thanks, and the return of fall TV
Many thanks to the anonymouse who has given me paid DW time!!! Icons!!! (Which are, I suspect, an effective way to hook me in the long run--once I've lived in a world of 100 icons, how could I ever go back to 15???) If you feel inclined to out yourself, there could be fic in your future, but either way, know that you have a great deal of my affection and gratitude!
**
Television! And probably because I've got more time on my hands this year, I'm more excited about seeing what the new season has to offer.
Though my first attempt at a new show--The Event--did not go particularly well. I had Aeryn the laptop with me so that I could work during commercials, and I ended up working during the show itself (by way of contrast, during Castle I put the computer away entirely because I didn't want to be distracted). I already have a mediocre show trying to piggy-back on the success of Lost in my repertoire, and at least in V there are a lot of female characters with agency. In the pilot of The Event, on the other hand, there were six female characters with speaking parts: three were effectively fridged, as far as we can tell, one spent the entire time she was onscreen in a bikini (often drunk), and one fulfilled pretty much every insipid first lady stereotype in the book (look pretty, smile understandingly when the president has to go do something important during your son's birthday party, scream during the threat of imminent doom). The fact that the sixth is clearly the most interesting character on the show doesn't quite undo the odds (especially since she only had a couple of cryptic scenes). Dr.-Weaver-from-ER and Ray-Fiske-from-Damages are unlikely to redeem this one, though I did finish the pilot at least mildly curious about both of them (not, apparently, enough to have picked up the characters' names, though), if not about anyone else.
And then there was Castle, which defied credulity in its usual way, but again in its usual way, did it with so much fun and flair that I didn't much care: SHOW!!! One of the things I particularly enjoy about this show--both at the beginning of last season and the beginning of this one--is the way they push the reset button, like a show with this formula must, but not entirely. These characters have changed because of the events of last season, and they're coming back together now in a way that takes that into account. Except I'm not sure Castle knows it yet, which is part of what works well: dramatic irony ftw, as usual. This show is not just repeating a formula but growing the characters through the repetition of the formula, in this slow, sometimes backwards, way, which appeals very much to the part of me that likes thoughtful character development as well as the part of me that enjoys a good procedural. Castle is not the most shining example of either of these things--the character development is not nearly as trenchant as in other shows, obviously, and the weakest part of the writing is the procedural plotting--but somehow the combination of the two works incredibly well for me.
I remain mystified why Richard Castle doesn't bother me more than he does: that kind of privileged cluelessness is usually a dealbreaker for me. But I suspect I forgive him because he respects and listens to the women in his life and because he's willing to change when he realizes he's done something thoughtless (the trick at present is realizing it). I've particularly enjoyed the current Castle/Beckett rift, too, because it's so damned plausible: they've both behaved entirely in-character, and I can't quite blame either of them for acting the way they have based on the information they each have.
In short, I'm very much looking forward to this season!
I have not yet decided what else I will be watching this season. Bones and V, almost certainly, though the latter doesn't return until November. Other new shows to check out include the one with Maura Tierney and the one with Dana Delany (not really because either of them sound like something I'm likely to adore, but I'll give both Maura Tierney and Dana Delany a shot), as well as anything else y'all tell me I ought to check out. Thoughts?
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.
**
Television! And probably because I've got more time on my hands this year, I'm more excited about seeing what the new season has to offer.
Though my first attempt at a new show--The Event--did not go particularly well. I had Aeryn the laptop with me so that I could work during commercials, and I ended up working during the show itself (by way of contrast, during Castle I put the computer away entirely because I didn't want to be distracted). I already have a mediocre show trying to piggy-back on the success of Lost in my repertoire, and at least in V there are a lot of female characters with agency. In the pilot of The Event, on the other hand, there were six female characters with speaking parts: three were effectively fridged, as far as we can tell, one spent the entire time she was onscreen in a bikini (often drunk), and one fulfilled pretty much every insipid first lady stereotype in the book (look pretty, smile understandingly when the president has to go do something important during your son's birthday party, scream during the threat of imminent doom). The fact that the sixth is clearly the most interesting character on the show doesn't quite undo the odds (especially since she only had a couple of cryptic scenes). Dr.-Weaver-from-ER and Ray-Fiske-from-Damages are unlikely to redeem this one, though I did finish the pilot at least mildly curious about both of them (not, apparently, enough to have picked up the characters' names, though), if not about anyone else.
And then there was Castle, which defied credulity in its usual way, but again in its usual way, did it with so much fun and flair that I didn't much care: SHOW!!! One of the things I particularly enjoy about this show--both at the beginning of last season and the beginning of this one--is the way they push the reset button, like a show with this formula must, but not entirely. These characters have changed because of the events of last season, and they're coming back together now in a way that takes that into account. Except I'm not sure Castle knows it yet, which is part of what works well: dramatic irony ftw, as usual. This show is not just repeating a formula but growing the characters through the repetition of the formula, in this slow, sometimes backwards, way, which appeals very much to the part of me that likes thoughtful character development as well as the part of me that enjoys a good procedural. Castle is not the most shining example of either of these things--the character development is not nearly as trenchant as in other shows, obviously, and the weakest part of the writing is the procedural plotting--but somehow the combination of the two works incredibly well for me.
I remain mystified why Richard Castle doesn't bother me more than he does: that kind of privileged cluelessness is usually a dealbreaker for me. But I suspect I forgive him because he respects and listens to the women in his life and because he's willing to change when he realizes he's done something thoughtless (the trick at present is realizing it). I've particularly enjoyed the current Castle/Beckett rift, too, because it's so damned plausible: they've both behaved entirely in-character, and I can't quite blame either of them for acting the way they have based on the information they each have.
In short, I'm very much looking forward to this season!
I have not yet decided what else I will be watching this season. Bones and V, almost certainly, though the latter doesn't return until November. Other new shows to check out include the one with Maura Tierney and the one with Dana Delany (not really because either of them sound like something I'm likely to adore, but I'll give both Maura Tierney and Dana Delany a shot), as well as anything else y'all tell me I ought to check out. Thoughts?
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.