Osiris3657

I'm through 3 episodes and...kinda bored.

Mr. Flix

Just finished this last night. It's good, I was hardly ever bored, but it's nowhere near the quality of Hill House.

This series was all about relationships, and yet... the writers did very little to develop those relationships or make the viewer feel invested in them. And so when tragedy (inevitably) occurs, there isn't much impact. And yet that's supposed to be the crux of the season.

The acting is solid, it's incredibly well shot and directed, there's excellent atmosphere throughout, and it's always fun to try to find all the hidden ghosts. But ultimately, it was just okay. It's maybe a B- compared to the first season's solid A.

Geofferson

Loved Hill House and am 2 episodes in on this one. Agreed, not as good but good enough to keep me watching.

Tom Banjo

I discovered after that post that Netflix actually has a new version of Rebecca starring Lily James coming out this month. So scratch that. Matheson’s Hell House is a great suggestion by wahlers. There was even a scene in Hill House where someone used graffiti to change the signage to Hell House.

dom56

I finish watching it, thought it was very good, agreed with other not good as the first one. I do have a question about the ending.

Mr. Flix

Mr. Flix

It'll be interesting to see where they go next. According to Flanagan, season 3 isn't even in development yet. But he did say that if there is a season three, he wants to play more with the idea of "haunting" to go beyond just ghosts. Like how people are also haunted by their past, regrets, etc. (Even though I do feel like he has already touched on this idea with both Hill House and Bly Manor -- not all of the hauntings were ghosts.) Personally, I'd rather they stuck with the haunted house theme and continued to mine old books in order to do so, but I can also see how Flanagan would fear the show getting really repetitive. I suppose there's really only so many times you can do a haunted house tale without it getting stale.

maxfisher

We finished this last night and it was just kind of fine. The relationship between Dani & Jamie felt like a writer’s contrivance rather than something real and organic. I wouldn’t even mark it down as a lack of chemistry, as the actors played well off each other. It just felt half baked.

The flashback episode should have happened earlier, as it really killed the momentum of the story. Honestly, it probably would have worked better as a five minute segment at the start of the series to set the board.

I really enjoyed the hidden ghosts in Hill House, but they got carried away with it here. While it made for some occasional creepiness, it didn’t really fit in with the story and felt like little more than a gothic spin on Where’s Waldo.

Criticisms aside, the cast was great and the atmosphere was generally very well done. Mrs. Grose & Owen were highlights and their stories felt truer and more heartbreaking than anyone else’s. And the episode with Mrs. Grose skipping through memories was fantastic.

I third the idea of Matheson’s Hell House for season 3. Flanagan has the chops to do a creepy as hell version of that story.

Mr. Flix

I felt like this was true of every single relationship of the season -- half baked. Hannah's and Owen's relationship was the most convincing, but even there we weren't given any moments that really grounded or developed their feelings for each other. And all the others were even thinner. It's like we were just supposed to accept that these characters felt very strongly for each other without really witnessing it on screen.

thematahara

Just finished and overall I loved it. Not as haunting or scary as Hill House, but I do think it was of equal quality.

I really enjoyed how all the threads interwove throughout the series and how they gradually tied them all together, even all the ghosts that were in the background throughout the story.

In the end, really enjoyed the overall love story and it did become a love story with ghost in it rather than just a ghost story.

Hopefully they do another season.

Rival11

Damn near every Show these days needs to have a gay relationship. In the second season of umbrella academy there are like 3 of them and they were all pointless and served no purpose whatsoever - this is the first time I've seen one kill an entire show though.

I'm hopIng we get away from this trend as this show and a lot of decent things for it. Also, the lead blonde who played Nell in Haunting of hill house, her acting was f'n terrible this time out. Couldn't stand her.

Hope they get rid of the tired catering to the gay audience on the next season. I would like to see a darker storyline that can be built upon multiple seasons, maybe create an actual specific lore.

TomOpus

No gay characters for Rivall11. Check.

dex14

How about you keep the blatant homophobia out of the forums. Thanks.

Rival11

It's so sad you get that defensive about it. So you equate me saying that a gay relationship main plot killed the show with homophobia? How about this, even if it was a straight couple I would have said the same thing - are you now going to defend straight people?

Why the hell you reply like that?

dex14

You would still say that you hope they get rid of the tired catering to the straight audience on the next season? Sure...

