Uggggh.
Ugggh. This has been a day when so many things go wrong and very few things go right. About the only thing going right was getting to spend some time with my local friend. That was fun. The horrible insomnia beforehand wasn't fun. Neither was fighting with the computer for hours because apparently Flash and all its other Adobe products were so out of date they were messing things up and they hadn't bothered to tell me they needed updating long ago. When they get like that, it takes an hour or more to update when it should only take 10 minutes.
And I believe I mentioned everyone getting interested in Scarecrow and Mrs. King. I was the only one in the household who wasn't thrilled by the prospect of the characters getting romantically involved. I know how that sort of thing usually changes the whole show, ruins characters and relationships, and can totally fall short of people's expectations.
Season 4 started strong and was just a mess by the end. Of course, the female lead's near-absence from most of the final episodes was most likely because the actress was fighting breast cancer at the time, so a lot of that can be forgiven ... although I think they should have just gone on hiatus until she was well enough to be in the episodes as a main character again and not just as a walk-on role in her own show. Of course, maybe that wasn't an option. They were probably being pressured to get the season finished. Ratings had already dropped and they gambled with the marriage thing to try to pick them up. But the episodes with very little of Amanda right after the wedding probably went the rest of the way in killing the show. There's only one episode after the wedding where she even has much of a part. And the very last aired episode had them having marriage problems and Lee really being kind of a jerk to her (6 pages of quirks he didn't like about her?!) until the end of the episode.
I'm used to keynote episodes being lame, and the marriage episode was really lame. I expected them to be on a case for most of it, as they were, but I'd expected a better case. It was so pathetic. And then the honeymoon had Amanda critically shot and that was the first of the episodes that didn't have her much. I hate having someone badly hurt on a special occasion to begin with, and then not having them in the show much because of it, or even afterwards, makes it so much worse.
One thing we loved about the show was that it was pretty clean. Season 4 had many innuendos with unmarried characters, both the leads and other characters. That was another thing I was afraid would happen once romance was brought into it.
I also think Francine was usually shafted by the writers in all seasons. There was the issue of how sad she felt that Lee wasn't as interested in spending time with her anymore, even as a friend, which made me really feel for her and relate to her. In some ways, I think Francine was the real underdog of the series, and I tend to root for underdogs. (Of course, I rooted for Amanda too, but I really feel sad for how the writers treated Francine. Amanda, on the other hand, usually got a good break.) Then Francine was the trained agent, but it seemed like she was always getting in trouble and unable to get herself out of it, whereas Amanda was able to figure out how to get out of it despite having no training. That would be okay a time or two, but the way it was set up, Francine just came off looking incompetent a lot. I was glad that at least one of the last episodes showed her being a resourceful agent and pulling some Jim West level tricks to get out of a locked crate. The episode also revealed some of her backstory, how her dad pushed her to compete in a man's world and she felt she had no choice, which was both interesting and sad. She also seemed to have some longing for romance. Early episodes seemed to show she liked being an agent, though, without much interest in settling down and with an apparent dislike of kids. I rather prefer that version of the character (even though I don't dislike kids).
It was also frustrating how Francine seemed to go back and forth on characterization. Season 1 had her being rather passive-aggressive to Amanda, season 2 had her being nicer, than seasons 3 and 4 had her being nastier again, especially in 3. In 4 she was nice again sometimes.
It was neat seeing Amanda progress from being a civilian worker to actually having a job as a trained agent. But I have to admit, I think a lot of the charm in the show came from her housewife skills coming in handy on cases, rather than her just being another agent with a gun. One of the most priceless exchanges was in an early episode, when Francine complimented her on some wild driving and she said it came from taking her kids to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. ROTFLOL.
