The goggle-box
Sep. 30th, 2011 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caz963I haven't posted much lately about Wot I 'ave Bin Watching on the telly. Partly, that's because I've not been watching much and partly it's because I just haven't got around to it.
But with the new seasons starting on both sides of the Pond, I thought it was time to ask what people are going to be watching and/or looking forward to later.
I hate to admit that I've still not seen the last couple of episodes of Torchwood. I enjoyed it for the most part, and I thought it was a fantastic premise, but even though I've not seen the end, I don't think the execution of the story is living up to its potential, if that makes any sense. Also - and it's hard to find the right way to say this - I was becoming less and less sold on the idea that "it's still Torchwood, but just with an American flavour", because it felt less and less like that to me. I really don't know exactly what it was. It wasn't the characters especially (although I think they killed off the one who had real potential in Vera!) and it wasn't the acting. I think it's just that back when TW was a solo UK production it felt a bit, I dunno, "special" - because we Brits don't normally produce a huge number of sci-fi shows, and sadly, many of those we have produced in the past haven't been all that good. (With some notable exceptions of course.) But the US has had much more success in producing sci-fi shows - some good, some not - and it seems to me that TW has simply been "absorbed" into the US sci-fi genre/market, and as such, it's now just one of many. Does that make any sense? I'm not trying to trash MD because it went to America; like I said, I've enjoyed what I've seen so far, but it just doesn't feel like Torchwood any more. And coming after CoE which IMO was one of the best things on telly in recent years, the contrast was even greater.
On the plus side, though, Gwen was completely awesome. On the negative - what on earth happened to Jack? He seemed to have lost his agency - in previous series, he's been a catalyst for action, he's been in the thick of things, he's been proactive; but in MD it felt as though he was taking a back seat most of the time. I suppose it could be argued that he was still traumatised from what he had to do in CoE, but I assumed that as he'd returned to Earth, he'd made his peace with that.
I've finally managed to catch up with what's been going on in White Collar. Stupid UK TV hasn't even shown season 2 yet, so I'm having to watch it by *alternative means* - and fortunately, Mozzie is as awesome as ever. I love how he calls El "Mrs Suit" :-) I think WC is a great example of how you can make a show that can - in plot terms - be a bit samey; but because the central characters and the relationships between them are so well written and acted, it doesn't matter. I mean, the basic plot is - Peter wants to catch the bad-guys, so they set something up using Neal's contacts and/or inside knowledge; Mozzie helps - the end. But I don't care because the characters are engaging.
Fringe is back - yay! And it's airing here only a few days after the US, so I can watch it "live" and not be months behind. On the downside though, is the fact that I'll have to put up with all the stupid hiatus (hiatii?!) that pepper the US seasons :( I'm not expecting an especially fast answer to the "where's Peter?" question, but I hope they don't string it out for too long. The season opener was good, though and it was interesting to see and hear about the way things have changed in the light of Peter's "non-existence", like Walter living in the lab and being afraid to go outside and the fact that it was Olivia who got him out of the mental hospital.
Also - I got the boxed set of S1-3 from Mr Caz for my birthday, so I hope to be able to spend some time reminding myself of how we got here in the first place.
Coming back to this side of the Pond, I can recommend the new series on BBC 3 The Fades. It's a fantasy/horror series (6 parts) about a 17 year old geek called Paul who can see dead people (!) - Fades - and is destined to fight them and stop them taking over the world. Or something like that. That's a crappy summary, but it's well worth checking out. It's quirky and quite funny (the guy who plays Paul's best mate is hilarious) - there have been two episodes so far which are probably on the iPlayer, and it's on Wednesdays on BBC 3 at 9pm.
I think I'm actually looking forward more to the new series of Merlin than I am to the finale of Doctor Who. I mean, Merlin is at least likely to make sense!
Oh, and there's Downton Abbey on Sunday nights, too. It's not at all taxing and looks wonderful; just the sort of thing you need at that point in the week. Yes, I know it's basically a soap-opera, but it's one with a LOT more polish than the usual rubbish that's dished up each week - and it's got Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton, if further inducement to watch is needed!
