The Devil's Plan (& Genius Game UK)
Jun. 20th, 2025 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scaramouchePartway through watching The Devil's Plan season 1, I did a quick search on youtube for TDP-related content to get an idea if TDP is/was popular. The algorithm fed me a video by ![[youtube.com profile]](https://youtube.com/favicon.ico)
TaranArmstrong commentating over Genius Game, a UK version of the original The Genius, which I forgot existed but at least knew existed at all because David Tennant is the "host". (Not really, he's in prerecorded video footage explaining the games and tallying results, but he's not physically there to host.)
I watched bits of Taran's videos and really enjoyed his commentary! He has a good handle on strategy and figuring out game mechanics to explain them in ways that I can understand (a blessing!), plus he has a good grip on the social aspects of the game. Most important though, I think, is that Taran's upbeat energy is nice and he gets invested in a fun-to-watch way, with good humour, and it's fun to see him so critical of Genius Game's mostly wishy-washy players and the UK audience's dislike of complicated games. The reason the algo fed me his videos is because he mentions that he loved TDP season 1 and wants to do commentary over TDP season 2. He couldn't upload the videos to youtube, so he put them on patreon instead, so I figured hey, once I started watching TDP season 2, I can intersperse that with his commentary videos.
TDP season 2 I think starts strong, there's a good selection of contestants, some of whom are well familiar with board games and/or card games, and the showrunners changed the format up where instead of two players going to prison at the end of every main match, half the players would go there, and instead of a prize match that all the non-prison players have to play to get prize money, there's a death match where all the prison players have to play to survive. Plus because the thing about season 1 was the hidden prison game, both sets of players immediately get on trying to figure out the hidden games in both areas, which are found pretty early in the season.
Unfortunately as the season went on, the flaw in the overall game design had an accumulative effect, and it got to a point where I found myself enjoying the show less and less, and ended up mostly (though not always) watching Taran's commentaries instead of the actual episodes. I bailed entirely in episode 10 of 12. I might go back, I might not, but it's just not fun anymore.
( Cut the rest for length. )
I watched bits of Taran's videos and really enjoyed his commentary! He has a good handle on strategy and figuring out game mechanics to explain them in ways that I can understand (a blessing!), plus he has a good grip on the social aspects of the game. Most important though, I think, is that Taran's upbeat energy is nice and he gets invested in a fun-to-watch way, with good humour, and it's fun to see him so critical of Genius Game's mostly wishy-washy players and the UK audience's dislike of complicated games. The reason the algo fed me his videos is because he mentions that he loved TDP season 1 and wants to do commentary over TDP season 2. He couldn't upload the videos to youtube, so he put them on patreon instead, so I figured hey, once I started watching TDP season 2, I can intersperse that with his commentary videos.
TDP season 2 I think starts strong, there's a good selection of contestants, some of whom are well familiar with board games and/or card games, and the showrunners changed the format up where instead of two players going to prison at the end of every main match, half the players would go there, and instead of a prize match that all the non-prison players have to play to get prize money, there's a death match where all the prison players have to play to survive. Plus because the thing about season 1 was the hidden prison game, both sets of players immediately get on trying to figure out the hidden games in both areas, which are found pretty early in the season.
Unfortunately as the season went on, the flaw in the overall game design had an accumulative effect, and it got to a point where I found myself enjoying the show less and less, and ended up mostly (though not always) watching Taran's commentaries instead of the actual episodes. I bailed entirely in episode 10 of 12. I might go back, I might not, but it's just not fun anymore.
( Cut the rest for length. )
Book Log: Targeted
Jun. 19th, 2025 05:50 pmscaramoucheI picked up Brittany Kaiser's Targeted: My Inside Story of Cambridge Analytica and How Trump, Brexit and Facebook Broke Democracy when it first came out in paperback a handful of years ago, but hadn't read it because, well, I figured it'd be stressful. And it is stressful to read, which I have just done, considering where the world has gone since the first Trump election! But I think it worked out in the end because the book is already dated, and that helps to put some things in perspective in how facebook is no longer the powerhouse it once was, and our understanding of Big Data and data protection has evolved somewhat.
