wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The first four seasons are good, really good, you should check it out. You'll enjoy it.

However, Season 5, which recently aired, paints Charles in a very good light, which is why they cast a handsome actor (who is part of the Prince's Trust!) to play him. And paints Diana in more of a less virtuous light. The Crown creator is pro-royal.

(The Crown won't tackle Harry and Meghan because it only tackles stories that happened decades ago. And the Harry and Meghan story is still ongoing.)

I think choosing The Queen's well guarded nickname as the name of their daughter is one of the best troll moves in history and it may never be topped. Total ballers.

I say, WELL DONE!

okaydo said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The first four seasons are good, really good, you should check it out. You'll enjoy it.

However, Season 5, which recently aired, paints Charles in a very good light, which is why they cast a handsome actor (who is part of the Prince's Trust!) to play him. And paints Diana in more of a less virtuous light. The Crown creator is pro-royal.

(The Crown won't tackle Harry and Meghan because it only tackles stories that happened decades ago. And the Harry and Meghan story is still ongoing.)

---

Im sorry, I just can't get into this royals thing to watch. I will make snarky remarks, and the wife will get pissed. Just have to count me out. We can debate the next Tolkien or Game of Thrones spin off - that is as British as I can muster.

wifeisafurd said:

---

okaydo said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The first four seasons are good, really good, you should check it out. You'll enjoy it.

However, Season 5, which recently aired, paints Charles in a very good light, which is why they cast a handsome actor (who is part of the Prince's Trust!) to play him. And paints Diana in more of a less virtuous light. The Crown creator is pro-royal.

(The Crown won't tackle Harry and Meghan because it only tackles stories that happened decades ago. And the Harry and Meghan story is still ongoing.)

---

Im sorry, I just can't get into this royals thing to watch. I will make snarky remarks, and the wife will get pissed. Just have to count me out. We can debate the next Tolkien or Game of Thrones spin off - that is as British as I can muster.

---

I mean, it is about the royals. But it also isn't. There's a lot of focus on the non-royal parts of the story. It's about what was going on in Britain. Or the world from the British point of view. They focus on different POVs, including from outside the royal family. There's even an episode devoted to the moon landing, which, as you know, wasn't a British thing. If you love history, it's definitely interesting.

As I said, my wife watches my demented violent shows (Gangs of London, Peaky Blinders, Giri/Haji, Warrior, Banshee, McMafia, etc.) so I will watch anything she likes. My favorite episodes of The Crown are the ones that focused on the Fayed family. The relationship of Mohamed Al-Fayed and his valet, Sydney Johnson, his relationship with his son, Dodi, and the Fayed family venture into show business (they financed Chariots of Fire and won a Best Picture Oscar).
The actress that played Diana, Elizabeth Debicki, was eerily spot on, according to those that knew Diana.

dajo9 said:

---

concordtom said:

---

Let's get this straight, though.
She's not African American.
She's white. Her father is white!
And she American, not African! She was born in LA! Okaydo can prove it, knows her mum!

---

Dude, what are you talking about?

Also, Meghan and Lilibet are U.S. citizens. I'm sure Harry and Archie can be if they apply (maybe Archie already is, I don't know). .

---

Tongue in cheek re race and nationality.
I guess it did not translate.

We are all mixed.
We are all mutants from our common grandparents.
We have all moved about the planet.
We are all cousins.
One big family.
Homo sapiens. Translation: "thinking man" - Except on the part of a few posters here, and a few Republican politicians.

Eastern Oregon Bear said:

---

dajo9 said:

---

concordtom said:

---

Let's get this straight, though.
She's not African American.
She's white. Her father is white!
And she American, not African! She was born in LA! Okaydo can prove it, knows her mum!

---

Dude, what are you talking about?

Also, Meghan and Lilibet are U.S. citizens. I'm sure Harry and Archie can be if they apply (maybe Archie already is, I don't know). .

---

I can't blame them for wanting a new life in the US, but I would have enjoyed having a Prince Archie in the public eye. Almost as much as a King Jughead, though maybe that's the unofficial name for Charles.

---

Well done!

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The John Major quote was something.
A few SAT words in there for me!

lachrymose - I got nothing, other than it doesn't sound good.
Prolix. Effete. - same.
Philistinism… I feel I should know this one.