So what's everyone else watching/looking forward to?
But with the new seasons starting on both sides of the Pond, I thought it was time to ask what people are going to be watching and/or looking forward to later.
I hate to admit that I've still not seen the last couple of episodes of Torchwood. I enjoyed it for the most part, and I thought it was a fantastic premise, but even though I've not seen the end, I don't think the execution of the story is living up to its potential, if that makes any sense. Also - and it's hard to find the right way to say this - I was becoming less and less sold on the idea that "it's still Torchwood, but just with an American flavour", because it felt less and less like that to me. I really don't know exactly what it was. It wasn't the characters especially (although I think they killed off the one who had real potential in Vera!) and it wasn't the acting. I think it's just that back when TW was a solo UK production it felt a bit, I dunno, "special" - because we Brits don't normally produce a huge number of sci-fi shows, and sadly, many of those we have produced in the past haven't been all that good. (With some notable exceptions of course.) But the US has had much more success in producing sci-fi shows - some good, some not - and it seems to me that TW has simply been "absorbed" into the US sci-fi genre/market, and as such, it's now just one of many. Does that make any sense? I'm not trying to trash MD because it went to America; like I said, I've enjoyed what I've seen so far, but it just doesn't feel like Torchwood any more. And coming after CoE which IMO was one of the best things on telly in recent years, the contrast was even greater.
On the plus side, though, Gwen was completely awesome. On the negative - what on earth happened to Jack? He seemed to have lost his agency - in previous series, he's been a catalyst for action, he's been in the thick of things, he's been proactive; but in MD it felt as though he was taking a back seat most of the time. I suppose it could be argued that he was still traumatised from what he had to do in CoE, but I assumed that as he'd returned to Earth, he'd made his peace with that.
I've finally managed to catch up with what's been going on in White Collar. Stupid UK TV hasn't even shown season 2 yet, so I'm having to watch it by *alternative means* - and fortunately, Mozzie is as awesome as ever. I love how he calls El "Mrs Suit" :-) I think WC is a great example of how you can make a show that can - in plot terms - be a bit samey; but because the central characters and the relationships between them are so well written and acted, it doesn't matter. I mean, the basic plot is - Peter wants to catch the bad-guys, so they set something up using Neal's contacts and/or inside knowledge; Mozzie helps - the end. But I don't care because the characters are engaging.
Fringe is back - yay! And it's airing here only a few days after the US, so I can watch it "live" and not be months behind. On the downside though, is the fact that I'll have to put up with all the stupid hiatus (hiatii?!) that pepper the US seasons :( I'm not expecting an especially fast answer to the "where's Peter?" question, but I hope they don't string it out for too long. The season opener was good, though and it was interesting to see and hear about the way things have changed in the light of Peter's "non-existence", like Walter living in the lab and being afraid to go outside and the fact that it was Olivia who got him out of the mental hospital.
Also - I got the boxed set of S1-3 from Mr Caz for my birthday, so I hope to be able to spend some time reminding myself of how we got here in the first place.
Coming back to this side of the Pond, I can recommend the new series on BBC 3 The Fades. It's a fantasy/horror series (6 parts) about a 17 year old geek called Paul who can see dead people (!) - Fades - and is destined to fight them and stop them taking over the world. Or something like that. That's a crappy summary, but it's well worth checking out. It's quirky and quite funny (the guy who plays Paul's best mate is hilarious) - there have been two episodes so far which are probably on the iPlayer, and it's on Wednesdays on BBC 3 at 9pm.
I think I'm actually looking forward more to the new series of Merlin than I am to the finale of Doctor Who. I mean, Merlin is at least likely to make sense!
Oh, and there's Downton Abbey on Sunday nights, too. It's not at all taxing and looks wonderful; just the sort of thing you need at that point in the week. Yes, I know it's basically a soap-opera, but it's one with a LOT more polish than the usual rubbish that's dished up each week - and it's got Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton, if further inducement to watch is needed!
So what's everyone else watching/looking forward to?
