22 replies to this topic

[Tippi Blevins]

That was some terrible photoshopping.

[Janjan]

This show is getting tedious. Is there any cliche they haven't hit yet?

[Eegah]

I laughed out loud at the photoshop fudging of the exact face that Bohannon wanted to see. I'm sure photography back then had all kinds of issues that would have made the face unrecognizable, so why did they have to go with that one?

[Scaramanga]

"Well, Ma'am, I reckon we appear to be the two most attractive people on this here show."

"I expect you're right, good sir. Taciturn sexual tension it is."

[that one guy]

The train itself is really starting to bug me. It's just sitting there, but there's a constant plume of exhaust pouring out of the funnel like it was going 50 miles an hour. It's not a big automobile with a tailpipe sticking out the top, people. Nothing's gonna come out the stack unless it's in motion. Most of the exhaust would be steam released from the pistons while they're in motion, which would be creating a low pressure area in the smokebox (at the very front) and creating a flow of air pulling exhaust from the firebox and increasing the oxygen supply. While the locomotive at rest, the pistons are not in motion (there's no "idle" or "neutral" on a steam engine), so there's no exhaust to come out the stack.

If they can't be bothered to do even the tiniest bit of research, why should I be bothered to keep tuning in? I actually enjoyed Colm Meany's scenes, the rest of this was just annoying. Not sure what his motivation for shooting the search party was, I think shooting people is just his hobby at this point.

[RooKanga]

He shot them because they were threatening Lilly and he was having none of that - and because he's Cullen.

Ooohhhhhh something bad is going to happen to poor, Christian Joseph - I just know it....and I can't even find out who that actor is, IMDB is being no help at all. I hope I can find out before his unpleasant fate strikes.

How long before Cullen calls Elam "Mister Frguson"? I predict not too long and the whore with the mysterious past and facial markings - enjoyed scaring the Irish guy waaaaay too much. Good for her!
ETA because IMDB is not the only source of info LOL Eddie Spears plays Joseph. Thank you Wikipedia

Edited by RooKanga, Nov 21, 2011 @ 4:27 PM.

[Bentley]

Awww, I'm sorry nobody here likes the show. It's growing on me each episode and I'll stick around for the duration.

The lead actor has chosen to play his role in a different way than I expected. I'm used to my tortured heroes being a little more tortured (see: Clint Eastwood as Josey Wales, Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff Bullock etc). Cullen is very laid back, too laid back IMO. He's saying the words that indicate an obsessive mission of revenge, but I don't feel it from him. Maybe this isn't a bad thing. A tortured hero who can actually string a few sentences together and even share his feelings *gasp* might be a welcome change. We shall see.

Colm Meany on the other hand has taken all the intensity I'm missing from the lead character and heaped it on his character to the point that almost everything that comes out of his mouth sounds like a speech rather than actual dialogue a character might say. He needs to dial back the scenery-chewing a few notches, and the writers need to be a little stingier with his long, metaphor-laden speeches. There is only one Al Swearingen, and he cannot be duplicated.

I thought Cullen's use of "shithole" and "whore" in front of someone he considered a lady were not consistent with a southern gentleman from that time and place. It felt more like the writers celebrating the fact they're on AMC and can get a little naughty sometimes.

I'd like more background on the girl who was an Indian captive and is now a camp follower. I also love Lily already. She's a strong character with no sniveling about her even though she's gone from one miserable situation to the next.

How long before the "civilized" Indian gets tired of being the poster boy for tame Indian pets and goes all tribal on somebody's ass?

[Xbones]

I really want to like it, but my god, how much money did AMC put into this show. I think bundles! And then they bitch about keeping shows like "Breaking Bad" around and money issues.
The show needs to "speed" it up. I understand a slow plot but?? I'll tune in next week to see if things have improved but let me add there is nothing wrong with the acting.

Edited by Xbones, Nov 21, 2011 @ 5:56 PM.

[scout56]

I think Cullen is very , very fine to watch! That is all thats keeping this ole girl watching,at this point. OH, don't get me wrong! A great western series I will pick over ANYTHING. It's just that although the dirty, smoky tent city seems realistic and you kind of go back in time, there is alot of unbelievable stuff (the photo for one) also when they were picking people for the search of the 'fair haired maiden' Cullen said something that would of never been said in 1865 . He said "This aint happinin" I know they have made it contemporary but it just didn't sound good. I know theres plenty more laughable things, but I don't want to pick it apart, I want to enjoy it, so I will. I never did see 'Deadwood' I am going to look into that. I don't know why I never did, it sounds like something I would of enjoyed! I think AMC is doing a great job in delivering some interesting and thought provoking series.

