You were warned. So if you don't care about books at all, finish this paragraph and you can go back to whatever other sites interest you more. But I just wanted to let everybody know that tomorrow night on the CBC, they are having famous Canadian couples read love letters to each other. Apparently the letters are from the play Love Letters by A.R. Gurney. I just think it will be interesting to see these real life couples reading love letters to each other. You should watch too.
Now, on to the book for the hour, Generation A by Douglas Coupland. I actually finished reading it a few days ago but I needed some time to let it gestate in my brain before I could be able to write about it. First of all, one of the main reasons I love Douglas Coupland is his ability to capture the current zeitgeist. He is like the zeitgeist whisperer. All of his cultural references are current and can't help but bring a smile to your face.
This book is kind of an answer to Generation X (which he popularized as a term) for today. It's about 5 people who are stung by bees after the entire bee population was believed to have died out. Like Gen X, it's basically a book about people telling stories. Now nerds like me will find this extremely interesting. What I liked about the stories is how they all tied into each other even though they were being told by the different characters (like the Channel 3 News Team who keep popping up). The interesting thing though, is that the characters will reflect on the different themes that appear in all their stories or the common threads that keep popping up. So Coupland is really directing you to the themes of their stories which makes me think about how they relate to the larger story that you are in fact reading. I always love his characters because they seem so aware. Sometimes I think I live my life too much like I'm trying to be a Coupland character.
Another interesting point (again, at least to me), is the drug Solon that is described throughout. It pretty much gives you the freedom of not caring about other people at all. Which sounds kinda bizarre but at the same time, appealing in a terrible sort of way. Maybe I'm just a bad person. But the important thing here is that the drug is continually described as the feeling you get when you are reading a novel. Which feeds into the whole tradition of the novel as a reflection and furthering the individualistic culture. But what is Coupland saying here when you are in fact reading a novel? In a way, anybody who reads a novel would almost be guilty as the Solon users since they are intentionally putting up a distance between them and everyone else. Books don't create the same community as television. Even if you are in a book club, you read the books alone.
BUT this novel made me realize why I love Coupland so much. It's because, despite the fact that he is often describing the isolation of the modern culture (an accelerated culture if you will), there is always a community. All the outsiders become a group. In Microserfs and jPOD you have the techy geeks, who though each are often seen as loners, find solace in their own communities. Gen X and Gen A, you have people who feel alienated by their own societies but all the storytellers all come together. And even Eleanor Rigby and All Families are Psychotic, everybody finds their own families and don't quite end up alone. There's an understanding developed by the characters. There will always be an us vs. them but the real goal in life is to find your own us. Above all us, Coupland seems to be fighting for a sense of community, no matter how unusual members of that community might be. And I like that. Gives hope in a time of the modern isolationistic culture. At the end of this novel, the 5 main characters are actually morphing into one entity. How much more communal can you get?
The only part I didn't really care for was the whole "eat your brains at the end." I wasn't going to mention it because it can be a bit of a spoiler but I figure nobody would really read this far.
But I want to leave you with my favourite quote from the novel which is actually on the 2nd page:
"And then what do you do - do you pray? What is prayer but a wish for the events in your life to string together to form a story - something that makes some sense of events you know have meaning.
And so I pray."
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Nature of Things
So I usually don't watch the Nature of Things. Nothing against Mr. Suzuki, it's just not something I find myself watching if I have other options. But last night, it as on the connection between smoking pot and schizophrenia. And it was actually pretty interesting. What I did like that that they weren't saying 'smoking pot will give you schizophrenia.' They talked about how lots of people smoke pot with no problems and though there does seem to be a connection between pot and schizophrenia, they were exploring why that is and trying to see which comes first.
The problem I had with the whole thing, was how it was advertised. In one of the commercials for the show, they had a clip of a woman saying "pot made my child psychotic." That seems like a cheap way to sell it. So for this, the CBC gets a public shaming. Shame on you, CBC, shame.
