Consonants and vowels all together, equally

In my tags list, I have 14 tags that refer to specific "canons." Of those, 5 are reality shows, one is a book series, and the other 8 are scripted television shows. I'm going to talk now about a summer in which many of them ended, and others ended for me.

( Six Feet Under and Buffy, two ends of the spectrum )

( Ugly Betty, CSI, Studio 60, Veronica Mars, and oh, yeah, that book series I was reading )

So, what have we learned?

Lesson 4: Don't get involved in a serial narrative whose narrative priorities are different than yours--namely, character change/development and, if there are romances, a satisfying romance. The narrative will work to preserve its own priorities, and even if it threw a few crumbs to these other issues, it will jettison them all if it has to in order to preserve its priority, be it world building/philosophy or action/adventure or a kind of procedural "plot." In other words, be really, really careful about "genre", because most of it won't you what you crave.

Lesson 5: Best case scenario, don't get involved in an unfinished serial narrative, especially in American network television, with their sort-of-but-not-really narrative arcs that don't lead to satisfying endings and their need to "shake things up" to create drama by never letting the couple get together, or breaking up the team.

Lesson 6: Steer clear of canons with open shipping, because if there's really a love triangle it means they're not going to build either of the pairings up very well. Also, it makes for a vicious fandom.

Next: How Avatar almost, but not quite, soothed my PTSD, and why I went running off to reality television.

One of the things I've done with my flist on this journal is try to surround myself with positive energy. I find a lot of negativity and snark to be incredibly draining. Now, I can be as sarcastic as the next person—probably moreso—and bitchiness can absolutely be funny, but I think I've just drifted out of wanting to be around that sort of attitude all the time. In addition, I don't much like being around naysaying—like, if you're into something that I'm not, I'm not sure why that's a bad thing. I really like watching people getting really excited about new things; it's fun, because it's such a positive energy to be around all that WHEE! (I'll admit, though, when people have really short attention spans I get a little motion sick; I have a really long attention span which I don't think is very fannish of me.) And when someone says, "Alas, for this thing does not have my love anymore, as it once did" I can relate in a way that I can't to "I'm so over that" or "that was so last Tuesday." I was reminded of this in an offline way this week, where someone was talking down about something. I don't know, I'm not perfect but I try not to do that because I'd rather use my energy to be positive. I don't always succeed, but that's my goal.

One of the things I've been talking about recently is my need for good endings. I've pretty much washed out of current fiction series television because I hate it when things go pear shaped (see above about long attention spans). So the rest of this is Alas, for this thing does not have my love anymore, "this thing" being ( CSI ).

It's odd because I've always been a big television watcher, and I've been wondering where my trust in the writers had gone. Certainly it's been trampled on by Veronica Mars, by Studio 60, by the middle stretch of Six Feet Under, heck by Harry Potter. But I think it's more that I am being asked to have so much more trust in writers that aren't that interested in maintaining it. I know I've been talking about this rather endlessly, my decision not to pick up any new shows this fall, but I can't say enough how really odd this is. It was why advertising was such a good fit for me for so many years. I'm really resistant to the idea that fanfic has "ruined" television for me; rather, it's made me see what I like in narrative and what I don't.

I'm not sure that the days before Hill Street Blues, when all shows were episodic, returning to a "zero state" at the end of the episode, were all that bad given that American television writers don't seem to know how to write a proper arc, be it overall plot or individual characters. Perhaps it's this change in series television that has me so unfulfilled, so dismayed, so disappointed. The "teasing" of the viewers is just silly, like the little House/Wilson moments in a show that is never going to end with House and Wilson wandering off into the sunset. ali_wildgoose said recently that tv writers should never give interviews and that's probably true because they appear to get bored with their own arcs and want to do something different just to "surprise" the viewers. But that leads to unsatisfying endings and grouchy viewers. The pleasure, for me, of watching a film or reading a book or watching a really good television show is feeling that satisfaction with the ending, be it happy or tragic or someplace in between.

And at least there's always Idol in January!

