[Chance]

Done with the first five and will have to wait a day or two for the rest damn real life. I like it but really any of the changes only make sense in a very short time perspective not over a longer series of seasons.

Abyss, on 02 February 2018 - 07:05 PM, said:

Pretty sure the revision was to conflate three different fairly complex things from the books... the Envoys, the Quellists, and the anti-stacking movement. Simplifies things greatly.

Pretty sure the changes to Quellists, Enovys and Kovacs background are going to make at least book three total nonesense if they get that far.

Pet minor annoyance number one is that Falconer is taking primarily Vidura's role so far.

This post has been edited by Chance: 09 February 2018 - 08:49 PM

[Macros]

Up to ep 5/6

Probably need to reread to get a handle on all the changes, but enjoyable fare as it is.

From memory, agreed it will make a nonsense of book 3 from memory though

[Vengeance]

Just finished it and really liked it. Really want to see what they do with season 2.

[Abyss]

Am only up to ep 5 and very enjoying.
Not seeing a problem w book 3 but will reserve comment til I’ve finished the show.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

I'm picking this up again today. Currently starting S01E06. Apparently S01E07 is where people are saying it goes off the rails.

[Chance]

Got more time then expected so done up to episode 7.

Abyss, on 10 February 2018 - 06:55 PM, said:

Am only up to ep 5 and very enjoying.
Not seeing a problem w book 3 but will reserve comment til I’ve finished the show.

After episode 7 most of the plots simply can't happen in a recognizable way and even earlier they where unlikely. Spoilers for book 3.

Spoiler

The reason why Kovacs is murdering priests disappered around episode 1, with Kovacs knowing Falconer he can verify her identity, without an unsettlement you can't very well clear up the debries, spoiler for Ep7

Spoiler

With all envoys real dead you can't very well have Vidura and crew playing roles further on in both book 2-3

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 10 February 2018 - 07:17 PM, said:

I'm picking this up again today. Currently starting S01E06. Apparently S01E07 is where people are saying it goes off the rails.

Can clearly see that nearly didn't continue halfway into episode 7. From now on this is merely fun action popcorn tv-series it isn't Altered Carbon in any meaningful way. It might have to do with Richard Morgan writing the first five episodes and someone else doing the rest.

This post has been edited by Chance: 10 February 2018 - 08:49 PM

[Chance]

Finished it and it was good action and very nicely filmed but they really made some poor decisions with Rei, Quell and Kovacs background. Some of it was so bad I can't really see how it was approved but luckily it was mostly short sequences outside of episode 7, most of them involved Quell.

It certainly made me want to re-read the original again was a year or two since I did it last.

This post has been edited by Chance: 11 February 2018 - 12:03 AM

[Macros]

Just finished.

It was.....ok as a whole.

Some episodes (first half) were excellent but I feel the season lost its way a bit in places.

Casting was solid enough.
Poe was ace.
The sister, she was incredibly frustrating for me. At the start yes, but the further into the season it got the more she bugged me. Not the actresses fault, I think the writing let her down at the end. Their relationship wasn't portrayed very well/ believable via the flashbacks, I think they did that part of the storyline a massive disservice.
It's been a while since I read the book, and I've only read it once but from what I recall of it some of their choices in the shows plotting definitely hurt the over all story and a the punch of the final set up and landing of the ending.

[Macros]

Yeah, I've a fairly similar feeling on the eps

[Cause]

Never read the books (think I will now) so I cant see what your seeing. So for me it was a fantastic show, enjoyed it start to finish. I would only agree that the sisters motivation was hard to undertand, relate to or care about.

[acesn8s]

Cause, on 12 February 2018 - 11:40 AM, said:

Never read the books (think I will now) so I cant see what your seeing. So for me it was a fantastic show, enjoyed it start to finish. I would only agree that the sisters motivation was hard to undertand, relate to or care about.

I suspect it is because she, and the plot around her, is a patch for what they changed from the book.

