Random TV musings
I watched Dr. Who on Friday, and I think that it's one of my favorite episodes from the last season or so.
First of all, I should say I'm a relative Who newbie. I've seen some of the (friends have informed me) Tom Baker years episodes and one other Dr., but really didn't "get" it until one of my friends sent me the Ninth Doctor season. I love David Tennat's doctor, and have really been enjoying Martha.
OOPS! Sorry about the tag muckup!
Whenever it's a time travel ep, I tend to sit up and pay a bit more attention. Usually I don't like the backwards storytelling technique, but I thought it really worked here. We got a enough to get a sense in the disjointed dream, and then the rest was really working from the Doctor's clueless perspective as he went around being Professor McGonnagal at Hogwarts a teacher at a boys' "public school."
The mystery intrigued me. In fact, I was suspicious of the nurse being a baddie as well, especially when she got that book (that thing was cool, and I recognized enough sketches to have the gist). But I like her overall. Too bad the widowlady's going to have heart broken. And speaking of sympathetic females, poor Martha's friend. I wasn't necessarily caring if the humans got saved until she got taken too. Martha continuously going to the TARDIS to pine over the doctor's (apparently time warp recorded) instructions got a bit annoying, but yay her for going after the screwdriver as a plan B. Poor clueless Doctor, still showing his true self when oblivious to it, and apparently enjoying just being a regular human. I was also very amused that the essence of a Time Lord could be contained in a watch fob.
Okay, odd little boy who grabbed the watch and will likely be future big plot point is annoying me slightly, and the obnoxious bully turned possessed baddie reminded me a bit too much of a horror movie character that freaked me as a kid, but overall cool. I was torn between being aggravated that it was obvious the remaining ten minutes wouldn't wrap this story up in one week and being excited because there would be another week exploring this idea.
Also, I've been enjoying Eureka. I've watched the show off and on (when I remember and if I'm not doing something. This season I've been better at catching it. The characters are cute and quirky, and there's lots of potential for storylines in this mode. Plus, as always, it's fun to play spot the Vancouver/Stargate actor. Aside for original Drey'auc as a series regular, so far this season, I've seen David Nykl (Zalenka from SGA), the guy who played Balinsky on SG-13, and Colin Cunningham (Paul Davis) in a horrible goatee that rivals Moebius's pornstache as worst facial hair. I'm looking forward to seeing Teryl Rothery (Janet!), Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson), and his lovely bride Lexa Doig (Carolyn Lam) next month.
Henry is easily my favorite of the Eureka gang, so this potential arc for him is kinda creeping me (in that dark arc for Daniel rumor way). I loved him and and "Shen Xioyai" together. They were so cute, and I was heartbroken she was killed, but him zapping Carter and seeming to be a bit vengeful/determined to change things anyway, while intriguing, is also scary.
I find the psychiatrist twist of leaving town is a cool mystery too, and hope that can be resolved. As a general character, she's a bit dull, but as a spy too...I like that angle. I was scared Carter's ex-wife might stay in Eureka to fill that role, and I'm glad she didn't (btw, who was she? She looked familiar to me). As a guest, fine, but Jack and Zoe are fish out of water enough for the town.
Otherwise, the plots have been entertaining, (and I still don't know what to think of that kid and his Section Five connection).
Feasting on Asphalt is one of my new favorite must-sees. If I'm not around to catch one of it's airings, I tape it (yes, I still use VHS, shuttup!) Culinary god Alton Brown and his crew are riding motorcycles up the Mississippi River (well, not literally, though last week they used some canoes). It's a nice look at local cuisine, and Alton presents things with his usual knowledge, snark, and genuine love for all things food. You really should give it a look-see.
Since my beloved Alton and his search for donuts was on opposite MegaSnake...it was a tough choice, but I only caught parts of the second hour of Michael Shanks's "can get a work visa taking this role" movie. From what I saw...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Okay, that was so bad, it became funny. The cliche stereotyped characters and plot(you'd think that would be repetitive adjectives, but not in this case), the randomly gratuitous fake looking blood everywhere. In the amusement park, I kept thinking the snake was trying to flirt with the snakelooking rollercoastery looking rides.
Unlike other roles I've seen Shanks do, this one really looked a lot like "Daniel" with an intermittent Southern accent. He really did seem to try and give his character some emotion and realism, but the story/script didn't give him much to work with. I thought the heroine did a decent enough job too (though, was she supposed to be Southern?) The Native American was very flat to me. And don't get me started on the older hillbilly dudes.
With SG-1 and Dresden cancelled, and BSG on it's last season, it looks like only SGA and Eureka interest me as scripted shows (oh, and Who, but that's a rerun of the BCC thing). I thought Skiffy couldn't sink lower than Painkiller Jane (thankfully cancelled). And then I found Flash Gordon. Snore!
