Fringe (Season 4)

I've been watching Fringe lately...  First thing that always comes to mind is that I do not understand how John Noble (Walter) never won an Emmy.  I don't even think he was nominated, which is ridiculous.  His subtle growth as a character and his questionable sanity in the earlier seasons are pretty incredible.  As a show, I think all the actors seem "just right."  I think that's much more clear when they all start playing different versions of themselves and I can always keep straight who is from which universe and yet all the characters are different and real.

I'm glad Fringe was kept on the air as long as it was.  I read somewhere yesterday that it was the lowest rated show at one point and it was still renewed.  So often I wonder why networks cancel perfectly good shows or shows with a lot of potential and in this case a show that was intelligent and interesting was allowed to grow and have a proper conclusion, which is awesome.

I admit I struggled to get through Season 1.  I was wondering if this was going to be another Lost... with so many questions without proper answers but then they started answering questions in unique ways and I think Season 3 was pretty brilliant.  I am in the middle of Season 4 and so far I am feeling a little unsure of the "new" timeline.... Has the character development from the first 3 seasons and the relationships we watched grow between characters all been erased?  I am not sure how it will end up, but at the same time I am impressed that the show took a bold step and has stuck with it so far.  I've read quite a bit about showrunners who change their initial ideas because of fan feedback or fan pressure and I would prefer to just see a series play out the way the people who created it intended.  There have been a few episodes I didn't connect with, but so far this Season has as much potential as the last one.  I've been wanting to get to the end of each episode and see what happens!

To me, Fringe is pretty brilliant.  I am interested and intrigued.  For some reason though, that I haven't put my finger on yet, I am not as emotionally invested in the characters as I have been in other shows, even shows that I would consider much lower quality.  Not sure why, but I definitely encourage people who are looking for interesting, intelligent, sci-fi tv to check it out if you haven't yet.

The "Lost" Effect?

I loved Lost.  Loved every episode... everything about it.  I even watched the final episode(s) and loved them.  I had tears in my eyes as the camera pulled back from Jack's eye in the forest.  And then I started to think about the series.  I thought about everything I loved and all the connections I took for granted would be explained by the end of the series because it was a brilliant show.  I thought about all the questions that made me excited to keep watching in the hope of getting some answers.  And then it began to sink in... those questions were not answered.  They will never be answered.  Why was there a polar bear roaming around a magical island?  Don't know.  What happened before Jacob's mom was the ruler of the island?  Don't know.   What were the numbers that they actually USED TO PROMOTE THE SHOW??  Umm... Don't know.   Man, the list could go on and on.  I honestly assumed that with that show the writers/creators HAD to know exactly what the island was from the very beginning.  (I know, I know... naive girl).

I am thankful for the moments of enjoyment I had during the show and the thoughts and conversations it stimulated, but I have not been able to re-watch the series since I have seen the finale.  I'm curious if others like me have been able to re-watch?  Or does seeing the questions that will ultimately remain unanswered ruin it for all but the most casual viewer?

The other legacy of Lost is I am now reluctant to "commit" myself to other serial shows.  If they are on the air less than one season, I do not watch them because I know it's pointless.  They will build up to an interesting cliffhanger that is never answered and I will want to scream and throw a pillow at the tv.  (See Persons Unknown).  There have been shows I really enjoyed that seemed smart and interesting that were cancelled in their first season while reality crap lives on and on like Dollhouse (cancelled after 2nd season but still...), Firefly, Persons Unknown, Flash Forward, Moonlight, Pushing Daisies, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and more.  (Am I showing my bias?)  If shows make it through one season, I am still hesitant to commit.  I will watch lots of Netflix shows that have already aired their run in the entirety but almost all finales to non-procedural dramas make me very nervous.  The only show so far that has aired cliffhangers and left me totally satisfied with their resolution is Sherlock... but I will post my love for that show another day.  I am still afraid to "fall in love" with a tv show because of Lost.  I thought it was one of the smartest shows on tv at the time, but how smart does a show have to be if they never intend to answer the many mysteries they provide?  Has anyone else had this problem since Lost?  Are you afraid to commit to drama series?

Law & Order: SVU - Season 11

I just started watching Season 11 of SVU.  I think I'm caught up to this point.  Often this show surprises me with the depth of its content.  It is a procedural so it has its filler episodes, but for the most part it leaves me thinking about something.  Rather than a particular episode (I'm up to Episode 3), I am completely perplexed by this new ADA, played by Christine Lahti.  Is it a joke?  Are they spoofing their own show?  Granted, the previous ADA was too pretty and not all that good of an actor, but you just go with it for the story lines and the main characters.  But right now I'm totally confused.  Lahti's ADA Sonya Paxton has been on the show for three episodes now and has picked a bunch of fights with Detective Stabler, acts like it is a show all about her and at the same time like her character is mentally ill or bipolar or something.  It's bizarre.  She shows up at crime scenes and just starts to insult detectives/policemen, etc who are doing their job...  When she first came on I did a double-take to make sure I hadn't switched over to Saturday Night Live somehow.  I know it's not the most current season but I don't think I will make it there if she's here for the long run.

Also... How many times can Stabler lose his temper and assault whoever is closest to him?!?  In any real world job he'd have been fired many times already! I actually like his character but in all these years he hasn't been able to control his temper or been forced to??

Intro

I am a 33 yr. old female living in Pennsylvania with severe endometriosis... which means I have a lot of time on my hands while I am out of work!  If you have any interest about learning more about this often overlooked disease, you can check out my blog: here.  Anyway, before I got sick, I hardly watched any tv, other than never missing a new episode of Lost.  Now... years later I have used tv shows as a coping mechanism to deal with the severe pain that accompanies this disease.

I find myself having amazingly random thoughts about all different television shows, some old, some new, some old shows that are new to me...  So I figure why not share them?  Not a lot of people have the "luxury" of watching hours of television day after day so I've accumulated more tv watching hours than most people will in their lifetime.  I don't have any background in communication or the entertainment industry, I'm simply someone who likes to watch tv and appreciate it, mock it, think about it, laugh at it, or even occasionally hate it.  I am a natural cynic, I admit that upfront.  Hopefully other people out there like me are interested in joining in on a conversation!