Fall 2018 TV Check In, The Mostly Re-Watches Edition
Long time no post! While considering where to start with post, I felt like I should share where I am now. That being said, looking back at where I was in my “recent” posts, (aka over a year ago), I was watching almost the exact same things as I am watching now. Different year. Same Shows. And to rub salt in that wound, I’m actually mostly at the same stage of those same shows. This makes me a little frustrated, as it feels like there hasn’t been any progression, however I also have to laugh because it also says:
“I am who I am, and I like what I like”.
With that in mind, here is a little bit the shows that like.
VIKINGS
I’m currently watching all of Vikings in anticipation of Season 5 Part 2, which will start to air on November 28, 2018. I tried this last year in anticipation of Season 5 Part 1, but fell short of my goal. This year will be the year! I am well underway of watching the series, and currently in the beginning of Season 4. So far what I’ve watched has all been re-watching, so I’m looking forward to new-to-me episodes which will start as of Season 4 Part 2. I’ve realized I’m not terribly loving Season 4 so far, which is shocking because I’ve loved the show so much up until that point. I think this is what stalled me last year, and hopefully recognizing this will help me push through and get to the new stuff.
I believe the root of what I’m not enjoying in season 4 is that that there are often storylines being told in multiple locations, some of which I don’t understand why were are still following. They have done this before in the series, but not with quite as many locations. Generally, I enjoy tucking in and being immersed in one place, whether it’s for an epic battle or mundane life, so it could simply be a preference thing. That being said, Season 4 Episode 2 Kill the Queen! had one of the most memorable fight scenes (The Tower), that I’ve watched in quite a while. While re-watching the episode, I could feel the lead up to it this scene, and enjoyed every minute of it. Very impressive performances by both Moe Dunford and Amy Bailey, wow.
If feels like I’ve just hit the bumpy here, but I’m definitely going to stick with series as I still absolutely adore the characters, the atmosphere, and the gorgeous filmmaking. Hopefully I will become more connected to the stories as the season goes on. Stay the Course, Shannon, Stay the Course!
Game of Thrones
I thought I would also quickly mention Game of Thrones, as it’s a show I feel like I‘m continually trying to re-watch and/or read the books. This whole process back in Fall of 2016, and it’s been a clunky project, and even though I knew was in for the long haul it’s been a struggle. The project keeps going through different iterations and adjustments, which all feel epic in proportion.
My current plan is to focus on simply reading the books. I am participating in a readalong with the Read Your Face Off group on Goodreads. This has proven to be great incentive to get back to the books, I love that they give 2 months per book and also have discussion forums to chat with people, and the host Riley has liveshows to chat about the book once we’ve finished reading (see A Game of Thrones here and A Clash of Kings here).
Reading with others got me back in the groove of the series, and I’m currently halfway through A Storm of Swords. I was initially hoping to read each book and then watch the corresponding season, but as things have turned out that has too hard to squeeze in. So I’ve decided just to focus on the books until we are up to date with the series, which will be at the end of February 2019. At that point, I can re-watch the whole series before it comes back for its final season next year. I really hope this works! Wish me luck!
Supernatural
It feels strange to do a TV update without mention Supernatural … so here goes! I love Supernatural! I love re-watching Supernatural, and when I’m not doing that I’m trying to catch up with Supernatural (less fun, but it still happens).
Since my last post, no true re-watching of the show has happened in the way I thought it would, but I did watch the first half of Season 13 twice. Does that count? This happened because last year when the show came back after a hiatus, I was shocked (and embarrassed) that I couldn’t remember what the heck was going on. I had a sense of the larger arc of the season, but completely forgot the any of the specifics. Wanting to really embrace the show wholeheartedly, I decided to go back to the beginning of Season 13 and start again (and even take notes…so help me). This means I ended up finishing off the season during the summer. It wasn’t ideal to finish it later than everyone else, but it was worth it because I could understand and appreciate the show more.
For Season 14, I am watching it live and will be continuing the habit of taking notes. It honestly makes it more fun to jot down quotes, notate any lore or arc pieces, and helps me remember what happened. Sometimes I even sneak in a sketch or two.
Below are some of my notes on the premiere of Supernatural Season 14 (don’t read if you don’t want spoilers!). This has been a fun practice to get back to, and is something I did while watching Seasons 6 - 9. It really helps to job the memory, especially with a show as epic as Supernatural. I also have an idea about vlogging this season, but I have yet to test it out so don’t hold me to it!
So that is where I’m at in terms of the big epic shows I love and am working on right now. I hope to get back to posting more regularly, and sharing thoughts on how the process of any of these watches is going.
I have a lot of other shows that I would love to share thoughts about, including many of the 2018 Fall TV Premieres, but that will have to wait for a separate post.
Other shows I’m currently in the process of rewatching/catching up to new-to-me episodes include: Nashville, Downton Abbey and The Defenders.
If you just can’t *wait* to see what I’m watching, I often share my watching on both Instagram and Twitter.
