---

Beverly brings the funny.

We may rely on Beverly in this way.

---

So, um, I got to see half of "Pre-Filer" last night. Yup, of "The Inside". Accidentally. With Hebrew subtitles. And I had no idea, for several minutes, that this was what I'd been watching. On my tv screen. At least partly because of the war that's going on around here. That's a connection I've never ever thought I'd make, but still. And did I mention that it was a complete surprise already?

I've tried to do the "this is too long, let me sum up" instead of the "let me explain" thing, but this is too strange and coincidental, so, well, let me explain.

Because of the political situation in the past almost-three weeks, the constant news-breaks, the people in the shelters, a few of the Israeli channels started to go on a 24-hours broadcasting schedule. Most of the prime time shows are being replaced by news broadcasts, or just moved along according to them, at least in the non-cables channels, but even with all the mess, some sort of routine was formed in the last week or so.

Out of the exactly 2 channels that my tv gets (in a rather bad reception, too, but that's a different issue), one of them is the "national" channel, the one funded by taxes money which has no commercials. Even though it has a nice budget, the way it's being managed is the clumsiest I can imagine, with very little to no reason at all behind so many of the decisions. Nothing they do there would surprise me. Or so I thought.

On the past couple of weeks, they have a news-flash on midnight, then instead of finishing of for the night, some re-run of some foreign show or another. They treat those kinds of shows as if they're a homework assignment covered with something icky, as if they have to have them around, but they want it to be done with as little attention as possible, so that the fewest people may notice that they're there at all. And if they do try to broadcast a show bought from abroad, more chances than not that it's a procedural. This channel has, I think, on some time or another, 3 of the CSI shows (I have no idea how many there actually are) and 2 of the "Law and Order" shows.

So, a special news-update on midnight, and then a couple of episodes of some re-runs of some English-speaking show or another (the second, for the last week, at least, was a re-run of "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"), followed by some movie or another which was lying in their storage for so long that only the people who paid for the right to show it remember that it's even there. Well, and then there are some really ancient re-runs of some song festivals from the 70s and the 80s, worth it for the "He looked once like that?" and "People actually wore these things?" and "She was allowed to leave the house with that hair?" factors, mostly, but not so much on 4am.

Yeah, "The Inside", I'm getting there. Really.

So, on Saturday night I was back to my apartment from my parents around midnight, and some time after that I turned the tv on in order to catch a news-flash. Usually I try to watch some broadcast news at least once a day now: not too much, but only reading online is not enough for me, either. I've waited for it, and the American show that was on was not, in any way, "The Inside", or anything else I've heard of.

Well, yesterday it happened again - I only returned home late (from a friend, this time), and wanted to catch up on a newsflash before going to bed. An online tv schedule site said that the re-run show on midnight would be something that can be roughly translated back into English as "FBI: Special Crimes Division" (or "serious crimes" or something along these lines, I'm sure there's an actual term in English, I just have no idea what it is).

So I turned the TV on, and right there I saw a face that I knew that I recognized. It was a blond pretty girl, who looked both detached and bottling emotions, at the same time. Now, I'm one of the most annoying "where have I seen this face before?" people you could ever be lucky enough not to watch tv with, so even though I had no idea what it showing in front of me, I kept the tv on that channel (and didn't check for news on the second one), so that I can figure it out. I didn't pay any attention to what was being said, I was too wrapped up in my own scary visual place of a sieve.

(continued...)

---

( continues...)

And then something clicked, and I realized that I've seen her before in pictures, on Kristen's site - it was the actress who portrayed Rebecca. So I think that, hey, cool, even though I have no idea regarding anything else she's been in, at least I'll get to see how she is when she can, well, move and speak and stuff, and later when I continue with the scripts, I'll be able to dress the character of Rebecca with those details, if I want to.

And then there's this guy who enters the picture, and I realize that I know him, too, only again, I'm not sure from where. But I was already thinking Rebecca and "The Inside", so it took me less time to realize that, yes, it was the actor who played Paul. So now I'm wondering what are the odds of them being in something together, other than "The Inside", and even though I'm a terrible skimmer, wouldn't people on b.org at least mention it if it happened, enough for me to notice? Hmm.

But then Sharon from "Wonderfalls" was there, suddenly, too, with gorgeous red hair, and it was pretty clear that it was way more than a jumble of coincidences all one upon the other. All throughout it, too, somebody was talking about a car that was blocking somebody else's car and the actress-of-Rebecca suddenly was serious regarding this car, and I realized that I knew what she was about to say, that it's a story I've read before - it indeed was "The Inside" and even an episode with a script that I've read, too - "Pre Filer".

So, yes, there was no connection between the name of the show in Hebrew and its original name (not even with any bad puns or something that's supposed to sound clever or hint to some other show or anything). And, yes, it was the first episode of the show that they've broadcasted, even though it was by no means the actual first episode of the show. Apparently, they decided to go on an entirely original new order of the episodes, not the one from the USA broadcast, not even the one which was used on other countries, but starting from the 4th episode, just to make things even more original (to go with the new name, perhaps?).

