So something that has become more popular lately is tv shows or movies that were originally books or books series or comics. Prime examples would be anything released by Marvel or DC. But there are some that are smaller scale (perspective in some cases) like Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. So I want to talk a little about books that became a media franchise.
Now the thing with transferring mediums like books to screen is that
there is a lot of material to work with and utilize. One of the things
as a show writer they have to consider is where to cut content. You will
not always be able to completely transfer information and make it work. A scene in the book may take up an entire chapter (which can be anywhere from 2 to I've seen chapters that are 30-some pages long) may only take up about 4 minutes when done for the show or movie. Ultimately, depending on where the writers for the show/movie want that medium to go, they can either scrap the idea as unnecessary or say that it would contradict what they aim to head towards. This is seen more in movies, where they really have to condense the material down into anywhere between an hour and a half to 2.5 hours, because for some reason a 3+ hour long movie is too damn long. With shows there is a little bit more leeway, because you can stretch the arc for a few episodes or even the season if that is the way the writers choose.
The first literary series that became a media franchise (that I'm gonna talk about at least) would be The Vampire Diaries. Originally a book series that the first set, which were books 1 through 4, were released between September of 1991 and 1992. Which means this series is older than I am. Books 5 through 13 were published later, from February 2009 through May 2014. I'm not sure the exact work around, but the CW network got the green light to take this series (by author L.J. Smith) to make into a show. The show, which was franchised under the same name aired its pilot episode on September 10, 2009 and aired its finale on March 10, 2017 after 8 seasons. I read the first four books of the series before then. I'm not sure exactly when, probably around 2007 or 2008, but before the show was set to release. I never got to reading the later books, and I don't intend to, but from what I can remember the early seasons of the show stuck pretty close to the books.
I enjoyed the show when I finally got into it, around 2012-ish, up until the actress playing Elena decided to leave the show. For me, the story revolved around Elena, so without Elena the show was not what I wanted. I could be completely wrong about how true to the books they were, considering I haven't re-read the books and have become more familiar with the show.
The next series I want to talk about is The Southern Vampire Mysteries or The Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris. The books were released from 2001 to 2013, with a total of 13 books. In 2008, HBO released a show titled True Blood (based on component in the books) that ran until 2014. After the airing of the show, the book series was revamped (see what I did there?) as the True Blood Series to connect the two back. Now having watched the show first, there were moments when I read the book that I had to keep reminding myself that they change stuff when adapting a novel into a movie or a show. Having the show air on HBO meant that they could get away with a bit of a darker edge to the story, because the books where pretty clean in comparison. Like sex scenes. Racy sex scenes. I have read all the books and have seen every episode and will say this: neither is better than the other. They both had their positives and negatives, and in the end the show differed pretty greatly from the books.
I have many examples that I can talk about, I actually pulled information about a lot of them so I could talk about them (I'll list them below) but now I want to switch gears slightly otherwise this post is going to be unbearably long. Not all adaptions are great.
Take The Vampire Academy for example. This book series was released from 2007 to 2010 as a young adult paranormal book. I've read the books, and they actually are pretty good. There is two series that are tangent to them, and I'm working on reading them. In 2014 a movie was released under the same name (with a secondary title of Blood Sisters) that was a box office flop. And I mean that literally. It had a box office profit of $15.4 million which was nowhere close to the budget of $30 million. They did not attempt to make a second movie. I have not watched the movie so I cannot say if they did a good job on it or not, but I have no interest in seeing it....
Another book series that didn't do well as a movie was The Mortal Instruments. The book series written by Cassandra Clare from 2007 to 2014 was turned into a movie in 2013. Named The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (which is the first book of the series) it did slightly better than Vampire Academy. Box office profit of $91 million against a $60 million budget meant that it did make a profit, but not enough to warrant a second movie. However, in 2015 ABC family gained the rights to make the book into a show, which was called Shadowhunters. It has done pretty well, but as per a previous post, when Netflix pulled funding for the show it was cancelled. It still has 12 episodes to air next year (2019) so there is that.
