Human Target: Season 2 on FOX - Discussion & Spoilers

[gh4chiefs]

I'm really shocked how much a few seem to put into the music guy of a TV show. Can music elevate, yeah. I don't see this show being one of those. It's obscured in medicority by the masses anyway.

Yeah I think shocked describes my bewilderment as well. I'm not even sure I buy off on the "elevation" thing, to me it's more of icing on the cake IF the movie/TV show is good to begin with. But I guess I won't quibble over that.

It's the story that will make the show rise up to be noticed, not the score. People will only notice the score AFTER the stories are worth a damn.

Amen! You were able to put into words what I was trying to convey, only better.

 

[Sheep]

LOST? It has a lyrical theme? All I recall is the sudden black screen and the "Bong". Is that what you mean?

LOTR? Again, it has an instantly recognizable theme? I don't know it.

For Lost and LOTR, I was thinking of the music during the show or movie, not the theme music. Both of those have pretty memorable music.

Back to the Future I would know if I heard but I can't hum it right now and I'm trying to think of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTGyeGgMpk8

I'm really shocked how much a few seem to put into the music guy of a TV show. Can music elevate, yeah.

The bolded part is the point I was trying to make. No, good music cannot turn a 2/10 show a 10/10 or anything even close, but if it can make a 6/10 into an 8/10 instead, then it's good music as opposed to sonic wallpaper which doesn't increase anyone's enjoyment of anything.

People will only notice the score AFTER the stories are worth a damn.

I guess I'm the oddball who actually pays attention to the music independent of the story. Yes, story and acting are ultimately important pieces but I don't think enough people notice how things like good directing and music (or conversely, BAD directing and music) CAN have an effect on how much they like something. This might be more true in video games than movies or TV, but it's certainly something I've noticed.

 

[gh4chiefs]

I guess I'm the oddball who actually pays attention to the music independent of the story.

Well I wouldn't use the term oddball, but I'm guessing you're in a small minority of movie goers/TV watchers, BUT maybe I'm in the minority.

I would guess that most people don't really consciously pay attention to the score beyond the opening title. However if, as I said the other day, it was completely absent, then yeah I think we would definitely notice that. Also if the music was completely inappropriate to what was on the screen, that would probably be noticeable. For example, if they played AC/DC songs during Coal Miners Daughter, that would probably be very noticeable. But that's kind of an extreme example.

Back to Human Target, I still maintain it's not that big of a difference. I wouldn't have even noticed if not for this thread. And I'll bet you most people that watch the show didn't either.

Sheep by chance, are you a musician or work in the music industry in some manner? I'm just asking if maybe you have a reason to be more "in tune" (pun intended) with musical scores than the average person.

 

[Aragorn]

This thread is starting to sound like: "OMG! Nathan Fillion isn't playing Drake? I'm boycotting in protest the Uncharted movie that hasn't even begun filming yet that no one has any information about!"

Or in another forum on this very thread, how Hans Zimmer writing the score for the next Superman movie = nail in the coffin... of a movie that hasn't even begun filming yet that no one has any information about.

 

[Sheep]

Sheep by chance, are you a musician or work in the music industry in some manner? I'm just asking if maybe you have a reason to be more "in tune" (pun intended) with musical scores than the average person.

Nope. I guess musical scores are just one thing I'm attuned to. Some people notice lousy accents (which I usually miss unless it's a lousy American accent) while others notice famous people doing voices for animated characters (which, again, I usually miss unless it's someone really obvious like James Earl Jones).

Back on topic, "Taking Ames" was not good, to put it kindly. I don't see the season 1 versions of Chance, Winston and Guerrero putting up with Ilsa's interference or Ames' antics and there was no logical reason the current versions did so aside from the writers trying desperately to shoehorn in two annoying characters to broaden the demographic. I liked the first two episodes this season, but this one was just pure crap.

I'm hoping they got the "ooh, here's some backstory for our new characters!" stuff (that no one cares about) out of their systems and move on to good stuff with Baptiste returning next week.

 

[Forbin]

Actually, I liked this one because it seemed to have a tetch more humor than the others.
I liked that Winston levelled with Mrs. Pucci instead of pulling some I Love Lucy lie out of his ass.

But this was the first one where one of the pop music tracks actively annoyed me. Something repeating the letter G over and over for some reason until I screamed SHUT UP at the tv.

 

[Sgt. Sacrament]

LOST? It has a lyrical theme? All I recall is the sudden black screen and the "Bong". Is that what you mean?

LOTR? Again, it has an instantly recognizable theme? I don't know it.