[QuickTidal]

Have only watched the 1st episode and half of the 2nd, but I'm enjoying it. I forgot how fucking GRIM this whole world is though. It's been years since I read the books.

[amphibian]

I watched the first episode. I didn't like the "Ortega and Partner explain what Envoys are to each other" scene because it was redundant. An oligarch like Bancroft doesn't hire a random person to investigate murder and they spent lots of time stating Kovacs had military grade abilities.

I don't like the morphing of Envoys into revolutionaries pure. The messiness of them being government soldiers like the Western operatives who did the Contras/CIA stuff in South America is the point - many of those people turned mercenary and many others kept going in government services because they liked doing what they were doing.

Making Takeshi the sole Envoy is stupid. He'd be interplanetary famous if he were.

Ortega can fight for real though. Her punches and kicks were great.

I like very much the random hurts of different languages, but I think it would be better if they both spoke the same language to each other rather than multiple at the same time. Match, then move to another, or go full polyglot mix on us.

[Abyss]

Finished ep 6, pretty solid so far tho the arrival of Tak's sister signals a pretty serious departure from the book from here on.
Been impressed so far.

...also really wantneed to reread the books.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Briar King, on 11 February 2018 - 11:39 PM, said:

Ep 8 is where it really lost steam imo. Ep 9&10 I really didn’t care for much. Ep 1-6 was grade A entertainment. Ep 7 was awesome for tv but really seemed to be where it curves away from source material.

I finished it yesterday, and this is spot on. Turning Reileen into Tak's sister and making her the Big & Crazy Bad Guy was a terrible choice. Apparently Morgan wrote the first few episodes himself, so it seems pretty clear that it went off the rails after he stopped writing.

[Chance]

Abyss, on 12 February 2018 - 07:02 PM, said:

...also really wantneed to reread the books.

Started Altered Carbon after the last episode and the book is so much better and in some ways simpler then the TV-series that its astounding sometimes how much they messed it up. The TV-series also really shys away from the politics, religion and philosophy of the book a bit cowardly really reducing it to living long makes you insane and EVIL!

[Tiste Simeon]

Watched the first two episodes. It's amazing how much of the books I've forgotten. Really enjoying it though.

[Tattersail_]

Finally finished this and I really loved it. Great concept, great world building, bit of detectiveness, lots of action and nudity in the right places. Brave acting on all their parts. I'd definitely watch another season

[Abyss]

Just finished it.

Enjoyed.

There was definitely a tone/quality shift from the Richard Morgan eps to the ones he wasn't involved in, but not a complete negative downturn.
The plot became less dense, the dialogue less clever, but the setting and use of the stack tech and related stayed smart, the story still moved along, and I was entertained and not bored.

The cast totally sold their parts, even Dichen who i've found fairly flat in everything else i've seen her in. Kinnaman nailed his role as Tak.

I didn't love the plot shift from the books to Rei as the Big Bad who fundamentally just had daddy issues with her big brother, but it was not a fail.

Lizzie and Poe were fun additions to the story and i liked how their plots evolved (even if i still lament no Jimi Hendrix). Lizzie almost devolved to deus ex at the end there, but the steps made sense at least, as part of Poe stretching to assist. Also appreciate that they didn't turn her into an uber-warrior. She took out baddies, but Rei and Leung were someone else's problem.

The setup for next season with Tak looking for Quel makes me wonder whether we might skip ANGELS and go straight to FURIES.

[Mezla PigDog]

I finished it this week. I enjoyed it but I wish they had stayed closer to the book. Rei annoyed the heck out of me in the last 2 episodes. She was rather 1 dimensional just constantly coming back to "I'm your sister".

I also loathe the actress in everything she is due to her acting break being on Neighbours where she ruined Susan Kennedy's happiness and therefore is evil incarnate in my brain. Bit of a step change from Neighbours to bush and boobs out on Altered Carbon.