Another book series turn movie turn tv show is A Series of Unfortunate Events. Book series by Lemony Snicket from 1999 to 2006. A total of 13 books that the content doesn't span a large amount of time. The movie, under the same name, was released in 2004 which was an adaption of the first three books. It was successful, but ultimately they didn't continue. However, in 2017 Netflix released the show version of it, with a from the get go a three season order. Season one encompasses books 1 through 4, season 2 encompasses books 5 through 9 and season 3 (which has yet to be released, looking at 2019) which will encompass 10 through 13. This one has been considered very successful, however it is pretty difficult to measure success on something from Netflix, just because of the nature of the streaming service.
Ok. I'm gonna stop there otherwise I'm going to be writing for hours. So the list that I mentioned above:
Harry Potter series (JK Rowling): books from 1997 to 2007; films (under same name as books) from 2001 to 2011.
A Song of Ice and Fire (George RR Martin): books started in 1996, but six and seven are still forthcoming/ no official release date; HBO's Game of Thrones released in 2011 and will end next year.
Midnight, Texas (Charlaine Harris): books released 2014 to 2016; tv show on NBC under same name with second season set to air tomorrow.
The Sword of Truth (Terry Goodkind); first book released in 1994 with the most recent released this year, it made it sound like there was more in the works. A short 2 season show on ABC aired from 2008 to 2010 under the name of Legend of the Seeker.
Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins): book trilogy released 2008 through 2010 was split into four moives (the third book split into two movies) that were released 2012 through 2015.
There were obviously more, but those are ones that I enjoyed, either reading or watching or both. And that is where I'm leaving this post.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Monday, October 22, 2018
Reading Challenge.
Early this year, like around February, I noticed that because I had signed up for two email alerts for reduced priced or even free e-books, I had accumulated a collection of books that were often the beginning of a series. Which isn't a problem, one could say that it was the opposite of a problem. But when you have a GoodReads to-read list that reaches almost 100 books, many of which are parts of a series, and those aren't counting the ones I was getting as freebies. So I decided that I would challenge myself to read as many books as I could this year so that I could reduce the number of books on my to-read list. I set a reasonable goal of 25 with the intention to read as many as possible.
I mentioned in the last post about the Corean Chronicles, how I couldn't even get 100 pages into the fourth book, so I let it go for the moment. I deleted the fourth and the four following books from my list. In the time it took me to read the 80 some pages of that book, I have read Dead Ever After (which is book 13 of 13 of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris), The Last Hunt (Book 4 of 4 in Bruce Coville's Unicorn Chronicles), and Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic (Book 3 and 4 of 13 in Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong) and have started a fifth book: Day Shift which is book 2 in the Midnight, Texas series (also by Charlaine Harris). I'm a little under halfway done with Day Shift, but about 4.5 books in the time it takes to read 80 pages? Yeah, the book was the issue.
Now, I have read 22 of the 25 books for the goal I set, but even with deleting 5 books from the list, I still have 91 books on my two read list. And I still haven't added the freebie books I've accumulated. It also didn't help that I started a books series that wasn't on the to-read list, with another book in the series that got released recently that I haven't read yet.
I have two e-books on loan right now from my library, the already mentioned Day Shift and Haunted which is book 5 in Women of the Otherworld. I have Sarah J. Maas's Kingdom of Ash of the Throne of Glass series on pre-order which gets released tomorrow (writing this on October 22nd). I have Night Shift which is book 3 of the Midnight, Texas series on a waiting list to borrow since it was recently bought by the library for e-book lending (I'm #18 of 36 with a total of four copies) and I figured I should read book 2 before I'm next in line for 3. So I have the two loans till November 9th, Kingdom of Ash gets released tomorrow, and I'll get Night Shift sometimes soon. So that will concludes the 25 book goal. Book 6 in Women of the Otherworld, and the remainder of the series will help lower the to-read list.
