Where is Jessica Hyde?
April 24, 2018 6:22 AM Subscribe
Will they have a copy of my comic in it this time?
posted by Artw at 6:25 AM on April 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:25 AM on April 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
This is so unnecessary.
posted by Pendragon at 6:26 AM on April 24, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Pendragon at 6:26 AM on April 24, 2018 [11 favorites]
The casting of the original was basically perfect. Neil Maskell needs to be a terrifying weirdo in all the things.
posted by Damienmce at 6:30 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Damienmce at 6:30 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
I thought I remembered that there already was a remake but I guess that I was thinking of Fincher's aborted version at HBO.
posted by octothorpe at 6:33 AM on April 24, 2018
posted by octothorpe at 6:33 AM on April 24, 2018
Neil Maskell needs to be a terrifying weirdo in all the things.
Suggested viewing: The filmography of Ben Wheatley.
posted by Artw at 6:39 AM on April 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
Suggested viewing: The filmography of Ben Wheatley.
posted by Artw at 6:39 AM on April 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
I feel like seeing Utopia once is exactly enough for one lifetime.
(If I'm feeling less charitable I'd say "more than enough" - not because it's not well-made, but because it's just so miserable)
posted by entity447b at 6:40 AM on April 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
(If I'm feeling less charitable I'd say "more than enough" - not because it's not well-made, but because it's just so miserable)
posted by entity447b at 6:40 AM on April 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
The original had such left-field casting, performances, direction, music, scripting etc etc* that it almost seems a travesty to even think of remaking it... on the other hand I want a proper ending! I know only me and a few other weirdos werel still watching by the end of series 2 but I'll never forgive C4 for not allowing an other series or even just a few extra episodes to finish it off.
*Also the idea that violence should, ironically, not be comic-book but be really horrible and have real consequences.
Chilies. Sand. Bleach. A spoon.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:41 AM on April 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
*Also the idea that violence should, ironically, not be comic-book but be really horrible and have real consequences.
Chilies. Sand. Bleach. A spoon.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:41 AM on April 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yeah, it's hard to imagine how they could equal, let alone best its better qualities. But it wasn't allowed an ending.
The central conspiracy is so profoundly upsetting.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:54 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
The central conspiracy is so profoundly upsetting.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:54 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pendragon: "This is so unnecessary."
You can't expect Americans to watch a TV show spoken in a foreign language.
posted by octothorpe at 6:56 AM on April 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
You can't expect Americans to watch a TV show spoken in a foreign language.
posted by octothorpe at 6:56 AM on April 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
octothorpe: You can't expect Americans to watch a TV show spoken in a foreign language.
About that - the levels of local references are minimal, in terms of importance to the plot, so it is already a pretty (western) universal show.
Unlike the other Utopia, a cheeky Office-like Australian workplace comedy about urban planners, which is relatable (as a planner), but also feels other-worldly in their scope of projects. They're building a major port project, new urban rail, and a cross-continent pipeline? Who are these people, and how is it they're tasked with doing everything?
Really, I want more shows about city/ urban/ regional planners.
But back to this Utopia -- as others have said, it's pretty much perfect as-is, including the beautifully, suitably insane music by Cristobal Tapia de Veer. Without his score, or something like it, I think it'll feel like a knock-off, at least to me.
Also, the first season is set to be 9 episodes, whereas the original version was 45-60 minutes per episode, with six episodes in two seasons. Maybe they'll stretch the story in interesting ways, but I fear that they'll churn out filler.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:09 AM on April 24, 2018
About that - the levels of local references are minimal, in terms of importance to the plot, so it is already a pretty (western) universal show.
Unlike the other Utopia, a cheeky Office-like Australian workplace comedy about urban planners, which is relatable (as a planner), but also feels other-worldly in their scope of projects. They're building a major port project, new urban rail, and a cross-continent pipeline? Who are these people, and how is it they're tasked with doing everything?
Really, I want more shows about city/ urban/ regional planners.
But back to this Utopia -- as others have said, it's pretty much perfect as-is, including the beautifully, suitably insane music by Cristobal Tapia de Veer. Without his score, or something like it, I think it'll feel like a knock-off, at least to me.
