31 Dec 2013 03:39 pm
End of Year TV Meme
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frayadjacentWhich TV shows did you start watching in 2013?
I started the year with Parks and Recreation. I adore Leslie, April, and Anne. I love how much heart this show has. I spent much of the show squealing with delight.
I also really enjoyed Freaks and Geeks, though it took me longer to warm up to it than most. It was the only show I've seen that really felt like high school. I liked how the characters explore identities and social circles and how fluid that was for them. I loved loved loved the finale when everyone was finally finding their niche.
I heard so much about how Elementary was a standard CBS procedural, it took me a while to give it a shot. I think I eventually did because I felt kinda shitty being a Sherlock enthusiast without at least watching a bit of the one that cast a woman of color as Watson -- which, for the record, I always thought was awesome. I liked it well enough at first, but by mid season I was adoring it, and the season finale had me near weeping with joy. It's among my very favorite shows now.
It took me a few years to get into Breaking Bad because it sounded so sad. I probably never would have if it weren't set in Albuquerque -- I grew up in New Mexico. (By the way, someday I will post about my frustrations with race on Breaking Bad, and how it missed an opportunity to explore -- or at least accurately represent -- race in a part of the US where racial categories and dynamics are fairly different from much of the rest of the country). Anyway, I'd have started a lot earlier if I'd known that the main character -- whose story sounded so sad from the outside -- would be at about 50% sympathy by the end of the first episode. Yeah, I'm a Walter White hater, on a fairly intense level. Anyway, great show, really well-made, never want to see it again. Except maybe select episodes from S4, so I can watch Gustavo pwn Walt again.
I watched and loved Orange is the New Black, but I've oddly had very little to say about it. Actually, that's not true, I totally had some meta brewing in my head this summer, but then what with the defending a PhD and going to Vividcon and moving to Australia I never got around to it, and now I've forgotten what it even was about. I love it especially as an ensemble show, with the friendships among women who are not Piper. Not that I dislike Piper -- I actually really like her a lot, and think she's a very well-done character. But the parts of the show that really give me the feels are the little moments of connection between other women. Especially Poussey and Taystee, whose friendship I adore.
I downloaded the first few eps of Person of Interest for the plane ride to Australia, and we ended up catching up to the current season pretty quickly. I loved Carter, which I documented in my reaction posts.
I've been watching Agents of SHIELD, though the jury's still out on that one. Melinda May is working for me though, and I genuinely like Skye, even if I'm the only one.
Which TV shows did you let go of in 2013?
Parks and Recreation -- though I haven't abandoned the possibility that I'll catch up with the current season. Certainly if it started appearing on my reading page again I'd check it out. It's more laziness and apathy from last season than active dislike, which is usually what it takes to get me to stop watching a show.
Person of Interest. Because of a certain episode that not only pissed off me and pretty much all of PoI fandom, but also eliminated my main reason for watching.
Community -- I know, I know, the icon is ill-fitting in this sense. I haven't even made it through S1. I was mostly enjoying it, except that it annoyed me that the show treated community college as an embarassment. I'm sure it is for some people, but when I went, most of the students I met were a lot more determined and excited about their educational path than what I've seen at four-year schools. Plenty of people at community college are damn proud to be there. And the teaching I've seen there is a lot better than at many four-year schools as well, at least big ones. When I transferred from community college to a big research university, I found that I was more well-prepared for advanced undergrad physics classes than many of my classmates who'd started there as freshmen. Pretty much nothing about that show resonated with my community college experience.
Also, what's with the paper fortune-teller in the opening credits? It's about community college, not elementary school!!
OK, end rant, the story is that I would have happily continued watching despite these complaints (I adored Abed and Troy, and Annie was seriously growing on me as well), but Mr. Adjacent didn't like it, and I don't tend to make time to watch sitcoms unless it's with him. So I haven't picked it back up.
Which TV shows did you mean to get into but didn't in 2013? Why?
Lost Girl -- I keep meaning to watch this. I saw the first few episodes in late 2012/early 2013 but haven't made it further. I kinda need someone to sell me on it?
Farscape -- ditto what I said about Lost Girl.
Sleepy Hollow. I'll definitely be watching this, very soon I hope.
Which TV shows do you intend on checking out in 2014?
Sleepy Hollow for sure. Hopefully Farscape. Maybe Lost Girl, though that seems less likely.
Which TV show impressed you least in 2013?