I mentioned in the last post about the Corean Chronicles, how I couldn't even get 100 pages into the fourth book, so I let it go for the moment. I deleted the fourth and the four following books from my list. In the time it took me to read the 80 some pages of that book, I have read Dead Ever After (which is book 13 of 13 of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris), The Last Hunt (Book 4 of 4 in Bruce Coville's Unicorn Chronicles), and Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic (Book 3 and 4 of 13 in Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong) and have started a fifth book: Day Shift which is book 2 in the Midnight, Texas series (also by Charlaine Harris). I'm a little under halfway done with Day Shift, but about 4.5 books in the time it takes to read 80 pages? Yeah, the book was the issue.
Now, I have read 22 of the 25 books for the goal I set, but even with deleting 5 books from the list, I still have 91 books on my two read list. And I still haven't added the freebie books I've accumulated. It also didn't help that I started a books series that wasn't on the to-read list, with another book in the series that got released recently that I haven't read yet.
I have two e-books on loan right now from my library, the already mentioned Day Shift and Haunted which is book 5 in Women of the Otherworld. I have Sarah J. Maas's Kingdom of Ash of the Throne of Glass series on pre-order which gets released tomorrow (writing this on October 22nd). I have Night Shift which is book 3 of the Midnight, Texas series on a waiting list to borrow since it was recently bought by the library for e-book lending (I'm #18 of 36 with a total of four copies) and I figured I should read book 2 before I'm next in line for 3. So I have the two loans till November 9th, Kingdom of Ash gets released tomorrow, and I'll get Night Shift sometimes soon. So that will concludes the 25 book goal. Book 6 in Women of the Otherworld, and the remainder of the series will help lower the to-read list.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Things Change.
So two posts ago I said I was gonna do a thing and I've decided after doing it for three weeks, that I really don't want to do the thing. So I deleted the posts pertaining to that idea and I don't plan on doing it going forward. If it interested you (which from what I'm seeing, no one was; I'm talking mainly to myself at this point), sorry.
D.I.F.F.E.R.E.N.T. T.O.P.I.C.
So when my brother still lived with us before moving up near Grand Rapids, I would quite frequently borrow books from him that he had to read. Among those were The Deverry Cycle by Katherine Kerr; The Wayfarer Redemption and The Troy Games by Sara Douglass; The Saga of Recluce, The Corean Chronicles and The Imager Portfolio by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
One good thing about siblings and having similar tastes is you can read their books. Bad news is when they move away you don't have access anymore. For the Corean Chronicles, that was not a problem, because my local library has them. But they don't have the rest of the books except The Wayfarer Redemption series and just book one of another series Douglass wrote.
It had been ages since I had read the first and second books of the Corean Chronicles, so this year I re-read them so that I could familiarize myself with the world in the story (I've had the third book held "hostage" since my brother had moved out). So I borrowed the first two books from the library and read them, then moved onto book three. No big deal. I got through it, took me about a month to do so, but I did it. And then the issue arose. Book four takes you to a time before the first three. It takes you to basically the beginning of the history of the world. I had grown attached to the characters established in the first three books, and so with the sudden reverse, I had the book for a month and a half and hadn't even reached page 80. Modesitt does something similar in The Saga of Recluce but I knew that going in and he did such a wonderful job in that series that it didn't cause a problem. Although he really just jumps around in the history of the world, hence the SAGA OF RECLUCE. Recluce being the world in the story. (I still have to read book 13 of something close to 20 but that's another issue for another day).
I finally returned the book and said that I would try to read it another time, when the character that I had grown to adore wasn't so fresh in my mind. Because I have noticed that I sometimes have trouble continuing a series when it jumps perspectives from someone I've become attached to to someone different. It normally doesn't cause this much trouble, however, for this series it did. I'll talk about one apparent exception later, at some point, if I don't forget.
So for now, ta!
D.I.F.F.E.R.E.N.T. T.O.P.I.C.
So when my brother still lived with us before moving up near Grand Rapids, I would quite frequently borrow books from him that he had to read. Among those were The Deverry Cycle by Katherine Kerr; The Wayfarer Redemption and The Troy Games by Sara Douglass; The Saga of Recluce, The Corean Chronicles and The Imager Portfolio by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
One good thing about siblings and having similar tastes is you can read their books. Bad news is when they move away you don't have access anymore. For the Corean Chronicles, that was not a problem, because my local library has them. But they don't have the rest of the books except The Wayfarer Redemption series and just book one of another series Douglass wrote.
