The Old Man

[McDad]

New series on FX with streaming on HULU. I don't watch a lot of tv. But when I saw the ads for this series, I knew I would give it a try.

Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow do a good job creating compelling characters. The action scenes are realistic by Hollywood standards. My main complaint is the pace. Breaking Bad is the best example of a show with perfect pacing. Things move at just the right speed. Nothing seems forced to introduce characters, relationships, and circumstances. TOM suffers in pace, I think. By the second episode, this widower, former spy, ultimate badass, and father has entertained the idea of never seeing his adult daughter again but begins a romantic relationship with a complete stranger. It's unrealistic and contrived. Also, Jeff Bridges has only one "old man" character in his repertoire which irritates me.
I mostly like the acting and story. I like the action. And, I like the concept of a man in his 60s/70s in conflict with Uncle Sam.

 

[TheDeeble]

I've got it on my DVR. Set it up to record when I heard about it a couple weeks ago. Haven't watched it yet, but FX often has good series.

 

[CagleMtnVol]

 

[RDU VOL#14]

I just started watching it. I’m about 1 3/4 episodes in. Enjoying it so far. I think both Bridges and John Lithgow are doing a really good job.

 

[EricStratton]

Starting it tonight.

 

[McDad]

I thought last night's episode was the best so far. Less action scenes but much better pacing. Maybe they rushed the prior episodes to get the audience engaged.

I think the flashback scenes are better than the present day scenes. Lithgow is acting circles around everyone else though. I wish they would focus more on his character. I would also like to see how the villian ( i can't remember his name) went from leading a small village in afghanistan to a person with tremendous wealth and power.

The young, female FBI agent (spoiler) isn't really doing anything for the story. Her character is marching time. Her placement in the drama feels too contrived.

And, I'm sorry, but the angle Zoey (?) took in the city apartment with Dan is ridiculous. A man of his history would eliminate her when faced with that ultimatum. In fact, he would have eliminated her back at her home and staged the assassination attempt to look like a robbery.

 

[Behr]

I thought last night's episode was the best so far. Less action scenes but much better pacing. Maybe they rushed the prior episodes to get the audience engaged.

I think the flashback scenes are better than the present day scenes. Lithgow is acting circles around everyone else though. I wish they would focus more on his character. I would also like to see how the villian ( i can't remember his name) went from leading a small village in afghanistan to a person with tremendous wealth and power.

The young, female FBI agent (spoiler) isn't really doing anything for the story. Her character is marching time. Her placement in the drama feels too contrived.

And, I'm sorry, but the angle Zoey (?) took in the city apartment with Dan is ridiculous. A man of his history would eliminate her when faced with that ultimatum. In fact, he would have eliminated her back at her home and staged the assassination attempt to look like a robbery.

Glad you like it, I watched most of the first episode and was bored to death. To be fair though I've grown to despise Bridges. Haven't always felt that way about him and don't know why I've changed. Lithgow has always been a favorite though. Anyway...enjoy.

 

[McDad]

Glad you like it, I watched most of the first episode and was bored to death. To be fair though I've grown to despise Bridges. Haven't always felt that way about him and don't know why I've changed. Lithgow has always been a favorite though. Anyway...enjoy.

I really wish you would explain your newfound loathing for Bridges. I find him to be a lazy actor (all his old characters are essentially the same) but I am not sure I ever really liked him.

 

[Behr]

I really wish you would explain your newfound loathing for Bridges. I find him to be a lazy actor (all his old characters are essentially the same) but I am not sure I ever really liked him.

True Grit did it for me. I really wish I hadn't watched it. Matt Damon is a favorite of mine and that almost ruined me from him too. It was a debacle. I knew it and swore I wouldn't watch it, but one night my curiosity got the best of me.

I really can't stand to see his face. He reminds me of BeardedVol. Lol.

 

[n_huffhines]

It's good

 

[n_huffhines]

True Grit did it for me. I really wish I hadn't watched it. Matt Damon is a favorite of mine and that almost ruined me from him too. It was a debacle. I knew it and swore I wouldn't watch it, but one night my curiosity got the best of me.

I really can't stand to see his face. He reminds me of BeardedVol. Lol.

So weird

 

[Behr]

So weird

 

[n_huffhines]

View attachment 468998

And you like Friends?! JFC

 

[tn4elvis]

I just started watching it. I’m about 1 3/4 episodes in. Enjoying it so far. I think both Bridges and John Lithgow are doing a really good job.

Lithgow is great. Anything he is in is worth the watch.

 

[Behr]

And you like Friends?!

Just because I used a gif with Monica Gellar and Phoebe Buffay from season 3 episode 9 doesn't mean I like Friends.

 

[sunnyvol79]

Enjoying it so far. It’s a slow burn but the acting is good and I like the cat and mouse game between the Lithgow and Bridges characters.

 

[give_him 6]

This is a really good show. There was a thread not too long ago about actors with range. John Lithgow would definitely be one that I would say has a lot of range. He and Jeff Bridges do a nice job in this one.

 

[volinbham]

one episode in - like it so far

 

[Notorious B.E.N]

I started it last night and watched 5 episodes so far. I like how something major is introduced in every episode.

 

[TheDeeble]

Great show. At first I didn’t realize there is going to be a season 2. At the end of ep7 I was like is that it? That’s how it ends? I’d just assumed it was a limited series.

Not really a spoiler but no reason to say too much this soon.

Spoiler

Although I thought they foreshadowed the big plot reveal back in like episode 2 or something. One of the few times I called it.

 

[Notorious B.E.N]

Great show. At first I didn’t realize there is going to be a season 2. At the end of ep7 I was like is that it? That’s how it ends? I’d just assumed it was a limited series.

Not really a spoiler but no reason to say too much this soon.

Spoiler

Although I thought they foreshadowed the big plot reveal back in like episode 2 or something. One of the few times I called it.

New episodes come put every Friday, was today the last one?

 

[TheDeeble]

New episodes come put every Friday, was today the last one?

I think so. It sounds like Bridges getting a cancer diagnosis forced the show to be adjusted to meet the changing needs. But it's already been approved for season 2.

While Steinberg was convinced the show would never be seen, all he wanted was for Bridges to pull through. “It’s hard to watch,” he said. “But then when we started to get the sense that he was feeling like, ‘I want to come back and finish this,’ the idea of subjecting him to five more episodes of shooting just didn’t seem real.”

That’s when the writers figured out how to turn a 10 episode story arc into seven, said Steinberg, “where the end of seven still feels like a finale.” It was a cliffhanger. “It actually works,” he said. “Yeah, it was better, because the 10 episodes had always just been a default. That’s the box the season comes in. And when we had the freedom to say, ‘Well, what is it? If it could be anything? What would we want to be? It started to coalesce around this seven-episode run in a way that was better for the story.

The Old Man Delivered Action Thrills Despite Ailing Star Jeff Bridges | IndieWire