BrainDead: The End of All We Hold Dear: What Happens When Democracies Fail
September 12, 2016 6:15 AM - Season 1, Episode 13 - Subscribe
Shame seems to be the ultimate space-bug-spray as we move into the season (series?) finale. Rochelle and Gustav play (play?) secret agent to investigate the greenhouses. And Laurel (Lana?) figures out Red's secret shame.
Not many questions left, and probably not much prospect of a season two given the anemic ratings, but we do know that Jonathan Coulton is an omniscient narrator who exists in the world of the show itself, which is somehow weirder than everything else that happened.
Not many questions left, and probably not much prospect of a season two given the anemic ratings, but we do know that Jonathan Coulton is an omniscient narrator who exists in the world of the show itself, which is somehow weirder than everything else that happened.
oh oh, "you didn't tell me you were in the NSA!" had me keep waiting for him to grin and answer "it's a fake badge". I mean we just saw him doctor one for the construction company...
posted by numaner at 10:30 AM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by numaner at 10:30 AM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
I was really hoping it wouldn't be as simple as "Kill one bug and they all die." Especially since it seems kind of weird that the queen would apparently decide that a Senator on the Intelligence Committee (which, admittedly, seems to have a lot more power than it should) was the best possible host.
posted by Etrigan at 11:23 AM on September 12, 2016
posted by Etrigan at 11:23 AM on September 12, 2016
Yeah, I was expecting him to say the badge was a fake as well.
It certainly seemed like they looked at the ratings and just decided to wrap it up, rather than having an extended bug war. Oh well. Wacky show, you were a weird delight, and at least you got an ending.
posted by tautological at 5:42 PM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
It certainly seemed like they looked at the ratings and just decided to wrap it up, rather than having an extended bug war. Oh well. Wacky show, you were a weird delight, and at least you got an ending.
posted by tautological at 5:42 PM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
They started filming in March. They might have been doing some pickups by the June premiere, but I suspect the whole thing was in the can by then. The trend for these summer event-ish shows (e.g. Under the Dome, Wayward Pines) is to throw them out there pretty much complete, and if they stick, great, give them another season, so maybe leave a little open.
I'm kind of amazed that there wasn't a last shot of a clutch of eggs somewhere.
posted by Etrigan at 6:07 PM on September 12, 2016
I'm kind of amazed that there wasn't a last shot of a clutch of eggs somewhere.
posted by Etrigan at 6:07 PM on September 12, 2016
And I stick with my original thought as regards basically everything in this series: the Kings have been really high since about Season 5 of The Good Wife.
posted by Etrigan at 6:13 PM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 6:13 PM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
That worked pretty well as a potential series end.
Scuttlebutt on the internet seems to be that, while the show's low ratings probably seal its doom, the network is also aware that it was well-reviewed, thinks it was a pretty good show, and knows it had a tough row to hoe with time slots/competition. So while it would normally be beyond saving, it still has a chance, albeit a slim one.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:48 AM on September 13, 2016
Scuttlebutt on the internet seems to be that, while the show's low ratings probably seal its doom, the network is also aware that it was well-reviewed, thinks it was a pretty good show, and knows it had a tough row to hoe with time slots/competition. So while it would normally be beyond saving, it still has a chance, albeit a slim one.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:48 AM on September 13, 2016
So while it would normally be beyond saving, it still has a chance, albeit a slim one.
Shit, ABC bought a second season of Galavant. Literally anything is possible.
posted by Etrigan at 7:52 AM on September 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
Shit, ABC bought a second season of Galavant. Literally anything is possible.
posted by Etrigan at 7:52 AM on September 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
The best part of that Galavant renewal was that season 2, episode 1 was titled, "SUCK IT, CANCELLATION BEAR."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:42 AM on September 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:42 AM on September 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
we do know that Jonathan Coulton is an omniscient narrator who exists in the world of the show itself
Since his head exploded a few episodes back I am assuming he simply ascended, Stargate style, and now is some sort of expository higher being.
