TV-land!!!
Mar. 23rd, 2009 03:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roginSince I should work on my thesis I'm fleeing to TV-land pretty often lately and thought I'd share some thoughts on shiny new shows and others ending.
I saw the finale of Battlestar Galactica and it was pretty much what I had feared all along...
Instead of giving all the ginormous mysteries of the show a thought through complex sci fi answer they gave it a pretty cheap metaphysical one. No superevolved aliens pulling the strings, no supercomputer playing fate. No, it's good old god and a everybody of mysterious origin is an angel...
It's seems to be very hard to come up with a longterm mystery plot that actually makes sense, while misleading the viewers occasionally. It's hard to create suspense and a basis for a myriad of speculations if you actually have a story in mind. An example where this was done wonderfully would be Babylon 5, where all the signs and portents from the first two seasons came to a brilliant climax in season 4.
On the other hand it's pretty easy to make interesting episodes that contradict each other and make room for speculations if you don't have an idea for an actual backstory. X-files worked like that and Neon Genesis Evangelion and lots of others. It's legitimate of course to have an open end that doesn't answer any (or all) plot questions (after you never get all the answers in life) but I still feel cheated.
There were some nice touches in the finale like everything with Roslin and Adama and I kind of liked that over the whole show, Starbuck had lead the fleet to all the previously destroyed planets as if to show them off. But her just going pouff? Cheap. Same cheap as Chip Six and Chip Baltar being Angels. The second this time really earth? Also cheap. God's the answer? Ultra cheap! I liked the idea that they are in this ever repeating cycle, though it was very fuzzy round the edges. There were some very cool plot ideas but they were never fully explored and that pretty much ruined the second part of the show for me where it was all about the cylon mystery plot. I still have the first one and a half season to cherish but all in all I had expected a lot more (but feared exactly that, when I couldn't think of a possible way to tie up even half the loose ends).
Watched Dollhouse 1.6 too, the one where Joss promised everything would get better and....it did in many ways.
That was much more what I had been expecting from the show, good dialog, some well done twists in the plot (when DeVitt ordered the rapist to go rape and kill Mellie they really had me for a second there). I love that Eliza had that neat action scene and I'm finally starting to warm up to the Ballard. I think Joss is going for the same kind of ardorkableness Angel had, being all hardass but such dork sometimes, combined with Spike's cheekbones and pecks and it's starting to work on me.
I liked the in between interviews with L.A. citizens . Arg, I know by the time they'll cancel it , I'll love that show...
There is one ongoing problem I might have with the show though. Joss never fuzzed a lot about his setting. In the Buffyverse he constantly invented new monsters and changed the background to fit his current ideas (like good demons showing up in later seasons and Angel or magic being addictive in S6. Buffy was mostly about the characters so that's ok, but Dollhouse is set in verse closer to reality and it's more about the big plot, so contradictions and weird character behavior show a lot more.
For example I don't really get Ballard. He's working for the FBI investigating the Dollhouse but everybody thinks he's wasting his time. So how comes he can investigate? You don't get to chose your own cases at the FBI as far as I know, so either he'd have to solve other cases too or he is backupped by at least some superiors and then why does he have to do everything alone?
Saw the pilot and the next episode of Kings and WOW! Ok, this show rocks from the first minute on!I was curious about the strange setting with that modern day AU bibleverse, where everything is ruled by kings in skyscrapers and it really paid off to watch. It's nothing I'd usually watch since I mostly keep away from pure drama shows, but this one has just the supernatural sparkle in it to make it interesting. Plus enough of evil court intrigue to compete with a game of thrones (when HBO will finally get that show on it's feet).
Finally I watched Castle and liked. NF is so funny. I'll never be much one for crime show but it's cute and decidedly watchable especially if you like Bones.
I saw the finale of Battlestar Galactica and it was pretty much what I had feared all along...
Instead of giving all the ginormous mysteries of the show a thought through complex sci fi answer they gave it a pretty cheap metaphysical one. No superevolved aliens pulling the strings, no supercomputer playing fate. No, it's good old god and a everybody of mysterious origin is an angel...
It's seems to be very hard to come up with a longterm mystery plot that actually makes sense, while misleading the viewers occasionally. It's hard to create suspense and a basis for a myriad of speculations if you actually have a story in mind. An example where this was done wonderfully would be Babylon 5, where all the signs and portents from the first two seasons came to a brilliant climax in season 4.
On the other hand it's pretty easy to make interesting episodes that contradict each other and make room for speculations if you don't have an idea for an actual backstory. X-files worked like that and Neon Genesis Evangelion and lots of others. It's legitimate of course to have an open end that doesn't answer any (or all) plot questions (after you never get all the answers in life) but I still feel cheated.
