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shadowkat[Sigh, chock-ful of typos, sorry, no time to edit. Must go to bed!]
Rather difficult day which has made me slightly, oh ever so slightly cranky. I find my patience for fools to be at its limit. Sigh. Now if I only I didn't have to deal with them on a daily basis, life would be lovely. (I'm being snarky, I don't really mean that. Okay, well not entirely).
On the plus side - got quite a bit done. And got rid of two cartons of comic books, plus about 20 other books that I'd had in boxes beneath my bed. Now I just have to get rid of three more cartons of comics, and 50 other books and we're set. Easier said than done. I tend to compile books compulsively - it comes from an inability torent check out library books, because I hate being told I have to read anything in a specific amount of time. Possibly a side effect of being an English Lit major in a school where I had to read and write papers on lengthy books within the space of two days. And by lengthy - I mean in some cases over 1000 pages. It was an odd school. We had a semesters worth of one class a month. In other words - you'd have five weeks of say Contemporary English Lit in Sept. Then five weeks of Behavioral Psychology in October. Quite intensive. Killer for Science Majors. Anyhow as a result of this - I really like to take my time with fictional novels. Being ordered by anyone to read a book in less than a month or two, annoys me. That and the fact that I happen to be allergic to the mold that grows inside most library books.
Moving on to TV - a much safer topic than the ones I've blathered about recently. Particularly if you don't watch any of the shows I'm discussing. You probably are, because I don't see any point in talking about shows that someone on my flist hasn't commented on and is not watching.
1. House - last week's, not this week's - haven't gotten around to this week's yet, I don't watch tv live anymore. I hate commercials and feel a compulsion to fast-forward during them. Last week's House was co-written by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tightropegirl otherwise known as Doris Egan (who is an executive producer this year). The episode was amongst the best of the season, and far better written than just about anything else I've seen lately. And yes, that includes Lost. It was character driven and every element furthered the story. It took place, almost entirely inside House's therapist's office - and was told in flashback, often with House and his therapist standing together in a scene and commenting on it. The language had a rhythm to it, the lines actually bounced and then stayed in my head long afterwards. And it did not hurt that it was in some respects a two-man play, acted by two of the best in the biz - Andre Braugher and Hugh Laurie. There is a reason why House is hands down the best procedural on television, it cares more about the characters than the procedures. And it explores every inch of the character. If you missed this episode, try to catch it on repeat - it's not to be missed.
Flawless in all respects.
It was about relationships. House's difficulty with them, specifically with romantic relationships. His desire to be happy. He tells his therapist that he's done everything that was asked of him. Went off viacodine, got his life together, tried to be nice, and he is miserable. Everyone else is moving on, having a happy relationship but him. What is the frigging point! While this is on the surface a simple enough problem, universal in fact, the writer delves into the minituia of it, explores the angles, and in a new way, making it surprising and unpredictable.
2. Vampire Diaries - laugh all you want, this has turned out to be a fun and satisfying series. Sure the pilot and first two or three episodes were well, silly and cheesy beyond all measure, but then it picked it up speed and did something True Blood failed to do, make me care and surprise me. It may not have the acting chomps of True Blood, but it is in some weird way more enjoyable. Maybe because it doesn't take itself nearly as seriously? It's just campy fun.
(Granted I only saw season 1 of True Blood, it is more than possible I'll change my mind about the show during S2. Season 1 - I felt was a bit derivative. Season 2 - does promise the untold riches of Michelle Forbes letting loose. And S2 has more of Pam and Eric, which were the best things about the books. The best things about S1 were Sam, Tara, and Tara's Cousin. Everyone else I was rather bored by, and a little of Jason can go a long long way.) Anyhow, back to Vampire Diaries - this is co-executive produced and co-written by Kevin Williamson who is actually a rather good writer. He was doing Dawsen's Creek at the same time Whedon was doing Buffy, the two shows aired back to back on the WB for a bit. Spike's line about "No, no, Pacey you fool - she'd never go for you!" and Buffy's later line to Angel - "Do you have to go all Dawsen every time you see me with another guy?" are from that show. Except unlike Whedon, Williamson got romantic relationship and understood that hello, people do move on. We don't rinse repeat forever and you don't tease the audience forever. Katie Holmes moved on from Dawsen and married his best friend, the snarky, somewhat cavalier, yet more enjoyable Pacey, played by Jonathan Jackson (who is Fringe, no not the one on General Hospital and played Kyle Reese on the Sarah Connor Chronicles who I prefer). Williamson's deft hand with ensemble casts, family relationships, and romantic ones - reappears here in Vampire Diaries, but unlike Dawsen, Williamson goes back to his roots - the snarky and somewhat satircal Scream horror films that also aired in the movie theaters around the same time. In the Scream films - Williamson commented on the slasher film tropes, paid homage to them, then ripped them apart. Creating in effect a whole new sub-genre, a horror film that made you laugh as you screamed.
