. . . I always wanted to be lifted. I was always eager, always waiting to be inspired.
I remember every time it happened, every time the dead lifted me . . . with their truth. And now I'm dead, and I yearn to lift you. Not because i want to shine or even be remembered. It's because i want you to go on. I want Ferrix to continue.
In my waning hours, that's what comforts me most.
But I fear for you.
We've been sleeping.
We've had each other, and Ferrix. Our work, our days.
We had each other and they left us alone.
We kept the trade lanes open, and they left us alone.
We took their money and ignored them. We kept their engine churning, and the moment they pulled away. we forgot them.
Because we had each other.
We had Ferrix.
But we were sleeping. I've been sleeping. And I've been turning away from the truth I wanted not to face.
There is a wound that won't heal at the center of the galaxy. There is a darkness reaching like rust into everything around us.
We let it grow, and now it's here. It's here and it's not visiting anymore.
It wants to stay.
The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness.
It is never more alive than when we asleep.
It's easy for the dead to tell you to fight, and maybe it's true . . . maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it's too late.
But I'll tell you this . . . if I could do it again, I'd wake up early and be fighting those bastards from the start!
I’ve given up all chance at inner peace. I’ve made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts.
I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there’s only one conclusion, I’m damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they’ve set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet.
What is my sacrifice?
I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them.
I burn my decency for someone else’s future.
I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.
And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude.
There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy.
Remember this.
Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction.
Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
And then remember this.
The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
Remember that.
And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire’s authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing that will break the siege.
Didn't George Lucas say something about how stories, like poetry, rhyme? (Meaning it as a justification that the repetition in his stories and what some might perceive as a weakness in story telling was actually a feature and not a bug.)
checking . . .
According to this source, he said "Again, it's like poetry, so that they rhyme. Every stanza kind of rhymes with the last one."
Well . . . he is definitely not the only one.
Because tonight I'm minding my own business and watching a rerun of an Alias episode. ("Almost Thirty Years" which aired May 21, 2002.) And at the end of the episode, Sydney blows up a big Rambaldi device that collapses a sphere of red water being suspended in anti-gravity whatsis. This begins a flood within the building. And so Sydney and Vaughn run to escape the rushing wall of liquid. Sydney safely gets on one side of a bulkhead door (which has a window). And Vaughn is trapped on the water side and so Sydney gets to watch as he is surrounded by the water.
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?!
DOES IT RHYME?!!!!!
Maybe it would help if I shared a clip of this episode of LOST ("Through the Looking Glass--season 3, episodes 22 and 23, which aired May 23, 2007)
So . . . as you can see . . . Mr. Abrams's creative partners Lindelof and Cuse were happy to take a bit of Alias lore and hit me with it again almost exactly five years later.
And I didn't make the connection until over seventeen years after that.
(Because ones of you out there in the vast Internet sea actually said to my face "You've got to update your blog!" Those six words have only every been utter in that sequence and directed at me once before . . . by the same kind person. And so, the Universe was trying to tell me something and who am I to fight against the Universe?)
Andbutso . . . you might guess from the fairly clear blog title what this is about. And why be surprised, because I venture to guess that 30ish percent of WWYG?! is already about this. And LOST was one of the original spurs that made me start blogging almost twenty years (?!!!) ago anyway. So, its Old Home Week back here on the digital ranch.
Grace shared this video with me on Friday. And I watched it. And by and large I appreciated it. Heck, I appreciate anyone who takes time to think about LOST--especially if that thinking results in the conclusion that We didn't appreciate LOST at the time!
Damn right you didn't. But I'm here to tell you that I.DID.
I was drinking the glowing cave water from the opening minutes of episode one! And that is no surprise to anyone who has read WWYG?! in the past. But though I did appreciate Drew's support and his positive thoughts on one of the most impactful shows in TV history . . . and one of the most important TV shows in my adult life.
But he is wrong about one critical thing.
But before I get to what Drew is wrong about, I guess I should say that if you HAVEN'T watched LOST then you will be somewhat spoiled by the video above. So I guess go make one of the best decisions of your life and a. bookmark this post for future reference, b. devote 5,400 hours of your life to watching a show that premiered in 2004. And once you are done, c. come back to watch the video.
But . . . Drew's big mistake is that he argues that LOST is best watched in a binging environment and that it suffers from a week-to-week viewing. Having been an O.G. network television watcher I must STRONGLY disagree. Because watching LOST week-to-week gave me and my friends time to discuss, time to dissect, time to ponder what the actual f just happened on this week's show. Beyond that, LOST helped create the second-screen, entertainment discussion ethos that all prestige television thrives on currently.
LOST helped propel TV-themed podcasts. Back when podcasts were first emerging. And the dedicated fans of LOST tuned into those few LOST casts to listen to theories and hear from the actors and the producers and generally wallow in everything related to the show. We scoured the Internet for clues. We checked out the random book references from our libraries and tried to understand. The Easter Egg culture of TV (for all that is good and bad about it) sprung up from the mysteries that defined LOST. (Hell, the creators even designed a few off-season Internet "experiences" to keep people engaged during the summer. Remember Alvar Hanso?)
So . . . sorry Drew . . . the weekly release was a very helpful environment in which to watch the show. And if you are taking my advice to join in on the whole thing, consider taking your time. There are so few TV experiences anymore that are going to offer you 121* immersive episodes full of intrigue, plot twists, and unexpected joys.
As an aside . . . I 100 percent do AGREE with Drew's assessment that Michael Giacchino's music and scoring is a key element of what makes the show beautiful.
