1899 (from the makers of Dark) [Netflix]

cdgalwegian

https://www.monstersandcritics.com/tv/netflixs-1899-trailer-appears-to-confirm-the-bermuda-triangle-link/

..

cdgalwegian

Starts tomorrow.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119787575#Comment_119787575

They were of their time, bit of a fashion too. As ships got bigger and longer they needed bigger boiler rooms and more stacks to exhaust all that smoke. Four stackers were sought after for a crossing by 'the quality' as they signified size, luxury and speed, although the Titanic was built for comfort rather than speed. Fun fact, the furthest aft stacks on the Titanic and sisters were dummies.

As technology improved, ships were built with fewer funnels, usually just the one, and for a more streamlined, modern look.

Slydice

I haven't watched the trailer...

and..

I don't think I will 🙂

peteeeed

there's a making of doc also added today

pixelburp

Each of the 8 episodes are a neat 50 minutes each. Makes a nice change from the modern affectation of one episode being 28 episodes long, the next is 70

cdgalwegian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119884545#Comment_119884545

I'll definitely watch that, but most definitely after I finish the whole season. I'd say they'd be sure not to have spoilers in it, given the timing of the release, but patience is a virtue - I think I'll use it as a sort of a book-end.

pixelburp

Episode 1 down and ooh yeah, let's go. Funny how knowing who made this I'm already trying to put the pieces together - or at least the clues I think the show was already putting in front of me. So many questions already, many of them mundane relating to who these passengers are and what their deal is. Especially the mandarin(?) speaking woman dressed up like a geisha. Weird!

I liked the little, but believable, addition where most of the characters don't speak the others ' languages, save for a few. One wonders how much that'll play into the chaos and confusion bound to be on the way.

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In fact the first "wait, what was that?" Moment being the first-ish scene and the lady doctor; starting to say "19...", before correcting herself to, "1899". Hmmmm...

Aside from that, it looked fantastic. Great use of rear projection for the outdoor scenes, with rich set design to give the ship a heady, tangible sense of old world luxury, albeit with a dark(!) and brooding twist.

Slydice

1: Excellent! Feels like proper Dark form. A ship full of secrets getting wrapped in a bigger mystery.

Characters and locations all well introduced.

Could I say I could guess at what's going on. Yes, no doubt. Do I think I really have a clue. Nope! 🙂

I do like that the ships name is Kerberos

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Kerberos, the "hound of Hades"

just after meeting Prometheus

Prometheus, "best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them"

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119888123#Comment_119888123

Yeah the ship names are somewhat on the nose, in the sense of pointing towards what I presume to be some kind of eventual thematic meaning.

The bit with the beetle was where I was like, wait, actually no; I really don't know what's going on

cdgalwegian

The Greek references are there, but there is also a heavy ancient Egyptian symbology going on, with the Pyramid as the obvious one, but also the beetle.

FIrst episode feels like a really creepy Agatha Christie set-up, with allusions to characters backgrounds and dubious motivations, but instead of a murder mystery, there are ominous portents of horrors to come.

Memory loss seems to be a theme, clearly with the female dr, as well as the black french-speaking guy who shows up from seemingly nowhere.

I wonder is he

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from the Prometheus, but can't remember yet?

De Bhál

tried this last night, don't think this type of stuff is for me, I was fast forwarding through parts where nothing was happening. Just don't have the patience for it.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119889253#Comment_119889253

Am in two minds whether to start watching... I like the premise, but usually prefer these high concept plots as a movie.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119889315#Comment_119889315

Give it a try. It's only ~50 minutes long. Did you watch Dark?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119889328#Comment_119889328

Heard good things about it, but I have an overload of subtitled shows and limited capacity to view :(

cdgalwegian

Episode 2, I think, digs deeper into Greek mythology, where the rooms are like a time-shifting labyrinth, at least so far for the captain. This then reminds me of that other Greek symbol of the ourobros, because it reminds me of the ending of that head-wrecker psychological horror film set mainly on board a ship: Triangle,

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with its supernatural circular narrative.

The corridors on the ship are being given a maze-like labyrinth feel to them.

