Some of Favorite TV "Dads"

This is my submission to Strange Culture's Dads in Media Blogathan.

I love a television show with a strong female lead and two of my favorites are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars. These two shows had a great many things in common including some pretty touching father/daughter relationships.

While Buffy's biological father was largely missing in her life, her relationship with watcher Giles was in every way a father/daughter relationship. Giles was only supposed to be her watcher, a bit like her boss, but he couldn't help growing to love her as a daughter. He admired her courage and strength and like a father found that letting her make risky decisions related to her calling caused him personal grief. He had opinions about who she dated and wanted her to grow and succeed as a human and not just a slayer. On Buffy's end, it was clear that Giles filled the missing role of father in her life and she placed a tremendous amount of trust in him. Yet even as Buffy continued to grow in skill and as a human, Giles came to the point where he realized he needed to let her go. Some of the most heart wrenching moments in the series were when these two were at odds with each other.

In Veronica Mars, the father daughter relationship was an actual father/daughter relationship though there were times Veronica wondered if Keith was truly her father. What made Keith Mars so admirable as a father was that he had such tremendous respect for Veronica. You could always tell that he truly just enjoyed the company of his daughter. She followed along in his crime fighting footsteps and never seemed to resent him or his strong moral actions that led to them being shunned by the Neptune California society elite. Their relationship at times echoed the Carson Drew/Nancy Drew relationship. Keith was always willing to put himself at personal risk for his daughter and for others. He often took the higher moral ground and paid the consequences. But his success was in raising a smart and beautiful daughter who did the same. This series, sadly, ended prematurely on a very sad note for this particular father and daughter, but one can only hope the storyline will eventually be resolved in comic book or film form.

Both of these are great examples, in my opinion, of a loving father in a non-traditional situation.

Another Defense of TV

This week's weekly geeks question is what other methods of storytelling you like besides the obvious favorite of books.

Well, dear loyal readers it will come as no surprise that my choice right now is a well executed serialized television show.

I think TV is highly underrated. If you actually admit to liking TV, people look down their noses at you. Sometimes, they'll say things like...I don't have time to watch TV. (this goes along with "I don't have time to read fiction") You don't have to watch TV every night, you can have one show you like and it will take at most an hour a week of your time. Less if you TiVo it.

I have spent a lot of time here lately extolling the virtues of my favorite TV shows, but last week's Booking Through Thursday question about books and movies and the difference and this week's Weekly Geeks question have all made me think a bit more about these issues. One participant in last week's Booking Through Thursday said that movies and television require nothing of the viewer which naturally, I heartily disagree with. It's important to understand this in the context that I am first and foremost a lover of books. I will always love books best, that's just the way it is, but loving books doesn't mean that I can't see the value in a good movie or a TV show.

Here's why I choose TV over movies. I love character development. I also like an interesting plot, but movies tend to be more fully plot driven than television. (a book can be either/or/and quite easily) Television has the opportunity to develop characters while also telling a great story. LOST (I haven't seen the finale yet due to the no internet/cable fiasco so don't spoil me!) is a perfect example of this. My favorite characters on LOST are Sayid and Desmond. (the conflict in their characters are the most interesting to me) The episode Enter 77, about Sayid coming face to face with a woman he had tortured in the past and receiving her unsolicited forgiveness is one of my very favorite episodes of any television series ever. However, if you were simply telling a story about "a magical island" in a movie, you would not have the chance to tell a story that shows how a variety of people from completely different life situations interact with trying to survive and facing unexplained phenomenon. The story of Sayid would be completely untreated in favor of a much less developed Jack Shepherd. Speaking of...
While Jack can get on my last nerve on the show, I think his character is one of the best developed and true to life characters on the show. They have really done a masterful job with him, and I hope Matthew Fox gets an Emmy.