The problem I had with the whole thing, was how it was advertised. In one of the commercials for the show, they had a clip of a woman saying "pot made my child psychotic." That seems like a cheap way to sell it. So for this, the CBC gets a public shaming. Shame on you, CBC, shame.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Hiccups Indeed
Brent Butt has created a new show. It's called Hiccups and it's about a children's author with anger management problems. I thought it sounded like good show but was a little wary when I learned that Nancy Robertson would be starring in it. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against here. I'm just afraid for her. I don't want to see her or Fred Ewanuick (and his new show Dan for Mayor) suffer from the Seinfeld curse. I mean, how many sitcoms had to die before Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards could have a successful show? Louis-Dreyfus seems to be the only one able to have a real sitcom life after Seinfeld but it took years before that was possible. With the success of Corner Gas, I didn't want to see the same thing happen to that cast.
Then I learned that Brent Butt wouldn't just be behind the camera of this show. Now he's playing the life coach hired by Nancy Robertson's character. Now usually I'm very happy when I see a husband and wife working together on a show. It makes my heart smile. But this case makes my heart sad. Just speaking for me personally, I think it's going to be hard to see them both together, but not as Brent and Wanda. I know they will be totally different characters and I'm sure they are both suberb actors who can pull it off, but I just don't think I have the mental strength to get past Corner Gas yet. I mean, it really hasn't been that long, especially if Hiccups is going to be in the 2010-2011 schedule (which I believe it is but don't quote me on that). I mean, think about if Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus had done a show together 2 years after Seinfeld ended. Maybe it would have been the most wildly successful show ever but somehow I doubt that.
I'll still watch Hiccups and hope that they can help me get past Corner Gas but as of right now, I don't have much hope for that.
Then I learned that Brent Butt wouldn't just be behind the camera of this show. Now he's playing the life coach hired by Nancy Robertson's character. Now usually I'm very happy when I see a husband and wife working together on a show. It makes my heart smile. But this case makes my heart sad. Just speaking for me personally, I think it's going to be hard to see them both together, but not as Brent and Wanda. I know they will be totally different characters and I'm sure they are both suberb actors who can pull it off, but I just don't think I have the mental strength to get past Corner Gas yet. I mean, it really hasn't been that long, especially if Hiccups is going to be in the 2010-2011 schedule (which I believe it is but don't quote me on that). I mean, think about if Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus had done a show together 2 years after Seinfeld ended. Maybe it would have been the most wildly successful show ever but somehow I doubt that.
I'll still watch Hiccups and hope that they can help me get past Corner Gas but as of right now, I don't have much hope for that.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Testing
Last night was some fantastic TV! It was Test the Nation IQ. I love this Test the Nation series. I love anything that tests my knowledge because I'm a nerd like that. Despite the fact I don't usually enjoy IQ tests (I find them nerve racking...and logic has never been a strong suit of mine), I loved watching this. Of course I was playing along at home with my brother and sister and thankfully we were all within one point of each other. It helps limit the bloodshed. And it was hosted by Strombo so that was all I really needed.
Along with the actual test which I enjoyed, I always love how they have teams in the studio that they pit against each other. Most of them made sense: Nerds vs. Athletes, Believers vs. Atheists (who were captained by the guy who plays the priest on Little Mosque). But then they have Politicians vs. ... Twins. Now I must be missing something because I've never heard anything of this long standing feud between Politicians and Twins. Was there some discriminatory legislation against twins in the past?
Anyway, I wasn't overly surprised with the final results. The Nerds won. I think this is also related to the fact that nerds are probably more likely to have taken an IQ test or tests similar to it in the past, thus having more exposure to the type of questions asked. The Politicians came in second, which I should hope so. And the Atheists beat the Believers. The twins came in last which seemed a little surprising. But I was more surprised by the fact Jeremy Taggart was in the Believers team. Who knew?
Though I did smile when Strombo kept making jokes all night about prorouging. Take that politicians!
Along with the actual test which I enjoyed, I always love how they have teams in the studio that they pit against each other. Most of them made sense: Nerds vs. Athletes, Believers vs. Atheists (who were captained by the guy who plays the priest on Little Mosque). But then they have Politicians vs. ... Twins. Now I must be missing something because I've never heard anything of this long standing feud between Politicians and Twins. Was there some discriminatory legislation against twins in the past?
Anyway, I wasn't overly surprised with the final results. The Nerds won. I think this is also related to the fact that nerds are probably more likely to have taken an IQ test or tests similar to it in the past, thus having more exposure to the type of questions asked. The Politicians came in second, which I should hope so. And the Atheists beat the Believers. The twins came in last which seemed a little surprising. But I was more surprised by the fact Jeremy Taggart was in the Believers team. Who knew?
