Marco Polo (Netflix Original Series)

AnalBumCover · 12-15-2014, 10:37 PM

Midway through the first episode, and it seems interesting. Anyone else watching?

DaddyTorgo · 12-15-2014, 10:39 PM

I've watched like 2 episodes and change. I kept falling asleep this weekend (not cuz it was bad, just cuz I was tired).

Somewhat interesting.

AnalBumCover · 12-15-2014, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I've watched like 2 episodes and change. I kept falling asleep this weekend (not cuz it was bad, just cuz I was tired).

Somewhat interesting.

Just briefly read a review online saying that it does drag a bit for the first 3 or 4 episodes.

DaddyTorgo · 12-15-2014, 10:41 PM

Yeah - I should probably put it back on right now and check it out more while I'm more wide awake.

Surtt · 12-15-2014, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Just briefly read a review online saying that it does drag a bit for the first 3 or 4 episodes.

Just finished episode 10.

It started slow (like they say, first 3 or 4 episodes) but I thought it really picked up.
I am happy I stuck with it.

RainMaker · 12-16-2014, 01:09 AM

What would you guys compare it to? I am excited to watch this over the holiday but was disappointed to hear it got negative reviews.

Izulde · 12-16-2014, 03:51 AM

On Episode 8. The guys who play Kublai Khan and the Chancellor are great IMO. Hundred Eyes is awesome. Marco Polo is a completely dull, boring dude. The rest of the characters I'm eh to okay with.

If you accept that this is going to be completely ridiculous, unrealistic, and convoluted in its narrative, particularly in the first half of the season, you can have some genuine fun with it. Oh, and if you're attuned to this sort of thing, be aware that this series is so fucking orientalist, I had to keep checking to make sure we weren't back in the Victorian Age.

Izulde · 12-16-2014, 04:04 AM

To further expand on just how bad the narrative is, in terms of its pacing and orientation, it'd get laughed out of any workshop ever. The dialogue is, of course, your standard mish-mash of stilted period costume drama and kung-fu film philosophical nugget.

Which is another issue with the series. It never seems to know what it quite wants to be. Martial arts action series? Political intrigue drama? Relationship drama that explores conflict between cultures and the resolutions of those conflicts? Boobs on a platter with cheeseball plot? Romantic story?

It tries to be all of these things at once, and only half-succeeds at each one. Which is a real shame. There's damned good potential here for a genuinely great series that offers authentic room for thought along with the popcorn theatrics.

I think there's also a serious problem where the script keeps fucking force feeding us that Marco Polo is this totally charismatic, silver-tongued dude. And that never, ever becomes a reality. Instead, he's this completely uninteresting, frankly nondescript white dude that we've all seen ten thousand times before. The actor brings nothing to the character, and yet the narrative keeps wanting to make him be the center of the story.

Frankly, he shouldn't be. Rather (and I apologize for bringing up The Tudors again, but it seems to be an apt comparison), I would have rather seen the series, with the cast and script as it stands, be focused on Kublai Khan as the anchor, much as Henry VIII is in The Tudors. *That* would be much more interesting, and allow for a stronger narrative.

In order for Marco Polo to be worthy of the focus (and the title), there needs to be A) a much better actor in the role, and B) a script that doesn't exoticize Mongol and Chinese cultures of the time period to such a point that I want to find the white dude who wrote it and beat the shit out of him.

BishopMVP · 12-16-2014, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RainMaker

What would you guys compare it to? I am excited to watch this over the holiday but was disappointed to hear it got negative reviews.

I think the negative reviews were largely a product of the Game of Thrones comparisons. That's still the most similar show in terms of content and production budget, but it's not on that level in terms of quality, especially dialogue. I also think GoT can be just as confusing early on, but most viewers already read the books so they knew the various characters and in certain cases knew boring ones would get better. So overall I'd say a poor man's version of GoT, which overall I've still enjoyed for the couple episodes I've watched.

DaddyTorgo · 12-16-2014, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

To further expand on just how bad the narrative is, in terms of its pacing and orientation, it'd get laughed out of any workshop ever. The dialogue is, of course, your standard mish-mash of stilted period costume drama and kung-fu film philosophical nugget.

Which is another issue with the series. It never seems to know what it quite wants to be. Martial arts action series? Political intrigue drama? Relationship drama that explores conflict between cultures and the resolutions of those conflicts? Boobs on a platter with cheeseball plot? Romantic story?

It tries to be all of these things at once, and only half-succeeds at each one. Which is a real shame. There's damned good potential here for a genuinely great series that offers authentic room for thought along with the popcorn theatrics.

I think there's also a serious problem where the script keeps fucking force feeding us that Marco Polo is this totally charismatic, silver-tongued dude. And that never, ever becomes a reality. Instead, he's this completely uninteresting, frankly nondescript white dude that we've all seen ten thousand times before. The actor brings nothing to the character, and yet the narrative keeps wanting to make him be the center of the story.

Frankly, he shouldn't be. Rather (and I apologize for bringing up The Tudors again, but it seems to be an apt comparison), I would have rather seen the series, with the cast and script as it stands, be focused on Kublai Khan as the anchor, much as Henry VIII is in The Tudors. *That* would be much more interesting, and allow for a stronger narrative.

In order for Marco Polo to be worthy of the focus (and the title), there needs to be A) a much better actor in the role, and B) a script that doesn't exoticize Mongol and Chinese cultures of the time period to such a point that I want to find the white dude who wrote it and beat the shit out of him.