I have also slowly been working my way through the first season of The Tudors. This is a great example of being able to tell this story in a more complete fashion than a movie like the Other Boleyn Girl, which made no sense as it was much too rushed. (but the book is wonderful) Also I think Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a fantastic King Henry!

But wait! This discussion would not be complete without talking about Buffy. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is another excellent example of prolonged character development while telling a whoppingly good story. She spouts off a one liner, stakes a vampire, and in the end, it's really all about this magnificent character of Buffy, one of my favorites ever.

The downside of TV is that at times ratings dictate a story. If the audience is unhappy with the direction a show is going, they have a lot of sway. Additionally, some stories are stretched out because they just don't know when to stop.

So those are my thoughts, my defense of TV as a storytelling medium, and this was a lot longer than I planned...sorry!

I'm Procrastinating Again

So, yeah, I'm moving this week. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate moving? I hate it. Part of the problem is that I have an incredible ability to accumulate stuff. Very very quickly. I don't really understand how one moment I have nothing, and the next there is all this...stuff. Take for example, the most difficult thing in the world to move is also the thing I love best...books. They are heavy! They come in different sizes! I don't even want to tell you how many books I acquire a week (mostly due to blogging). It's an embarrassment of riches.

Secondly, we don't run the a/c here at the homestead and the temperature has escalated into the 100s. On the weekend I'm supposed to be packing. So after I put like three books into a box I need to take a break. So I don't pass out.

Thirdly, I am not at all organized, so while I'm packing my room looks like it threw up. Stuff is everywhere and somehow I have to get that stuff into the boxes. In the meantime, it's getting on my last nerve sitting out instead of being tucked away in a drawer or a shelf.

So as you can see, I hate moving. And it's 2:27 a.m. and I keep telling myself I need to sleep, but the computer is enticing me into procrastination. I have caught up on my reader, read about a zillion LOST theories, and found the following two videos of the TV shows I am most looking forward to this next television cycle. This past week was the unveiling of the networks schedules and while it was mostly a bit dull these videos have found their way to me. Tell, me they look fantastic do they not?

There's No Place Like Home (LOST)

How in the world am I going to survive the next two weeks? Okay so that might be overly dramatic, but seriously! When the promo ends with "What did you do?!?" it's hard not to feel excited!

Tonight really set us up, I think, while giving us some fragmented bits of important information.

*Jack learned Claire was his sister post-island. This makes sense as we don't have much more time to have learned it on the island. Also, Claire's mother woke up! This could be significant or not, we have yet to see.

*Sun is awesome! Yay for the settlement money! She blames her father for Jin's death, and who else? Were those glares at Jack significant? (or did I miss the other person she blames?)

The freighter is obviously in a heap of trouble, but somehow Sun and Aaron get off that boat. The others? Don't know.

It was sad that there was no one to meet Kate or Sayid when they first landed. Thankfully, Nadia quickly caught up to Sayid in touching moment, but we know that doesn't end well.

As stated before, I am becoming terribly worried that Sayid is the one in the coffin. There is plenty of story support for it, in fact, I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be him. So please convince me in comments that it's impossible for Sayid to be in the coffin. :) Convincing me that it's Desmond won't help. I wouldn't care if it was almost anyone else, though.
***************SPOILER ALERT**********************

A significant death is rumored to take place in the finale. Who will it be? I'm afraid it's Jin. I could live with it being Michael or even Juliet (though that makes her entire story unbearably sad). Anyone else is going to cause me grief.

I heard that we should not be asking whether or not people are dead but rather, what does dead mean? I don't even understand that, but it will be interesting to explore on this show. If you have a theory, do share.

*******************************************

Enter my book giveaway for Healing Promises by Amy WAllace here!

Battle of the Davids, LOST tonight

So it's going to be a battle of the Davids as was predicted somewhere around the top ten! Go David Cook, we love you!