Edited by scout56, Nov 21, 2011 @ 6:23 PM.

[nodorothyparker]

I like it well enough but there are things that just bug.

Last week and again this week, they're talking about needing to push forward at a "fevered pace" so what do they do? Send seemingly half the workforce off in search of one woman (and of course, the maps). Our foreman rightly protests at loosing a chunk of his workers for the search, but then immediately goes riding off himself in search of Sgt. Photoshop. And after he stumbles onto Lily and brings her safely back to camp, instead of returning to the job that he risked a hanging for, he takes off again. Is anybody going to stick around to lay some track?

I missed the explanation for the girl with the facial markings. She was an Indian captive?

The scene with Elam entering the whores' tent wanting to spend his money like any other working man was poignant in a base sort of way. I knew it was never going to happen. It immediately reminded me of a Sally Skull, a minor character in Lonesome Dove. In the book version, she mentions rather offhandedly that she had black man as a customer once and the white men hung him as soon as they found out because they would never stand for that even with a whore.

[Prospero]

The train itself is really starting to bug me. It's just sitting there, but there's a constant plume of exhaust pouring out of the funnel like it was going 50 miles an hour.

Heee. I was going to see the third episode just to check if this is still happening. Thanks for saving me time.

[8matt8]

I am enjoying this show more and more with each episode. I'm already anxious to see how the Cullen/Lilly and Elam/tattooed prostitute storylines play out. It's been a real treat to watch Common...he is such a strong character.

[thuganomics85]

I actually think it's getting better. Still not anywhere close to what it should be, but I'm slightly optimistic it might get there. And hey, I finally figured out three other names: the woman is Lilly, Native American is Joseph, and Common is Elam. That said, I'll probably still end up referring to Elam as Common anyway, but still. Irish bros are a different story. I like them, but I still have no clue who they are. Their names could be "Lucky" and "Charms" for all I know.

I'm still finding the two lead characters kind of the weakest, which I blame on the writing and not the acting. Cullen is a little better now, but I still just find him kind of boring compared to the rest of the cast and I feel like I've seen this character in every western ever made. And I really hope this revenge plot ends soon. As for Doc, while I really do love Colm Meaney, the character still feels like an Al Swearengen knockoff, with all his speeches and soliloquies.

Still want more of the Swede. Dude is awesomely creepy. And, hey! Another speaking part for a woman. Sure, the character use to be an Indian captive and is now a whore, but it's a start.

So, I'll keep watching. Funny comparing it to the other AMC show I watch, The Walking Dead. I find that show entertaining, but it can be very stupid and I only fully like one character and maybe tolerate one or two. This show on the other hand isn't stupid and I like a lot of the characters, but I find it less entertaining and more boring at times. Weird.

Edited by thuganomics85, Nov 22, 2011 @ 1:30 PM.

[DaveL723]

Still want more of the Swede

The Swede looks like a character out of a '50's Bergman film. I'm expecting him at some point to challenge Death to a chess match.

A picky question for Western history buffs: Right now they are talking about having to lay the first 40 miles of track to start getting paid; this would put them somewhere in eastern Nebraska, near Omaha. Yet they've referred several times to the Indians as Cheyennes. IIRC the Cheyennes were farther west--in western Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado. Did their territory extend to eastern Nebraska? Or is this another example of sloppy research?

[Janjan]

Irish bros are a different story. I like them, but I still have no clue who they are.

Merry and Pippin. Aka comic relief. Their presence (and survival) is inexplicable. Surely someone besides the Swede would have shaken them down by now.

The Swede looks like a character out of a '50's Bergman film. I'm expecting him at some point to challenge Death to a chess match.

Love the Swede! Best character by far!

Cullen is a little better now, but I still just find him kind of boring compared to the rest of the cast and I feel like I've seen this character in every western ever made. And I really hope this revenge plot ends soon.