So Kaiser was an employee and eventual whistleblower of Cambridge Analytica (CA), I think it's quite widely known now how CA used Big Data to develop highly detailed psychographics of US voters to manipulate them in the 2016 election, especially towards the goal of voter suppression. What the book does is provide Kaiser's understanding of the timeline of events plus the details of the wheeling and dealing of players behind the scenes who were funding and/or moving money around, plus how the data was scraped and hidden in the first place (like, I knew all those facebook quizzes were part of data scraping and psychological profiling, but reading about it is still upsetting). But Kaiser says she had no hand in the data herself, since she was mostly pitching customers towards signing a contract before handing off to the operations team.
Since Kaiser didn't handle data herself I didn't get what I would've loved to know more about, which is how manipulation happens, beyond Kaiser's description of customized advertisments to incite anger and fake grassroots movements, but we knew that already. The psychology of it is interesting, and I would've liked deeper analysis of how to process news in a noisy world, and of the psychological and societal consequences we're still living in. But that's not the point of the memoir, and Kaiser's main emphasis is the attempt to redeem herself for her role in CA by focusing on data protection moving forward, which feels at this point a little horse-out-of-barn situation, but that doesn't mean we can't become more conscious of our online safety and support legislation to better protect everyone's privacy. (Facebook also being a case study of new social media being the wild wild west and allowing such abuse because no one knew what to protect themselves from.)
Plus when I say the book is dated, I'm also specifically referring to how Kaiser's exit strategy to get out of CA was to join the blockchain community.👀
So Kaiser was an employee and eventual whistleblower of Cambridge Analytica (CA), I think it's quite widely known now how CA used Big Data to develop highly detailed psychographics of US voters to manipulate them in the 2016 election, especially towards the goal of voter suppression. What the book does is provide Kaiser's understanding of the timeline of events plus the details of the wheeling and dealing of players behind the scenes who were funding and/or moving money around, plus how the data was scraped and hidden in the first place (like, I knew all those facebook quizzes were part of data scraping and psychological profiling, but reading about it is still upsetting). But Kaiser says she had no hand in the data herself, since she was mostly pitching customers towards signing a contract before handing off to the operations team.
Since Kaiser didn't handle data herself I didn't get what I would've loved to know more about, which is how manipulation happens, beyond Kaiser's description of customized advertisments to incite anger and fake grassroots movements, but we knew that already. The psychology of it is interesting, and I would've liked deeper analysis of how to process news in a noisy world, and of the psychological and societal consequences we're still living in. But that's not the point of the memoir, and Kaiser's main emphasis is the attempt to redeem herself for her role in CA by focusing on data protection moving forward, which feels at this point a little horse-out-of-barn situation, but that doesn't mean we can't become more conscious of our online safety and support legislation to better protect everyone's privacy. (Facebook also being a case study of new social media being the wild wild west and allowing such abuse because no one knew what to protect themselves from.)
Plus when I say the book is dated, I'm also specifically referring to how Kaiser's exit strategy to get out of CA was to join the blockchain community.👀
Chucky (TV)
Jun. 16th, 2025 01:05 pmscaramoucheI have finished Chucky season 2, what a fun time! Not a strong start for me, because I found the season's set-up of Jake, Lexy and Devon getting sent to a Catholic boarding school in lieu of going to juvie somewhat hackneyed, plus I don't care much for the use of Christian symbols and themes in this particular franchise, but then! Character work! (Which I'd missed at the end of season 1.) Jake and Devon get to have character-driven conflict! Devon gets to be angry and express it! Jake is distracted by his own guilt! Lexy gets crunchy emotional stuff with her addiction and via their friendship with the new adorable character of Nadine! Yum yum yum.
So it's all about being orphans and the fallout of when parents let their kids down. The first three Child's Play movies were entirely about this: traumatized children who are not believed or protected by their parents/guardians, so the show coming back to that and setting it in a Catholic institution is a bit too on the nose for me, but I did very much enjoy the trio getting to fully mirror Andy and Kyle's experience as children lost in the system and eventual turning to violence in order to find meaning (violence against Chucky, but violence all the same), and that mirror going all the way to the finale where everyone gets their catharsis, and Andy and Kyle gaze upon on the trio and are glad that at least they get to grow up without the fear of Chucky hanging over them.
Which is why I wish the show ended right there, with that oh so satisfying win. That was a great murder of Chucky that Andy did! (Were his gunshots meant to mirror how Chucky was shot to death in the first Child's Play, only Andy is his own hero now?) Episode 7 is such a banger, and allowing everyone to vocalize their fears and regrets just gives so much emotional weight around the horror camp elements, what a great balance.