And, yes, it was in a "re-run" slot, even though it's the first time it's being shown here, just to spice things up even more. It's almost like somebody sat there and tried to make sure that absolutely nobody gets to watch this show. Obviously I didn't get to watch from the start, but I wouldn't be surprised if right before the episode they showed a slide of "We're going to broadcast 42 minutes of snow. There would be no content at all on your tv screens for the next 42 minutes. Please join us around 1am for a "Law and Order" rerun".

But by that time, past midnight or not, despite the "no way!" dialogs I had with myself, I was pretty sure what I was watching, and which episode. I couldn't even make the tiniest sound at the time, by the way, because my roommates were all asleep by then. I couldn't even tell anybody, ask anybody what's going on, because, well, past midnight, I'm not going to call anyone and ask, you know?

So I was half-watching half "No Way!"-ing myself through. The one thing I did remember was to press on the "record" button of the VCR, so at least I'd be able to actually fully watch later on. With the sound on, too, to a higher level than the "just make sure that there are actually sounds there, so that you wouldn't wake anybody around" I had to use.

The thing is, I meant it when I said, in the past, that I'm pretty sure that one way or another I'd get to watch the show. Only, I never expected it to be on the public channel that my humble tv antenna gets. "Firefly" got to Israel, but to a special channel for which you had to pay extra on your cables bills. "Wonderfalls" got to a channel that the Israeli cables get, but it's not an Israeli channel. When my friend T wanted me and another friend to watch "Veronica Mars" so that she can discuss it with somebody, she had to start taping it from that paying-extra cables-channel.

(continued...)

---

( continues...)

The last thing I expected was for a show I was actually curious about to just stare back at me from my own - did I mention humble? - tv screen. It was like the circus was coming to town, but instead of building its tents all far away, where you had to take three buses to get there, three buses back, and walk a couple of miles in the sun, the magician knocked at your door and asked if it's OK to practice in the back yard for a bit.

So, there you go. I got to watch half of "Pre Filer", by accident. I even managed to whine to myself quietly over the subtitles - I mean, they didn't even try! The word "Pre-Filer" was translated just like "Profiler", not even attempting to make a pun, not even a lame one that wouldn't make Mel have that adorable face she had when she was proud of herself for coming up with that nickname (and I loved that face! She's great).

In the morning, I checked around the internet. Even the people who actually know what's on tv were surprised to discover "The Inside" on their screens last night. If it weren't all in Hebrew, I'd even provide links. The only one that is in multi-languages is this one, which contains a picture. You can even see the English words "The Inside" in the caption (which reads "The show with the perfect name for the local situation, "The Inside", for the people who have to stay inside their shelters and safe rooms").

So apparently they're going to have a daily broadcast of the show. It's not entirely a "yay" thing, because I'll have to miss a couple of episodes due to shabbat (yeah, I have to whine. Sigh). However, for the remaining 10, I've already programmed my VCR. Soon I'll be able to answer the curious question of "which episode would be shown today, as the second one? Would it be in the double digits, or of an entirely different show (of the same name translation, just to keep things interesting)?".

Stay tuned.

[Edit: oh, my, that's embarrassing. Can't I write anything that's less than three posts long? Oof. Even when needing the escapism and all. I'll go shut up somewhere else for a while, I think.]

---

They treat those kinds of shows as if they're a homework assignment covered with something icky, as if they have to have them around, but they want it to be done with as little attention as possible, so that the fewest people may notice that they're there at all.

Sounds like Fox's marketing strategy for THE INSIDE (and WONDERFALLS, and FIREFLY)

---

Can't I write anything that's less than three posts long?

No. When Minearverse is rockin', I know Nilly's come a-knockin'.

That was so amusing to read. Your dawning realization that you were actually watching The Inside as opposed to reading it.

"The show with the perfect name for the local situation, "The Inside", for the people who have to stay inside their shelters and safe rooms").

And it's a show that gives people so much hope and happiness!

---

(Frank, I think I am you.)

Nilly, that's so funny that you caught an episode of The Inside, by accident, like that. How was it similar to/different from what you'd imagined while reading the scripts?

The only one that is in multi-languages is this one, which contains a picture. You can even see the English words "The Inside" in the caption (which reads "The show with the perfect name for the local situation, "The Inside", for the people who have to stay inside their shelters and safe rooms").

I'm so sorry this is true.

It was like the circus was coming to town, but instead of building its tents all far away, where you had to take three buses to get there, three buses back, and walk a couple of miles in the sun, the magician knocked at your door and asked if it's OK to practice in the back yard for a bit.

This is a delightful way of expressing your reaction.

---

And it's a show that gives people so much hope and happiness!

snerk

I had to stop watching. I'm probably just three Faith-Tortures-Wesley scenes away from being tough enough. Had Aidan made it to the air, here, I don't know what I would have done. I guess I would have had to watch with my hands over my eyes, fingers splayed. Scott says he's not dead yet, because it didn't happen on the air, and he doesn't have to accept extra-legal evidence to the contrary.

---

I'll have to miss a couple of episodes due to shabbat (yeah, I have to whine. Sigh). However, for the remaining 10, I've already programmed my VCR.

So if a show airs on the sabbath, you're not allowed to do the "work" of programming the VCR ahead of time, even though the VCR is doing all the actual "work" when the show airs?

---