Everyone tells me that putting a show on Friday night equals the death of a show. Maybe this is true, it certainly killed Firefly, but I seem to remember a little show called The X-Files. As I was in college when it first started, and an active social life (yes, I used to have those), I was riveted and started rearranging my schedule to be at home at 9pm to watch it. Then it moved to Sunday, and it never felt right to me. Maybe, somewhere in me, I associate a day and a show on a strange, instinctual level. At the time of VCRs I still wanted to see it as it was broadcast. This feeling is still strong in me with today's technology of TiVo and DVRs, streaming Netflicks and iTunes and Xbox Live. I still enjoy watching a show in its time slot. My days/tv shows of the week have been colored by past watching habits. These include Sunday for Quantum Leap and MacGyver, Saturday for Star Trek and Farscape. Enterprise even felt right on Wednesday, and Thursday gets CSI. This helped me associate Friday with weird, creepy TV.
This year's TV season has been one of the best, with something to watch every day. My viewing habits are as follows:
Monday- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 24, Chuck, Heroes
Tuesday- Fringe, Leverage
Wednesday- Knight Rider
Thursday- CSI
Friday- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Tonight, things changed for the better. Fringe doesn't "feel" like a Tuesday show but more of a Friday show. I'm not really complaining though as Friday's new line up is awesome. Terminator is back from its December hiatus and Joss Whedon's Doll House follows at 9pm. Terminator was a decent episode and has renewed my faith in the series as I felt it beginning to slide at the end of last year. This episode in particular had a guest star spot by "Trip" Tucker from Enterprise, which is great. As a geek I enjoy seeing actors cross pollinate between shows, especial Star Trek and Firefly, like Data showing up in Leverage, or more importantly, River as a Terminator. I just wish John Connor would man-up and change the subtitle of the show to The John Connor Chronicles. It's a subtle difference that could move the show forward towards Salvation. BTW I love the musical cues that remind you that you're watching a Terminator story.
But tonight's Doll House is the big deal. This put Whedon back on Friday nights. I don't know how he can take so many ideas from so many different sources and cram them into a series, giving the appearance of something fresh. This is equal parts La Femme Nikita, Total Recall, Men in Black, The Island, Zoolander, and True Lies. Maybe even a little Dark Angel and My Own Worst Enemy. Coincidentally or not, the main character, Echo, is played by Eliza Dushku who was in True Lies. For a show with, what I thought, was a terrible advertising campaign, it's actually quite good. Whedon has me hooked; I am definitely a fanboy of his and I love Friday nights, again.
However, during commercials, Summer Glau and Dushku talked to the audience, which seemed really staged and stilted. On a positive note I think the opening credits are great. A few years ago Discover magazine did an article on a photographer who took real world images and did some Photoshop magic to make them look like toy models of reality. When you looked close you could see it was real. Doll House does this with even greater effect, especial considering the irony of the title.
As I write this blog, Enter the Dragon is on and I just love the "Charlie Brown" sound when dudes hit the ground. Since I haven't mentioned Star Trek for the last few minutes I came across this tidbit. One less thing to worry about. Thanks JJ. See you next broadcast.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment