I feel so one dimensional lately. All my recent posts have just been about the stupid TV shows I’m watching currently and how I’ve managed to acquire the the episodes I’ve missed. Which I find rather amusing in that hypocritical, quit fooling yourself way, because on any day of the week I would swear blind that I don’t watch that much TV and that it doesn’t interest me at all.
I guess what ends up happening is that I find a couple of shows each season that pique my interest and I watch them for a time and then move on. I wouldn’t even call myself a die hard fan because what ends up happening is I’ll latch on to a particular show for whatever reason early on in it’s run (if not from the start) and I’ll watch it on a fairly regular basis for a season or two and then It will just fade into the background, and if I stumble on an episode at some point I’ll watch it but I never really go out of my way to see it anymore. I did that with X-Files. I watched (and was hooked) from the first episode before anyone else had really clued in to the show and watched it with somewhat religious fervor for two or three seasons and then I just didn’t care all that much anymore, I still liked the show and considered myself a fan and I watched it when I could but I never went out of my way to see it anymore. I think by the time the last two seasons came along I wasn’t watching it at all. The same thing is happening to me with Lost and CSI. I like both shows but I’ve already moved on, and if I see an episode great, but I’m not going to cry about it (That’s a bit harder to stomach with Lost though due to the intracacies of the storyline but I’m surviving).
I’ve also discovered that I hate waiting. I hate seeing only one episode at a time. I find that more and more I prefer to watch something all at once, where i can digest the whole story in one sitting, or at least in sizable chunks. I find it gives me a much better sense of perspective about the overall plot plus there is the instant gratification of (almost) always being able to find out what happens next. I think that was probably one of the things that turned me off of Lost last year, the plot was so intricate and they had so many long breaks between new episodes, interspersed with out of sequence re-runs that I just lost (no pun intended) interest in trying to keep track. I suspect if I watched the whole of seasons one and two in a series of sittings that it might actually rekindle my interest in the show somewhat, so in a way I guess it’s good that I’m not watching it this year as I can just catch up with the box set next summer (though I guess I should probably buy season 1 and 2 first or there will be no point in 3).
In the meantime though, I’ve stumbled on another good sci-fi show that has seriously piqued my interest right from the start. It’s called Heroes and it’s on NBC (don’t ask me what day/time it’s on or any of that crap. This is the intarweb son, figure it out for yourself). It’s about a group of ordinary people who discover they have extraordinary powers and what they end up doing with them. The cast is a fairly large ensemble, ranging from a nerdy Japanese salaryman named Hiro who discovers he can time-travel and teleport to a midwestern American cheerleader who can apparently heal from any injury to a recovering junkie artist who seems to be having premonitions that he’s turning into paintings and a Las Vegas camgirl who seems to have a split personality with super strength. It’s good. It’s fun. It’s interesting and most importantly to me, it’s real. Real in the sense that the characters are believable. They have frailties, foibles, dreams and beliefs that drive them to do what they do. I can honestly say I’m hooked.
And in other TV related news, I think I’ve finally settled on my favourite Galactica character… Chief Tyrol. I like him because I can identify strongly with the way he reacts to situations and I see a lot of myself in him (other than the toaster fetish that is). The other day I was link hopping through that banally addictive site known as Wikipedia and I came across this description of the character by the actor who portrays him and I think it sums him up quite well.
Tyrol is fiercely loyal. He is a very good leader who is very much in tune with his crew. He admires honesty, hard work, common sense, intelligence and integrity. Tyrol is tough but fair and is what someone who possess the aforementioned attributes would want in their leader. Tyrol very much believes in the rule of military law and tradition. He is probably the most prepared of the crew who has not seen real battle and that combined with his natural leadership abilities has caused his rise to Chief. The crew respects and likes him.
Do not, repeat, do not cross Tyrol. If he senses weakness or disrespect you get one chance and then that is it. Tyrol believes in making mistakes. As he puts it, “If you don’t fall down you are not trying hard enough.” Just don’t make the same mistake twice. New people who are really trying get the positive attention and teaching that Tyrol believes will get them where he needs them to be. Those who are not making the requisite effort get a good kick in the ass, and sometimes more than one.
I like Tyrol. He is the kind of person I would respect. The inner demons do not interfere with his day to day work. He deals with his own stuff when he is alone. Sometimes he takes on too much but you will never see it. He can wear his heart on his sleeve but he is very hard to read and get to know personally. Enigmatically simple if I can use those two together.
Now, I think think that this is more than enough babble for one post so I shall now go back to paying my bills and then bed, and tomorrow I will be that much closer to getting all my Robin of Sherwood downloaded.