A couple of musings on a couple of tv shows

[aelfgyfu_mead]

First, because I know at least a few people are watching Stargate Universe:
Okay, I saw "Light" and thought, "Wow! This show could yet shape up and be something!" It wasn't there yet, but I cared about the characters, I got to see cool things, and it had some great scenes. I could see possibilities for character growth, I got to see sides of Camile and Greer I hadn't seen before, and Rush turned out to be halfway decent when not suffering from caffeine withdrawal.

Not so "Water." Here's what I liked:
Eli made an anti-grav sled using kinos!
Eli admitted he'd made it as part of his ongoing efforts to fly!
Eli refused to be cowed by Rush!

See a problem even in what I liked? Yep, the only thing worth watching for me was the Eli the Math Guy show last night (yes, I know it aired Friday, but that's what TiVo is for).

Here's what I didn't like:
All that screen time, and I still have little clue what TJ is thinking, what motivates her, anything. (Who was it who ran a poll where one of the choices for the female characters on SGU was "No, seriously: who does your makeup?" I turned to Brilliant Husband during a Serious Scene with TJ and said, "No, seriously: who does her makeup?") I really want to like TJ. BH already does. I'm not there yet, and I'm starting to lose hope. The only thing I liked about her was when she told Greer honestly that she didn't trust him (and he respected that, too).

BH said it for me: he gnashed his teeth when Young said, "You'll do fine" to TJ. Remember "No uncoded messages on an open channel"?! (That's Wrath of Khan.) How does it sound to everyone else that the senior officer leaving the ship tells the one he has just put in charge that she'll do "fine"? That suggests that she needs reassurance, or that everyone else does.

I was more angry, though, that Young went to the planet. He's the senior officer, and, last I knew, he was ready to die on the ship because he'd been injured. Srsly, he's the one going out to haul ice? Why not choose someone younger, stronger, and healthy?

I don't care about Scott. He turned off his radio to kiss Chloe (and might have gone further if James hadn't found them). Wasn't James the one in the broom closet with him? I like James better than him already. He seems to make the same mistake over and over.

What's with Rush telling Eli to grow up? Is he jealous because Eli seems to be the one doing everything? (and occasionally others). It's not Rush who did the calculations; it's Eli ("No, I'm the one who pulled the numbers out of my ass.") It's not Rush who invented the antigrav sled; it's Eli. It's not Rush who invented the torch gun; it's Greer. ("You're not the only one who can invent things." Go Greer! Okay, I guess I had one other favorite moment.) Did Rush do a single useful thing all episode?

I want to bang the writers' heads together. Yes, it's a familiar feeling.

And golly, I know you disagree with me, sg_betty, but I really get a strong BSG vibe. The visuals strike me as very BSG, especially shots of the ship. BH could get all technical about how (and did, but I forgot what he said), but I just keep going, "Isn't that a Galactica shot?" Only I was never that fond of BSG. (I want 4 1/2 years of my life back—yeah, I skipped half a year, but I didn't have the sense to stay gone.) Characters who don't learn from their mistakes may be more realistic than those who do, but I don't want to watch them.

And characters who sit around thinking but don't actually get anywhere, just get lucky, impress me even less. I'm talking about you, Col. Young. Did it never occur to you to try to make some kind of pulley with the rope? I mean, you've got huge blocks of ice there; do the words "mechanical advantage" ring a bell?

Eli is still learning—nobody told him wormholes only stay open for 38 minutes? Seriously, who left that out of the briefing video? The more I see Chloe with Scott, the less hope I have for her. I'm intrigued by Greer and Camile, but I keep waiting for more.

Enough complaining for now—at least about SGU.


Is anyone else watching Eastwick?
Okay, I liked it a lot for a bit. For one, maybe two weeks, I even thought, "Maybe this could be my show!" I love that it focuses on female friendship: the show is about the women, and mostly it's not about competition or backstabbing, it's about women learning to be friends with people they didn't like before. The women have other relationships, but they love each other. I love that.

I love the show's literate moments: quoting Shakespeare, quoting the Bible. I love Paul Gross and Rebecca Romijn. I like Jamie Ray Newman and Lindsay Price. I really like Matt Dallas (Chad).

See a problem yet?