We see this again with Vampire Diaries. Like the Scream films - he plays with the old urban legends. And he does scare you, but only for a minute or two, you get to laugh afterwards.
It's fun.
The romantic tropes are familar and granted been done to death, but there's a nice twist in this tale - the female heroine bares a striking resemblance to the female vampire that created Damon and Stefan, the two vampire brothers who fall for her. We are never sure if they love Elena because she looks exactly like Katherine, the vampire that created them, or for Elena herself. Elena could literally be Katherine's twin. But that's not the only tale...and the vampires here are more convoluted than they were in Whedon's stories or even True Blood. The mythology is clearer as well. A vampire it appears can if they want to, turn off their conscience, turn off their feelings, choose not to care. They can also turn it back on. It's up to them. This is a great metaphor for the human condition - we can choose to listen to our conscience or choose to listen to our compulsions.
The series is far from perfect. And often cheesy and campy in places. But it has more female characters than most series of this ilk. And fairly strong ones. True Blood to its credit - also has strong female characters. The jury is out on Being Human - last season only had one - the ghost and possibly the gal that the werewolf was dating. Vampire has at least six. We've got Elena and Katherine, Isbella, Anna, Pearl, Bonnie, Caroline, and Jenna.
It also has Ian S. - who played Boone on Lost, and has made the role of Damon on Vampire Diaries his own. Enjoyable as all get out to watch. The guy is never boring on screen. Is it great tv? No. Will I write endless meta on it? Hardly. Will you see lots of posts on it? Most likely not. But it is a lot of fun.
And the season finale - was a blast. Most enjoyable to date. Particularly the twist at the end, which surprised me, and I found myself rewinding twice to see exactly what they did and where they did it.
3. Supernatural finale. Yes, the writers have definitely been channeling Neil Gaiman, and possibly Terry Prachett this year, with a little of old Jonah Hex, Preacher, and just about every other horror noir comic book I've ever read thrown in. Methinks I've read too much of this particular genre and am close to burning out. Since I found the ending rather predictable in places. Yes - God is the writer, writing the story, what is new? I sort of like the fact that Whedon played with the idea but only implied it, never went there. Going there is...well
ripe with difficulty, you can, if you aren't careful, reduce your series to a campy remake of a Twilight Zone episode. Also, Supernatural is regrettably the most sexist tv series one the air, which may be an accomplishment - since it certainly has plenty of competition for the honor.
You can ignore this, if you squint, and focus on the two brothers - who the story is about.
IT's their relationship that has always lay at the heart of the series, and it is a love story about two brothers (platonic, please, although there are fans who ahem, see otherwise.). Do I enjoy it? Sure. But like Vampire Diaries - it's not something I can see myself becoming fannish over or posting on. What I like about it - is the mythology and the brother relationship.
Both of which I strongly identify - having a brother myself, one sibling, and being a student of urban folk legends. It's the main reason I watch. Actually the sole reason. That and I like the actors and characters they play. The writing is pretty good too.
The last three episodes strongly referenced American Gothic Urban Horror tradition and mythology. Specifically "white" American tradition - with a heavy Judea-Christian flavor.
We see Angels and Demons, the devil in all his guises, Crowley, Lucifier, Famine, Death, Pestilience, and War. All played by rather good character actors - such as Titus Wellver (war, and the man in black on Lost), Mark Pellengrigo (Lucifier and Jacob on Lost), and the great actor who portrayed Max Headroom. If Lost is playing homage to The Stand and Stephen King, then so is Supernatural in its own way. Urban Male Mythology. Supernatural is filled to the brim.
