Friday, January 25, 2008

Are you anticipating?


(If you don't understand the picture, then you are not anticipating.)

12 comments:

Andrew Farrell said...

Aw, don't start telling me that Lost is worth watching again! I gratefully gave up on the backlog during last year after everyone said it was disappearing up its hole. I mean admittedly one of the main criticisms was that there didn't seem to be a big-scale plot, which I didn't mind so much because, hello, comics fan.

Big Boss said...

Of course it is. As usual people got turned off during the mid-season slump that most shows have (Buffy certainly did) but as with the previous two seasons it really cranked it up in the last third with the last few episodes in particular being completely awesome. The last episode was easily as good as the last ones of the first two series.

The big difference for me for the past season and a half has been the introduction of better acting talent. This is especially important in the third season which spends so much time with two of the Others, both of whom are played with great skill (especially Ben who is fantastic).

As for not having a main plot, that's a standard criticism of any show that doesn't resolve things neatly at the end of the season (though there aren't that many shows with story arcs longer than a season). It's clear they know what's going on, it's clear that they throw in a lot of red herrings because they like to and it's clear that there's some seriously mad stuff involved that probably doesn't make a lick of sense scientifically.

We know there will be an end to the story because we all know when the story must end now that they have their agreement with the network about the remaining episode count.

Seriously, you are missing out on my favourite show on television after 30 Rock. I don't mean that it's necessarily the best in some sense or that it will stand the test of time in a way that, perhaps, Dexter will. What I mean is that it's the show that I anticipate most every week.

Andrew Farrell said...

Okay, I'm definitely missing something - has serial killer killer Dexter turned into a modern classic?

Alright, then, I'll start through it after I finish Heroes. Which will be some time after I start it.

Big Boss said...

It's well received and looks good for the third series but it's not always obvious what TV shows will be remembered in five years. My guess in Dexter.

Seriously, skip Heroes and go straight back to Lost. There's just one unequivocally good episode in the last half of the first series and the ending is utter pants. Perhaps the second is better but advance word (from sources I trust) is negative. Not saying I won't stick it on the old Sky Plus when it comes around, mind.

Have you seen Rome? That would be worth seeing too if you haven't.

Andrew Farrell said...

Oy, there's talk of a third season of Dexter already? The first was just starting the other day.... (hides under bedclothes). Though on researching I like that it seems to be 12-episode seasons, much more reasonable.

Remember that I have a bias you don't with regard to superhero stuff. And yes, I really really should look into Rome.

Trish Byrne said...

In fairness, we did give Heroes a fair go, and we were really enjoying it, but the last episode was so awful that it retroactively ruined the foregoing story.

Dexter is brilliant.

Also, Big Boss is correct about Rome. It is brilliant.

Ray said...

That's a great photo.

Heroes was walking a tightrope for a while between enjoyably/cheesy but fell off with the last episode. (some pfws have been watching the second season and think its pretty bad, and not helped by the Oirish bits)

Speaking of shows with extended story arcs, The Wire The Wire The Wire The Wire The WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe WireThe Wire

Trish Byrne said...

Oh god, Heroes has Oirish bits? Remembering how bad its Indian bits were in the first series, this could be really bad.

Everybody loves The Wire so much, but I'm not sure it's "our" thing (even though there are many things that we don't agree on in tellyland, such as the watchability of The Office, because Mister M dislikes police procedurals, and I dislike things that are supposed to be happening in real time. But I feel obliged to give it a shot. Perhaps I can borrow someone's DVDs at some stage. Does anyone have them? I can trade for Northern Exposure.

Derval said...

I'm not a fan of CSI, or any other police shows, and the procedures are largely political rather than forensic or magic image analysis. And it's real-time only in the sense that each episode takes place over a week, and the stuff happening in season 3 is happening 2 years after season 1. Unfortunately, I only have seasons 2 and 3 on DVD..

Trish Byrne said...

That's okay, I think I have a lead on the first season. I think I will use the only method I know of to ascertain whether or not I like it: I will watch it.

Which is just as well, because I really have run out of other shows to watch now.

Derval said...

That comment was from me, btw, not Derval.

Ray

Derval said...

I was wondering. Comment under your own name buster!