Eastbound & Down "Chapter One" (pilot) OAD 2/15/09

astrohip · 02-18-2009, 07:53 PM

This was the worst piece of dreck I've seen in a while. If it had been on a broadcast network, I would have deleted it within ten minutes. I figured, it's HBO, it's gonna get funny at any minute. Halfway thru, it started to hurt to watch.

No redeeming value. The lead is not funny, he's not a sympathetic character, you don't want to watch him. And the language was inappropriate for the scenes. Nobody talks like that around young kids. Not more than once. And certainly not non-stop like he did.

Is HBO serious? Is this really a show they think will be a hit? I haven't seen any reviews, maybe they didn't pre-release this to the critics (can't imagine why not)?

Thirty minutes I will never get back.

SP deleted.

dbranco · 02-21-2009, 06:54 AM

thanks for posting. I recorded it, but your post (and another scathing review in The Boston Globe had me deleting it before even bothering to watch. Too much other good stuff to watch than wasting even 30 minutes on 'dreck'.

scooterboy · 02-21-2009, 07:08 AM

Hated it. Agreed - there was no reason to like the character or want to watch him. The writing was not clever or funny.

Just no reason to watch it at all.

astrohip · 02-21-2009, 10:02 PM

It's funny, I was talking to my son tonight, and knowing he watches HBO stuff (Entourage, Conchords), I asked if he had seen this show. He said yes, and he loved it. Thought it was funny, and loved the main character.

I'm 53, he's 23. Mebbe it's an age thang . . .

terpfan1980 · 02-21-2009, 10:06 PM

I have it recorded, but haven't seen it yet. Hoping to get caught up on the TV watching over the course of the weekend and then perhaps see what I think of it.

daperlman · 02-21-2009, 10:09 PM

I saw some 5 minute thing about the making of it and it looked like a horrible piece of crap.

minorthr · 02-21-2009, 10:17 PM

I thought it was funny.

MasterOfPuppets · 03-04-2009, 05:20 PM

I thought Chapter 2 was better.
Chapter 1 tries to hard to get that initial "shock value"...but once you accept that for what it is, I think it gets better.

If you were expecting some sort of cinematic classic, you really didn't know what the show was from the jump.

I haven't watched Chapter 3 yet.

Sparty99 · 03-04-2009, 08:49 PM

I've gotten through 3 episodes and I'm just not seeing it. The OP summed it up pretty well. And are they intentionally making the baseball scenes look horrendous? Tim Robbins looked more realistic in Bull Durham.

Bananfish · 03-04-2009, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparty99

And are they intentionally making the baseball scenes look horrendous? Tim Robbins looked more realistic in Bull Durham.

I heard an interview with the actor who plays the main character and who created and writes a lot of the show (on NPR believe it or not). Get this - he's not a baseball fan in any way, shape or form and doesn't know a thing about the game. Gee, I wonder why the baseball stuff doesn't look real. It's so obvious from the scenes with him pitching that he's never played any ball at all.

Dude, go write something you know about - like maybe a sitcom about a fat actor who lucked his way into a Hollywood career playing the same ignoramus character over and over.

astrohip · 03-04-2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterOfPuppets

If you were expecting some sort of cinematic classic, you really didn't know what the show was from the jump.

I had no expectations. Just that it was HBO, and I like a LOT of HBO series. I've watched stuff ranging from "First and Ten" (anyone here old enough to remember that one!) to Deadwood to SATC.

I'm not picky, can watch almost anything (as evidenced by a 50+ SP list), but even I have my limits. It has to entertain me, make me smile, laugh, think, dream, drool, something, anything!

But not irritate me. Or insult me. This show did both.