But this being a horror franchise and the show having been renewed, that's not the end and the trio get to be traumatized some more. :(
Other stuff:
So it's all about being orphans and the fallout of when parents let their kids down. The first three Child's Play movies were entirely about this: traumatized children who are not believed or protected by their parents/guardians, so the show coming back to that and setting it in a Catholic institution is a bit too on the nose for me, but I did very much enjoy the trio getting to fully mirror Andy and Kyle's experience as children lost in the system and eventual turning to violence in order to find meaning (violence against Chucky, but violence all the same), and that mirror going all the way to the finale where everyone gets their catharsis, and Andy and Kyle gaze upon on the trio and are glad that at least they get to grow up without the fear of Chucky hanging over them.
Which is why I wish the show ended right there, with that oh so satisfying win. That was a great murder of Chucky that Andy did! (Were his gunshots meant to mirror how Chucky was shot to death in the first Child's Play, only Andy is his own hero now?) Episode 7 is such a banger, and allowing everyone to vocalize their fears and regrets just gives so much emotional weight around the horror camp elements, what a great balance.
But this being a horror franchise and the show having been renewed, that's not the end and the trio get to be traumatized some more. :(
Other stuff:
- The absurdity of Devon Sawa returning to the show as a brand new character after being killed off twice in season 1 is fantastic. I also think I laughed the hardest at the prep montage where Father Bryce changed his cassock solely to show off his abs.
- Good Chucky was such a fun little gimmick and, besides being fun in itself, I like how it informed Jake's grappling with his own guilt and projecting his hopes that if one of the Chuckys could be redeemed, maybe Jake can, too. Brad Dourif's voice work with Good Chucky is phenomenal. I cared less for the other two Chucky variants, though.
- Lexy's little sister Caroline was so much more interesting in the season opener, and I was bummed that we didn't get much more of her, though it looks like she might have a bigger role in season 3. (Unless the show is going to further push how young their victims can be.)
- Jennifer Tilly was way more delightful this season, I think because having Tiffany at odds with Chucky is just more interesting for longer arcs, plus the very fascinating tonal dissonance between her being charming and having her own insecurities, while at the same time doing such monstrous things to Nica and, as revealed this season, Chuckyverse!Jennifer Tilly.
- Sadly, I did not care for Glen and Glenda. It felt like Mancini had trapped himself with the vague ending of Seed of Chucky, and the machinations to get the twins out of the way felt more contrived than anything else. I think my main issue is that I could not buy Glen and Glenda's characterization as relatively normal teenagers despite having been raised by goddamned Tiffany Valentine.
- The meta episode where Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, etc. were at Tiffany's house for the twins' birthday, is a fun gimmick but some of the gags were a bit much, a bit too Seed of Chucky for me. Loved seeing Meg Tilly, though! .
- Sister Catherine as a legitimately normal and kind character really grounded the season. Same goes for the sincerity of emotions in the Christmas finale between the trio and Lexy's mom. You need that sincerity when there's OTT horror-comedy going on everywhere else, plus the breath of fresh air that is an adult who does want to protect the kids and listen to them.
- Freddie Lounds! Okay well, it's Lara Jean Chorostecki as Sister Ruth, a bit part that I WISH was bigger because, what a weird character who's so hungry for praise and to feel special, that she could've been pulled into the Chucky conspiracy but her quirkiness only ended up maneuvering her into becoming fodder.
- Nadine is a great new character, what a great actress, and I'm glad they added her in to give someone for Lexy to bond with, though I did say out loud at two different points, "Oh she's a goner." And then... yeah.
- Nica, sadly, I feel was kind of just... there. I think this is an unfortunately natural progression from her role in season 1, where she's cordoned off from the other storylines and trapped with Tiffany. I wonder also if this is a consequence of her two movies (Curse and Cult) being straight up horror, and the aftermath of that leaving her in a situation so awful that there's no place for levity, let alone relief. The only connections she makes are with the twins, and later Andy and Kyle, but they're so brief and don't break her out of her (and her story's) isolation. The status quo finally ends in season 2 with her freedom, so I'm hopeful for more interesting things for her to do in the next season.
The Devil's Plan (& The Genius)
Jun. 15th, 2025 10:07 amscaramoucheWhile casually browsing Netflix for something that could be playable out in the open while repairmen go around the house, I saw a Korean reality/game show The Devil's Plan. I clicked it and after a while went huh, the game vibes are similar to The Genius, which I very much enjoyed a few years ago. So I looked it up and oh, there's a creative team overlap, that makes sense!