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no subject
Date: 2011-09-30 10:54 pm (UTC)DH is watching Breaking Bad which is close to finishing out its sixth season. I've been keeping up with DW, more out of a sense of keeping up with the show but not because of any real enthusiasm for it.
Boardwalk Empire has started up on HBO again, so we'll be watching that as well.
Also, SyFy has a quirky show called Warehouse 13 and a new one called Alphas, which I've not watched.
I think I'm gonna take you up on your offer of checking out The Fades.
I never watched Torchwood so I know less than nothing about it!
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Date: 2011-10-03 11:29 am (UTC)But all the US shows I'm watching have been going for a couple of years now. I was hoping there might be something new to grab me.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-01 12:38 am (UTC)I am really enjoying Castle; Nathan Fillion can do no wrong and they way it's been developing recently has been interesting after the first couple of seasons that were good but lighthearted.
I've also just seen the first episode of Ringer, Sarah Michelle Gellar's new series. Jury still out on that one; some truly atrocious green-screen effects, but it's an interesting premise and I'll stick with it for a bit longer yet.
The Big Bang Theory is also fab.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 11:21 am (UTC)I saw a trailer for Ringer, but I have to confess it didn't really appeal to me.
I'm waiting for S2 of Boardwalk Empire to start as well.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-01 01:18 am (UTC)I watched Torchwood, which left me rather "meh!" to be honest, and I'm still watching DW, although more out of something resembling a sense of duty than an actual interest in seeing what happens next.
That's probably because I pretty much know what will happen next though huh? Since we all know Eleven is back at Christmas he can't die in the finale, no matter what they keep trying to tell us, so Moff will likely pull some timey-wimey nonsense and just "fix it" like he did at the end of last season. So, erm, yeah not really very excited, lol.
Aside from that, hubby's been "acquiring" a few US shows for us to watch, stuff like Lost Girl Season 2 (they haven't even finished showing Season 1 here yet I don't think) Warehouse 13, and Alphas, although I haven't watched much of that last one.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 11:27 am (UTC)Have a look at The Fades. I stumbled on it really, and it kept me hooked, which doesn't happen all that often these days, so you might like it.
With the US shows, I'm waiting for S2 of Boardwalk Empire to start, but all the ones I'm watching are "old" shows. I was hoping there might be something new this season that's worth seeing.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 08:52 pm (UTC)most of the stuff I watch on even a vaguely regular basis is either sci-fi/fantasy, or what they've apparently dubbed "procedural" shows (cop/forensics), and usually it's because hubby has sought them out rather than because I have.
sci-fi wise, I dip in and out of what he's watching, which right now is Lost Girl, Warehouse 13 and Haven. We've just reached the end of the most recent seasons of Alphas and Eureka. I quite like Lost Girl, as it's an unusual concept, and it doesn't take itself too seriously either.
procedural wise, we've just started on the latest seasons of Hawaii 5-0, NCIS and NCIS LA and I think we've got a full season of CSI NY to watch when we have time
That's pretty much it right now. We tend to prefer to watch stuff together you see, and with his shifts that nearly always means we have to record it and watch it later, so I almost never watch anything on the day it actually airs.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-04 11:13 am (UTC)Check the post I made after this one ;-)
no subject
Date: 2011-10-01 11:37 am (UTC)We were lucky enough to go to the BFI preview of the first episode and my husband said "I'd so much rather be watching this than Doctor Who at the moment. At least I can understand what's going on!"
I've seen the first episode of "The Fades" and was quite impresssed so hopefully I can catch the second on the iPlayer. Scary and interesting start.
"Downton Abbey" is just like a warm bath that I sink into with pure pleasure even with its current WW1 setting.
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Date: 2011-10-03 11:25 am (UTC)Having seen both DW and Merlin on Saturday, I think your husband was right!
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Date: 2011-10-02 08:48 am (UTC)I adore him! He was excellent on Doctor Who and in Skins and is actually a good screenwriter too. I'm wondering if he will write any of the episodes for The Fades.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 11:24 am (UTC)I hope you like the show - I sorta stumbled across it (I saw a couple of Tweets about it) and it intrigued me, so I kept watching. That doesn't happen very often these days.