Willing and eager to be entertained.
Oh, TV. I'm not sure why you get more leeway from me than the printed word, but you do. And you abuse it sometimes! You hit me so hard! *sob*
In books and fanfiction, inaccuracy is a deal-breaker for me. If, for a totally random example, I am reading a book where the heroine is a journalist who follows a hockey team and she's looking out the window of her room in the Ren Cen to Lake fucking Michigan...well, that's it. I might read the rest of the story (wincing at some of the hockey, but I knew that was par for the course), but the book becomes a figure of mockery to me. Or, to use an example that bothers me in fanfiction, YOU CAN'T USE SAMA ON ITS OWN. Stop it, stop it, STOP IT. Japanese honorific titles are suffixes -- they cannot be used independently, even if you don't know the person's name.
And yet, TV can get away with it. Mohinder on Heroes can tell his class in Madras (MADRAS, when it's been Chennai for ten years now) that people only use 10% of their brains, and I'll just sigh. I won't throw the book remote across the room, I won't laugh hysterically, and I won't turn the TV off. I'll keep watching.
Maybe it's because of the pretty. I really might be that shallow.
Heroes (three episodes aired)
Why you should watch:
Why you should watch:
Why you should watch:
Why you should watch:
In books and fanfiction, inaccuracy is a deal-breaker for me. If, for a totally random example, I am reading a book where the heroine is a journalist who follows a hockey team and she's looking out the window of her room in the Ren Cen to Lake fucking Michigan...well, that's it. I might read the rest of the story (wincing at some of the hockey, but I knew that was par for the course), but the book becomes a figure of mockery to me. Or, to use an example that bothers me in fanfiction, YOU CAN'T USE SAMA ON ITS OWN. Stop it, stop it, STOP IT. Japanese honorific titles are suffixes -- they cannot be used independently, even if you don't know the person's name.
And yet, TV can get away with it. Mohinder on Heroes can tell his class in Madras (MADRAS, when it's been Chennai for ten years now) that people only use 10% of their brains, and I'll just sigh. I won't throw the book remote across the room, I won't laugh hysterically, and I won't turn the TV off. I'll keep watching.
Maybe it's because of the pretty. I really might be that shallow.
Heroes (three episodes aired)
Why you should watch:
- Hiro, Hiro, Hiro. Maybe also Matt.
- The music, especially when it gets its bhangra on, is fantastic.
- The guy who plays Mohinder (as I have mentioned) is smoking hot.
- Um...if you're a conspiracy buff?
- So few reasons! The whole thing comes together much better than it should, considering.
- Written by Jeph Loeb, who's wasn't exactly Mr. Continuity when he was at DC Comics. (Also, his Supergirl was a really annoying Mary Sue.)
- Additionally, it doesn't make any sense. I didn't even major in a hard science and after I finally watched the second episode I can tell that the science so far is bunk.
- Worse, some of the characters are totally uninteresting.
- Far worse than that, some of the actors can't act. (SIMONE. PETER.)
- There's plenty to nitpick.
Why you should watch:
- Big names, big talents. Matthew Perry has convinced me that he's amazing.
- The writing is typical Sorkin -- that is, good even at its worst.
- Meta references to Saturday Night Live and NBC.
- I like Amanda Peet, and I'm not ashamed!
- Danny and Matt's banter is hoyay-licious.
- Some of Sorkin's material is eerily reminiscent of his earlier stuff on Sports Night and The West Wing.
- The skits aren't funny, which takes some of the realism away.
- I still think "Josh" every time I see Bradley Whitford.
- I am so sick of Matt and Harriet's relationship. The strange thing is, they only have chemistry when they're mad at each other. Otherwise, I don't see it.
- We get it, Sorkin: working in television is so awful and those mean people on the internets are just jealous. Can we go back to the fun now?
- Using the same credit font as The West Wing just looks lazy.
Why you should watch:
- The shaky camera work lends a very cinéma vérité quality and wasn't distracting like I had feared.
- Kyle Chandler. I was pissed when he was killed in his guest starring roll on Grey's Anatomy, but if it led to quality TV like this, I approve!
- My dad was actually clapping and yelling during the game.
- Saracen is too adorable for words. I love how Coach Taylor calmed him down: "You look and see where our guys are and you see where their guys are...understand? And then you throw to our guys."
- You don't need to know anything about football to enjoy the show.
- Everything felt incredibly authentic, and people from Texas seem to agree
- Mack Brown saying that you don't need a big-time quarterback to win championships. I bet the former coach of Vince Young loved spouting those lines.
- The second time I watched the first episode (I missed the first half hour and watched it again at NBC's website), I laughed, I teared up at least three times, and I cheered at the end. Amazing, amazing pilot.
- Opening credits! You never know how much you miss them until they're not there.
- I stayed up until 3 watching the second episode, which had been pushed back due to the gubernatorial debate. I would also like to point out that I laughed, cried, and sported a satisfied smile on my face when said episode ended. I can't wait for Tuesday night to roll around again. Is there anything this show can't do?
- If you don't have a Nielson box, it doesn't matter. The ratings were not very good for the pilot, but there is still hope that NBC (which also produced the show) will stick with it. If you do have a Nielson box, could you watch it for me? For the sake of quality TV?
- Extremely competitive time slot. If you're already hooked on House, M.D.; The Gilmore Girls, Dancing with the Stars, or NCIS (which I dropped after Kate died), then you're not going to watch.
Why you should watch:
- Appears to be the Lost for people that hate Lost. (I do admit to watching the Lost season opener because the beginning kicked so much ass, but then it degenerated into stupid, slow crap for the rest of the episode.)
- Scott Wolfe, acting against type!
- Loved the bonding that the hostages did during the 52 hours.
- Possible commentary on the Iraq war, seeing as one of the hostage-takers was a vet?
- I didn't hate anyone, which is an accomplishment.
- The mystery is intriguing and the answers promise to be down to earth (i.e. no polar bears in the safe or something like that).
- The ending took me completely by surprise.
- It was a little bland.
- I could have done with firmer questions, rather than subtle clues. The frozen father, the unlikely hero, the amnesia, the strange haircut...all are strange, but I'm going to need more to stick with this.
- If you like Lost, this might be too realistic tame for you.
- This is very much set up to only be a one season show. What are they going to do next season, hold them hostage again?