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Dead Like Me
- Thread starter AntonyF
- Start date
I have to admit that I was impressed. It's probably the best original program that Showtime has put out since Stargate. I suppose the thing that I like best about it is that its so quirky. It had some pretty impressive acting as well... (it was good to see Jasmine Guy again). There were several nagging questions that I had regarding the Grim Reapers, but on the whole I really liked it. I'm really curious to see where the series is going to go.
PillowRock
Regular
It's sorta interesting that George, the present day 18 year old girl, is apparently a pretty big fan of 1960's era "genre" TV.
In each of the first two eps there has been a reference to a particular episode of such a show in her voice over narrations. They don't point out what the references are. She just skates through the comments fast enough that you'll shrug them off if you don't know the reference, but it's there for the people who do get it.
First ep: Original Twilight Zone; George refers to wishing that she could just "send things to the corn field".
Second ep: Original Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror"; George is watching her family's house and comments that it like a parallel universe where she didn't exist "only there are no goatees or gold lame' sashes".
In each of the first two eps there has been a reference to a particular episode of such a show in her voice over narrations. They don't point out what the references are. She just skates through the comments fast enough that you'll shrug them off if you don't know the reference, but it's there for the people who do get it.
First ep: Original Twilight Zone; George refers to wishing that she could just "send things to the corn field".
Second ep: Original Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror"; George is watching her family's house and comments that it like a parallel universe where she didn't exist "only there are no goatees or gold lame' sashes".
Lyta
Moderator
Yeah, I caught the corn field reference (and thought it was odd that she used it) but missed the Trek one. I guess that is because I am not a huge fan of TOS. 
Who knows, she seemed like she was a weird child (look at her sister) so she might have really been into the "oldies".
What did you all think of the second (er, probably third since the pilot probably counted as two) episode? I didn't think it was as good as the pilot but it wasn't bad either. I am still waiting to see where the show goes and what the deal is with her sister. I like the twisted things that happen in the show however like how Mason died.
PS: Did anyone catch the one second glipse of what I presume was Jeremiah in the promo before the show started?
Who knows, she seemed like she was a weird child (look at her sister) so she might have really been into the "oldies". What did you all think of the second (er, probably third since the pilot probably counted as two) episode? I didn't think it was as good as the pilot but it wasn't bad either. I am still waiting to see where the show goes and what the deal is with her sister. I like the twisted things that happen in the show however like how Mason died.
PS: Did anyone catch the one second glipse of what I presume was Jeremiah in the promo before the show started?
PillowRock
Regular
Actually, it seemed to me that the pilot (which actually only ran about 70 or 75 minutes) and the second episode (which took an hour slot but finished in less than 45 minutes) might have been originally intended as a single pilot for a 2 hour slot. They needed to cut a relatively large amount of the Pilot into the second episode as flashbacks in order to make things make sense. It would only take a bit of re-writing the voice-overs that we heard to get rid of what would be redundancies if included directly the hypothetical longer pilot. And the second episode ends at a relatively stable place from which to launch a series; i.e. that is the point at which she actually really accepts "reaper" status and decides to stay.
So what do you think odds are that the pilot was originally intended to end at that acceptance point, with a relatively late decision to break it up?
BTW: After I mentioned it, did you remember the parallel universe TOS with the barbaric, promotion-by -assasinating-superiors parallel Enterprise? Spock had the goatee, Kirk wore a sleaveless shirt, and many of the babaric Enterprise crew wore gold lamee (sp?) sashes.
So what do you think odds are that the pilot was originally intended to end at that acceptance point, with a relatively late decision to break it up?
BTW: After I mentioned it, did you remember the parallel universe TOS with the barbaric, promotion-by -assasinating-superiors parallel Enterprise? Spock had the goatee, Kirk wore a sleaveless shirt, and many of the babaric Enterprise crew wore gold lamee (sp?) sashes.
Lyta
Moderator
Ah, I wasn't paying attention to how long the pilot was but I knew it was longer than an hour. If the second episode was indeed supposed to be part of the pilot, I think that does make sense. There just didn't seem to be enough going on (or just lacking in some way) in the second episode to me.
