Devs (Alex Garland series - FX on Hulu)

Slydice

Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go, Dredd, Ex Machina and Annihilation.

Snip from wiki: computer engineer investigating a quantum computing company

Trailer:

Slydice

Appears to have had two previous teasers.

Style elements feels a like of a mix of Ex Machina, Blade Runner 2049 and Cube so far.

One:

Two:

cdgalwegian

Excited by this. Alex Garland has one of the best sci-fi minds in the business, and is bringing a long-form story to us at last. Directing all 8 episodes as well.
Nick Offerman's soothing voice means all will be well....

pixelburp

You had me at "Alex Garland"

cdgalwegian wrote: »

Excited by this. Alex Garland has one of the best sci-fi minds in the business, and is bringing a long-form story to us at last. Directing all 8 episodes as well.
Nick Offerman's soothing voice means all will be well....

Excellent, that was my next wondering; sometimes the aesthetic or tonal shifts between directors' visions can be quite jarring, so am glad to hear Garland himself is helming all the episodes. Should make everything nice and consistent.


Some footage of the finale has already been leaked however

cdgalwegian

Damned spoilers.
Though Ron Swanson as a Luddite? Shoulda seen it coming.

Agent Coulson

FX reusing all the sets and locations from Legion.

Slydice

Starts airing on 05 March

https://twitter.com/FXNetworks/status/1222981900182024192

Slydice

TV spots three, four and five. Think I've got the names right.

Three: Devs | Amaya Preview

Four: Devs | Gold Preview

Five: Devs | Scared Preview

cdgalwegian

From SFX:
"Heady ideas about quantum physics, determinism vs free will, technology's increasing chokehold on our lives, and even the unpredictability of love, are revealed and swirled together.
All of it is the distillation of Garland's 15-year exploration of certain philosophical and scientific ideas, especially determinism".
Drool.....Not long now.

Mr E

First two episodes are out now.

Mr E

Mr E wrote: »

First two episodes are out now.

generally positive on metacritic

https://www.metacritic.com/tv/devs/season-1

brevity

Is this coming to bbc2 - I thought I read they have a deal with fx/Hulu

Do I have to go talk to my cousins if I want to get it sooner?

Slydice

1:

Me at the start of the episode: hrmmm.. why is there a violence warning
Me at the end of the episode: oh

For an hour in length, that episode absolutley flew by! High quality, well acted, good camera work, good direction.
Story is very mysterious!

Plot:

At first the only idea I was thinking that Sergei hadn't guessed was teleportation.

When Katie (Alison Pill who plays in Star Trek: Picard)

said it changes absolutely nothing, I then guessed it was gonna be that the universe is a finite state machine. They say deterministic but feels like I got it there.

At a guess

I'd say we're about to explore what it feels to be trapped in events you already know are going to happen and you can't do anything about.... unless they've cracked some way to make changes.. or maybe Lily (Sergei's girlfriend) might turn out to be "the one (tm)" who can change it all

Slydice

2: :eek:

I thought he was losing the fight.. maybe trying to break yer mans arm. I didn't see that coming!

Also to add that the sound/music work on this show is really good so far!

Oh and I notice

some license plates begin 6PCI

.. I assume that's a San Francisco thing?

human 19

Great timing now that I am missing Mr. Robot. I love the fractal cube. Now, that's an office!

extra gravy

Slydice wrote: »

2: :eek:

I thought he was losing the fight.. maybe trying to break yer mans arm. I didn't see that coming!

Also to add that the sound/music work on this show is really good so far!

Oh and I notice

some license plates begin 6PCI

.. I assume that's a San Francisco thing?

They're specialty plates for film/tv production I think.

is_that_so

Didn't take to this at all. For all the mystery it turned out to be pretty predictable stuff for me. Was also not a fan of the long meaningful pauses and the sparse Pinteresque dialogue along with the dreary music. After watching both of the first two, felt I could have just skipped the first one completely as episode 2 actually went somewhere and IMO covered the ground a whole lot better. Anyway I'm sure it'll keep those who like it entertained.

Slydice

is_that_so wrote: »

it turned out to be pretty predictable stuff

al87987

Enjoyed the first two eps, intrigued for more and to see where it goes. Great song for the fight scene at the end of episode 2.

Predictable is not the word I would use to describe it.

is_that_so

Slydice wrote: »

Never having watched the show no idea what the reference is but I guess you're upset!

Different strokes ...

Slydice

is_that_so wrote: »

Never having watched the show no idea what the reference is but I guess you're upset!

Different strokes ...

Warning! Joke explainer...

Fry is the characters name.

The joke I'm going for is: Fry see what you did there

because..

the show is being made out to be about how everything is predictable in the universe and then you posted your post

Slydice

3: Well, they sure got their creepy music vibe going.

I think

we're seeing glimpses at the bigger plot here. Something to do with USA politics on one hand and maybe an internal plot for Amaya in Devs. Maybe Lily is succeeding before she's being helped. The guess I'm going with it maybe Katie (Alison Pill) is helping her. Maybe she wants to take over this new technology from the inside.

extra gravy

Am I right in thinking that the technology allows them to see into the past? But what do they hope to achieve with this? Predict the future?

