Television 2018

[old_gregg]

I can see how that would come off as smug. I'm curious though how is it any more smug then saying we have a fullness of doctrine?

i think that’s entirely sincere and not at all smug

[MartyFunkhouser]

could this be any more smug

I can see how that would come off as smug. I'm curious though how is it any more smug then saying we have a fullness of doctrine?

[Jeff Lebowski]

could this be any more smug

No kidding.

Not to mention that tired old straw man: Pascal's wager. Barf.

[old_gregg]

And no institution, no church, no king, no power structure had ever said in history, “I don’t know.”

could this be any more smug

[MartyFunkhouser]

Anyone else watch Crashing? I really liked the first season and the second season so far has been entertaining. I loved the interaction that Pete Holmes had with Penn Jillette about religion.

HOLMES:… You’re a — you’re a big atheist now, right? I mean…

JILLETTE: Yeah. I have been for a long time. I guess my whole adult life.

HOLMES: I stuck with it, I guess.

JILLETTE: Oh, did you?

HOLMES: Jesus is still my co-pilot.

JILLETTE: [Laughs]

HOLMES: He’s great. He doesn’t drink either.

JILLETTE: Oh, really?

HOLMES: Very, very smooth flight.

JILLETTE: I thought there was the wine thing! Isn’t there the wine…

HOLMES: Oh, you know, it was one miracle. The rest of the time, he was pretty dry.

JILLETTE: You really do believe?

HOLMES: Yeah.

JILLETTE: Christian god?

HOLMES: Christian — Yeah. All three.

JILLETTE: Now, I don’t wanna be dismissive, but you actually believe that there’s a being that cares about — forgive me — but your masturbation? Cares about everything you do?

HOLMES: Yeah, you, you know —

JILLETTE: And you don’t have any gnawing doubts about that? You don’t think that maybe you’re letting things slide by you that could be more beautiful?

HOLMES: Like what?

JILLETTE: Like life?

HOLMES: So you don’t — you don’t believe in something watching us, something keeping all of this going?

JILLETTE: I’m not sure there’s no God, but I don’t know. The most important revolution in human history — more important than agriculture, more important than writing — is the scientific revolution. Came down to three words: I don’t know. And no institution, no church, no king, no power structure had ever said in history, “I don’t know.”

HOLMES: I just — What if you’re wrong? I mean, I could never…

JILLETTE: What if you’re wrong?

HOLMES: What if I’m wrong? I mean, either way, I’m good. You’re right —

JILLETTE: No, no, that’s not true! I mean, that’s the problem with Pascal’s Wager, is there’s more than one choice. You could spend your whole life praying your ass off to Jesus, and then find out that it’s actually Zeus, and he doesn’t like you praying to Jesus.

HOLMES: … I’m enjoying the certainty I get from my faith.

JILLETTE: You don’t have certainty.

HOLMES: I do!

JILLETTE: No, you don’t.

HOLMES: I do!

JILLETTE: You can’t get certainty just by willpower. You can’t force yourself to believe things that you don’t have evidence for. You just can’t do it. You can’t force certainty.

HOLMES: Yeah, but this… this is all I have. I mean, I can’t… This is how I was raised, I can’t just… put it aside because you make some sense. I mean… it’s hard for me to admit that you’re making some sense.

JILLETTE: Yeah, I dig that. It’s hard to change. It’s really hard. It’s hard for someone my age to admit that… the Beatles weren’t that good! [Laughs]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendl...wqbgpEoIxX4.99

[myboynoah]

Walter, I did not watch my buddies die face down in the muck so that you could come on this fine message board and slander the noble men and women of our military.

You need a "back in the 'Nam" in there.

[Northwestcoug]

Started two new series this weekend, 'Counterpart' and 'The Alienist'. I thought the acting was pretty good in both. The cinematography in the Alienist was excellent. Both have interesting plot lines. More nudity in Counterpart so far.

I liked them. I'll continue to watch.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Walter, I did not watch my buddies die face down in the muck so that you could come on this fine message board and slander the noble men and women of our military.