In other news, I (a relatively new LOST fan) found the major spoiler site. And I'm conflicted. So, yes, you now know my full geekery in that I read forums for television shows from time to time...especially those that tend to have plot twists and kill people off because I like to know what the other fans are thinking. (I haven't been on one in awhile, but I thought I'd check out LOST's and they've really changed Television Without Pity! It's huge now!)

I also know the major 24 spoiler site and used to read it and get spoiled. Not always, though. Like, can you imagine how much less fun it would have been in S5 if I had known Logan was behind it all.

It's called being American and having no sense of delayed gratification.

So, I haven't read the spoilers but I'm getting darned worried that Sayid is in that coffin. I will not be happy if Sayid or Desmond is in the coffin. Let me say it again. I. WILL. NOT. BE. HAPPY. (truthfully, my time is probably up, though. the only character that's been killed off that I was really attached to was Mr. Eko and maybe Charlie but we had a lot of time to prepare for that one)

If I keep reading that site I can probably find out. This is going to be a huge exercise in patience for me. Because the moment I know...I will want to unknow. Do you get what I'm saying?

Who do you think is in the coffin? Do you read spoilers for shows? Which David are your rooting for?

Mostly LOST, (but a little bit of Grey's)

Before I dig into LOST, I need to say a few things about Grey's.
What in the world was that whole survey everyone's sexual partners junk? I can't imagine that happening in the real world! The show seemed really far fetched tonight. I have to say that no matter what, Sandra Oh is an absolutely terrific actress who delivered that strange little monologue brilliantly. Don't you think?

Ok LOST...Claire has officially entered the camp of the creepy. What was up with that creepy smile? And was anyone else impressed with the casting and acting of the little boy John Locke and the teenage John Locke? And weren't we all thinking little boy John Locke was going to pick up the knife so it seemed strange that he wasn't supposed to? Why was the knife wrong? And yay for seeing Sayid and Desmond again, though I'm concerned for Desmond's safety. Michael apparently continues to be un-killable which I guess means the Island isn't through with him yet. And you know I have to ask....what does "he wants us to move the island" mean??????? So...
is Claire dead or possessed or what? Why is Christian so important or does he factor in since the Island is essentially his burial ground? Ok, I've got to get to bed, but please feel free to share your thoughts if you watch either show. Or not. It's really up to you.

(Oh one more thing. I do have another guilty pleasure called Gossip Girl Does anyone else watch this show? I know it's a teeny bopper show. Anyway, if anyone else watched did you not think this week's episode was like a story on speed? Sloooowww down writers! There's plenty of time to tell all these juicy stories!)

Grey's, LOST, and the Future of Addictive Television

Grey's Anatomy was ok tonight. Now that I know (spoiler alert) that Derek and Meredith will be getting together for good, I want it to happen already. I want a nice beautiful romantic reunion. I also think we are headed for a same gender relationship on this show, and that will be the big kiss. These are my theories. I did love what Ellen Pompeo had to say in this interview though. She's so honest!

Now onto the superior show...LOST. I rather like Daniel. Jack is still a complete mess that wants a woman to feel like she owes him something off the island. Kate is obviously still torn between two men. Where in the world were Sayid and Desmond tonight? (Ok fine I realize I can't see them every episode...it was so much better watching on DVD because if they weren't in an episode or two you didn't have to wait weeks to see them again!) Claire is obviously hallucinating something fierce and abandoned her baby. Jack seems to know the baby is related to him off the island and I better get some answers in the few episodes we have left!!!! I want to know what those who stay on the island are doing. What are they doing there? What cost did the Oceanic Six pay to get off? Why must they go back? Who is meant to raise Aaron? And who is in the bloody coffin??

OK, I had one more post planned for my addictive television series and I'm going to include it here. There are two shows that I am looking forward to coming on next year that have great promise. One is Dollhouse created by Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. I'm especially excited about this because those who've read the pilot are buzzing. Televisionary Blog had this to say about it:

In the gifted hands of Joss Whedon, Dollhouse is a beautiful enigma wrapped in a riddle, a gripping conspiracy story for the ages filled with urban legends, memory tampering, and long-buried secrets coming to the fore. It's a Shakespearean story of hubris and likely vengeance, filled with sound and fury and signifying, well, lots.

