geek problems
I just watched the first episode of Scandal, and I was really disappointed. I wanted it to be good!
I really like Kerry Washington, and I think she's lovely in it. But I think I fundamentally don't buy the show's vision of itself.
Also, at least in this first episode... I don't buy that her intervention was necessary at all. It was played like the guy would have gone to jail, but even a mediocre defense team (which: official National Hero like the guy was supposed to be, he would have a good defense team) would have been able to GET CCTV FOOTAGE, surely? Eh. I am not sure I buy a guy going from "I AM NOT GAY I AM A HERO I AM A HERO TO THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT I TELL YOU I AM NOT GAY" to "I am a gay man and I love my boyfriend" that easily.
Also the President deeply deeply deeply skeeved me out. Ewwwww eww eww no dude you do not touch people without their permission and you definitely don't back them into a wall and kiss them and ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
The worst bit was the not buying the show's vision of itself. Olivia is supposed to be the Best Good Guy Ever, like, the knight on a white charger, and I'm sorry, but I... don't think a crisis management person, even Olivia Pope, is that. At all. Saving people's reputations, especially super rich white dude reputations, just doesn't register that way to me. And while yeah we had that undercut by the treatment of someone who turned out to not deserve it, and that's clearly a theme, but that was brought up in the episode and dismissed with "You want to be her, a gladiator in a suit". By the end of the episode, when they said that, I just went "No you're not, and I don't really think any of you characters have actual internal lives except maybe Quinn." Olivia was sort of getting there - and I do love Kerry Washington headlining a show! - but was too superpowered really to show anything, at least in the first episode.
Fundamentally, the show is about people who dedicate their lives to this cause, and currently... I kind of think they're either stupid or evil for doing so, and I don't like thinking that. Especially as the show seemed to be saying, this is maybe a morally grey job but it's a right and true job, and the people who do it are on the side of goodness. Whereas I was just... if they're that good, if they care, if they are as competent as we are supposed to think they are? Why the HELL aren't they doing DIFFERENT jobs?
It made it not fun.
If anyone has a good reason to watch episode 2, please let me know because otherwise I'm... really not, even for Kerry Washington. Who is great!
I am really like The Good Wife, but mostly because Elspeth is coming back!! Yaaaaaay Elspeth. Even the proverbial excrement hitting the cooling device isn't as good as that.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is DELIGHTFUL and in the latest episode Diaz started becoming a leader! I loved Holt telling her she had leadership qualities, I love her starting to demonstrate why he said that, I loved that she was still DIAZ while doing it. I really hope Holt properly starts mentoring her, and I am both sad for Amy and kind of anticipating watching her inevitable meltdown if that does actually happen. (Hopefully for her to come back better and stronger! I love you, Amy Santiago!)
Also, as I was agreeing with someone else saying, whoever decided that Jake and Boyle should be actual friends where Jake is supportive and not actually awful needs to be congratulated. More of that! I think they have completely demonstrated that they make it funnier by doing that sort of stuff, not going for the "Jake's an asshole and everyone is mean to Boyle" cheap laughs. It gives the show heart, and I love that.
And thus end my Very Deep Thoughts on television for the day, hahah.
This entry was originally posted at http://soupytwist.dreamwidth.org/133100.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
I really like Kerry Washington, and I think she's lovely in it. But I think I fundamentally don't buy the show's vision of itself.
Also, at least in this first episode... I don't buy that her intervention was necessary at all. It was played like the guy would have gone to jail, but even a mediocre defense team (which: official National Hero like the guy was supposed to be, he would have a good defense team) would have been able to GET CCTV FOOTAGE, surely? Eh. I am not sure I buy a guy going from "I AM NOT GAY I AM A HERO I AM A HERO TO THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT I TELL YOU I AM NOT GAY" to "I am a gay man and I love my boyfriend" that easily.
Also the President deeply deeply deeply skeeved me out. Ewwwww eww eww no dude you do not touch people without their permission and you definitely don't back them into a wall and kiss them and ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
The worst bit was the not buying the show's vision of itself. Olivia is supposed to be the Best Good Guy Ever, like, the knight on a white charger, and I'm sorry, but I... don't think a crisis management person, even Olivia Pope, is that. At all. Saving people's reputations, especially super rich white dude reputations, just doesn't register that way to me. And while yeah we had that undercut by the treatment of someone who turned out to not deserve it, and that's clearly a theme, but that was brought up in the episode and dismissed with "You want to be her, a gladiator in a suit". By the end of the episode, when they said that, I just went "No you're not, and I don't really think any of you characters have actual internal lives except maybe Quinn." Olivia was sort of getting there - and I do love Kerry Washington headlining a show! - but was too superpowered really to show anything, at least in the first episode.
Fundamentally, the show is about people who dedicate their lives to this cause, and currently... I kind of think they're either stupid or evil for doing so, and I don't like thinking that. Especially as the show seemed to be saying, this is maybe a morally grey job but it's a right and true job, and the people who do it are on the side of goodness. Whereas I was just... if they're that good, if they care, if they are as competent as we are supposed to think they are? Why the HELL aren't they doing DIFFERENT jobs?
It made it not fun.
If anyone has a good reason to watch episode 2, please let me know because otherwise I'm... really not, even for Kerry Washington. Who is great!
I am really like The Good Wife, but mostly because Elspeth is coming back!! Yaaaaaay Elspeth. Even the proverbial excrement hitting the cooling device isn't as good as that.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is DELIGHTFUL and in the latest episode Diaz started becoming a leader! I loved Holt telling her she had leadership qualities, I love her starting to demonstrate why he said that, I loved that she was still DIAZ while doing it. I really hope Holt properly starts mentoring her, and I am both sad for Amy and kind of anticipating watching her inevitable meltdown if that does actually happen. (Hopefully for her to come back better and stronger! I love you, Amy Santiago!)
Also, as I was agreeing with someone else saying, whoever decided that Jake and Boyle should be actual friends where Jake is supportive and not actually awful needs to be congratulated. More of that! I think they have completely demonstrated that they make it funnier by doing that sort of stuff, not going for the "Jake's an asshole and everyone is mean to Boyle" cheap laughs. It gives the show heart, and I love that.
And thus end my Very Deep Thoughts on television for the day, hahah.
This entry was originally posted at http://soupytwist.dreamwidth.org/133100.html. Please comment there using OpenID.