MovieChat Forums > Utopia (2013) Discussion > The swearing...

The swearing...

posted 10 years ago by matthew_battles
36 replies | jump to latest

Did anyone else get irritated that almost every character seemed to swear at the end of of nearly every single *beep* sentence? Because I found it really grating... It's almost like they were doing it just for the sake of doing it. Like "Ooh look, we're edgy because all our characters are really foul-mouthed"

Personally I thought it detracted from the great story... Plus there might have been one or two characters who swear a lot circa Debra Morgan from Dexter but the entire cast?

There are no spoilers here, go away.

[–] Lopsided55 10 years ago

You think a show that made a point of killing children or having children BE killers every episode thought the F word was edgy? It's Channel 4, nobody watching even noticed the swearing.

[–] GarethAlan 10 years ago

So you were offended by the swearing, but you were OK with all the violence and murder? What a world we live in, eh.

[–] x1nd0lent 10 years ago

Words which refer top bodily functions are *not* "swears". A swear is an oath. a promise. For instance something like "I'll see you in chains". Also, any plea to god(s) are an oath. So "Damn you!" and such qualify. But words about metabolic waste and sexual activities don't qualify.

[–] wyate-1 10 years ago

I think the swearing is meant to be the opposite of edgy, it's meant to be silly. Without all the swearing I think the show might come off as taking itself too seriously, but the over-the-top cursing keeps it funny.

[–] GrumpyCow 10 years ago

This is how I take it too. I find that the swearing is exaggerated to keep things light hearted at times. However, the fact that I notice it more for me proves its not working.

[–] octo_gone 10 years ago

Naw the dialogue was atrocious, they were just throwing it in for the sake of it and it was pathetic. Whoever decided on that amount of expletives should be murdered.

i'm 15 and i know sharks don't growl,

[–] InFaDeLiTy 10 years ago

I'll never understand adults who complain about cursing.

It seriously blows my mind sometimes, who gives a *beep*? Find something else more worthwhile in life to care about than what words someone uses to express themselves.

[–] octo_gone 10 years ago

nobody has said they were 'offended' by the swearing..some of you in this thread have reading comprehension problems. What we are saying is that its irritating when cursing is forced into every sentence and then sounds totally unnatural when said by this bunch of middle class actors.

i'm 15 and i know sharks don't growl,

[–] DeadAppy 10 years ago

Yes! Thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking. No one watching this show is going to be offended by swearing.

The swearing just comes across as very unnatural and forced. It's either very lazy writing or very lethargic improv acting. "How do we get across we are very angry, frightened, and confused? *beep* *beep* *beep* and *beep*." Hahaha.

It's such a shame though because everything else is pretty much perfect.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] HereItIsYourMomentOfZen 10 years ago

Nope...didn't find it forced at all.

In-fact, we usually swear a lot more then this in regular conversations, so it could've been a lot more frequent and I still wouldn't have minded.

Also, the swearing did at times feel like it was slightly comic, and it did a good job of lightening up the mood, in what would have been an otherwise much darker and more depressing episode.

[–] DeadAppy 10 years ago

I felt very forced.

I'm from a working class family in England and swearing is second nature to me and everyone I know, it's part of the dialect. Even my Nan swears like it's going out of fashion.

I've never seen a show or film that I've thought they were putting swear words in so it sounds 'cool' and 'edgy'. Until I watched this show.

"I missed you! Yes I *beep* missed you?

Did not sound right coming out of Ians mouth Hahaha.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy this show; I think it's brilliantly shot and completely gripping.

[–] christiankingston 10 years ago

That's the way people speak in England. It's realistic. You cannot blame a show for reflecting reality just because a few swear words get your panties in a bunch.
I know this as I live in England and it's how we speak (although as a northerner I swear a lot less than southerners do).

It's like complaining about a Canadian show about the Ey's in it :|

[–] arizonabay6-671-900060 10 years ago

Yep, I didn't even notice it.

"To err is human...so...errrr..." - Gary King

[–] raf-33 10 years ago

Have to agree, I didn't even notice it, cursing is a norm over here.

You don't know sh!t, Jon Snow!

[–] aoxg28 10 years ago

Yep, another one in agreement here. Barely noticed it.
The only time I did notice is when you're meant to notice and it adds to a humourous situation. Other than that it seems quite normal to me.

[–] jupnose25 10 years ago

Hmmm, I'm a Brit and that is not how we speak.

I'm pretty sweary, I don't have an issue with expletives but here they're shoehorning *beep* into every sentence in the most awkward and unnatural fashion. This *beep* the dialogue up, it doesn't flow, you just watch it and think "who the *beep* talks like that?".

Seems to be a symptom of the second season, lashings of more of the same. It felt fresh first time around but now it just feels stale and stodgy. It's a shame, I thought the first season was really great, hope they pull this back on track but I don't hold out much hope for the dialogue.

[–] octo_gone 10 years ago

Second series like that as well? Eh I was gonna give it a chance but nah, not if its the same

i'm 15 and i know sharks don't growl,

[–] raf-33 10 years ago

jupnose25, then you must be from Eton or some similar snob-factory because if regular people will casually throw the F-word around while discussing what happened on yesterday's 'Holby City' then I'm damn sure that being dragged in to a conspiracy which has seen half of their friends and family killed would make them utter a few more of them.

I'm a Brit and that is how we speak.

You don't know sh!t, Jon Snow!

[–] octo_gone 10 years ago

Naw, this isn't how we speak. I'm from a working class background and yeah people use expletives constantly, but it's natural, people don't try to cram swear words into every sentence...and also don't sound forced and unnatural when saying them. Therein lies the problem with Utopias dialogue.

i'm 15 and i know sharks don't growl,

[–] jupnose25 10 years ago

"Snob-factory", pretty ironic considering the amount of inverse snobbery your post contains, I guess it is cool to be working class and you seem to think swearing plays a big part in that but it must be tiring to keep it up.

The issue is not the words themselves, it's their usage. They do not feel natural, they do not feel endemic to any particular group, regardless of soci-economic status. They sound almost as though written by a person who understands the concept of swearing but has very little practical experience of it.