I vaguely remember that TOS episode.
I vaguely remember that TOS episode.
PillowRock
Regular
Last night I saw an extended ad for the show on Showtime with bits of interviews with some of the cast talking about their (and each other's) characters. Here was the wierd part: Although it did include clips with Roxy they did not show any interview footage with Jasmine Guy or of anyone else mentioning Roxy in their interviews. However they did include footage of a blonde woman who plays a reaper named Daisy and footage of others talking about Daisy. We haven't seen Daisy yet.
I also ended watching most of the second episode again last night. I am now even more convinced that the pilot and this episode were not originally broken up this way. The scenes that take place in the appartment where George is squatting are at least somewhat scrambled between the two episodes. The scene at the beginning of the second episode, which seemed a bit "off" to me on first viewing, is clearly her first entry into the appartment on second viewing. The state of the place when she walks in and declares the place a "sh*thole" is clearly what it was before all of the cleaning and straightening that we saw George do in the Pilot. Also, we saw that one bed spring punch out of the matress in the Pilot. Through much of the second episde the matress is fine. Initially you think that either she found a way to swap matresses or else she just flipped it over. Then, when she is hiding out from her "appointment" the post-it gets stuck on that same spring sticking out of the matress again.
Now I suspect that spring popping out scene that was in the Pilot was actually intended for evening when George was skipping the appointment. I would guess that it was to have come in between the graveling breaking the TV and the post-it being found stuck to it, the implication being that the spring was actually the work of the gravelings. I also suspect that a scene was shot where Mason provided the set of lock picks that George was using at the beginning of this episode. This was quite possibly a loan of his set while he was escorting the appartement's previous tenant to his destination.
I also ended watching most of the second episode again last night. I am now even more convinced that the pilot and this episode were not originally broken up this way. The scenes that take place in the appartment where George is squatting are at least somewhat scrambled between the two episodes. The scene at the beginning of the second episode, which seemed a bit "off" to me on first viewing, is clearly her first entry into the appartment on second viewing. The state of the place when she walks in and declares the place a "sh*thole" is clearly what it was before all of the cleaning and straightening that we saw George do in the Pilot. Also, we saw that one bed spring punch out of the matress in the Pilot. Through much of the second episde the matress is fine. Initially you think that either she found a way to swap matresses or else she just flipped it over. Then, when she is hiding out from her "appointment" the post-it gets stuck on that same spring sticking out of the matress again.
Now I suspect that spring popping out scene that was in the Pilot was actually intended for evening when George was skipping the appointment. I would guess that it was to have come in between the graveling breaking the TV and the post-it being found stuck to it, the implication being that the spring was actually the work of the gravelings. I also suspect that a scene was shot where Mason provided the set of lock picks that George was using at the beginning of this episode. This was quite possibly a loan of his set while he was escorting the appartement's previous tenant to his destination.
PillowRock
Regular
One other thing:
It occurred to me that TPTB on DLM have set themselves up for an unavoidable slow motion continuity problem, if the show is successful enough to stay on the air for a few years.
In showing Mason's death along with birth and death years, they have established that Readpers don't age. At least the form in which they see each other and the audiance generally sees them doesn't. However, they have made their central character so young that the difference will be apparent within only a few years.
Of course, I'm sure that the producers would *love* just getting to the point where that entered anyone's mind while watching the show.
It occurred to me that TPTB on DLM have set themselves up for an unavoidable slow motion continuity problem, if the show is successful enough to stay on the air for a few years.
In showing Mason's death along with birth and death years, they have established that Readpers don't age. At least the form in which they see each other and the audiance generally sees them doesn't. However, they have made their central character so young that the difference will be apparent within only a few years.
Of course, I'm sure that the producers would *love* just getting to the point where that entered anyone's mind while watching the show.
Lyta
Moderator
It looks like we will get to know who Daisy is next week. I also thought it was odd that Showtime highlighted this character before we got an inkling of who she was. I also think it is funny that just as I was beginning to like the girl with the curly hair, she leaves. Oh well.
It took me a while to get caught up watching all the episodes but I kind of like this quirky little show.
Oh and did anyone else see Enid-Raye Adams in this week's episode?
