[Brad]

Originally Posted by drewprops As a non-videogamer, I would never call Last of Us a "classic".

Fair point. I will quickly concede that my love for the show has roots (mycelial tendrils?) in its origin as an already-beloved video game, and that this may be one of the best cinematic/television interpretations of a video game to date. Coming in a distant second to 1993's classic Super Mario Bros movie, of course, which I recently re-watched in preparation for the upcoming remake.

The Last of Us show, kind of like the game, I don't expect to revisit in the future, unless I want a refresher just before season 2 arrives. I doubt it has that much replay value, but the first time watching felt like a great experience. I feel like the same goes for a lot of movies I've loved and recommended over the years. Great to watch and enjoy the drama and suspense as it unfolds; probably never revisit it again after the story is over. It's not a universe I care that much to live in.

Originally Posted by drewprops Picard inserted some weirdness between Riker and Picard that felt "off"

Originally Posted by chucker Star Trek Picard season 3 is still doing pretty well, almost halfway through the season.

I certainly haven't disliked season 3 as much as I did 1 and 2, or as much as I thought I would. It has its moments, several of them I think are thanks to Frakes' undying charm! I think that if Discovery and Picard S1 and S2 hadn't sufficiently acclimated my palette to this "modern" style, though, Picard S3 would be a lot harder to enjoy. Context is everything.

Compared to what recently came before it, PIC S3 is great, but it's a pale imitation of Trek's younger years. I agree that the characters and their interactions often feel strangely out-of-character (yes, I get that "how you change as you age" is a deliberate theme), the cinematography and lighting continues to always be several stops too dark (I will die on this hill. I've seen production photos of the sets in proper lighting, and they have fantastic design and detail that you will never see on screen), and the over-reliance on obvious throwback references feels pandering and lazy and insecure, and it makes the universe feel smaller with every one. My heart sank and I suspect I involuntarily rolled my eyes when the trailers spoiled the return of Lore and Moriarty for this final season. I wonder when Sela and Commander Tomalok and Gul Madred and DaiMon Bok are going to show up too. Maybe they'll bring the Duras sisters back from the dead. /s

At least Lower Decks seems completely self-aware that it's a never-ending fan-service factory and is deliberately leaning into it with all its humor and gags. Discovery, despite its many other flaws, I do appreciate and respect for at least trying (though also quickly failing in some regards) to establish its own "normal" and avoiding callback references beyond the general settings and technobabble and themes, to make itself distinct from its predecessors while still sharing the canon, just like DS9 and Voyager and Enterprise and even Star Trek 2009 did.