lesbiassparrow

I alternatively think this show is the greatest thing ever and also the clunkiest series ever written. The 'alcholicism is bad, you know, don't be drinking that stuff!' crap I could do without but the slow slide towards hell and former allies ripping each other apart is excellent. And really, really depressing.

And here be my pretentious comparison: I like the way this is like Lord of the Rings (and a lot of post WWI and WWII fiction): there is no victory without huge loss. Every single good thing must be paid for and there is always a price. I rather like the idea of seaons 5, which is that victory is messy and almost more painful than the war which precedes it, but the execution is sometimes sadly lacking. But Londo and G'kar are always wonderful. As are Sheridan and Delenn.

I just wish that there was a somewhat lighter hand with the writing. But there has been no Lochley for several episodes! Yay!

God, I hate Tracy Scoggins. I hate her more than Byron. And the worst thing? Clearly I am supposed to like her or at least admire her spunkiness. Does she last the entire season? Is she in the films?

ETA: My hate for her is a pure and glorious thing. Refined, almost. Everything about her just...just..fills me with rage. And she seems to give more speeches than Sheridan.

ETA 2: Now I hate both her and Byron equally. Why are they on my screen so much? Why do the writers feel these are people I should be seeing and hearing all the time? Where are Londo and G'Kar? Sheridan? Delenn? The show works when I see them, but these newcomers make me want to do random acts of violence.

Now I have seen the telepath singalong. I think I might be traumatized for life. Actually, that is a lie: I know I am traumatized for life. My eyes! My eyes! You know how sometimes you see scenes and you wonder who on earth thought that up and how drunk or high they were when they thought that would work? This was the Platonic ideal of that scene.

( ETA: Torchwood 1.02. The one with the sex alien )

I'm up to near the end of season 4 - which is about a season beyond where I saw it when it when it was on (I gave up when I missed 2 episodes and had no idea what was going on). And I have thoughts! Yes, thoughts!

( Cut for spoilers for a long past season )

Or are they? I am not in the fandom at all so I don't know, perhaps they're what everyone says. I've been rewatching it and I'm about halfway through the third season.

1. Zathros = least favourite character on anything ever. If he talks about himself in the third person one more time I will throw shoes at the screen. He is the most annoying thing about the time travel episodes and makes me hate them deeply and utterly.

2. Season One is not very good. I don't hate it or anything, but Commander Sinclair bores the pants off me. Also it has some dreadful writing of the sort that looks like it was done at top speed on the backs of napkins in bars. Sinclair also brings out the worst acting in others. I am a bit astonished it didn't get cancelled at the time.

3. I rather wish that there was a TV series where democracy works and doesn't turn out to be always hi-jacked by fascists. It would be nice.

But John and Delenn are excellent. They're the quite wonderful and only get better as it goes along. And this time watching it all the way through and not skipping episodes means that I can follow the time travel stuff.

ETA: As for the Guardian list of top 5 Doctor Who companions, I'm not really surprised at who made it as it is rather tilted towards the more recent companions or those who've had a role on the more recent episodes. I think Sarah Jane got a boost (not that I disagree with her position) because she reappeared on new Who as much as the fact that she is quite smashingly amazing. I am glad that Tegan didn't make the bottom 5, though, as I have mad love for her and her endless attempts to get to back to Heathrow. But why no Jamie? He was quite, quite wonderful and wore a skirt better than anyone. And because I really think Mary Tamm is the most gorgeous person ever on Who and a great actress as well I wish Romana I had made the list, but then I guess that's the result of being one of the older companions.

I am sad that Grace made the bottom five because I rather liked her, but I guess she gets caught up in the backwash of loathing for the TV movie. Also she killed the Doctor which strikes me as a bold introductory move.

I am going to come right out here and confess that I don't actually really like Ace very much, though I think that has to do a lot with my problematic feelings of the last years of Old Who, which is when I threw in the towel. If it helps, I don't dislike her as much as I did when I was watching it, when she drove me up the wall on a regular basis. Again, though I think that had to do with me getting unhappier and unhappier with Who as much as with the character.

BUT MOST SHOCKING OF ALL IS THE UTTER AND BLATANT DISREGARD OF THE TARDIS AS COMPANION AND THE DOCTOR'S ONE TRUE LOVE.