This Is England '88

[The Midnight Rambler]

Thought it was bloody brilliant? The montage in the middle didn't really work but apart from that it was top notch.

[Nick Leeson]

Nuts to the haters, I enjoyed watching something thought provoking as opposed to the usual brain sucking bollocks tv serves up. Not as impactive as the previous film / series but I still enjoyed it.

 

What surprises me more than anything are the people who slagged it then watched it again so they could come on this thread and slag it some more. If I watch something I don't like I don't watch any more of it. Simple really.

If you don't like reading people complaining about shit then don't go on a forum! You see what I'm doing here?

 

Anyway, for me, as I'm sure everyone else who thinks it was shit, it's as much to do with the disappointment as I was expecting something as good as the previous and it wasn't. Not even nearly.

 

For you, who is actually lying about enjoying it? Well that's just loyalty. Loyalty because you've, probably unknowingly to be fair, wound up a fan.

Dogs do that pretty well too though so don't go patting yourself on the back too much.

[Hooch]

Is Woody's dad Tommy Smith?

[chauncey]

I think cos its so popular people are doing the usual its shite routine which it isnt.

 

Its been two years, the first one had to give us a catch up and a reminder, the second one shows the build up to tonights which will no doubt be harrowing and boss TV.

 

Fuck off back to desperate Scousewives or whatever other bollocks is on if you dont like it.

 

I dont get why you'd come on a thread to rip in to something which other people obviously like.

 

I think we'll see a suicide attempt or even suicide tonight, somethings going to happen.

 

Be honest: you only like it because it's popular.

[RobbieOR]

I thought the first half of that episode tonight was really really powerful. But after Lol was in hospital it kind of slowed back down again. 86 set the bar so high that it is near impossible to better.

 

I was dissapointed that they didnt show more of Shaun too, I was expecting a bigger storyline.

[Faustus]

I thought it was dead good like innit.

[russ1979]

If you don't like reading people complaining about shit then don't go on a forum! You see what I'm doing here?

 

Anyway, for me, as I'm sure everyone else who thinks it was shit, it's as much to do with the disappointment as I was expecting something as good as the previous and it wasn't. Not even nearly.

 

For you, who is actually lying about enjoying it? Well that's just loyalty. Loyalty because you've, probably unknowingly to be fair, wound up a fan.

Dogs do that pretty well too though so don't go patting yourself on the back too much.

 

Your talking Wank mate and you're about as funny as the bloke in your avatar! you see what I've done there!!.

It was quaility drama tv

[Woo]

I thought this episode was excellent - although the previous two were a bit slow - and, quite frankly, I don't give a shit what the rest of you think.

[cochyn]

Proper telly that.

 

I don't watch a great deal of it these days as it's mostly formulaic TV-by-numbers - even the 'good' stuff is led by production values over actual engagement with the viewer.

 

If that's what you're used to then, fine. But I still say; no-one does set-pieces like Shane Meadows. His ability to make poetry out of the mundane is pure genius. That said, TIE '88 had more than it's fair share of cinematic filler but I can forgive that given Meadows's ability to make it look utterly beautiful. Is it time for him to step up?

[Redder Lurtz]

If you don't like reading people complaining about shit then don't go on a forum! You see what I'm doing here?

 

 

Nah not really. I said I was surprised that people who previously slagged it off watched it again. I didn't say I didn't like it.

 

Anyway, who rattled your cage?

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Nuts to the haters, I enjoyed watching something thought provoking as opposed to the usual brain sucking bollocks tv serves up. Not as impactive as the previous film / series but I still enjoyed it.

 

What surprises me more than anything are the people who slagged it then watched it again so they could come on this thread and slag it some more. If I watch something I don't like I don't watch any more of it. Simple really.

 

I'ts amazing that the only alternative to watching this is to watch Friends and The Essex programme, I think that's what I've taken from this thread more than anything, I hadn't realised that. As for it surprising you that people who slagged it off watched it again, well, I had this far out notion that I might watch the episodes and then decide if it was good or not, you might want to try it that way around. I enjoyed the film, I didn't enjoy anything about the this three part series.

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Nah not really. I said I was surprised that people who previously slagged it off watched it again. I didn't say I didn't like it.

 

Anyway, who rattled your cage?

 

Haha, he rattles his own.

[Wor Horse]

All a bit pointless.

 

Nothing happened, just recapped and finished all the storylines in '86. Woody was the only saving grace from a comedy perspective. Episode 1 was good but the other 2 were just filler.

[loadsoftrophies]

Tis boring, i gave up on it. Some of the acting is again shite and it just trying too hard to be hard hitting.

[mlwilliams]

Downloaded all the episodes this morning before work and have been watching them tonight. On the second episode and it's not great, nothing compared to '86. A lot of the scenes have been incredibly awkward with barely any plot, like Wor Horse said it seems a bit pointless.

[Paul]

Just finished watching it tonight and I thought it was brilliant. However, it's quite clearly fundamentally tied to '86 and doesn't really work as a stand alone piece of drama; also, the style and music - according to my recollection, at least - misses 1988 by a good few years. In fact it seems to be more 1982 or 1983 (in terms of look, if not music) rather than the year when Soul II Soul and De La Soul were emerging.

 

Once again, Vicky McClure was amazing. I'm going to start nagging my mate who works in telly to get her cast in something of theirs because she is unreal, in my view. I loved the back to back scenes of her with the nurse and then Combo. Shane Meadows' direction is really clever in the first scene as it fluctuates between naturalism and then fantastical hyper realism without seeming contrived. Following straight on from that, the subtleties of Stephen Graham's performance were brilliant. I find the characters of Lol and Combo really compelling anyway, but that scene in the prison where she visits him was very emotional.

 

I was made up that Woody and Lol found each other again at the end; she looked genuinely comfortable and relaxed for the first time in two series when she put her head on his chest. The use of Shaun was a bit disappointing and I agree that his reaction to being caught in flagrante by Smell was a bit over the top. But then again, his character is significantly younger than all the others and he reminds me of loads of teenage lads in so far as he's a bit of an emotional baby.

 

Overall, if set against the incomparable first series, this pales. However, if seen as part of the same thing, it's quite clearly ace. It's all about the characters for me (and especially Lol): if you care about them then it's brilliant.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Paul

[loadsoftrophies]

I also find it hard to watch a scene with that twunt Stephen Graham in it.

[VladimirIlyich]

I recently watched 86 as originally I was only able to watch the first of that series as I thought it was crap but I was glad I watched it as it turned out to be excellent despite my misgivings.

 

I've just watched 88 and thought it was a load of crap to be honest.

Like Johnny H I was around the same age as the characters at the time so hoped I would be able to connect and understand but just couldnt at all.

 

I thought that you couldnt find a worse bunch of characters in a series and couldnt care what happened to them at all.

 

Hope they can it for good now.

[Trucker Paddy]

Without reading the whole thread, anybody know when these are repeated?

[RobbieOR]

They are available on 4od mate.

[Trucker Paddy]

They are available on 4od mate.

 

What's that rob?

[Carradona]

This Is England - Channel 4

 

It's Channel 4s version of the iPlayer.

[Mendoza]

Maybe not quite up to the standards of '86 and the film, but still damn fine television.

[Trucker Paddy]

This Is England - Channel 4

 

It's Channel 4s version of the iPlayer.

 

Cheers