Scribblings from the Mitchy Side

I had an entry all typed up for TV Meme, Day 8, and I've left it at work. Oh well, will post two days tomorrow :)

Work is...depressing. To the point, I think I'll see if I can have a word with Cheryl and come up with some structured work for myself because this ad hoc day to day stuff is driving me ding dong. I am bored out of my tiny little mind, and with all the talk of more reorganisations and possible redundancies, I do not want to end up as deadwood in the office.

Still job hunting :)

Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show

I was going to make a list, I was. One ep at least from each season. But then I looked at Season 1 and realised picking on it would be mean and cruel and also, waaaaay too easy :)

There are a couple of eps from S1 that must be mentioned. "The Last OutPost" introduced us to the Ferengi. Now, most people think of Quark from DS9 and nod sagely and cackle about the Ferengi but at the time this ep aired, the Ferengi were going to be the new big bad of the Trek 'verse! Yes, they were going to be the new Romulans or Klingons for the Next Generation! And what did we get? Clowns. In prosthetics. Armin Shimmerman and the DS9 crew deserve medals for re-inventing the Ferengi, they really do, because after this ep, they were laughing stocks. Dreadful writing, dreadful directing too, I'm fairly sure that somewhere a lot of the blame was laid on the director of the episode.

"Code of Honour" - Oh dear. Again, poor casting choices meant that the big bads in this episode were all African-American and it said horrible things about racial stereotypes. Dreadful episode.

"Angel One" - no, no I'm sorry, this ep is so dreadful I can't even be arsed to give you a synopsis. Just avoid it, ok?

Which brings me to my two least favourite episodes. One is "Shades of Grey", which is a clip show because the writer's strike of that year curtailed production. So they have an excuse but even for clip show standards this was bad. I mean, stultifyingly bad. The other is "Lessons". *grinds teeth* It's not that it's a bad episode per se, it's the values it espouses. So the Captain falls in love, right? With an officer on the Enterprise (not one of the main cast) and there's romance and butterflies and stuff. And then he sends her on an away mission and she nearly dies. And he decides that can't happen again so instead of just breaking up the relationship, she has to transfer off the Enterprise!! *fumes* OK, in TNG world, Enterprise is the sort of posting that all Star Fleet officers would sell major body parts to get. It's a plum assignment, a Really Big Deal, and just casually, because her Captain is an unprofessional wuss, the lady has to give it all up?! ARGH!!! Bad Next Gen, no biscuit!! Seriously, didn't anyone anywhere object to this before it was filmed? FFS!

*pant pant pant*

OK, I'm calm. Be glad I didn't choose Xena as my favourite all time show, because the ranting I'd have done on "Married with Fishsticks" would have been epic. *shudderfits and goes to find cider to kill the taste*

( Meme! )

Hee! World Cup started today! Woooooooo HOO! *bounces around like a very happy Mitchy* First England match is tomorrow. If we lose, I recommend all US friends of mine avoid me. I might inadvertantly forget my sportsmanship and kill you :P

It was funny at work today, everyone was standing around the schedule and plotting which afternoons they wanted to take off :D :D Best thing about our office is the number of genuine footy fans. Oh and we've had our World Cup sweepstakes. I got Switzerland. Umm. I love their chocolate, the football team I know little about, although I have actually heard of a couple of their players. We'll see :) I'll be happy if they get through the group stages, frankly.

COME ON ENGLAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!!! *bouncebouncebouncebouncebounce*

Your favorite show ever

Oh. Dear. Gods.

How the hell can you choose just one show? Huh? I watch a lot of TV, I've been a TV addict since I was old enough TO watch TV and there is no way I can pin it down to just one show! I ask you! And besides the sheer number of shows, how can you compare a comedy that leaves you giggling helplessly to a drama show that has you hooked to an action show with explosions and car chases??

And there are shows that probably cover all of the above :P

*ponderponderponder*

OK, I'm going to rule out programmes that weren't scripted series (like Morecambe and Wise specials, The Two Ronnies, Not the Nine o'Clock News) and ignore children's programmes like Willo the Wisp and Mr Ben. In making this list, I noted there were few British shows on here which is a shame as I know there were shows that I adored, like The Bill in its early days, and Juliet Bravo. But JB has never been released on any media at all and I think The Bill is only partly available: not being able to rewatch and rewatch does affect the old memory :)

Two honourable mentions for children's programmes at this point: Grange Hill and Blue Peter. Fantastic shows and I never missed them: even my Mum watched them! I do wish it was physically possible for the BBC to release DVDs of Blue Peter but technology will have to make far bigger leaps to make that possible because of the sheer volume of DVDs it would involve!

So let's break it down by age :)

As a kid (prior too, ooh, age 12 I'd guess), I think it would have been a toss up between Charlie's Angels (don't judge me!) and Starsky and Hutch, two shows that I will still re-watch quite happily, even the bad episodes, which says something for their staying power. And of course there was original series Star Trek, which was always a must watch. One of my favourite episodes of TV ever comes from ST - Balance of Terror.

In my teens, there were shows like Fame, Cagney and Lacey, MacGyver and The Bill.