I'd suggest you would learn more by watching said Harry and Meghan Netflix series than the dramatized Crown, which my daughter also loves. She tells me about it.

First hand accounts are better than historical dramas with actors. At least, we should think more accurate.

That said, you would likely upchuck at aspects of it. They are definitely talking to an audience behind the camera at stretches. But also, there are stretches where it feels entirely real, not contrived. And I believe and "get" those parts.

Harry has got to be sick, and thrilled, at the same time. I do feel for him. It was kind of a no-win scenario for him. He's finding a way to create a more normal, reasonable life. I think he'll be a fairly intriguing person in 20-30-40 years. His life's journey will be quite unique!!!

bearister said:

---

I think choosing The Queen's well guarded nickname as the name of their daughter is one of the best troll moves in history and it may never be topped. Total ballers.

I say, WELL DONE!

---

Lili?
Lilibet?

I didn't know.
Cute idea! As selector of names for girls 5 times over, I approve!

okaydo said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

okaydo said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The first four seasons are good, really good, you should check it out. You'll enjoy it.

However, Season 5, which recently aired, paints Charles in a very good light, which is why they cast a handsome actor (who is part of the Prince's Trust!) to play him. And paints Diana in more of a less virtuous light. The Crown creator is pro-royal.

(The Crown won't tackle Harry and Meghan because it only tackles stories that happened decades ago. And the Harry and Meghan story is still ongoing.)

---

Im sorry, I just can't get into this royals thing to watch. I will make snarky remarks, and the wife will get pissed. Just have to count me out. We can debate the next Tolkien or Game of Thrones spin off - that is as British as I can muster.

---

I mean, it is about the royals. But it also isn't. There's a lot of focus on the non-royal parts of the story. It's about what was going on in Britain. Or the world from the British point of view. They focus on different POVs, including from outside the royal family. There's even an episode devoted to the moon landing, which, as you know, wasn't a British thing. If you love history, it's definitely interesting.

---

Gosh, I was opposed to The Crown, too. Haven't watched. Well, daughter made me watch 1 or 2.
But if it's getting the Okaydo stamp of approval, maybe I'll have to try.

bearister said:

---

As I said, my wife watches my demented violent shows (Gangs of London, Peaky Blinders, Giri/Haji, Warrior, Banshee, McMafia, etc.) so I will watch anything she likes. My favorite episodes of The Crown are the ones that focused on the Fayed family. The relationship of Mohamed Al-Fayed and his valet, Sydney Johnson, his relationship with his son, Dodi, and the Fayed family venture into show business (they financed Chariots of Fire and won a Best Picture Oscar).
The actress that played Diana, Elizabeth Debicki, was eerily spot on, according to those that knew Diana.

---

Hmmm
Okay, I'll try it.

But one of you Harry and Meghan naysayers have to similarly cave.

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The John Major quote was something.
A few SAT words in there for me!

lachrymose - I got nothing, other than it doesn't sound good.
Prolix. Effete. - same.
Philistinism… I feel I should know this one.

I'd suggest you would learn more by watching said Harry and Meghan Netflix series than the dramatized Crown, which my daughter also loves. She tells me about it.

First hand accounts are better than historical dramas with actors. At least, we should think more accurate.

That said, you would likely upchuck at aspects of it. They are definitely talking to an audience behind the camera at stretches. But also, there are stretches where it feels entirely real, not contrived. And I believe and "get" those parts.

Harry has got to be sick, and thrilled, at the same time. I do feel for him. It was kind of a no-win scenario for him. He's finding a way to create a more normal, reasonable life. I think he'll be a fairly intriguing person in 20-30-40 years. His life's journey will be quite unique!!!

---

I don't know. I'm liable to make some snarky remark if they really are running around in castles and get "she who must be obeyed" all pissed at me. Maybe once all this stuff is over and no one is talking about the royals I will give the interviews a look. Too many seasons of Downtown Abbey was enough to make not want to watch The Crown ever.

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The John Major quote was something.
A few SAT words in there for me!

lachrymose - I got nothing, other than it doesn't sound good.
Prolix. Effete. - same.
Philistinism… I feel I should know this one.

I'd suggest you would learn more by watching said Harry and Meghan Netflix series than the dramatized Crown, which my daughter also loves. She tells me about it.

First hand accounts are better than historical dramas with actors. At least, we should think more accurate.