Ultimately, I miss the show when things were at a friendship level. I think season 2 was when it was at its best. I didn't like the cheeky, cute approach of the show four years ago, but I warmed up to it and now I miss the classic episodes when there was friendship stuff going on and there were plots like Amanda being given a weird, mind-altering drug or a hitwoman having plastic surgery to look just like Amanda. I had all seasons on my Amazon list, but I think I'll remove season 3 since that's when things started getting mushy. We watched it all from Netflix and there are very few episodes there that I'd like to rewatch. On the other hand, I want season 2 more now than ever, not just for the Luke episode but because that was the show's high point. I might also like season 1. Lee was kind of standoffish in season 1, though. Season 2 was just perfection.
I'm worried Mom won't even want to watch the episodes we haven't seen of 1 and 2, though, or rewatch the classics from 2, because she's so frustrated by how 4 spiraled downhill. I don't think that should make us hate the part of the show that was good, but she tends to feel that if a show ends bad, what's the point of seeing any of it. I can feel that way too, depending on the show. In this case, I see no reason why I have to accept all the seasons into my headcanon. I'd rather just think of the first two seasons as canon and then it splits into two different paths and the path in my mind probably stays closer to season 2. And if they ever do get romantically involved, the show wouldn't lose the charm that made it so special in the first place.
I feel sad for Mom getting so disappointed, especially since she was so excited when Dad presented season 4 as an anniversary present. But honestly, if she wants a good show with a married team of crime-solvers, Hart to Hart is way better at handling that angle (most of the time). She loves that show too. I wish I could have found out things about season 4 of Scarecrow beforehand, like Amanda not being in her own show much after the wedding. There weren't user reviews of those episodes on IMDB, I don't think. Maybe I should have read the reviews on season 4 on Amazon, if there were any. Maybe they wouldn't have helped, but maybe they would have. Mom might have still wanted to see 4 anyway, but at least if we could have been prepared for those lame twists, it wouldn't have been such a let-down for her.
In lighter viewing news, I finally got hold of a copy of the third Pokemon movie from the library, as well as the later Lucario film. I loved them both and want to own them. I especially loved that Team Rocket really didn't do anything villainous in either film, they helped save Ash in the third film (and obviously just didn't want him dead, in spite of Jessie's excuse about why they saved him), and that Meowth saved Pikachu and didn't think once about stealing Mew in the Lucario film. He just seemed sad most of the time and like he wanted to go back to Jessie and James. And it was heartbreaking when he thought they were dead.
I never watch episodes in order if I can help it, and on the last time I was able to catch a couple of episodes, for some reason I decided I wanted to see the last Orange Islands episode and see how Johto was set up. I ended up supremely sad to think of that arc coming to an end. For some reason, the Orange Islands seems to be my favorite Pokemon season. Part of it is probably my love of the second movie. And Team Rocket (especially James) getting some chances to shine in episodes. But that's not all it is. For some reason, the whole area and the way the arc is set up fascinates me. I can't explain why, especially since I don't even like tropical locations that much. But it's my favorite, even above season 1 in some ways. (Although I still have those special season 1 episodes I love as major favorites too.) I'm glad I don't watch episodes in order so there's still a few Orange Islands episodes I haven't seen yet. I think, though, that for my next viewing session, I may want to settle in with Pokemon and Turtles episodes I already know I love, especially when it's been such a bummer day for the most part.
Yesterday I struggled with a scene in my multi-chapter fic for a long time and finally accepted that I needed to write my oneshot fic about the starfish Pokemon before posting any of the bigger fic. Some references just wouldn't make sense otherwise. I knew it wouldn't take long to write, and indeed, it was done in less than 90 minutes. I had a horrible time actually posting it, which was another frustration, but I finally got it up. Maybe later today I'll start posting the bigger fic.
I also worked some on the Turtles fic. I can write about the Pokemon characters, but I don't really click with them as I do the 87 Turtles crew, writing-wise, and it felt so good to get back to Baxter and Barney.
It's interesting how the two shows have some similar humor, though. Both are fond of breaking the fourth wall. Both are light and silly and usually have fairly happy endings.
