Someone just said "Everything you like about Buffy, Supernatural, and the X Files--it's all from Kolchak".

Now, I get that the show did the 20th century investigation of the paranormal with an urbane tone, but there are two reasons I really really love those three shows--amazing interpersonal dynamics, and gut-busting hilarity. I've never heard anyone talk about humour or characterisation on Kolchak, but the OP linked me a clip that I guess he thought was funny.

What sort of humour did the show have? I know it didn't run as long as the show's it's being compared to, and I don't think they got off the ground with their intense and dedicated humour eps within the number of eps Kolchak actually had to run, so it's an unfair comparison, but did it at least look like it had the roots for similar comedy?

As I recall, there was a bit of wit on display, and some ironic humor regarding Kolchak being regarded as a crank despite actually being right about the monsters. But nothing to the degree the comedy that was sometimes a feature of Buffy, or even the funnier X-Files episodes.

What I used to like about TVD was that they'd introduce the idea of something happening and, boom, it would happen. I hope they get back to that and actually take out the Originals. So tired of them.

While I'm wishing, bring back Jeremy, preferably in bad-ass mode.

I was dispirited when they had an interview with the Klaus (I think...) actor at the start of the season, because it implied they were giving him way more attention than I wanted the plot to do.

But--they've given no indication that they're actually going to fight evil in general, have they? So they need individual antagonistic characters for them to fight against, otherwise where's the conflict? It can only be Damon and/or Stefan for so long, unless maybe they elevate Alaric to super big bad.

That might be fun.

How come Caroline has such a great handle on being a good vampire? What did I miss there? Why is she so good at just chilling and being a teenager with no angst, and yet all of the other vampires are driven by these dark desires?

Joss might have had some messed up metaphysics with his no soul=compulsion to evil, but at least you knew his vampires enjoyed killing people and had a universally hard time not doing that. I'm not sure why Stefan and Bonnie's mum are so torn, and Caroline is so fine. There's something I'm not getting.

Hm, I've always liked Alaric, that might be interesting if he was the bad guy.

Stefan is like a special snowflake of not being in control with his ripper-ness, isn't he? And Caroline had her dad's "training" so, maybe that's it. Mostly, I'm assuming What It Means To Be a Vampire is pretty inconsistent on this show an they are just making up stuff as it becomes convenient.

It's a long time since I've seen Kolchak, but I recall its having some humorous aspects. His proof that the supernatural or other freaky things actually happened kept disappearing in unlikely ways. He was always scraping by and in danger of being fired.

Stefan is like a special snowflake of not being in control with his ripper-ness, isn't he?

I've been assuming that Damon's not in control, but that he (and most vampires) don't want to be. Stefan and Caroline want to be, but Caroline seems to have had a reasonably easy go of it, relatively speaking, the whole time. I didn't factor in her father, but I don't remember her being crazy on the edge like Stefan seems to be all the time.

As for inconsistency and making stuff up....yeah, quite probably.

Yeah, I don't remember Caroline ever having the bloodlust bad - maybe when she first turned, but not as an ongoing issue. Maybe it's just her positive, can do attitude.

Damon says he's in control now, and when he hasn't been it's apparently by choice. At least, he hasn't seemed as desperate as Stefan.

I don't know, I'm carrying around too many competing vampire mythologies in my head, I can't be sure I'm not muddling up details.

So, Fringe. Well now. I had allergies.

Fringe was beautiful. And at times, gross and super creepy.