That said, you would likely upchuck at aspects of it. They are definitely talking to an audience behind the camera at stretches. But also, there are stretches where it feels entirely real, not contrived. And I believe and "get" those parts.

Harry has got to be sick, and thrilled, at the same time. I do feel for him. It was kind of a no-win scenario for him. He's finding a way to create a more normal, reasonable life. I think he'll be a fairly intriguing person in 20-30-40 years. His life's journey will be quite unique!!!

---

I don't know. I'm liable to make some snarky remark if they really are running around in castles and get "she who must be obeyed" all pissed at me. Maybe once all this stuff is over and no one is talking about the royals I will give the interviews a look. Too many seasons of Downtown Abbey was enough to make not want to watch The Crown ever.

---

Downton Abbey was on for a weekend nonstop some years ago for a long weekend before all the streaming was available. Or at least until I had the knowledge of or could.
I watched most of it, sleeping 3 or 4 hours a night. It was insane.
By the end I was so sick of it.
Typical soap opera, mostly entirely useless!!! Made up dramas of inconsequence.
I suspect the crown is far superior because there is a real life basis for the dramatic storytelling.

This little bit summarizes the disastrous nature of that wedding, Meghan publicly mocking Harry's grandmother and the entire institution of monarchy in front of him:

This is the moment that Meghan describes meeting the late Queen Elizabeth for the first time and how she did not understand why she needed to curtsy to Harry‘s grandmother…
He looks a little uncomfortable about the whole thing#HarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/H9qr7DqwHq

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) December 8, 2022

Harry, despite being somewhat of a rebel who likely bears some resentment towards the royal family institution for having alienated his mother, would still have benefited from having some relations with his family.

One of the main characteristics of a bad marriage is when one spouse cuts off the other from their family, which is exactly what Meghan is doing here. This kind of behavior is not unlike that of a sect, whose MO is to cut off their new recruits from their families and friends.

Watch this as an alternative to The Crown:

Cal88 said:

---

One of the main characteristics of a bad marriage is when one spouse cuts off the other from their family, which is exactly what Meghan is doing here. This kind of behavior is not unlike that of a sect, whose MO is to cut off their new recruits from their families and friends.

---

You know who also does this? The royal family.

sycasey said:

---

Cal88 said:

---

One of the main characteristics of a bad marriage is when one spouse cuts off the other from their family, which is exactly what Meghan is doing here. This kind of behavior is not unlike that of a sect, whose MO is to cut off their new recruits from their families and friends.

---

You know who also does this? The royal family.

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The John Major quote was something.
A few SAT words in there for me!

lachrymose - I got nothing, other than it doesn't sound good.
Prolix. Effete. - same.
Philistinism… I feel I should know this one.

I'd suggest you would learn more by watching said Harry and Meghan Netflix series than the dramatized Crown, which my daughter also loves. She tells me about it.

First hand accounts are better than historical dramas with actors. At least, we should think more accurate.

That said, you would likely upchuck at aspects of it. They are definitely talking to an audience behind the camera at stretches. But also, there are stretches where it feels entirely real, not contrived. And I believe and "get" those parts.

Harry has got to be sick, and thrilled, at the same time. I do feel for him. It was kind of a no-win scenario for him. He's finding a way to create a more normal, reasonable life. I think he'll be a fairly intriguing person in 20-30-40 years. His life's journey will be quite unique!!!

---

I don't know. I'm liable to make some snarky remark if they really are running around in castles and get "she who must be obeyed" all pissed at me. Maybe once all this stuff is over and no one is talking about the royals I will give the interviews a look. Too many seasons of Downtown Abbey was enough to make not want to watch The Crown ever.

---

Downton Abbey was on for a weekend nonstop some years ago for a long weekend before all the streaming was available. Or at least until I had the knowledge of or could.
I watched most of it, sleeping 3 or 4 hours a night. It was insane.
By the end I was so sick of it.
Typical soap opera, mostly entirely useless!!! Made up dramas of inconsequence.
I suspect the crown is far superior because there is a real life basis for the dramatic storytelling.

---

Part of the problem is me: a Neanderthal, meat eating American male, that even looks at anything English and pretentious and wants to barf (or at least make nasty comments). I'm not even allowed in the same room as the TV if anything by Merchant and Ivory is playing. My god, you would think the only thing English gentry women know how to do is wear stupid clothes and emote for no particular reason. I'm retaining my man card - no to The Crown!