It had been ages since I had read the first and second books of the Corean Chronicles, so this year I re-read them so that I could familiarize myself with the world in the story (I've had the third book held "hostage" since my brother had moved out). So I borrowed the first two books from the library and read them, then moved onto book three. No big deal. I got through it, took me about a month to do so, but I did it. And then the issue arose. Book four takes you to a time before the first three. It takes you to basically the beginning of the history of the world. I had grown attached to the characters established in the first three books, and so with the sudden reverse, I had the book for a month and a half and hadn't even reached page 80. Modesitt does something similar in The Saga of Recluce but I knew that going in and he did such a wonderful job in that series that it didn't cause a problem. Although he really just jumps around in the history of the world, hence the SAGA OF RECLUCE. Recluce being the world in the story. (I still have to read book 13 of something close to 20 but that's another issue for another day).
I finally returned the book and said that I would try to read it another time, when the character that I had grown to adore wasn't so fresh in my mind. Because I have noticed that I sometimes have trouble continuing a series when it jumps perspectives from someone I've become attached to to someone different. It normally doesn't cause this much trouble, however, for this series it did. I'll talk about one apparent exception later, at some point, if I don't forget.
So for now, ta!
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Word Vomit, A Redux.
Alrighty.
Some updates: Wynonna Earp has been renewed for a fourth season on August 21st, and has two more episodes to air of the current season. Game of Thrones had a season 8 premiere set for April 21th, 2019 (I believe that's what it was) but now they are back to saying early 2019. Killjoys just concluded it's fourth season Friday, and will be airing it's series finale season 5 next summer.
Tomorrow, September 24th, sees the return of Fox Network show The Resident which I'm excited for, as well as NBC newbie Manifest (I've also seen it titled as The Manifest but the commercials for it say Manifest).
Onto the Word Vomit, A Redux.
So I've mentioned it here very briefly about shows that have gone on for a while and are losing their potency, in passing about certain shows and how I feel about them. I'm going to expand on that idea a little further before I start doing the thingy I talked about in my last post.
So... Some of the longest running tv shows are as follows (I'm counting ones that have aired during my lifetime, just an FYI):
The Simpsons, Fox Network has aired for 30 seasons, starting in 1989 and still currently airing. I almost didn't include this one because it's an animated show, but it's a good grounding point.
Law & Order (the original one!) started airing in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons, ending in 2010 on NBC.
It's spin-off, Law & Order: SVU (also NBC) has been airing for 20 seasons, starting in 1999 and the 20th season is actually to air soon.
NCIS (CBS) has technically been on the air since 2002, with a two episode back door pilot on the 10 season JAG (CBS), but began officially airing in 2003. Season 16 is set to air soon.
Criminal Minds (CBS) has been on the air since 2005 and will be airing it's 14th season this week, I believe (I'm behind on this show so I haven't been paying attention to air dates, I just started season 9 a few weeks back)
Supernatural, a show I currently watch (CW Network), has also been on the air since 2005 and the 14th season is set to air October 12th.
Why did I feel it necessary to mention those?
1. I have watched a least a few episodes of each of those shows (with the exception of The Simpsons)
2. So I have some points of reference when I continue the line of thought for this post
3. Yeah, that's all I got.
Crime dramas, like both Law & Order series, Criminal Minds, NCIS and it's two spin-offs, they have a longevity due to the nature of the show. Crime is something that will probably go on until the end of the world. Therefore it can be replicated into a tv show super easy, and therefore they will always have new material to work with. Plus as there are real life developments in science and forensics, those shows can adapt and boom, more new material.
However, supernatural element shows, like Supernatural, Charmed (both the original and the reboot), any show that can be classified as Science Fiction (SciFi), they have a more limited pool to pull ideas from. It will get to the point where there is overlap between shows and you'll find they pull mythologies in different directions.