Though I did smile when Strombo kept making jokes all night about prorouging. Take that politicians!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Surprise
So last night while watching The Hour, Strombo was telling me all about this Friday night, the three networks are banding together for a Haiti relief telethon. It's going to be hosted Strombo (CBC), Ben Mulroney (CTV) and Cheryl Hickey (Global). Frankly, I'd watch it just to see those guys going at it. But I'm very impressed that all the networks want to work together and play nice. Sure it took an earthquake but it's a nice gesture. The funniest part was when Strombo said that you wouldn't be able to change the channel to get away from it at all since it's going to be on all the networks. I laughed and then realized I really couldn't change the channel. Oh well.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
When the women left Alberta
There was much excitement upon the discovery of The Week the Women Went and despite my usual need for order, we watched season 2 in Tatamagouche before season 1 in Alberta. So after the we finished off the 8 episodes of Nova Scotia goodness, we went back and started with season 1. I was really interested to compare the two since they seem like two completely different cultures. How similar would the men react when the women went away?
We don't know because we never made it past episode two. It's not like we didn't have the time since we just ended up switching back to Stargate Atlantis for our viewing pleasure but there was a distinction difference between the two seasons. My brother said he didn't want to watch it any more because he didn't want to see any child abuse. Though we tried to assure him that the CBC (probably) wouldn't actually show anything like that, we all understood where he was coming from. There was one dad in Alberta that did seem much scarier than all of the dads from Tata. And personally, I didn't like seeing the cows getting branded and castrated. But there was definitely are harshness in general that you didn't see in Tata.
I think part of the reason this was is that the men in Alberta seemed more aware that they were on camera for all the country to see. They have more of a reputation to uphold of being the rough, wild cowboys of the west. I think you could see that a lot in the one guy (I want to call him Sam) who was the joker of the group and was in charge of taking care of his 12(?) year old son who usually lived with his mother. He never knew where the kid was and the kid didn't seem like one of those bad kids that would just disappear. To me, at least, his lack of interest in his kid seemed more like a show to everyone else so that he could still be the 'cool' one. I did not like this.
The one really interesting thing I found was that there were more teenagers in Alberta. And the CBC had no problems showing all the underage drinking and partying that went on. One side effect I never thought of was now that the mothers were all gone, the teenagers run rampant. But the CBC would show these kids out drinking at a party. And I liked that. I think it shows that the CBC, though they may not approve, aren't just going to cover it all up for the sake of a TV or pretend it's not happening. CBC: keeping it real (...which is also why we were afraid that they might show the child abuse, if it happened).
We don't know because we never made it past episode two. It's not like we didn't have the time since we just ended up switching back to Stargate Atlantis for our viewing pleasure but there was a distinction difference between the two seasons. My brother said he didn't want to watch it any more because he didn't want to see any child abuse. Though we tried to assure him that the CBC (probably) wouldn't actually show anything like that, we all understood where he was coming from. There was one dad in Alberta that did seem much scarier than all of the dads from Tata. And personally, I didn't like seeing the cows getting branded and castrated. But there was definitely are harshness in general that you didn't see in Tata.
I think part of the reason this was is that the men in Alberta seemed more aware that they were on camera for all the country to see. They have more of a reputation to uphold of being the rough, wild cowboys of the west. I think you could see that a lot in the one guy (I want to call him Sam) who was the joker of the group and was in charge of taking care of his 12(?) year old son who usually lived with his mother. He never knew where the kid was and the kid didn't seem like one of those bad kids that would just disappear. To me, at least, his lack of interest in his kid seemed more like a show to everyone else so that he could still be the 'cool' one. I did not like this.
The one really interesting thing I found was that there were more teenagers in Alberta. And the CBC had no problems showing all the underage drinking and partying that went on. One side effect I never thought of was now that the mothers were all gone, the teenagers run rampant. But the CBC would show these kids out drinking at a party. And I liked that. I think it shows that the CBC, though they may not approve, aren't just going to cover it all up for the sake of a TV or pretend it's not happening. CBC: keeping it real (...which is also why we were afraid that they might show the child abuse, if it happened).
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Quality
When I first started this challenge, I thought the hard part was going to be finding enough Canadian content to meet the quota of TV I like to watch. I never worried about the quality because I figured that I wouldn't have that many options to be picky. So I figured I would have to take what I could get.
