With apologies to Charles Dickens
It was the best of final seasons, it was the worst of final seasons...
Two of my favorite shows on television are winding down to their final episodes and a life to be lived on DVDs for future generations to discuss and critique.
Two of my favorite shows on television are winding down to their final episodes and a life to be lived on DVDs for future generations to discuss and critique.
The best of final seasons belongs to LOST...that show about, well it is about what each
individual viewer believes it is about. A plane crash on an island that exists, or does it? A group of people thrown together by fate and how their lives change...or do they?
Smoke monsters and polar bears...secret scientific compounds and hidden hatches...dead relatives appearing on the island to lead our survivors to new adventures...Sinister businessmen who lived on the island in an earlier time returning to destroy evidence of the island's existence and snuff out all who live there...
This final season has brought us the thought of separate realities lived by the survivors...what if the plane did not crash and they all arrived safely in Los Angeles...in this new reality, they meet others who were on the plane in new and interesting circumstances.It has been seasons since those numbers that intrigued, confused and caused so many
discussions - 4 8 15 16 23 42 - Hurley's lottery numbers...numbers found on the hatch...but numbers that have taken a backseat to the wonders of who is to take Jacob's place on the island. Jacob, the stranger who appeared in so many lives before the flight that created this mystery, departed on its trans-Pacific journey.
Will the writers and producers fill in the blanks still remaining? Will they leave us hanging with more questions than we had to begin? Time will tell...only 6 more episodes (or is it 5?) before the island and Jack and Sawyer and Sun and Jin and Locke and Hurley and Kate and all the rest fade off into television history.
No matter what, in my opinion, the producers and writers have stayed true to the story and to us this final season and for that I am happy.
Then there is the final season of 24. A show with the unique concept of every second of TV time represents one second of real time. A ticking clock allows you to follow the time and it started with incredible promise.
Season one, day one a character boarded a plane in NY heading to California. They did not arrive until sometime in hour six. Real time!
If someone got in a car and drove 20 miles it would take at least 20 minutes.
Then the clock and the plausibility began to take a back seat. Now, let's all
realize that most television shows are not based upon real time. Murders are solved in 46 minutes (60 minute show minus the needed 14 minutes of commercials). In 24, the clock never stopped for the commercials. You might go to break at 1:05:24 and when the commercial ends it would be somewhere around 1:08:56.
With the other shows, we suspend belief that a character can drive from LA to San Diego in the hour.
BUT the producers and writers of 24 asked us to accept that this same drive on their show would take a minimum of 2 hours.
This season the show moved to New York. suddenly Jack Bauer, the lead character can get in a cab downtown New York and be in Queens in 4 minutes.
The President can leave an upper floor of the UN and be in Queens in less than 5 minutes!
The best/worst was when one set of characters left Manhattan for Fort McGuire in NJ (at least a 3 hour trip) and arrived before Jack got in a car and drove from downtown to 160th street!!!!!!!!
Our hero Jack Bauer was stabbed with a 5" blade in the stomach and continued on his quest.
For the THIRD TIME in 8 seasons the group Jack works for CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit) was infiltrated by a spy. This is a group charged with protecting the USA from terrorists and they can not vet their employees enough to stop from being infiltrated????
The writers and producers mailed this season in and in doing so, they betrayed the true fans. Strangely enough on the message boards on Fox.com, I see very little anger at this betrayal.
I have continued to watch BECAUSE it is the last season...because I invested 8 seasons of my time into watching what was once a great show because of the concept and the true feeling of the show...but the show is no longer the concept I was sold 8 seasons ago...it is a normal TV program and the clock has just become an annoying sound instead of a time keeper it was originally intended to be.
Season one, day one a character boarded a plane in NY heading to California. They did not arrive until sometime in hour six. Real time!
If someone got in a car and drove 20 miles it would take at least 20 minutes.
Then the clock and the plausibility began to take a back seat. Now, let's all
realize that most television shows are not based upon real time. Murders are solved in 46 minutes (60 minute show minus the needed 14 minutes of commercials). In 24, the clock never stopped for the commercials. You might go to break at 1:05:24 and when the commercial ends it would be somewhere around 1:08:56.With the other shows, we suspend belief that a character can drive from LA to San Diego in the hour.
BUT the producers and writers of 24 asked us to accept that this same drive on their show would take a minimum of 2 hours.
This season the show moved to New York. suddenly Jack Bauer, the lead character can get in a cab downtown New York and be in Queens in 4 minutes.
The President can leave an upper floor of the UN and be in Queens in less than 5 minutes!
The best/worst was when one set of characters left Manhattan for Fort McGuire in NJ (at least a 3 hour trip) and arrived before Jack got in a car and drove from downtown to 160th street!!!!!!!!Our hero Jack Bauer was stabbed with a 5" blade in the stomach and continued on his quest.
For the THIRD TIME in 8 seasons the group Jack works for CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit) was infiltrated by a spy. This is a group charged with protecting the USA from terrorists and they can not vet their employees enough to stop from being infiltrated????
The writers and producers mailed this season in and in doing so, they betrayed the true fans. Strangely enough on the message boards on Fox.com, I see very little anger at this betrayal.
I have continued to watch BECAUSE it is the last season...because I invested 8 seasons of my time into watching what was once a great show because of the concept and the true feeling of the show...but the show is no longer the concept I was sold 8 seasons ago...it is a normal TV program and the clock has just become an annoying sound instead of a time keeper it was originally intended to be.
Fade away Jack Bauer...goodbye Chloe and Renee and President Taylor...fade away CTU, our country will be better off without you.
It is a far, far better rerun that I watch, than I have ever watched; it is a far, far better season that I seek than I have ever known.
Our most excellent friend TRAVIS from "Trav's Thoughts" is back to talking about DWTS...and if you missed it - and even if you think you watched it...well you haven't until you read Travis' recap...
Tonight on the Radio Happy Hour, Doc, Collette and Burl welcome Onision, one of the most popular and most controversial YouTube celebrities. He has over 250,000 subscribers who are arguably the most fiercely loyal fan base on the internet.
Between his main channel, archive channel and “Onision Speaks” channel, Onison uploads video on a daily basis and is alternately comical, goofy, edgy and heavily serious. In his “Onision Speaks” videos he dives into topics such vegetarianism, ethics, morals, and religion.
And...Amy and Nancy Harrington, the “Pop Culture Passionistas“, return for what is now their monthly visit. This month they bring to us their lists of Top 5 Best and Top 5 Worst TV Star to Movie Star Transformations.
Tonight on the Radio Happy Hour, Doc, Collette and Burl welcome Onision, one of the most popular and most controversial YouTube celebrities. He has over 250,000 subscribers who are arguably the most fiercely loyal fan base on the internet.
Between his main channel, archive channel and “Onision Speaks” channel, Onison uploads video on a daily basis and is alternately comical, goofy, edgy and heavily serious. In his “Onision Speaks” videos he dives into topics such vegetarianism, ethics, morals, and religion.
And...Amy and Nancy Harrington, the “Pop Culture Passionistas“, return for what is now their monthly visit. This month they bring to us their lists of Top 5 Best and Top 5 Worst TV Star to Movie Star Transformations.