Let's take vampire folklore for example. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, vampires can not stand direct sunlight (although they can be outside in shade and not be affected, but certain times they show them being exhausted by it), but in The Vampire Diaries they have something called Daylight rings that allows them to walk in the sunlight. In True Blood, they don't have Daylight rings, but if they drink Faerie blood they are able to walk in sunlight as long as that blood is in their system. In all three of these, vampires are not seen as brainless beings, like in Van Helsing, but intelligent beings capable of human interaction. In some vampires are known to the public (True Blood), while in others they hide their existence (Buffy and The Vampire Diaries). In The Vampire Diaries as long as the vampire has blood in their system they can stomach human food, in True Blood it will make them violently sick, and in Buffy it just isn't a thing; they avoid situations that would cause the fact that they don't eat to be noticed (although smoking is apparently a different thing).
And that's just with one mythical creature. Fairies (also Faerie, Fae), werewolves, wendigos, witches, zombies, demons, for every mythology that there is out there, there are versions for the creatures that the show can utilize how they see fit. It creates a lot of confusion when you watch multiple shows and have to keep straight how one reacts in each scenario. In one, werewolves may have sensitivity to silver, in others nothing.
But it's not even just the ones that rely on supernatural elements for the story. Superhero shows also have a limited pool to pull their storylines from.
So. Reason I'm bringing up this very long winded post:
Supernatural, Arrow, and The Flash (all CW shows) I feel have long past stayed their welcome. For Supernatural, after fourteen seasons, they just can't keep coming up with a bigger bad that is worse than the previous season big bad. I'll be honest, after the devil, who in most theologies is the worse being to walk the earth, there shouldn't be a bigger bad guy than Lucifer himself! Yet that was the big bad in season 5! The writers have managed to go around that a bit by having a world ending crisis in loo of a big bad, but they are still trying to one-up previous seasons. I honestly feel (and I've mentioned this previously) that they are grasping for straws so the network can milk the show for all it can before they cancel it. There will get to a point where they either contradiction previous season so horribly, or they will have to kill off the main characters (FOR GOOD THIS TIME) and do a soft reboot like ABC's Once Upon a Time did and hope it holds. I'm not holding out for the second because they tried to do a spin-off (Wayward Sisters) that held no traction.
In Arrow, like I mentioned previously, they wrapped up the Lian Yu storyline which was a major factor in the first four seasons. They did flashbacks to show the "missing" time for Oliver before his return to Starling City (later Star City) and as explanations for why this playboy who had no sense of responsibility suddenly can shoot a bow and arrow, can disarm bombs (I think he disarms a bomb at one point...) and fight like a master. But then they stopped doing flashbacks (because you can only stretch 5 years so far and make it realistic) and started focusing on the next step, but there is only so far you can go beyond that with something of this nature.
In The Flash, there is just a remarkable about of "Rinse, Repeat". The first season: Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, but wait a minute! No he isn't. He works on it, reclaims that title and beats the bad guy for the season. Season two: Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, but gotcha! No he isn't . He works on it, reclaims that title and beats the bad guy for the season. Season three: Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, but hold on! No he isn't. He.................do I really have to continue? They have followed the same story line for the past four seasons. Season 5 is set to air October 9th and I have my fingers crossed that they don't repeat the same thing, again. Yes, Barry Allen learns new things about his powers in the process, they do have some plot points for "secondary, supporting characters" but again, there is only so much you can do with this. Because at some point the character is going to deal with shit that causes them not to be able to continue down the path they are: a life-threatening illness or injury, no one being stupid enough to go up against some one who has saved the city countless times (regardless of how long it took them to defeat the bad guy). I read somewhere for starting writers that the main character shouldn't always be able to defeat the bad guy, that they should struggle and have things that they can't come back from. And The Flash writers are not following that advice. I would, personally, also like to see more from Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon. The writers kinda shot Iris West-Allen (she marries Barry in the fourth season) in the foot by making her very unlikable.
So very long story short (and also not what I wanted to talk about but I got sidetracked and ranted): is that sometimes long running shows don't deserve the long running status. They should be allowed to live a short life and be cancelled before large portions of the fans start to detest the show. The fans should be able to say that they were happy with where the story went and how it ended, not that it should have ended at this point and not five, six, seven seasons later.
