Amber [RTE] [ Spoilers ]

BabysCoffee · 19-01-2014 11:57pm

I have no idea what's going on......I'll be back tomorrow ;-)

ArtSmart · 20-01-2014 12:00am

mrsdewinter wrote: »

Well, I won't be taking my opinions to twitter. As an RTE drama, it was all right - but no more than that. Deeply unsympathetic family, something horrible happens to them, they become even more unpleasant.
For the first episode, they should really have spent more time bedding down the characters. The action kept leaping in unuts of weeks - stopping just to let us witness a phone call, say.
I'll be tuning in tmw night but only because I'm expecting to have my mind blown by an amazing plot twist on Wed night...

Yeah, good luck with that.

I really despise shows driven primarily by commercial reasons.

like that muck called Lost and similar nonsense

expectationlost · 20-01-2014 12:00am

article about how RTE made Amber but delayed it for years to balance their books http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/media-and-marketing/amber-resurfaces-as-rt%C3%A9-one-strips-mystery-drama-1.1656437

ArtSmart · 20-01-2014 12:06am

expectationlost wrote: »

article about how RTE made Amber but delayed it for years to balance their books http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/media-and-marketing/amber-resurfaces-as-rt%C3%A9-one-strips-mystery-drama-1.1656437

from the article

Stripping is used by broadcasters whenever they want to build serials into “event” television. This works particularly well for shows that involve an element of mystery, as viewers don’t get a chance to lose interest in the resolution (or the lack of one, as the case may be). But it is also an appropriate tactic for the age of second screening. Fear of spoilers compels audiences to watch “live” rather than storing the whole series on personal video recorders and deciding at some later date whether or not to actually view them.

says it all really.

BabysCoffee · 20-01-2014 12:07am

Most children that get taken in Ireland are abducted by family members.......if Amber was kidnapped by a stranger I'm not convinced its a realistic story that needed telling by RTE. Its not really representative of what goes on regularly in Ireland.....unlike the USA

ted1 · 20-01-2014 12:09am

BabysCoffee wrote: »

Most children that get taken in Ireland are abducted by family members.......if Amber was kidnapped by a stranger I'm not convinced its a realistic story that needed telling by RTE. Its not really representative of what goes on regularly in Ireland.....unlike the USA

So tell us where Philip Carins is.

ArtSmart · 20-01-2014 12:12am

I can see the meeting now

Boss: "Let's not linger on the old fashioned nuts n bolts approach - the 'whodunnit' nonsense with its complex well crafted plot. Let's go with the 'the effect it had on each person's life approach'."

Drone: "Em, you mean pull a bait n switch, Boss?"

Boss: "Tut, tut, Drone. You really are so provincial, aren't you?"

BabysCoffee · 20-01-2014 12:13am

ted1 wrote: »

So tell us where Philip Carins is.

* Cairns

I said "most"

I didn't say no children are taken by strangers

And what's to say Philip Cairns wasn't kidnapped by a family member

Also this case happened in 1986 - and I don't think there has been regular kidnappings in the intervening 27 years

expectationlost · 20-01-2014 12:16am

ArtSmart wrote: »

from the article

Stripping is used by broadcasters whenever they want to build serials into “event” television. This works particularly well for shows that involve an element of mystery, as viewers don’t get a chance to lose interest in the resolution (or the lack of one, as the case may be). But it is also an appropriate tactic for the age of second screening. Fear of spoilers compels audiences to watch “live” rather than storing the whole series on personal video recorders and deciding at some later date whether or not to actually view them.

says it all really.

what does it say? do you reckon

ArtSmart · 20-01-2014 12:19am

expectationlost wrote: »

what does it say? do you reckon

well, expecationlost, do you remember 'lost' and the expectation you might have had...

wait a minute-

expectationlost

lost

expectation--

is this some kinda joke???

expectationlost · 20-01-2014 12:35am

ArtSmart wrote: »

well, expecationlost, do you remember 'lost' and the expectation you might have had...

wait a minute-

expectationlost

lost

expectation--

is this some kinda joke???

i do but my handle isn't about lost, its about the disappointment of adulthood

I havn't watched Amber, think delaying just to mess around with the accounts is a pretty crappy thing to do

ArtSmart · 20-01-2014 12:45am

Well the excellent Training Day (9/10) is on at midnight, Tv3.

or...The Big Lebowski (10/10) on itv4 at 11:55

so all is not, em, lost.

CinammonGirl · 20-01-2014 1:06am

The dad's business partner is Declan isn't he? He is a bit sus, Also why did the jouno want a spare key?!

Rookster · 20-01-2014 11:01am

The mother goes off to a spa after the daughter is taken. Very realistic alright.

Radio5 · 20-01-2014 11:41am

Very poor overall.

No character development, no sense of who Amber is and why we should care about her or any of her family. No sense of their daily lives or them having any extended family aside from the granny.

