"what does T.F.U stand for?"

[falulatonks]

"uh...the fuckest uppest."

Ugh, you know what, the winner for Day #8's A Show Everyone Should Watch should almost definitely have been either Leverage or Sherlock. Leverage because I told my dad to watch it, and he did, and he absolutely loves it (we're up to the end of S2 here, and I'm telling him he can watch the S3 premiere on my laptop, but he refuses!) - but it's also because I love these characters and their relationships, and how grand and exciting and smart and fun it almost always is. Sherlock for the same reasons, with more love for its intelligence and the fantastic Britishness of the actors, the words they say, the way they say these words, the places they go to - but also because I've also recommended this to my dad, and he's interested.

And now I feel like if I find a TV show that I deem good enough, consistent and fun and well-written enough, to be recommended to my father, everyone should watch it.

Day #9 is Best Scene Ever, which is dumb because I have no idea how the answer to this is supposed to be approached at all. I'm going to push it back to the end of the meme, when hopefully I have more time and a greater idea of what the answer to this should be.

So Day #10 and #11, instead!:

Day #10: A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving

Spaced threw me off because of how much I felt like I would miss. There are references I will never get, even now, obviously, but my fears were ridiculous, because the most wonderful thing about this show is how well it works - the characters are all unique but recognisable, and the plots are original and shift all characters into them with full intent - it's never half-hearted, and it never exists solely to get references in (and for that matter, I love how this show addressed its references: if you get it, good for you! and maybe you'll get an extra layer of something great from this episode. if you don't get it, you don't know you're even missing anything). I genuinely care for all these characters and the relationships they have, even as I'm laughing my butt off.

I love both Psych and Community, which are the most pop-culture-reference-heavy shows I know of these days, but I feel like they'll never completely achieve what Spaced managed in terms of creating things.

Day #11: A show that disappointed you

This could be How I Met Your Mother, but it looks like the writers know how to push it back on-track. It could've been 30 Rock, but I'm not disappointed in it so much as I'm losing interest in it (I can't really remember many things that aren't guest-star-related over the last season). It could've been Glee, but I don't think I had high expectations for it, not really - I got annoyed with it, but never disappointed.

Instead I'll go with a show I believed had potential, before it had been wrecked, in my opinion: Bones. I’m glad that people still enjoy it as much as they seem to, but I started getting pissy with it in S4 and dropped it completely in S5. Was it S4 that had the scene with Brennan running away from a criminal, getting defeated, falling to the ground, and Booth coming to rescue her? I was OK for most of that scene (I was wincing, but I stuck to it), but it ended with Booth taking her into his arms and going “it’s okay, I’ve got you” and I got so angry. Two seasons ago, guys, Brennan could’ve KICKED THAT GUY’S ASS. I don’t care what people say - becoming more emotionally reliant on someone is not the same as becoming weaker (both mentally and physically) when you’re own your own. This really isn’t character development.

I liked the pairing, and I always enjoyed watching them together, but that moment more than anything before that made me realise how much of the show had been compromised (storyline, character, coherency even) in order to service “big dramatic moments” (Zack would not assist in murder, please) and the “main ‘ship” - which may be OK to some people, but I miss the show it was in its first season. Brennan wasn’t stupid at interaction and she was a strong woman whom you believed could live independently, and Booth wasn’t an idiot but a competent FBI agent. And worst of all, this “main ‘ship” is probably never going to go anywhere, because the creator seems to think the only way to keep things engaging is to keep them apart for as long as possible. I don’t know, guys. I think 80% of the world stopped caring about Mulder/Scully by the time they actually got together.

-- rachu

Day 01 - A show that should have never been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death

Comments

[zombie_boogie.livejournal.com]

I agree about Bones for the most part. I still watch the show and I can enjoy it, but it actually used to be slightly unique and nuanced and now it's not really all the distinguishable from other procedural dramas. They've also amplified some of Booth and Brennan's characteristics to the point where it is practically parody. Brennan is more emotionally stunted than ever in my opinion.

I'm still annoyed about Zach. It really seemed like they pulled that out of their asses, and it was made worse by the fact that it was a strike season so they didn't even have time to try and make it believable.

Oh, and the cockblocking. It needs. to. stop. Yeah, they dragged that M/S dynamic out for fucking ever, but they also didn't constantly have other characters (every other character) reference their relationship and that they should be together, and even though I was like MAKE OUT ALREADY all the damn time the show was more subtle about teasing out their UST than Bones ever has. Bones constantly hits you over the head with the Booth and Brennan stuff, to the point where it is actually unrealistic that they are not together. They are very on the nose about it where I think, at least, the XF managed to be more nuanced. The only thing really saving B/B at the moment is the fact that David and Emily do have really great chemistry together.

[falulatonks]

Bah, you're always so much more articulate about these things. Booth and Brennan's "interesting" characteristics really have become parody, almost, and it's kind of ridiculous. I refuse to believe that someone who knows so little about idioms and humanity and pop culture writes best-selling books, by the way; her novels must be dry and her characters unrelatable.

And really, I don't understand why they couldn't have made some big, epic S3 finale and left the actual Gormogon reveal for the next season, instead of throwing Zach's character to the wolves. It's really this kind of thing that makes me angry - everything seems to be built to service big moments, characters and believability be damned.

I do agree that David and Emily definitely have chemistry - it's the reason I like watching them together, even now, even when I want to get the scriptwriters and throttle them. (And XF was a poor comparison, especially considering I've watched a grand total of 10 episodes of the show. :P)

[falulatonks]

AH, you're right. The M/S comparison was superficial - I've watched 10 episodes of the show, and even then I know their relationship was much more subtly handled (although considering how heavy-headed any mention of B/B was, it's not a very high bar to jump). Still, though - the way the two relationships were handled are very clearly different, and even with that subtle, more genuine management of the final M/S payoff, people had lost interest. B/B is ridiculous, poorly-written, poorly paced, and everyone including them know they want each other, and they're still not together. I really can't believe that people are going to stay interested in that crap much longer.

And how about that time Brennan broke the wrist of that creepy serial killer? AGH.