Once Upon a Time. After a delightful first season and an even better first half of S2, the second half of S2 was quite a letdown. I had let go of the show but then was convinced to give it another shot for the promise of femslash -- a promise I found pretty wanting, frankly. Still, the first half of S3 has been better than the second half of S2, even if I haven't exactly loved it.
Also, can I say Doctor Who? I mean, it wasn't the episodes that aired in 2013 that let me down -- if anything I've liked this series a bit more than S6. But over the last year I've come to realize that I find the characterization and, increasingly, the plotting, to be completely incoherent these last few seasons. I really enjoy reading people's reactions, both squeeful and critical, but I think part of why I enjoy it is because I have, like, zero attachment to the characters, the stories, or the ideas. It's just sort of interesting to read the reactions and think about them? I expect that the characters and stories are not quite as lacking as they seem to me, and if I took the time to rewatch, say, the whole Moffat era, I'd find more to like. But there's no emotional handle for me, so I just don't feel like taking the time. It really is the fandom, 100%, and not the show that is keeping me watching this.
(And I'm not trying to be a Moffat hater, because I haven't really looked into it enough to have a solid viewpoint, but I'm increasingly feeling this way about Sherlock as well.)
Which TV show did you enjoy the most in 2013?
Elementary. I love this show so hard. I even vidded all my Joan & Sherlock feels. It's just so awesome to watch these two characters interact like freaking adults.
Oh, and if we're counting shows I watched for the first time (but didn't start) in 2013, it would be Xena: Warrior Princess. Soooo many shippy feels. I was thoroughly enjoying it throughout, but once I got to Season 6 where the subtext becomes text, I fell totally in love with those two characters and their mutual devotion. I also really, really like Gabrielle's exploration-of-pacifism arc. Which is funny, because I usually hate when shows explore pacifism -- I find it condescending and simplistic. But making it part of a main character's multi-season character arc, and an integral part of her relationship with the other main character, totally worked for me.
Honorary mention to Breaking Bad for being the best show I'll never watch again.
I started the year with Parks and Recreation. I adore Leslie, April, and Anne. I love how much heart this show has. I spent much of the show squealing with delight.
I also really enjoyed Freaks and Geeks, though it took me longer to warm up to it than most. It was the only show I've seen that really felt like high school. I liked how the characters explore identities and social circles and how fluid that was for them. I loved loved loved the finale when everyone was finally finding their niche.
I heard so much about how Elementary was a standard CBS procedural, it took me a while to give it a shot. I think I eventually did because I felt kinda shitty being a Sherlock enthusiast without at least watching a bit of the one that cast a woman of color as Watson -- which, for the record, I always thought was awesome. I liked it well enough at first, but by mid season I was adoring it, and the season finale had me near weeping with joy. It's among my very favorite shows now.
It took me a few years to get into Breaking Bad because it sounded so sad. I probably never would have if it weren't set in Albuquerque -- I grew up in New Mexico. (By the way, someday I will post about my frustrations with race on Breaking Bad, and how it missed an opportunity to explore -- or at least accurately represent -- race in a part of the US where racial categories and dynamics are fairly different from much of the rest of the country). Anyway, I'd have started a lot earlier if I'd known that the main character -- whose story sounded so sad from the outside -- would be at about 50% sympathy by the end of the first episode. Yeah, I'm a Walter White hater, on a fairly intense level. Anyway, great show, really well-made, never want to see it again. Except maybe select episodes from S4, so I can watch Gustavo pwn Walt again.
I watched and loved Orange is the New Black, but I've oddly had very little to say about it. Actually, that's not true, I totally had some meta brewing in my head this summer, but then what with the defending a PhD and going to Vividcon and moving to Australia I never got around to it, and now I've forgotten what it even was about. I love it especially as an ensemble show, with the friendships among women who are not Piper. Not that I dislike Piper -- I actually really like her a lot, and think she's a very well-done character. But the parts of the show that really give me the feels are the little moments of connection between other women. Especially Poussey and Taystee, whose friendship I adore.
I downloaded the first few eps of Person of Interest for the plane ride to Australia, and we ended up catching up to the current season pretty quickly. I loved Carter, which I documented in my reaction posts.
I've been watching Agents of SHIELD, though the jury's still out on that one. Melinda May is working for me though, and I genuinely like Skye, even if I'm the only one.
Which TV shows did you let go of in 2013?
