Burton's Blog

Friday, January 26, 2007

Television

Sometime during the last few years, I have discovered that I enjoy a number of TV shows. In fact, lately I've found myself much more interested in them than most movies. I think there are several reasons for this. First, TV is much cheaper than movies (in the theater). I can either watch on DVD via Netflix or rewatch shows I own on DVD, or watch online, or watch at a friend/cable owner's place. :-) Second, TV shows are shorter than a typical movie. While I was taking graduate school classes and and student teaching, I could get stuff done, watch one episode of a show while eating a meal, and then get back to work. Finally, there's actually some interesting, well-acted, and sometimes fun stuff on TV nowadays.

So, what do I like to watch? I've noticed that shows I like have several things in common: good acting, an element of mystery, and complexity (in terms of plot and characters). A fun online quiz I once took put it this way: I'm a "Thrill Seeker" and like "smart, sophisticated dramas". That's true--though I nitpick less than some folks; it's entertainment, after all.

Having said that, here's a list of shows I've enjoyed lately and would recommend (some with a caveat/warning or two), in order of network:

1. "Alias" (was on ABC; available on DVD only, unless it's syndicated somewhere). I really enjoyed this show. I got into it a few years ago. Basically, it's a spy drama starring Jennifer Garner. In reality, it's a lot more. The show is a fun combination of family drama, action-adventure, and comedy; I found it funnier than most sit-coms I've seen recently. Quite frankly, the first two seasons are the best, but I enjoyed all of them. Few shows are as fun as this one.

2. "Lost" (ABC). I added this to my Netflix queue because it was co-created by J.J. Abrams, the same guy who created "Alias". It took me a little while to get into, 'cause of the rather intense disaster scenario and some fantasy elements in the pilot--but I found that I got really interested in the characters. I've enjoyed it ever since. It's a bit uneven--some episodes are definitely better than others, but the multiple mysteries are pretty darn fun to try and solve--and again, it has really good acting.

3. "Veronica Mars" (CW). The title character is currently a college freshman who solves mysteries. In high school (seasons 1 and 2), she helped her P.I. dad with his cases. Currently, I think she just solves issues that come up at college. What's great about the show is the dialogue. It's really witty. Plus, the father-daughter relationship between the main character and her dad is fabulous. Well acted show, too. It's filmed in San Diego, where my sister lives. That's kind of fun, because every now and then I go, "Hey, I've been there!" In one season 2 episode, I spotted the park where my sister got married.

4. "24" (Fox). I've seen the first two seasons via Netflix. I think season 3 is next in my queue. I have mixed feelings about this show. I enjoy the quality of the acting and have really enjoyed some of the plot twists. I can understand why people get addicted to and love it. On the downside, this show can get a bit too intense for me and has already had noticably cheesy elements/plot twists. I also think I've enjoyed it less after watching "Alias" because it's simply one genre; it's a long action movie. Still, sometimes the ride is fun. We'll see what I think of the beginning of season 3. . .

5. "Prison Break" (Fox). I watched the pilot on iTunes and was hooked. Season 1 is quite fun overall--shades of "The Shawshank Redemption", fun to see the main character's plan to break out of prison evolve, etc. There were some great, entertaining plot twists, and as an added bonus--a few really good-looking men. :-) I've enjoyed season 2 so far, too. More like "The Fugitive". Still with lots of interesting characters. And plot twists.

6. "Heroes" (NBC). What can I say? I've always enjoyed superheroes. I think it has to do with seeing "Superman" (the one with Christopher Reeves) when I was a small, impressionable child. In addition to that, it has Greg Grunberg in it--Agent Weiss from "Alias" and the pilot from "Lost". It's a cool show. My favorite characters are Hiro (plucky, funny, a bit geeky--he's the most fun character), Mr. Bennett (a.k.a.--Horn-Rimmed Glasses, Claire's dad; I said I like complex characters--he's wonderful shades of gray--is he good? Bad? Who knows? Love it!), and Peter (just 'cause he's really empathic--he just wants to help, and he'll risk his life to do it--awesome!).
My main criticism of the show is that occasionally it's a bit too gory. I'm not fond of gore, so it detracts from the show as far as I'm concerned. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoy it.

7. "Battlestar Galactica" (SciFi). I never thought I would like a show on SciFi. My stepdad likes to watch that channel, and it often has really bad movies on it. Not cool. I'm also not a huge science fiction fan, mainly because too often it dips into horror. However, I love the original "Star Wars" trilogy and can sit through "Star Trek" stuff (though I'm definitely not a Trekkie), so I thought I'd download a free summary of the show from iTunes. (The summary was made after the mid-season cliffhanger for season 2.)