The Gardai took the laptop day one, no mention of it since despite the fact that most teenagers seem to live on their computers these days.

Ambers parents were present when her friend Jenny was being quizzed by the Gardai ? Not too realistic I would have thought.

HeidiHeidi · 20-01-2014 11:43am

Radio5 wrote: »

Very poor overall.

No character development, no sense of who Amber is and why we should care about her or any of her family. No sense of their daily lives or them having any extended family aside from the granny.

The Gardai took the laptop day one, no mention of it since despite the fact that most teenagers seem to live on their computers these days.

Ambers parents Gardai were present when her friend Jenny was being quizzed by the Gardai Amber's parents ? Not too realistic I would have thought.

FYP. Even more unrealistic!

Can't believe (if it's true) that this has been sold/shown all over the world - it's very average, if I'm being very nice about it. Love/Hate it ain't!

Ash.J.Williams · 20-01-2014 11:53am

characters - awful
dialogue - awful

but will give it a chance...

ted1 · 20-01-2014 11:55am

Rookster wrote: »

The mother goes off to a spa after the daughter is taken. Very realistic alright.

it was several days later, i'm sure she needed pick me up. try to take her mind off it.

Mr Freeze · 20-01-2014 11:57am

I'm going to go against the grain here and say, well I liked it. And will watch it tonight, looking forward to it.

I Heart Internet · 20-01-2014 1:37pm

The story is...fair and the format is good - covering a lot of time in one episode and then doing something similar from different angles on the other nights.

But problem number 1, which there's no getting around, is that ALL of the characters are thoroughly unlikeable. We are given no reason to like them/warm to them/sypathise with them in any way whatsoever....and I'm including Amber herself in this! So all in all, I'm not very interested in what happens any of them. Dialogue very wooden in parts too.

But, heh, I'll prabably still watch to find out where she's gone to.

Ceist_Beag · 20-01-2014 2:47pm

My take on it so far is that we probably shouldn't judge the show until all 4 episodes are aired. It moved ahead so far last night that the next few episodes must be back filling a bit on the timeline so I expect there to be quite a bit of back and forth between Day 1 and subsequent days in order to keep people guessing. So far we see the journalist friend of the mother as someone a bit suspicious and the guy in the prison cell must come into the story somewhere along the way - the rest is all a bit vague right now but I expect a bit more detail will be added tonight.
So whilst I didn't really enjoy last nights episode I'll hold off until it is over on Wednesday before making my mind up on it.

AnonoBoy · 20-01-2014 3:05pm

Seems like it could become something interesting.

There's lots of 'why did that happen?' or 'what about that?' questions being asked but it's deliberately being done like that. The show is going to retrace the same path over and over from other points of view so expect to get details filled in as the episodes unfold.

Going to keep watching myself.

Ned Dennehy is in danger of getting typecast as a sex offender type. He turned up in Luther playing a similar role not too long ago.

Mick Murdock · 20-01-2014 3:34pm

I Heart Internet wrote: »

The story is...fair and the format is good - covering a lot of time in one episode and then doing something similar from different angles on the other nights.

But problem number 1, which there's no getting around, is that ALL of the characters are thoroughly unlikeable. We are given no reason to like them/warm to them/sypathise with them in any way whatsoever....and I'm including Amber herself in this! So all in all, I'm not very interested in what happens any of them. Dialogue very wooden in parts too.

But, heh, I'll prabably still watch to find out where she's gone to.

Very good summation. Symapthy vacuums the lot of them!!

I Heart Internet · 20-01-2014 3:49pm

My own gut feeling on what happened (I haven't seen it so not a spoiler)............

.....is that she's been murdered by the granny with a parsnip.

Gadgetman496 · 20-01-2014 3:53pm

Will we know what happened to her by the end of episode 4?

Skid X · 20-01-2014 3:55pm

gadgetman496 wrote: »

Will we know what happened to her by the end of episode 4?

Google it if you want to know. We don't want to hear the plot before we watch it.

DeepBlue · 20-01-2014 3:57pm

gadgetman496 wrote: »

Will we know what happened to her by the end of episode 4?

I suspect it will be a bit like The Fall last year i.e. no real resolution and we never find out what actually happened.

Still I think the family dodged a bullet with Amber going missing. She seemed like a right little madam and would probably have caused 10 times the upset and upheaval if she'd actually stayed around for the rest of her teenage years. :pac:

walshb · 20-01-2014 3:59pm

I tend to agree with a lot here. The characters are just too wooden. No charisma, fun or likability. It leads the viewer to "not care" what happens to Amber.

lac007 · 20-01-2014 4:00pm

The actress playing the Mother is terrible, Fair city type actress.

coolhull · 20-01-2014 5:12pm

This is not a spoiler but. . . .

I think it was Professor Plum, in the bathroom, with a corkscrew.

amdublin · 20-01-2014 5:19pm

lac007 wrote: »

The actress playing the Mother is terrible, Fair city type actress.