Parks and Recreation -- though I haven't abandoned the possibility that I'll catch up with the current season. Certainly if it started appearing on my reading page again I'd check it out. It's more laziness and apathy from last season than active dislike, which is usually what it takes to get me to stop watching a show.
Person of Interest. Because of a certain episode that not only pissed off me and pretty much all of PoI fandom, but also eliminated my main reason for watching.
Community -- I know, I know, the icon is ill-fitting in this sense. I haven't even made it through S1. I was mostly enjoying it, except that it annoyed me that the show treated community college as an embarassment. I'm sure it is for some people, but when I went, most of the students I met were a lot more determined and excited about their educational path than what I've seen at four-year schools. Plenty of people at community college are damn proud to be there. And the teaching I've seen there is a lot better than at many four-year schools as well, at least big ones. When I transferred from community college to a big research university, I found that I was more well-prepared for advanced undergrad physics classes than many of my classmates who'd started there as freshmen. Pretty much nothing about that show resonated with my community college experience.
Also, what's with the paper fortune-teller in the opening credits? It's about community college, not elementary school!!
OK, end rant, the story is that I would have happily continued watching despite these complaints (I adored Abed and Troy, and Annie was seriously growing on me as well), but Mr. Adjacent didn't like it, and I don't tend to make time to watch sitcoms unless it's with him. So I haven't picked it back up.
Which TV shows did you mean to get into but didn't in 2013? Why?
Lost Girl -- I keep meaning to watch this. I saw the first few episodes in late 2012/early 2013 but haven't made it further. I kinda need someone to sell me on it?
Farscape -- ditto what I said about Lost Girl.
Sleepy Hollow. I'll definitely be watching this, very soon I hope.
Which TV shows do you intend on checking out in 2014?
Sleepy Hollow for sure. Hopefully Farscape. Maybe Lost Girl, though that seems less likely.
Which TV show impressed you least in 2013?
Once Upon a Time. After a delightful first season and an even better first half of S2, the second half of S2 was quite a letdown. I had let go of the show but then was convinced to give it another shot for the promise of femslash -- a promise I found pretty wanting, frankly. Still, the first half of S3 has been better than the second half of S2, even if I haven't exactly loved it.
Also, can I say Doctor Who? I mean, it wasn't the episodes that aired in 2013 that let me down -- if anything I've liked this series a bit more than S6. But over the last year I've come to realize that I find the characterization and, increasingly, the plotting, to be completely incoherent these last few seasons. I really enjoy reading people's reactions, both squeeful and critical, but I think part of why I enjoy it is because I have, like, zero attachment to the characters, the stories, or the ideas. It's just sort of interesting to read the reactions and think about them? I expect that the characters and stories are not quite as lacking as they seem to me, and if I took the time to rewatch, say, the whole Moffat era, I'd find more to like. But there's no emotional handle for me, so I just don't feel like taking the time. It really is the fandom, 100%, and not the show that is keeping me watching this.
(And I'm not trying to be a Moffat hater, because I haven't really looked into it enough to have a solid viewpoint, but I'm increasingly feeling this way about Sherlock as well.)
Which TV show did you enjoy the most in 2013?
Elementary. I love this show so hard. I even vidded all my Joan & Sherlock feels. It's just so awesome to watch these two characters interact like freaking adults.
Oh, and if we're counting shows I watched for the first time (but didn't start) in 2013, it would be Xena: Warrior Princess. Soooo many shippy feels. I was thoroughly enjoying it throughout, but once I got to Season 6 where the subtext becomes text, I fell totally in love with those two characters and their mutual devotion. I also really, really like Gabrielle's exploration-of-pacifism arc. Which is funny, because I usually hate when shows explore pacifism -- I find it condescending and simplistic. But making it part of a main character's multi-season character arc, and an integral part of her relationship with the other main character, totally worked for me.
Honorary mention to Breaking Bad for being the best show I'll never watch again.
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I like the absurdity too, and some of my reaction probably is my expectations. I was like, "this show is set in a community college -- awesome! I love community college!" Wait
Then again, if it were set in a hospital we wouldn't have Senor Chang's classes, which I kind of adored.
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Colleges are kind of a new, recent thing here, I suppose. (only really started in the 90s. Before that there were 7 universities in the country and that was it.) There hasn't been time for any kind of body of lore to build up around it, so the whole setting is a little foreign and exotic to start with for me.
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What do you want to know? I will tell you all!