Thanks to sistermagpie, I saw Alan Tudyk in Prelude to a Kiss last night. He was quite good, though I'm not the hugest fan of this play. His character, Peter, spends most of it being frustrated, and that just makes me frustrated. However, he spent nearly the entire first act and some of the second sans shirt. I'm very sure that in preparation for spending most of the night topless he's worked out like a mofo, because he had a six pack and shoulders you wouldn't think were under those clothes. No ass, though.

( Ugly Betty was excellent, wasn't it? )

CSI was sort of ridiculous. I wonder what the whole playing up Hodges thing is about.

So many spoilers below. No CSI, Studio 60, or Top Design next week.

( How I Met Your Mother: Stuff )

( Studio 60: The 4a.m. Miracle )

( Veronica Mars: Mars, Bars )

( Top Design )

( CSI: Fallen Idols )

So I'm watching five fictional television shows pretty regularly right now: How I Met Your Mother, Studio 60, Veronica Mars, Ugly Betty, CSI. I also watch whatever Magical Elves is doing (Project Runway/Top Chef/Top Design) though I felt that Top Chef 2 was really disappointing and seeing Tim Gunn's cameos on Ugly Betty made me miss PR all the more. I'll add American Idol as soon as they get out of Hollywood. And this was a really mixed week in my television universe. Let's take them in order of airing:

( HIMYM: Monday Night Football )

( The Harriet Dinner, Part 2 )

( Veronica Mars: There Has to Be a Morning After Pill )

( Ugly Betty: Brothers )

( CSI: Law of Gravity )

I'm glad I'll have Top Design and American Idol to get me through the March and April reruns. AI have finally gotten to Hollywood for this week so it's not long until voting! As for Top Design, so far it's pretty innocuous, not a lot of drama, pleasant host and judges (I adore Jonathan Adler and the way he calls bf Simon Doonan his "bloke"). I like Goil, Dorky Cute Asian Architect, the best so far.

Well, it did snow last night, in that I was out in the snow, but it didn't stick so I'm not sure it counts. We're supposed to get more snow showers tonight, but it looks like we'll be lucky to get a real snow before February, and I must say I'm vexed.

( Thoughs on the SAG's and Dreamgirls. )

By the way, folks have been asking if/when there have been more than one song from one movie nominated for the Best Original Song award, and it's happened 10 previous times, all since 1980:

• 2003: Cold Mountain, neither song won
• 1994: 3 from Lion King, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" won
• 1993: Philadelphia, "Streets of Philadelphia" won
• 1992: Bodyguard and Aladdin each had two, "A Whole New World" won
• 1991: 3 from Beauty and the Beast, the theme won
• 1989: Little Mermaid, "Under the Sea" won
• 1985: White Nights, "Say You Say Me" won
• 1984: Footloose, neither won
• 1983: Yentl and Flashdance each had two, "Flashdance" won
• 1980: Fame, the theme won

You can look up all nominees and results in the Academy's easy-to-use database at oscars.org.

Meanwhile I caught up on CSI the other day and damnit, every time I think I've given up on the show it sucks me back in, though that very unevenness is what is most frustrating about it. ( Thoughts on Liev Schrieber, and Nick as leader. )

So I'm really giving into the idea that for the time being this LJ is going to be mostly about television. My real life can be summed up as: I go to class, I teach class, I research, I read, occasionally I get anxious, I see friends. I don't think that makes for very compelling posts, so, television. CSI musings cut for length and spoilers.

I took Six Degrees off the TIVO. I wasn't watching it and there were plots that I didn't find compelling. In the end the presence of Campell Scott and Hope Davis doesn't make up for crappy JJ Abrams plots. I feel sort of sad about this, because I'm sure they think that they're making quality television or whatever, but while the characters were interesting the situations were annoying.

( I'm almost caught up on CSI and WTF? )

How I Met Your Mother continues to be awesome. There isn't much you can say about it that I haven't already said, but it's just so clever without being arch, and silly without being a farce, and I hope that the Emmys recognize it in some way this year.

Ugly Betty is also so much fun, yet it allows itself to be complicated, and go places you don't think it will. I like that Daniel is aware of his little-boy-lost appeal, and he knows he's spoiled, and he doesn't care. I like that Betty gets called on her control freak/martyr tendencies. I like that Hilda isn't just a flake and wants to take on more responsibility. I like that Vanessa Williams is working. And I'm pretty sure that Betty and Daniel won't end up together, nor should they really, but I'm really getting sick of Walter, who is annoying.

