Gransnet forums

TV, radio, film, Arts

Top of the Lake

(40 Posts)
Tegan Sun 28-Jul-13 14:40:20

Is anyone else watching this? I caught up with the first two episodes on iplayer and was surprised to find that it was set in [I assume] New Zealand, although, being by Jane Campion I should have realised. Not sure if I'm enjoying this but found myself wanting to watch episode three when it was on last night [which must mean that I am confused]. It's certainly different.

merlotgran Sun 28-Jul-13 14:42:06

I've given up hmm

moomin Sun 28-Jul-13 14:47:00

I fell asleep during last week's episode but watched it (with sub-titles as both OH and I cannot get past the mumbling!), it's rather strange but somehow I need to know what is going to happen next!

Tegan Sun 28-Jul-13 14:47:33

I've got 4 more episodes to go sad but think I'll stick with it. Not sure if it's my hearing these days but often struggle to make out what they are saying [especially Holly Hunter who talks as if her mouth is full of cotton wool]; think it's due to the slightly different accent [or perhaps that's why I tend to prefer programmes of this kind with subtitles nowadays]. And The Mill is starting tonight as well; thought it might be awful but has had good reviews. So many programmes; so little time [and still haven't seen The Returned so have to buy it on dvd].

Charleygirl Sun 28-Jul-13 14:59:19

I only watched the 1st episode, found it very strange and the characters weird so I gave up.

Ana Sun 28-Jul-13 15:01:31

I'm enjoying Top of the Lake, although are NZ men these days really still so mysoginistic? Wonderful scenery, and I like the fact that the lead actress isn't at all glamorous!

HildaW Sun 28-Jul-13 15:07:11

Husband, who loves his dark Nordic things, also gave this ago having read the recommendations - he loathed it, much prefers The Returned.
Mind you, I loved The Piano but felt instinctively he would not....and was right.

Tegan Sun 28-Jul-13 15:13:18

I'm looking forward to seeing The Returned in it's entirety when I buy it [no adverts!]. The girl in TOTL looks familiar; was she in Whale Rider [yet another film that I bought years ago but never got round to watching]? Yes; I'm surprised at how mysoginistic the men are; perhaps our antibodean gransnetters will inform us smile.

Ana Sun 28-Jul-13 15:27:17

Oops! Just realised it should be 'misogynistic'...blush

Tegan Sun 28-Jul-13 15:33:32

We knew what we meant; a word that's spelled like that deserves to be spelled [spelt?] wrong; sounds like an anagram of itself anyway.

Ana Sun 28-Jul-13 15:53:01

grin

PRINTMISS Sun 28-Jul-13 15:54:24

I am intrigued by it, and will continue to watch. I can't get my head round the men, though, and let's be honest the women are rather odd, aren't they?

gangy5 Sun 28-Jul-13 15:55:20

Quite enjoyed the first 2 episodes but am afraid I threw in the towel yesterday evening!! (about half way through) Couldn't manage to tie things up and found it all rather weird.

Grannyknot Sun 28-Jul-13 15:56:28

Tegan the lead character is also in Mad Men. We started watching it from Episode 2, think we'll stick with it, but it is a bit strange. Holly Hunter talks as if her teeth are loose in her mouth... I can actually ignore her character and still follow the story grin Also I just drift away a bit and watch the scenery. It's beautiful.

Grannyknot Sun 28-Jul-13 15:57:31

gangy5 when I can't follow something, I go online and search for an 'Episode Guide' there are any number of sites to choose from, and I catch up by reading about the previous episodes of a show, or sometimes even the one I'm busy watching!

gangy5 Sun 28-Jul-13 16:10:02

Thanks Grannyknot - that's something I was unaware of. I'll have a look at the gen on episode 3 and maybe pick it up again.

Aka Sun 28-Jul-13 16:11:10

I keep on watching both 'The Returned' and 'Top of the Lake' hoping to make some sense of them. I'm just waiting for Tui to pop up, reincarnated in the former, and all the water to drain out of the lake in the latter.

merlotgran Sun 28-Jul-13 16:19:07

I think I'll watch The Mill tonight. We normally watch Countryfile but they've changed the time and it has turned into the Matt and Julia show which is really annoying.

Tegan Sun 28-Jul-13 16:24:29

D'you think the departed dog might turn up in The Returned as well, Aka? One good thing about Top of the Lake is that I've been trying to remember the name of a local group for ages and, for some reason Top of the Lake has reminded me that they were called Late of the Pier [no wonder I couldn't remember their name].

HildaW Sun 28-Jul-13 16:33:40

Have just remembered one of my all time weird guilty pleasure TV series. Few series got me hooked quite like Twin Peaks.....I've even got the music somewhere and would play it quite regularly. Now that was seriously weird!

Aka Sun 28-Jul-13 16:33:53

Yes, the Matt and Judy show has me wondering.....hmm

I'm pleased your memory has returned Tegan though I'm struggling with the reasoning here. Ah! 'of the lake' and 'lake of the' ....got it confused

Ana Sun 28-Jul-13 16:35:48

The dog incident was shocking, wasn't it? Wasn't expecting that.

Aka Sun 28-Jul-13 16:44:51

Not watched last nights yet. I'm guessing it's that little white one sad

Ana Sun 28-Jul-13 16:47:02

No - the white one's OK (for the moment...)

This was in the first episode - the dog hairy Scotsman offered to Robin...

Tegan Sun 28-Jul-13 16:47:34

No reason why the name should have reminded me of the other one, other than it had the same sort of rhythm and structure to it and both were rather obscure in their own way! Strangely enough one of the members of Late of the Pier had been working in New Zealand, having formed a collaboration with someone over there, but the group are now recording as themselves again [you learn something new every day]. Aka; don't even begin to try to understand my reasoning about this or anything else for that matter confused. I gave up years ago...