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So, my understanding is that the show really picks up in S2? I was enjoying S1 well enough (I saw the first three or four eps), but it didn't super suck me in. So, would you agree with that? If so, any advice on getting through S1? I'm generally not into skipping or watching out of order unless it's like, a clip show that I'm skipping.
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So I guess I'd say, if nothing's clicked for you by "A Human Reaction," it may not be your show. But there's some brilliant character stuff that happens before then, and the storytelling improves astronomically by the end of the season.
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Now I just need to figure out how to start an exciting new show with ~100 episodes and stay on track with vidding, exercise, chores, and, um, you know -- work? ;)
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And don't worry about keeping up. Once the arc gets its hooks into you in S2, you won't want to stop watching!
Also: it's the most satisfying source to vid of all the shows I've ever worked with. The camera is constantly moving and the colors are gorgeous.
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But the hook does set before you finish S1, and when it sets, it sets good and proper.
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I loved vidding BSG, but the bland palette got to me after a while. DW is of course very colorful and shiny, so that's always fun. But the Doctor WILL flap his gums incessantly, which makes it difficult to avoid talky-face.
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I loled at that. <3
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I was sold on Lost Girl with this description: bisexual main character (she's a succubus who feeds on sexual energy) with a canon lesbian relationship, sex positive with some cracky, fanfic-y plots as well as a fun serial plot in S2 (and a character arc in S1). Kenzi is hilarious and super awesome, almost everyone falls in love with her. It's not super great or anything but it's a lot of fun and definitely worth trying to see if you like it.
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a canon lesbian relationship
Oh that might have been all it takes to sell me. OK, now I just need to figure out how to make time to watch multiple shows while also keeping up with vidding and exercise and not losing my job. :D
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And I haven't gotten to S6 yet. Subtext becomes text, you say?
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Totally!
About subtext becoming text -- I know there are some die-hard anti-shippers out there who argue that they were still "just friends", and we don't see them having sex or straight-up making out (at least not without some thin excuse like "Xena needs someone to put water in her mouth"). But, well, it's hard for me to make a case without spoilers, but basically I feel like you have to have your head way up your ass to not see them as a couple in S6.
Or I suppose one could argue that they are in love but don't have sex. I would disagree with that person, but I'd concede that they might not have their head up their ass/be a homophobe -- depending on their basis for that argument.
They are canonically in love, and life partners, and it's even more explicit than in earlier seasons.
A lot of the stuff you disliked about S4 does continue -- the Amazons are still a projection of white Hollywood's idea of indigenous people, and the Christian subtext also becomes very near text in S5. (I don't remember if you had criticized that specifically, but IIRC in your
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Their relationship was fairly explicit in S5 -- committing to raising a kid together! -- but I suppose there are people who will deny anything. (As you say, some have good reasons, but most do not.) I'm looking forward to seeing S6.
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I'd say if you've made it this far and enjoyed it at least in some ways, I'd definitely recommend finishing the show.
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We finished S5 in October, but I haven't posted about it anywhere.
There was a major pet peeve at the end of S5 for you? What?
Ourselves, we adored the finale proper, especially the rate at which they were burning through gods. (Presumably because Hercules wrapped that year, and the gods they were killing were Hercules regulars but Xena guest stars, so give the actors/characters one last hurrah, with lots of explosions, to boot.) We had a houseguest staying with us, who came in halfway through that ep, then went down to her room so as "not to get spoiled." But we whooped so hard through it, that I'm pretty sure she got an earful and a half.
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No, I just hate the whole Magical Accelerated Aging Baby trope. Just once, I'd like to see a genre show have a character have a baby and then RAISE THAT FUCKER. It just really, really annoys me that shows use pregnancy and birth as a way to build drama but always back out of the consequences.
(Also, I love the idea of Xena and Gabrielle raising Eve together. Although I actually would have also been satisfied with an ending where Xena and Gab decided to send Eve to live with people with safer, more stable lives, if it had been done right.)
I mean, of course I get that the writers were trying to come up with a way to handle Lawless's pregnancy. It wasn't like they decided to have a character get pregnant when the actor wasn't and then get rid of the baby after she's born. Intellectually, I can understand it and it's not the worst thing ever, but still. Pet peeve.
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And I understand the production reasons for doing it -- having babies and toddlers on the set is expensive and difficult (and not terribly good for the actor, either, from what I hear) -- but yeah, in a narrative sense, it's a Great Big Cheat.
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