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May. 7th, 2009 01:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caz963I’ve not been about much lately – I’m really tired, and all the stuff that’s going on with my job at the moment is stressing me out to the extent that it’s practically the only thing on my mind right now.
That said though, being so bloody tired has meant that rather than working (much) the last couple of evenings, I’ve managed to catch up with some of the shows I’ve been watching.
Fringe has been renewed – yay! I know it’s a bit formulaic at times, but in general the writing is good, and there’s some great characterisation. I like the way the people behind the show approached the whole “will it/won’t it get a full season” thing, by making the first 13 episodes a self-contained arc. The story of Olivia’s boyfriend, John Scott, and who he was working for etc. was neatly tied up at the end of ep. 13, but there were also plenty of other plot-bunnies dropped in which could be explored if the show was picked up. And actually, the show’s got better from ep.14 onwards – all I want now is a bit more of Peter and his backstory, because there have been hints at a shady past and I want to know, dammit! *g*
The Star Trek references this week were giggleworthy given who's about to join the cast. And the ending of the last ep, with Walter in tears and (what looked like) Nina getting shot was pretty awesome.
Dollhouse. I’ve stuck with it, despite the somewhat disappointing start, and it’s paying off, because the last few episodes have been pretty damn good. I watched the most recent two (10 & 11) last night, and have to say, I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes at the end of ep 10, where Adelle was saying “goodbye” to her friend for the last time. I like the way that Joss is playing with our perceptions of what the characters are or should be. For instance, Ballard would, in another show, probably have been the square-jawed, steely-eyed hero and all-round-good-guy who was going up against the powerful and shadowy operation that is the Dollhouse. But he’s not that – okay, so he’s still square-jawed and steely-eyed, but it’s hard to empathise with him. Why is he so obsessed with Caroline? (Am I missing something because I am clearly NOT the target audience for Eliza Dushku’s obvious charms?) And in the last episode – where he finally gained access to the house and had the showdown with Boyd – Ballard was self-obsessed and naïve, his only goal to rescue the damsel in distress, without thought for what might happen to her on the outside in her “doll” state. Not that I’m saying it’s a bad thing – I like my characters flawed and multi-faceted – it makes things much more interesting! The cutest part of ep.10 though was Topher's birthday present to himeslf - a fellow dude to geek out with - cute, but sad though, because he's got no-one else :-( If anyone is the hero of DH, I think it'd have to be Boyd, who so far is coming across as the stand-up guy with a conscience and more than half a brain - even if he does work for this weird, underground organisation. I find all the other characters more interesting to watch than Echo - okay, so as a doll, she's not supposed to have a "character" as such; none of them are, but I'd still rather watch Sierra, Victor and/or Mellie any day. But the show has broadened out of late and meant there's been less of a focus on Echo, so that's all to the good. I'm looking forward to the "finale" next week, although am curious about the 13th (?) episode that Fox isn't going to air (hopefully it'll "turn up" somewhere) and now the show has improved so much, I'm really hoping it gets renewed.
This season of 24 has been so much better than the last. I was in two minds as to whether I was going to watch it actually, but I watched the 2 hour Redemption and my faith was some way towards being restored, so I decided to give Day 7 the benefit of the doubt, and I’m glad I did. The break forced by the writer’s strike clearly did the team at 24 some good. Although I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive them for killing Bill *sniff*.
S3 of Dexter has just started its run over here. Sure, I could have watched it earlier, but I didn’t get around to it, so I might as well watch it “live” as it were. We've only had two episodes so far, so I haven't got a lot to say, except that it may well be that Jennifer Carpenter has the most swear words per minute ever to have been heard on TV so far!
ER is winding down, with gorgeous George making his return to UK telly screens in tonight’s episode. I stopped watching ER on a weekly basis when Noah Wylie left, but I’ve dipped in and out occasionally. The last few episodes have been quite good, and I think I’d better have the Kleenex on hand for the finale in a couple of weeks. That really will be the end of an era.
Season 2 of Ashes to Ashes is continuing to confuse the hell out of me. It appears that “present day” Alex (who was shot) has been found and is now being treated for her injuries. But back in 1982 … is there another “time traveller” at large? The one who’s leaving her the roses and who abducted her and who phoned her talking about the death of Princess Di?
And more importantly – the Gene-genie continues to be awesome. I think that man could scowl for England. I like this show, despite having a few misgivings early on in the first series, but it’s a lot of fun and Phil Glenister is supremely watchable. But they’re heaping mystery upon mystery and if I think about it too much, there’s a danger my head will explode.
I’m still watching 30 Rock as well. I thought it dipped a bit in quality mid-season, but it’s picked up again towards the end. I did at one point think that there was too much emphasis on Liz and her love-life and Jack and his – we weren’t seeing enough of the absurdity that is Tracy and Jenna and Kenneth, but it’s been better lately. Has it been renewed for another season? It’s not belly-laugh comedy, but it usually makes me smile for 22 minutes at a time!
I’m compiling a list of shows to catch up on when the ones I’m watching currently go off air. I have the second half of season 2 of Life to watch. I’m really sad that isn’t being renewed, because it’s a great show. A cop show, yes, but Damian Lewis is fabulous in it, and the writing is excellent. I was thinking I might try Mad Men again and maybe Reaper (which I know has been canned, but I can manage to find time to watch 2 seasons of something!) Lie to Me with Tim Roth is starting here next week, so I might give that another go as well. Oh, and a lot of people here rave about Chuck so maybe I’ll try that. Or is there anything else out there you think is more worthy of my attention ;-)
That said though, being so bloody tired has meant that rather than working (much) the last couple of evenings, I’ve managed to catch up with some of the shows I’ve been watching.