The finale was interesting, because Sam sacrifices himself or tries to, but Lucifer appears to win, until two brother's show up. Lucifer's - who is interested in berating him and killing him, even if it destroys the world in the process. And Sam's - who is interested in saving his brother. Adam (Michael) tells Lucifer that he has to kill him, even as Lucifer begs him to join him, begs him to team up against Dad, that he still cares for Michael. Meanwhile Dean tells Sam how much he loves him and the love is echoed in the Impala car that Dean brings with him. Their home. It's so male - the car as home and mother. And the car is that old beat up Chevy. Complete with old grill work, black paint, and torn leather inside. The finale is as much about the car as about the brothers. IT is the center piece and the one who pulls Sam out of Lucifer and gives Sam control. Allowing Sam to thrust Lucifer back into his cage, even as Michael attempts to stop him - only to fall with him into the cage as well. Dean goes back to find his ex-girlfriend Lisa and her son, who may or may not be his, and sets up a life with her as he promised Sam. And we find out the writer writing their stories, the erstwhile prophet or who claimed to be little more than a prophet, was in fact God himself...and that's the story commenting on itself in true Pirandella fashion. The writer standing apart, turning to the audience and saying see - here's my story. Star Next Generation did this bit better, and far more subletly in multiple episodes. But who am I to quibble. Supernatural has always to a degree commented on itself, its fans, and culture at large. Often in a somewhat tongue in cheek satirical manner. I'm never quite sure if I'm supposed to take it at it's word on the sexism or to see that as a somewhat misanthropic commentary on the male animal. Noir is a bit like that anyhow.
The last scene more or less underlines this view, we see Dean eating with his new family, the family room lit, warm, comforting, while outside in the dark, under streetlight that sparks out, Sam appears...lost and alone, and shut out. As if they are two parts of the same whole, one happy inside, the safe family man, the other ...in the dark, tragic.
5. Lost - last week's Lost was...okay. I'm ambivalent to be honest. And not really all that surprised. My first reaction - was laughter - and this so does not work plot-wise. It doesn't. You can tell that the writers sort of pushed the story into a crack in the plot and hammered away at it to make it work. David Fury - left after the first season because he couldn't deal with the fact that the writers had no clue where they were going with the series and didn't have a plan in place. Considering this is David Fury, we are talking about, the same guy who wrote for Angel and Buffy, as well as 24 - TV shows that aren't exactly known for their tight plots...then there may be a problem with Lost. IF Fury got upset with how they were writing it, clearly something was off.
And he's not wrong. Plot wise? Lost does not work. Well not without quite a bit of glue, and fanwank. But I give the writers credit for trying to make sense of the tangle they've created, which is what this episode was in part about - an attempt to make sense of that tangle, but wisely not saying too much, because there really isn't any way to do so without making it sound incredibly lame. If you don't know the answer? Pretend you do and don't say anything.
In other words, bluff. Which is what they are doing.
I don't buy the Jacob as good guy, Man in Black as bad guy set up. Doesn't quite work. Nor does the Man in Black as a sort of nameless Randall Flagg a la The Stand. Jacob clearly created the Smoke Monster. All his brother wanted was to go home, back to the world from which he came.
The Mother didn't want him to go, because of selfish reasons. The same ones she used for killing the boys biological mother. It was hard to care about Allison Janney's Mother, or for that matter her weak-willed and naively devoted son, Jacob. And at times the story felt very much like Cain and Able.
Jacob reminds me a lot of the character of Jack, which may be the root problem of Lost. The protagonist is a whiny entitled brat, who is burdened by guilt and longing for connection, as well as a bit too much ego for his own good. You can't quite sympathize with his plight, because it is so narcisstic in nature and so much about himself and his need to prove something to an unknowable and distant father. This is by no means new. They did the same thing with Angel the Series. And a lot of other series. The Tragic Heroes tale is attempting to climb the mountain to find god, only to discover empty space. In some respects, I prefer Supernatural, the heroes are more likable and a bit less entitled.
If you ignore Jack and Jacob, the story is entertaining. It works as long as we are not focused on them. The fault may well lie with the network who convinced the writers and producers to turn Jack into the protagonist, as opposed to killing him as they'd originally intended in the first episode. The series was originally designed as an anthology. And perhaps it should have stayed one? I don't know.