In summary . . . LOST is a beautiful treasure that should be savored. Please consider diving in and when you do, dive in all the way.
#4 8 15 16 23 42
* Why didn't Lindelof and Cuse do the right thing and make is guaranteed that the show would end with 108 episodes?
Can you believe that we have reached the end of Season 2? It has been a very long and interrupted journey. I am excited to examine new plots in season 3. I am excited to remind myself about "The Oceanic Six." (Intrigued? Stay tuned!) And I am excited to swap out the Season 2 logo for another of a different color.
But before we get to those things, we need to examine "Live Together Die Alone." Do you remember those words, spoken by Jack in Season 1 . . . back when he was a bit more admirable . . . a bit more heroic . . . and bit less churlish and quick to anger . . . a bit more humble? That was then. This is now. And now, angry Jack, Hurley, Kate, and Sawyer (a.k.a. The Only Lostaways That Matter*) are headed off with Michael to confront the pitiful--so Michael says--band of primitive Others on the far side of Mystery Island.
But!
Remember that Sayid had identified Michael's odd behavior? And how he warned Jack that Michael had been compromised? Well, he and Jack have a plan to circumvent whatever plan Michael may be following through with the Others and Henry Gale, because Sayid is going to sail around the Island with Jin and Sun to get to the Others camp while the rest of Michael's crew cut through the slower jungle overland route.
Where did they get a boat? Oh--I forgot to tell you about who was on the sailboat that arrived at the end of "Three Minutes." It was Desmond! He came back, against his will, he said because the Island doesn't want to let him leave.
It is in this FLASHBACK that he learn much more of Desmond's backstory. We learn that he used to be a part of the Royal Scots armed forces. That he was in military prison for something and then discharged after serving his sentence. We learn that he is disliked by a gruff, Tywin Lannister lookalike actor who's character name is Charles Widmore. We learn that Desmond is in love with Penelope Widmore--the daughter of Charles, and that Daddy doesn't like it. So much so that Charles is willing and able to try and pay Desmond off to keep him away from Penny forever. We learn that Desmond ended up on the Island because he was trying to win a Widmore-sponsored solo round-the-world sailing race, mostly to spite Charles and also to earn enough money to buy back Penny's love (maybe?). We also randomly learn that Desmond's boat: the one that sailed him around the world and accidentally to the Island, and then back again (currently being used by Sayid) was first owned by the recently departed Libby. And we learn that Desmond is a committed Charles Dickens fan.
We further learn (this is a two-episode length finale, y'all!) that while on the Island, Des was saved by Inman--formerly an American soldier who worked with Sayid in Iraq and now a part of DHARMA. Inman is down in the Swan Hatch alone and desperate for a button-pushing partner.
Speaking of the Hatch and the button . . . in the non-Flashback B plot, John Locke has teamed up with current Desmond to simulate a Lockdown and trap Mr. Eko outside of the computer station. John and Desmond was to prove once and for all that this button nonsense is just that . . . nonsense. They are going to make the counter go to 000 00 and see what happens. But Eko responds by enlisting Charlie to find the leftover Black Rock dynamite and blast his way back to the computer before the world ends.
While waiting for the timer to count down, Desmond gets second thoughts, remembering his time with Inman. He comes to (re?) believe that the button is actually doing something real. Because one time when he didn't punch the numbers in fast enough* bad stuff actually started happening. Such as:
weird hieroglyphs took the place of the zeros on the counter
the warning speaker kept repeating SYSTEM FAILURE
everything began shaking like an earthquake
all metallic items were drawn to and stuck upon the concrete bunker wall in the most dire-seeming fashion
Thinking back upon this Desmond realizes that this moment of SYSTEM FAILURE was the same day that Oceanic 815 crashed. So, he believes that there IS a purpose to the button and this Incident that is mentioned in the Swan Orientation film is something to be taken seriously.
And by now the timer has hit zero. And all of the above is happening. And John realizes that . . . he made a mistake and famously says (with a worried look) "I was wrong." But shit is happening now and how to fix it?!
They can't!
Only Desmond has the key--literally--to fix the problem. Something else he inherited from Inman in the FLASHBACKS--a DHARMA shaped key that can be inserted into a small lock under the floor of the Hatch. The keyhole is ominously labelled Failsafe and Inman drunkenly told him once that activating this would release the magnetic pressure building up behind the wall. But he also thought that it would destroy the Island and themselves at the same time. But Desmond will sacrifice himself to save others.
But not THOSE Others . . . because while all of this is happening at the Swan, Michael and his suspicious band are still traveling to the Others camp. And by now Jack has told them of his worry that Michael is a liar. And thus trapped, Michael has admitted that he killed Ana and Libby to free Henry--all done to save Walt and get him and his son off the Island. They are captured by the Others and taken to a dock where they are bound and gagged. Then Henry appears with the Season 1 ending boat to give Michael and Walt freedom. As all of this is transpiring, the Failsafe is triggered on the other side of the Island, the sky turns purple, a deafening thrumming noise fills the sky everywhere, and something happens at the Hatch.
We see that Charlie made it back to Lostaway beach. But we don't know Locke's, Desmond's, or Eko's fate. And we don't know what will happen to Jack, Kate, or Sawyer who are being held by Henry and the Others. Also, Sayid, Jin, and Sun were unsuccessful in sneaking up on the Others, so we don' t know if they survived the Failsafe event.
The final scene? Two scruffy scientists in some Arctic setting get a computerized warning that a magnetic anomaly was detected. They quickly make a phone call to Penny Widmore to tell her that they think they have found him!
Next Season!
*both to the viewing public, as well as to the Others?
