get your hope. 281 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:04.039 So until that episode where we talk about episode eleven and twelve, because I 282 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:08.079 figure we leave the final episode for its own episode, just like we left 283 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:11.279 the first episode. It's own episode. Where can people find you, Father 284 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:15.079 Malone? You can check me out at father malone dot com. I got 285 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:19.519 links there to all of the cuckoo things that I do, including my radio 286 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:23.759 drama Dark Destinations. It's a monthly radio drama. You can also using father 287 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:27.960 Malone dot com get to the other podcast that Chris and I do with our 288 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:32.359 good friend Mike White, which is Dreams for Sale, the Twilight Zone eighty 289 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:34.920 five podcast. And as for me, you can find me on Twitter at 290 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:37.839 Christmas Clause. That's where I am. That's where I'll be. I do 291 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:41.319 the Culture Cast a couple other podcasts. You can find out all about them 292 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:47.240 over on my Twitter. Big thanks as always to John Cassir for doing the 293 00:21:47.279 --> 00:22:03.720 intern of the podcast, and we'll catch you on the next episode.