The Walking Dead

I’m not a fan of horror films.  I have watched many before, but I never really enjoyed them as much as action films.  I just don’t like the gruesome parts of horror films, and the feeling of being scared a few days after watching one.  So that was my mentality for many years.  Then one year I was watching AMC channel, when they mentioned that for Halloween they would be showing a marathon of horror films in October.  Many of the films included movies from the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s; a time period that I am intrigued by (fashion, culture, music/movies).  The best part was that since it was on AMC, all the stuff I hated from horror films (the gruesome scary parts) would be edited out; essentially becoming a PG rated movie.

Lost

Okay so Lost is a show I never thought I would watch.  Reasons to not watch included; it was made for a TV network so it probably will be boring, the story of being stuck on an island has been done before (Lost Flight [1970], Gilligan’s Island), the idea of a monster is too Sci-Fi for me, Matthew Fox was boring on Party of Five so he’ll also be boring here, and I don’t like shows where you need to see every episode from the start to understand the story.  So those were my initial reasons for not watching Lost years ago.  But then things started to change in the way I watched TV shows.  First off, TV shows actually began to tell compelling stories that were addictive, and second the internet allowed people to watch a whole season or series all at once.  Like most people I became hooked to most of these binge shows such as The Wire, Dexter, and Breaking Bad.

Lost on the other hand was still a show I refused to watch.  But then one day I heard the news that J.J. Abrams would direct the new Star Wars franchise, and suddenly I became filled with reasons to watch Lost.  The biggest reason being; how much I enjoyed Star Trek (2009), a franchise I never thought I would like.  With my faith that Abrams was special, I decided to finally watch Lost and see what all the hype was about.  I was also hoping to gain a good perception of what to expect from Abrams in the next Star Wars films.

Now that I have watched it, I have to say I didn’t like the ending.  From the very first episode Lost is a show that revolves around finding answers to mysteries.  And while the final episode was supposed to answer all the mysteries, I was disappointed by them and also confused.  Yet despite not liking the ending, I found the brilliance of Lost not in knowing the answers to mysteries, but in the thrill of finding them.  Lost should be praised for the rush of an adventure that included fear, mystery, laughter, hate, love and heroism.  This rush is a result of well constructed diverse characters within a story that is complex, interconnected and intelligent.  I thoroughly enjoyed Lost, and highly recommend it because it gives us a glimpse of what to expect from Abrams in the future.  The Force is with Abrams!

Lost Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_(TV_series)

Terms and Definitions for Binge-watching

Binge-watching TV Shows

Binge-watch or binge-watching is the process of watching an entire TV series or season within a short period of time.  This entails watching a group of episodes continuously one after the other numerically.  This process allows an individual to comprehend and be engaged with the plot, and characters.  Binge-watching is best suited for TV shows that have a complex storyline that continues throughout a season or entire series.

Because of the scarcity of quality TV shows to binge-watch, an unfortunate outcome of binge-watching is that you must allow current and new TV shows to run several episodes before you can binge-watch them.  This process I coin letting a show simmer.

Letting a TV Show Simmer

Simmer or simmering a TV show is the process of allowing a TV show to run several episodes, seasons, or be completed before you can binge-watch them.

Binge-catch-up on a TV Show

Binge-catch-up is the process of binge-watching several earlier episodes or seasons of a TV show that is currently being aired on television.  The logic for this is to be able to either watch new episodes when they air, or watch the last few or final episode.  The advantage of binge-catch-up is that you get to enjoy the hype and publicity of a popular TV series before it ends and also avoid any spoilers in case you overhear important information on episodes you have not watched.

Sons of Anarchy

I decided to start watching Sons of Anarchy after going through the mall one day and passing by the 4th person with a t-shirt from the show.  I figured if that many people are fans, it must be good.  Like most TV shows I blog about, I usually like to watching them after a few seasons have gone by.  If a show is good, then I want to watch each episode continuously non-stop.  So where do I rank SAMCO among the greats of The Wire and Breaking Bad?  Well, I wouldn’t say it’s up to par with them, but it still is a pretty good show.  I think the problem is, its broadcast on a major TV channel, and not cable (if it’s still even called that).  The advantages of cable are that you’re allowed to say whatever word you want, and show whatever nudity you want.