When is the fall season starting?
First of all, I should say I'm a relative Who newbie. I've seen some of the (friends have informed me) Tom Baker years episodes and one other Dr., but really didn't "get" it until one of my friends sent me the Ninth Doctor season. I love David Tennat's doctor, and have really been enjoying Martha.
OOPS! Sorry about the tag muckup!
Whenever it's a time travel ep, I tend to sit up and pay a bit more attention. Usually I don't like the backwards storytelling technique, but I thought it really worked here. We got a enough to get a sense in the disjointed dream, and then the rest was really working from the Doctor's clueless perspective as he went around being Professor McGonnagal at Hogwarts a teacher at a boys' "public school."
The mystery intrigued me. In fact, I was suspicious of the nurse being a baddie as well, especially when she got that book (that thing was cool, and I recognized enough sketches to have the gist). But I like her overall. Too bad the widowlady's going to have heart broken. And speaking of sympathetic females, poor Martha's friend. I wasn't necessarily caring if the humans got saved until she got taken too. Martha continuously going to the TARDIS to pine over the doctor's (apparently time warp recorded) instructions got a bit annoying, but yay her for going after the screwdriver as a plan B. Poor clueless Doctor, still showing his true self when oblivious to it, and apparently enjoying just being a regular human. I was also very amused that the essence of a Time Lord could be contained in a watch fob.
Okay, odd little boy who grabbed the watch and will likely be future big plot point is annoying me slightly, and the obnoxious bully turned possessed baddie reminded me a bit too much of a horror movie character that freaked me as a kid, but overall cool. I was torn between being aggravated that it was obvious the remaining ten minutes wouldn't wrap this story up in one week and being excited because there would be another week exploring this idea.
Also, I've been enjoying Eureka. I've watched the show off and on (when I remember and if I'm not doing something. This season I've been better at catching it. The characters are cute and quirky, and there's lots of potential for storylines in this mode. Plus, as always, it's fun to play spot the Vancouver/Stargate actor. Aside for original Drey'auc as a series regular, so far this season, I've seen David Nykl (Zalenka from SGA), the guy who played Balinsky on SG-13, and Colin Cunningham (Paul Davis) in a horrible goatee that rivals Moebius's pornstache as worst facial hair. I'm looking forward to seeing Teryl Rothery (Janet!), Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson), and his lovely bride Lexa Doig (Carolyn Lam) next month.
Henry is easily my favorite of the Eureka gang, so this potential arc for him is kinda creeping me (in that dark arc for Daniel rumor way). I loved him and and "Shen Xioyai" together. They were so cute, and I was heartbroken she was killed, but him zapping Carter and seeming to be a bit vengeful/determined to change things anyway, while intriguing, is also scary.
I find the psychiatrist twist of leaving town is a cool mystery too, and hope that can be resolved. As a general character, she's a bit dull, but as a spy too...I like that angle. I was scared Carter's ex-wife might stay in Eureka to fill that role, and I'm glad she didn't (btw, who was she? She looked familiar to me). As a guest, fine, but Jack and Zoe are fish out of water enough for the town.
Otherwise, the plots have been entertaining, (and I still don't know what to think of that kid and his Section Five connection).
Feasting on Asphalt is one of my new favorite must-sees. If I'm not around to catch one of it's airings, I tape it (yes, I still use VHS, shuttup!) Culinary god Alton Brown and his crew are riding motorcycles up the Mississippi River (well, not literally, though last week they used some canoes). It's a nice look at local cuisine, and Alton presents things with his usual knowledge, snark, and genuine love for all things food. You really should give it a look-see.
Since my beloved Alton and his search for donuts was on opposite MegaSnake...it was a tough choice, but I only caught parts of the second hour of Michael Shanks's "can get a work visa taking this role" movie. From what I saw...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Okay, that was so bad, it became funny. The cliche stereotyped characters and plot(you'd think that would be repetitive adjectives, but not in this case), the randomly gratuitous fake looking blood everywhere. In the amusement park, I kept thinking the snake was trying to flirt with the snakelooking rollercoastery looking rides.
Unlike other roles I've seen Shanks do, this one really looked a lot like "Daniel" with an intermittent Southern accent. He really did seem to try and give his character some emotion and realism, but the story/script didn't give him much to work with. I thought the heroine did a decent enough job too (though, was she supposed to be Southern?) The Native American was very flat to me. And don't get me started on the older hillbilly dudes.
With SG-1 and Dresden cancelled, and BSG on it's last season, it looks like only SGA and Eureka interest me as scripted shows (oh, and Who, but that's a rerun of the BCC thing). I thought Skiffy couldn't sink lower than Painkiller Jane (thankfully cancelled). And then I found Flash Gordon. Snore!
When is the fall season starting?