Other TV shows: Justified, Good Wife, Revenge, Dowton Abbey.

Didn't do too much today...mainly due to a horrendous migraine headache or sick head-ache. Did manage to get it to abate with decogestant, antihistimine, and Nasaid combo. But did mean I just watched tv and relaxed. Friday was the most productive of my four day weekend - glad I took it off.

1. Finished watched the series finale of Dowton Abbey. Still prefer the downstairs stories to the upstairs. The bulk of the upstairs stuff was building up how great Matthew was and oh dear, what would we ever do without him? And how grateful we all are for him. And I thought...alrighty then.

( spoilers )

2. Revenge - was actually less soapy and better than Dowton Abbey, believe it or not.
Plus more happened. It's more action packed and less plodding. Still not as entertaining as Once Upon a Time though.

( spoilers )

3. The Good Wife

Good episode, but not emotionally satisfying. Sometimes, often actually, I don't like Alicia very much nor am I guessing am I supposed to. She's a fascinating character. Will do anything to safe-guard her family, her way of life and her comfort...she hates chaos and mess. Although to be fair, I know Carey and Kalinda would have done the same thing.

( spoilers )

4. Justified - better last year than this year. A bit all over the place this season.
That said rather liked last week's episode, and adore Sheriff Shelby. Plus Boyd's handling of the revivalists was admittedly entertaining.

Comics as most underrated book and Breaking Bad as the tv show I didn't expect to love...

1. Day 07 – Most underrated book

I don't know. There are too many books that are underrated. Easier question is most overrated book.

I think comic books. See this video by Scott McCloud on Understanding Comic Books. Who is the author of Understanding Comics by Scott McLoud.

http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html

Comic books are underrated. They are visual books ...using pictures not just words to convey a story. Also often not told in a linear sequence.

If I had a dollar for every person I've run into or read who has disparaged comic books or informed me that only kids read them, that they are pedesterian, or just for men - I'd be a rich woman.

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2. Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

There are a lot of them, including Farscape (didn't watch it initially, then found it again years after it was cancelled prior to the premiere of the miniseries and fell in love) ...but if I had to pick one, it would be Breaking Bad. I did try it. More than once when it first started. Got bogged down in the first five episodes of S2, and decided the characters were whiny and unlikable. Sort of like watching the grown-up versions of Nick and Ziggy from the Wire, and just why was I bothering with this nonsense? And why was everyone on my flist going ga-ga over it? Were they deeply stoned? For that matter, what was up with the frigging critics...who acted like this was the best thing since the invention of the tv set? But a co-worker and various people on my flist managed to convince me to give it another go...so I did one summer, while between books and tv shows.

And when I did, I discovered it wasn't what I thought it was...a violent story about drug dealers a la Martin Scorsese...except in the desert, which I've seen one too many times before. Not at all. If I were to describe it, I'd state it is a modern day retelling of MacBeth, except in some respects more relevant and in the terms of the Everyman. Basically an Everyman's post-modernist version of MacBeth. With a wicked sense of humor. Reminds me a little bit of the cancelled Terriers and the currently popular Justified, but a whole lot darker and far better plotted.

Here's one of the best scenes in Breaking Bad that sold me on the series, it's from S3 and is entitled Problem Dog, and in a nutshell encapsulates the entire theme of the series.
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