Now obliviously, this isn’t a necessary ingredient for a show to be good, but it just seems like a show about a biker gang shouldn’t be restrained.  It’s like watching the Sopranos on A&E, it leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth when the good parts are edited out.  Another issue I have with this show is that (granted I’m only on season 3 so far), it seems like all the Sons ever do is deal with problem after problem.  What’s the point of joining any social club, if all you ever deal with is heartache?  But I guess that’s what the writers wanted people to see from the show, instead of making a biker gang seem like an awesome experience, they chose to show the reality of issues these people have to go through.  One thing is for sure, I would never join a motor club, but I’m glad I have the Sons of Anarchy to live vicariously through.

Breaking Bad

While not quite a winter to be hibernating in bed, this year I chose to watch Breaking Bad as my winter show.  As mentioned last year, during the winter I like to watch an entire TV series online.  Since it’s too cold outside and I hate to drive in the snow at night, watching TV is the perfect excuse to stay in bed (all warm like a cinnamon bun).  I have to admit it, since starting this winter tradition a few years ago with The Wire, I have never thought anything could beat that show.  While OZ was good and Dexter as well, I just kept thinking the acting and storylines with brilliant plots was amazing in The Wire.  So I can now say I came into Breaking Bad with preconceived notions that it wouldn’t be as good. 

I am now on season 4 of the show, and I have to admit this show is just as good as The Wire.  Season 1 starts off a bit slow, and maybe a bit predictable.  For instance you know it’s a drug show, so you’re just waiting for certain events to happen; cooking drugs, trying to sell them, and trying to avoid problems.  By the time season 2 comes, you are more familiar with the characters and the show starts to find its own voice in originality.  From then on the show becomes brilliant for me.  In season 3 and 4, you start to make sense of the bits and pieces of storyline from the show; for example you get flashbacks and flash-forwards, and you get to see how a far distant character can then become a part of the main story.  What I appreciate the most from this show is how problems are resolved in innovated ways.  For fans of violence, the show also features many scenes that I found to be quite graphic.  Despite airing on AMC, I have to say AMC has sure done a great job in producing some of the best shows on television.

Link:

http://tv.blinkx.com/show/breaking-bad/kD5n9jUm2WkAvuyN

Dexter

It has become a tradition for me every year now during the winter months to curl up in bed and watch a TV show on my computer.  I especially love to watch a TV series all at once, from beginning to end.  I guess this habit of mine first started back in middle school when I bought my first VCR and was able to record TV shows.  There’s nothing like watching a show back to back; it provides the chance for the viewer to focus all their attention on the story and pay attention.  This habit also came in handy when I first saw the show 24.  It’s a fast moving show and watching a whole season all at once made it more exciting.  This year the show I decided to watch was Dexter.  I was trying to hold out on this show for a few years, but couldn’t resist it anymore. 

I’m a fan of psycho killer films, so I was waiting for the perfect time to watch it.  In my head the perfect time was when the show was about to end, but since it’s kind of on a break for now, I thought why not watch it now.  So far I’ve only seen a couple of seasons, and I gotta say it’s pretty good and has met most of my expectations.  The pro’s of the show are that it’s on a cable channel; meaning lots of violence, nude scenes, and swearing.  I also like the story lines, though a little predictable they still can surprise you here and there.  The con’s of the show are that the violence isn’t very graphic (which I guess only a horror film fan would care to mention), and that many actors on the show can’t act.  The good news is that many of the bad actors (Dexter’s sister, cough cough), are offset by the incredible actors that where part of other great shows such as OZ and Six Feet Under.  Below I have provided a link to a website where you can watch the entire series.

Link to the TV series:
http://www.iwatchdexterfree.com