Sounds fantastic!!!

The other show is called Fringe and comes from J.J. Abrams and a bunch of other people. This show has a few things going for it. J.J. Abrams. It's a supernatural drama which means loads of story to be explored. The pilot has a 10 million dollar budget. And another thing this show has going for it? Joshua Jackson has been cast. Yes, that's right.

So...those shows should be awesome come fall or spring or whenever they premiere and I'll probably talk about them again then because they will probably need ratings help.

Sooo...what did you think of LOST and Grey's tonight?

Addictive TV round-up (and last night's addictive tv)

LOST won the poll! Probably because it's in one of the best seasons right now, and because let's face it...it's brilliant.

Grey's Anatomy came in second. There was a time when I would have agreed with this, but Grey's has just not been the same since the George/Izzie hook-up, Mer/Der break-up, Burke/Christina failed wedding. I think it might be hitting its stride again, though, last night was pretty good.

Other also made a strong showing, so if that's what you voted for please state in comments what show is most addictive to you.

I wrote about LOST, Buffy, and I also wanted to write about 24, but I couldn't think of a clip that stands out. I think 24 would have done better in the poll if season six hadn't been such a...downer. This show is addictive tv at it's best for the first five season, though, the stakes are always so high. Jack Bauer is one of the finest characters on television ever (that I know of..please keep in mind, I don't actually watch as much tv as it seems and only really started watching tv since I've been in my 20s).

So what did you all think of Grey's Anatomy last night? I was really pleased to see Meredith in therapy, that girl needs it. I was also happy to see her win the contest, she's had nothing but downers for so long that it was nice to be reminded that she is a gifted doctor. If you can't tell, I'm absolutely a Meredith fan. I generally always like main characters best. I liked Buffy best, I liked Harry Potter best, I like Jack Bauer best, I like Meredith best. How about you? Do you usually like the main characters or do you find yourself more attached to secondary characters?

LOST was all kinds of awesome last night. I was blown away by the Smoke Monster...that was so cool. Also everything with Ben and Charles Widmore is fascinating and poor Sayid! In the span of one year he's lost two women he loves (three if you count the other assassin girl)! Someone wondered whether or not the Oceanic 6's relatives would continue to get murdered..if so is that to get them to go back to the island? What exactly is the relationship between Ben and Widmore and who was the German chick working for? Poor Alex. I'm sorry she died with so many unanswered questions about her past. I am really looking forward to the many answers we are supposed to receive this season...

Share your thoughts in comments.

Why I Love Lost

13 Reasons I Love LOST.

I caught up on this show during the writer’s strike, and what a show it is! I totally love it. In honor of it coming back on tonight, here are thirteen reasons I love it.

1) Intrigue. From the first episode we are hooked into wondering who these people are, where they are, and why they crashed. With every answered question comes about twenty more which keeps you pulled into the show.


2) Delicious characterization. Despite its enormous ensemble cast, most characters are fleshed out through flashbacks (though we’ve veered into flash forwards now) in situations that mirror their current experiences on the island. There is development and growth and remarkable consistency.

3) An epic love story. I love the Desmond/Penny arc. There is a grace, tolerance, and tenderness to their love story that is so hard to capture and depict. I love epic love stories.

4) Excellent use of music. Music can be overdone or underdone in the suspense arena, but is delightfully thematic and perfectly used in the show.



5) Smoking. Hot. I love the way his character is written. It’s funny, because it’s easy to forget about him until a Sayid-centric episode comes along and then I remember all over again why he’s one of my favorites.

6) Multi-ethnic cast. LOST is in the groove of globalization with a cast that hails from many different parts of the world. While this opens up a delightful myriad of storylines it also feels like an authentic representation of our world and enables us to see beyond national borders and care about characters for their innate humanity.

