Random Fandom Notes -- not all of the good
TV has left me kind of meh lately, can you tell? (Spoilers for recent airings.)
Doctor Who - The Girl in the Fireplace -- She's beautiful, she's uber-brave, she's preternaturally intuitive, men are instantly attracted to her, she's willing to risk her life for everyone around her, she dies tragically in a (frankly predictable) ironic twist, and she's got a name a mile long (however historical). If I had written this episode and submitted it to, oh, say Fanfiction.Net, I would have probably have been flamed for creating the Sue-iest Mary-Sue who ever did Sue. (In an interview with Sophia Miles, who played Madame de Pompadour, she stated that she was meant to be the Doctor's "soul mate." Mmmm...no. Sorry, I didn't see that.) I also found Ten rather annoying in this episode. The "My Fair Lady" impersonation was *way* over the top for me. In short, I was a bit disappointed in this one -- especially after it followed such a fun episode as "School Reunion."
Lost - ? -- (Yes, that is the title.) Actually, I didn't dislike this episode. I just didn't find it as jaw-dropping as I would have thought after what happened last week. I really enjoyed the segments with Locke and Mr. Eko, and I liked the revelations in the new hatch. If I were them, I'd want to know where those tubes go! I'm still not getting the "importance" of pushing the button (especially after the training video basically came right out and said it's just an experiment to see if the subjects would preform their duties), nor do I see the reasoning behind certain characters' drive to do so. However, I continue to enjoy the little reveals that we do get, so I'm willing to wait.
There was nothing surprising about what happened to Libby. Once it was established that she was alive for the moment, I (like many of you, I'm sure) predicted that she would stick around long enough to mention Michael's name, but die before she could reveal any more. I guess that new hatch -- as well as the recording equipment -- may come in handy later. Hurley's reactions were very touching, as was the Sawyer/Kate moment at the end. Michael continues to be creepy. Whee!
In a related note, those who have gone to see Mission Impossible III (in which I have no interest) have told me that there's a special "Thank You" to the Hanso Foundation in the end credits. Hee! Nifty!
Veronica Mars - Not Pictured -- I'm probably about to make myself very unpopular around my flist, but I actually and honestly soured on VM quite a while ago. Sorry, everyone. I enjoyed the first season for what it was -- I found it entertaining. Two years in, however, I'm still not feeling the great love I know so many of you do . . . which means I probably never will. I didn't watch a large number of episodes this season, and yet I felt I missed nothing when I tuned in to the finale last night.
Oh, Veronica still has adorable dialogue, Logan is a cutie, and Keith continues to be one of the reasons that make the show worth watching, I just don't think it's for me. This episode pretty much sealed it . . .
-- They didn't seem content to solve the established mysteries of this season, but felt the need to revisit those of last season as well. (It almost seemed to nullify all the dramatic twists that happened last year regarding the rape -- not to mention the huge "YOU'RE MY SISTER!" reveal that, while squick-worthy, was one of the highlights of S1.) Yes, I know it went with the Chlamydia arc, but having Beaver be ultimately responsible for just about Every. Damn. Thing. struck me as very forced.
-- When did Veronica have time to text Logan about being on the roof? I find it hard to believe that she did it beforehand - since she wouldn't have known she needed him - and during her confrontation with Beaver there wouldn't have been time. (Unless she's just *that* good.)
-- I didn't really see the point of the dream sequence. I know there was supposed to be a lot of symbolism going on, but it just didn't strike me as being worthwhile in the grand scheme of the episode - the editing of which was already *very* choppy as it was. (The scenes jumped around so much, that Veronica was shown wearing no less than three different outfits prior to the opening credits alone.) The whole series of events -- her not knowing Wallace, seeing her parents together, Lilly being alive, etc. -- just seemed very "It's a Wonderful Life" to me.
-- Visually, VM is a stunning show to look at. They do such innovative things with color and imagery. However, this representation of the Pietà really seemed strange to me. Even a little creepy. (I thought the same thing when Veronica's and Logan's positions were reversed in the first episode of the season.) It just looks like such an unnatural position, even if it *is* supposed to be symbolic. (Am I supposed to make a Christ parallel with either character?)