At any rate, if I had to choose - I prefer Jack, both actor and character to Pellengrigo's Jacob. But, I far prefer and find far more interesting and complex, the unnamed Man in Black as portrayed, somewhat brilliantly, by both Titus Wellver and Terry Quinn, just as I prefer Lock to Jack. Lock's quest for the unknowable father is in some respects far more touching, and reminds me more of the Supernatural Brothers, and Spike, and Buffy herself, than Angel and Jack's who really never have to look for their's - he's there, they just don't like what he has to say, or the fact that they are so much like him.
Nor was I happy with the homicidal mother. The writers have Lost have some serious Mommy issues.
The mother who controls, and connives, and is insane. We are given insight into Man In Black/aka Smokey's comment to Kate about his crazy mother. And insight as to why he took Claire in and was upset with Kate. To MIB/Smokey - mother's are insane. Father's unknowable or non-existent. And brother's annoying obstacles. He kills his mother, after she knocks him out and kills his people, and Jacob destroys him by throwing him into the island, making him and the island join. The source of the island fills MIB and casts out his physical form.
The backgammon game symbolizes his need to escape. And Jacobs need to keep him there. White forever trapping black on the board. A game of territorial acquisition and traps.
I still think the end may well be Jack (jacob's replacement) and Lock (aka Smokey) sitting side by side, staring into the sea. But I hope not.
6. The Good Wife - if you haven't seen this show, you should. Best legal show on. And amongst the few feminist tv shows on the air. Alicia Florek, Diane, and Kalinda are strong tough women in their own right. Complex. The series depicts the difficulties of being a strong woman in a man's profession and man's world - the obstacles in your path. It's also a complicated political drama with a deft view of both office politics and the politics in the legal system or at work behind the scenes of local government and the courts. The writing, acting, and pacing are gripping. It is amongst the few tv shows that I find myself engrossed in and not wandering off during.
And it is building. Complete one arc each week, while building on the next. Perfect combo of episodic legal procedural and serial political thriller, with personal relationships in the mix.
My favorite character may well be Kalinda. A female private detective, who is from American born, with India heritage, but does not speak Hindi - a great touch. She defies stereotypes.
She may well be bisexual, we aren't told. And she is definitely next to Mary Shannon of In Plain Sight, the toughest gal on TV. I adore her to pieces. Also quite found of Christine Baranski's complicated and at times nasty, Diane, as well as Julianne Marguiles, steely Alicia Florek - a true heroine, watching her cry as she attempted to pay all her bills, while a potential lay-off hung over her head...was moving.
7. Glee - getting better and better each week. This season has managed to rise above last. The subsidiary characters are actually being developed. We've moved away from Will's love-life to a degree, thank god. And are focusing on the stronger - female characters. This is a series that has better female characters than male in some respects. Tough and dynamic. I can't quite decide who is my favorite at the moment - Mercedes who demands respect for herself and those around her, or Sue Sylvestrie, the at times comical yet also oddly vulnerable nemesis of the Glee Club. Her love and devotion to her mentally challenged sister is a nice twist. Each character is layered and has slowly over time risen above their cartoonish exterior - demonstrating that exterior may well be a satire on our own assumptions. Murphy enjoys, much as Joss Whedon did before him, throwing a dark funhouse mirror up in the audience face and forcing us to question our own prejudices and assumptions. The homosexual teens, rough and tumble football loving Dad is gasp, sensitive to the boy's plight and actually supportive, and in some respects more understanding than the teen is or Will himself for that matter.
Also the musical numbers are fantastic, twisty, fun, unpredictable, and at times hilarious.
Glee manages to succeed where most shows who attempted to be musicals failed, it uses the music to further it's own story, to examine and explore characters and relationships, and to comment on our own cultural wars and sensibilities at the same time. Brave, daring, at times offensive, and at times moving...Glee is proving to be a bit more than just a spot of fun, and may well turn out to be my favorite show..it's certainly the one I look most forward to each week.
Now if Lost would just end, or The Good Wife, so that I can actually catch the last five minutes of Glee - life would be great!