As for Veronica Mars, I think I'll have more to say when this arc is over, two episodes from now. The episode commitment from the CW has been raised from 13 to 20, so we'll definitely get through the second arc and I can't imagine we won't get through the third and get the full season order; I think it's less VM's performance and more CW's inability to plan that is the issue here. But I love it when shows allow their leads to be unlikable but in an understandable way, and we got piles of that in this week's episode. Rock on, Rob Thomas.

I'm annoyed because my computer randomly crashed and therefore I lost an entire post I was working on when I should have been writing my paper. Good goddamnit!

Anyway, my week: Dinner/drinks with, variously, bhanesidhe, blackholly, bowdlerized, calloocallay, cassandraclare, idlerat, ladyjaida, my friend S; Holly's reading; Emily's pub night; my department's end of semester party even though the semester doesn't end until next week; drinks at the pub with my class, during which I was proclaimed "a remarkably positive person" by my professor; writing papers. Paper tally stands at: one half done, two 3/4 done.

S reminded me last night that I hadn't posted my thoughts on the Idol results. Following, therefore, summing up on the seasons of CSI, Veronica Mars, and How I Met Your Mother, plus thoughts on the penultimate weeks of Top Chef and American Idol.

( American Idol: Don't leave me this way! )

( CSI: A disappointing season. )

Allow me a moment for a non-spoilery minirant. iscaris posted not long ago about her preference for shows that aren't about emotional relationships, but sprinkle them in among the crime solving or whatever. I have to say, having dipped my toe into some of them, that I disagree because they handle the personal relationships so badly. blackholly once said that writers sometimes use sexual or romantic tension as a way to keep the story interesting while not having to advance the adventure/mystery/whatever main plot. That's fine in a book or a film or anything that is finite, but in series television it ends up being kind of a mess. Sexual tension lasting for years and years eventually becomes exhausting. Will-they-or-won't-they can only last so long. Writers often give as their reasoning for not having their characters happily pair up that it isn't "real life;" well, neither is URST with the same person with no action for seven years. It just gets boring, and it's lazy. Resolve it or drop it, and if you're going to resolve it, do it well. Have we learned nothing from X-Files?

( Veronica Mars: Everyone deserves a sophomore slump. )

( How I Met Your Mother: The Best Show You're Not Watching, but the rest of America is. )

( Top Chef: I'm a Harold girl. )

I remain Neutral Good which surprises exactly no one. In that spirit, my condolences to my St. Louis friends. Next year!

I've finally come back from my cold-induced haze, though I still wasted my morning by finishing up the great tagging project. Now all my entries, all the way back to the beginning of this journal, are tagged for your convenience and mine, and I see that I average about an entry every day and a half which feels reasonable.

I also changed the colors, having tired of the blue I'm now doing a whole brown-cream thing which I like a great deal.

I've been greatly entertained watching oh_no_nicky explode in the wake of a Nick-centered CSI episode. elmyraemilie made the icon here from that particular episode. Sadly for us, no new episode this week.

Me, I found some screencaps for a VM moment I needed an icon for. Next weekend icon making will be my reward for being a good girl and doing my work. I'm loving VM so far this year though I do not like that Jackie. No I don't.

Which, I should be doing now. Well, the newly re-named wordplay is faffing off so I'll be able to find the strength to get offline like a good girl.

I didn't mean to not post for over a week. I've been here, reading LJ, reading my class work and such. I guess I didn't think I had anything to say. Been busy, though.

• Went out to dinner with ali_wildgoose and bowdlerized, which was awesome. Hot dogs and milkshakes on St Mark's Place—who wouldn't want that?
  
• Went to calloocallay's fabu birthday brunch; saw many, was seen by many, good time was had.
  
• Saw Proof with bhanesidhe yesterday. More on the film below, but spending an entire day from lunch to evening with Val (yes, you read that right, out and about in the sunshine) was incredibly awesome.
  

And now some spoilerific musings on Proof and the CSI season premiere.

( Proof: Go see it )

( CSI: 'I'm not a pervert.' )