February 2013 Archives

In which I write about a TV series which is five years old

I've been watching a lot of Fringe recently. It is – in case you pay as little attention as I do – an American science-fiction/police procedural/slightly updated version of The X-Files, which finished its five-season run earlier this year. It's one of those shows that I'd heard became good, if you were prepared to put up with a slightly shaky first series. Although I remain unconvinced that JJ Abrams, for yes it is he who is behind it, can't just mostly be characterised by going 'ooh isn't this mysterious?' and then scampering off before he has to explain himself, and much against some people's advice, I gave it a go.

I'm now seven episodes into the second season. I... like it. Yes, the first season is a bit too repetitive for its own good, and some of the themes (mysterious things happen on aeroplanes! Sons have issues with their fathers!) are ones that I think are getting a little tired on TV dramas now. And, coming off the back of Breaking Bad, which I pretty much watched straight through over a five-month period last year, it's a little offputting how light everything is. This is very different storytelling. If Breaking Bad is one of those little pots of incredibly strong drinking chocolate that you get 'on the continent', then this is an iced bun, IF YOU'LL EXCUSE THE MISGUIDED FOOD METAPHOR. Which, honestly, you shouldn't have to, and I am so sorry.

But. But aside from people named Walter getting over-excited about laboratories, what links the two shows is the engagingness* of the regular characters, and that goes a long way to holding things together. Even if some of the episodes are essentially remakes of old X Files episodes, with a third-act humans-meet-technology switcheroo, I'm happy to give up 45 minutes because Walter will be endearing, or Olivia will be an actually strong female character, or there will be a bit when one of the members of Bros turns out to be a shape-shifter after all. 

And the overarching plot is, I take it, still to properly get going, and each boxset only costs just over a tenner. So, dear readers, I shall keep you updated. It may all crumble distressingly, and I'll be updating you with sad tales of how, as with Lost, it turns out that the authors were making things up as they went on. I watch in hope, though. Until Breaking Bad comes back I need a regular TV series, and non-hateable sci-fi shows are a very rare thing indeed.

* I originally wrote 'likeability' here, but – as well as that being an impossible word to spell correctly – I'm not sure that it's correct for Breaking Bad, particularly in the later seasons.

Today I wrote about Richard III being discovered in a hole and fell asleep watching Fringe. That pretty much sums up today. (And yes, I know that dates are something that this site currently lacks, so for reference 'today' is Monday, 4 February 2013.) 17.2: I guess I fixed this, huh? Hurrah.

It's now February. That means that I haven't written something not related to work for about six months.

That's not true, of course. I write nonsense on Facebook and Twitter all the time. I put more energy into writing ridiculous emails than is necessary. I've just joined Instagram which yes yes I know isn't exactly words, but it's an outlet for pointless creativity and its non-text-based nature means that it's something I enjoy to a surprising degree. Just the other day, for instance, I took a picture of a bush shaped like Hello Kitty and uploaded it to the internet, and if that's not what the 21st century is all about then I don't know what is. (Oh, increasing levels of economic and environmental degradation inevitably leading to social decline? Right.)

Currently, though, I am blogging. I am also listening to a record of a man play plinky-plonky piano, doing some laundry, and wondering how half a shop dummy's arm ended up on our stairs. I am blogging, though, which I think is a fact that is related to Instagram: taking a photo and uploading it is sufficiently easy that it's something I'm trying to do every day. (I find that easier, mentally, than Twitter, which again is something I think that's related to the novelty of it being picture-based.) But then, I was thinking, if I can upload a picture every day, why can I not write something long-form every day? (Yes, what I am saying is that Instagram is essentially a gateway drug.)

Anyway, it'll be good for me. Like the healthy diet and exercise regime that I'm pretending I've adopted for this, the new year. Except it's not even that new any more.

What else have you missed in the interim, dear hypothetical reader? I went for a walk yesterday, bought a book by George Orwell. One of those things that I should have read before now but haven't. I've just started watching Fringe; so far it's a bit too procedural for me but apparently it gets good later so I'm happy to stick with it. My laundry has just finished so I should probably go and get that out.

Yeah, this has been good. Let's see whether the next date stamp is six months in the future, or whether this is something that I actually stick at this time around.