Rather difficult day which has made me slightly, oh ever so slightly cranky. I find my patience for fools to be at its limit. Sigh. Now if I only I didn't have to deal with them on a daily basis, life would be lovely. (I'm being snarky, I don't really mean that. Okay, well not entirely).
On the plus side - got quite a bit done. And got rid of two cartons of comic books, plus about 20 other books that I'd had in boxes beneath my bed. Now I just have to get rid of three more cartons of comics, and 50 other books and we're set. Easier said than done. I tend to compile books compulsively - it comes from an inability to
Moving on to TV - a much safer topic than the ones I've blathered about recently. Particularly if you don't watch any of the shows I'm discussing. You probably are, because I don't see any point in talking about shows that someone on my flist hasn't commented on and is not watching.
1. House - last week's, not this week's - haven't gotten around to this week's yet, I don't watch tv live anymore. I hate commercials and feel a compulsion to fast-forward during them. Last week's House was co-written by
tightropegirl otherwise known as Doris Egan (who is an executive producer this year). The episode was amongst the best of the season, and far better written than just about anything else I've seen lately. And yes, that includes Lost. It was character driven and every element furthered the story. It took place, almost entirely inside House's therapist's office - and was told in flashback, often with House and his therapist standing together in a scene and commenting on it. The language had a rhythm to it, the lines actually bounced and then stayed in my head long afterwards. And it did not hurt that it was in some respects a two-man play, acted by two of the best in the biz - Andre Braugher and Hugh Laurie. There is a reason why House is hands down the best procedural on television, it cares more about the characters than the procedures. And it explores every inch of the character. If you missed this episode, try to catch it on repeat - it's not to be missed.Flawless in all respects.
It was about relationships. House's difficulty with them, specifically with romantic relationships. His desire to be happy. He tells his therapist that he's done everything that was asked of him. Went off viacodine, got his life together, tried to be nice, and he is miserable. Everyone else is moving on, having a happy relationship but him. What is the frigging point! While this is on the surface a simple enough problem, universal in fact, the writer delves into the minituia of it, explores the angles, and in a new way, making it surprising and unpredictable.
2. Vampire Diaries - laugh all you want, this has turned out to be a fun and satisfying series. Sure the pilot and first two or three episodes were well, silly and cheesy beyond all measure, but then it picked it up speed and did something True Blood failed to do, make me care and surprise me. It may not have the acting chomps of True Blood, but it is in some weird way more enjoyable. Maybe because it doesn't take itself nearly as seriously? It's just campy fun.
(Granted I only saw season 1 of True Blood, it is more than possible I'll change my mind about the show during S2. Season 1 - I felt was a bit derivative. Season 2 - does promise the untold riches of Michelle Forbes letting loose. And S2 has more of Pam and Eric, which were the best things about the books. The best things about S1 were Sam, Tara, and Tara's Cousin. Everyone else I was rather bored by, and a little of Jason can go a long long way.) Anyhow, back to Vampire Diaries - this is co-executive produced and co-written by Kevin Williamson who is actually a rather good writer. He was doing Dawsen's Creek at the same time Whedon was doing Buffy, the two shows aired back to back on the WB for a bit. Spike's line about "No, no, Pacey you fool - she'd never go for you!" and Buffy's later line to Angel - "Do you have to go all Dawsen every time you see me with another guy?" are from that show. Except unlike Whedon, Williamson got romantic relationship and understood that hello, people do move on. We don't rinse repeat forever and you don't tease the audience forever. Katie Holmes moved on from Dawsen and married his best friend, the snarky, somewhat cavalier, yet more enjoyable Pacey, played by Jonathan Jackson (who is Fringe, no not the one on General Hospital and played Kyle Reese on the Sarah Connor Chronicles who I prefer). Williamson's deft hand with ensemble casts, family relationships, and romantic ones - reappears here in Vampire Diaries, but unlike Dawsen, Williamson goes back to his roots - the snarky and somewhat satircal Scream horror films that also aired in the movie theaters around the same time. In the Scream films - Williamson commented on the slasher film tropes, paid homage to them, then ripped them apart. Creating in effect a whole new sub-genre, a horror film that made you laugh as you screamed.
We see this again with Vampire Diaries. Like the Scream films - he plays with the old urban legends. And he does scare you, but only for a minute or two, you get to laugh afterwards.
