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rj_andersonJust came up from watching the last ep of this season's 24.
Wow.
Just... wow. What a powerful way to end it. Talk about pulling no punches. It was painful, but oh so effective. And what great acting, from nearly everyone. Oh, sure, it had a couple of logistical flaws -- it was a little too obvious when they played fast-and-loose with the "real time" format -- but considering how much good stuff was in this ep and indeed the whole season, I'm more than willing to forgive a bit of dramatic teleportation. After all, it was only a difference of minutes involved, not, say, fifteen hours.
Which brings me to the thing I haven't commented on, the season finale of Alias:
It sucked. Big-time. In fact, after watching an hour's worth of alternating violence and stupidity, I turned to my husband and said, "I can't do it anymore. This show is dead to me." He's been feeling that way for weeks himself -- in fact he actually stopped watching halfway through the season because he was so disgusted with the way the show's quality had declined, and only came back when I told him there had been a couple good episodes and it looked like things were improving -- but this was the last straw for both of us.
I used to like Vaughn. I even used to identify with him in some respects. Now, I loathe the sight of him. Nothing he says interests me. Nothing he does is even slightly convincing or compelling. I do. not. care.
I used to like Sydney. Oh, sure, she cried a lot, but she was smart and resourceful and cool and had a skewed sense of humor that appealed to me. Now, I despise her, because she has no backbone, no principles, and no judgment. All she cares about is Vaughn, and he is so. not. worth. it.
Once, the show was a clever, innovative ensemble piece with opportunities for all the characters to shine. Sydney had a life, and a brain. Adventure and suspense were at the forefront, Syd's disguises might be wild but actual sex was rare, and the occasional references to Rambaldi made for a tantalizing riddle.
Now, it is the Syd n' Vaughn Twoo Wuv 4 Eva show, a lame soap opera in which sordid affairs and mindless violence are de rigeur and the entire world appears to revolve around nothing but Rambaldi. Oh, wait, no, it revolves around Syd and Vaughn, how could I forget?
Blech. Even thinking about it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyway, I've signed up for the Weiss ficathon, and I'm not leaving the fandom yet, because the fanfic, at least, is well-written. I know that good writing can make me like these characters again. And, of course, there's always the chance that after the Great Hiatus the new writing team will be able to salvage something decent from the wreckage of what used to be my favourite show. I'm not holding my breath, though. In fact, even once S4 hits the air, I won't be watching it again unless I hear a lot of good things -- and I mean a lot -- from people whose judgment and good taste I trust.
Sigh.
ETA: Jack's saying "You're a good man," to Chase? So a TWoP shout-out. Because he's Special Agent Charlie Brown, get it? Hee.
Wow.
Just... wow. What a powerful way to end it. Talk about pulling no punches. It was painful, but oh so effective. And what great acting, from nearly everyone. Oh, sure, it had a couple of logistical flaws -- it was a little too obvious when they played fast-and-loose with the "real time" format -- but considering how much good stuff was in this ep and indeed the whole season, I'm more than willing to forgive a bit of dramatic teleportation. After all, it was only a difference of minutes involved, not, say, fifteen hours.
Which brings me to the thing I haven't commented on, the season finale of Alias:
It sucked. Big-time. In fact, after watching an hour's worth of alternating violence and stupidity, I turned to my husband and said, "I can't do it anymore. This show is dead to me." He's been feeling that way for weeks himself -- in fact he actually stopped watching halfway through the season because he was so disgusted with the way the show's quality had declined, and only came back when I told him there had been a couple good episodes and it looked like things were improving -- but this was the last straw for both of us.
I used to like Vaughn. I even used to identify with him in some respects. Now, I loathe the sight of him. Nothing he says interests me. Nothing he does is even slightly convincing or compelling. I do. not. care.
