The L Word, or why it's not, actually, all about the characters
ETA: Spoilers for The L Word and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker in the comments.
Last night I watched the 2-part pilot of The L Word, as well as episode 1x03, "Let's Do It". Hmm, what can I say? I should probably reserve judgment until I've seen the rest of the eps I rented, but so far the show isn't really grabbing me. It's a good show -- I like most of the characters, I think they're all pretty interesting, and the cast is wonderful. (Happy to see Laurel Holloman again, of course. *g*) The writing seems solid and I've enjoyed all the story-lines introduced thus far. But there's definitely something missing, and once I realised what it was, I kind of had to laugh.
It's not all about the characters.
You know how we're always saying it's all about the character pr0n? Consistent characterisation, character development, relationships, back-story, et cetera? It's true, we do want these things, I couldn't imagine not having some kind of character development in the shows I watch. But for me, character development isn't the make-or-break deal.
The L Word is probably terrific and worth seeing -- but this kind of "real life" soap opera-ish show isn't something that'll keep me coming back, week after week. I need a hook into a larger-than-life universe, a mytharc, a hero's journey, or at the very least a mission to accomplish. I need a grander adventure, a wider scope -- or more shallowly, I need kung fu action and high-speed car chases.
I need them to ask bigger questions, like what makes a person good or evil. What is my place in this world. What can I do to change this world. To ask, if I do this one last thing, will I finally have the answer. Will I finally be at peace.
Compare Dark Angel, which I've recently been watching, with The L Word. No doubt the women on The L Word are more realistic, more three-dimensional, more nuanced by the end of the 2-parter pilot than most of the Dark Angel characters were by the end of two seasons. They're easier to identify with (Dana), easier to sympathise with (Bette), easier to render as people, real human people. But Max is more than real human people. Max lives in a hyper-reality. Her moments of the mundane and simple are just that -- fleeting moments she longs for and rarely gets. That schism draws me in. Max is swept along by something bigger, by her past, Logan's missions. And she herself is larger-than-life. She has a purpose that drives her actions and decisions, though at first she is reluctant.
I love the epic nature of sci-fi/fantasy shows, the structure of them, the Big Damn Hero factor. The Buffyverse, Stargate, Highlander. Do I even have to mention the Trekverse? But I've found myself loving other shows too, that are more "police procedural" than sci-fi/fantasy. NCIS and Numb3rs (though I wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan of the latter) are cop shows. Veronica Mars is a teen drama, but with all the super-sleuthing she does, you could never call it another The O.C. (a show I gave up on mid-S1). Veronica is not your traditional hero, hasn't been given a higher calling -- no, she's made a mission for herself, and she'll get the job done and she'll get it done right.
NCIS is probably the most "normal" show I watch -- it's basically a cop show with Marines in it. I wouldn't have expected to love it the way I do, since there's no sci-fi/fantasy twist and the NCIS special agents are good guys but not Big Damn Heroes. There's still a mission-oriented plot, with characters being driven to accomplish a goal... But mostly I love the show because I adore the characters and because it's funny and occasionally the mystery of the week is actually interesting. (So yeah, I suppose this is a case of "it's all about the characters". Because if I wasn't absolutely head-over-heels for Gibbs and Tony and Abby and McGee and Ziva and Kate and Ducky and Paula and you get the point.)
So anyway, that was just a lot of babble about why I like The L Word but don't love it, and why I won't be renting the rest of the series. Instead, this afternoon I went to Wal-Mart in hopes of picking up Dark Angel on discount. No music, unfortunately, but on the bright side I found Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm. Oh Bruce, Bruce. You big damn woobie freak.
Last night I watched the 2-part pilot of The L Word, as well as episode 1x03, "Let's Do It". Hmm, what can I say? I should probably reserve judgment until I've seen the rest of the eps I rented, but so far the show isn't really grabbing me. It's a good show -- I like most of the characters, I think they're all pretty interesting, and the cast is wonderful. (Happy to see Laurel Holloman again, of course. *g*) The writing seems solid and I've enjoyed all the story-lines introduced thus far. But there's definitely something missing, and once I realised what it was, I kind of had to laugh.
It's not all about the characters.
You know how we're always saying it's all about the character pr0n? Consistent characterisation, character development, relationships, back-story, et cetera? It's true, we do want these things, I couldn't imagine not having some kind of character development in the shows I watch. But for me, character development isn't the make-or-break deal.
The L Word is probably terrific and worth seeing -- but this kind of "real life" soap opera-ish show isn't something that'll keep me coming back, week after week. I need a hook into a larger-than-life universe, a mytharc, a hero's journey, or at the very least a mission to accomplish. I need a grander adventure, a wider scope -- or more shallowly, I need kung fu action and high-speed car chases.
I need them to ask bigger questions, like what makes a person good or evil. What is my place in this world. What can I do to change this world. To ask, if I do this one last thing, will I finally have the answer. Will I finally be at peace.
Compare Dark Angel, which I've recently been watching, with The L Word. No doubt the women on The L Word are more realistic, more three-dimensional, more nuanced by the end of the 2-parter pilot than most of the Dark Angel characters were by the end of two seasons. They're easier to identify with (Dana), easier to sympathise with (Bette), easier to render as people, real human people. But Max is more than real human people. Max lives in a hyper-reality. Her moments of the mundane and simple are just that -- fleeting moments she longs for and rarely gets. That schism draws me in. Max is swept along by something bigger, by her past, Logan's missions. And she herself is larger-than-life. She has a purpose that drives her actions and decisions, though at first she is reluctant.
I love the epic nature of sci-fi/fantasy shows, the structure of them, the Big Damn Hero factor. The Buffyverse, Stargate, Highlander. Do I even have to mention the Trekverse? But I've found myself loving other shows too, that are more "police procedural" than sci-fi/fantasy. NCIS and Numb3rs (though I wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan of the latter) are cop shows. Veronica Mars is a teen drama, but with all the super-sleuthing she does, you could never call it another The O.C. (a show I gave up on mid-S1). Veronica is not your traditional hero, hasn't been given a higher calling -- no, she's made a mission for herself, and she'll get the job done and she'll get it done right.
NCIS is probably the most "normal" show I watch -- it's basically a cop show with Marines in it. I wouldn't have expected to love it the way I do, since there's no sci-fi/fantasy twist and the NCIS special agents are good guys but not Big Damn Heroes. There's still a mission-oriented plot, with characters being driven to accomplish a goal... But mostly I love the show because I adore the characters and because it's funny and occasionally the mystery of the week is actually interesting. (So yeah, I suppose this is a case of "it's all about the characters". Because if I wasn't absolutely head-over-heels for Gibbs and Tony and Abby and McGee and Ziva and Kate and Ducky and Paula and you get the point.)
So anyway, that was just a lot of babble about why I like The L Word but don't love it, and why I won't be renting the rest of the series. Instead, this afternoon I went to Wal-Mart in hopes of picking up Dark Angel on discount. No music, unfortunately, but on the bright side I found Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm. Oh Bruce, Bruce. You big damn woobie freak.