* He was chasing Inman--who was stealing away to taken Desmond's sailboat to escape the Island, then accidentally killing Inman in the struggle, then quickly returning to the Hatch because he knew time was running out.
"Three Minutes" follows hot on the heels of the events of "?". The Lostaways are still trying to understand the events of "Two For the Road" while the fresh graves of Libby and Ana Lucia remind them of what they don't know.
They don't know who "Henry Gale" actually is. Nor where he has gone. (Though Michael has some ideas about that.)
They don't know the truth of how Ana and Libby died. (Though Michael definitely know the information about that.)
They don't know that Michael has plans to lead a few of them--Jack, Kate, John, Sawyer, and Hurley--into a trap. (Though Sayid has suspicions about that.)
They don't truly know what the Others are up to . . . or what is going on with Walt. (Though the events of this episode clue the viewer a bit closer into THAT.)
We get several mini-FLASHBACKS in this episode, not into anyone's far past. But into the thirteen days prior when Michael ran away from Swan Hatch in search of Walt. We see that he was chased by Jack and co. and how Michael was caught up by Capt. Beardo and his merry band of boat-going others. How he was gagged and in the wings when Beardo confronted Jack and co. about the line in the jungle that the Lostaways were not to cross. We see that Michael was taken back to the primitive-seeming camp that the Others have on some unknown part of the Island--huts alongside an ocean bluff. Michael sees another Dharma-sealed door to what looks to be a fifth Hatch. But there is no entrance.
Michael is held in a hut and not permitted to see anything or talk to anyone but a mysterious woman called Klugh. She is given the name "Miss Klugh" in the credits . . . clue . . . get it? (Don't worry. It won't really add up to anything in the end.) She is the one that tells Michael that only Kate, Jack, Sawyer (here identified at James Ford), John, and Hurley are to return with him. Miss Klugh gives Michael a hand-written list of these names. If he can lure these people to them, the Others will give Michael a boat and he and Walt can go free . . . off the Island? After promising to make that happen, Michael gets to see Walt for three minutes in the hut. It is the first time we've seen Walt since he was on the boat at the end of Season 1--minus a few visions here and there in previous episodes. Their reunion is tearful and it properly motivates Michael to carry out the plan--which will result in the two tragic deaths and the freeing of "Henry."
Other random thoughts while watching this episode:
1. At one point, Sawyer--while insulting Hurley and Kate in order to argue that Sayid should be included on Michael's mission--says the following: "Look if Pippy Longstockings and the Grape Ape get to go, then I vote for the Red Beret." It's the most amazing example so far of Sawyer's particular word salad of pop culture references/insults/nicknames. And my kids were so confused by it that they didn't even know how to respond.
2. One of the Others takes blood from Michael by simply jamming a hypodermic into the meat of his upper shoulder and I just laughed out loud. Of course, that isn't how you draw blood. But it is so stupid its' funny.
3. Charlie is demonstrating that he is no longer beholden to the heroin by throwing the remaining Virgin Mary statues into the ocean waves. Ignoring the fact, naturally, that he is barely getting the statues past the breakwater and that they will wash ashore in the tide within hours. But . . . now that I think on it a bit unless Nigerian souvenier making is very high quality, the seams on the statues won't be enough to protect the heroin from seawater. So . . . I guess Charlie did it right after all.
4. And speaking of the ocean bringing things back to the Island, something does come back at the very end of the episode. A fancy-looking sailboat! I wonder who is inside?
I am still working my way through the end of Season 2 of the LOST Rewatch and there are only a few episodes that remain as we wrap up the season of the Hatch. And that is an appropriate adjective to this episode in particular because the A plot of "?" deals with hatches.
Remember back in "Lockdown" when the blast doors triggered (because the Dharma food pallet drop was taking place) and John got injured by the door crushing his leg? And remember who during that lockdown, blacklights switched on and he saw a hand-drawn image of some sort of hatch-based diagram? And in the center of that diagram was a big question mark?
The beginning of it is mostly the immediate aftermath of what Michael did in Swan hatch when he murdered Ana Lucia and Libby, freed "Henry Gale", and then intentionally wounded himself with a self-inflicted shoulder gunshot to turn the suspicion away from him. He had deniability as Jack and Sawyer and Kate come rushing back to the Swan to find out what happened. And Jack--ever the opportunist--uses this crisis to out-maneuver Sawyer once more. He forces Sawyer's brief humanity to expose where he is keeping his stash of guns and medicine . . . so that Jack can get the Virgin Mary heroin he needs to put a lingering Libby out of her misery. Jack knows that he can't do anything to prevent her death and so he wants to pwn Sawyer again, just like he recently did during their mango-fueled poker game.
But that isn't truly important. Sure, there is sadness with the death of two more characters. And Hurley is devastated when he learns what happened to Libby. And he feels guilty that he forgot the blankets that drove her to the Hatch in the first place. And Sawyer regrets his recent snarky (if sexy) last encounter with Ana that allowed her to palm him revolver that allowed the deaths to occur.
But the true focus of the episode is Eko and John. Because Eko began having Island prophetical dreams of his priest brother Yemi--who told him that he and John needed to find the Question Mark. Eko doesn't know what any of that means. But he has Island-faith that John will understand and that together they will succeed.
Yemi pops up in more than one vision-dream during this episode--first to Eko and then to John when they are hiking out into the jungle in search of the promised Question Mark. It prompted me to consider that Yemi had (briefly) become the new Walt--a visionary individual who only serves to prod along the plot in mysterious ways.