I used to like Sydney. Oh, sure, she cried a lot, but she was smart and resourceful and cool and had a skewed sense of humor that appealed to me. Now, I despise her, because she has no backbone, no principles, and no judgment. All she cares about is Vaughn, and he is so. not. worth. it.
Once, the show was a clever, innovative ensemble piece with opportunities for all the characters to shine. Sydney had a life, and a brain. Adventure and suspense were at the forefront, Syd's disguises might be wild but actual sex was rare, and the occasional references to Rambaldi made for a tantalizing riddle.
Now, it is the Syd n' Vaughn Twoo Wuv 4 Eva show, a lame soap opera in which sordid affairs and mindless violence are de rigeur and the entire world appears to revolve around nothing but Rambaldi. Oh, wait, no, it revolves around Syd and Vaughn, how could I forget?
Blech. Even thinking about it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyway, I've signed up for the Weiss ficathon, and I'm not leaving the fandom yet, because the fanfic, at least, is well-written. I know that good writing can make me like these characters again. And, of course, there's always the chance that after the Great Hiatus the new writing team will be able to salvage something decent from the wreckage of what used to be my favourite show. I'm not holding my breath, though. In fact, even once S4 hits the air, I won't be watching it again unless I hear a lot of good things -- and I mean a lot -- from people whose judgment and good taste I trust.
Sigh.
ETA: Jack's saying "You're a good man," to Chase? So a TWoP shout-out. Because he's Special Agent Charlie Brown, get it? Hee.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 08:05 pm (UTC)You know, there's really nothing I love to watch on TV these days.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 09:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-30 01:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-30 01:38 pm (UTC)At the risk of exposing myself as a *real* geek (or, at least, a geek in high school), it is the same thing as the fantasy roleplaying habit of naming magical objects "The ((Noun)) Of ((Gerund))"...
no subject
Date: 2004-05-30 04:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-26 12:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-26 03:15 am (UTC)Word. I liked the finale more than you did (although, if Jack knew that Laura was Irina all along, I *will* stop watching the show), but the fact that Syd and Vaughn were MAKING OUT while he was killing his wife made me FURIOUS. I did, however, find it interesting that Sydney didn't tell Vaughn what the numbers Lauren were giving her were. That and the Jack speculation (because theirs is my favorite relationship to watch on the show) are all that's keeping me interested.
I think that, to some degree, a show should give its fans what they want, but JJ totally caved to the audience this time. It's been cheap and easy since they made Lauren evil, but this was ridiculous. It's much more interesting to me if we have all this moral ambiguity going on, but I don't like the oversimplification of all the relationships. There are the good guys, and the bad guys, and you can do whatever the hell makes your life easiest as long as you're one of the good guys.
Okay, I've ranted enough, and that was turning into an entry and not just a comment, so I'll stop now. *g*
no subject
Date: 2004-05-30 01:19 pm (UTC)Word. I kept looking at the screen with my scrunched-up horrified face on, thinking, "Are we supposed to find this romantic?" I really think the Alias writers this season were on crack. And not good crack either.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-26 10:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-26 10:47 am (UTC)yes, very depressing
Date: 2004-05-27 01:48 pm (UTC)I've been in denial about how much I disliked the finale (and most of the last half of the season)...till now. It's maddening, because I didn't start watching Alias till the start of season 3, after reading your fics, RJ. And I'm loving seasons 1 &2 on DVD. And now it seems to be just --gone. Lost. Argh.
I've been trying to find fics, but my searches haven't turned up any good archives, so aside from you and Yahtzee, I haven't found much. Any authors you could rec would be MUCH appreciated in the distasteful wake of the finale.
*sigh* At least I've got the earlier seasons.
Sarah Izhilzha
Re: yes, very depressing
Date: 2004-05-30 01:21 pm (UTC)Re: yes, very depressing
Date: 2004-06-01 05:57 pm (UTC)Whee! Fic, and not just fic, but sweissfic.
Many many thanks.
Sarah Izhilzha