Also, the first season is set to be 9 episodes, whereas the original version was 45-60 minutes per episode, with six episodes in two seasons. Maybe they'll stretch the story in interesting ways, but I fear that they'll churn out filler.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:09 AM on April 24, 2018
Do you think they'll keep the school shooting in?
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:05 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:05 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Suggested viewing: The filmography of Ben Wheatley.
Oh I have. I love that he just looks so unactorly, none of the refined thesp jawlines of Cumberbatch or Hiddleston. Maskell could believably stand in the queue at Greggs.
posted by Damienmce at 8:18 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oh I have. I love that he just looks so unactorly, none of the refined thesp jawlines of Cumberbatch or Hiddleston. Maskell could believably stand in the queue at Greggs.
posted by Damienmce at 8:18 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Aren't school shootings firmly part of American culture at this point? Maybe in the UK version it was an exceptional event, whereas in the US version it wouldn't be that noteworthy.
posted by el io at 9:21 AM on April 24, 2018
posted by el io at 9:21 AM on April 24, 2018
What is it with modern British dramas and graphic depictions of ultraviolence, anyway? I mean, I get it for a show like this in which the banal, almost blasé nature of the brutality was kind of the point. But it seems every single detective show produced after, say, Miss Marple has at least a handful of gross-out scenes that wouldn't look out of place in a sleazy, straight-to-video torture porn.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:37 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:37 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don’t think it’s any more violent than, say, US TV. Does tend to go for a pretty ugly, grimly take on violence when it is used - I think the general philosophy is that it should shock you.
posted by Artw at 9:49 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:49 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
(Though there is an occasional opposite trend where Brit writers will just casually throw a bunch of gun violence into something because that’s all utterly fantasy land stuff because guns don’t exist in the real world - this may come over differently when that media hits the US. )
posted by Artw at 9:51 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 9:51 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Geez. I loved the original and have been wanting it to catch on here for years. It never did, and I don't think a remake will help. The original was already universal, it wasn't chock full of weird nonsense that only makes sense to island folk with antiquated accents, it was good and interesting drama, with slick visuals and style throughout. I can already feel myself cringing at how the american version will lose the mystique and power of the sound of "where is Jessica Hyde?"
I can't see them improving on this at all. At best, they'll make a similar but inferior version. In reality this is probably going to be awful.
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:54 AM on April 24, 2018
I can't see them improving on this at all. At best, they'll make a similar but inferior version. In reality this is probably going to be awful.
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:54 AM on April 24, 2018
There's pretty much no way to see this in the us, huh?
posted by lumpenprole at 11:24 AM on April 24, 2018
posted by lumpenprole at 11:24 AM on April 24, 2018
There's pretty much no way to see this in the us, huh?
I'm pretty sure the US still has the Internet.
posted by FatherDagon at 11:46 AM on April 24, 2018
I'm pretty sure the US still has the Internet.
posted by FatherDagon at 11:46 AM on April 24, 2018
I think it was on Hulu for a bit but I ended up watching it on DVDs.
There are obviously mysterious occult means by which digital files can be summoned outside of licensing agreements.
posted by Artw at 11:53 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
There are obviously mysterious occult means by which digital files can be summoned outside of licensing agreements.
posted by Artw at 11:53 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes, this show is grim and convoluted. But let us not forget it could also be darkly hilarious, as in this scene in which a Romanian translator takes some of our heroes to task for conflating romani with romanian.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:19 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:19 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, this is a weird one. Could be cool. I liked the original Utopia, quite a bit, but not sure if I want to revisit. Also, the most recent Dirk Gently series felt more like Utopia then it did Dirk Gently.
posted by chainlinkspiral at 3:16 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by chainlinkspiral at 3:16 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I loved the original, and am a bit skeptical of a remake. Full disclosure: Marc Munden is a friend of mine.
posted by incster at 3:58 PM on April 24, 2018
posted by incster at 3:58 PM on April 24, 2018
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posted by Kitteh at 6:24 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]