YGO is really the deeper show between it and Pokemon, and it's certainly better on characterization, but it's interesting how Pokemon has the depth of real animals while YGO is just cards (except in certain circumstances, of course). I will always love YGO better, but I think Pokemon's lighter nature is more in line with how tired I am of dark things right now.
And I believe I mentioned everyone getting interested in Scarecrow and Mrs. King. I was the only one in the household who wasn't thrilled by the prospect of the characters getting romantically involved. I know how that sort of thing usually changes the whole show, ruins characters and relationships, and can totally fall short of people's expectations.
Season 4 started strong and was just a mess by the end. Of course, the female lead's near-absence from most of the final episodes was most likely because the actress was fighting breast cancer at the time, so a lot of that can be forgiven ... although I think they should have just gone on hiatus until she was well enough to be in the episodes as a main character again and not just as a walk-on role in her own show. Of course, maybe that wasn't an option. They were probably being pressured to get the season finished. Ratings had already dropped and they gambled with the marriage thing to try to pick them up. But the episodes with very little of Amanda right after the wedding probably went the rest of the way in killing the show. There's only one episode after the wedding where she even has much of a part. And the very last aired episode had them having marriage problems and Lee really being kind of a jerk to her (6 pages of quirks he didn't like about her?!) until the end of the episode.
I'm used to keynote episodes being lame, and the marriage episode was really lame. I expected them to be on a case for most of it, as they were, but I'd expected a better case. It was so pathetic. And then the honeymoon had Amanda critically shot and that was the first of the episodes that didn't have her much. I hate having someone badly hurt on a special occasion to begin with, and then not having them in the show much because of it, or even afterwards, makes it so much worse.
One thing we loved about the show was that it was pretty clean. Season 4 had many innuendos with unmarried characters, both the leads and other characters. That was another thing I was afraid would happen once romance was brought into it.
I also think Francine was usually shafted by the writers in all seasons. There was the issue of how sad she felt that Lee wasn't as interested in spending time with her anymore, even as a friend, which made me really feel for her and relate to her. In some ways, I think Francine was the real underdog of the series, and I tend to root for underdogs. (Of course, I rooted for Amanda too, but I really feel sad for how the writers treated Francine. Amanda, on the other hand, usually got a good break.) Then Francine was the trained agent, but it seemed like she was always getting in trouble and unable to get herself out of it, whereas Amanda was able to figure out how to get out of it despite having no training. That would be okay a time or two, but the way it was set up, Francine just came off looking incompetent a lot. I was glad that at least one of the last episodes showed her being a resourceful agent and pulling some Jim West level tricks to get out of a locked crate. The episode also revealed some of her backstory, how her dad pushed her to compete in a man's world and she felt she had no choice, which was both interesting and sad. She also seemed to have some longing for romance. Early episodes seemed to show she liked being an agent, though, without much interest in settling down and with an apparent dislike of kids. I rather prefer that version of the character (even though I don't dislike kids).
It was also frustrating how Francine seemed to go back and forth on characterization. Season 1 had her being rather passive-aggressive to Amanda, season 2 had her being nicer, than seasons 3 and 4 had her being nastier again, especially in 3. In 4 she was nice again sometimes.
It was neat seeing Amanda progress from being a civilian worker to actually having a job as a trained agent. But I have to admit, I think a lot of the charm in the show came from her housewife skills coming in handy on cases, rather than her just being another agent with a gun. One of the most priceless exchanges was in an early episode, when Francine complimented her on some wild driving and she said it came from taking her kids to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. ROTFLOL.
Ultimately, I miss the show when things were at a friendship level. I think season 2 was when it was at its best. I didn't like the cheeky, cute approach of the show four years ago, but I warmed up to it and now I miss the classic episodes when there was friendship stuff going on and there were plots like Amanda being given a weird, mind-altering drug or a hitwoman having plastic surgery to look just like Amanda. I had all seasons on my Amazon list, but I think I'll remove season 3 since that's when things started getting mushy. We watched it all from Netflix and there are very few episodes there that I'd like to rewatch. On the other hand, I want season 2 more now than ever, not just for the Luke episode but because that was the show's high point. I might also like season 1. Lee was kind of standoffish in season 1, though. Season 2 was just perfection.