Some updates: Wynonna Earp has been renewed for a fourth season on August 21st, and has two more episodes to air of the current season. Game of Thrones had a season 8 premiere set for April 21th, 2019 (I believe that's what it was) but now they are back to saying early 2019. Killjoys just concluded it's fourth season Friday, and will be airing it's series finale season 5 next summer.
Tomorrow, September 24th, sees the return of Fox Network show The Resident which I'm excited for, as well as NBC newbie Manifest (I've also seen it titled as The Manifest but the commercials for it say Manifest).
Onto the Word Vomit, A Redux.
So I've mentioned it here very briefly about shows that have gone on for a while and are losing their potency, in passing about certain shows and how I feel about them. I'm going to expand on that idea a little further before I start doing the thingy I talked about in my last post.
So... Some of the longest running tv shows are as follows (I'm counting ones that have aired during my lifetime, just an FYI):
The Simpsons, Fox Network has aired for 30 seasons, starting in 1989 and still currently airing. I almost didn't include this one because it's an animated show, but it's a good grounding point.
Law & Order (the original one!) started airing in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons, ending in 2010 on NBC.
It's spin-off, Law & Order: SVU (also NBC) has been airing for 20 seasons, starting in 1999 and the 20th season is actually to air soon.
NCIS (CBS) has technically been on the air since 2002, with a two episode back door pilot on the 10 season JAG (CBS), but began officially airing in 2003. Season 16 is set to air soon.
Criminal Minds (CBS) has been on the air since 2005 and will be airing it's 14th season this week, I believe (I'm behind on this show so I haven't been paying attention to air dates, I just started season 9 a few weeks back)
Supernatural, a show I currently watch (CW Network), has also been on the air since 2005 and the 14th season is set to air October 12th.
Why did I feel it necessary to mention those?
1. I have watched a least a few episodes of each of those shows (with the exception of The Simpsons)
2. So I have some points of reference when I continue the line of thought for this post
3. Yeah, that's all I got.
Crime dramas, like both Law & Order series, Criminal Minds, NCIS and it's two spin-offs, they have a longevity due to the nature of the show. Crime is something that will probably go on until the end of the world. Therefore it can be replicated into a tv show super easy, and therefore they will always have new material to work with. Plus as there are real life developments in science and forensics, those shows can adapt and boom, more new material.
However, supernatural element shows, like Supernatural, Charmed (both the original and the reboot), any show that can be classified as Science Fiction (SciFi), they have a more limited pool to pull ideas from. It will get to the point where there is overlap between shows and you'll find they pull mythologies in different directions.
Let's take vampire folklore for example. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, vampires can not stand direct sunlight (although they can be outside in shade and not be affected, but certain times they show them being exhausted by it), but in The Vampire Diaries they have something called Daylight rings that allows them to walk in the sunlight. In True Blood, they don't have Daylight rings, but if they drink Faerie blood they are able to walk in sunlight as long as that blood is in their system. In all three of these, vampires are not seen as brainless beings, like in Van Helsing, but intelligent beings capable of human interaction. In some vampires are known to the public (True Blood), while in others they hide their existence (Buffy and The Vampire Diaries). In The Vampire Diaries as long as the vampire has blood in their system they can stomach human food, in True Blood it will make them violently sick, and in Buffy it just isn't a thing; they avoid situations that would cause the fact that they don't eat to be noticed (although smoking is apparently a different thing).
And that's just with one mythical creature. Fairies (also Faerie, Fae), werewolves, wendigos, witches, zombies, demons, for every mythology that there is out there, there are versions for the creatures that the show can utilize how they see fit. It creates a lot of confusion when you watch multiple shows and have to keep straight how one reacts in each scenario. In one, werewolves may have sensitivity to silver, in others nothing.
But it's not even just the ones that rely on supernatural elements for the story. Superhero shows also have a limited pool to pull their storylines from.