And yes, there is lots of dreaming in this episode and much talk of miracles. Because that is the subject of the FLASHBACK! We learn that Eko spent his time after Yemi flew away from Nigeria in the drug runner's plane serving as a supposed priest. And weirdly enough, no one challenged his doctrinal authority or anything. So much so that he was working within a diocesean structure as a miracle authenticator. Eko had been planning to go to the U.S. and probably lose himself in a new country and ditch this fake priest role. But another priest interrupted his plans and sent him to Sydney to authenticate a story of a young girl who was supposed to have drowned but instead came back to life during the autopsy. (And . . . yes . . . the girl in question, named Charlotte, was the daughter of the psychic that was visited by both Claire and Rose in previous episodes.) But that is not important.
What is important is that there is much talk of miracles in the Flashback B plot and I think it was there to give viewers some slim hope that Libby might recover from her gunshot wounds. Not that any of the characters ever gave that indication. But I think it was there to toy with people's expectations at least a bit. But in the end, no help resulted and Libby died before she could tell anyone that Michael was responsible for the killings and for the freeing of "Henry."
While the Lostaways are preparing for a dual funeral, Michael is frantically trying to convince Jack, Locke, Kate, Sawyer . . . and Hurley? . . . to come with him on a raid of the primitive camp where Michael is sure that "Henry" is escaping back to. Michael semi-demands that no one else may help, no matter how logical it might be. (And that includes Sayid, which raises red flags for some of the observant Lostaways who think that Michael must have been compromised during the time he was missing and searching for Walt.) But more on that to come in the next episode . . .
Back in the now, John and Eko do succeed in tracking down the "?" in question. It is an entrance to a fourth Hatch station built below the precise location where the Nigerian drug plane crashed. This station, the Pearl, is simple compared to the Swan. It has some comfortable swivel chairs and a bank of TV monitors . . . and lots of notebooks. According to another Orientation film that Eko discovered--hosted by Mark Wickmund, who looks identical to Marvin Candle from the Swan film--the Pearl station is an observation post. It seems that the Dharma people in Pearl and supposed to snoop on the people in the Swan. Does this mean that the number punching in Swan station is just a bunch of baloney? John now certainly thinks so and in anger and frustration, he vows to abandon the Numbers and the Swan and put all of that behind him.
But Eko is now even more committed--and he vows to take over the task of number punching. He has taken over the faith of the Hatch in ways that John no longer has--which ties neatly into his Flashback religion sequence.
But bigger questions loom. Will Michael's treachery be verified by Sayid? Will Michael convince the right people to go with him to invade the Others camp? What does the Other's camp actually look like? Why did Michael betray his friends? What is the true nature--if any--of the Pearl Station . . . or the Swan Station for that matter?
Well! My last Rewatch post was OVER three years ago. Back in March 2017. I ended with season 2, episode 19: "S.O.S."
You can read it here, if you want to get back into the flow of things. And I ended that post with the tease of we would find out what the returning Michael was up to next time. But I didn't think it would take so loooong!!
But hey--life happens. I'm sure when Michael crashed on the mystery island with his estranged son, he was not prepared to find it a magical island with smoke monsters, weird visions, and marauding Others. He didn't expect to successfully build a raft only to have that raft be attacked by Captain Beardo and his Other pirates. And he didn't expect Walt to be taken. But all of that happened in season 1. And for most of season 2 the mystery of Walt's disappearance was unresolved and Michael was mad. Everyone was focused on the Tailies and how they upset the balance of the Lostaways lifestyle on Jack Beach. And people were trying to figure out what was going on in the Hatch with the Numbers. And everyone was still recovering from Shannon's death. And everyone was doing everything else but solve two significant problems. First, what about Walt? And second, does anyone want to be rescued off of this place?
Michael left to solve the first problem. And in "S.O.S." Bernard tried to solve the second. But he succumbed to the magic pull of the Island to come to terms with what Rose wanted. And now, after being gone for a while Michael has suddenly returned and he has been taken down into the Hatch to recover after wandering through the jungle from wherever he has been. And when he is in the Hatch, he finds Ana Lucia struggling with her own confused feelings. She has a gun that she took from Sawyer--after she tricked him into sex so that she could grab one of his guns when he wasn't paying attention. And now that she has the gun, she is struggling to determine what her plan is and why.
For you see, in the FLASHBACK . . . we learn that Ana crossed paths with a drunk and despairing Christian Shephard. After Christian lost he job because Jack ratted out his on-job drinking, he was falling apart. Christian convinces Ana to serve as his world-travelling bodyguard companion and they go to Sydney . . . so that Christian can harass a woman on a dark rainy night? The dialogue isn't entirely clear, but we know that he is drunk and is demanding to see his daughter. (Who might THAT be?)
Ana eventually tires of Christian's aimless drinking and whatever and leaves him behind in the bar. As she leaves, she bumps into Sawyer, who is going into the bar after failing to kill his nemesis. He is about to have his own Christian encounter!
But Ana is still struggling to reconcile her hatred over the man who attacked her and caused her to lose her baby. (And whom she then killed in outright anger.) And she quit the police due to this despair. And her time with Christian didn't help. And then she crashlanded on Mystery Island. And then she got mixed up in all sorts of fights with Others.And she let her anger run free. And it caused her to kill. And then she accidentally killed Shannon. And people hate her. And she hates herself. And now she's got a gun. And she is trying to figure out what to do with that gun and with Henry Gale. And she doesn't know how to proceed.
In happier news back on Lostaway Beach . . . Hurley is recovering from his recent antics with "Dave." And he is pleased that Libby was there to help him out and that she seems to dig him. And so they are going to have a picnic! But Hurley forgot the blankets. So Libby headed down to the Hatch to grab some.