It's fun.
The romantic tropes are familar and granted been done to death, but there's a nice twist in this tale - the female heroine bares a striking resemblance to the female vampire that created Damon and Stefan, the two vampire brothers who fall for her. We are never sure if they love Elena because she looks exactly like Katherine, the vampire that created them, or for Elena herself. Elena could literally be Katherine's twin. But that's not the only tale...and the vampires here are more convoluted than they were in Whedon's stories or even True Blood. The mythology is clearer as well. A vampire it appears can if they want to, turn off their conscience, turn off their feelings, choose not to care. They can also turn it back on. It's up to them. This is a great metaphor for the human condition - we can choose to listen to our conscience or choose to listen to our compulsions.
The series is far from perfect. And often cheesy and campy in places. But it has more female characters than most series of this ilk. And fairly strong ones. True Blood to its credit - also has strong female characters. The jury is out on Being Human - last season only had one - the ghost and possibly the gal that the werewolf was dating. Vampire has at least six. We've got Elena and Katherine, Isbella, Anna, Pearl, Bonnie, Caroline, and Jenna.
It also has Ian S. - who played Boone on Lost, and has made the role of Damon on Vampire Diaries his own. Enjoyable as all get out to watch. The guy is never boring on screen. Is it great tv? No. Will I write endless meta on it? Hardly. Will you see lots of posts on it? Most likely not. But it is a lot of fun.
And the season finale - was a blast. Most enjoyable to date. Particularly the twist at the end, which surprised me, and I found myself rewinding twice to see exactly what they did and where they did it.
3. Supernatural finale. Yes, the writers have definitely been channeling Neil Gaiman, and possibly Terry Prachett this year, with a little of old Jonah Hex, Preacher, and just about every other horror noir comic book I've ever read thrown in. Methinks I've read too much of this particular genre and am close to burning out. Since I found the ending rather predictable in places. Yes - God is the writer, writing the story, what is new? I sort of like the fact that Whedon played with the idea but only implied it, never went there. Going there is...well
ripe with difficulty, you can, if you aren't careful, reduce your series to a campy remake of a Twilight Zone episode. Also, Supernatural is regrettably the most sexist tv series one the air, which may be an accomplishment - since it certainly has plenty of competition for the honor.
You can ignore this, if you squint, and focus on the two brothers - who the story is about.
IT's their relationship that has always lay at the heart of the series, and it is a love story about two brothers (platonic, please, although there are fans who ahem, see otherwise.). Do I enjoy it? Sure. But like Vampire Diaries - it's not something I can see myself becoming fannish over or posting on. What I like about it - is the mythology and the brother relationship.
Both of which I strongly identify - having a brother myself, one sibling, and being a student of urban folk legends. It's the main reason I watch. Actually the sole reason. That and I like the actors and characters they play. The writing is pretty good too.
The last three episodes strongly referenced American Gothic Urban Horror tradition and mythology. Specifically "white" American tradition - with a heavy Judea-Christian flavor.
We see Angels and Demons, the devil in all his guises, Crowley, Lucifier, Famine, Death, Pestilience, and War. All played by rather good character actors - such as Titus Wellver (war, and the man in black on Lost), Mark Pellengrigo (Lucifier and Jacob on Lost), and the great actor who portrayed Max Headroom. If Lost is playing homage to The Stand and Stephen King, then so is Supernatural in its own way. Urban Male Mythology. Supernatural is filled to the brim.