I totally agree with everything you've said here. And yet still...I find it good "popcorn TV" I guess. As long as I kinda turn my brain off then the visuals/sets are nicely done enough that I can keep watching.

RainMaker · 02-23-2015, 04:48 AM

I'm halfway through and this show is really good. I mean not top tier, but a solid popcorn show as DT puts it.

The complaints seem to be that it doesn't know what it wants to be. It isn't serious but also doesn't go too far into the gratuitous stuff like Spartacus. I actually think it's a nice mix. Get to enjoy some crazy Kung Fu scenes but also has a solid story behind it.

ColtCrazy · 02-23-2015, 01:54 PM

I'm a novel I'm writing there's a scene where the hero fights some baddies naked. Well, after watching the 1st episode, so much for that being original.

I need to pick it up again. After the first episode, I assumed there was a budding romance between Polo and the blue princess which is impossible since the princess was supposedly 25 years his junior and wouldn't have been born when Polo arrived in China. I agree the Polo character seemed flat, but I like Khan, the Chancellor, and his sister.

Travis · 02-23-2015, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColtCrazy

I'm a novel I'm writing there's a scene where the hero fights some baddies naked. Well, after watching the 1st episode, so much for that being original.

Have you read the Dark Tower series by Stephen King? First time I had read/seen a fight scene like that. Had a good twist on how one of the main characters viewed another because of how they handled the situation.

stevew · 02-23-2015, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColtCrazy

I'm a novel I'm writing there's a scene where the hero fights some baddies naked. Well, after watching the 1st episode, so much for that being original.

I need to pick it up again. After the first episode, I assumed there was a budding romance between Polo and the blue princess which is impossible since the princess was supposedly 25 years his junior and wouldn't have been born when Polo arrived in China. I agree the Polo character seemed flat, but I like Khan, the Chancellor, and his sister.

or that Drive Angry movie where Cage engages in a gunfight while in the middle of boning a skank.

12-16-2014, 03:51 AM	#7
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	On Episode 8. The guys who play Kublai Khan and the Chancellor are great IMO. Hundred Eyes is awesome. Marco Polo is a completely dull, boring dude. The rest of the characters I'm eh to okay with. If you accept that this is going to be completely ridiculous, unrealistic, and convoluted in its narrative, particularly in the first half of the season, you can have some genuine fun with it. Oh, and if you're attuned to this sort of thing, be aware that this series is so fucking orientalist, I had to keep checking to make sure we weren't back in the Victorian Age. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

12-16-2014, 04:04 AM	#8
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	To further expand on just how bad the narrative is, in terms of its pacing and orientation, it'd get laughed out of any workshop ever. The dialogue is, of course, your standard mish-mash of stilted period costume drama and kung-fu film philosophical nugget. Which is another issue with the series. It never seems to know what it quite wants to be. Martial arts action series? Political intrigue drama? Relationship drama that explores conflict between cultures and the resolutions of those conflicts? Boobs on a platter with cheeseball plot? Romantic story? It tries to be all of these things at once, and only half-succeeds at each one. Which is a real shame. There's damned good potential here for a genuinely great series that offers authentic room for thought along with the popcorn theatrics. I think there's also a serious problem where the script keeps fucking force feeding us that Marco Polo is this totally charismatic, silver-tongued dude. And that never, ever becomes a reality. Instead, he's this completely uninteresting, frankly nondescript white dude that we've all seen ten thousand times before. The actor brings nothing to the character, and yet the narrative keeps wanting to make him be the center of the story. Frankly, he shouldn't be. Rather (and I apologize for bringing up The Tudors again, but it seems to be an apt comparison), I would have rather seen the series, with the cast and script as it stands, be focused on Kublai Khan as the anchor, much as Henry VIII is in The Tudors. That would be much more interesting, and allow for a stronger narrative. In order for Marco Polo to be worthy of the focus (and the title), there needs to be A) a much better actor in the role, and B) a script that doesn't exoticize Mongol and Chinese cultures of the time period to such a point that I want to find the white dude who wrote it and beat the shit out of him. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Last edited by Izulde : 12-16-2014 at 04:05 AM.

02-23-2015, 01:54 PM	#12
ColtCrazy College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Midwest	I'm a novel I'm writing there's a scene where the hero fights some baddies naked. Well, after watching the 1st episode, so much for that being original. I need to pick it up again. After the first episode, I assumed there was a budding romance between Polo and the blue princess which is impossible since the princess was supposedly 25 years his junior and wouldn't have been born when Polo arrived in China. I agree the Polo character seemed flat, but I like Khan, the Chancellor, and his sister. __________________ The Field Generals and Statis Pro Basketball Super League

12-15-2014, 10:39 PM	#2
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	I've watched like 2 episodes and change. I kept falling asleep this weekend (not cuz it was bad, just cuz I was tired). Somewhat interesting.

12-15-2014, 10:41 PM	#4
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	Yeah - I should probably put it back on right now and check it out more while I'm more wide awake.

12-16-2014, 01:09 AM	#6
RainMaker General Manager Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago, IL	What would you guys compare it to? I am excited to watch this over the holiday but was disappointed to hear it got negative reviews.

02-23-2015, 04:48 AM	#11
RainMaker General Manager Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago, IL	I'm halfway through and this show is really good. I mean not top tier, but a solid popcorn show as DT puts it. The complaints seem to be that it doesn't know what it wants to be. It isn't serious but also doesn't go too far into the gratuitous stuff like Spartacus. I actually think it's a nice mix. Get to enjoy some crazy Kung Fu scenes but also has a solid story behind it.

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