A New Season in Television

I was going to post this tomorrow but Brian is prodding me to say something on the Battlestar Galactica season. I’m going to go a little further than that however. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I wasn’t too excited about this fall’s new lineup. I still hold to that opinion but there are a few shows that I want to talk about. I won’t be watching as much television this year but that’s a good thing. It leaves me more time to be doing things I should have been doing all along like studying for the LSAT’s and looking for a better job.

I haven’t really decided whether or not I like these new Doctor Who episodes. Doctors 1-7 seem totally different to 9 & 10. It’s almost like I’m watching a parallel universe. It’s not only watching events of a different Earth, but also the style in which the series is portrayed. I’m not saying it’s bad but I am nostalgic for the old Doctors.

I’ve only watched the first two episodes of this season. So far the new Doctor seems to be a likeable guy. I expect my Doctor to be a little grumpy which may explain my affinity for the seventh Doctor. But this last Doctor, played by Eccleston, made his grumpiness exasperating. Maybe it was because he was the last time lord and it brought a negative edge to his abrasive personality. Sometimes, he just seemed mean. So I’m glad to see a change.

Although my dad didn’t really care for it, I’ve liked the way they portrayed the first two episodes. They brought back two characters that were featured in the previous season. To the viewer, one was a hero, the other a villain. Then they turn those views around. The hero acts like a coward and the villain becomes an object of sympathy. It shows more gray in a series that has always been black and white.

This show continues to impress me. It remains the only program that I look forward to watching ever week. It has pulled me in and I can’t look away. Everything about it is appealing: the characters, the mythos, the hazy storyline and direction, and social commentary. It’s all fascinating.

If are lucky and have a high speed internet connection, you can go to the SciFi website and see some webisodes that were released prior to the season premier. It’s by no means necessary to watch them in order to understand what is happening with the regular episodes but it is nice to have some more back ground information.

Last season ended with newly elected President Baltar ordering the settlement of New Caprica believing it was safe from the cylons. Turns out it wasn’t. A year after settlement, the cylons find them and begin an occupation. Admiral Adama has the remaining fleet jump away vowing to return.

This season opens up a few months (four?) into the cylon occupation. Colonel Tigh has started a resistance (wrongly referred to sometimes as an insurgency.) They begin targeting higher profile targets with morally questionable tactics. Meanwhile back out in space, Admiral Adama begins his plans to liberate the New Capricans.

I won’t lie. I was not happy with the direction Ron Moore took with finale. But you know what? This guy took a franchise and tooled it to what he wanted it to be. In the beginning, people vowed that they wouldn’t watch it. It was a bitch fest. I loved it. With all the changes, I loved it. Even during seasons one and two there were plenty of times where I didn’t like something but I have always gotten over it--usually by Thursday. For all I know, this season is going to be even better than the last. I’m trying really hard not to like or dislike something based on my own expectations. Seriously, I’m already beginning to think this show is better than Trek.


Desperate Housewives
What happened to this show? It was so great in the first year. It was okay in the second. Now, I don’t even know why I watch it. (Well, other than to see what happens to Andrew.) I’m sure there are other critics who can articulate this better than I, but there is something missing from this show. I can’t put my finger on it. I’m still watching but now I think it’s only out of hope that it will come back to its former glory.

Brothers & Sisters
I like this show! I saw the series premier because I felt lazy after watching Desperate Housewives. At first it seems boring as hell but I think it is great. Too bad I think that the show is going to be cancelled and fairly soon.

I like the whole conservative/liberal tension between Kitty (Calista Flockhart) and Nora (Sally Field). Sometimes, I don’t think people appreciate another person’s point of view. Sometimes, we don’t appreciate how our views affect other people. It tears at my heart when I see mother and daughter act so nasty to each other but then again, I know that they love each other. This tension has a lot to do with Justin (Dave Annable) who fought in Iraq and it adds a level of heartbreak.

South Park
I didn’t realize that the new season has started, but the other night’s episode was a riot. 9-11 conspiracies—gotta love ‘em.