(no subject)

1. So, Roger Rees died. As did Omar Sharif this week. I'm more saddened by Roger Rees, he was younger and I adored him.

2. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is not really holding my attention, which makes sense the book didn't either. It's very "male" without really any women in it. And the two that are - look alike. Although, I'm not sure that's the problem...it may be a mood thing or television in general this summer?

3. The soap opera that I've been watching for the last 15-20 years, mainly as something to discuss over the phone with my mother besides health, family, books and what we are doing at this particular moment in our lives (lately from my mother's end of the conversation this has been my father's rapidly deteriorating digestive health, which has me worried and frustrated because I can't do a dang thing about it and it may result in a cancellation of their August trip, and because my mother has no filter and likes to go into gory details) ...has jumped the proverbial shark. (Okay I know that's an oxymoron, soap operas by design jump the shark on an annual basis. But this time I think they may have gone a step too far.) What did they do? Oh, they brought a five year old kid that had been killed in a hit and run by a major character, back to life. Apparently, after the kid donated his kidneys saving another character's life, he was hijacked from the hospital and raised on an island off the coast of Greece by the villains, just to torture the major character. The kid is now 10 and has no memory of his family, (wondering if he still has his kidneys?), and is just a tad creepy (possibly the actor not the character...not the most attractive or appealing kid on the planet).[Apparently they brought the kid back to life - so that they could send off the major character looking like an iconic hero...ignoring for a moment that he raped his one true love back in the day. Shame they couldn't ret-con that, not that they haven't tried.]

This story arc may spell the end of the soap opera for my mother and I. Apparently we're not alone...the ratings have dived and the writers are struggling to save it.

Sigh, how you know you are watching a soap opera?
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The problem with long-running serials is eventually you end up with writers writing their own personal fantasy fanfic about the characters and ignoring anything that gets in the way of their fantasy fanfic. Also the turn-over in writers is high - so as a result continuity tends to get lost in the shuffle. There's a reason people make fun of serials.

On the other hand - no one handles topical issues or emotional character arcs better than soap operas and long-running serials. But if you care too much about plot or logical plot progression - the soap opera will drive you batty. Just as if you care too much about character progression or emotional character arcs, the episodic procedural will drive you batty. Because characters don't change, grow or progress in episodic procedurals, even though the actors do.

American Television, unfortunately, is populated by both extremes. Which may explain my current boredom with the medium?

4. I'm tempted to rewatch Farscape or possibly Firefly -- except Farscape was more satisfying. (ie. I liked the actors playing the leads better. Ben Browder is sexier than Nathan Fillon and in my opinion a better actor. Clearly, I'm in a minority on this point.) Considered Buffy, but Farscape was more satisfying, the ending of Buffy disappointed me. Every time I re-watch it - I get annoyed with the writers...oh such great potential and so many things and ways you could go...and you did THAT? Really?
ARRRGH! It's like most television series, you want to re-watch about 50% of it, and ignore the other half completely. Farscape is more or less the same - 65% of it is great, the rest...not so much. I just happen to like the ending of Farscape better, not that it necessarily ended happily. I just felt it wrapped up all its emotional loose ends, while the writers of Buffy were more interested in the special effects and forgot they had to wrap up various emotional loose ends.

How to know you are a sci-fi geek/fan?

[After writing a few pages of my sci-fi novel, I took a lovely walk up and around a big hill in Prospect Park. Some would call it a mountain, I call it a hill. I've been to Colorado. Colorado has mountains, we have hills. But it is amongst the few places in this bustling city that you can actually be by yourself with nature. Another one is Greenwood Cemetery - albeit the dead are there as well.]

Anyhow...how to know you are a sci-fi geek, even though you have never been to comic con?

1. You know what BSG means. (hint science fiction television series)
2. You've heard of Firefly, not only that but you know that the language spoke was Chinese American. And what the title referred to.
3. You've heard of Farscape - and seen it at least twice. And can hum the theme music or at least make the attempt.
4. You have seen at least a couple of the following Science Fiction Series at least once, most likely all the way through, maybe even binged them:

* Torchwood
* The Prisoner
* Orphan Black
* Red Dwarf
* Space 1999
* V
* Battle Star Galatica (both versions)
* Battle of the Planets
* Babylon 5
* Sense8
* Humans
* Misfits
* Lost in Space
* Friday the 13th the Series
* Twilight Zone
* The Outer Limits
* Earth2
* Space - Above and Beyond
* Now and Again

5. You are a Doctor Who fan and can name at least five of the past Doctors and who played each of them by name. And you want a Tardis, like yesterday, and you know what one is.
6. You are a Star Trek Fan and can name all the Star Treks, including all the series and movies, and Captains
7. You know what the Hugos and Locus Awards are and have read many of the winners.
8. You can name books by Issac Asmiov, Harlan Ellison, Phillip K. Dick, Rodger Zelzany,
Octavia Butler, CJ Cherryth, Ann Leckie...and most likely read them. You've also most likely heard of Neil Gaiman - although you don't consider him sci-fi. You've also read and heard of Kim Stanley Robinson and Douglas Addams.
9. You have seen the Star Wars films at least three times now, and most likely hate the prequels and are fervently pretending they do not exist, but have mixed feelings about the upcoming sequels..
10. You don't know what to think of JJ Abrhams
11. You have a love/hate relationship with Joss Whedon
12. You have heard of Dollhouse and actually watched it, you may even own it on DVD.
13. Ridely Scott's best movie was Blade Runner and Alien, you've ignored the others.
14. James Cameron's best were Terminator and Aliens, which you liked better than Alien because hello Ridely!
15. You know what the Sarah Connor Chronicles are and prefer it to the Terminator movie franchise, which you are ignoring.
16. You know about what is happening with Pluto and paying attention to daily updates
And yes, have gotten into debates on whether it is actually a planet.
17. While you liked the X-Files, you haven't quite forgiven them for the movies and have mixed feelings about a reboot.
18. You have mixed feelings about the comic book movies - Chris Nolan's were a bit dark and you haven't quite forgiven him for Interstellar and that other flick he made, Joss Whedon's too busy, and personally you think the Captain America films were the best but don't want to admit it. (Guardians of the Galaxy may well have been your favorite but it also reminded you a lot of Farscape.)
19. You are trying to like Marvel Agents of Shield, but Agent Carter was slightly better...still not quite there. And Heroes disappointed you. Gotham is too dark. You watched Arrow and the Flash...and a good portion of Smallville, but haven't really found a superhero show that grabs you.
20. You watch most of your television shows, movies, and now books on your iphone or computer...and have figured out how to download obscure sci-fi tv shows from other countries.