30 January 2007 @ 01:47 pm
Recent TV Adventures  
Lost, Heroes, QaF, Battlestar Galactica, Dresden Files, and Torchwood

I've finally picked up Lost on DVD since plenty of people I know and respect say it's a cool show. I've made it through the first season and am starting on the next. Does it make me less female that all the emo backstory for each of the characters just annoys me? Maybe I wouldn't hate it so much if it weren't specifically designed to stop the forward momentum of the story? No, actually, it's that I have little patience for people making the same stupid mistakes over and over and over and... Besides, the mystery of what's up with the island is far more interesting. Better storytelling would bring that forward without the need for jarring flashbacks meant to stop the action on a cliffhanger.

Speaking of annoying emo, next week looks to be a good time to sit down and finally watch Season 5 of QaF since Joe'll be out of town. Well, to fast forward through large chunks that I know will annoy me. I've seen large parts of the last 1/2 of the season but I haven't seen the first half. Actually, I'm having a hard time working up any enthusiasm for watching it because I know where it's headed. :|

I've been catching up on Heroes; I'm enjoying that quite a bit. I think it's probably because a show like that really does have to map out what's going to happen in future episodes and build its way there. I loved Bab5 for that very reason. I love complex story lines and I want what happens in episode 5 to have an effect on what happens in episode 15 and episode 105. The characters are wonderful and seeing Christopher Ecclestein AND George Takei last night was nice. The promise of their being in another few eps at least have me very happy. :)

Finished Torchwood, in which I'm enjoying John Barrowman. Can't say at this point that I like any of the other characters. I fear they've fallen from flawed humans into irretrievably stupid and gullible -- and rather callous towards others. I hope there's some feedback to the writers on this because Owen in particular is repulsive at this point. Gwen, around whom so much of the show revolves, really isn't winning any points with me. I know they can write some good stuff - the penultimate episode was wonderful not only for the Harkness Snogging Harkness bits but the team stuff. Jack and Tosh were wonderful and even the Ianto / Owen scenes were good as they argued over what Jack would want them to do, what was the right thing, yadda. Then, of course, they buggered it up in the very next episode. *sigh*

Dresden Files -- I've only seen the pilot but I gotta say it didn't grab me. I'm very disappointed because this is one show I've been eagerly awaiting since I saw the first promo months ago. It felt as if it should be longer so that I could meet the characters more and get a little more feel for them. Why is the cop calling him to help if she isn't aware of his powers, for instance? I meant to watch it again this week but forgot it was on, even though it was right before BSG. That's really not a good sign. :(

Battlestar Galactica is starting to lose me. I don't really like what they're doing with Baltar, Starbuck, or Apollo. Again, it's going all emo and weepy on me and I can't say that I have much patience for it. The apparent exit of Lucy Lawless removes one of the things I was enjoying in the series. BSG really needs a multi-year story plan; without one it's wandering the same way the survivors theoretically are, all over known space.

I quite enjoyed the "what makes humans worth saving" philosophical questions. I quite enjoyed the military/civilian tensions. I love trying to figure out what the hell the Cyclons are about. The artificial sexual tension between Starbuck and Apollo would have worked for me if they didn't each decide to marry someone else but they did and really? That makes this all seem like an exercise to up the ratings via sex and throwing pretty people at each other. It all just leaves me completely turned off. Again, I think the tragic emo-ness of it all is meant to appeal to women but I just find it tedious and off-putting.

Also? The move from Friday to Sunday really doesn't work for me. Friday was all about kicking back, relaxing, and being irresponsible while Sunday is a lead-in to another week of responsibility. Maybe I'll record it and just wait until Friday to watch it. :)


I've decided to wait to watch SG-1 until the freezing over of hell whenever SciFi decides to air it. April? May? November? I guess I'm putting off the inevitable end of SG-1, which is really rather silly since it's not as if I've been a happy fan of the new stuff. But there it is. It's an old friend and a fandom where I've met a lot of good people so I'm reticent to rush to its conclusion.
 
 
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[identity profile] niamaea.livejournal.com on February 9th, 2007 11:29 pm (UTC)
I don't really like what they're doing with Baltar, Starbuck, or Apollo.

Wow, I just commented something to this effect in another post. Um, amen? I've always disliked Baltar, and for a long time that was fine because I kind of thought we were supposed to, a little? But I used to love Starbuck and Apollo. And I still love Starbuck and Apollo. It's Lee and Kara I hate.

The only thing happening on the show right now that I really like, besides for Helo and Sharon, who used to bore me to tears and now I love them, is watching the Cylons struggle with the inconceivable notion of disagreeing. The fractioning of party lines and the models developing their own personalities...that's kind of cool. And the Olmos/Hogan/McDonnell acting dream team never fails to impress. But the marital angst...yawn.
Mish: Starbuck -- You...Call Me God (Anim)[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com on February 10th, 2007 12:04 am (UTC)
LOL! I suspect a lot of the fandom has to be scratching their heads.

I'll admit that I had an appreciation for Baltar -- oh, I always disliked him and found him annoying -- but I was waiting to see what would turn him to the Cylon's side, get him to join the Cylons in their fleet. I thought S1 did a fabulous job of setting up why he'd switch sides in a way that the original series never did. I loved the depth.

And you're right: it's Kara and Lee who annoy me. Starbuck and Apollo tend to make me happy. I loved Starbuck as the kickass pilot with the attitude problem.

watching the Cylons struggle with the inconceivable notion of disagreeing
Amen! Figuring out the Cylons - and watching them try to figure themselves out - has been wonderful.

There are times I wish we'd just stick with them and Roslin, Adama, and Tigh for the humans.