The finale was interesting, because Sam sacrifices himself or tries to, but Lucifer appears to win, until two brother's show up. Lucifer's - who is interested in berating him and killing him, even if it destroys the world in the process. And Sam's - who is interested in saving his brother. Adam (Michael) tells Lucifer that he has to kill him, even as Lucifer begs him to join him, begs him to team up against Dad, that he still cares for Michael. Meanwhile Dean tells Sam how much he loves him and the love is echoed in the Impala car that Dean brings with him. Their home. It's so male - the car as home and mother. And the car is that old beat up Chevy. Complete with old grill work, black paint, and torn leather inside. The finale is as much about the car as about the brothers. IT is the center piece and the one who pulls Sam out of Lucifer and gives Sam control. Allowing Sam to thrust Lucifer back into his cage, even as Michael attempts to stop him - only to fall with him into the cage as well. Dean goes back to find his ex-girlfriend Lisa and her son, who may or may not be his, and sets up a life with her as he promised Sam. And we find out the writer writing their stories, the erstwhile prophet or who claimed to be little more than a prophet, was in fact God himself...and that's the story commenting on itself in true Pirandella fashion. The writer standing apart, turning to the audience and saying see - here's my story. Star Next Generation did this bit better, and far more subletly in multiple episodes. But who am I to quibble. Supernatural has always to a degree commented on itself, its fans, and culture at large. Often in a somewhat tongue in cheek satirical manner. I'm never quite sure if I'm supposed to take it at it's word on the sexism or to see that as a somewhat misanthropic commentary on the male animal. Noir is a bit like that anyhow.
The last scene more or less underlines this view, we see Dean eating with his new family, the family room lit, warm, comforting, while outside in the dark, under streetlight that sparks out, Sam appears...lost and alone, and shut out. As if they are two parts of the same whole, one happy inside, the safe family man, the other ...in the dark, tragic.
5. Lost - last week's Lost was...okay. I'm ambivalent to be honest. And not really all that surprised. My first reaction - was laughter - and this so does not work plot-wise. It doesn't. You can tell that the writers sort of pushed the story into a crack in the plot and hammered away at it to make it work. David Fury - left after the first season because he couldn't deal with the fact that the writers had no clue where they were going with the series and didn't have a plan in place. Considering this is David Fury, we are talking about, the same guy who wrote for Angel and Buffy, as well as 24 - TV shows that aren't exactly known for their tight plots...then there may be a problem with Lost. IF Fury got upset with how they were writing it, clearly something was off.
And he's not wrong. Plot wise? Lost does not work. Well not without quite a bit of glue, and fanwank. But I give the writers credit for trying to make sense of the tangle they've created, which is what this episode was in part about - an attempt to make sense of that tangle, but wisely not saying too much, because there really isn't any way to do so without making it sound incredibly lame. If you don't know the answer? Pretend you do and don't say anything.
In other words, bluff. Which is what they are doing.
I don't buy the Jacob as good guy, Man in Black as bad guy set up. Doesn't quite work. Nor does the Man in Black as a sort of nameless Randall Flagg a la The Stand. Jacob clearly created the Smoke Monster. All his brother wanted was to go home, back to the world from which he came.
The Mother didn't want him to go, because of selfish reasons. The same ones she used for killing the boys biological mother. It was hard to care about Allison Janney's Mother, or for that matter her weak-willed and naively devoted son, Jacob. And at times the story felt very much like Cain and Able.
Jacob reminds me a lot of the character of Jack, which may be the root problem of Lost. The protagonist is a whiny entitled brat, who is burdened by guilt and longing for connection, as well as a bit too much ego for his own good. You can't quite sympathize with his plight, because it is so narcisstic in nature and so much about himself and his need to prove something to an unknowable and distant father. This is by no means new. They did the same thing with Angel the Series. And a lot of other series. The Tragic Heroes tale is attempting to climb the mountain to find god, only to discover empty space. In some respects, I prefer Supernatural, the heroes are more likable and a bit less entitled.
If you ignore Jack and Jacob, the story is entertaining. It works as long as we are not focused on them. The fault may well lie with the network who convinced the writers and producers to turn Jack into the protagonist, as opposed to killing him as they'd originally intended in the first episode. The series was originally designed as an anthology. And perhaps it should have stayed one? I don't know.
At any rate, if I had to choose - I prefer Jack, both actor and character to Pellengrigo's Jacob. But, I far prefer and find far more interesting and complex, the unnamed Man in Black as portrayed, somewhat brilliantly, by both Titus Wellver and Terry Quinn, just as I prefer Lock to Jack. Lock's quest for the unknowable father is in some respects far more touching, and reminds me more of the Supernatural Brothers, and Spike, and Buffy herself, than Angel and Jack's who really never have to look for their's - he's there, they just don't like what he has to say, or the fact that they are so much like him.
Nor was I happy with the homicidal mother. The writers have Lost have some serious Mommy issues.
