Welcome again to We Have Always Lived in the Kraken, a pop culture blog transmitted directly to you from the belly of the beast. Here in the Notes we’ll show you this week’s posting schedule, but first, a little Seafood for Thought.
We wait for your return, oh magnificent Mr. Robot overlords.
Summer television used to be a wasteland, with primetime networks on break and cable networks still not into the groove of things, but in 2016 that has changed dramatically. The summer television season has become a spectacle all its own. Gone are the days when the best shows on television were the summer fun shows of USA and its ilk. Now we get premium networks like HBO and Showtime bringing their A-game to the summer season, while SyFy brings back most of its fun shows, Netflix unleashes something every month, AMC brings us Preacher, USA airs Mr. Robot, and even the major networks are inclined fiddle around with real programming during the summer. Good television can now be played year round, as networks have realized that punting entire months of programming real estate is, well, not that smart. Also, networks can no longer simply put on whatever they want, because if they do, people will just watch old shows on Netflix, Amazon or Hulu. This is a welcome change from the days where all there was to watch were shows that normally wouldn’t make the cut. What does this mean? Television networks are finally adapting to the 21st century. Networks have also realized they can take on more programming now to accommodate for this fact. The CW, for example, picked up way too many shows for its schedule, because, it says, it’s committed to offering year-round original programming. As television gets closer and closer to the days when each channel needs to be its own brand in order to survive, it is fun to see networks finally being willing to do some of things they should have been doing for years. So enjoy the summer programming on television as it offers up an example of how the third golden age of television is really going to be marked by the way it changes how and when we watch things.
David Robertson
From the depths of the Kraken, here is what we are bringing you this week.
Monday:
- The original Life in the Kraken Podcast is back again this week. In Episode 009, David, Kyu, and special guests Matt Morris and Bryant Canon discuss their experiences playing Pandemic Legacy: Season 1. Listen to discover all the fun and pain, plus the moving story of Martleby.
- David brings begin his series on the recent television upfronts in a five part series called Take Me To The Upfronts. First, David looks at ABC, and sees if the buzziest major network can keep their momentum.
Tuesday: Nothing new today. But soft, what noise from yonder doorway emanates? It is the archives, and they are calling to you. Answer.
Wednesday: It’s Atomika vs The Anxious Life of the Pious, as she examines terror, religious and otherwise, in the recent indie horror film The Witch.
Thursday: It’s time again for another edition of the Life in the Kraken Podcast: Westeros Edition. Join David, Kyu, and special guest Matt Morris as they discuss Season 6, Episode 6, “Blood of My Blood.”
Friday: In the second part of David’s five part Take Me To The Upfronts series, he takes a look at CBS. Last year the most stable network tried expanding its brand. Will that continue? The answer is no, as CBS remembered that it changes for no one.
Saturday: Baturdays is at least 20% Joker stories at this point, but do you see us complaining? Step right up for the clown’s new show and the first story in Batman #4, “The Case of the Joker’s Crime Circus.”
Catch of the Week:
Each and every week the residents here in the Kraken will offer one recommendation for the week that we think you all would enjoy. It might be a movie. It might be a book. Who knows? This is your… Catch of the Week.
David: In the midst of this past month of super heroes and broad comedies, one film that may have gone unnoticed was Shane Black’s The Nice Guys. Starring Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe, this comedic noir film is a treat: fun, biting, and the action is on point. Shane Black is at the top of his game, and proves once again that he is really good at creating highly entertaining, but still poignant cinema. The film is probably unlike pretty much anything else coming out this summer and possibly this year, so it is well worth a watch.
Keskel: I recommend this video, which is a retelling of the greatest story ever told and a great summary of why you should be playing Overwatch right now, rather than reading this blog.
That’s it for this week. Remember, our Mi-Go transportation service is still a work in progress. Riders should take care to obey all safety precautions in order to prevent a repeat of last week’s Steven Dorsey incident. Drivers should take care to avoid any remaining Steven Dorsey until the cleanup is complete.