When I am in need of some comfort, I can see crawling into someone else's lap, or huddling against their chest, but nearly draping backwards over the arm of a couch while spread out over someone's knees? Most people tend to automatically curl inward foetally when they are suffering -- whether it be physically or emotionally. This . . . was just weird.
(BTW, screencaps are by _jems_, who always does a lovely job, even if I don't always appreciate Rob Thomas' symbolism. *G*)
-- The best part of the episode was the plane explosion -- very chilling, even if I didn't think Keith was really dead. Although, Logan apparently discovered that Keith was alive at some point during the night, since Papa Mars found him sleeping on the couch off-camera. So I'd have to wonder (A.) why Logan didn't wake Veronica right away to tell her, or (B.) why he was still all comfort-y and "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" with her the next morning if he obviously knew Keith was alive. (Again I was disappointed in the overall editing of the episode. There were still a good twenty minutes left after the whole rooftop scene, and there was quite a bit of abrupt jumping around through several secondary plots before we got back to the resolution of the airplane. It just felt too long.)
-- I was kind of meh over the summer cliffhanger, too. It seemed out of character for Keith to leave Veronica at the airport and never show. (Plus, I have *never* been in an airport where I didn't get a cellular signal. My server's not that great, and I even got a signal on *Alcatraz* for goodness sake!)
The Dresden Files - Proven Guilty -- No real spoilers here. My only complaint is that I've had the book for over two weeks, and I'm still only about half-way finished. It has nothing to do with the story itself, which I'm enjoying, but the disappointing rate at which I'm reading. It seems my time is spread thin lately.
Firefly and Dead Like Me -- My only complaint here is how much I've been completely missing both of these shows lately. I watched a bit of Serenity while I was burning a copy to send to my brother (*still* with the tears!), and I've been itching to pop my DLM DVDs in to watch an episode or two for several days now.
*sigh* I miss my dead fandoms ever so.
Doctor Who - The Girl in the Fireplace -- She's beautiful, she's uber-brave, she's preternaturally intuitive, men are instantly attracted to her, she's willing to risk her life for everyone around her, she dies tragically in a (frankly predictable) ironic twist, and she's got a name a mile long (however historical). If I had written this episode and submitted it to, oh, say Fanfiction.Net, I would have probably have been flamed for creating the Sue-iest Mary-Sue who ever did Sue. (In an interview with Sophia Miles, who played Madame de Pompadour, she stated that she was meant to be the Doctor's "soul mate." Mmmm...no. Sorry, I didn't see that.) I also found Ten rather annoying in this episode. The "My Fair Lady" impersonation was *way* over the top for me. In short, I was a bit disappointed in this one -- especially after it followed such a fun episode as "School Reunion."
Lost - ? -- (Yes, that is the title.) Actually, I didn't dislike this episode. I just didn't find it as jaw-dropping as I would have thought after what happened last week. I really enjoyed the segments with Locke and Mr. Eko, and I liked the revelations in the new hatch. If I were them, I'd want to know where those tubes go! I'm still not getting the "importance" of pushing the button (especially after the training video basically came right out and said it's just an experiment to see if the subjects would preform their duties), nor do I see the reasoning behind certain characters' drive to do so. However, I continue to enjoy the little reveals that we do get, so I'm willing to wait.
There was nothing surprising about what happened to Libby. Once it was established that she was alive for the moment, I (like many of you, I'm sure) predicted that she would stick around long enough to mention Michael's name, but die before she could reveal any more. I guess that new hatch -- as well as the recording equipment -- may come in handy later. Hurley's reactions were very touching, as was the Sawyer/Kate moment at the end. Michael continues to be creepy. Whee!
In a related note, those who have gone to see Mission Impossible III (in which I have no interest) have told me that there's a special "Thank You" to the Hanso Foundation in the end credits. Hee! Nifty!
