TV viewing
Sep. 25th, 2023 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annavereRest in peace, David McCallum. Always a class act whenever he appeared.
Up through episode 9. Justified has started to develop a larger narrative beyond case of the week format, and it is fantastic, although this increases the stress level considerably (specifically, Wynn Duffy is not pleasant). Episode 7 is where Boyd clicked for me (odds were in his favor anyway, but his dialogue just gets better and better every time he appears). Also where Ava started to show some layers, and saved herself and Raylan at the end of the episode, so I look forward to seeing more of her. Winona is possibly one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, and I hope there's an amicable exes plotline with Raylan in her future, but her husband is irritating and feels like a cheap shot - like sure, we're bound to hate him as the new guy she picked over Raylan, but it's like he's designed for maximum annoyance and private wish for cement shoes and I dislike feeling manipulated in this way.
The use of violence on this show is scarily effective. There is almost never any buildup whatsoever, it's usually a casual conversation punctuated by sudden gunfire or baseball bat action. Even musical cues are usually absent, meaning there are no tells. And since even the minor crooks have a tendency to be quirky (which reads as harmless in TV land), there's a genuine sense of shock to the events. My biggest worry going forward is that the share of violence will increase as the writers do the typical crime competition of outdoing themselves.
Up through episode 5. Roswell's expiring tag has been removed, which is nice, so I can take my time. The fourth episode in was pretty dire in places, and my enthusiasm has not yet recovered. It remains uneven. Admittedly, I tended to get bored during the Bangel scenes on my first watch of Buffy (I perked up when I finally reached 'Surprise' only for the genius of that show to immediately make me feel bad for all my "just go evil already" thoughts), so I am watching for everything other than Liz Parker and her wishy-washy Max hangup and family drama.
Trying to be more aware of the shows I watch, I checked out some background and discovered the showrunner Jason Katims usually stuck to realistic dramas, which probably explains why the science fiction is so curiously dialed down. A recipe which works until it doesn't. What makes me unhappy is that in the original YA books, Liz Parker was Liz Ortecho, and so there was an active decision to erase her ethnicity somewhere along the way. This casts a pall over the series that is not applicable to other 90s shows I've seen. If they didn't want to adapt a story with a Hispanic protagonist, there were plenty of options to pick from. Grabbing Roswell High and going so far as to change the girl's name feels actively unkind.
Up to episode 5. This continues to be a hilarious good time that doesn't take itself too seriously and features enjoyably genre-savvy characters who are constantly in hot water thanks to their own mistakes. Rodney is delightful, being constantly fed up with everyone else and his surroundings. I'm also partial to Elizabeth Weir, given she's a non-combat, non-military woman in the position of governor and is faced with having to lead people who are not always responsive to her authority and do the greater good arguments whenever a personal matter is brought up. I'm liking the mutual respect she's got going with Teyla, and Teyla's stick fighting was pretty cool.
Despite circumstances being fairly dire on paper, there is next to no dramatic tension or scientific realism on display and I am completely enjoying that. It's fun and relaxing, and along with Doctor Who is actually going a long way toward combating the space phobia I've had for the last several years. The biggest worry I have is that Christopher Heyerdahl's character will be killed off, but he's credited for 22 episodes so I can relax a bit. He also got a decent number of scenes in episode 5 and got to show off some of his dramatic dignity which is such a pleasure to watch.
Also, if the writers do decide to dish up something more serious at any point, I am so there for it, because there's nothing quite like a light adventure show pulling the rug.
Up through episode 9. Justified has started to develop a larger narrative beyond case of the week format, and it is fantastic, although this increases the stress level considerably (specifically, Wynn Duffy is not pleasant). Episode 7 is where Boyd clicked for me (odds were in his favor anyway, but his dialogue just gets better and better every time he appears). Also where Ava started to show some layers, and saved herself and Raylan at the end of the episode, so I look forward to seeing more of her. Winona is possibly one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, and I hope there's an amicable exes plotline with Raylan in her future, but her husband is irritating and feels like a cheap shot - like sure, we're bound to hate him as the new guy she picked over Raylan, but it's like he's designed for maximum annoyance and private wish for cement shoes and I dislike feeling manipulated in this way.
The use of violence on this show is scarily effective. There is almost never any buildup whatsoever, it's usually a casual conversation punctuated by sudden gunfire or baseball bat action. Even musical cues are usually absent, meaning there are no tells. And since even the minor crooks have a tendency to be quirky (which reads as harmless in TV land), there's a genuine sense of shock to the events. My biggest worry going forward is that the share of violence will increase as the writers do the typical crime competition of outdoing themselves.
Up through episode 5. Roswell's expiring tag has been removed, which is nice, so I can take my time. The fourth episode in was pretty dire in places, and my enthusiasm has not yet recovered. It remains uneven. Admittedly, I tended to get bored during the Bangel scenes on my first watch of Buffy (I perked up when I finally reached 'Surprise' only for the genius of that show to immediately make me feel bad for all my "just go evil already" thoughts), so I am watching for everything other than Liz Parker and her wishy-washy Max hangup and family drama.
Trying to be more aware of the shows I watch, I checked out some background and discovered the showrunner Jason Katims usually stuck to realistic dramas, which probably explains why the science fiction is so curiously dialed down. A recipe which works until it doesn't. What makes me unhappy is that in the original YA books, Liz Parker was Liz Ortecho, and so there was an active decision to erase her ethnicity somewhere along the way. This casts a pall over the series that is not applicable to other 90s shows I've seen. If they didn't want to adapt a story with a Hispanic protagonist, there were plenty of options to pick from. Grabbing Roswell High and going so far as to change the girl's name feels actively unkind.
Up to episode 5. This continues to be a hilarious good time that doesn't take itself too seriously and features enjoyably genre-savvy characters who are constantly in hot water thanks to their own mistakes. Rodney is delightful, being constantly fed up with everyone else and his surroundings. I'm also partial to Elizabeth Weir, given she's a non-combat, non-military woman in the position of governor and is faced with having to lead people who are not always responsive to her authority and do the greater good arguments whenever a personal matter is brought up. I'm liking the mutual respect she's got going with Teyla, and Teyla's stick fighting was pretty cool.
Despite circumstances being fairly dire on paper, there is next to no dramatic tension or scientific realism on display and I am completely enjoying that. It's fun and relaxing, and along with Doctor Who is actually going a long way toward combating the space phobia I've had for the last several years. The biggest worry I have is that Christopher Heyerdahl's character will be killed off, but he's credited for 22 episodes so I can relax a bit. He also got a decent number of scenes in episode 5 and got to show off some of his dramatic dignity which is such a pleasure to watch.
Also, if the writers do decide to dish up something more serious at any point, I am so there for it, because there's nothing quite like a light adventure show pulling the rug.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-26 09:21 pm (UTC)there's nothing quite like a light adventure show pulling the rug
That can be a lot of fun alright.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-27 12:26 am (UTC)