I can always hope for DVD's.

Gyaah. I am so tired of saying that.

I have thoughts about Batman, and second the rec of Year One, and to a lesser extent Killing Joke. I didn't like DKR at all, because it took the subtext thing and subtracted the sub-. Also, tiny tiny bit over the top.

I don't know as how this is the thread to discuss it, but would someone care to convince me why Batman has sidekicks? I never really got it, and I still don't get it, and I wonder if anyone could go into detail on the matter. My concept of Batman is more along the "I walk alone" lines, than "I walk alone with my young hanger-on ____".

Maybe I just have a psychological problem with sidekicks.

I don't know as how this is the thread to discuss it, but would someone care to convince me why Batman has sidekicks? I never really got it, and I still don't get it, and I wonder if anyone could go into detail on the matter. My concept of Batman is more along the "I walk alone" lines, than "I walk alone with my young hanger-on ____".

Read the intro essay in Batman: Dark Victory. It does a good job of making it make sense. I think, though, Amych would be the person who could answer that question. For me, I'm finding I prefer the stories of the rest of the Batfamily the more I get into the Batfamily, because while I adore Bats himself, he's very rigid by design, and without the extended network of people he cares about despite himself, it would get hella boring real quick. They keep him on the edge of humanity. Without them, he'd have crossed over a long time ago.

Sounds like Angel.

Sounds like Angel.

Yeah, pretty much.

I'm having an easier and easier time mapping Wes to Dick (Robin I/Nightwing), but I think that could be a sign of obsessions transfering and mixing in the transfer.

(Still stuck on Stargate silliness)

Oh! English-speaking aliens!

WTF is up with that, anyway? I mean, every frelling planet they go to, everyone speaks English! But they write in ancient Phoenician, or Welsh, or something. HUH?

What's the deal?

without the extended network of people he cares about despite himself, it would get hella boring real quick. They keep him on the edge of humanity. Without them, he'd have crossed over a long time ago.

This may inform why I am so fond of origin stories for the guy. Then again, also the noir-y ones, because noir is all about crossing over that edge.

As for Stargate. Which would you rather: Vancouver actors say "aboot" on every planet, or Vancouver actors say "plxtmagrablke" or similar? Then to show that the Really Are From Far Away, we give them hieroglyphs. Champollion would be so proud.

Vancouver actors say "aboot" on every planet, or Vancouver actors say "plxtmagrablke" or similar? Then to show that the Really Are From Far Away, we give them hieroglyphs. Champollion would be so proud.

Um. So... not even a handwave? At least we got handwaves in Farscape and Star Trek...

::sigh::

Not every planet. Abydos had language issues.

Which doesn't make it even a little better.

Suela -- in the making it better or worse camp, they have acknowledged it in Wormhole X-Treme. Not addressed it, just acknowledged it as they poked at most of their inconsistencies in that hour.

Frankly, I like the lack of a handwave. Because the half-assed attempts on FS and ST irritate me with their holes. When there's no garment there, it's harder to nitpick.

Heh. I have no earthly clue whatsoever as to why the aliens speak English on distant planets. Even if they were descended from humans who spoke English (and that's a big if), after several thousand years, you'd think they'd have developed a language of their own. As for the hieroglyphics? Damned if I know.

Basically, it's one of the things about the show that make you go, "WTF?" then handwave like a mad person. Stargate has lots of things like that. That's why, while we love the show, we never forget to mock it in the same breath.

Edited to say, handwave on the part of the viewers, not the writers. I don't think they ever went into any length to explain why the aliens spoke English.