FTA-TV Underbelly - a Tale of Two Cities

[likka]

ah yes, coz overseas television portrays our own culture so much more than our own home grown stuff.

Not about culture at all, it is about quality.

eh im pissed and sick of ppl bagging the best we got.

This utter tripe is far from the best "we" got. It is an embarrassment to our television industry, and a key indicator to how stupid our society has become.

home and away with ****, guns and smack goes down well.

Small things amuse small minds.

if you're after the sopranos, buy the dvds.

Nobody was expecting anything near Sopranos. UB is more like Porkies without the wit, humour, direction, acting or storyline.

The fact it tries to claim itself as a "gangland drama" is laughable. Only reason this should be shown is to demonstrate how not to make a television show.

 

[Hoops]

Relatively I think Australia doesn't do to bad at making good movies, as good as strike rate as the US.

As far as TV goes most of it's crap anyway.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Relatively I think Australia doesn't do to bad at making good movies, as good as strike rate as the US.

As far as TV goes most of it's crap anyway.

They make so much more movies that a strike rate like that is damn impressive.

 

[ExTasDeeMan]

The scrumptious Anna Hutchison

My god, she is the best thing to come out of the TV this year (literally).

This one's going straight to the bank:

 

[Oscarman]

I'm looking forward to the episode where this chap busts them all for stealing his pizza:

When Trimbole was at the racetrack I thought of Bluey/Bargearse straight away.

 

[bigloco]

They need to do something gritty as ****. Something real. Not this knock off E grade Hollywood-s**t. Australians are renowned world wide for being blunt and to the point yet all that's in Underbelly are slo-mo glamourizations of "gangsters" walking slowly through hallways set to shitty rock soundtracks with random shots of t***ies thrown in to draw in the ADD crowd.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Not doing it for me thus far.
I'll give it time but at this stage if it wasn't called Underbelly there is no doubt I would have already switched off.
Episodes 4 and 5 would want to be cracking.

 

[dmc333]

Anyone want to comment about the large divide of opinions on Newton's performance and the quality of the show? Specifically the media vs the public.

Many of us cultured sophisticates have universally given the thumbs down. And on Newton's performance, I've found him blandly uninteresting, he doesn't scare me (well yes I am mildly creeped when he's in a sex scene). Yet his portrayal has been called "chilling" with a "Charles Manson like stare."

There's not a great deal of reviews out there, News Ltd, The Age, a few of the media websites, but everyone I've read has been overwhelmingly positive, almost too positive. Like the journalist is on the take, or at the very least wants to be. News Ltd's Erin McWhirter seems to be a chief protagonist of gushing reviews and Underbelly/Newton puff pieces. I expect her to be having a good time at the Nine Xmas party this year.

The public/internet response hasn't been as kind with a fair majority of blog/comment respondents rubbishing the show and more specifically Newton.

So WTF is going on here?

This from Crikey

There's no such thing as bad publicity. Especially for Underbelly star Matthew Newton, it would seem. Much of the show's promotion has focused on Newton's "impressive mix of chilling menace and charm" as Kiwi drug dealer Terry "Mr Asia" Clark. Bert Newton's son -- "born into Australian TV royalty" according to A Current Affair -- has been receiving glowing tributes to his acting talent with little mention or criticism of his own past. Lest we forget, Newton pled guilty to assaulting then girlfriend Brooke Satchwell in 2006, before avoiding a recorded conviction by appealing his sentence.



Judge Joseph Moore claimed media attention had "acted as a considerable measure of punishment, which (Newton) has endured in a way that shows him great credit". Now, all is forgiven by a media happy to forget or at least forgive. It's the culmination of an apparent long-term strategy to rehabilitate Newton's damaged reputation since Nine have so much invested in Underbelly's ratings success. It's been quite a turnaround in fortunes for Newton. When the assault allegations first surfaced, commercial radio station Nova dropped Newton from a mooted presenting gig. Public opinion against Newton forced station management to cancel his contract. Now, the press is happy to report "Matthew Newton is a reformed man" who has "put the incident behind him".