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The John Major quote was something.
A few SAT words in there for me!

lachrymose - I got nothing, other than it doesn't sound good.
Prolix. Effete. - same.
Philistinism… I feel I should know this one.

I'd suggest you would learn more by watching said Harry and Meghan Netflix series than the dramatized Crown, which my daughter also loves. She tells me about it.

First hand accounts are better than historical dramas with actors. At least, we should think more accurate.

That said, you would likely upchuck at aspects of it. They are definitely talking to an audience behind the camera at stretches. But also, there are stretches where it feels entirely real, not contrived. And I believe and "get" those parts.

Harry has got to be sick, and thrilled, at the same time. I do feel for him. It was kind of a no-win scenario for him. He's finding a way to create a more normal, reasonable life. I think he'll be a fairly intriguing person in 20-30-40 years. His life's journey will be quite unique!!!

---

I don't know. I'm liable to make some snarky remark if they really are running around in castles and get "she who must be obeyed" all pissed at me. Maybe once all this stuff is over and no one is talking about the royals I will give the interviews a look. Too many seasons of Downtown Abbey was enough to make not want to watch The Crown ever.

---

Downton Abbey was on for a weekend nonstop some years ago for a long weekend before all the streaming was available. Or at least until I had the knowledge of or could.
I watched most of it, sleeping 3 or 4 hours a night. It was insane.
By the end I was so sick of it.
Typical soap opera, mostly entirely useless!!! Made up dramas of inconsequence.
I suspect the crown is far superior because there is a real life basis for the dramatic storytelling.

---

Part of the problem is me: a Neanderthal, meat eating American male, that even looks at anything English and pretentious and wants to barf (or at least make nasty comments). I'm not even allowed in the same room as the TV if anything by Merchant and Ivory is playing. My god, you would think the only thing English gentry women know how to do is wear stupid clothes and emote for no particular reason. I'm retaining my man card - no to The Crown!

---

We'll just have to disagree. But I find Stephen Merchant to be hilarious.

okaydo said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The John Major quote was something.
A few SAT words in there for me!

lachrymose - I got nothing, other than it doesn't sound good.
Prolix. Effete. - same.
Philistinism… I feel I should know this one.

I'd suggest you would learn more by watching said Harry and Meghan Netflix series than the dramatized Crown, which my daughter also loves. She tells me about it.

First hand accounts are better than historical dramas with actors. At least, we should think more accurate.

That said, you would likely upchuck at aspects of it. They are definitely talking to an audience behind the camera at stretches. But also, there are stretches where it feels entirely real, not contrived. And I believe and "get" those parts.

Harry has got to be sick, and thrilled, at the same time. I do feel for him. It was kind of a no-win scenario for him. He's finding a way to create a more normal, reasonable life. I think he'll be a fairly intriguing person in 20-30-40 years. His life's journey will be quite unique!!!

---

I don't know. I'm liable to make some snarky remark if they really are running around in castles and get "she who must be obeyed" all pissed at me. Maybe once all this stuff is over and no one is talking about the royals I will give the interviews a look. Too many seasons of Downtown Abbey was enough to make not want to watch The Crown ever.

---

Downton Abbey was on for a weekend nonstop some years ago for a long weekend before all the streaming was available. Or at least until I had the knowledge of or could.
I watched most of it, sleeping 3 or 4 hours a night. It was insane.
By the end I was so sick of it.
Typical soap opera, mostly entirely useless!!! Made up dramas of inconsequence.
I suspect the crown is far superior because there is a real life basis for the dramatic storytelling.

---

Part of the problem is me: a Neanderthal, meat eating American male, that even looks at anything English and pretentious and wants to barf (or at least make nasty comments). I'm not even allowed in the same room as the TV if anything by Merchant and Ivory is playing. My god, you would think the only thing English gentry women know how to do is wear stupid clothes and emote for no particular reason. I'm retaining my man card - no to The Crown!

---

We'll just have to disagree. But I find Stephen Merchant to be hilarious.

---

Now we don't. You get a F in movies men hate. Merchant of M&I fame is dead, and his first name was Ismael. Stephen Merchant, no relation, sounds funny as heck, and I gladly would watch his stuff.

wifeisafurd said:

---

okaydo said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

concordtom said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

BTW, my wife wants me to watch the Crown. I say bullocks, and strike a blow on behalf of all American males. Cheerio....