The mother who controls, and connives, and is insane. We are given insight into Man In Black/aka Smokey's comment to Kate about his crazy mother. And insight as to why he took Claire in and was upset with Kate. To MIB/Smokey - mother's are insane. Father's unknowable or non-existent. And brother's annoying obstacles. He kills his mother, after she knocks him out and kills his people, and Jacob destroys him by throwing him into the island, making him and the island join. The source of the island fills MIB and casts out his physical form.
The backgammon game symbolizes his need to escape. And Jacobs need to keep him there. White forever trapping black on the board. A game of territorial acquisition and traps.
I still think the end may well be Jack (jacob's replacement) and Lock (aka Smokey) sitting side by side, staring into the sea. But I hope not.
6. The Good Wife - if you haven't seen this show, you should. Best legal show on. And amongst the few feminist tv shows on the air. Alicia Florek, Diane, and Kalinda are strong tough women in their own right. Complex. The series depicts the difficulties of being a strong woman in a man's profession and man's world - the obstacles in your path. It's also a complicated political drama with a deft view of both office politics and the politics in the legal system or at work behind the scenes of local government and the courts. The writing, acting, and pacing are gripping. It is amongst the few tv shows that I find myself engrossed in and not wandering off during.
And it is building. Complete one arc each week, while building on the next. Perfect combo of episodic legal procedural and serial political thriller, with personal relationships in the mix.
My favorite character may well be Kalinda. A female private detective, who is from American born, with India heritage, but does not speak Hindi - a great touch. She defies stereotypes.
She may well be bisexual, we aren't told. And she is definitely next to Mary Shannon of In Plain Sight, the toughest gal on TV. I adore her to pieces. Also quite found of Christine Baranski's complicated and at times nasty, Diane, as well as Julianne Marguiles, steely Alicia Florek - a true heroine, watching her cry as she attempted to pay all her bills, while a potential lay-off hung over her head...was moving.
7. Glee - getting better and better each week. This season has managed to rise above last. The subsidiary characters are actually being developed. We've moved away from Will's love-life to a degree, thank god. And are focusing on the stronger - female characters. This is a series that has better female characters than male in some respects. Tough and dynamic. I can't quite decide who is my favorite at the moment - Mercedes who demands respect for herself and those around her, or Sue Sylvestrie, the at times comical yet also oddly vulnerable nemesis of the Glee Club. Her love and devotion to her mentally challenged sister is a nice twist. Each character is layered and has slowly over time risen above their cartoonish exterior - demonstrating that exterior may well be a satire on our own assumptions. Murphy enjoys, much as Joss Whedon did before him, throwing a dark funhouse mirror up in the audience face and forcing us to question our own prejudices and assumptions. The homosexual teens, rough and tumble football loving Dad is gasp, sensitive to the boy's plight and actually supportive, and in some respects more understanding than the teen is or Will himself for that matter.
Also the musical numbers are fantastic, twisty, fun, unpredictable, and at times hilarious.
Glee manages to succeed where most shows who attempted to be musicals failed, it uses the music to further it's own story, to examine and explore characters and relationships, and to comment on our own cultural wars and sensibilities at the same time. Brave, daring, at times offensive, and at times moving...Glee is proving to be a bit more than just a spot of fun, and may well turn out to be my favorite show..it's certainly the one I look most forward to each week.
Now if Lost would just end, or The Good Wife, so that I can actually catch the last five minutes of Glee - life would be great!
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Date: 2010-05-18 01:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-19 04:21 pm (UTC)But yep, Glee is my Happy Show. Big Bang is probably the only sitcom I watch any more.
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Date: 2010-05-19 07:27 pm (UTC)it shows how differently two people can view the same thing: I just watched last night's 'Glee' through twice this morning, and I thought it was one of their best. Most of the time, when they try to touch on emotional issues, it seems soppy and lame to me... but I really found this episode touching (I'm giving Joss the credit instead of the writers, somehow Joss always knows how to make me cry).
But yeah, Glee and Big Bang are definitely happy shows: guaranteed laughs (always what brings me back for more).
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Date: 2010-05-20 12:15 pm (UTC)Is there anything Joss does that you don't like? ;-)
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Date: 2010-05-20 12:31 pm (UTC)Not yet!