Shane! Shane! Come back, Shane! And bring Will Munny with you! The iconic Western heroes parachute in and clean up the local mess, and then leave as enigmatic as they came. I, too, hope Cullen disposes of Sgt. Photoshop soon, since "Seraphim Falls" did the revenge bit so much better. Better self-surgery, too. In fact, better just about everything.

Sorry - that's just my disappointment showing. I had high hopes for this show but it's devolving into a cartoon.

[Sarah O]

I'm enjoying the show too, and Deadwood is one of my all-time favorite shows. Obviously, this is no Deadwood. Colm Meaney's character was very effective when he was quieter and in the Irish guys' tent, but I agree with all that he needs to cut back some on the scenery chewing and the monologues. Anson Mount is really great-looking, and I love his accent and voice. I think he's doing a good acting job too, but I do have some problems with his character. I agree that he would never have said "shithole" to Lilly, being the Southern gentleman that he is. Maybe that was supposed to show how far from civilization he has moved, both physically and mentally? I think Common is doing a good job too, but his character is very stereotypical. The two women (the whore and Lilly) are really the most interesting so far to me.

I see steady improvement from the first episode to this one, so I am hopeful. I hope more critics come around too.

[Tippi Blevins]

Ooohhhhhh something bad is going to happen to poor, Christian Joseph - I just know it....and I can't even find out who that actor is, IMDB is being no help at all. I

Eddie Spears. So far, Joseph is the character I find most interesting. I felt so bad for him when he was giving himself that dorky hair cut.

Sadly, Cullen is the least interesting to me. That's usually the case with main characters, though.

Edited by Tippi Blevins, Nov 23, 2011 @ 6:48 AM.

[NYC2007]

I find this show incredibly confusing. I feel like I missed the first half of the season. I think it's the show trying to be intriging, but I just find it uninteresting.

[scout56]

Simlpy put, this show is for entertainment value. You have a great looking lead man, a beutiful lost, somewhat frightened (but seems to be strong willed) damsel and you have a bit of the history of the railways in the 1800's. I like it, I think thats all they need to get an audience. If the acting was horrible and the history was WAY WAY off, then it's a fail, but I don't see it that way. (yet!)

Edited by scout56, Nov 23, 2011 @ 1:17 PM.

[taiko]

The lead actor has chosen to play his role in a different way than I expected. I'm used to my tortured heroes being a little more tortured (see: Clint Eastwood as Josey Wales, Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff Bullock etc). Cullen is very laid back, too laid back IMO. He's saying the words that indicate an obsessive mission of revenge, but I don't feel it from him. Maybe this isn't a bad thing. A tortured hero who can actually string a few sentences together and even share his feelings *gasp* might be a welcome change. We shall see.

So far he is coming off as a likes to kill type of guy. He will suffer not one bit PTSD from seeing the elephant during the war nor from his revenge mission. And should he find the Sergeant he will just find others to kill as the railroad moves west and until AMC kills the series.

[bulldawgtownie]

"Well, Ma'am, I reckon we appear to be the two most attractive people on this here show."

"I expect you're right, good sir. Taciturn sexual tension it is."

That's hilarious. The show needs to hire you as a writer, Scaramanga.

I guess they're determined to keep Cullen as a walking cliche' and things are still too predictable. That said there's enough that I like about this show to keep me watching at least for this season. After then who knows? Maybe I'll get bored with it and stop watching like with The Walking Dead.

Edited by bulldawgtownie, Nov 24, 2011 @ 5:00 PM.

[Kel Varnsen]

Last week and again this week, they're talking about needing to push forward at a "fevered pace" so what do they do? Send seemingly half the workforce off in search of one woman (and of course, the maps). Our foreman rightly protests at loosing a chunk of his workers for the search, but then immediately goes riding off himself in search of Sgt. Photoshop. And after he stumbles onto Lily and brings her safely back to camp, instead of returning to the job that he risked a hanging for, he takes off again. Is anybody going to stick around to lay some track?

I thought it was hilarious that this was probably one of the biggest engineering projects in the world at the time and it had crazy deadlines as well, yet at the same time losing 4 guys for a day is also some kind of huge deal.

[Tricksterson]

Never watched Deadwood so maybe that's why i'm liking this show a lot more than most of the posters. i agree that Cullen isthe least interesting of the characters so far. In fact I'm liking just about everyone exceopt him and the Hobbits. From now on they are Merry and Pippin to me.