The TV Catch Up Post

[asta77]

I seem to be having limited success in posting more often. At least this time I have legitimate excuses! Two hellish weeks at work. Then, this past week, just as I was beginning to get back on top of things, I broke out in hives. I can only assume it was triggered by something I ate, but no clue what since I don't have any food allergies. I've been

Comments

[daybreak777]

Oh, Asta. The Killing. I had forgotten my anger at it but you've reminded me of it anew. I have had a very busy two weeks too and the fact that I took precious time and energy out of my life to catch up and watches this show annoys me so much I am practically stabbing at the keys of this keyboard while typing this.

it was a final insult to the viewers after weeks of countless, pointless detours (Muslim terrorists? Really?) and enough red-herrings to choke a factory canning line.
LOL. And true. What the heck? I swear this smells like a scheme for money. I feel there was a decent ending in this show somewhere but once the PTB smelled a second season, and therefore more money, they scrapped that and gave us this.

I hope the principal actors refuse to come back. They are too good for this show.

[asta77]

I'M SO SORRY! ;)

Apparently, the finale was always what was intended. I think the real problem was there was never a plan for the thirteen (?) episodes. It sounds as if they closely followed the original version for the first few episodes, then decided to see where the story would take them?

It was interesting that when Veena Sud, the showrunner, was asked which characters would be returning, she flatly stated she couldn't answer at this point. Most productions require their actors to sign five or six year contracts, so it would be very odd if they didn't lock in the cast.

[beck_liz]

And I found Peter's 'I'm on to you' smirk not only off-putting, but a blatant acknowledgment of the two playing each other and both knowing it.

Right there with you. And this episode was sooooo close to getting me back on a favorable footing with this show. Argh.

[asta77]

And this episode was sooooo close to getting me back on a favorable footing with this show.

I know! Everyone working together! Jones and Diana getting decent screen time! Neal/Sara not irritating the hell out of me! Neal's conflicted reacion! I was feeling good about the show again! And then Peter's look. :/

[molly_may]

I agree with basically everything you said about Falling Skies. It's not the best of the genre, but it's enjoyable enough to keep watching.

And I am SO GLAD that I wasn't at all invested in The Killing. WTF was that ending? You know, Twin Peaks did something similar at the end of it's first season by not revealing the killer when the audience expected them too, and a lot of people were angry about that. But Twin Peaks had by that time established a number of characters to care about and a really unique tone that could jump between playful and terrifying, and those were things that made at least part of the audience interested in coming back for a second season. But as far as I'm concerned, The Killing didn't bother to do anything that would make an audience want to come back for more: dull characters, unrelentingly grim tone, consistently stupid writing. Just bad, bad, bad.

[asta77]

I was somewhat let down by Falling Skies second episode. There were the weird shifts in tone (and using a gang leader who permitted a woman to be repeatedly raped as comic relief is very questionable), Steven Weber playing the type of character he always seems to play, and many moments reminiscent of BSG...which makes sense once I learned a BSG writer/producer took over as showrunner. But I'm not quite ready to give up yet.

If The Killing had just had a lousy finale, I think we all would be more forgiving. But the show, by mid-season, was failing miserably on so many levels. And I have to have characters to care about or why bother?

[meret]

And what is there to consult about at the gallery?

The only thing I could think of was a consultant on what artists to showcase, but given that she's not famous in the art world that really doesn't make sense to me either.

ETA - So glad I never watched The Killing! *hugs*

[soundingsea]

The US version of The Killing really went off the rails. I suggest watching the original Danish one. MUCH better ending.