The surprising part is, for the most part, I've greatly enjoyed the shows that I've been watching. I've discovered a bunch of shows that I probably wouldn't have bothered watching before and now have become a big fan of. Rarely has there been a show that I absolutely hated and positively will never watch again. I mean with shows like Slings and Arrows, Robson Arms, Being Erica, Corner Gas, Defying Gravity, Little Mosque and now 18 to Life and Republic of Doyle, I've been greatly enjoying all of these new shows in my life.
But it makes me wonder at what point in our lives that we stop watching Cancon. I mean, I grew up on Mr. Dressup, Fred Penner and Under the Umbrella Tree. From there, I switched to MuchMusic and hung out with all the VJs. But after that time of my life, the amount of Cancon in my life really dropped off. It just felt like there was nothing there for me. And even when I started this, I didn't think there was going to be much aimed at me. Then I realized that Being Erica felt remarkably aimed specifically at me and the world opened up to me. There are just so many great shows out there now!
...except Kids in the Hall. I'm still debating if I want to tune in again this week and just hope it gets better.
The surprising part is, for the most part, I've greatly enjoyed the shows that I've been watching. I've discovered a bunch of shows that I probably wouldn't have bothered watching before and now have become a big fan of. Rarely has there been a show that I absolutely hated and positively will never watch again. I mean with shows like Slings and Arrows, Robson Arms, Being Erica, Corner Gas, Defying Gravity, Little Mosque and now 18 to Life and Republic of Doyle, I've been greatly enjoying all of these new shows in my life.
But it makes me wonder at what point in our lives that we stop watching Cancon. I mean, I grew up on Mr. Dressup, Fred Penner and Under the Umbrella Tree. From there, I switched to MuchMusic and hung out with all the VJs. But after that time of my life, the amount of Cancon in my life really dropped off. It just felt like there was nothing there for me. And even when I started this, I didn't think there was going to be much aimed at me. Then I realized that Being Erica felt remarkably aimed specifically at me and the world opened up to me. There are just so many great shows out there now!
...except Kids in the Hall. I'm still debating if I want to tune in again this week and just hope it gets better.
Monday, January 18, 2010
It's Almost Time!
When I started this whole challenge, I thought about how lucky I was that I was doing this in an Olympic year. I mean, think of it, CTV actually has something to offer me now! And I do usually spend the Olympics glued to the TV anyway so everybody wins. The only downside is that I lose the ability to flip to the American channels whenever the Canadian ones are showing me a sport I don't really care about. But I've decided to view this as a positive thing since it enables one of my favourite things about the Olympics: suddenly becoming an expert in a sport that I usually would care nothing about. Just give me a couple of days and I'll start talking about beach volleyball as if it's something I've been following for years. It's the same thing with curling in the Winter Olympics. I know it would be more Canadian of me to care about it all the time but every four years seems to be enough for me.
So I guess I have a lot of curling, figure skating and, of course, hockey to look forward to next month!
So I guess I have a lot of curling, figure skating and, of course, hockey to look forward to next month!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Sports!
Yesterday I was doing some house cleaning with my sister and we stopped to have some lunch. While we were breaking, we found that figure skating was on. I thought it would be a good thing to watch since it's not like a show where you have to stay for the whole story. We ended up watching all 2 hours of it. It's the Canadian finals to determine who will be our Olympic team. I thought that they should have settled this by now but that's just me. It's so fascinating though. It's one of the few sports I enjoy watching. So we decided that today we would watch 3 more hours of the finals. And we'll find out which pairs teams will be sent in just 40 mins. Can you handle it?!?!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Book Review!
Into every life, some book reviews must fall. Hey, I'm an English major so it's to be expected. Here is today's book: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. Remember Oryx and Crake? While this novel happens simultaneously as good ol' Oryx and Crake. But my problem is that I think that if you haven't read O and C, this book wouldn't make a lot of sense. Well it would, but there would still be a lot of stuff that you wouldn't get. I read O and C two years ago and it still took me a while to get some of the references (for some reason, Jimmy himself didn't ring a bell but his rakunk named Killer, I immediately recognized).
