The film was cracking...The first series was a curate's egg (good in places), but this time Shane is just milking it!..And with another series set in 1990 in the offing, welcome to the world of dull, dreary, depressing soap opera (yawn), I think tomorrow, I shall spend the time more productively, washing my hair?..
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...
I don't know what's wrong with you - this is superb drama and far better than most of the slop out there, so if you're annoyed by it just flick back to X Factor!
I for one want to follow this poverty-class exploration of England for as long as Meadows continues to write it. Why? Because the years he's set them - 1986 and now 1988 - reflect exactly my teenage years growing up in virtually the same surroundings as the characters, so it allows plenty of hindsight.
The Boiling Rage: letting off steam in the Fishbowl of Lifeshare
http://theboilingrage.com/
or
http://www.theboilingrage.co.uk/
totally agree with you splosher, It's a masterpiece.
shareOP
Totally agree with you. The first episode of TIE 88 had no real story to it and a lot of the episode was taken up with Lol and the baby, which wasnt really a story. Sure it was realistic the troubles and boredom of being a single mother, but realistic doesn't mean entertaining.
Perhaps its because all of the characters previously to this were so vibrant and alive?
Woody is still the best character, I'm sure as anything he's gonna have some kind of (another?) nervous breakdown.
'Fraid I found it very slow - could have been dealt with in half the time.
shareIts so easy for TIE to fall into the trap of being too much and boring. But I just didnt find that to be the case. The episode last night was just as strong to me as all the others and to me it just keeps getting better and better. Thank god to see REAL British working class dramas with extraordinary acting. If you're good at what you do Shane, I say dont stop! I'm already hooked and cant wait for tonight.
"What, you don't like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?"
I recall thinking that TIE 86 was poor to begin with, and then gave us some of the most harrowing scenes and best acting seen on British TV for years. I'm happy to wait to see how this series progresses.
shareIf you consider the fact that Shane Meadows is the "new Scorcese" it's a bit strange that apart from Dead mans shoes and A room for Romeo brass he hasn't really done anything that can be considered to be anyhing other than half decent!
TIE the film looked a lot like a pretty bad school play as does this and the last series. I also find the names of some of the characters pretty unbelievable!! combo?
I don't believe you are called Astroman. It's a nick-name, just like Combo. Some people will pick faults and complain about anything! I despair.
shareSome people dont understand the concept of nicknames. They are obviously not their real names.
"What, you don't like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?"
by astroman2012 If you consider the fact that Shane Meadows is the "new Scorcese" it's a bit strange that apart from Dead mans shoes and A room for Romeo brass he hasn't really done anything that can be considered to be anyhing other than half decent!
The Boiling Rage: letting off steam in the Fishbowl of Lifeshare
http://theboilingrage.com/
or
http://www.theboilingrage.co.uk/
While i dont think its as good as '86 i still like it, good acting and also very funny in places.
shareAfter two episodes most of the characters are redundant and have no story-lines. Maybe it should have been longer with more going on . As it is it's just the Lol,Shaun and Woody show.
shareShane really needs to drop the whole This Is England project and get back to what he did best, making films, not soap operas. Yes, the film was great, but '86 was living on the film's reputation, and now we have '88, which has gone further downhill. Like '86 it's turned into the Lol show, with Shaun and Woody's stories as a minor sideshow and most of the other cast totally irrelevant. I'm sorry, but I don't find Vicky McClure convincing in any way. She can do miserable and that’s it. Her ‘starring’ role, compared to her ensemble part in the film is a big downer.
It seems to me as though Shane has gathered around his 'bunch of mates' again and painted by numbers. Harvey, Kelly, Banjo etc are wallpaper. And was Stephen Graham as Combo only available for one days shooting? There’s nothing original or cutting edge here, and the 80’s time period angle seem to have almost disappeared. At least he has so far remembered not to show mobile phones I suppose.
Last words: The reason I'm moaning is because Dead Man's Shoes and the TIE film were brilliant, up with anything British realism film-making, including Ken Loach, has ever produced. I think he needs to stop being lazy and surrounding himself with his mates and get back on form!
After two episodes most of the characters are redundant and have no story-lines.Yes. They're called supporting characters.
Shane really needs to drop the whole This Is England project and get back to what he did best, making films, not soap operas.You know what, when TIE '88 gets nominated for Baftas, I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say your opinion of what Shane Meadows "needs" to do is going to be pretty irrelevant. And since this is the second time I've read TIE '88 referred to as a soap opera, I have to ask; are you, and others saying the same, so stupid that you don't know the difference between a drama series and a soap opera or are you just trolling and being incredibly petty to tear down a series you dislike?
A Soap Opera! Are you for real, comparing this to Eastenders and Coronation Street. That is such an insult, which I assume was your intention.
And those who says its boring. WTF! How is it boring, a woman dealing with post-natal depression and the ever present (and all too real) memories of her abusive dad. Everyone's different I suppose.
One things for sure, we have to hold onto and support people like Meadows and this kind of storytelling or all we're gonna be left with is tv panel shows, Jaimie's Moon Dinners and Pub Factor.
Everyone's entitled to their opinions but there seems to be an overwhelming negative tide against this series on this board. Maybe with the times we're living in people want light-hearted escapism. But some of the negative comments seem quite unwarranted to me.
And that comment about making films and not soap operas.
A) It's not a soap opera
B) It is a film, just presented on a different platform, and very good film at that
I can usually see people's points of view when they criticise TV I like, but these comparisons to a soap opera amaze me. Is that because the characters are working class? Or because there're a lot of them? And they have strong accents? Maybe because there aren't special effects and there's no glamour? Criticism like that shows that people watch things with no attempt to see past aesthetics.
I guess the "soap" label also stems from the storylines the drama deals with - single-motherhood, relationships, affairs, rape - but saying that completely ignores the context. Two individual dramas can have similar plots but be completely different.
What annoys me about a lot of opinion posts on these boards is that some people trash shows that are just not to their particular taste. There're lots of shows that I sort of respect but don't like, if that makes sense. It's arrogant to think that you're personal taste is the definition of good and bad tv.
Sorry, bit of a rant there.