TV has gotten crafty. Lots of major shows now have two ‘mini seasons’ as part of their yearly ‘season.’ They give you ten to thirteen episodes, then leave you hanging for a few months. Instead of one cliffhanger to annoy, there are now two. It’s enough to drive a fangirl batty.
So, after the holidays are over, and you’re still twiddling your thumbs… what’s a girl to do?
Of course the answer is, stick pins in voodoo dolls and do things to make the producers get restraining orders against you. Right?
Okay, maybe that was just me.
Once the nice officers stopped watching me like a hawk I retreated back into safer pastimes: DVDs.
Wild Palms:
Sure it’s dated. Sure it’s a little silly from a more modern viewpoint. It’s sorta star-studded, though, and if you stop critiquing it’s a conspiracy nut’s dream. Harry Wyckoff is everyman sucked into a world of big business, religious cults, and mystical intrigue. Angie Dickenson’s turn as his mother-in-law, Josie, is classic and the whole show is almost worth one of their exchanges alone.
Josie: The women in your life are gong to hell, Harry.
Harry: And you’re driving the bus!
Okay, had to be there, but it’s accompanied by a smack and it’s just priceless. I really, truly wish that it had gotten expanded.
Firefly & Serenity:
Another example of brilliant but brief, and it’s accompanying big screen attempt at revival. Joss Whedon (with some help from Ben Edlund– the genius behind The Tick in it’s many forms) hit the dialog nail on the head in this Post-Civil War reminiscent Science Fiction show. I know how odd that description sounds, but if you haven’t seen Firefly yet, believe me it’s accurate and it works. True to Fox Network form, they hid it and didn’t allow the show to grow into itself. That is a damned shame.
It’s no “Babylon 5” or “Star Trek” these are working stiffs who just want to be free, and maybe make a difference in spite of themselves. It’s got your dash of conspiracy, too, in the form of one River Tam, a genius who has been monkeyed with by the official government in some way (I’m not telling!). Comedy, adventure, crime… and a man named Jayne.
I’m sorry, if Fox didn’t sense the goldmine there… they are just blind!
Kingdom Hospital:
Stephen King. Do I have to go on? Well, fine then, I will. Again, it was fashioned in such a way that the arc was self-contained, but it would have been fantastic if someone had picked this dark, funny, and intricate gem up for another season.
Kingdom Hospital sits on uneasy ground– and we’re not talking fault line, although that’s one theory the administration wants to keep open in this show. Great cameos and innovative storytelling devices (in some episodes the dog takes over with a little narration and camera leading) sustained interest. As always, when King gets involved, the dark and otherworldly gets the feeling of being just mundane enough that it can give you the creeps even after you’ve walked away. There’s plenty to wonder about, too: What’s Mary’s story? Is Antubis here to help or cause trouble? How evil is the new head surgeon?
Everyone had a story, but it didn’t get too busy. Brilliance.
Twin Peaks:
Yes, oldie, and the second season STILL hasn’t been released to DVD, but season one has enough quirk for anyone. If you missed it– I won’t spoil it. If you were there watching– it’s still just as good as you remember.
I think Agent Dale Cooper is one of the great TV Detectives. Cooper, Monk, Holmes, Darryl Zero: These are my boys. I can’t resist a quirky crime-fighter. The soundtrack was unique, too. Mood music was never so good.
How can you worry about Smoke Monsters or mysterious visions when there’s Bob and The Owls to wonder about?
Dark Angel:
Yup, another ‘killed by Fox’ alum. This one got two seasons, and was axed just as it was getting it’s swing on. In a not too distant future, the government’s making super soldiers genetically. Fortunately for a group of kids who escape, someone sets of an electromagnetic pulse to mess things up just in time, and America’s all but a third world country trying to put it all back together. The adventures of one Max, all souped up and ready to rumble, trying to make a place for herself in the world and hook up with her ‘brothers and sisters’ from the escape while avoiding getting caught by her ‘creators’ makes for some good viewing. Of course she has a hot, rich sidekick who funnels her adventures as he tries to convince her to use her powers for the betterment of the world as well as keeping her head above water.
So, as you can see, bitching at Fox helps distract people, too.