Slydice

extra gravy wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that the technology allows them to see into the past? But what do they hope to achieve with this? Predict the future?

It's wierd what they've shown so far.

Yeah the past has potential but all I can see is maybe to find valuable things and get information for bribery.

I felt like they implied being able to see the present/future by killing Sergei. That they knew he was an imposter. That's where my suspicion about Katie possibly helping Lily is coming from.

Slydice

4: Hrmmmm

So

either Lily has one day left before she dies.. or I'm guessing:

• the everything-is-predictable idea is proven wrong
• the everything-is-predictable idea was hacked by the insider (Katie?) I was guessing about
• her death might have just been a glimpse into one of the future mutliple-worlds thing

Some very fine audio-visual directing by Alex Garland in this episode. Right from the start. Earphones on.

Slydice

5: So chill after that episode.

I also smiled at how he rescued her. Again still thinking Katie is up to something. Although maybe it's all just a Lily-joins-the-crew thing, the only way the multiverse would allow.

Dammit, I can't remember enjoying a show like this without it being cancelled.

Keep going through the credits for .. a surprise song?

I looked up:
jebal: Korean - used when pleading or begging for something.
American Century: kinda heard of this one before - used by some historians to refer to the 20th Century.

Slydice

6: Right so. My guess is either:

• they've been mistaken and the universe is not deterministic and randomness can happen
• the event they couldn't see was lily breaking the machine somehow and that the machine could only see as far as it was turned on
• something really wierd is gonna happen

Kenton definitley gonna be involved

2 episodes left!

Snake Plisken

Great show, just binged the first six episodes, happened across it watching GQ interviewing Nick Offerman breaking down his top roles, and this was the last on his list and once he mentioned Alex Garland, I knew I had to watch it. Fantastic soundtrack up as well if you search on Spotify you will find a playlist for the show. I do hope we get a second season but it could well be a one season deal. Looking forward to the final 2 episodes.

JP Liz V1

brevity wrote: »

Is this coming to bbc2 - I thought I read they have a deal with fx/Hulu

Do I have to go talk to my cousins if I want to get it sooner?

brian_t wrote: »

Devs starts on BBC2 on Wednesday 15th April at 9pm

.

Snake Plisken

There won't be a season 2, Alex Garland has stated, nothing left to tell outside the 8 episode story arc.
Also aparantly this week's episode is crazy from critics who have seen screeners for this episode. Can't wait love this show!

Cina

The main actress is terrible, she's ruining an otherwise really good show.

extra gravy

Cina wrote: »

The main actress is terrible, she's ruining an otherwise really good show.

Garland is clearly a fan, she was in Ex Machina as well.

s7ryf3925pivug

I've found her annoying as opposed to a noticeably bad actress.

Her sidekick I also find annoying, though I think the actor playing him is good.

I think the only character I actually like is the one being played by Nick Offerman.

I don't know why they have an attractive woman in her twenties playing a teenage boy. Is it a weird prank to try to make guys think they've started being attracted to teenage boys? ...Googling, apparently it's to have an adult actor that looks young.

Good show though. Though a bad ending would ruin it. I am optimistic that it will end strongly though.

Cina

Damien Millions Memorial wrote: »

I've found her annoying as opposed to a noticeably bad actress.

Her sidekick I also find annoying, though I think the actor playing him is good.

I think the only character I actually like is the one being played by Nick Offerman.

I don't know why they have an attractive woman in her twenties playing a teenage boy. Is it a weird prank to try to make guys think they've started being attracted to teenage boys? ...Googling, apparently it's to have an adult actor that looks young.

Good show though. Though a bad ending would ruin it. I am optimistic that it will end strongly though.

The big guy clearly calls her a her in the show and says "you're 19, why.. bla bla". They didn't make her a teenage boy, though admittedly I did think she was a teenage boy up until that episode!

s7ryf3925pivug

Cina wrote: »

The big guy clearly calls her a her in the show and says "you're 19, why.. bla bla". They didn't make her a teenage boy, though admittedly I did think she was a teenage boy up until that episode!

Well you should tell Alex Garland that. This is from an interview with him:

"It's not a trans character, and it never was, and I never toyed with the idea of it being a trans character," he says, noting that he simply decided to cast a young woman to play a cisgendered boy.

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/alex-garland-interview-devs

s7ryf3925pivug

Meh I lost my sense of immersion during that episode. Was unable to suspend my disbelief.

The bridge bit spoilt it for me. Super genius gets excited spouts some quasi software developer speak and ****s themselves off a bridge.)

Some good action though.

Slydice

7: Wow! That was freakin intense

with Kenton!

:eek:

I could tell Jamie was gonna die. Something needed Lily to not keep to her stay-at-home plan. I did not see the Pete being a Russian agent killing Kenton coming!

All set up for the finale now.