But in general, it's not as good as Oryx and Crake. Though I did enjoy reading it, it was more because of how much I like the world and not the actual story. And it may be weird to say I like the world inside of the novel since it's about completely destroyed world with some pockets of people trying to survive. I usually don't like the whole post apocalyptic genre, this one has touches that I find make it very real. Like Secret Burger. Where you never know what type of meat is actually in the burgers. Though that sounds terribly disgusting (or like McDonald's), it does seem like something that would actually be popular. Especially in the poor sides of town where this novel takes place.
My real problem with this book: the ending. I really liked the ending of Oryx and Crake because it was opened ended. We didn't know who the other group of humans were or what Jimmy was actually going to do. I liked that. Though I don't remember exactly what I thought happened, but I'm sure I somehow gave it a happy ending. But Year of the Flood fills in all the blanks. Though we're still left with a "so what are they going to do now type feeling?" there's less options. There's now a group of humans left. We know who those men are. We find out what Jimmy did. I did not like that. Though there is part of me that's happy to know what happened in "the official version," I still would have preferred not to know at all.
And consider this a warning: I have a start of Canadian books lined up so forgive me if these pop up every once and a while.
But in general, it's not as good as Oryx and Crake. Though I did enjoy reading it, it was more because of how much I like the world and not the actual story. And it may be weird to say I like the world inside of the novel since it's about completely destroyed world with some pockets of people trying to survive. I usually don't like the whole post apocalyptic genre, this one has touches that I find make it very real. Like Secret Burger. Where you never know what type of meat is actually in the burgers. Though that sounds terribly disgusting (or like McDonald's), it does seem like something that would actually be popular. Especially in the poor sides of town where this novel takes place.
My real problem with this book: the ending. I really liked the ending of Oryx and Crake because it was opened ended. We didn't know who the other group of humans were or what Jimmy was actually going to do. I liked that. Though I don't remember exactly what I thought happened, but I'm sure I somehow gave it a happy ending. But Year of the Flood fills in all the blanks. Though we're still left with a "so what are they going to do now type feeling?" there's less options. There's now a group of humans left. We know who those men are. We find out what Jimmy did. I did not like that. Though there is part of me that's happy to know what happened in "the official version," I still would have preferred not to know at all.
And consider this a warning: I have a start of Canadian books lined up so forgive me if these pop up every once and a while.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A Disappointment
I will admit: I've never really watched Kids in the Hall. I know I should because they are a Canadian classic but it's just never been something I got into. So I was happy to see that they had a new mini-series on CBC because I thought that this would be the chance that I had never given them before and they would win me over and I would laugh and laugh.
That's not quite how it happened. Maybe it's because I'm just not into that kind of comedy in general (and I think if I watched the old show, I would be able to put it in a specific time and place) but it just didn't get to me. I chuckled maybe once or twice (the town abortionist giving out kittens) but overall, I was not impressed. And was actually rather happy when I found out that it was only a half an hour instead of a full hour like I thought. Maybe it's because it's just one long sketch instead of a bunch of shorter ones? Maybe I would like that better. I don't really know.
What I do know? I probably won't be tuning in for next week's Death Comes to Town.
That's not quite how it happened. Maybe it's because I'm just not into that kind of comedy in general (and I think if I watched the old show, I would be able to put it in a specific time and place) but it just didn't get to me. I chuckled maybe once or twice (the town abortionist giving out kittens) but overall, I was not impressed. And was actually rather happy when I found out that it was only a half an hour instead of a full hour like I thought. Maybe it's because it's just one long sketch instead of a bunch of shorter ones? Maybe I would like that better. I don't really know.
What I do know? I probably won't be tuning in for next week's Death Comes to Town.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Week the Women Went
When I originally saw the commercials for The Week the Women Went, I wasn't interested in it in the least. I thought it was just another lame reality show and so never bothered with it. Then my brother's friend recently moved to Tatamagouche so she was checking out the show since it was filmed there. Then recommended it to us. And still, I was a little apprehensive. But last night, we decided to check it out. And was I surprised. It is one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.
First of all, I have realized that I do not understand men in the least. At all. I have never been so dumbfounded in my life. After all these years, they still seem to think that women should have nothing to complain about even though they are in charge of all the cleaning, cooking, caring for the children and having a full time job. And all women had the same wish for the week: that their husband would have a better relationship with their children. And though I do have hope for some of the men, others just seem too far gone. I have no idea how these marriages have lasted this long. There is one couple in particular that I so hope they divorce. I usually don't want to see marriages dissovled but she should have left him years ago. There is nothing I want more at this moment.