7) Inner connectivity. In our isolationist world it is tempting to forget that we each play a role in someone else’s story. We are not isolated and we are not alone. I feel this is beautifully represented on LOST.

8) Creative story-telling techniques. Although well known for using flashbacks to tell a story, LOST is not afraid to take risks, and mix it up a little.

9) Literary Love. Sawyer is a voracious reader, and books are everywhere on the island, in addition to literary allusions throughout the show. The Others had a book club for crying out loud. It is a bit of a relief to see the world of reading encouraged and portrayed so positively on television.

10) Philosophical ideas are tackled with depth. The great thing about high concept shows is that you must delve into the core issues of life. I feel it must be a lot of the appeal of fantasy and science fiction….when you’re building a world you have to set the parameters for what will work in that universe, which leads to an exploration of these ideas. These ideas are definitely explored on LOST—sometimes over something as small as pushing a button.

11) Everything has meaning. This show is all about the pay-off. Seemingly insignificant storylines or details are often bought back in later episodes. It's so fun to watch, and makes me hope the same is true of my own life.

12) Beautiful Scenery. I can't get over it. For such a horrible situation to be in, it sure is beautiful.

13) Definite End. They know where they're going with the story and even know the final scene. Of course, we used to think the final word of Harry Potter was decided and it changed. But I like knowing it's not going to carry on indefinitely into the ridiculous a la the X-files.

Agree? Disagree? Do you love LOST? Why?

Buffy's Gift

So continuing my riveting series of great clips from my favorite addictive tv shows, I now present one of the most stunning moments in television and Buffy the Vampire Slayer's history. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE SHOW (and plan to) DO NOT READ THIS.

First of all, I know a lot of Christians have problems with shows that deal with the supernatural. My initial response to this is that although on the surface Buffy is about a young girl who fights vampires and demons, that's not what the show is really about. It's about life, about growing up, and how had that can be.

Secondly, even though the supernatural depicted in the show is different than what you believe, it's still a great grounds to explore the weightier themes in life.

In the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer we have an awesome girl role model, fantastic dialogue peppered with pop culture references galore, sorrow, humor, redemption, an exploration of death, significance, calling, and love.

If you watch this clip pay attention to the truth of its meaning...Buffy closes the gates of hell with the power in her blood. She sacrifices her life so that another (and others) may live. She leaves as a last message that her friends must now be take care of each other and live in the world. The hardest thing to do.

Don't get freaked out by the end, I wish it wasn't on this clip, but it is. Enjoy! I get goosebumps everytime! Love Buffy!

LOST's Epic Love Story

(I'm going to be away this weekend so I tried to do the scheduled post thing, but it didn't work and once you mess it up you can't fix it as I learned. So I'm posting this now, which gives you plenty of time to watch! It all worked out for the best.)

I recently discovered and devoured the show LOST. I think (not positive yet because it's still fresh in my mind and it's not finished) that I might consider it the most brilliant TV show ever. Yes, maybe even more brilliant than Buffy. Maybe. (those of you rolling your eyes obviously never watched Buffy) I'm going to write more about my top addictive shows later while the poll is on (and clearly we disagree on what's addictive) and I'm also working on a Thursday Thirteen about LOST (it's called addiction people!)...so stay tuned for why I think you should consider watching it even if you don't watch TV.

Until then, here's one of my favorite scenes from the show. It's a bit um spoilerish, so don't watch if you haven't seen this season yet and care about not being spoiled. But please watch if you don't watch LOST. Humor me.

My two favorite characters are in this clip, though one of them isn't that important to the scene. (Sayid!)

Tears came to my eyes when I saw this and Pete Peterson said this scene even made him "whimper and sniffle like a housewife with a Harlequin" ( just had to quote that line--it brought a smile to my face.

I watched it again and loved it again. So watch and enjoy and indulge me y'all!