Here's what I've discovered: "Battlestar Galactica" really is the best show on television. Why do I say that? Several reasons:

A. Excellent acting. It stars two Oscar-nominated actors (Edward James Olmos--"Blade Runner", "Stand and Deliver" and Mary McDonnell-- (Stands-with-a-Fist in "Dances with Wolves") and has some wonderful acting by the rest of the cast. Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh) and Katee Sackhoff (Kara "Starbuck" Thrace) have especially stood out during season 3.

B. A compelling plot. The basics: The robotic Cylon race set off nuclear bombs on 12 planets and destroyed as many humans as they could. These Cylons were originally made by people and eventually "evolved" to appear human in every way possible. (As a result, pretty much anyone can be a Cylon--some without even knowing it. This was a major plot point in season 1, as one of the "humans" discovered she was in fact a Cylon.) The only humans alive are those who were on spaceships at the time, including those on an old warship that was going to be turned into a museum (Battlestar Galactica).
So, it becomes a chase and later a race to Earth between the Cylons and humans. Along the way. . .

C. It deals with big issues and questions. In other words, it's deeper than the average show. This is something I really love about it. In the 2 1/2 seasons it's been on the air, the show has dealt with: abortion, suicide bombings (and the ethics of them), relationships (father-son, co-workers, married couples, friends, etc.), occupation, insurgency, the treatment of prisoners of war, biological warfare, politics (an election was a key element of the Season 2 finale), and religion.

In fact, at its heart, the show asks these questions, "What does it mean to be human? Are we humans really worthy of survival, or do we deserve to die?"

Honestly, Ron Moore, one of the executive producers of the show, has one of the best concepts of sin that I've heard from someone who's not necessarily a Christian; during one of his podcasts, he came to the conclusion that any of us, in the right circumstances, is capable of becoming a person who believed in suicide bombing as a viable option. I was pretty amazed; it's true. We're sinners. There's no evil we're not capable of apart from the grace of God.

While the humans are polytheistic (and seem to worship Greek gods), the Cylons are monotheistic--kind of an amalgam of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Sometimes that bothers me a bit--but what I appreciate is that religion is central to the show. It's important. It's important to the characters, and a variety of religious views are portrayed. Some characters are atheists. Some are what we would think of as religious fanatics. Some--including several main characters--are simply people of faith. They are shown praying, reading scripture, and arguing for things based on the truth. How often do you see that on TV?

D. Fascinating characters. All of them are complex. Lots of shades of gray, usually (some are pretty much good/bad, but most are much more realistic than that). One of the most amazing things to me is that a character that I originally hated--Starbuck--has since become my favorite character. Sometimes I love her; sometimes I cheer her on; sometimes I just want to smack her. Sometimes I weep for her. Pretty amazing drama--and that's just one character!

E. Great, shocking plot twists and an element of mystery. This is just fun.

F. Eye candy. Lots of good-looking folks in this cast (and they can act, too!). For women, there's Jamie Bamber, Tahmoh Penikett, and Michael Trucco. For men, there's Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park, and Tricia Helfer. Then there's older characters--who look like real people. In fact, even the good-looking characters can look normal--they get dirty or injured, for instance.

G. On top of all that, it's got some humor (especially in the first two seasons). My favorite quote: "Okay, that's it! No more Mr. Nice Gaius!" (said by Gaius Baltar--dang, that's a good pun!)

H. Finally--cool special effects and space battles. The season 3 episode "Exodus, Part 2" is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Great effects, great acting, lots of action, powerful story.

And did I mention that the episode where many humans are rescued from a Cylon occupation/enslavement on a planet is called "Exodus"? *grin*

So what's the downside? Sex. For some, that's not a downside, but for me it is. There's too much of it, and it's often a bit more graphic than a typical network series ('cause SciFi is on cable). I'd appreciate it if they'd cut those scenes, or tone them down. There is also some violence, most of which is intense but not overly gory (so I can tolerate it pretty well). The show is also a bit dark--so if you want lighter fare--watch something else. It's definitely an adult show. There--that's my warning.

However, it's definitely one of the most thought-provoking and interesting shows I've ever seen. "Exodus, Part 2" just might be my favorite episode of anything ever. Now that I've talked way too much about TV, it's time to end this blog and go to bed.

What do you like to watch?

1 Comments:

  • At 7:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hey, Lis!

    Thanks for posting these! Now I know what to get when/if we get Netflix again.

    *When* we did have Netflix, we watched Firefly (which we adored) and Babylon 5 which also had a lot of interesting things going on. The last episode of the show still gives me a lump in my throat, in spite of the cheesy elements. When Isaac was a baby, we got addicted to "Alias" (including at leaat one or two marathon day-long sessions watching Alias, nursing the baby and gobbling Tengdin Swedish meatballs with noodles and lingonberry preserves! Those were the days!). However, after the first couple of seasonsm it just got too way over the top for us to be able to suspend our disbelief any longer and we stopped. Haven't regretted it, even though we did watch the final couple of episodes online after David's sister brought us up to speed.

     

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