During university, there was Star Trek:The Next Generation to re-capture my imagination. Everyone else was watching Twin Peaks (blech) while I was catching up with the Enterprise D :)

Post-university, and there were the various Star Trek spin offs, along with Babylon 5, on my to be watched list. That I could now by tapes of these eps to rewatch no doubt helped. Oddly, I'm having problems remembering crime shows I'd have watched during this period. I know I must have, because I always do. *shrugs*

Over the past decade, with the advent of the internet and access to TV shows on a level previously unimagined, I've watched whole rafts of shows. Xena:Warrior Princess was probably the first show that dragged me into the world of fandom and crazy fans. And is probably the reason I don't go to those lengths any more.

In recent years, crime shows have been my love and joy - Cold Case, Numb3rs, Without A Trace, NCIS, CSI (Vegas) etc etc. The current very long list of shows I watch (minus those that were cancelled this season) is The Big Bang Theory, Private Practice, Nurse Jackie, NCIS, NCIS:LA, Justified, Leverage, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Criminal Minds, Eureka and White Collar. It is just as well that some of these shows air during the summer o_0

But this does nothing to narrow down my favourite show ever. MacGyver is a close runner, so is Xena, so is (don't judge, dammit!) Charlie's Angels. But all the while I pondered this, I kept coming back to the Star Trek family. Of all the shows I rewatch, I suspect Next Generation and ST:Voyager are probably in the top 3 in terms of numbers. What can I say? The original series captured my imagination and Next Gen re-kindled a love that just won't quit. I adore Voyager, for all its flaws, and there are some truly superb episodes of all stripes and colours scattered through its seven seasons. But I think it's predecessor just gets the nod, in part because when it was good, it was sometimes truly amazing. And you had Patrick Stewart who could make dialogue sound like Shakespeare even when it wasn't, plus a stellar back up cast.

Soooo, after all that, my favourite show ever (to date) is: Star Trek: The Next Generation.

(I may change my mind later :P)

Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)

I was actually very careful this year not to watch every!single!new!show! that looked interesting, because my TV addiction was already raging out of control. That said, there were some that were on my "Oh HELL yes!" list from the start, mostly because of halcyon_shift, who is an evil excellent pusher of TV shows :)

So it was because of her I was seriously looking forward to White Collar and Justified and they haven't disappointed. (Even as I type, I am squeaking impatiently becuase I want to go home and watch the Justified finale.)

The reasons I like the shows are slightly different, but it really boils down to fantastic casting and terrific (for the most part) writing. Both production teams seem to have had a very, very firm grip from the get go about what they want the show to be and where they want the characters to go, which is a refreshing change from the "We'll make it up as we go along" approach most shows seem to have in season 1. White Collar wins for witty repartee, Justified wins for most badass lead character, but in both, they're supported by the scripts which are generally excellent. White Collar in particular takes tropes and twists or tramples right over them, which is always a thing of joy :)

The other new show was NCIS:LA, which had me at hello. *hangs head* I'm so shallow, I love me some shiny and pretty. And NCIS:LA has been mostly about the shiny and pretty for nearly the whole season, except for the last few episodes which kicked arse. I still think they need to lose the Nate character, who I just find supremely irritating, and while I'm really sorry for Dom's actor, who did nothing wrong, the character needed to go and they at least used his exit to generate a terrific season ending storyline. It still needs work, but it's my guilty pleasure show and I love it :) And I want to be Hetty when I grow up.

Haven't watched Glee, Spartacus, and several other new shows that survived the culls. Of those, Glee might be the one that sneaks under my radar at a later date. But for now, I think I have to pronounce my favourite new new show is...*pauses for drum roll*....WHITE COLLAR :)

2. A show that you wish more people were watching

Leverage, no question. I keep nudging people towards it *glares at jenni411* (And while I'm at it, I shall glare at commoncomitatus about Burn Notice) and it's got "good enough to get renewed" viewing figures (all hail the tv gods) but everyone should be watching this show, dammit! It's smart, clever, terrific cast and the showrunners really know what they're doing in terms of balancing action with character development. There are many network show runners that could be taking tips on how to create tension and excitement without going over the top or having half the characters sleep with the other half (I'm looking at you, Shondra Rhimes).


Runners up:-

Nurse Jackie - a very black dramedy with the truly outstanding Edi Falco in the title role. It's doing very well and has already been renewed for S3, I believe (S2 finale was last night), but it could be a lot bigger. This one gets me because the lead character really isn't that likeable - she's a cheater and a liar with a painkiller addiction - and yet, between the terrific writing, the superb acting and a fantastic supporting cast, it keeps you watching. Haven't seen the finale yet and it's the only finale that I've been impatient to get home to see (apart from Justified's, but that's for tomorrow :D)

In Plain Sight - another one where the lead character isn't terribly likeable most of the time, but has juuuust enough redeeming features to keep you watching. Plus the snark is a thing of great love :) It also has the hook of making you root for criminals a lot of the time - the setting is the Witness Protection Programme of the US Marshals and it features a different case every week. Just enough personal development to keep the characters real and, again, the cast has the acting chops to really deliver. Try it some time :)

A TV Meme that's right up my alley!! :D 30 days of TV *sighs the happy sigh of a tv addict*

Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death

( Day One )

In lieu of a proper update, please humbly accept this meme and the promise of something more interesting soon :)

If I came with a warning label, what would it say?