That Darn TV! For Those Addicted…
Those who have read the AWH magazine know I wrote a feature every month called That Darn TV! I stopped watching TV years ago, but lately I’ve been lured back to ‘the box’ by a few programmes that I got hooked on. It started when Hubby bought the first season of Heroes, and I was held spellbound by all the seasons until the last one where my interest waned and I didn’t bother watching the last few. The light went out of it for me. Besides, by that time the latest season came along I’d watched other shows…
Next came Prison Break. I wasn’t interested the first time around, although the rest of the family watched it weekly. Hubby bought the seasons on DVD, and so I thought I’d give it a chance. Season one didn’t grip me as much as the others, and I’ll admit the season featuring Sona was a little lame for my tastes, but all in all I did like the series.
Then came Deadwood. I really wanted to like it because of the historical bent, and I wasn’t disappointed. I only wished it had more seasons. I still think about the characters, and it helped that Seth was beautiful to look at.
Dexter next, by far the best for me, because I love anything about serial killers, albeit Dexter wasn’t your usual kind. We scoffed all the available seasons one after the other, and while we wait for the next one we decided to try 24.
Now, I was worried about watching this one because Kiefer Sutherland gives me the damn creeps. I remember him from The Lost Boys and since then I’ve avoided anything with him in it. I think it may be his hamster cheeks that put me off. Anyway, him aside, I got hooked on 24. What I will say is that we quickly guessed what would happen next in the three series we’ve watched. After the first one we’d got a handle on the writers’ minds. So, predictable plots aside, I did enjoy it. We have lots more seasons to watch, but after three back to back I kind of felt all 24’d out. It’s the non-stop action that wore me to a frazzle, so we took a break and started Lost.
We’d heard a lot about it, and the idea of people stranded on a desert island didn’t appeal. But how could we ignore the hype? We’d at least give it a try. I loved it right from the start, though it took Hubby until episode three to warm up to it. The thing is, and this is most unusual for us when we start watching these things, we haven’t watched any of it for a few nights. It’s a ‘take it or leave it’ show, in my opinion, where I’m quite happy to have a break in between, and I’m guessing it will be easy to pick up on it when we do finally start watching again. I like the idea of the weirdness going on in the forest—and people have assured me it gets weirder—but the pace isn’t fast enough—well, compared to 24 the pace is snail-like—and I find myself thinking about sneaking off and abandoning Lost to watch another season of 24.
What I’ve liked about all these shows is that there’s always someone to love and someone to hate. Hubby and I varied in who we liked and disliked, but sometimes we hated on the same characters. In heroes, we discussed how clever the writers were—yeah, we’re geeks like that—in that they make you hate Sylar then swing it around so you’re rooting for the yummy devil. Um, yeah, he was one of my faves to look at. And imagine my delight to find Sylar—well, not Sylar, but you know what I mean—appears in 24. Actually, we spotted a few characters from one show star in another, but the weirdest spot was in Deadwood. Now, I haven’t looked this up to make sure it is the same guy, but I swear they used the same actor for two different people. I can’t remember the character names, but there was a guy who played the dude who killed the old poker player, Wild Bill Something-or-other. Later, the killer guy played the bloke who killed the prostitutes. Did that confuse you? It did me. It would help if I remembered their names, but oh well. Those who have watched Deadwood might know who I mean.
So, I wonder which shows we’ll pick next. Friends have suggested True Blood. I haven’t read the books, and maybe I won’t because after watching Dexter I read the book, and for once I was disappointed with the book not the show. The show was heaps better, in my opinion. I didn’t get the sense of nonchalance from the book that the show portrays with regards to Dexter. The almost funny way he acts, as though killing really isn’t a problem or something one shouldn’t do.
Which show do you recommend?
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