The whole event has been glossed over by focusing on Newton's "emotional problem" and the "severe shame and remorse for the attention he has brought on his family and friends", if "the incident" is even mentioned at all. Finally, cue promotional pics of Newton in character, wielding an axe:-- Neil Walker

What are we dealing with here? Possible that there's been some 'underbelly dealings' by Nine to flog their series at any cost? And maybe as a final favour, repay the years of service by Bert, attempting to sway public opinion back towards his fallen son?

 

[year of the roo]

Also, another thing that was glossed over in episode 1, was Clarks drug dealing friend(who he later murdered) was seen dealing drugs to people at parties with the Dragon song "April sun in Cuba in the background". The significance of this is that the drummer of Dragon died from a drug overdose with drugs sold by Clarks drug dealing partner.

Woah, IRONY!!

 

[year of the roo]

Terrible start to the series, desperately needs to pick up. Despite not being anywhere near as familiar with the story behind this series as the first season, I find myself either not being surprised, or not caring what happens next. Whilst for the first season I found the series quite interesting despite knowing what was going to happen next.

If this is really how it happened, they should have taken some poetic licence and made it more interesting. I fear the opposite however.

 

[FIGJAM]

Alright...time for some norks!

 

[Big Blow Hard]

Gotta say, I am just not getting into this series at all.

Matthew Newton, totally unconvincing and now the inclusion of Kate Ritchie as Judy Kane/Moran, No thanks.

 

[Daytripper]

Judy Kane is not Judy Moran.

 

[Rohan Coventry]

The less they show Newton, the better the show is.
The less they focus on crime in Sydney, the better.

 

[GAS PANIC]

The less they show Newton, the better the show is.
The less they focus on crime in Sydney, the better.

Exactly the Melbourne story is way more interesting than the Sydney story which is boring and repetitive.

 

[magpies77]

The less they show Newton, the better the show is.
The less they focus on crime in Sydney, the better.

Damn straight Was giving it one more chance after last weeks debacle. Next week we will see more melbourne with chopper.

 

[Rohan Coventry]

Exactly the Melbourne story is way more interesting than the Sydney story which is boring and repetitive.

And the Melbourne crime has direct relations to the 1st Series.

Kane's daughter married Jason Moran. The painter & docker crew spawned Lewis Moran.
Alphonse is shown in a younger guise.

 

[Kerrby]

Pretty good ep tonight.

Needs moar tities though.

 

[Big Blow Hard]

Judy Kane is not Judy Moran.

Yep, my bad, you're right. She was Married to Les Cole? not Kane.
I guess that would have made Jason Moran and his Wifes' marraige somewhat incestous if it were as I said. lol

Still don't like the casting of Sally Fletcher though.

 

[u-hookin-me]

Tonights ep was quite good I thought. Agree the less Newton the better.

 

[Brad-clare]

Getting better, next week looks pretty good to.

 

[HBK619]

Found the Melbourne story really enthralling tonight, maybe because the majority of it happened literally right around the corner from where I live, but I found it to be right up there with the first season(Which I really liked).

Have to agree that the Sydney story is really quite boring, found myself wanting to switch channels whenever it was focused on the Sydney story, but kept watching to see some skin(sadly in short supply tonight).

 

[OneEyedHawk]

Thought tonight was great. And agree with the 'more Melbourne' push. The Melbourne action is heaps more interesting.

 

[CF]

better tonight I agree. Although I was a little underwhelmed by Kate Ritchie. Not that I think it is her fault. She showed she had some real acting talent because she made the best of the worst script imaginable. Kate should do herself a favor and head to the USA and try and crack the big time.


I agree that the less we see of Zig and Zag aka Newton & Billing the better

Did you see the poster of Richo in the pub, what a pisser

 

[GAS PANIC]

I'm not sure but just before the scene that kane got to his house the night of his murder i thought ray chuck was standing infront of a wall with the current richmond logo on it.