So The Devil's Plan, although it opens melodramatically, it is almost the same format as The Genius in that there's complicated board-type games to play, and there is an accumulative currency ("pieces" in TDP, garnets in The Genius) gained through games that confers survival and other benefits in the long term. But the major difference between the two is that The Genius was played one day a week over multiple weeks, while The Devil's Plan is played continuously over a week while the players live together in the set over that time Big Brother style.
I wonder if what happened is that the makers of The Genius got the idea from seeing how some of the players (primarily season 2 onwards, is my impression) organically met up for dinner after recording sessions, where they socialised without game stress, analysed the games they just played, and worked out feelings that might have accumulated on-camera. I think I remember some of the players mentioning that some production staff joined them for those dinners as well, and from there maybe someone got the idea that these off-game sessions could be part of the show itself. Plus the shorter timeline really amps up the intensity of the game relationships and does not give the players true breaks to recover regular headspace.
I think it's really interesting that TDP season 1 isn't as cutthroat intense the way I remember season 2 and 3 of The Genius being, which you'd assume it would be considering that all the players MUST have watched The Genius and other similar shows beforehand. It might be the choice of the players themselves, but the show format itself has two games a day, where one game match has the players competing against each other, and another game that they have to win collectively, and the teamwork of that second game counters negative feelings that might have come out from the regular match. I liked that, I thought it was very clever! I also wonder if the living-in format also reduces drama since players have to spend ALL their time with each other, and Korean social community rules guide them into working out peaceable solutions.
( Cut for The Devil's Plan season 1 winner spoilers. )
So The Devil's Plan, although it opens melodramatically, it is almost the same format as The Genius in that there's complicated board-type games to play, and there is an accumulative currency ("pieces" in TDP, garnets in The Genius) gained through games that confers survival and other benefits in the long term. But the major difference between the two is that The Genius was played one day a week over multiple weeks, while The Devil's Plan is played continuously over a week while the players live together in the set over that time Big Brother style.
I wonder if what happened is that the makers of The Genius got the idea from seeing how some of the players (primarily season 2 onwards, is my impression) organically met up for dinner after recording sessions, where they socialised without game stress, analysed the games they just played, and worked out feelings that might have accumulated on-camera. I think I remember some of the players mentioning that some production staff joined them for those dinners as well, and from there maybe someone got the idea that these off-game sessions could be part of the show itself. Plus the shorter timeline really amps up the intensity of the game relationships and does not give the players true breaks to recover regular headspace.
I think it's really interesting that TDP season 1 isn't as cutthroat intense the way I remember season 2 and 3 of The Genius being, which you'd assume it would be considering that all the players MUST have watched The Genius and other similar shows beforehand. It might be the choice of the players themselves, but the show format itself has two games a day, where one game match has the players competing against each other, and another game that they have to win collectively, and the teamwork of that second game counters negative feelings that might have come out from the regular match. I liked that, I thought it was very clever! I also wonder if the living-in format also reduces drama since players have to spend ALL their time with each other, and Korean social community rules guide them into working out peaceable solutions.
( Cut for The Devil's Plan season 1 winner spoilers. )
Murderbot
Jun. 13th, 2025 11:11 ammarinarusalka5 episodes in, I'm still greatly enjoying the show, with my one complaint being that the episodes are too short. I'm looking forward to doing a binge rewatch of the whole thing once all the episodes are out, I suspect it will work really well.
( some spoilers thoughts on the latest episode )
I really really hope this show gets renewed long enough for us to meet ART. It'll be so awesome.
( some spoilers thoughts on the latest episode )
I really really hope this show gets renewed long enough for us to meet ART. It'll be so awesome.
FIC: None of Us Stand Alone
Jun. 11th, 2025 11:43 pmalexcatTitle: None of Us Stand Alone
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 681 words
Content notes: This is post Endgame
Author notes: My grandmother used to say 'Charity begins at home' because she never gave anyone anything.
Summary: Tony has a surprise for Steve at his charity ball.
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 681 words
Content notes: This is post Endgame
Author notes: My grandmother used to say 'Charity begins at home' because she never gave anyone anything.
Summary: Tony has a surprise for Steve at his charity ball.