Rival11

You're not understanding, first I could care less about if you're gay or straignt good for you either way. Second, there has been a huge influx of gay relationships in shows.....so good for them again, I could care less about it BUT when the shows start revolving around those relationships only to cater to them, I do have a problem with it as far a the show goes. Umbrella academy is a good example, there were a couple and severed no purpose - waste of time. Bly manor built it around the relationship when it could have gone so many other ways.

Now flip it around and make the players straight - yes, I still have a big f'n problem with it - we've seen so many shows cop-out with stupid relstionship stuff, it's like an 80's tactic and that's what is now happening again only the characters are gay.

This is also the reason why I mentioned what I would like to see in the 3rd season.

Go ahead and push in all the gay people you want - I really don't care about pointless things like that. Just don't make it the show

What show pulls this off well? The Boys is a great example - also, the gay relationship in the boys serves a purpose as well. You could even argue Hughie's reltionshipn with starlight is pointless but it makes for good fun.

Don't call me derogatory terms like homophobic.

dex14

Maybe then think about how you phrase things. I could plug in other words there and it would come off as blatantly racist.

Rival11

?? So you're saying that if there was an influx in shows that were blantantly (and while we're at it, let's use the word exploiting as well) using interracial people to cater to an interacial audience and ruining the tone of their shows with that device, you would call me a racist?? If shows did that or centered its story around an interracial couple and it was blatantly obvious and became a trend. Absolutely I would have a problem with it.

Do you think all gay people love what's being done in shows today? Of course they love that it's more accepting but do you really think none of them cringed at bly manor? Guaranteed they did. The same would go for interacial couples (if it was a current trend).

You seriously need to drop your defense meter a little there and realize it's about what the creators of these shows are doing and has nothing to do with the audience they're catering to.

thematahara

I think the point is that its a relationship, no need to classify it. Them both being women doesnt matter, it was just two people making a connection. I personally found their relationship very moving and only added to the story. At no point did I feel like it took away from the story, which was about....relationships.

dex14

Exactly.

If the point of the initial post was to question if a show just checking an inclusion box and using lazy writing to do it, that did not come across at all. The way it comes across is gays are gross and why do I have to see so much of it? Intent was stated in later post, and the critique is valid, but it could simply be said as I don't like forced relationships that don't further the narrative. Which... in the show... there wasn't, IMO. A huge part of the narrative was the repercussions of the character being in the closet.

Then to say "Go ahead and push in all the gay people you want - I really don't care about pointless things like that. Just don't make it the show" Who are you to say what the show can and can't be? If you don't care about these pointless things, then why are you saying don't make it the show? The show flat out says in the end that it is a love story, not a ghost story.

I'm not going to continue to go round for round about this. If you can't see how that initial post came off, then there's no reason for further discussion.

actionjackson29

If you actually look up some prominent lesbians on twitter they seem to love it.

Rival11

Still trying to make something out of nothing. I'm not expecting anything from you but you're still insulting me by trying to make something more of this and you don't get to do that.

Also, if I said "I don't like forced relationships that don't furhter the narrative" you would have lost it even worse than you did with my original reply.

What do you mean who am I to say what the show can or can't be?? What the hell does that mean? I'm giving MY take on what I would like to see - what, im not allowed to give my opinion on a TV show now? Ridiculous.

And no, YOU took it the wrong way. No matter what I said you would have not been fine with it and thats the truth. Stop coming off as not being in the wrong and stop trying to accuse me of nonsense.

"I'm not going to continue round for round...." then don't, but you don't get to say nonsense and not expect me to reply on it. Also, you're the only one going round for round, trying to defend yourself.

rbrown498

How about this one? It made for a great film in the '40s, and I wouldn't mind seeing an updated version:

thematahara

I think Hell House is probably the leader, but my initial thought is for Ghost Story. If they want to keep the same multi-person layered type stories, this one certainly has the cast of characters and multiple perspectives. I doubt it would be chosen though.

Rival11

There was a movie back when I was kid where a mother and her child were in a haunted house and the mother was sitting on the bed in a trance like state while something was going on in the graveyard outside, I dont what the name of it was but years ago a dvdtalker helped me out but of course I forgot again. Any way, it was really creepy and at the time, I never saw anything like that when I was a kid. Still trying to search for it.

Next season would be cool if they ditched all the internal family conflicts and love story stuff and focused on straight up evil, maybe even create some kind of lore that can be extended through multiple seasons without ever getting stale. Maybe even have the story switch gears down the road to get even darker. Elements of possession would be cool (like full on nasty poessession).

Also would like to see Flannigan's polish toned down a bit too.