Good TV show, bad TV show

[thistlechaser]

First off, I finally got a new default icon. Nothing wrong with the old one, but I was ready for something new.

Amazon sent me a snail mail letter telling me all about the "unlimited streaming of more than 40,000 movies and TV shows", which I had already known about and used, but it also listed shows it had that Netflix didn't have. One of them was Downton Abbey. I had heard a lot of good things about it, so even though it didn't seem like a show I'd like, I checked it out.

I'm so in love with it! It's so beautiful! I love the outfits and the settings. Each room is packed with beautiful things. And the characters! Oh Mr. Bates, you seem like the nicest, most wonderful, sweetest, most perfect man ever. Once I had thought you looked ordinary, but now your face is beautiful to me. I just wish so many awful things would stop happening to you. Related: How are Thomas and O'Brien so awful? I want to push them both off a cliff.

I'm just about done with season two. I have one ep and the Christmas ep left to go, then on to season three!

And then there was the other show. I swear to god, I've never tried to like a show as much as I've been trying to force myself to like SHIELD. Tonight would have been a better ep, if not for all the promos being misleading.


I knew they were going to do it. All week the promos have been teasing that Skye was going to be kicked off the team, so I was 99% sure it would not happen, but a tiny little piece of me kept hoping it would be true. But of course it wasn't. Which only made it worse. The show dangled hope that the most annoying element of it (to me) would be removed, and that didn't happen. Cruel.

That's especially annoying since if they hadn't lied in the promos, I might have liked this ep more. It was my favorite thus far. (Also, it was the ep with the least Skye in it too, right?) I'm glad she got collared braceleted.

I do not for one single moment believe that she was a hacker and joined SHIELD and all that crap because of boohoo her parents. I'm not saying I think the character was lying, I think the writing was stupid.

Sigh. This show. I really, really want to like it. I want to support it. I want to call it the bestest thing ever. Blah. Darned show.

Comments

[bouteillebleu.livejournal.com]

Sad to hear about SHIELD. I've been watching it and will probably drop it after Ep 3, but for different reasons: Skye I can cope with, but I found the technobabble cringe-makingly awful.

Sure, scientists might talk like that - the enthusiastic "oh can we do X if we have Y?" "yes, but you've forgotten about Z, and what about A and B?" "damn, maybe C or D would help there?" sounds like any number of RPG conversations I've ever had (and makes just as little sense if you don't know what X, Y and so on are) - but when I recognise some of the terms and they're just using them for nonsense it falls really really flat.

So instead I'm watching Sleepy Hollow, which is cheesy as hell and not trying to be Buffy again (and failing) and only does occult-babble instead, and is thus much better when it *is* good. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm hearing from a lot of people, that they're enjoying Sleepy Hollow a lot. I need to give it another chance!

It doesn't surprise me that the technobabble is faked. Depressing, but not surprising.

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Downton Abbey is seriously addicting. I must say that the Christmas show and season 3 threw me for a loop. but that show is just really hard to hate.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I'm hearing that about season three. Oh well! I've heard nothing bad about season four yet, so hopefully it will turn around then.

[loup_noir]

Adore Downton Abbey! The dowager is probably my favorite character, if only for the fabulous quotes that drop off her acidic tongue. Mr. Bates is lovely, noble, and fallible.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yes! I love her as well. She's always got a great, usually cutting comment.

[quistie.livejournal.com]

Is there a reason why you dislike Skye so much? She isn't the greatest character, but I feel she's at least on par with the rest of the team. That isn't saying much, of course. I just don't think she's the biggest problem of the show.

The sad thing is there are a couple of interesting-but-woefully-underdeveloped plot points. Exactly what did the SHIELD do to Coulson after he supposedly died? What was he really like before his death? I am mildly interested about the villains, too. There is a good show in there somewhere...I think.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I don't know what it is about her, but every word she says annoys me, just how she looks and acts annoys me. I've never met a character or RL person who just annoyed me from first sight. She's like sandpaper on my skin. On top of that, I hate her character so much. She's so ~smart~ and ~special~ and ~super hacker~.

I think they're drawing out Coulson's death details, because that's what everyone wants to know.

Agreed that the show could be good. Hopefully it will be.

[quistie.livejournal.com]

To me, Coulson's supposed death really didn't start becoming interesting until a couple of episodes ago, when the girl with the eye implant implied that Coulson used to be someone completely different. In that sense I don't feel like it was handled all that well.

It could be really cool if the old Coulson returns and becomes the main villain or something. I have no idea where the show is going, though...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

That would be totally cool! And think how much more people would like the show with two Coulsons in it.

I wonder how long until we find out the details surrounding him. I suppose, if they're smart, we'll never find out. Keeping people guessing will likely keep them coming back.