Veronica Mars - Not Pictured -- I'm probably about to make myself very unpopular around my flist, but I actually and honestly soured on VM quite a while ago. Sorry, everyone. I enjoyed the first season for what it was -- I found it entertaining. Two years in, however, I'm still not feeling the great love I know so many of you do . . . which means I probably never will. I didn't watch a large number of episodes this season, and yet I felt I missed nothing when I tuned in to the finale last night.
Oh, Veronica still has adorable dialogue, Logan is a cutie, and Keith continues to be one of the reasons that make the show worth watching, I just don't think it's for me. This episode pretty much sealed it . . .
-- They didn't seem content to solve the established mysteries of this season, but felt the need to revisit those of last season as well. (It almost seemed to nullify all the dramatic twists that happened last year regarding the rape -- not to mention the huge "YOU'RE MY SISTER!" reveal that, while squick-worthy, was one of the highlights of S1.) Yes, I know it went with the Chlamydia arc, but having Beaver be ultimately responsible for just about Every. Damn. Thing. struck me as very forced.
-- When did Veronica have time to text Logan about being on the roof? I find it hard to believe that she did it beforehand - since she wouldn't have known she needed him - and during her confrontation with Beaver there wouldn't have been time. (Unless she's just *that* good.)
-- I didn't really see the point of the dream sequence. I know there was supposed to be a lot of symbolism going on, but it just didn't strike me as being worthwhile in the grand scheme of the episode - the editing of which was already *very* choppy as it was. (The scenes jumped around so much, that Veronica was shown wearing no less than three different outfits prior to the opening credits alone.) The whole series of events -- her not knowing Wallace, seeing her parents together, Lilly being alive, etc. -- just seemed very "It's a Wonderful Life" to me.
-- Visually, VM is a stunning show to look at. They do such innovative things with color and imagery. However, this representation of the Pietà really seemed strange to me. Even a little creepy. (I thought the same thing when Veronica's and Logan's positions were reversed in the first episode of the season.) It just looks like such an unnatural position, even if it *is* supposed to be symbolic. (Am I supposed to make a Christ parallel with either character?)
When I am in need of some comfort, I can see crawling into someone else's lap, or huddling against their chest, but nearly draping backwards over the arm of a couch while spread out over someone's knees? Most people tend to automatically curl inward foetally when they are suffering -- whether it be physically or emotionally. This . . . was just weird.
(BTW, screencaps are by _jems_, who always does a lovely job, even if I don't always appreciate Rob Thomas' symbolism. *G*)
-- The best part of the episode was the plane explosion -- very chilling, even if I didn't think Keith was really dead. Although, Logan apparently discovered that Keith was alive at some point during the night, since Papa Mars found him sleeping on the couch off-camera. So I'd have to wonder (A.) why Logan didn't wake Veronica right away to tell her, or (B.) why he was still all comfort-y and "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" with her the next morning if he obviously knew Keith was alive. (Again I was disappointed in the overall editing of the episode. There were still a good twenty minutes left after the whole rooftop scene, and there was quite a bit of abrupt jumping around through several secondary plots before we got back to the resolution of the airplane. It just felt too long.)
-- I was kind of meh over the summer cliffhanger, too. It seemed out of character for Keith to leave Veronica at the airport and never show. (Plus, I have *never* been in an airport where I didn't get a cellular signal. My server's not that great, and I even got a signal on *Alcatraz* for goodness sake!)
The Dresden Files - Proven Guilty -- No real spoilers here. My only complaint is that I've had the book for over two weeks, and I'm still only about half-way finished. It has nothing to do with the story itself, which I'm enjoying, but the disappointing rate at which I'm reading. It seems my time is spread thin lately.
Firefly and Dead Like Me -- My only complaint here is how much I've been completely missing both of these shows lately. I watched a bit of Serenity while I was burning a copy to send to my brother (*still* with the tears!), and I've been itching to pop my DLM DVDs in to watch an episode or two for several days now.
*sigh* I miss my dead fandoms ever so.