To make life important
Apr. 22nd, 2017 10:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachg82For anyone observant enough to notice my mood status, the reason I'm currently sore is because I had the super-duper-fun experience of having one of my big toenails removed yesterday. (Sorry. TMI, I know. But if I had to go through it, I'm taking the whole world down with me.) Turns out it was indeed infected again, and as it wasn't clearing up with antibiotics, and as the nail was still stubbornly ingrown on both sides, they decided to just take the sucker out. Again. I handled the actual procedure like a pro, but the level of pain since then has been awful -- much worse than when they only removed part of the nail last time, and much, much worse than what the internet tells you to expect (what they should say is, "Just imagine your foot somehow caught on fire, and then afterward tiny gnomes came by with little daggers & stabbed the shit out of it"). They did give me something for it, and the pain is a lot better than it was last night, but it still hurts, and overall this whole mess is making me feel very, very sorry for myself.
Anyway. That's not why I wanted to post today. I've been meaning to talk about TV stuff forever, and I figure now's as good a time as any:
-First up, The X-Files. I heard the news this week about it returning for a 10-episode run, and my reaction was (and still is), "Uhhhhh…shit. I mean yay, right? Yay. Kind of." So a qualified yay, I suppose. It's a stark contrast to how I felt before the revival though. There were a couple episodes from that which I enjoyed, and it did inspire me to write two new fics, but those final two episodes were truly terrible (the conspiracy retcon made zero sense, the islamophobia was embarrassing, and how the fuck was Cancer Man still alive?! God damn't, Carter). So while I'm always down to see Mulder & Scully again (especially if it inspires new fic from my blocked muse, and especially-especially if we get any decent shipper scenes), I am already cringing at what Carter might do next. Give me some time though, because I'm sure as it gets closer, I will become more excited again (totally against my better judgment at this point, heh).
Prayer circle that we get to see Gillian's real hair this time though. Good God, that wig -- Jesus, take the wheel!
-Moving on, I am simultaneously totally psyched and ridiculously sad over the fact that Bates Motel is ending on Monday. When I thought about it last week, I actually surprised myself by shedding a tear, haha. I never even got into the fandom or anything (though I still really want to try writing a fic at some point), and I only discovered the show last summer, so it's kind of absurd to be all woebegone about its departure, but maybe that's kind of the point. I wish I'd had more time with it. Of course I can still rewatch it whenever I want, thanks to Netflix, but it's not the same as looking forward to new episodes. I will miss Vera killing me dead every week, and I will miss the campy craziness, and I will miss going down spectacularly with my ship. This show has given me so much happiness over the last few months especially, when I really needed it, and I will probably cry again when it's over.
-Next up, Six Feet Under, which took me well over a year to finish because I had to take a break from it for a while (the subject matter was too triggering for me while I was still depressed & already thinking of death enough as it was), but I'm glad I went back to it once that was no longer the case. Overall, the show started out good and finished off great. Not only did it have possibly the best series finale I've ever seen (its reputation for that is worth the hype -- it really is beautiful), but in general it got stronger as it went along, right up to the end. That's a rare feat. Most shows that get better & better still eventually reach a point where they begin declining again in some way. But Six Feet Under went out on top. I'm sure part of that is because they aired on cable, so not only did they have greater artistic liberty, but it also meant each season was shorter, so while it technically ended after five seasons, that really put it only in the third season of your average broadcast program. If The X-Files for instance had ended in its third season, it would've gone out on top too, though I doubt Carter's ability to write a decent finale at this point. Regardless, there's still something to be said for knowing when to wrap up a story vs. dragging it out forever. (*cough*Bones*cough*) So even though I didn't *want* it to end when it did, I admire their restraint in letting it bow out gracefully.
In the end, it actually turned out to be quite life-affirming for me too, which I didn't expect. And while it took me a while to warm up to the characters, I definitely care about them now. I still can't decide who's my favorite though. I think I relate the most to David, but Ruth is kind of amazing. So that's a toss-up.
-I tried getting into House of Cards, but I kept zoning out while trying to follow its dialogue & plot. I could not for the life of me keep track of what the hell was actually happening. Like, "Okay, so he's up to some political shenanigans because…why? Fuck if I know. Is this over yet?" So after a few episodes I gave up. I might give it another chance in the future, because maybe at a later date I'll be less distracted & able to get engaged by it, but for now it's not for me.
-Another show I'm debating giving up is Homeland. I'm only one season in, and I only vaguely care about what happens next. I could really take it or leave it. And since this is supposed to be when the show was at its best (right?), I don't think that's a good sign. Also, their portrayal of mania was laughably bad. Like BAD, BAD. So they lost a lot of points from me there.
Oh, and while I'm not sure if this is a popular opinion or not: Brody can suck it. Just saying.
-I also started Masters of Sex recently, and so far it's promising. Especially the chemistry between the leads. Very shippable, and very sexy. Since I'm not even a full season in though, I can't say much else.
