Day 10: A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
One Tree Hill. I started watching it in season six because I wanted to see one of the actors (Paul Johansson) in action because he is the same actor that played a major character in one of my stories (and that show isn't available on DVD) In order to capture mannerisms and physicality, I decided to watch a few episodes. I slowly became obsessed and fell in love with the other characters and the complex way they were written. (It totally reminds me of Buffy in that way -- a through narrative that takes the teens (and the adults in their lives - parents, teachers, etc.) through 9 seasons of growth and change that cover 13 years or so of life (there's a time jump that skips most of university, which I think is actually a blessing)
Anyway, instead of being a cheap*&^# teenage drama, it actually ends up being about friendship and family and personal growth and surviving... and in spite of fighting it I love it.
Honorable mention: MASH. yes, I know, I know, it's a great show... but I didn't want to love it because before I met the love of my life, I serioused myself to death and didn't know how to laugh. HUMOR was a guilty pleasure for me b/c I was so serious I thought only stupid people liked shows that made you laugh. Of course, MASH does way more than just make me laugh. (Thanks luv for bringing me this great show (and for teaching me to laugh))
Day 11: A show that disappointed you
Wow. Where do I start? There are actually a bunch. Gonna choose something I started out loving. Angel. The first three seasons I actually liked it more than Buffy - as an older viewer, I had the same prejudices about Buffy that I initially had with One Tree Hill. It was a teen show, and I am actually old enough to remember the terrible TV ads for the very bad movie (I think the ads were actually worse than the movie, if that's possible). Angel was about figuring out your ADULT life. I enjoyed Angel, and even into season four until the sick and tragic Cordelia and Connor badpornsuckfest began.
I loved it, and it HURTS so much that they took that from me. I feel like I was betrayed by someone I loved.
When Cordy 'saved' Connor with the glowy thing, I thought things were gonna be all right... I really hate EVERYTHING about that whole thing from the time Cordelia leaves with Connor. Season five tried to revive the dead show by bringing a heavy hitter on (Spike). All that did was to ruin Spike's trajectory. Spike is not the kinda guy to not go looking for Buffy - it makes zero narrative sense, and they don't even try to explain why he would not go to her with bells on. Yes, he was entertaining, and season five was all L.A. glitz, but it was L.A. Cowboy -- all hat and no cattle. Emmmp-ty.
The other show that gets dishonorable mention is NCIS. What is with the need to kill off a woman everytime you need to create manpain? Why do all your unsubs come back and hunt your agents? It is ridiculous. I liked the characters for a long time, but it became more and more the Gibbs show... and the 'men matter' show.
How many widowers do we have? Nearly everyone has lost a life partner. How improbable is that? Let's see... Gibbs (basically twice, since his ex gets murdered too) plus at least once ex gf. Fornell once. Vance. And in order to let Dinozzo off the show, they killed off his woman AFTER the actress had already left the show!!! And McGee didn't lose his GF, she got crippled up good (and I use that ugly term deliberately, b/c it's a game with them. It is not to me.) Even former Agents like Mike Franks are not free of misery.
The show is brutal to women. They die, and die like flies. They are really not that important. They are just buttons to push to make the men in the series victims. Family and SO are also never safe. No one unit would survive that much death and misery. Those who do survive... well, let's see, Abbie loses her almost guy to cancer or something. And Ellie's new love dies right next to her, not that long after her ex cheats on her and blames her for it b/c she has a career.
Too much misogynist manpain for me. The writing is inconsistent to the point of being a 15 season plot hole full of plot holes. Everything Buffy and Angel succeed in being (yes, even with Angel's faults, it is a much better show) -- cohesive, with rounded, complex characters, this multi-million dollar show fails at. Frankly, without the actors, I don't think it would have made it that long.
And of course, now the sister shows are continuing in the grand tradition of destroying females for manpain...
Oh well, THANK GOD FOR BUFFY.