---

The John Major quote was something.
A few SAT words in there for me!

lachrymose - I got nothing, other than it doesn't sound good.
Prolix. Effete. - same.
Philistinism… I feel I should know this one.

I'd suggest you would learn more by watching said Harry and Meghan Netflix series than the dramatized Crown, which my daughter also loves. She tells me about it.

First hand accounts are better than historical dramas with actors. At least, we should think more accurate.

That said, you would likely upchuck at aspects of it. They are definitely talking to an audience behind the camera at stretches. But also, there are stretches where it feels entirely real, not contrived. And I believe and "get" those parts.

Harry has got to be sick, and thrilled, at the same time. I do feel for him. It was kind of a no-win scenario for him. He's finding a way to create a more normal, reasonable life. I think he'll be a fairly intriguing person in 20-30-40 years. His life's journey will be quite unique!!!

---

I don't know. I'm liable to make some snarky remark if they really are running around in castles and get "she who must be obeyed" all pissed at me. Maybe once all this stuff is over and no one is talking about the royals I will give the interviews a look. Too many seasons of Downtown Abbey was enough to make not want to watch The Crown ever.

---

Downton Abbey was on for a weekend nonstop some years ago for a long weekend before all the streaming was available. Or at least until I had the knowledge of or could.
I watched most of it, sleeping 3 or 4 hours a night. It was insane.
By the end I was so sick of it.
Typical soap opera, mostly entirely useless!!! Made up dramas of inconsequence.
I suspect the crown is far superior because there is a real life basis for the dramatic storytelling.

---

Part of the problem is me: a Neanderthal, meat eating American male, that even looks at anything English and pretentious and wants to barf (or at least make nasty comments). I'm not even allowed in the same room as the TV if anything by Merchant and Ivory is playing. My god, you would think the only thing English gentry women know how to do is wear stupid clothes and emote for no particular reason. I'm retaining my man card - no to The Crown!

---

We'll just have to disagree. But I find Stephen Merchant to be hilarious.

---

Now we don't. You get a F in movies men hate. Merchant of M&I fame is dead, and his first name was Ismael. Stephen Merchant, no relation, sounds funny as heck, and I gladly would watch his stuff.

---

Okay, but a series of movies from the 1980s is not the end all and be all of British culture....

Our hearts were stopped, our dragons housed, our materials dark. There was just a lot of great TV, OK? https://t.co/meYD9gdKCB

— Mashable (@mashable) December 20, 2022

Cal88 said:

---

This little bit summarizes the disastrous nature of that wedding, Meghan publicly mocking Harry's grandmother and the entire institution of monarchy in front of him:

This is the moment that Meghan describes meeting the late Queen Elizabeth for the first time and how she did not understand why she needed to curtsy to Harry‘s grandmother…
He looks a little uncomfortable about the whole thing#HarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/H9qr7DqwHq

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) December 8, 2022

Harry, despite being somewhat of a rebel who likely bears some resentment towards the royal family institution for having alienated his mother, would still have benefited from having some relations with his family.

One of the main characteristics of a bad marriage is when one spouse cuts off the other from their family, which is exactly what Meghan is doing here. This kind of behavior is not unlike that of a sect, whose MO is to cut off their new recruits from their families and friends.

---

Lie.
Meghan didn't cut Harry off from his family.
Harry and his family were unable to come to terms.

Sounds like you didn't watch.

wifeisafurd said:

---

I'm retaining my man card - no to The Crown!

---

Ha!

So, the manly men song came to mind,



But you mentioned Neanderthal, so maybe this is more what you meant?

Liam's Derry Girls cameo:

Cal88 said:

---

This little bit summarizes the disastrous nature of that wedding, Meghan publicly mocking Harry's grandmother and the entire institution of monarchy in front of him:

This is the moment that Meghan describes meeting the late Queen Elizabeth for the first time and how she did not understand why she needed to curtsy to Harry‘s grandmother…
He looks a little uncomfortable about the whole thing#HarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/H9qr7DqwHq

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) December 8, 2022

Harry, despite being somewhat of a rebel who likely bears some resentment towards the royal family institution for having alienated his mother, would still have benefited from having some relations with his family.

One of the main characteristics of a bad marriage is when one spouse cuts off the other from their family, which is exactly what Meghan is doing here. This kind of behavior is not unlike that of a sect, whose MO is to cut off their new recruits from their families and friends.

