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You, Me and the Apocalypse (NBC) (1 Viewer)

Adam Lenhardt

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Anybody else watching this? Filmed under the far superior working title "Apocalypse Slough", this cross-atlantic co-production between Sky in the UK and NBC here in the US aired last fall across the pond.

The main cast is split roughly 50/50 between US and UK actors and characters.

The UK side is led by Mathew Baynton, who plays identical twins who were separated at birth. One grew up to become a risk-adverse accounts manager at a retail bank in Slough, England. The other grew up to be an anarchist "hacktivist" with an unstable personality and significant OCD issues.

The US side is led by Jenna Fischer, a librarian who was recently incarcerated after she took the rap for her son after he hacked into the NSA.

The UK cast also includes Joel Fry, Pauline Quirke, Paterson Joseph, Karla Crome and Diana Rigg.

The US cast includes Rob Lowe, Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman.

The first two episodes combined some staggering un-PC jokes with the black comedic absurdism of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.

But three episodes in, it's developing an intriguing mythology as the various plots strands cross in interesting ways.
 

Hollywoodaholic

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You wouldn't expect to see something this subversively hip (or British) on NBC. I'm sticking with it for now to see where it goes. Diana Rigg just showed up.
 

Jason Charlton

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My wife and I have been enjoying it as well. It's only 10 episodes, so it's not a huge investment.

It definitely "feels" more British than US and the absurdist humor seems to work maybe 50/50 for me, but as you mentioned, what's grabbed me most of all is curiosity in learning how all of these different story threads are going to be woven together.

I see this as more of a time-filler. I'm not really crazy about it, and won't be disappointed if there's no second season, but there are a lot worse ways I could spend an hour each week.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Lots of interesting character moments in tonight's episode. In a just world, Megan Mullally would get an Emmy for her work as Leanne. I've been impressed by how much subtle pathos she's been able to evoke amidst an otherwise very broad performance.

Interesting reveal for why Jamie was left in that shoebox.

What was the reveal this week in the opening bunker scene? My NBC station had a breaking news report and returned to the show in progress just before the episode flashed back.
 

Hollywoodaholic

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This show is kind of losing me lately. Started off strong, but I'm getting tired of some of the run-around. Acting is uniformly good. But it's losing that stronger Dr. Strangelove feel and urgency it had and relying too much on character tangents that seem to be going around in circles. It's brief, so I'll probably stick it out, but it's low hanging fruit for me at this point.
 

Jason Charlton

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What was the reveal this week in the opening bunker scene? My NBC station had a breaking news report and returned to the show in progress just before the episode flashed back.

IIRC, there was someone inside a large, wooden crate that was pounding on the walls and yelling. It may have been Leanne, as I seem to recall it being an angry female voice, but it was quick and my memory is a bit fuzzy.
 

Stan

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Wish NBC had done a little advertising about this. Never even heard of it until I bumped into this thread, but sounds like just my type of show. Way to late now, not going to jump in with episode #5. Hopefully it will show up again this summer for a quick binge marathon.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Wish NBC had done a little advertising about this. Never even heard of it until I bumped into this thread, but sounds like just my type of show. Way to late now, not going to jump in with episode #5. Hopefully it will show up again this summer for a quick binge marathon.
I might be wrong, but I believe the five episodes that have aired so far are all available on demand.
 

Stan

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I might be wrong, but I believe the five episodes that have aired so far are all available on demand.

Thanks, way to obvious, but a temporary brain malfunction :eek:

All of the episodes are on the NBC website, no charge to view them. I'll be playing catch-up the next day or so.

Also looks like it has already been cancelled. Hopefully they'll show the original ten episodes before it goes away.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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I am completely engrossed at this point, as the connections between the various characters start to coalesce. The speech by Jamie's adoptive mother was absolutely epic. If it were theater, Pauline Quirke would have gotten a standing ovation.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Wow, with that ending tonight. The show didn't merely call the Catholic hierarchy unscrupulous, it shot an arrow right at the heart of the central doctrine of the Church. First, with the suggestion that top cardinals would anoint a false messiah to mollify the existential dread of the Church's followers as they face their imminent demise. Second, that they would kill Father Jude to silence him and then stage his death as a suicide. There's an undeniable cold logic to it, much like the military arresting the Project Saviour engineers to silence them and maintain the deception that the mission was a success. But, damn. The only story I can think of that may top it for sheer bold cynicism toward the Church is Another Roadside Attraction, in which an earthquake opens a fissure in St. Peter's Square, leading down into catacombs where an order of blind nuns guard the mummified corpse of Jesus Christ. The two central hierarchical structures of the show, the Roman Catholic Church and the United States government -- also pretty major hierarchical structures for the real world in general -- are shown to be emperors wearing no clothes, and willing to take drastic actions to keep the world at large from knowing it.

Given that we know Celine ends up in the Slough bunker, and given that the Catholic Church isn't big on contraception, my guess is that she's carrying Jude's child. Otherwise, I don't see why Diana Rigg's spidery grandmother would seek her out, much less allow her in.
 

Rob Willey

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I kind of thought God came into the room with Jude given the way it lit up when he turned to see who it was.

It will be interesting to see if they really have the Vatican bumping off a rogue priest and making it look like suicide, a mortal sin. But I'm doubtful until the next episode (hopefully) clears things up.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Are they shooting for a "happy" ending?? And, what would that be?
I guess we'll find out next week!

In the preview:
Jamie can be seen running hand-in-hand with Frankie wearing the undershirt and boxers he's wearing in the bank vault, with Paula (in a wedding dress!) and Dave running behind them. So I think we can safely say that Jamie makes it out of the bank vault and it isn't Ariel that's been narrating from the bunker.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Now undoubtedly, if there had been a second season they would have found a way to get Jamie out of his fix.

But as it stands, as a one and done, that was a TERRIBLE ending.
 

Hollywoodaholic

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LOL. The only thing remotely positive I can say about that ending is that sure isn't how Hollywood would have done it. They never would have killed Rob Lowe off earlier, either. He would have ended up with the reformed nun, Jaime would be the narrator, and in my version, the only tapes in the bunker for watching until the Earth becomes inhabitable again would be Diana Rigg episodes of The Avengers.

In retrospect, it would have made an interesting BBC two-hour movie with that completely non-commercial ending, or an episode of Black Mirror, but man, for NBC to go 10 episodes on that is completely inexplicable, unless it was a summer series dump.
 

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