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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  General Discussion  |  TV  |  Topic: What If...? (Disney+) 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: What If...? (Disney+)  (Read 15681 times)
Raguel
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Reply #105 on: September 17, 2021, 03:54:05 PM

Finally got around to watching the latest show and it looks like I once again have the opposite reaction to most here.  why so serious?

But seriously the only episode I hated was the zombie one. I didn't love the first one for the reasons I gave but the following episodes for the most part stayed away from those issues.

I was going to argue Khaldun's point (the show doesn't follow the premise) but no he's right. One would think more than one decision had to have been made for Strange and night nurse (can't remember her name) to still be together, for Hope to join SHIELD, etc. Even if it was one choice, that choice was never told nor shown in the MCU so it's cheating.

I would like for the show to be closer to the premise but at the same time maybe they didn't think they had enough material to do so.

Khaldun
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Reply #106 on: September 17, 2021, 06:47:44 PM

I get the argument about material available but the thing about that "one decision that changes everything" premise is that it's a core principle of good storytelling/good drama. The focus in a story has to be on the person whose decisions will push a story one way or the other. If a story has the key decision taken off-stage and we never learn about it or see it, it's not a good story. Imagine Hamlet where he's already decided to kill Claudius but before the play starts and we never see what he went through to make that decision and so the play is just about him plotting to do it in the most dramatic way he can think of.
eldaec
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Reply #107 on: September 18, 2021, 12:18:16 AM

I don't really get why you guys think the decision thing is important to the premise.

They are all about a nexus event of some sort.

It doesn't really bother me whether it is a decision made by a person, or rolling a dice to decide who gets the pizza.

I sort of agree if they decision was part of the story telling there would be an opportunity to link it thematically with the outcome. But they aren't doing that and don't have time to do it in the half hour they've got.

Show is about the alternate histories, not about what made them.

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Velorath
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Reply #108 on: September 18, 2021, 01:16:00 AM

But then if the show is about alternate histories then they almost don't go far enough with the premise because they feel the need to frequently call back to the movies.

But yeah, how they handle the premise is a minor point to me. Ultimately I just don't think the show is well-written.
Khaldun
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Reply #109 on: September 18, 2021, 08:21:18 AM

That's the basic problem. To me the "two roads diverged in the wood" element is just a way to keep the writing on track, but ultimately it doesn't matter why the writing isn't good, it just mostly isn't.
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Reply #110 on: September 18, 2021, 11:41:01 AM

Endie
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Reply #111 on: September 18, 2021, 02:28:35 PM

I get the argument about material available but the thing about that "one decision that changes everything" premise is that it's a core principle of good storytelling/good drama. The focus in a story has to be on the person whose decisions will push a story one way or the other. If a story has the key decision taken off-stage and we never learn about it or see it, it's not a good story. Imagine Hamlet where he's already decided to kill Claudius but before the play starts and we never see what he went through to make that decision and so the play is just about him plotting to do it in the most dramatic way he can think of.

It's like Marvel have never read Niall Ferguson. Don't they know there are rules about these sorts of things?

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Khaldun
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Reply #112 on: September 18, 2021, 07:58:14 PM

You know, in a multiverse, there's a universe where Niall Ferguson never existed and it's a better world. And another where he kept writing actual historical scholarship and that's even better still.
eldaec
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Reply #113 on: September 22, 2021, 01:53:50 PM


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HaemishM
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Reply #114 on: September 22, 2021, 07:41:58 PM

At least this one didn't take itself seriously until possibly the very end. I got some decent chuckles out of it, but it's not like it needed to exist.

eldaec
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Reply #115 on: September 23, 2021, 02:52:33 AM

Could have been maybe 20 minutes shorter.

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Teleku
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Reply #116 on: September 23, 2021, 02:56:24 AM

Best episode so far!

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eldaec
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Reply #117 on: October 06, 2021, 01:50:26 PM

I liked the last one.


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Raguel
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Reply #118 on: October 06, 2021, 01:53:46 PM


I enjoyed the series overall and the last episode.
HaemishM
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Reply #119 on: October 06, 2021, 07:26:36 PM

Kind of fun in a "smash your toys together" sort of way, but really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The uneven performances don't help, but I do like Party Thor.

MediumHigh
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Reply #120 on: October 06, 2021, 11:13:53 PM

I was satisficed because I am a fan of mcu stuff, but once my brain settled...I really shouldn't watch this again.

Threash
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Reply #121 on: October 07, 2021, 10:15:42 AM

I was satisficed because I am a fan of mcu stuff, but once my brain settled...I really shouldn't watch this again.



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eldaec
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Reply #122 on: October 07, 2021, 10:33:54 AM

Guys. Power levels in the MCU are not consistent. Nor are they in the comics.

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Sky
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Reply #123 on: October 07, 2021, 11:16:23 AM

Guys. Power levels in the MCU are not consistent. Nor are they in the comics.
Also, it's all make-believe, so it's a single hand-wave *solar flare weakens this guy*

Is it entertaining is my metric. Aside from some nicely composed panels, I was not entertained much here.
MahrinSkel
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Reply #124 on: October 07, 2021, 11:27:25 AM

It came together in the last two episodes better than I expected. Up to then, it was random nonsense for zero stakes.

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Velorath
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Reply #125 on: October 07, 2021, 11:34:56 AM

I was satisficed because I am a fan of mcu stuff, but once my brain settled...I really shouldn't watch this again.



Also, the team wasn’t chosen for their power levels or to physically go toe to toe with Ultron. Each of them did something to bring about the results the Watcher had foreseen.

I still think the show is horrendously written though.
MediumHigh
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Reply #126 on: October 07, 2021, 01:37:36 PM

Considering the current animated marvel tv shows are terribly kid centric and shang chi was utter garbage, id take a few more episodes of this for the popcorn value.
Threash
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Reply #127 on: October 07, 2021, 01:57:41 PM

Shang Chi was great.

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eldaec
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Reply #128 on: October 07, 2021, 02:00:13 PM

I'm sure I'll end up watching the next run of this just because. I can see reasons to be optimistic that lessons can be learned.

« Last Edit: October 14, 2021, 02:41:48 AM by eldaec »

"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular ­assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
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