But when she got there, she arrived at the worst time.
For you see--we now learn what Michael is there to do. He sweet-talked Ana as she struggled with the gun. And he got it away from her. And then he SHOT her with it . . . just as Libby turned the corner. And Michael SHOT HER as well! And that is how one of the most dramatic and unexpected moments in LOST history happened.
And here is where I interject a bit about my own personal history with this. When I first began this Rewatch, it was partly to get Grace interested in the show. And she was definitely into it. But this episode broke her. (She was in Middle School at the time.) She was so unexpectedly upset with Michael's turn and with Ana's (and Libby's) death that we stopped watching the show for almost six months.
So, now--as I've started the Rewatch again with Hannah, we got to the same episode. And Grace and I were anticipating how Hannah would react to this plot turn. And she WAS upset. But we only took a week's break this time. And so, as we near the end of season two, I rejoin my Rewatch blog commitment. It will give me something to write about that isn't COVID related, at least.
See you next entry . . . when we deal with the immediate aftermath of What Michael Did.
FINALLY some GOOD NEWS during all of this COVID-19 pandemic sadness!
(I've thought about this randomly during the last few months and had convinced myself that it would never happen. But this evening, Twitter delivered the only good piece of news that misbegotten site has every published live--
In my Fall 2019 TV Preview post, I boldly stated that the original Holey Moley was the only Category I show that aired last year. You may disagree, but if you do, I encourage you to start your own blog site that you've pestered person(s) with for approaching twenty years. Then maybe I'll endorse your differing opinion.
But I'm so very happy about this unexpected development.
I'm so thrilled that I get to spend my summer evenings listening to Rob Riggle once again ridicule the fame-hungry pseudo athletes who try to make a life of mini golf.
I'm so jazzed that weirdo people with bizarre TV personalities and fashion senses try to one-up each other inside a freezing cold sound stage.
I'm over the moon at the prospect of new, inventively bizarre mini golf holes.
And I'm terribly sad that I didn't follow my dream to apply myself for this train wreck of a "reality" show.
Please, please, please, PLEASE watch this show over the next few months. Tweet about it. Chat about it. Raise up its media profile so that a season three can be assured and if no other sport rises out of the post-COVID aftermath . . . it is this sport!
Maybe it's a coping mechanism, but I've been watching a lot of Buddy v. Duff cake competitions on Food Network.
In season 1, which I watched On Demand, the show really played up the disagreement and personality differences between the two bakers. And I was fine with that since I prefer Duff's graffiti artist sensibilities and his cool. Buddy, on the other hand, is all NY/New Jersey bluster and braggadocio. He's not my cup of tea and his bigger-than-life cartoonish cakes didn't seem as striking as Duff's detailed and precise recreations.
In season 2, things are a bit different.
Duff is still making very detail-oriented cakes with lots of real-as-life elements. But he has also enlarged his scale to batch up with Buddy's normal output. And the show has done a better job of reinforcing the respect that must exist between these two professional artists. And I appreciate that aspect of the new show especially.
Still, I know its a scripted show with predetermined story beats. It's no surprise that even with a 3-1 win total this season, there is only a one point lead separating the two competing teams.
It's not important. But its fun to watch.
What sort of TV are you watching to keep your mind off of the problems of the world?
(Aww nuts. My numbers are out of balance again--and the imbalance is just gonna get worse.)
During a brief breakfast discussion this morning, I had a great idea . . . a LOST themed marching band halftime show!
Think of it:
The trombone part would be insane. (Those of you who have seen the show know what I'm talking about.)
The backdrop art could either be a tropic island or just a banner showing the Numbers
The middle, slow-it-down ballad song of the halftime show would be my absolute favorite piece of LOST-related music: Michael Giacchino's "Life & Death"
Which lucky band member gets to play Desmond? How are you going to hide him in a hatch for the first three minutes of the show?
The guard could all be dressed in Dharma Initiative jumpsuits
The flags would all show the Swan logo
The first sound of the show could be a pre-recorded Previously on LOST . . .
What ideas do you have about a LOST-themed show? How would you do it?
This may well and truly be the final edition of my Fall TV previews.
Why?
Because TV barely exists anymore and the concept of "Fall TV" stopped being a real concept about four years ago. I only hold onto the conceit because I am imaginatively bankrupt.
Still, I feel the need to lead you through the radioactive wastelands of what used to be called the TV Zone--now a blasted wasteland of unpredictable premieres, new networks and programming outlets, whole seasons of content appearing overnight, and all the rest.
Follow me into the unthinkable . . . if you dare!
So, what will I do with mainstream television? Will I cut my ties to cable television before this calendar year is done? And if I do that, am I guaranteed to fill that entertainment void with Disney+ and the like? Will I shift my television connections purely to . . . let's say . . . DirecTV streaming? Streaming HBO Go? Will I stay on Hulu and Amazon Prime? Include Disney+? And even add CBS All Access? (But probably NOT Apple TV? Good lord--am I forgetting something?
It's a very complicated world forming out there and I haven't yet decided which way to jump? And a lot of it is going to depend on what are the comparison bills between pure streaming and mainstream cable + some streaming?
But enough nuts and bolts business talk--I've been watching too much Succession, I guess.
Let's get down to the business of which entertainments will demand my time this season?
A few behind-the-scenes notes. I am taking back the full reins of writing these posts this year. My friend Dean is far more focused on things that matter to him and fair enough. But if he changes his mind, he should know that my blog is always open to his thoughts on any television matter he wants to discuss. I've enjoyed collaborating with him over the years and I miss our lunchtime conversations on whatever is happening.