The other thing I find most interesting is that with reality shows, there is always the question of authenticity. How real is reality tv? Though most shows these days seem scripted and very much unreal. When you put a camera in the mix, it no longer becomes real because they know they are being watched. But sometimes the opposite happens, when you put someone in front of a camera, they feel the pressure to be truthful. And that seems to be the case with this show. These people are remarkably open about the problematic relationships they have with their children and the issues they have. Tam even admits that he doesn't think Cydney really loves him at all. It was a bizarre moment. They are literally putting most of the family problems and issues out for the whole country to see. It's fascinating.
One last note, the editing on this show is fantastic! There's just so many little moments that are hilariously edited together. And the narrator sometimes makes such harsh judgements on the men. It's wonderful.
And keep an eye out tonight, The Kids in the Hall mini-series starts on the CBC!
First of all, I have realized that I do not understand men in the least. At all. I have never been so dumbfounded in my life. After all these years, they still seem to think that women should have nothing to complain about even though they are in charge of all the cleaning, cooking, caring for the children and having a full time job. And all women had the same wish for the week: that their husband would have a better relationship with their children. And though I do have hope for some of the men, others just seem too far gone. I have no idea how these marriages have lasted this long. There is one couple in particular that I so hope they divorce. I usually don't want to see marriages dissovled but she should have left him years ago. There is nothing I want more at this moment.
The other thing I find most interesting is that with reality shows, there is always the question of authenticity. How real is reality tv? Though most shows these days seem scripted and very much unreal. When you put a camera in the mix, it no longer becomes real because they know they are being watched. But sometimes the opposite happens, when you put someone in front of a camera, they feel the pressure to be truthful. And that seems to be the case with this show. These people are remarkably open about the problematic relationships they have with their children and the issues they have. Tam even admits that he doesn't think Cydney really loves him at all. It was a bizarre moment. They are literally putting most of the family problems and issues out for the whole country to see. It's fascinating.
One last note, the editing on this show is fantastic! There's just so many little moments that are hilariously edited together. And the narrator sometimes makes such harsh judgements on the men. It's wonderful.
And keep an eye out tonight, The Kids in the Hall mini-series starts on the CBC!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Now, where's that self-destruct?
One of the happiest discoveries on this voyage has been that I can still watch all the Stargate I want. Admittedly, I'm not usually into sci-fi but there was just something about Stargate that sucked me in and has never really let me go. So when I found out that Atlantis and Universe were actual co-productions and even found some Canadian money in SG-1, I was quite pleased. I had never really gotten into Atlantis since I was such a hardcore SG-1 fan (which only slightly had to do with my crush on Daniel Jackson) but this time around, I've been quite enjoying it. Here are my thoughts on the matter thus far:
(1) There are many many more women on Atlantis than there was on SG-1. Sure Teyla filled the token woman spot of the main team like Samantha Carter did but the whole expedition is led by a woman (Elizabeth Weir and then Samantha Carter...I haven't gotten to the 5th season yet so shush). The head of medicine is eventually a woman (though she will never replace Carson Beckett in my heart). And there just seems to be generally more women around, as scientist and members of other teams. I think this is good. It may be because Atlantis is run by the IAO and not the military like the SGC is.
(2) This leads into one of the biggest problems that I had with SG-1: Sam never had sex with any aliens. Or even humans, really. Okay, I know that may sound kinda weird to people who have never seen the show but all the male members of the team quite enjoyed their time with female aliens. Especially Dr. Jackson, despite the fact that he joined the team in order to find his wife. He just couldn't keep his hands off them! But even O'Neill and Teal'c had their own sexual encounters. But we hear nothing about poor old Sam. She did have a relationship with that Deluise but even that ended.
Here is my theory: let's look at the stereotypical sci-fi fan. Out of all the members of SG-1, who would they resemble? Or at least think they resemble? Answer: Daniel Jackson. O'Neill is the guy they wish they could be. Teal'c is the alien best friend they wish they had. And Sam ends up being the woman they want thus she is kept 'pure' for them. But that's just my theory.
BUT in Atlantis, everybody somehow seems more uncomfortable about sex. Even Sheppard. Though he does have a weakness for those ascended women. And Teyla actually gets pregnant. Naturally! Then again, this is okay since she is, in fact, 'alien.' But it's a start. And seeing as I don't know how that storyline ends, I'll have to wait till I can comment further on it.
