Progress

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Palai Eboulethen's Fall TV Review

New Shows!
(those I bothered to watch)

Eastwick- Everybody is typically in a huff about the "witch thing." Blah, who cares? It is not a how-to on witchcraft. It isn't any more dangerous than Harry Potter (which also caused a hubbub), or Charmed (ditto), or Bewitched. I do not know of anyone protesting Elizabeth Montgomery's studio, blah blah blah. Then again, I was not around when it was new. I just saw reruns that nobody cared a whit about.
That said, this is not a great show. It goes too far out of its way to be sexy. It would have been better if it had not. Now, I realize that sex is a major part of the novel (or so I have heard) and the movie that the series is based on. OK, I get that. They go too far here, though. I never would have guessed something could make me wish for the days of Charmed. But here you have it.
The worst part is I am enjoying the rest of the story. I don't know if I can watch it though. Too much sex. Maybe if I were a 20-something who wasn't getting any I would find it enticing. As it is, not so much.
Two out of Ten asterisks **........

Stargate Universe- Wow! OK, there is a lot to say. Originally my post was going to be about how firing the gifted cameramen of SG1 and SGA was a mistake. And that the budget cuts that led to them borrowing someone's camcorder rather than using the steadycam were regrettable. The more recent episodes have let go of the "found footage" feel that had become oh-so-chic. Thank goodness! No need for me to make the snide comment about the Sci Fi Channel airing the bastard love child of Stargate and Battlestar Galactica. (But seriously! Why cancel those shows if you are going to replace them with a mixed up duplicate?)
As to more recent episodes...I am left with wondering who at the Sci Fi Channel (I refuse to call it SyFy, which my entire brain says should be pronounced SIFFY) chose that the problem with Action Adventure Science Fiction was the Action and the Adventure. If things do not get interesting I am going to have to bail, and that really makes me sad, since I really WANT to like this show and am willing to give it all kinds of slack just because it is SG.
I cannot be interested in a show about a raving megalomaniac trying to save a bunch of whiners. Especially when all he is trying to save them from is Suffocation, Starvation, and Slow, Boring Death.
Three out of 10 asterisks ***.......

Flash Forward- my first thought when I heard about this concept (after the "Oo, this might be interesting!) was...but what will happen once they reach the point they all saw? Where will the series go after that? I suppose we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
So far I am really enjoying the mystery and attempt to piece together what happened. I could do without some of the angst, but I can see where it would actually be there if this were real. (Believe it or not, many science fiction fans, myself included, are real sticklers for whether something in their shows happens as it would if this were real life.) If "Oo,woe! my marriage is going to end!" or "Oo, woe! why didn't I see anything?!" get's too heavy, the show will get boring. So far the writers seem to have the right mix of pace and mystery. We'll see if they can keep it up.
Seven out of Ten asterisks *******...

Wow! I cannot believe that I am only watching 3 new shows. I would have worn it was more. Oh well, nothing else interested me enough to bother. I know V doens't start for a little while. We'll see how that goes. I am not sure how they are going to pull it off when everyone remembers the story from the 1980's miniseries. And I miss Morena Baccarin's hair. It was SOOO lovely! Why is it cut so short?!

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