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Can someone please explain to me what "Oz" is?

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Can someone please explain to me what "Oz" is?

Old 02-04-03, 01:04 AM
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Can someone please explain to me what "Oz" is?

I just read this quote in the "Please explain what Six Feet Under is" thread after someone mentioned they had no interest in watching a show set in a funeral home.
Originally posted by garmonbozia
You dismiss a show you haven't even seen based soley on its setting?

So the setting of a tv show is more important to you than acting and writing?

And rather than derail that thread, which is about SFU, I thought I make one about Oz and my bias.

I must confess I've made the same sort of bias mentioned above with the show Oz. The idea of a show based around convict's turf wars and prision rape holds no interest to me. I realize I've never seen more than half an episode of this show, but it really doesn't seem like something I set out to watch. Do I have the wrong idea about this show?

I've heard it praised somewhat by others, but know nothing specific. Does the acting and writing make it worth seeing? Does it have characters I could care about, or are they mostly thugs doing what thugs do? And is there anything in this show that comes close to the heart and humor that can be found in The Sopranos?
Old 02-04-03, 05:07 AM
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I think it's a great show. It has somewhat gone over the top lately but the first couple of seasons it was a well written, well acted show with many sub plots that held your interest.

The absolute crulety of Schillenger and the plot that surrounds him in the first few seasons is worth the time to watch it IMO.
Old 02-04-03, 06:16 AM
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I tried to watch this one on DVD and just got bored. Its PC poet in the little plexiglass cube was just a little too much for me.

Believe me, I like preaching as an art, but not as pedantic ****.

(Every time I see the nazi rapist actor in some other show, though, it cracks me up.)

Last edited by Kudama; 02-04-03 at 06:18 AM.
Old 02-04-03, 07:57 AM
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I really enjoy Oz. I have seen all of the shows, except for this season, since they don't air in Canada until months after they air in the US (same with many other HBO shows). I would never pick it up on DVD though, since they don't have a great replay value, IMO.
Old 02-04-03, 08:08 AM
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Oz - one of the best dramas of all-time. It is unique - there is nothing else on television that compares to it. I've seen the last 3 seasons and the 1st, so I still need to catch up on the rest (and from what I have heard, the seasons I have missed are the best).
Old 02-04-03, 08:39 AM
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Damn fine show. Red Dog hit the one word that descibes Oz perfectly: unique. There never has been, and I doubt there ever will be, anything like it. Sometimes it's very surreal, sometimes it's subdued, it's always entertaining, and very often it's quite thought-provoking.

To directly answer your questions, the acting is perfect, and the writing is very strong. The characters are human: sometimes you'll want to root for them; other times you'll be disgusted ... but you'll always care about them. Is it like The Sopranos? I don't know how to answer that. They're different shows, but they definitely share strengths in acting, characterization, and writing. They also both challenge the viewer to identify with characters that aren't simply "good" or "bad" but have many layers of depth, qualities that are endearing and qualities that are appalling.

Like everything on HBO, Oz isn't an "easy" show, but the greats rarely are. The characters are complex, the story-telling methods are unique, and the plots are often very disturbing. And at the heart of it all is great acting, great writing, and an overall incredible piece of our television history.

das
Old 02-04-03, 09:19 AM
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Originally posted by das Monkey
The characters are human: sometimes you'll want to root for them; other times you'll be disgusted ... but you'll always care about them.

That certainly describes my thoughts about the characters, especially Beecher. Here I am rooting for this guy to make it and get out of prison. It was great to see him walking out. Then 2 episodes later, he goes back in, and the only thought that comes to mind is DUMBASS - you deserve what you get.
Old 02-04-03, 09:21 AM
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quote:
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Can someone please explain to me what "Oz" is?_
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He's a werewolf, isn't he? And Willow's a witch, Anya's a vengeance demon, and Spike's a vampire.
Old 02-04-03, 03:04 PM
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A magical land filled with yellow sidewalks and midgets.
Old 02-04-03, 03:06 PM
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• Quoth adamblast •<HR SIZE=1>A magical land filled with yellow sidewalks and midgets. <HR SIZE=1>


We represent the Gen Pop Guild.

das
Old 02-04-03, 03:19 PM
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Originally posted by das Monkey
The characters are complex, the story-telling methods are unique, and the plots are often very disturbing. And at the heart of it all is great acting, great writing, and an overall incredible piece of our television history.

das
Most intelligent post I have read today.


Oz is hard hitting reality of what goes on in prison. It's cast and writers make sure it's on target. It's not like Sopranos or Six Feet Under. They are completely different shows, and are brilliant in their own right. You are not going to get the "happy endings" with Oz. There is humor in the show, albeit dark humor (Beecher spiting a nice chunk after a not so nice experience). Also no matter how sick you may find some of the characters, you'll also see a side that needs, a side that strives, and a side that loves.
Old 02-04-03, 04:49 PM
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Two words: "fantasy prison" - with some of the most convoluted, jaw-droppingly contrived plots of any of the HBO Sunday night "prestige" series.

But then again, it does have the highest incidence of naked male genitalia anywhere on U.S. television. (And apparently really, really warm soundstages, IYKWIM).

So I suppose there are trade-offs.
Old 02-04-03, 10:07 PM
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I wouldnt go as far as saying its a fantasy. Its not realistic but its not supposed to be. Its a microcosm of society at its basest. Its gone even further off on odd tangents in the last few seasons but from season two until about four or five it had the most intelligent commentary on mans inhumanity to man and the nature of god that I have ever seen in any movie or TV show. So what if its not realistic? Im quite sure real prisoners dont converse about the existentialist nature of a life sentence. But it sure makes for great drama.
Old 02-05-03, 01:00 AM
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I'm still trying to figure out how Adebisi kept his hat on. Em City ain't the same without him.
Old 02-05-03, 04:20 PM
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Oz was the greatest wrestler ever to come out of WCW! A.K.A. Kevin Nash

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