Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

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panjandrum
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Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

Post by panjandrum »

Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes. Don't want to spoil things, so I'll leave it at that!

P.S. It is based on novels by Stephen King. You have been warned!

P.P.S. Leonard and Stephen have some similarities in writing: they hit hard, don't hold punches, are deeply insightful as it comes to human nature, and are capable of writing about it in simultaneously humorous and heart-wrenching terms. IMHO Stephen is more "hit and miss" than Leonard, in that some of his works are, from a literary standard, utterly brilliant, while others are pretty mediocre. (Personally, I think that when Stephen has great characters that he allows free reign he turns out his best work, and that when he tries to force characters into a plot more rigidly things don't work out as well. But that's really just my pet theory.)

If you aren't disturbed by the imagery and emotions in Leonard's works, the my guess is you *probably* won't have a hard time with Stephen's more literary and less-conventionally "horror" works. (Although, that is really a misconception. The vast majority of Stephen's works are actually reside within a sci-fi multiverse, albeit a very creepy one...) Like Leonard, I think Stephen is one of the authors of our time that will be studied and revered by generations and cultures long into the future - assuming we have one...

Some of Stephen's more literary and less creepy places to get started:

Joyland (also relatively short, but quite possibly one of his best works)
Hearts in Atlantis
Bag of Bones
Last edited by panjandrum on Sat Jun 16, 2018 9:34 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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mutti
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by mutti »

Is there a particular episode?
thanks!
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panjandrum
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by panjandrum »

mutti wrote: Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:58 am Is there a particular episode?
thanks!
I'm only part way through episode 2 and there have already been two items of note - I kind of wouldn't want to say more anyway because it's kind of fun to discover little surprises on your own.
davidrichards
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by davidrichards »

Please excuse my ignorance - what on earth is Mr. Mercedes?
Geddes
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by Geddes »

davidrichards wrote: Fri Jun 15, 2018 12:09 pm Please excuse my ignorance - what on earth is Mr. Mercedes?
An American TV series based on a Stephen King novel. Haven't seen it yet but I heard it's good.
oldfriend28
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by oldfriend28 »

Thank you. I also wondered what on earth it was.
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mutti
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by mutti »

Panjandrum
I do think you should warn people that this is about a psychopath and could be disturbing to some...I haven't seen it yet so please correct me if I'm wrong. (I googled it).
Leslie
Last edited by mutti on Sat Jun 16, 2018 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1988 Vancouver
2009 Victoria/Seattle/Almost Red Rocks/Las Vegas/San Jose.
2010 Sligo x 2/Victoria/Vancouver/Portland/Las Vegas x 2.
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oldfriend28
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by oldfriend28 »

Oh, thank you very much indeed! Gulp. I won't be seeking it out, regardless of the music! I'm serious. Thank you so much for warning those of us who are a little (a lot) sensitive.
No, not a psychopath for me. I appreciate your warning. Thank you.
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panjandrum
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes

Post by panjandrum »

mutti wrote: Sat Jun 16, 2018 1:52 am Panjandrum
I do think you should warn people that this is about a psychopath and could be disturbing to some...I haven't seen it yet so please correct me if I'm wrong. (I googled it).
Leslie
Done! I have edited the first post. Sorry you won't be able to enjoy it. Still don't want to spoil it for others who might want to watch it, but maybe you'll eventually be able to google and find all the Leonard easter-eggs in the series (assuming there are more than the couple that I've found thus far).
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

Post by LisaLCFan »

panjandrum wrote:Some of Stephen [King]'s more literary and less creepy places to get started:

Joyland (also relatively short, but quite possibly one of his best works)
Hearts in Atlantis
Bag of Bones

And, I would add, at least in its film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption", which, although having nothing to do with Leonard (nor with sci-fi/horror...), is a really excellent movie!
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panjandrum
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

Post by panjandrum »

I finally had to time to finish the first season of Mr. Mercedes (I tend to save shows I really enjoy until I can watch them with my full attention) and was absolutely delighted with the Leonard Cohen easter eggs throughout.

I can't recommend it enough to LC fans, but as before, I really can't say more without spoiling the experience.
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panjandrum
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

Post by panjandrum »

Has anyone else here caught the Leonard Cohen easter eggs in this show yet?
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Joe Way
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

Post by Joe Way »

panjandrum wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:25 pm Has anyone else here caught the Leonard Cohen easter eggs in this show yet?
Yes, just finished the two season series on Peacock Streaming here in the U. S. First of all, I should say that I am a Stephen King fan and have read the book(s) in this series. I thought the Leonard covers were very appropriate. But I would note that I became a huge fan of Brendan Gleeson, the Irish actor who portrayed one of the protagonists, the retired detective, Bill Hodges. Over all the acting and scripting was first rate. For fans of this genre, I highly recommend it.

Joe
"Say a prayer for the cowboy..."
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HugoD
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

Post by HugoD »

Saw season 1 and 2 over a year ago and just finished season 3. Great show and indeed a few nice songs of LC included. Totally agree that this is a show to watch!
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panjandrum
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Re: Leonard fans should watch Mr. Mercedes (also, a bit about Stephen King)

Post by panjandrum »

In addition to the soundtrack there are other LC easter eggs in the show... So don't just listen, keep your eyes open! (Again, don't want to spoil it until asked, although I probably won't remember all of them at this point, and suspect that I didn't catch all them that might be there anyway.)
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