They freaking killed Chad! How could they? Why would they? Tell me it's all a mistake! Chad's not really dead; he has gone to the hospital, and the funeral we saw in the psychic visions (and maybe the previews for next week) isn't his. Please, tell me!

Except that I know why they did it. Chad and Roxie were working out. They were lovable, and they loved each other, and they weren't going to leave each other, even after fights. Chad had to die so that Darryl could get a chance at Roxie. I'd been thinking, "Gee, I've seen scenes with those two in early previews that I still haven't seen, and I'd think her boyfriend would preclude some of those," but I decided they'd probably been cut as the show developed. Stupid, stupid me. Of course writers might resort to a cheap trick like killing off Roxie's love to drive her into the arms of the devil!

Because they're the same writers who make Joanna an idiot on a regular basis and made Will pretty freaking dim too. They're the same writers who abandoned their literary allusions to give us a moon that looked three times its normal size for a pseudo-scientific reason that was so stupid I wish Darryl had just called it "Eastwood magic." They're the same writers who gave us a town full of people going nuts for those pseudo-scientific reasons and yet had only Roxie and Chad arrested for public indecency, and Mia and Josh for being part of a crowd of dozens who were t.p.'ing the school. That entire episode was stupid.

So why wouldn't they do something stupid like killing off a character about whom I cared to hurt a character about whom I cared even more so that she'd do something really, phenomenally stupid?

I'm not quitting yet and will probably regret it, but I do want to see a little more of what happens. And I'm really, really hoping it's all a cheap stunt with Chad and he's fine and now he and Roxie will make up and be closer than others.

Yes, I'm delusional. That's why I'm still watching SGU, too, isn't it?

Comments

[kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com]

Is anyone else watching Eastwick?

Of course I am. Paul Gross, baby :D

Chad had to die so that Darryl could get a chance at Roxie.

Yeah, sadly it was always leading up to this :/

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Yes! Of course, I should have realized you'd be watching! And that's why I'll probably curse the writers but stay with the show.

Finding out that Rebecca Romijn is totally gorgeous and funny is a big bonus, though!

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

Lol! You know you're known for being opinionated when people start rebutting you in the body of the post before any commenting has occurred. Rotfl!

[aelfgyfu_mead]

And I mean it in the nicest possible way! I remembered your comment on a previous post, and I do sometimes try to anticipate arguments before they can be made. It's part of academic writing (though I don't usually name there the people I expect to disagree, nor do I advise my students do so!).

I did think of you while I was watching: "Why do I think it's like BSG when sg_betty doesn't?", and I think the visuals are a big part of it; I keep expecting to hear that Viper sound effect when I see the ship or a shuttle on SGU. There's also the fact that I think the cast is way better than the writing, but I think that about nearly all the shows I'm watching right now, come to think of it. With BSG and SGU I get especially frustrated, though: I feel like each show could be great, especially with the cast it has, and yet the characters constantly do stupid things because the plot requires it! (Then again, that's the way Eastwick is going.)

I do watch while thinking of my friends who watch, especially you and aurora_novarum. Hey, that reminds me: someone wrote an episode reaction Friday night that I didn't read because I didn't see the episode until nearly 24 hours later. Was that you? Better go look. runs away

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

Heh, yes that was me who wrote that, but you already know that because we've had some discussion there. ;)

It's part of academic writing (though I don't usually name there the people I expect to disagree, nor do I advise my students do so!).

Lol!

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

I think Greer appreciates TJ's honesty. (sort of a "thank you for not lying to me")

I spotted various SG influences on the ship's exterior - particularly the pyramids.

was it an open channel? (after all, who's going to overhear them?...along the lines of "who heard Eli telling Young and Scott that there were aliens on board?")

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Yes, I think Greer respects that TJ didn't lie to him—and that she's not afraid of him (which might cause her to pussyfoot around the truth).

I figured it's an "open channel" in the sense that more than TJ could hear—any military personnel hearing that might be going, "Why is he telling the ranking officer he has left on the ship she'll be 'fine'? Is she afraid she won't be? Should I be afraid?" (Mostly, though, I like quoting Wrath of Khan, and there's a line I don't often have even a flimsy excuse to use!)