---

That's the exact lie I saw that got me to watch the Netfix series. She seems bad taken out of context like that clip is. Of course, in the full context Meghan was mocking herself and her own ignorance.

concordtom said:

---

Cal88 said:

---

This little bit summarizes the disastrous nature of that wedding, Meghan publicly mocking Harry's grandmother and the entire institution of monarchy in front of him:

This is the moment that Meghan describes meeting the late Queen Elizabeth for the first time and how she did not understand why she needed to curtsy to Harry‘s grandmother…
He looks a little uncomfortable about the whole thing#HarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/H9qr7DqwHq

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) December 8, 2022

Harry, despite being somewhat of a rebel who likely bears some resentment towards the royal family institution for having alienated his mother, would still have benefited from having some relations with his family.

One of the main characteristics of a bad marriage is when one spouse cuts off the other from their family, which is exactly what Meghan is doing here. This kind of behavior is not unlike that of a sect, whose MO is to cut off their new recruits from their families and friends.

---

Lie.
Meghan didn't cut Harry off from his family.
Harry and his family were unable to come to terms.

Sounds like you didn't watch.

---

That series, once againTom, is a fictional series, not to be confused with real life. It's kind of funny that this needed to be said, and repeated.

In any case I don't watch TV or Netflix, cut off the chord 10 years ago. I watch a lot of sports (soccer, rugby, cycling, tennis, NCAAF etc), a lot of mostly older films and some documentaries. Occasionally some classic TV series like I Claudius or Les Rois Maudits, French historic series on the Capetian dynasty:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0173594/

I haven't seen the Sopranos or Game of Thrones, but supposedly GoT drew a lot of inspiration from Les Rois Maudits (the Cursed Kings), the maker of the series was a big fan of that 1972 french TV miniseries.

Quote:

---

RR Martin says one of his main inspirations was not fantasy, but a series of novels set in medieval France, little known or read in the English language. Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings) was written by Maurice Druon between the mid-1950s and the 1970s. It's a seven-volume saga chronicling the dynastic fight for the French throne in the early part of the 14th Century, culminating in the Hundred Years War.

"The Accursed Kings has it all," writes Martin, in an introduction to a recently reissued translation. "Believe me, the Starks and the Lannisters have nothing on the Capets and Plantagenets. It is the original game of thrones."

Start reading The Accursed Kings, and the parallels become clear. Westeros has far more in common with Druon's depiction of medieval France, than it does with JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth. Both are feudal worlds, where power is determined by intrigue during peacetime, and bloody retribution during war. In the French court described by Druon, the words of a Martin character ring true: "Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is."

The Accursed Kings begins in 1314, the last year of Philip IV's reign. The king has crushed the powerful order of the Knights Templar and seized their riches. As the last head of the Templars is burned at the stake - condemned as a heretic on trumped-up charges - he utters an awful curse against the men who have sent him to his fate: "Accursed! Accursed! You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation of your lines!"

Philip dies soon after, and his family is left to squabble for succession. In A Game of Thrones and The Accursed Kings, there are strikingly similar casts - a feeble but sadistic prince (Louis in the French book, Joffrey in Martin's) a vengeful princess (Isabella, Cersei), and competing Machiavellian schemers (Robert of Artois, Littlefinger). With both writers, the reader navigates the complicated plot through the viewpoints of less powerful figures, caught up in the wake of events.

"They're both epic novels which are character-driven," says Marc Denjean, a French admirer of Druon. "In A Game of Thrones, he [Martin] constructs a big political plot while Druon gets his from history, but in both situations, you're seeing history through the eye of small people."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26824993

Lately this Fall I watched the entire ~24 film Japanese Zatoichi film series, great vintage entertainment. Also watched nearly every samurai film I could find, as well as Shaw Bros vintage films.

Cool.
This Fall I watched the entire Jan 6 Committee hearings.

Boy, that Trump character is a naughty fellow.

I'm waiting for the 2023 sequel.

Just don't tell me you haven't seen…

^Good one Bearister, saw it when it came out, worth a revisit!

https://www.boredpanda.com/last-samurai-photography-japan-1800s/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

"Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young."

25 Best Samurai Movies of All Time (2021 Edition)


https://culturedvultures.com/best-samurai-movies/