(3) With Atlantis, I actually really like Dr. Rodney McKay. Because he is Canadian (both in real life and on the show). But it's because he doesn't fall into the stereotype of a Canadian. He's not polite or friendly. He's quite selfish and conceited. I like to see the switch-up in representation like that.
sidenote: in case anybody is wondering how the title is relevant, it's because in almost every episode, Hammond (and Weir) seem to think that the self-destruct button is the solution to all of life's problems. He would press that thing at the drop of a hat. I'm not saying he's a bad guy (though I'm still convinced he's the one who stole the touchstone) but he was just a little quick to the self-destruct. May he rest in peace.
(1) There are many many more women on Atlantis than there was on SG-1. Sure Teyla filled the token woman spot of the main team like Samantha Carter did but the whole expedition is led by a woman (Elizabeth Weir and then Samantha Carter...I haven't gotten to the 5th season yet so shush). The head of medicine is eventually a woman (though she will never replace Carson Beckett in my heart). And there just seems to be generally more women around, as scientist and members of other teams. I think this is good. It may be because Atlantis is run by the IAO and not the military like the SGC is.
(2) This leads into one of the biggest problems that I had with SG-1: Sam never had sex with any aliens. Or even humans, really. Okay, I know that may sound kinda weird to people who have never seen the show but all the male members of the team quite enjoyed their time with female aliens. Especially Dr. Jackson, despite the fact that he joined the team in order to find his wife. He just couldn't keep his hands off them! But even O'Neill and Teal'c had their own sexual encounters. But we hear nothing about poor old Sam. She did have a relationship with that Deluise but even that ended.
Here is my theory: let's look at the stereotypical sci-fi fan. Out of all the members of SG-1, who would they resemble? Or at least think they resemble? Answer: Daniel Jackson. O'Neill is the guy they wish they could be. Teal'c is the alien best friend they wish they had. And Sam ends up being the woman they want thus she is kept 'pure' for them. But that's just my theory.
BUT in Atlantis, everybody somehow seems more uncomfortable about sex. Even Sheppard. Though he does have a weakness for those ascended women. And Teyla actually gets pregnant. Naturally! Then again, this is okay since she is, in fact, 'alien.' But it's a start. And seeing as I don't know how that storyline ends, I'll have to wait till I can comment further on it.
(3) With Atlantis, I actually really like Dr. Rodney McKay. Because he is Canadian (both in real life and on the show). But it's because he doesn't fall into the stereotype of a Canadian. He's not polite or friendly. He's quite selfish and conceited. I like to see the switch-up in representation like that.
sidenote: in case anybody is wondering how the title is relevant, it's because in almost every episode, Hammond (and Weir) seem to think that the self-destruct button is the solution to all of life's problems. He would press that thing at the drop of a hat. I'm not saying he's a bad guy (though I'm still convinced he's the one who stole the touchstone) but he was just a little quick to the self-destruct. May he rest in peace.
Friday, January 8, 2010
18 to Doyle
So here are my reviews of the new CBC shows:
(1) 18 to Life - I was actually pretty impressed. Considering the two leads with on other such Canadian classics as Degrassi and Regenesis, I did have some high expectations. At the same time, I didn't even realize this was a Canadian show till last week (I'm a bit slow at times). The opening wasn't fantastic but I think it's a show that I will enjoy watching week after week. It did have some pretty snappy writing. Though only thing that I don't enjoy is that the parents fall into the same stereotypes. It's kinda like Dharma and Greg...but with 18 year olds in that respect.
(2) Republic of Doyle - I wasn't as impressed but admittedly, I don't usually go in for cop shows. I have a feeling it might take me a couple episodes to really get into it. I have hope for it though! I'm going to keep watching it if only because it's set in Newfoundland. What colourful houses they have there! Though sometimes their accents sound more Irish than Newfie...
I'm just so happy to have some new shows to watch! Thank you, CBC. It's like you care.
(1) 18 to Life - I was actually pretty impressed. Considering the two leads with on other such Canadian classics as Degrassi and Regenesis, I did have some high expectations. At the same time, I didn't even realize this was a Canadian show till last week (I'm a bit slow at times). The opening wasn't fantastic but I think it's a show that I will enjoy watching week after week. It did have some pretty snappy writing. Though only thing that I don't enjoy is that the parents fall into the same stereotypes. It's kinda like Dharma and Greg...but with 18 year olds in that respect.