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

I actually assumed that it wasn't an open channel. She responded as though it was private, no one looked at the when he said it, and I don't think he would have said it if anyone else could hear. He was telling her she'd be fine because he was basically saying he might not be back and she could end up permanently in charge, and he knew she wasn't even close to qualified to keep that group of misfits in line. The rest of the episode wasn't a shining example of her capabilities in that area either. You bet he had his doubts! She's an inexperienced medic with no command experience. Young was in a no win situation, neither of his choices were good. He has no one he can really rely on to act in his stead.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

movie quotes are always good. (sorry - I took too long to glom on and ken it)

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

I easily see why you read BSG into the show. I think it's different enough in some ways, but you can see that's been a major influence. I noticed it early on when some of the music in the pilot evoked some of the emotional soundtrack of BSG's. And I'm usually one who tries to judge a show on its own merits, not comparing to other shows.

I liked Water, but not as much as Light. And I'm not sure if it's because my standards are just so low now or if it's that there's forward momentum of the story. I *liked* TJ, and she's my least favorite character of the whole group. (Although Young and Scott keep falling in my estimation).

[aelfgyfu_mead]

TJ's your least favorite now? Oh, noes! Scott is around the bottom of my list, and Young isn't a whole lot higher. I'm not sure where to put Rush. He's supposed to be a genius, which is why people tolerate him at all, but I haven't seen any genius; at best I see him figuring out why the ship did what it did after it did it! Eli actually does some problem-solving. What has Rush done for anyone?

They do seem to have glossed over the fact that Rush told everyone O'Neill put him in charge, but he's patently not in charge anymore: Young seems firmly in charge (at least this week!), and confident enough that he can delegate to TJ without serious worries that Rush will try to seize command.

Certainly SGU isn't a BSG clone, but I find heavy influence—particularly in the visuals, but I bet the soundtrack is one of those elements I just couldn't put my finger on.

I'm glad you liked "Water"; I fear "Light" raised my standards a wee bit too much, so I actually went in expecting to enjoy the episode, and look what I got! I'm defending the guy who kept shouting "They're lying! We've got aliens!" over an open channel! No, that wasn't a good move by Eli, but Rush's idea of justification and rebuke is "Grow up"? This man isn't fit to order anyone around! At best he's fit to advise, but sometimes not even that!

I completely forgot to mention in my rant: was it just me, or was Rush telling Scott that he'd be keeping Young from returning alive with the needed ice a veiled encouragement to suicide? If you just stop trying to save yourself, your commanding officer and your shipmates may survive!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

No, TJ was my least favorite since the pilot. I actually was surprised to like her in "Water".

I am entertained by Rush. But boy's got issues. He told Eli to grow up, which earned Eli's disdain, but that's Rush's standard insult. He did it to both Greer and Scott on the desert world in Air Part 3, and I think it says more about Rush's childhood/issues than anything with Greer or Scott or Eli.

What has he done? Rush has translated a lot of stuff and is the one who's spotted a bunch of problems, but since he's got mixed motives, no one knows whether or not to believe him, including the audience. I never believed O'Neill actually *put* him in charge (mind you this was right after he said "he" salvaged the stones, when that had been Young risking his life to do it), and no one ever agreed with his appointment anyway. But it would've been nice to see some kind of follow through with that.

I think that's part of what I liked about Water. There was *finally* some follow through on the James/Scott situation. More subtly, a bit of follow through on Greer shooting Franklin (but I wished ther ewas more on that).

I didn't read Rush as telling Scott to commit suicide, just that he was trying to get another ally to talk Young into coming back with the ice.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I'd like to see Rush doing something more positive: true, he does spot problems, but we seem to have a pattern:
Rush says there's a problem.
Young asks for details.
Rush says he only knows that it will get worse (well, he adds some other sarcastic comments, but those vary).
Young says to someone else, "He's a lot of work."
The problem gets worse.
Rush says, "I told you so!" (and adds sarcastic comments).
Young says, "A lot of work."
(Seriously, "a lot of work" must be in the drinking game. Not that I play drinking games.)

Naturally, I oversimplify. And I do really like Eli, but why should it be Eli, the boy wonder with very little experience (didn't even know the 'Gates disengage after 38 minutes) who thinks up most of the useful suggestions? The writers want us to believe the Rush is a Genius, but they mostly show him kvetching. He's not even genius at that; Jack kvetched much better. I suppose my frustration is again more with the writers than with the character.