There were some nice touches in the finale like everything with Roslin and Adama and I kind of liked that over the whole show, Starbuck had lead the fleet to all the previously destroyed planets as if to show them off. But her just going pouff? Cheap. Same cheap as Chip Six and Chip Baltar being Angels. The second this time really earth? Also cheap. God's the answer? Ultra cheap! I liked the idea that they are in this ever repeating cycle, though it was very fuzzy round the edges. There were some very cool plot ideas but they were never fully explored and that pretty much ruined the second part of the show for me where it was all about the cylon mystery plot. I still have the first one and a half season to cherish but all in all I had expected a lot more (but feared exactly that, when I couldn't think of a possible way to tie up even half the loose ends).
Watched Dollhouse 1.6 too, the one where Joss promised everything would get better and....it did in many ways.
That was much more what I had been expecting from the show, good dialog, some well done twists in the plot (when DeVitt ordered the rapist to go rape and kill Mellie they really had me for a second there). I love that Eliza had that neat action scene and I'm finally starting to warm up to the Ballard. I think Joss is going for the same kind of ardorkableness Angel had, being all hardass but such dork sometimes, combined with Spike's cheekbones and pecks and it's starting to work on me.
I liked the in between interviews with L.A. citizens . Arg, I know by the time they'll cancel it , I'll love that show...
There is one ongoing problem I might have with the show though. Joss never fuzzed a lot about his setting. In the Buffyverse he constantly invented new monsters and changed the background to fit his current ideas (like good demons showing up in later seasons and Angel or magic being addictive in S6. Buffy was mostly about the characters so that's ok, but Dollhouse is set in verse closer to reality and it's more about the big plot, so contradictions and weird character behavior show a lot more.
For example I don't really get Ballard. He's working for the FBI investigating the Dollhouse but everybody thinks he's wasting his time. So how comes he can investigate? You don't get to chose your own cases at the FBI as far as I know, so either he'd have to solve other cases too or he is backupped by at least some superiors and then why does he have to do everything alone?
Saw the pilot and the next episode of Kings and WOW! Ok, this show rocks from the first minute on!I was curious about the strange setting with that modern day AU bibleverse, where everything is ruled by kings in skyscrapers and it really paid off to watch. It's nothing I'd usually watch since I mostly keep away from pure drama shows, but this one has just the supernatural sparkle in it to make it interesting. Plus enough of evil court intrigue to compete with a game of thrones (when HBO will finally get that show on it's feet).
Finally I watched Castle and liked. NF is so funny. I'll never be much one for crime show but it's cute and decidedly watchable especially if you like Bones.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-23 03:59 pm (UTC)So Castle was good? I haven't watched it yet.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-23 04:21 pm (UTC)Sadly, I missed this episode. I'm catching up on Hulu but it's slow since I have dial-up and it keeps buffering.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-23 05:52 pm (UTC)It was also creepy that Adele switched on and off yia phone since she had claimed that remote wipe wasn't possible (technically it wasn't wipe, just a swich, but still).
Castle was sooo funny, you're going to love it! Nathan Fillion is so brilliant on this one. Hopefully he'll have more luck this time.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-23 05:59 pm (UTC)Which seasons of Buffy did you not like?
I think Dollhouse is risky business insofar as Joss strongest suit are the characters and the whole setup (morally dark grey to outright evil, gets a new persona every week...) makes it hard to relate to the characters in a short while. it works on the long haul but with Fox it's so very questionable if there's going to be a long haul.
So far my favorite is Topher and I really love to hate him.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-23 11:19 pm (UTC)Honestly, I dislike seasons 6 and 7. I think the show went to a place where the characters wouldn't go to.
I'm just glad that they've started inserting humor into the show because I think that's one of Joss's strongest points and the first couple of episodes were so dark.
I enjoy Topher, Dr. Saunders, and Boyd. I'm also enjoying the interaction between Echo, Victor, and Sierra.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-24 11:24 am (UTC)Obviously the lawyers of the movie studios were incredibly stupid and didn't manage to learn how bittorrent works before the trial (+ they annoyed the swedish judge with overdramatic behaviour until he told them to cut the american bullshit), so they had to drop 3 of four charges. Only "assistance on copyright infringement" remains and we'll see in April if they're going to be sentenced for that (hopefully not, after all what they do is legal under swedish law)
Oh, I like Season 6 a lot, probably mainly because I like Spike in it sooo much and it had some pretty cool individual eps.
I wouldn't say I hate 7, but it's one of the weaker seasons in my opinion.
I'm glad too that Dollhouse is picking up on the humor. I was missing it a lot in the first few eps. I really hope, they'll get more than that one season. Doesn't look like lots of people are watching it over in the US.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-24 01:01 pm (UTC)smooches xxx
no subject
Date: 2009-03-31 07:42 pm (UTC)Castle is neat, isn't it? I love the dynamic between the two. Also I love his mother and daughter.
*hugs'n'kisses*