[Walter Sobchak]

Big fan of this one too:

Seal Team

SEAL Team is a new military drama that follows the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan, and execute the most dangerous, high stakes missions our country can ask of them. Jason Hayes is the respected, intense leader of the Tier One team whose home life has suffered as a result of his extensive warrior's existence. His team includes his trusted confidant, Ray Perry, the longest-tenured operator with whom Jason shares an ingrained shorthand, and Sonny Quinn, an exceptional, loyal soldier with a checkered past who still combats self-destructive tendencies. Undergoing additional rigorous training in the hope of joining Hayes' select unit is Clay Spenser, a young, multi-lingual second generation SEAL with insatiable drive and dedication. Vital to the team's success are CIA analyst Mandy Ellis, who has sacrificed everything in her drive to root out evil and take down terrorists, and Lisa Davis, a no-nonsense, take-charge logistics officer and unofficial den mother responsible for outfitting the team with the necessary gear for each mission. Deployed on clandestine missions worldwide at a moment's notice, and knowing the toll it takes on them and their families, this tight-knit SEAL team displays unwavering patriotism and fearless dedication even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Been DVR'ing this because it sounds so fucking compelling!

[Walter Sobchak]

Anyone watching this?

Valor

The boundaries between military discipline and human desire are tested on a US Army base that houses an elite unit of helicopter pilots trained to perform clandestine international and domestic missions. The drama unfolds in the present as well as in flashbacks to a failed mission involving one of the first female pilots in the unit, ultimately uncovering layers of personal and government/military secrets, and leading to a season-long plan to rescue a group of MIA soldiers.

Seems like a totally normal TV show you'd see in a country not pre-occupied with lionizing its military.

[Walter Sobchak]

Damn... this looks really super good, showing on an NBC station near you.

The Brave

This fresh, heart-pounding journey into the complex world of America's elite undercover military heroes follows Captain Adam Dalton (Mike Vogel) and his heroic Special Ops squad of highly trained undercover specialists as they carry out each mission on the ground. His team is armed with incredible sniper Sgt. Jasmine "Jaz" Khan (Natacha Karam), CPO Ezekiel "Preach" Carter (Demetrius Grosse), combat medic Sgt. Joseph "McG" McGuire (Noah Mills) and intelligence officer Agent Amir Al-Raisani (Hadi Tabbal). This team works hand-in-hand with D.I.A. Deputy Director Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche) and her team of analysts including veterans Cultural Specialist Noah Morgenthau (Tate Ellington) and Mission Coordinator Hannah Archer (Sofia Pernas), as they wield the world's most advanced surveillance technology from headquarters in D.C. All members of this elite squad, both in D.C. and across the world, have one thing in common: their resilience and commitment to freedom is unmatched by any other. Often facing insurmountable challenges, the team works tirelessly to get the job done and to prevail in even the most complex situations. Week after week, the team uses that determination along with their unbreakable bond to save the lives of innocent people and execute missions in some of the most dangerous places in the world.

Doesn't sound like propaganda at all.

[PaloAltoCougar]

We watch this one together too, though we’re only on episode 2 of this season. I don’t care if everyone here thinks it’s overwrought, I enjoy it and thought it was one of last year’s stronger shows; evidence that network tv doesn’t have to suck. All that being said, I am confident that the network will find a way to screw it up eventually.

We watch it together as well, sometimes waiting a few weeks and then catching up. It occasionally strays into cheap sentiment territory, but the performances are great and the dialogue often rings true. We're now caught up again. This week's group therapy session involving the three kids and the mother was brutally intense, but very well done.

[Pelado]

I thought the first episode of the show was really well done. I watched the first 3-5 episodes with my wife. Then she watched one without me and I didn't bother with catching up and/or watching it anymore.

[falafel]

We watch this one together too, though we’re only on episode 2 of this season. I don’t care if everyone here thinks it’s overwrought, I enjoy it and thought it was one of last year’s stronger shows; evidence that network tv doesn’t have to suck. All that being said, I am confident that the network will find a way to screw it up eventually.

Probably by stretching it out for 7 seasons with 22 episodes per season.

[SteelBlue]

The one network show my wife and myself watch together is "This is Us". After she can go back to her shows and i can find a game to watch but it's a show that we both enjoy.

We watch this one together too, though we’re only on episode 2 of this season. I don’t care if everyone here thinks it’s overwrought, I enjoy it and thought it was one of last year’s stronger shows; evidence that network tv doesn’t have to suck. All that being said, I am confident that the network will find a way to screw it up eventually.