Otherwise--how to handle it this year? I am thinking that I am going to simplify things down even more this year and only have a single post that focuses on a few broad categories of shows. In this mixed up media world, how can I figure out what is the right thing to do? I can only tell you the story that I feel like telling. So . . . enough preamble.
Let's go!
Category I: the only show that truly matters
Holey Moley
You may quibble with my selection of this show on this list, since it was a summer show and is not being broadcast in the Fall. But I don't care. It was my best viewing experience of the last few months.
I loved the imagination. I loved the ridiculous contestants. I really loved the humorous commentary from the announcers. I loved the concept of extreme mini golf. I loved the notion that I might consider auditioning to be a contestant for next summer. And I love the idea that even if I somehow managed to get on the show, I would be a huge embarrassment to myself, my wife, my children. So. Much. Fun!
Category II: Shows to look forward to
The Good Place (NBC, September 26)
Last year, this was the only mainstream show that I could muster up any anticipation for. And this is the last season of The Good Place. So I hope that I enjoy it immensely. This show has proven its ability to reinvent itself many, many times in its short life. But I have found good things to like about it every time. I like the heart of the characters and the goodness within the show's message. This being season 4, I don't guess I can convince any of you to try it at this point. But since everything can be found on-demand and streamed whenever you feel like it, I'll try one more time before The Good Place ceases to be a "going concern." Watch it.
Watchmen (HBO, October 20)
Did you ever read the graphic novel? Did you watch the movie? What was your opinion on the movie? Did you like LOST? Damon Lindelof? Are you experiencing comic book fatigue? Do you have an HBO subscription? These are all relevant questions that will determine your interest level in Watchmen. I am favorable on all of the questions above, which I wrote, and which came out of my brain seconds ago. So . . . I'm going to be giving this show a try. I do hope that I like it.
Mr. Robot (and while we're at it . . . Briarpatch)(FX, October 6)
I kind of lost track of Mr. Robot. I thought that it was done. And I couldn't really tell you what happened in the last season--which I am sure that I definitely, for sure watched. The show was so interesting in season 1 and it was less so after that. But Rami Malek is still a fun actor to be involved with and the premise of the show is still (I think?) worth pursuing. So I'm going to at least try to look forward to it and give a few episodes a try. If I find myself scanning my phone more than I'm paying attention to the visuals? Well, then maybe I'll drop it before it finishes.
And I've got to make sure that my DVR series settings still have it ready to record.
And because of its production company connection to Mr. Robot creator and showrunner Sam Esmail, I want to put in a bit of a plug for Briarpatch. It is a new show that I believe will be on USA Network. It is based on a book and the head creator/showrunner is Andy Greenwald. I've loved Andy's TV reviews on Grantland and his podcasting acumen on The Watch. So I think this show will be full of character depth and intriguing to experience. Go look for its premiere and commit to watching it!
The Mandalorian (Disney+, November 12)
In case it is not obvious from the trailer above, the Mandalorian features the same race (?), citizens (?), sect (?) of people from the Star Wars planet Mandalor--where mysterious bounty hunter Boba Fett came from. I don't know, based on this alone, if this show is worth watching. But I liked Rogue One and I've been much more pleased with the recent SW movies since George Lucas left it all behind. So this might be one of the main reasons why I'd add this payment to my entertainment plan in the coming months.
Picard (CBS All Access, ____ 2020)
Speaking of space shows . . . I resisted joining up with CBS All Access last year--even when the critical buzz continued to say that the new flagship show, Star Trek: Discovery was excellent. Then CBS went ahead and delivered a new second Star Trek series focused on Jean Luc Picard. It really seems like they are doing good things. Will that persuade me to "Make it so?"
Looking for Alaska (Hulu, October 18)
Happy--belated--birthday to me! John Green's first publication is finally being filmed. Not as the long-rumored, often shopped movie, but as a Hulu series. And I'm very excited to watch it. The press on this one has been quiet--both from the network and from John himself. But I watched the original trailer and I thought it looked good. This story of high school love and mystery works very well with the Hulu brand and I think it can make a fun serialized show. If it does well, might we see a Will Grayson Will Grayson series next?
Stumptown (ABC, September 25)
What do I know? It's got Cobie Smolders. (Yes.) Jake Johnson. (Double yes.) And she is a private eye. (Fine.) Cobie's character seems like a less comic booked Agent Hill and I'm ready to give her a watch or two. It may end up being pretty predictable. But hey, I watched Whiskey Cavalier last year and enjoyed that diversion as well.
The Flash (The CW, October 8)
I'm still hanging in there with this superhero show, even though I dropped Arrow a while back as well as Supergirl. And I only ever gave Legends of Tomorrow part of a season. I don't know if I'll be willing to sample Batwoman (The CW, October 6) because I strongly lost interest in Gotham last season--even though I came back for the finale. I'm worried that Batwoman will be very focused on gender politics and be less about vigilante justice.
Silicon Valley (HBO), October 27)
The funniest show of computer nerds come back to finish out its story close to Halloween. But full disclosure, will I like it as much without T.J. Miller? I know he is supposed to be off the show now and I am sorry for that. I liked the tone of his character. But I'm sure the residuals from The Emoji Movie are keeping him in houses--even if he isn't yet a member of the Tres Commas club.
Marvels Runaways (Hulu, December 13)
This was one of the first shows Lynda and I watched when we started using Hulu. It's an okay superhero show. I'm willing to check in on it and see where things are now. It's based on a comic book story of teens who have super-ish powers and the twist is when they find out that their parents are the supervillains. So they escape from home to find out how to deal with this and how to deal with each other.
