apocalypsos | And now, more fannishment ...

Verdict: Boy, that was just really ludicrously awful, wasn't it?

Let's see ... I don't like the characters (I don't even like Miguel Ferrer and I adore Miguel Ferrer, and while I didn't get to see the entire original pilot where the little sister was deaf and Mae Whitman, I liked what I saw of her a lot more than I do now that she's a bratty computer hacker -- ooo, edgy! -- and a low-rate Rachel Bilson), the episode didn't flow at all as if the scenes were hastily chopped together, and the dialogue made me want to gag. "I'll bury one guy after the next"? Urgh.

And let's not even talk about the little girl saying pretty much directly into the camera, "I just thought it was cool a girl could do that," which offended some part of me so deeply I would have thrown my laptop across the room if it hadn't been, you know, my BABY. I imagine it's supposed to be some sort of thinly veiled feminist statement, but it fails so miserably I can't even comprehend. I mean, really, didn't we all think only boys could run sixty miles per hour?! (That's not what she meant, of course, but considering that was the first reaction that popped into my head, that's not good.)

And there are so very many things about the relationship between Jaime and Will that are skin-crawlingly skeevy I don't even want to think about it.

I just ... ugh. I would think I couldn't possibly hate this show any more than I already do but then I remember the PTB hired Isaiah Washington as if it were some great fucking casting coup and then I realize, no, actually, it COULD get worse.

Verdict: AWESOME. Oh, man, that's a great followup to suffering through The Bionic Woman. Charlie's great, the partner's great (the Woman in White! *squeaks*), and I maybe spazzed out at Alan Arkin (EDIT: ARGH. Meant to type Adam Arkin, typed Alan. I know the difference, I swear. That's what they get for having similar names. Hmph.) being the financial advisor/best buddy, especially during that last scene. "You want to drive the tractor." "You know, I think I kinda do." *snickers*

It inspires great fannish glee in me so I am most definitely torrenting it again next week.

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Exactly. There's a vast difference between this Jaime Sommers and the previous one. Disregarding their occupations, the original Jaime was more of a person than a series of cliched roles intended to drop her deeper and deeper into a big pool of angst. Was this Jaime happy about anything the entire pilot? At all? She was antagonized by her sister, intimidated by her boyfriend, uncomfortable at the thought of being pregnant, anguished at losing at the baby, pissed about being kept prisoner, anxious and upset about acquiring new abilities, and angry about the Sarah Corvis thing. There's no sense of humor there, no smiles, no occasional sarcasm. And granted, it's still the first episode and not a lot of good things happened to the poor woman, but for Christ's sake, why do I want to see her every week if she's going to mug all the goddamn time?

I mean, look at Lindsay Wagner's Jaime. She was smart, straight-forward, strong, with a great dry sense of humor. I don't get any of that with this Jaime. The most I got was someone else saying she was smart -- smarter than Miguel Ferrer's leader-of-the-team character -- but I saw no evidence in her behavior to show she really was.

And personally, if a show can't make a good case for tuning in next week (which BW has NOT) with their pilot...then why do a pilot?

It's the same problem I had with Private Practice. With a season opener, with a pilot...you need to bring your A game. This is a ratings war; what are you doing to win your part of the war? Because shiny special effects are not enough for me personally. I need a character I actually care about. And so far, they haven't really given me one. Probably the closest is Sarah Corvis and she's only a recurring character.

Yes, yes, YES. I mean, let's take the feminism problems out of the equation. The writing itself is awful. The scenes felt hacked together with the use of a chainsaw and a roll of duct tape. There was no subtlety to it, and a hell of a lot of telling rather than showing. The characters never showed any sense of humor at all or said anything that made me do anything other than make a face, making for an uneven balance in the dialogue. Hell, even Lost's pilot episode featured the occasional bit of humor -- even in the worst situations, people still say and do things that provide morbid humor for the audience ... well, except for this show.

And I don't like any of these people. Jaime is always dour. The sister is a brat. The boyfriend is an asshat. The boss is a jerk. Jesus, why do I want to watch these people every week?

It felt a lot like a bad fanfic, and if reading the first chapter of a godawful fanfic is enough to make me avoid the rest of the story at all costs, I'm certainly not going to continue to watch a show that made me mutter, "God, this thing needs a beta," just hoping it gets better. I've already got Life, Pushing Daisies, Journeyman and Chuck added to my watch list. I'm done.

And yes, right back atcha. I watch the pilots to see if anything is interesting enough to add to my TV schedule. But if it can't snag me within that window of opportunity...I have lots of other TV to watch and lots of other things I need to be doing with my time than to waste it on something that I only sorta like, or don't really like at all.

I'm so excited about Pushing Daisies! I added all the same shows *g* and that's definitely my favorite of all of them.

Oh, I am dying for new Pushing Daisies. I've been watching the same glorious episode for weeks now and I'm craving more. :)

And in a related vein, the pilot of Pushing Daisies is like the complete opposite of Bionic Woman when it comes to the strength of their female characters. Chuck is a brilliant character -- she's sharp and brave, loyal and capable, warm and witty. In one episode I managed to find out more about her personality than I felt like I'd ever learn about Jaime Sommers. Plus, Jaime puts up with her home situation with an ever-suffering version of the "loyalty" she's supposed to possess, while Chuck fills the same caretaker role with twice as much loyalty and far more cheer than Jaime.

And the aunts! Oh, how I love the aunts. It only takes them one episode to show real growth by leaving their house even though Chuck is gone. They're awesome role models even as shut-ins, so it's no wonder Chuck turned out the way she did.

Hell, even Olive -- who's kind of annoying in any dose longer than a few short minutes -- knows what she wants and goes for it. Granted, she's going after Ned and she doesn't really know the whole story, but STILL.

Oh, oh! And the great thing about Ned and Chuck not being able to touch is that the will-they-won't-they physical part of their relationship doesn't become nearly as important as the mental aspects. It's lovely and quirky and ... yeah, um, I kind of want to make out with the pilot. Heh. :)

God, yes. And really, that's a lot of what I look for in a pilot. I'll be the first to say that a pilot is a tough sell because you have to introduce the characters AND thread a plotline through it, but Pushing Daisies is a GREAT example of how it should be done. I was literally BOUNCING when I finished watching the pilot and I've been breathless for it ever since then. I saw the one episode and now I can't WAIT to "visit" with these characters again.

And even in sketch form, you're completely right; you know what these characters are about, you see actual personal change/growth through just that ONE HOUR, and there's enough personality infused through it to make you feel like you KNOW SOMETHING about these characters.

And now, more fannishment ...

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