I'm worried Mom won't even want to watch the episodes we haven't seen of 1 and 2, though, or rewatch the classics from 2, because she's so frustrated by how 4 spiraled downhill. I don't think that should make us hate the part of the show that was good, but she tends to feel that if a show ends bad, what's the point of seeing any of it. I can feel that way too, depending on the show. In this case, I see no reason why I have to accept all the seasons into my headcanon. I'd rather just think of the first two seasons as canon and then it splits into two different paths and the path in my mind probably stays closer to season 2. And if they ever do get romantically involved, the show wouldn't lose the charm that made it so special in the first place.
I feel sad for Mom getting so disappointed, especially since she was so excited when Dad presented season 4 as an anniversary present. But honestly, if she wants a good show with a married team of crime-solvers, Hart to Hart is way better at handling that angle (most of the time). She loves that show too. I wish I could have found out things about season 4 of Scarecrow beforehand, like Amanda not being in her own show much after the wedding. There weren't user reviews of those episodes on IMDB, I don't think. Maybe I should have read the reviews on season 4 on Amazon, if there were any. Maybe they wouldn't have helped, but maybe they would have. Mom might have still wanted to see 4 anyway, but at least if we could have been prepared for those lame twists, it wouldn't have been such a let-down for her.
In lighter viewing news, I finally got hold of a copy of the third Pokemon movie from the library, as well as the later Lucario film. I loved them both and want to own them. I especially loved that Team Rocket really didn't do anything villainous in either film, they helped save Ash in the third film (and obviously just didn't want him dead, in spite of Jessie's excuse about why they saved him), and that Meowth saved Pikachu and didn't think once about stealing Mew in the Lucario film. He just seemed sad most of the time and like he wanted to go back to Jessie and James. And it was heartbreaking when he thought they were dead.
I never watch episodes in order if I can help it, and on the last time I was able to catch a couple of episodes, for some reason I decided I wanted to see the last Orange Islands episode and see how Johto was set up. I ended up supremely sad to think of that arc coming to an end. For some reason, the Orange Islands seems to be my favorite Pokemon season. Part of it is probably my love of the second movie. And Team Rocket (especially James) getting some chances to shine in episodes. But that's not all it is. For some reason, the whole area and the way the arc is set up fascinates me. I can't explain why, especially since I don't even like tropical locations that much. But it's my favorite, even above season 1 in some ways. (Although I still have those special season 1 episodes I love as major favorites too.) I'm glad I don't watch episodes in order so there's still a few Orange Islands episodes I haven't seen yet. I think, though, that for my next viewing session, I may want to settle in with Pokemon and Turtles episodes I already know I love, especially when it's been such a bummer day for the most part.
Yesterday I struggled with a scene in my multi-chapter fic for a long time and finally accepted that I needed to write my oneshot fic about the starfish Pokemon before posting any of the bigger fic. Some references just wouldn't make sense otherwise. I knew it wouldn't take long to write, and indeed, it was done in less than 90 minutes. I had a horrible time actually posting it, which was another frustration, but I finally got it up. Maybe later today I'll start posting the bigger fic.
I also worked some on the Turtles fic. I can write about the Pokemon characters, but I don't really click with them as I do the 87 Turtles crew, writing-wise, and it felt so good to get back to Baxter and Barney.
It's interesting how the two shows have some similar humor, though. Both are fond of breaking the fourth wall. Both are light and silly and usually have fairly happy endings.
YGO is really the deeper show between it and Pokemon, and it's certainly better on characterization, but it's interesting how Pokemon has the depth of real animals while YGO is just cards (except in certain circumstances, of course). I will always love YGO better, but I think Pokemon's lighter nature is more in line with how tired I am of dark things right now.