Category III: Be still my heart!
The New Pope (HBO, _____?)
It is entirely possible I might end up going to hell for loving this bananas show. But maybe if I balance it out by going to confession?
I'll risk it.
Mad About You (Spectrum, November 20)
Who do I have to kill to get Spectrum? Am I going to be able to watch this show? Do I WANT to watch this show? I'm intrigued, terrified, excited all at once. Lynda and I loved to watch this show so much back in our early marriage days. It only seems right that we all come back together again in our middling years of matrimony to check in on each other.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+, November 12)
Disney + may giveth, but Disney+ also taketh away. And no, those are NOT typos in the title. According to some child based research I've conducted in my own home, this show is not a bizarre reinvention of the beloved Zeffron vehicle. Rather it appears to be a documentary (Office-style mockumentary?) of kids preparing and auditioning for a musical based on the TV show. I don't think Disney content needs to be so meta. But when you've got an entire network to fill with programming, you mine your IP for whatever it is worth, I suppose.
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So, what did I miss? Which shows premiering and returning in the fall are you excited for? How many streaming services are you willing to subscribe to? How badly do you miss Dean's takes on television?
Category V: Random bonus moment for long-time readers
Hey, no one asked, but I'm going to give you a list of the things that I liked most in 2018--and I'm not going to divide things out into categories such as movies, television, performances, or whatever.
I'm lumping everything together into a single list of the things that I liked the most and try my best to give them a ranking of worst to best--or maybe just from least worthy to most worthy (because all of this stuff is great.) Let's get this started!
10. SHAVING MY BEARD (personal facial choice)
I've surprised myself with how much I've enjoyed being clean-shaven in the last few months of this year. Sure, it is more work to tidy up in the morning than it used to be. But getting that grey off my face has improved my inner outlook about myself.
9. EMMA STONE (actress)
I felt like Emma Stone did five different things this year. But that is probably because I stop flipping channels whenever I see her and stop to watch. I really did enjoy Maniac on Netflix. (It felt like a weird cousin to the already weird Legion, even though neither had anything to do with each other.) And I caught up on 2017's Battle of the Sexes this year and really liked her performance as Billie Jean King.
I put her here because I think I've decided that I just like her lots and wanted to spend a bit of time celebrating her in 2018.
8. BLACKKKLANSMAN (Spike Lee movie)
As a placeholder, I had Incredibles 2 and Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse as two movies that I anticipated and enjoyed greatly this year. And these two movies are definitely On Brand for me. But when I did a quick search for 2018 movies, I was reminded that I saw Spike Lee's movie BlackKKlansman this summer. And it's no feel-good movie. But no other movie made me cry for its final ten minutes either.
HARRY POTTER PODCASTS (a. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion, The Ringer podcast network & b. Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile, formerly on the Panoply Network and now moving to Patreon) 7. (b) Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
The Sacred Text podcast team has also been a favorite of mine for several years. In 2018 they finished Goblet of Fire and have been walking through Order of the Phoenix chapter-by-chapter. Their divinity school training, textural and spiritual interpretive practises, their compassionate insights, and guests make each episode something new.
6. (a) Binge Mode: Harry Potter Binge Mode first hit the scene a few years ago when Mallory and Jason went through every episode of the HBO series Game of Thrones and also expounded on how much they loved George R.R. Martin's novels. Once they were done with that marathon, they teased listeners with the equally gargantuan task of diving into their deep love of J.K. Rowling's novels as well as their views on the growing movie franchise. The HP focus started this summer and as the end of the year approaches, they still aren't done. But their insights and fun are worth the time and the wait. 5. ATLANTA (FX, hiatus between season 2 and season 3)
If you spend any time watching quality television, you don't need me to tell you how good Atlanta is. Always great storytelling. Frequently great photography. Excellent, surprising acting. If you haven't seen the Teddy Perkins episode, give yourself 45 minutes to get really creeped out by one of the most unexpected episodes of television you'll never be able to imagine. 4. HAVING KIDS (perpetual commitment)
As you probably know, Sarah moved out for college this fall. And even though we see her quite often (she's only 15 miles downtown), it is nice to watch her explore this new space and search for herself more directly. It's nice to catch up on the weekends and get a glimpse of the good (and sometimes bad) things that she is facing on her own.
And that is only her! Grace is so busy with school, extracurriculars, and a bevy of friends. She makes me so proud every day for how she sees and moves in the world. She is simply excellent.
And then there is Hannah, who doesn't deserve to be listed last every time because she is always challenging my parental comforts--reminding me to not be complacent with my parenting, to stay engaged, to respond to her curiosity and her energy; reminding me that this is HER first time through these challenges and I need to treat them with the same level of commitment and excitement that she deserves. She's still figuring out who she is and she's helping me remind myself of who I want to be.
3.KILLING EVE (BBC America, season 2 going on right now)
Full disclosure on this one. I didn't start watching the first season of this show until Last Night. Other media critics told me that it was really good and once I finally got around to verifying it, I could not have been happier. I knew very quickly that it was going on my list right away. I have a fondness of spy shows and I definitely like shows with a sense of humor. This show handles both elements so well. And I can't highly recommend it more strongly. You should watch it.