-Finally, I binged 13 Reasons Why in two days this week, and while I was nitpicking it for a while at first (I think I perversely wanted to not like it since everyone else seems to love it, ha), by the end I had to grudgingly admit it was a good show. I won't say anything to spoil anyone, but I will say that I wish I had kept my eyes closed during the flashback scene of her in the tub. That kind of shit is still too much for me.
Wrapping this up, here's a tribute vid to Six Feet Under by one of my favorite vidders. There aren't really any spoilers -- it just gives you a taste.
Anyway. That's not why I wanted to post today. I've been meaning to talk about TV stuff forever, and I figure now's as good a time as any:
-First up, The X-Files. I heard the news this week about it returning for a 10-episode run, and my reaction was (and still is), "Uhhhhh…shit. I mean yay, right? Yay. Kind of." So a qualified yay, I suppose. It's a stark contrast to how I felt before the revival though. There were a couple episodes from that which I enjoyed, and it did inspire me to write two new fics, but those final two episodes were truly terrible (the conspiracy retcon made zero sense, the islamophobia was embarrassing, and how the fuck was Cancer Man still alive?! God damn't, Carter). So while I'm always down to see Mulder & Scully again (especially if it inspires new fic from my blocked muse, and especially-especially if we get any decent shipper scenes), I am already cringing at what Carter might do next. Give me some time though, because I'm sure as it gets closer, I will become more excited again (totally against my better judgment at this point, heh).
Prayer circle that we get to see Gillian's real hair this time though. Good God, that wig -- Jesus, take the wheel!
-Moving on, I am simultaneously totally psyched and ridiculously sad over the fact that Bates Motel is ending on Monday. When I thought about it last week, I actually surprised myself by shedding a tear, haha. I never even got into the fandom or anything (though I still really want to try writing a fic at some point), and I only discovered the show last summer, so it's kind of absurd to be all woebegone about its departure, but maybe that's kind of the point. I wish I'd had more time with it. Of course I can still rewatch it whenever I want, thanks to Netflix, but it's not the same as looking forward to new episodes. I will miss Vera killing me dead every week, and I will miss the campy craziness, and I will miss going down spectacularly with my ship. This show has given me so much happiness over the last few months especially, when I really needed it, and I will probably cry again when it's over.
-Next up, Six Feet Under, which took me well over a year to finish because I had to take a break from it for a while (the subject matter was too triggering for me while I was still depressed & already thinking of death enough as it was), but I'm glad I went back to it once that was no longer the case. Overall, the show started out good and finished off great. Not only did it have possibly the best series finale I've ever seen (its reputation for that is worth the hype -- it really is beautiful), but in general it got stronger as it went along, right up to the end. That's a rare feat. Most shows that get better & better still eventually reach a point where they begin declining again in some way. But Six Feet Under went out on top. I'm sure part of that is because they aired on cable, so not only did they have greater artistic liberty, but it also meant each season was shorter, so while it technically ended after five seasons, that really put it only in the third season of your average broadcast program. If The X-Files for instance had ended in its third season, it would've gone out on top too, though I doubt Carter's ability to write a decent finale at this point. Regardless, there's still something to be said for knowing when to wrap up a story vs. dragging it out forever. (*cough*Bones*cough*) So even though I didn't *want* it to end when it did, I admire their restraint in letting it bow out gracefully.
In the end, it actually turned out to be quite life-affirming for me too, which I didn't expect. And while it took me a while to warm up to the characters, I definitely care about them now. I still can't decide who's my favorite though. I think I relate the most to David, but Ruth is kind of amazing. So that's a toss-up.
-I tried getting into House of Cards, but I kept zoning out while trying to follow its dialogue & plot. I could not for the life of me keep track of what the hell was actually happening. Like, "Okay, so he's up to some political shenanigans because…why? Fuck if I know. Is this over yet?" So after a few episodes I gave up. I might give it another chance in the future, because maybe at a later date I'll be less distracted & able to get engaged by it, but for now it's not for me.
-Another show I'm debating giving up is Homeland. I'm only one season in, and I only vaguely care about what happens next. I could really take it or leave it. And since this is supposed to be when the show was at its best (right?), I don't think that's a good sign. Also, their portrayal of mania was laughably bad. Like BAD, BAD. So they lost a lot of points from me there.
Oh, and while I'm not sure if this is a popular opinion or not: Brody can suck it. Just saying.
-I also started Masters of Sex recently, and so far it's promising. Especially the chemistry between the leads. Very shippable, and very sexy. Since I'm not even a full season in though, I can't say much else.
-Finally, I binged 13 Reasons Why in two days this week, and while I was nitpicking it for a while at first (I think I perversely wanted to not like it since everyone else seems to love it, ha), by the end I had to grudgingly admit it was a good show. I won't say anything to spoil anyone, but I will say that I wish I had kept my eyes closed during the flashback scene of her in the tub. That kind of shit is still too much for me.
Wrapping this up, here's a tribute vid to Six Feet Under by one of my favorite vidders. There aren't really any spoilers -- it just gives you a taste.