Ah jaysis she's not as bad as that!

Dozen Wicked Words · 20-01-2014 5:20pm

dastardly00 wrote: »

Does anyone have any idea why it is taking RTÉ so long to broadcast it, even though they funded it?

pickarooney wrote: »

Maybe they were waiting for the missing last episode to show up?

Watched it on Netflix and actually checked to make sure I had watched the whole thing because it certainly didn't feel like I did.

lac007 · 20-01-2014 5:22pm

amdublin wrote: »

Ah jaysis she's not as bad as that!

OK not that bad.:D

DarkJager · 20-01-2014 5:31pm

Watched this last night and won't be tuning in again, pure ****e as expected. I don't care about any of the characters at all, every single one is unlikeable. I single out the actor playing the father especially because he seems to have gone to the Steven Seagal school of acting (no emotion at all and delivering every line like he's in an action movie rather than the parent of a missing child).

There's also the thing of the prison cell guy which just seems lazily ****ed in to the script to attempt some mystery when a straightforward story could be told from the disapearance alone.

Terrible stuff and sadly 60 minutes of life I won't get back but will not be wasting another 180 on.

FloatingVoter · 20-01-2014 7:14pm

I've watched all 4 eps this morning. I now know who did and did not do what - if indeed anything was did or done or whatnot.

Now that you're all clear on that - it is no better or worse acting or plotwise than some of the serials churned out by BBC / ITV etc. It doesn't have subtitles so obviously it won't attract the intelligentsia. I found it a quite interesting morning watching it.

FunLover18 · 20-01-2014 9:06pm

Started watching the first episode tonight, turned off after twenty minutes. How am I supposed to care about this girl after only 5 (obnoxious) minutes of onscreen presence. Also the direction and acting was pretty poor. Why was the superintendent being a dick and I seriously doubt a superintendent would attend the first day's house search.

Also, who in Ireland calls the Gards "the police"

Tasden · 20-01-2014 9:09pm

FunLover18 wrote: »

Also, who in Ireland calls the Gards "the police"

Me

FunLover18 · 20-01-2014 9:12pm

Tasden wrote: »

Me

Seriously? I've genuinely never heard anyone call them that which is why it stuck out for me

Mick Murdock · 20-01-2014 9:20pm

These shows are made with foreign audiences in mind so the dialogue is always suspect.

Worst things that stuck out to me.. The names - Amber, Dee Dee, BEN????

Also the phone callls from Sergeant Karen Mulcahy were very cringe.. Reminded me of CSI or something, just done very very badly. Most of the Gardai were awful too.

Tasden · 20-01-2014 9:22pm

FunLover18 wrote: »

Seriously? I've genuinely never heard anyone call them that which is why it stuck out for me

Yep, never called them the gards really. But people always ask me if I'm from Poland or else (not as often) america based on an accent I seem to have, so maybe its cause I use different words too!

Tugboats · 20-01-2014 10:29pm

All set for part 2

amdublin · 20-01-2014 10:31pm

Mick Murdock wrote: »

These shows are made with foreign audiences in mind so the dialogue is always suspect.

Worst things that stuck out to me.. The names - Amber, Dee Dee, BEN????

Ben is fine for me.

But Amber* is just completely wrong IMO...its not your standard irish name google amber alerts usa...
Dee Dee????
Sherry/Cherry/Terry??

*Another poster suggested Emma would've been better and I agree

HeidiHeidi · 20-01-2014 10:34pm

amdublin wrote: »

Ben is fine for me.

But Amber* is just completely wrong IMO...its not your standard irish name google amber alerts usa...
Dee Dee????
Sherry/Cherry/Terry??

*Another poster suggested Emma would've been better and I agree

Emma just suggests bog-roll to me now.... that ad has ruined the name for me forever :mad:

Skid X · 20-01-2014 10:37pm

Amber's Dad seemed far more excited about Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport than he did about his Daughter's disappearance last night.

amdublin · 20-01-2014 10:37pm

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Emma just suggests bog-roll to me now.... that ad has ruined the name for me forever :mad:

I don't get it?!

Is there a toilet roll with a similar name or something?!

amdublin · 20-01-2014 10:38pm

This one is up to something!

Skid X · 20-01-2014 10:41pm

amdublin wrote: »

I don't get it?!

Is there a toilet roll with a similar name or something?!

You know ... Emma! Emma! ...

Harry Angstrom · 20-01-2014 10:41pm

It's getting like a Glenroe reunion now. Poor ould Chuck has lost all his hair.

grey_so_what · 20-01-2014 10:42pm

Skid X wrote: »

You know ... Emma! Emma! ...

It's Eeemmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaa Skid......:P

amdublin · 20-01-2014 10:42pm

Creepy prisoner....check
Cut throat journalist friend....check
Ruthless editor.....check
Schnakey employee.....check

Amber [RTE] [** Spoilers **]

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Amber [RTE] [ Spoilers ]