(2) Republic of Doyle - I wasn't as impressed but admittedly, I don't usually go in for cop shows. I have a feeling it might take me a couple episodes to really get into it. I have hope for it though! I'm going to keep watching it if only because it's set in Newfoundland. What colourful houses they have there! Though sometimes their accents sound more Irish than Newfie...
I'm just so happy to have some new shows to watch! Thank you, CBC. It's like you care.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Some Reflections
I am now half way through this challenge and the strangest thing I find so far is thinking about when it's over. The idea that I will be able to watch whatever I want whenever I want. It's just weird. Apparently I've learned to love the rules.
But at this point in the game, I think I'm beginning to realize why I like Canadian television so much. The shows aren't written for the lowest common denominator. When I watch a show like Slings and Arrows, I feel like it respects me as an audience member. And even other members of my family who aren't English majors or have read as much Shakespeare as me enjoy the show just as much as I do. That's the reason that the Degrassi series have done so well. They took teenagers seriously and told them that their issues mattered too. Canadian shows don't treat their audiences like idiots and I appreciate that. We may not all be Wandas, but we're definitely not all Hanks.
Though I have to admit, for some reason, the past few days, I've been really close to turning the channel to an episode of Bones or Friends before I remember. It takes me a second but I always stop myself.
But at this point in the game, I think I'm beginning to realize why I like Canadian television so much. The shows aren't written for the lowest common denominator. When I watch a show like Slings and Arrows, I feel like it respects me as an audience member. And even other members of my family who aren't English majors or have read as much Shakespeare as me enjoy the show just as much as I do. That's the reason that the Degrassi series have done so well. They took teenagers seriously and told them that their issues mattered too. Canadian shows don't treat their audiences like idiots and I appreciate that. We may not all be Wandas, but we're definitely not all Hanks.
Though I have to admit, for some reason, the past few days, I've been really close to turning the channel to an episode of Bones or Friends before I remember. It takes me a second but I always stop myself.
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year - New Shows
So now that the hectic crazy holiday season is over, I can return to my regular scheduled shows. But aside from Little Mosque, there doesn't seem to be any of the same shows that I watched when I first started this. The only upside is that the CBC is launching two new shows for our viewing pleasure:
(1) 18 to Life: A sitcom revolving around two 18 year olds who run off and get married, upsetting both their parents and their peers. I think it's an interesting concept and where it'll go but I'm not overly excited about it. But it does star a former Degrassi student (Stacey Farber who played Ellie Nash) so I'll be tuning in for sure. It premieres tonight at 8pm so we'll shall see then how it goes.
(2) The Republic of Doyle: A cop drama about a father and son investigative team. That would interest me alone since you don't really see many Canadian cop dramas (Flashpoint is the closest we've really got right now) but it's also set in Newfoundland. I'm in. Don't forget to tune in on Wednesday at 9pm for it.
Also, The Kids in the Hall have an 8 part mini-series called Death Comes to Town which premieres on Jan. 12, at 9pm on the CBC as well.
I'm a little disappointed because I was hoping that CTV and Global would have some new shows that I could watch as well but apparently no dice. But once the Olympics start, I'll probably be glued to CTV anyway.
(1) 18 to Life: A sitcom revolving around two 18 year olds who run off and get married, upsetting both their parents and their peers. I think it's an interesting concept and where it'll go but I'm not overly excited about it. But it does star a former Degrassi student (Stacey Farber who played Ellie Nash) so I'll be tuning in for sure. It premieres tonight at 8pm so we'll shall see then how it goes.
(2) The Republic of Doyle: A cop drama about a father and son investigative team. That would interest me alone since you don't really see many Canadian cop dramas (Flashpoint is the closest we've really got right now) but it's also set in Newfoundland. I'm in. Don't forget to tune in on Wednesday at 9pm for it.
Also, The Kids in the Hall have an 8 part mini-series called Death Comes to Town which premieres on Jan. 12, at 9pm on the CBC as well.
I'm a little disappointed because I was hoping that CTV and Global would have some new shows that I could watch as well but apparently no dice. But once the Olympics start, I'll probably be glued to CTV anyway.
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