> The other day--yesterday?--I posted something about all the
> TV shows with slowly unfolding clues, and that keep you
> guessing as to what's what for one or more seasons. That's
> great, intelligent, suspenseful TV. Well needed in what's
> become a wasteland of reality shows and one-shot CSI/Law
> and Order clones. But yeah, too many of such shows starts
> to become a strain. If you were watching Lost, 24, the new
> Vanished, Kidnapped, Prison Break etc., you'd indeed have
> to watch every ep to stay up. And actually a good show with
> action and suspense--24, Prison Break--at least doesn't keep
> you guesing. As you said, too many of these shows with cleverly
> placed clues, slowly doled out revelations? Becomes
> overwhelming. I know I sound as if I'm being ungrateful, as
> it's the intelligent TV I wanted, but some of the themes simply
> don't warrant the format.
You don't sound ungrateful to me. It sounds like you want quality TV
and you're not getting it. Everyone assumes that "slowly unfolding
clues" is the only way to deliver quality TV. It isn't. These slowly
unraveling shows can be just as bad as any other.
I find many of these "slowly unraveling clues" shows a stepsister to
the daily soaps... and hence, I don't watch either. Nothing is ever
really resolved. To keep the plot twists coming and to develop new
secondary plots, the writers often use totally stupid or unrealistic
actions. Bad character development and poor story developement are
such whether it's a standard 1-hour TV show or one of these "slowly
unraveling clues" shows.
As far as Jericho, this is trash IMHO. I watched the pilot and I
find in highly contrived to keep this town isolated. It's the same
as keeping isolated a planeful of 150+ passengers on an island in
Lost. With satellites, Google Earth, and other such stuff,
these "lost on an island" sci-fi shows require an absurd suspension
of belief. To me, they are soaps in disguise.
(If you wnat something entertainingly absurb, the other night I
listed to the Iranian prez's speech to the U.N. on C-Span2.)
Also, I don't trust the network or the local affiliate to air the
eps in the correct order. I am willing to wait a season and watch
the few shows I do like on DVD... in order and without commercials.
I want my TV when and how I want it, not the way the networks or
affiliates want to show it to me. This translates into me wathcing
less and less TV when the eps first air. About the only live TV i
watch are sports... and event then I'll tape a 3.5 hour football
game so I can bypass the commercials and timeouts and watch a 60-
minute football game in about 60 minutes.
Times are a changing...
George
Captain
USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston)
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