Vice Principals with Danny McBride and Walton Goggins

reposting: http://www.vulture.com/2016/07/hbo-vice-principals-tv-review.html

For another example of a work that takes magnificent pleasure in the Machiavellian plotting that happens at a high school, one need look no further than Alexander Payne’s Election to see how it can be done well. By comparison, Vice Principals suffers, partly from not quite nailing the proper tone and, admittedly, because of the moment in which it happens to be arriving.

thought there were many good points in that one, tbh

never seen Election, will check it out

goggins' character's sudden satanic blooming in the seduction/arson scene was more fight club than election i thought, but i've never seen fight club

i think the biggest issue w/this is that it's coming out right now, it's as poorly timed a launch as the debut of 24

xp- omg his little impish prance up to the family portrait :'D

I think if you're actually comparing the show with Election on a qualitative level it's going to come up short because Election is one of the GOAT comedy movies.

don't really think this show about a frustrated, humiliated white man being goaded by a demonic nihilist into acts of self-destructive violence for the sake of catharsis is particularly poorly timed

shades of peter verkhovensky in goggins imo: gladhanding goofball persona as wrapper for genuinely radical evil

for mcbride humiliation is motive but for goggins it seems more like excuse (cf also iago!)

sry to thinkpiece

xxxxp Also there are only two episodes of this out, right? Maybe wait until the end of a season before rushing to compare it to Election.

otm, i'm not willing yet to go any further than dostoevsky and shakespeare

Yeah, I see this going to some potentially interesting places. McBride likes his dumbshit comedy but he also likes his pathos. I can see him sobering up from Goggins's influence and attempting to set things right, with hilarious results.

never seen Election, will check it out

― flopson, Wednesday, July 27, 2016 3:38 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

modern classic IMO -- even if you haven't liked alexander payne's other films, this one is real good.

Yeah, basically just ignore the man behind the curtain. Shocking dropoff in quality after that one.

Mrs. Libby asking "open or closed?" as she exits Gamby's office gets me every time

that might be the moment of the show so far ^

don't really think this show about a frustrated, humiliated white man being goaded by a demonic nihilist into acts of self-destructive violence for the sake of catharsis is particularly poorly timed

― le Histoire du Edgy Miley (difficult listening hour), Wednesday, July 27, 2016 7:36 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

meant poorly timed in the sense that it was guaranteed, as a result of when it debuted, to elicit concerns about What It's Really Saying

Thinkpieces and zings aside, this is just not good.
Bonus points for "underage" nudity, what could be funnier

lol @ "I love you"

heh yes!

there was a lot of funny this ep, im glad I didn't bail on this show

great last line too: "this is our home now"

"who put the po po in your ho ho"

great episode, show's on a roll

I like this show a lot but Eastbound & Down has my heart

meant poorly timed in the sense that it was guaranteed, as a result of when it debuted, to elicit concerns about What It's Really Saying

― if young slothrop don't trust ya i'm gon' rhyme ya (slothroprhymes), Thursday, July 28, 2016 1:30 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

turns out it's probably the best critique of american masculinity we're going to get.

Chekhov's brass knuckles was great.

"I'm sorry you made me yell at you"

show is delivering imo

Catching up, watched the field trip ep last night. Bit of a detour ep but still so good. At it's most NO DONT DO IT DONT DO IT the show is verging on the genre of horror, imo

Goggins is really a joy to watch

it reminds me of alexander payne's better offerings, tbh

Also, if the race politics are headed where I think they are, I really like the show's gall. If they're not I might stop watching.

caught up now; the plotting in this is really good isn't it.

If anything I find the ex/daughter subplot a little distracting, but I guess it goes towards his motivations and whatnot.

Goggins is hilarious. Ive never seen him in anything before.

I've started up on Justified. Goggins reminds me a bit of Bruce Dern. Similar build, intensity and both have those crazy eyes.

Oh the spit bust wow

Also can we take a moment to acknowledge the awesomeness of Ray?

goggins in the hospital doing the unnecessary 360 and then shoving a clown was legit incredible

this has been weirdly all over the place tbh

Also can we take a moment to acknowledge the awesomeness of Ray?

― Quarter measures (sunny successor), Monday, August 29, 2016 2:46 AM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

YES

happy that this show has gotten better since the bitter arguments itt circa ep 2

tbh I was offended that Gamby wooed Miss Snodgrass

it's definitely gotten a lot funnier (or im more receptive the the humor) lately. the "guess the occupation" scene was really funny. and the deadpan "I'm high as a motherfucker."

still find this fucking terrible but tbh it's become a hate watch.

high point was the first 25 minutes of the episode with the shitty neighbor, felt like a good look into the brain of goggins, but the knucks save kinda defeated the purpose?

No that's the whole point, McBride had to brass knuckles the workout metal dude because Goggins, though evil, is too chicken to do face-to-face confrontations, he can only do weaselly backstabbing stuff (spiking the kool-aid with lsd, spitting in Brown's coffee--btw: deepest body squirm at when she catches him doing this after his plan to pit the union/school-board against here goes off without a hitch) and goad McBride into confrontations. crucial dynamic

a iago/othello dynamic

yup

i guess i just wish that the neighbor was a problem for more thna half an hour is all i am saying

Snodgrass falling for Gamby ruined this show.

i mean not that it was that good before.. but CMON ONNNNNN