Yes, Rush has problems left over from his childhood and seems to project them wildly onto any man nearby! I can't say I'm eager to find out what they are, though. I'm not intrigued by Rush, just annoyed.

I want to see more of Camile and Greer, and I'm convinced those two actors can pull it off. I'm still trying to decide if my problem with TJ is purely the writers, or partly the actress; she seems to have a very narrow range of expression.

Are you taking TJ's distrust of Greer as the follow-up on Greer shooting Franklin? If so, it was too subtle for me; I thought it a more general distrust, since the man was in the brig at the start of the series, and his accomplishment for this episode was creating a flamethrower and using it to drive back the aliens after TJ specifically said no flamethrowers!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was thinking of Franklin's hostility towards Greer as he was searching Chloe's place, but yeah, that too.

I never got the vibe he wasn't following orders. He didn't actually kill the whirlwind dust things (well, until it was swarming and coming out). He was using it to herd them. But maybe that's a distinction without a difference. Sigh...the show has these conflicts, but they're so used to writing archetypes they seem to default to them or...something. It's just not been completely gelling.

Although I did just rewatch the pilot and now that I can tell the people apart more, you can see the setup of the personalities a bit better. They're still trying to do too much too fast (I don't mean in being deep or dark...just in that introducing everyone and everything in past and present and expecting the audience to keep it all straight. I was even taking notes...literally dictation and watching every minor expression change and I'm still going. WTF? Which one's Volker and which one's Franklin and which one's Brody?)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I'm still going. WTF? Which one's Volker and which one's Franklin and which one's Brody?
Ha! That's why I missed that bit; I didn't realize that was the scientist that Greer had shot! I might be able to tell Brody apart from the other two, but Volker and Franklin? I suppose the sling should help, but now Brody and Franklin both have slings, and on the same arm! (Or was it Franklin and Volker?)

All these white guys look alike to me. (You may think I'm kidding, but it's a real problem for me. Ever watch The Avengers? All the men except Steed look alike to me.)

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

LOL. Actually Volker and Franklin both have slings. Volker is the blondish guy with brown suit jacket who was injured coming through the Stargate. Franklin is the dark haired white shirted guy that's a bit bulkier than Brody who got shot by Greer.

Brody is the dark haired guy who is often paired with Park (the asianish lady scientist/engineer) being the greek chorus to the Eli and Rush show with Riley the Gate Dialer sidelines.

All these white guys (And some of the white girls) look alike to me too. It's a good thing some are wearing different shirts. :-D

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Okay, clearly I have Character Identification Fail here. It's hopeless. Or I'm hopeless. (And yet I never confuse those two white guys in your icon! How is that?) They're on too briefly for me to remember their clothes, which should help because they can't change them!

So Volker and Franklin have slings—until they, like Young, miraculously recover between episodes. At least I should be able to tell them from Brody (briefly). I hadn't caught Park's name yet.

I like "Geek Chorus." I want to write a play with a Geek Chorus now!

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

Heh, I don't feel so bad about not knowing their names. Although names are a problem for me in real life, too. ;)

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

I completely forgot to mention in my rant: was it just me, or was Rush telling Scott that he'd be keeping Young from returning alive with the needed ice a veiled encouragement to suicide? If you just stop trying to save yourself, your commanding officer and your shipmates may survive!

Yeah, that's exactly what he was doing, either trying to convince him to tell Young to leave him to die, or to cut the rope--whatever it took to get that ice back to the ship, really. There was a reason they needed an actor that stature for the part. Rush would be completely hated if it weren't for the nuanced acting.

[redbyrd-sgfic.livejournal.com]

I'm watching, but I'm behind, so I'll have to try and come back to this when I'm caught up.

*looks away hurriedly to avoid reading any comments*

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Is that watching SGU? I don't suppose you're watching Eastwick? I'm not sure I will be much longer either. Darn it! I don't have a show right now! (I think Pushing Daisies was my last, best hope for a while, and they killed it beyond hope of Ned's powers.) Well, I'll be curious to know what you think of SGU eventually.

[redbyrd-sgfic.livejournal.com]

Sorry, yeah, SGU. I think I've seen through 4. And mostly-- well, I really disliked BSG quite extremely so it probably tell you most of my opinion of SGU that I hate all the parts of it that resemble BSG...

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

*hugs*