I'm glad they gave us a satisfying wrap-up if it never makes it back. Because...
Shit, ABC bought a second season of Galavant. Literally anything is possible.
Well... Galavant pulled these ratings in its first season, with the last episode being a 1.1/3 share, with a 4.37 million viewers. The last episode of BrainDead got 0.3/1 and 2.06 million viewers. As the cancellation bear will tell you, this is as much a comparison game as an absolute one, but half as well? I'm not holding my breath no matter how bad their other shows are doing.
posted by phearlez at 8:39 AM on September 14, 2016
Since his head exploded a few episodes back I am assuming he simply ascended, Stargate style, and now is some sort of expository higher being.
I'm glad they gave us a satisfying wrap-up if it never makes it back. Because...
Shit, ABC bought a second season of Galavant. Literally anything is possible.
Well... Galavant pulled these ratings in its first season, with the last episode being a 1.1/3 share, with a 4.37 million viewers. The last episode of BrainDead got 0.3/1 and 2.06 million viewers. As the cancellation bear will tell you, this is as much a comparison game as an absolute one, but half as well? I'm not holding my breath no matter how bad their other shows are doing.
posted by phearlez at 8:39 AM on September 14, 2016
As the cancellation bear will tell you, this is as much a comparison game as an absolute one, but half as well? I'm not holding my breath no matter how bad their other shows are doing.
Oh, I'm not remotely holding my breath for S2, for many, many reasons. This was clearly a labor-of-love project by the Kings that CBS picked up as a thank-you, rather than "Oh, people loved The X-Files and The West Wing, so this'll be gigantic!"
posted by Etrigan at 9:25 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh, I'm not remotely holding my breath for S2, for many, many reasons. This was clearly a labor-of-love project by the Kings that CBS picked up as a thank-you, rather than "Oh, people loved The X-Files and The West Wing, so this'll be gigantic!"
posted by Etrigan at 9:25 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I do appreciate that, increasingly, the new normal for borderline renew/cancel shows is to try and end the possibly final season on a satisfying note. Once upon a time, the standard was to end on a cliffhanger to try and force the network's hand. But that so rarely worked and so you have magnificent single seasons of shows marred by a desperately open-ended last episode.
Not that I really think networks or producers give more of a shit about my feelings. Rather, it used to be that syndication was the only way to really make money on a show, so it was renewal or bust. Nowadays, there's value in selling even a single season to streaming services, and it's a better product if it doesn't leave people hanging.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:40 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Not that I really think networks or producers give more of a shit about my feelings. Rather, it used to be that syndication was the only way to really make money on a show, so it was renewal or bust. Nowadays, there's value in selling even a single season to streaming services, and it's a better product if it doesn't leave people hanging.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:40 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Tony Shalhoub appears to think he doesn't have a steady job on BrainDead.
posted by Etrigan at 11:43 AM on September 14, 2016
posted by Etrigan at 11:43 AM on September 14, 2016
I loved this show. Every weird, funny minute of it. The ending was satisfying. I'm going to miss it. I really liked so many of the characters, especially Laurel, Gustav, and Gareth.
posted by the webmistress at 12:12 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by the webmistress at 12:12 PM on September 14, 2016
I nearly gave up after the first two episodes, but I saw some comments online that it got better, so we stuck it out, and enjoyed it. It got more entertaining the loopier and more outrageous it became, and the sense of humor I expected did eventually show up.
And yes, thank goodness it had an actual ending. I'm rather tired of cliffhangers, especially from shows that didn't need to resort to them.
posted by pmurray63 at 9:59 AM on September 18, 2016
And yes, thank goodness it had an actual ending. I'm rather tired of cliffhangers, especially from shows that didn't need to resort to them.
posted by pmurray63 at 9:59 AM on September 18, 2016
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posted by numaner at 10:29 AM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]