2. ADVENTURE ZONE (The McElroy Brothers, Maximum Fun podcast network, biweekly)
I knew of the McElroy's before this year and even before I started liking their content. But I didn't really become a fan until sometime in the spring or summer of 2018. And while I'm about a decade behind on their flagship MBMBAM (My Brother, My Brother, and Me) podcast I entered the 'verse by binding through The Adventure Zone--first the Balance arc and now listening to the Amnesty arc. The McElroys are first and foremost funny. But they are also sweet and humane and likable guys. They are creative and energetic and just fun to experience. Really, really great! 1. KIDDING (Showtime, hiatus between season 1 and season 2)
I tweeted a lot about this show when I was watching it. So you might not be surprised to see this one high on my list. I can't think of another show or media experience that so surprised me this year. I knew that I liked the pairing of Michael Gondry and Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and I was intrigued to see Carrey back in the spotlight after I had watched the documentary about his struggles in recent years. And I liked the idea of him playing a Fred Rogers-esque children show host. What I wasn't ready for was the heart and the compassion that was shown in this show, even when it was wrapped around a lot of individually-bad behavior and choices. There are several flawed people on this show--definitely including Carrey's Mr. Pickles. But the way that Pickles tries to make others see the good in each other and find the good in himself was really touching.
In part that is because I am watching less and less of the Big Box networks shows with each passing season. It's not helped by the fact that I stopped my Entertainment Weekly subscription, so I'm not getting a fat issue with lots of synopses and helpful programming guides. And further, the fragmentation of the television "season" is so complete now that treating the start of new shows in September as an event worth noting . . . well, those days are gone as well.
Still, I'll try to put this together this year--even if it is in a much more abbreviated and simplified form than you've seen in the past. I'll combine all the networks and nights into this one post and just leave it at that. Easy-peasy. But I'll categorize the shows I want to talk about into a few categories to give you some sense of what I think it worth examining and what you should just skip. It's going to be down-and-dirty stuff this year But really, that is what normcore TV deserves in 2018.
(If it is not really clear . . . this won't be a comprehensive list of all the shows coming back this year. If you want something more elaborate, I'm sure you can find stuff on the Internet.)
CATEGORY -1: Oh God! My EYES!!
Magnum P.I. (CBS, September 24): If you are familiar even a bit with the history of television, I don't think I need to explain to you the premise of this show. What else but the Tom Selleck original did more to popularize Ferrari in the United States? What else could possibly make Hawaiian print shirts a viable wardrobe choice? But I'm going to reject this show sight unseen because whatever poor actor they've hired to take on the thankless task of replacing the original is NOT sporting a mustache. (I mean, of course he isn't . . . but still . . . no thanks.)
Young Sheldon (CBS): I didn't support it last year and I'm definitely NOT interested in year two.
New Amsterdam (NBC, September 25): I have a visceral dislike of this show, simply because it glorifies the doctors as so earnest and so humane. It just makes every cynical nerve in my body tingle. Pass.
A Million Little Things (ABC, September 26): Below you will see my opinions on This is Us. I'm not being as charitable to an unknown clone of that show. So, A Million Little Things will be placed here.
Murphy Brown (CBS, September 27): I didn't need a reboot of this show. If I didn't watch Newsroom, I don't need to watch a less expensive, less original version of that show to try and tell me how to think.
The Cool Kids (FOX, September 28): Vicki Lawrence (yes, THAT one) and Martin Mull are teaming up with David Alan Grier to be old, cranky retirees. The fact that it is written by Charlie Day may make it appealing to some. But not to me.
Last Man Standing (FOX, September 28): Speaking of old and cranky . . . shut up Tim Allen. I hope that you agree with the retrograde stuff your character says on this show . . . only because if you DON'T then it makes it even worse.
God Friended Me (CBS, September 30): On theological grounds alone I must strongly reject this show.
CATEGORY 0: Meh . . . I Guess I'll Watch TV Tonight
Castaways (ABC, August 7): This new reality show might already have come and gone. The only difference between it and Survivor or anything else is that the contestants are all placed separately. (At least, that is what you the viewer are being told. Everything is all acting anyway.)
9-1-1 (Fox, September 23): This super dramatic police "drama?" was a bit hit with viewers and media last year. It was super sensational and at least somewhat based on headline-ripping plots. This year, Jennifer Love-Hewitt joins the cast. So, if you've been wondering what she's been up to since you loved her in high school . . . well, you won't find out from watching the show, I guess. It's not written like that. But maybe that will motivate you to watch it?
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, September 24): The only reason this is noteworthy is due to the fact that this represents the final season of this long-running, super popular series. I quit watching about two years ago and I don't regret that choice at all. It is the equivalent of mashed potatoes and gravy. As long as you aren't buying it from KFC, you know exactly what you'll be getting and chances are if you've made the choice, you are happy even before you take the first bite.
Manifest (NBC, September 24): The description I read begins with "What if they remade LOST but . . ." That is enough to at least make me consider paying attention. But I know that the end result will likely be disappointing. Still . . . plane travelers experience time-based air turbulence might equal something interesting at least?
The Gifted (FOX, September 25): I tried this show a bit last year, but it never engaged me enough to stick with it past five or six episodes. Some of the preview commercials I've seen make it look interesting. Maybe you should consider giving it a try this year?
This is Us (NBC, September 25): Look, if I was only writing this post for myself, I would put This is US squarely in Category -1. I don't need that sort of emotional manipulation in my life. But I realize that lots of people really like this show, so in deference to all of you--I'll keep my negativity (mostly) to myself.
CATEGORY 1: I'm Shoutin' This From the Mountaintops!
The Good Place (NBC, September 27): This may very well be the ONLY entry in this best category. There just isn't that much interesting television left on the major networks any longer. (And even the term major networks is misleading and a relic of the past.) Be that as it may, The Good Place is great TV. It's clever, well-written, and it has a good heart. Please watch it.
