I second Erika. And, Erika, now that I have watched most of season one of Deadwood, I say you MUST rent this puppy. I know you don't like Westerns, but the setting is immaterial--what the show has is what makes H:LOTS and The Wire so compelling--a complex, dark world, lots of layered characters whose agendas lead to death and conflict and shifting loyalties and many strong women characters and really creepy/smart/sexy villains. I really think you would dig it.

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It's on the list, Robin. Just haven't gotten to it yet. Have not been fancying complicated entertainments for the last week or so.(Needing a good laugh more. Soon, though.) And I'm a little sad about not getting to be a genre snob anymore. Dag.

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MG and JZ, watching my S1 DVDS of Veronica Mars is next on my list. Once I have, I would be happy to lend them out.

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I watch it, but drat it, now that Cindy watches it, I know that it is doomed! ;P

What's sad is, you probably shouldn't have included the emoticon.

Signed,
Kiss of Death

In my defense, I stopped watching The Inside early on, and it died a minearsome death, against the Tim's will.

This is me. I didn't NOT like it, it just didn't do anything for me. (I may have resented the Buffy comparisons.) I watched probably half of the first season before I gave up.

Once tiggy sent the DVDs, I'd say I was hooked about halfway through the season (of course I had the luxury of watching several episodes a night, rather than waiting it out), but I've had several VM fans tell me that it often takes a whole season.

I think the BtVS comparisons put me off mightily, last year. I already had my teeny little supergirl, and some little blonde wannabe wasn't going to come take her place.

Part of the reason I've been making my VM LJ posts as if they were conversations between Buffy and me, is to (this sounds more dramatic than I mean it to) come to terms with this whole "It's the new Buffy" dealio. Joss becoming a fan of the show managed to thrill, annoy, and intrigue me, all at the same time.

I don't know how to not be a Buffy fan. Even if VM someday surpasses BtVS in (what I consider to be) greatness, I can't imagine it surpassing it in my heart, because no matter what VM ever manages to do, BtVS did Becoming, and Restless.

I don't know how to categorize the VM/BtVS commonalities for non-viewers. VM is not aping BtVS in any way. It does have a lot of the same great qualities. The writing is sharp, and assumes the audience has a spare brain cell or three. The acting is great. The characters are well developed, with lots of nice (and not so nice) shading. The rest of the similarities are surface stuff like:

• High School is Hell.
  

But you know, it really is. And last season had that emphasis way more than this season seems to, or at least, we're seeing it from a different angel.

• Love hurts and makes you do the wacky.

...etc.

But, I love story, and a lot of what's important to me about story is how it is told. Cue Giles, "It's all about the journey." There are all those sayings like "There are only 7 plots," (or whatever number plots the speaker believes there), and in some ways, that's true. Most stories (in the world, not on VM) can be summed up in one way or another and equated with a gajillion other stories in the world. It's the telling that matters, and I am captivated by how Rob Thomas is telling this story.

Maybe I'm over TV and can't get into it the way Buffy/Angel/Firefly/Wonderfalls got me in anymore. I don't know. Or maybe that next bright show that suckers me in on many levels just hasn't come along yet. But I shake my head a lot, and don't get the VM hype.

That's how I felt last year, except for JoA, and for me, JoA wasn't a fandom experience. It was more personal. That's exactly what my own relationship with God is like:

GOD: You have to do this thing, and you're not going to like it and it won't make sense, will make you look like a nutter, but I'm making the "you have to" of it really plain to you, so just do it, and save us both a lot of grief, okay?

ME: UGh. No. Maybe I'll half-arse it. Eh, I'm not going to bother, at all.

*epiphany of how everything's gone to Hell since I resisted*

ME: All right. All right. Uncle. Father. Whatever.

GOD: See, isn't that better?

ME: Yes, but couldn't you have just explained what was going to happen, so I would have not resisted in the first place.

GOD: I ask the questions around here.

ME: You don't play fair.

GOD: I don't have to.

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Kiss of Death

Glad it's you and not me. I was beginning to think it was me.

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Ketchup post:

Non traditional trees are great. We’ve had palms and little live trees of different kinds in my family. I usually go with the cut green variety, but the last few years they have been a big dry brown mess of needles before we even get to Christmas. I’ll probably get one this weekend anyway.

This is a tough call as Oprah is at long last on Letterman.

Oh, I forgot. Not that I would have been awake, but I would have taped. Will have to find a good write up.

Joining the contingent going to steal meara’s relative’s house. Sounds delightful.

Stephanie and Joe are quite the strikingly beautiful couple.

Yay for the resumption of smoochies for Gris and GG!

Anne, you hott young thing. Imma gonna remind you of this incident when you are having low esteem days.

GI-~ma for Deena. May the new moving timeframe work out for the best for your family.

Hey, Bitches, are any of you (except for Cashmere, who I'll be working on) not watching Veronica Mars?

I have joined the ranks of hooked after marathon viewing. I don't have much must see TV. I watch Lost, VM, and SciFi. My fandom level is discussing the show here.

vw, those are very good reasons to stay home. Get some rest in there somewhere too.

Lots of interview~ma for Mr. Maidengurl. It really is your turn for the good stuff to happen.

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I don't get the VM-oost at all. I watched the first few eps, disliked Veronica herself intensely, stopped watching, and that was that. (And honestly, the more swooning "YOU MUST WATCH THIS SHOW" posts I see on the internet, the less likely I am ever to give it another chance. Telling me it's going to take 22 hours before I fall in love? Nuh and uh. Not worth my time.)

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You might have killed The Inside, Cashmere. Or maybe not. Maybe I should have hated it out loud. Maybe then it would have remained on.

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The first half of S1 of VM would not have caused me to stick around. I'm glad I did. This season is more of a swirl of confusion partially because of ingesting the show one episode a week rather than marathon viewing.

I think I would watch all television series in DVD format after the season is over if it weren't for the discussion here. It satisfies the instant gratification need better.

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I don't get the VM-oost at all. I watched the first few eps, disliked Veronica herself intensely,

Was it just her personality, or was it the sort ethical issues about private investigation (or what, if you know)? Lately, I've stumbled across people talking about the Veronica character in a few places, and mentioning how she really crosses lines. Swallowing the whole season in essentially one gulp, I had never stopped to consider how much of what she does is such an intrusion. The first time it pinged me was in season 1, where she gets a hold of Duncan's medical records (I know we're NAFDA here, but I don't want to spoil any of the people who are thinking about checking it out via DVD, and are starting with S1).

stopped watching, and that was that. (And honestly, the more swooning "YOU MUST WATCH THIS SHOW" posts I see on the internet, the less likely I am ever to give it another chance. Telling me it's going to take 22 hours before I fall in love? Nuh and uh. Not worth my time.)

I can't ever see myself trying to fall in love with a TV show, again. In the beginning, I made myself watch Angel. It didn't appeal to me on its own merits, at all. But I did eventually fall for it on its own merits. I talked myself into thinking I loved Firefly. I did think I loved it for a long time. When it was canceled I was as bitter as if I had loved it, but I know now I didn't--not really.

I truly loved Wonderfalls. I would have loved Wonderfalls, even if I'd never made the Minear connection. I truly loved Buffy. I truly loved Freaks and Geeks. I truly loved Joan of Arcadia. I truly love VM, but it completely surprised me.

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