It’s not all food TV and competitive dating around here. There is some commitment to serialised, script-written television, too.
Caprica
We were smitten – head over heels in love – with SciFi’s Battlestar Galactica. It was an obsession that completely took me by surprise. Sure, I watched some BSG and some Buck Rogers growing up. Yes, of course I went to the Star Trek exhibition at the Smithsonian. Okay, I can quote slabs of Hitchhikers Guide (but I still need to look up how to punctuate the title) and I’ve devoured all of Dune… but I don’t consider myself to be a Science Fiction type1.
When BSG was nearing its end, news started to emerge that a new series was in the works. A series set on Caprica, called Caprica. I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy this “new” show, given that there was going to be limited character crossover (and by “limited”, I mean “one”). Anyway, I couldn’t resist watching the first episode, and it’s incredibly engaging. It’s not necessary to have watched BSG – in fact, as much as I’m enjoying getting more backstory, I wish there was a way of watching it with none of those expectations, since I get a bit distracted by trivial things (like the Caprica Buccaneers Pyramid team, Anders’ old team, which here is owned by Daniel Greystone).
I’m not sure when (if?) SciFi here is going to pick this one up, but it’s become a Sunday night fixture here.
Lost
When Lost first started, there was a lot of hype. As we are nothing if not susceptible to advertising, we tuned into the first episode and called time-of-death after about 10 minutes. Of course, having done that, we failed to switch it off, and… are still watching. For the first few episodes, I watched in spite of it, but I was soon watching because I was hooked.
This is the final season, and the writers have tried to manage expectations by saying that all questions won’t be answered. I don’t care. I don’t even care that Terry O’Quinn is notLocke; I’m just happy that he’s still in the picture.
The Wire
I’ve started watching The Wire again, from the beginning of season one. This time, I’m not just watching it with the cats (and Crackers). In fact, the cats (and Crackers) seem less than interested in this go-around. I’m not watching it alone, though, I’m watching it “on Twitter” with whoever else wants to join in. This idea started when one of my Twitter people lamented coming to the end of season 5. We decided that the best way to deal with the end of The Wire was to keep going. At the moment, there are only three of us (we’re watching on Mondays at 8.30, which clashes with Four Corners, amongst other things). If you’re on Twitter and want to join in, follow @R_Wrd and the tag #reWired. Monday is episode three and, if I’m not mistaken… Omar comin’.
Masterchef Professionals
It’s finals time, and I’m trying to keep up with the episodes mounting up on the IQ. In the semis, the finalists duked it out in pairs, in Michelin-starred kitchens. It’s high stakes and all the other clichés, but I had a little weep when Gregg and Michel – unable to separate two of the finalists – worked the dramatic pauses to a level never seen before… and then put both of them through (as the Eric Clapton soundtrack wailed to a crescendo). Sob.
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1. It’s quite possible that I’m in denial.