The triangle with the line near the bottom is showing up everywhere, notably in connection with the boy, but is even part of the carpet design.

The relationship between the captain and Maura is fast becoming central, and we're getting the background to the captain, but Maura's flashbacks seem much more intriguing. As the Virginia Wilson character said in episode 1, everyone is running from something - the captain, as the captain, can influence events, but what can Maura's lost memories unlock?

And that final scene? The WTF'ery deepens.

Shred

I’ve just watched the first episode so far; really liking it and sooo many questions 😁

I didn’t realise the whole series was available all at once but won’t get to see any more of it until Sunday or early next week, pah!

cdgalwegian

Episode 3

So the triangle/pyramid is

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the company logo.

Yet it is a tattoo on the boys neck?

The beetle in Egyptian mythology symbolizes regeneration and resurrection; but it also seems to lead the way for people, and even seems to allow locked doors to be physically opened (for the Daniel character). In the scene where Daniel gets the beetle to open the door to the boy's (Maura's) cabin, the boy scoops up the beetle -

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as if both Daniel and the beetle are there for him (where Daniel swam from the Prometheus to the Kerberos following the boy). So the boy is a resurrection of some sort, and trying to manipulate others through the beetle?

The Kerberos' journey started off as a journey to America from England, but has become at this point the opposite journey, according to the passengers. So in the way that (some?) crew and passengers seemingly are mirror images of the now empty Prometheus, when they meet at this point, is this mirror-image flip-over the beginning of an infinite loop - the ouroboros?

Daniel using his technology to disappear the Kerberos becomes a flip-side from the Prometheus' pov then.

Every character that gets their background explored starts off lying on their bed, eyes wide open, and awakened with a startle after the words "Wake up" are uttered. This doesn't seem to be awakening from a dream - more like being kept in stasis, until their role is called upon.

Slydice

2: Solid! Oh yes indeed! Very Dark! Ship full of secrets being explored. The bigger mystery tightens it's grip. All with the tension ratchetting up!

So much going on..

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The girl! Why kill the girl!

The screens! Are they monitors like westworld.. are the time traveller monitors.. is there some futurist type Captain Nemo in this world!

The ships! The company! The letters! The captain! The doctor!

Yep, so plenty to keep the mind going!

Slydice

3: WTF! I'm lost. Not a clue. What just happened.

This is fine.

Fine.

Absolutely fine!

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Dammit, I swear I was narrowing in on this being like Westworld.. but like.. the ship just disappeared.

I do think that passenger list looked like it might be that both ships had the same/similar people on board.

Yeah ok. I'll just keep watching. This is all fine! Fine!

I did get a bit creeped out at one point..

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when the boy came out from under the bed.. he had a wierd look about him..

also with the sound effects.. it sounded like he went into some secret tunnel/passage under that bed too!

Slydice

4: ...

well .. I mean.. Yeah, no idea. 🙂

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So like.. the machine down near the engine room seems like advanced tech

the machine/pad thing that Daniel has looks like advanced tech

maybe the little black pyramid thing the kid has is advanced tech too.. like did he beam himself back on board maybe

the bugs.. scarabs maybe? maybe they are advanced tech

Of course.. guessing advanced tech is all well and good.. it could be they are going down the magic route either.

One half guess I had was maybe Daniel is a grown up version of the boy

head82

After watching the first four episodes in fairly quick succession, I reckoned I had some sort of an idea where this was going. There were a few possible scenarios how I figured this could unfold. I tried my best to take into account all the little hints, references and being a fan of the creators previous outing 'Dark', I considered myself equipped to prepare for every and any potential outcome.

Then I watched episode 5..

If you're only up to episode 4, abandon all preconceptions you may have had. In fact, don't try to analyse it at all. Just let it wash over you. You may find you'll enjoy it that much more. I know it's tempting to try and decipher all those little elements that a show like this provides but in this instance, you'll most likely be at a loss as those first 4 episodes leave a fake trail.