Fringe has been renewed – yay! I know it’s a bit formulaic at times, but in general the writing is good, and there’s some great characterisation. I like the way the people behind the show approached the whole “will it/won’t it get a full season” thing, by making the first 13 episodes a self-contained arc. The story of Olivia’s boyfriend, John Scott, and who he was working for etc. was neatly tied up at the end of ep. 13, but there were also plenty of other plot-bunnies dropped in which could be explored if the show was picked up. And actually, the show’s got better from ep.14 onwards – all I want now is a bit more of Peter and his backstory, because there have been hints at a shady past and I want to know, dammit! *g*
The Star Trek references this week were giggleworthy given who's about to join the cast. And the ending of the last ep, with Walter in tears and (what looked like) Nina getting shot was pretty awesome.
Dollhouse. I’ve stuck with it, despite the somewhat disappointing start, and it’s paying off, because the last few episodes have been pretty damn good. I watched the most recent two (10 & 11) last night, and have to say, I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes at the end of ep 10, where Adelle was saying “goodbye” to her friend for the last time. I like the way that Joss is playing with our perceptions of what the characters are or should be. For instance, Ballard would, in another show, probably have been the square-jawed, steely-eyed hero and all-round-good-guy who was going up against the powerful and shadowy operation that is the Dollhouse. But he’s not that – okay, so he’s still square-jawed and steely-eyed, but it’s hard to empathise with him. Why is he so obsessed with Caroline? (Am I missing something because I am clearly NOT the target audience for Eliza Dushku’s obvious charms?) And in the last episode – where he finally gained access to the house and had the showdown with Boyd – Ballard was self-obsessed and naïve, his only goal to rescue the damsel in distress, without thought for what might happen to her on the outside in her “doll” state. Not that I’m saying it’s a bad thing – I like my characters flawed and multi-faceted – it makes things much more interesting! The cutest part of ep.10 though was Topher's birthday present to himeslf - a fellow dude to geek out with - cute, but sad though, because he's got no-one else :-( If anyone is the hero of DH, I think it'd have to be Boyd, who so far is coming across as the stand-up guy with a conscience and more than half a brain - even if he does work for this weird, underground organisation. I find all the other characters more interesting to watch than Echo - okay, so as a doll, she's not supposed to have a "character" as such; none of them are, but I'd still rather watch Sierra, Victor and/or Mellie any day. But the show has broadened out of late and meant there's been less of a focus on Echo, so that's all to the good. I'm looking forward to the "finale" next week, although am curious about the 13th (?) episode that Fox isn't going to air (hopefully it'll "turn up" somewhere) and now the show has improved so much, I'm really hoping it gets renewed.
This season of 24 has been so much better than the last. I was in two minds as to whether I was going to watch it actually, but I watched the 2 hour Redemption and my faith was some way towards being restored, so I decided to give Day 7 the benefit of the doubt, and I’m glad I did. The break forced by the writer’s strike clearly did the team at 24 some good. Although I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive them for killing Bill *sniff*.
S3 of Dexter has just started its run over here. Sure, I could have watched it earlier, but I didn’t get around to it, so I might as well watch it “live” as it were. We've only had two episodes so far, so I haven't got a lot to say, except that it may well be that Jennifer Carpenter has the most swear words per minute ever to have been heard on TV so far!
ER is winding down, with gorgeous George making his return to UK telly screens in tonight’s episode. I stopped watching ER on a weekly basis when Noah Wylie left, but I’ve dipped in and out occasionally. The last few episodes have been quite good, and I think I’d better have the Kleenex on hand for the finale in a couple of weeks. That really will be the end of an era.
Season 2 of Ashes to Ashes is continuing to confuse the hell out of me. It appears that “present day” Alex (who was shot) has been found and is now being treated for her injuries. But back in 1982 … is there another “time traveller” at large? The one who’s leaving her the roses and who abducted her and who phoned her talking about the death of Princess Di?
And more importantly – the Gene-genie continues to be awesome. I think that man could scowl for England. I like this show, despite having a few misgivings early on in the first series, but it’s a lot of fun and Phil Glenister is supremely watchable. But they’re heaping mystery upon mystery and if I think about it too much, there’s a danger my head will explode.
I’m still watching 30 Rock as well. I thought it dipped a bit in quality mid-season, but it’s picked up again towards the end. I did at one point think that there was too much emphasis on Liz and her love-life and Jack and his – we weren’t seeing enough of the absurdity that is Tracy and Jenna and Kenneth, but it’s been better lately. Has it been renewed for another season? It’s not belly-laugh comedy, but it usually makes me smile for 22 minutes at a time!
I’m compiling a list of shows to catch up on when the ones I’m watching currently go off air. I have the second half of season 2 of Life to watch. I’m really sad that isn’t being renewed, because it’s a great show. A cop show, yes, but Damian Lewis is fabulous in it, and the writing is excellent. I was thinking I might try Mad Men again and maybe Reaper (which I know has been canned, but I can manage to find time to watch 2 seasons of something!) Lie to Me with Tim Roth is starting here next week, so I might give that another go as well. Oh, and a lot of people here rave about Chuck so maybe I’ll try that. Or is there anything else out there you think is more worthy of my attention ;-)