Definitely recommend headphones or some proper sound system cos it was done really well this episode. Some proper sound design and direction to go with some really well shot scenes, and direction, and acting (

her arm shakes!

)


I looked up 3 things:
"open the bruise up, and let some of the bruise blood":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Out_(Reich)

The Harlem Six were six black youths arrested for a murder of Margit Sugar, a Hungarian refugee, in Harlem in the weeks following the Little Fruit Stand Riot of 1964

and

one of the boys involved in the riots but not responsible for the murder; he was nineteen at the time of the recording. At the beginning of the piece, he says, "I had to, like, open the bruise up, and let some of the bruise blood come out to show them" (alluding to how Hamm had punctured a bruise on his own body to convince police that he had been beaten while in jail). The police had not previously dealt with Hamm's injuries since he did not appear seriously wounded and they had beaten him themselves.

The Poem was Aubade By Philip Larkin:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48422/aubade-56d229a6e2f07

Making all thought impossible but how
And where and when I shall myself die.
Arid interrogation: yet the dread
Of dying, and being dead,
Flashes afresh to hold and horrify.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Larkin

in 1974 he started work on his final major published poem, "Aubade"

and

Larkin's style is bound up with his recurring themes and subjects, which include death and fatalism, as in his final major poem "Aubade"

The song.. has Irish connections (Irish Story Link):

Slydice

Slydice wrote: »

Definitely recommend headphones or some proper sound system cos it was done really well this episode.

Gave the credits a shot. That was wierd! :eek:

Something akin of ASMR?

s7ryf3925pivug

The next episode is the finale. The conclusion will either make or break the series for me.

Troyaferd

Quite interesting Series with nice atmosphere, let`s see how the finale will turn out.

somuj

Have only see a trailer

But I reckon it's based on finding proof that our reality is only a simulation

Cartman78

This started on BBC 2 last night...absolutely fuming that I missed it :-(

Is there any way of catching up after missing the first episode?? The Beeb don't seem to be repeating it

s7ryf3925pivug

god that was a surprise

Badly Drunk Boy

Cartman78 wrote: »

This started on BBC 2 last night...absolutely fuming that I missed it :-(

Is there any way of catching up after missing the first episode?? The Beeb don't seem to be repeating it

I hadn't even heard of it until a minute after 9 last night but thankfully, it started 3 minutes late so I hit SERIES RECORD!

I'm sure BBC will repeat it soon enough, once they've shown the full series, but it'll probably be after midnight or possibly on BBC4 (but more likely BBC2 late night).

steve_r

Just watched the finale there. Honestly one of the most thought provoking things I have ever watched. Beautifully shot.

I think it's one of the most ambitious stories I've seen told, and yet also one of the best from a storytelling perspective becuase it doesn't get lost in its own mystery.

Cannot recomed this enough. Honestly in awe of Alex Garland for putting this together,

Slydice

Finished. Overall: Good new SciFi. Think thought-provoking more than action.. but with action in it.

8: Well.

It was all kinda laid out before this. I wonder was it his intention that she just do something, anything, he just needed the fuzz. Anyway, my guess is he didn't want the many worlds cos he wanted more than a simulation. His focus on the single world plus the ending feels like he wanted to change his world.. maybe I dunno.

I could see a potential second season.

The way the senator at the end was asking about who knew has me thinking a maybe but getting Alex Garland again for a TV series? I dunno.

s7ryf3925pivug

Damien Millions Memorial wrote: »

god that was a:) surprise

This was a pun

s7ryf3925pivug

Slydice wrote: »

Finished. Overall: Good new SciFi. Think thought-provoking more than action.. but with action in it.

8: Well.

It was all kinda laid out before this. I wonder was it his intention that she just do something, anything, he just needed the fuzz. Anyway, my guess is he didn't want the many worlds cos he wanted more than a simulation. His focus on the single world plus the ending feels like he wanted to change his world.. maybe I dunno.

I could see a potential second season.

The way the senator at the end was asking about who knew has me thinking a maybe but getting Alex Garland again for a TV series? I dunno.

Think I remember reading that there would not be a second season.

He had a conversation with his friend explaining why didn't want the many worlds. If I remember correctly, he didn't want the many worlds because he didn't want it to have been possible for what happened his family not to have happened. He wanted to prove that there was nothing that could have gone differently.

Penn

Only up to episode 3, but the main actress is terrible. I mean she's godawful so far. Enjoying the rest of the performances though.

gmisk

Penn wrote: »

Only up to episode 3, but the main actress is terrible. I mean she's godawful so far. Enjoying the rest of the performances though.

I thought it was just me ..she is blank...maybe it will make more sense as it goes along.
It's blooming excellent so far bar her.

Actually she was pretty excellent in episode 3...just finished it!

Penn

Finished the show last night.

It was okay. It was saved by the performances of Nick Offerman and Alison Pill who were both fantastic throughout. Some incredible scenes and wonderful writing too. But I stand by my assertion that the main actress was awful, and while half the story was great, it was let down by the other half.