Don't get me wrong, this is engrossing TV and I'm thoroughly enjoying it but this deliberate attempt to lead the viewer down a particular path and then 'flip' it is becoming a bit 'wearing'.

cdgalwegian

Thanks for the heads-up. Too late of course for me, before I watch episode 4; thinking of the clues had reminded of an earlier thought I had had - that this was some sort of escape-room type scenario. After thinking about it for a while, I then began going meta, in terms of the Dark creation, and considering Daniel's

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technological capacity at the end of season 3 being reminiscent of that: what appears supernatural in the show is really technological.

This spins on the memory aspect, and ties in with the 'waking up', as well as the symbology. This is that the eternity of the symbology means we are being played by the characters recent memories. Instead of an ouroboros, it's more like

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a pendulum. The mid-point is the meeting of the ships, but time stretches either way at this point from the time of the pyramids to time way ahead of us, hence the technology that is slowly being concealed and revealed. The line in the triangle shows the oscillation from one of end to the other, as a different type of infinity to the circular ouroboros - sweeping back and forth in arcs, rather than circular.

This points to the owners of the ship/s, who had it/them mysteriossly retrofitted. It seems the clues that we are being drip-fed are also being drip-fed,

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like an escape room, for the characters (?) of the journey. Maybe I shouldn’t be watching this at the same time as The Peripheral, but it all points to being an elaborate simulation, and heading more towards a technological rather than a supernatural Lost-style puzzle-box.

My early money is on

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the company’s owners being the parents of the mute boy – the beetle symbolizing his resurrection in a simulation. For what, I don't know yet.

Slydice

5: I.. er.. hmmm.. nope .. I don't know! 😁

Eh right so, let's see...

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All those advanced tech guesses.. Yes.

Time loop.. still a maybe but .. no I am guessing not. Seems to be just time pausing or fast moving. Maybe that's what happened with the Kerberos disappearing that last time.

Closest reminder I have so far is like a cross of an Outer Limits episode where an Alien had subjugated mankind using mind control crossed with the Alien vs Predator visit to Antartica for the Pyramid buring beneath the ice.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119896035#Comment_119896035

Welcome to what I've been saying already on the thread! 😁😂🤣

Slydice

6: Did I make guesses about what was going on?!? Hahaha, what was I thinking?! 😁

I dunno.. maybe..

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like.. could they be in some kinda shared dream machine..

unless it's all real and some huge experiment.. with so many boats..

Captain is on the Prometheus anyway..

Yer man said he's Maura's husband.. so then I'm guessing the boy could be their son

Her father and his crewman insider mentioned a transfer and Maura mentioned him blaming the kids for losing their mother... so could the shared dream machine be about transferring the mothers mind from her old body to a new one.. maybe to Maura?

Cordell

I finished it this weekend. I found it a bit predictable and the concepts are not new and it draws a lot of inspiration from videogames like

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The Evil Within (without the evil stuff) and Control - especially the aesthetics.

One very interesting concept is that the simulation infrastructure is in the simulation itself, effectively making it a self hosting simulation where their brains are the computer which runs the simulation. Was Matrix the same?

But overall a solid 8/10. Not as good as Dark but easier to watch and follow.

Slydice

7: So things .. progressed.. but even still I'm not able to put my finger on it. There's definitely a maybe second season open at this point I think.

Let's see..

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So yeah.. it's a simulation.. looks like a big machine.. pipes .. cables and all that.. or a big simulation all in her Head? or many heads?

Then there are sides.. the kid and the father.. versus the grandfather and his crew.. but sides over what.. both seem to want something to end.

The kid is still a bit creepy to me.

cdgalwegian

Last scene of episode 4 seems to confirm it is all

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a simulation. The 'glowing' effect with 'the resurrection' is probably misdirection pointing to magic.

The broom-handle trapping the boy in the chest in the dining room

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at the end of episode 2 so; who would have been left behind to do this? Daniel followed the boy across from the Prometheus, so maybe him.

Cordell

At the beginning of the 1st episode there is a moment when they all sip their tea all at the same time.

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It was smart but it made is so much more predictable.

Slydice

Finished! Overall very much enjoyed that!

10: Haha! Oh how I laughed when the

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name of the spaceship was also Prometheus! 😁

Not sure if all the people then were real. Maybe. Maybe some part of the illusion.

I liked the look and feel of the future ship. Felt like the right development.

Future: Yes, I would very much accept another season!