For Lost and LOTR, I was thinking of the music during the show or movie, not the theme music. Both of those have pretty memorable music.

I agree with you. The overall scores of the Lord of the Rings films are among the greatest that have ever been written. Similarly the overall body of work that Michael Giancchino did on "Lost" that that which Bear McCreary did on nuBSG are probably the best that's ever been on television, hands down.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I'm not fanatical enough about the music issue to defend it passionately, but like I said earlier, a good score and/or theme is a part of the package, it's intrumental (no pun intended) in creating a tone or mood and it really can make a difference. Bad music isn't going to completely and utterly ruin a show for me or keep me awake at night, but I can't say it's not important or doesn't matter either.

Here are two examples good music being essential to a filmed piece of work...

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAwdGLO4XOg[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyvzfyqYm_s[/yt]

As for last night's episode, "Taking Ames", Janet Montgomery is certainly pretty. And it looks like they're portaying Ms. Pucci as being in way over her head with her involvement in Chance's team. I was half expecting her to cut her losses, call the police on all of them and run screaming. That would ring true, moreso than her sticking around, making wry comments about loyalty and having a drink with them. Gotta love the name Pucci by the way. It's mildly amusing to hear "Poochie" all the time.

Oh, and that hitman guy Guerrero captured is in everything now... Stargate Universe, Caprica and now Human Target.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I really only notice television scores when they're very very good like Lost and Battlestar Galactica or if they just totally awful/cheesy. Most music on tv is crap. it's just background most of the time.

 

[gh4chiefs]

But this was the first one where one of the pop music tracks actively annoyed me. Something repeating the letter G over and over for some reason until I screamed SHUT UP at the tv.

I guess I'm lucky that my brain tunes all that out. I have no clue what you're even referring to, the music made no impression on me whatsoever. It's like it wasn't even there.

 

[Technobuilder]

Just found this Human Target discussion thread and thought I'd add my .02 to the mix.

Not saying the show is perfect, few if any ever are, but Human Target tends to deliver an entertainment value that few other shows these days are capable of.

Of course it helps that Chi McBride and Jackie Earl Haley = Epic by themselves much less together.

I'm hoping these network tweaks don't send the whole show down the drain before it gets a chance to get at least another season under its belt. It's a great show that delivers an episodic format better than most with just enough background arc to keep me coming back week to week.

And of course the snark, can't forget Guerrero and the snark.

 

[Forbin]

^^^The Good the Bad and the Ugly is a classic example of great film music. Along with almost anything by Barry, Williams, Goldsmith...

An example of a truly bad, intrusive score would be in the film Ladyhawke. A wonderful little medeival fantasy film, with a very out-of-lace techno-pop score that would only have fit in a 70s dance movie.

 

[Aragorn]

Spoiler: 2x04: "The Return of Baptiste"

To rescue a friend of Ilsa's, Chance must break his mortal enemy, Baptiste, out of a Russian prison.

 

[Chris_Johnston]

^ Now there's an image I never thought I'd see!

 

[DarthPipes]

I have to admit, I enjoyed tonight's episode. The return of Baptise didn't disappoint and the interaction between him and Chance was great. See what happens when Chance has a strong villain to work off of...

 

[watermelony2k]

Lennie James was enjoyable to watch, as always.

However I'm noticing a distressing trend in season 2. Seems like the action and violence have been dialed down several notches compared to season 1. Seems like last season there were more on-screen deaths and extended action sequences -- each episode had a movie style action setpiece.

Now? More of an emphasis on "witty" humor. A far cry from when we saw Guerro coldly shoot a guy dead.

 

[Forbin]

Okay, the hip-hop-pop-whatever music in the opening scene REALLY annoyed me this week. If they're going this route, they should find less grating tracks.

 

[DarthPipes]

The music is fucking awful. That's Miller for you.

I'm missing the over-the-top action sequence. You had one in the second episode with the parking lot.

 

[Jack Bauer]

However I'm noticing a distressing trend in season 2. Seems like the action and violence have been dialed down several notches compared to season 1. Seems like last season there were more on-screen deaths and extended action sequences -- each episode had a movie style action setpiece.

With lower ratings and 2 new regulars I'm sure they don't have the budget they had in season one so they've reduced the level of action.

 

[Aragorn]

Janet Montgomery's name didn't appear in the opening credits of the last episode, so it looks like they're only paying her for the episodes she's in (like with Skinner in the last couple seasons of X-Files, or all the regulars on 24). So they can up the action when she's not there.