So. Reason I'm bringing up this very long winded post:
Supernatural, Arrow, and The Flash (all CW shows) I feel have long past stayed their welcome. For Supernatural, after fourteen seasons, they just can't keep coming up with a bigger bad that is worse than the previous season big bad. I'll be honest, after the devil, who in most theologies is the worse being to walk the earth, there shouldn't be a bigger bad guy than Lucifer himself! Yet that was the big bad in season 5! The writers have managed to go around that a bit by having a world ending crisis in loo of a big bad, but they are still trying to one-up previous seasons. I honestly feel (and I've mentioned this previously) that they are grasping for straws so the network can milk the show for all it can before they cancel it. There will get to a point where they either contradiction previous season so horribly, or they will have to kill off the main characters (FOR GOOD THIS TIME) and do a soft reboot like ABC's Once Upon a Time did and hope it holds. I'm not holding out for the second because they tried to do a spin-off (Wayward Sisters) that held no traction.
In Arrow, like I mentioned previously, they wrapped up the Lian Yu storyline which was a major factor in the first four seasons. They did flashbacks to show the "missing" time for Oliver before his return to Starling City (later Star City) and as explanations for why this playboy who had no sense of responsibility suddenly can shoot a bow and arrow, can disarm bombs (I think he disarms a bomb at one point...) and fight like a master. But then they stopped doing flashbacks (because you can only stretch 5 years so far and make it realistic) and started focusing on the next step, but there is only so far you can go beyond that with something of this nature.
In The Flash, there is just a remarkable about of "Rinse, Repeat". The first season: Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, but wait a minute! No he isn't. He works on it, reclaims that title and beats the bad guy for the season. Season two: Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, but gotcha! No he isn't . He works on it, reclaims that title and beats the bad guy for the season. Season three: Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, but hold on! No he isn't. He.................do I really have to continue? They have followed the same story line for the past four seasons. Season 5 is set to air October 9th and I have my fingers crossed that they don't repeat the same thing, again. Yes, Barry Allen learns new things about his powers in the process, they do have some plot points for "secondary, supporting characters" but again, there is only so much you can do with this. Because at some point the character is going to deal with shit that causes them not to be able to continue down the path they are: a life-threatening illness or injury, no one being stupid enough to go up against some one who has saved the city countless times (regardless of how long it took them to defeat the bad guy). I read somewhere for starting writers that the main character shouldn't always be able to defeat the bad guy, that they should struggle and have things that they can't come back from. And The Flash writers are not following that advice. I would, personally, also like to see more from Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon. The writers kinda shot Iris West-Allen (she marries Barry in the fourth season) in the foot by making her very unlikable.
So very long story short (and also not what I wanted to talk about but I got sidetracked and ranted): is that sometimes long running shows don't deserve the long running status. They should be allowed to live a short life and be cancelled before large portions of the fans start to detest the show. The fans should be able to say that they were happy with where the story went and how it ended, not that it should have ended at this point and not five, six, seven seasons later.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Plan of Attack....
So. Because I really have nothing better to do, this fall I plan on (and will attempt to follow through with, we'll see how this goes) writing a weekly post about the shows that I watch and a reaction to the episode, without giving any spoilers. I may do it differently, but I will attempt to at least post once a week (if I follow that idea it will be on Saturdays).
To give you an idea of what I will be posting about (and so you don't have to look at my older posts (not that there are many at this point) I will list for you the ones that will be airing during the Fall 2018 season, many of which will be continuing through to what is considered the Winter 2019 season (usually April or May 2019). I already know that some are going to have shorter seasons and therefore most likely will not continue past December, and I have two shows in particular that won't start until the New Year, but I will make a note of those when appropriate.
Without further ado, the Fall 2018 season shows that I will be watching.
Sunday
Staying at the 8 o'clock hour but moving to Sundays, Supergirl (CW network) makes it's season four debut October 14th. I felt that this show held it's own for it's third season, but like the other shows that air on the CW, it may tank this season or may be stronger than previous.
Monday
Since Supergirl moved to Sunday, the CW show Arrow will be taking the 8 o'clock spot. The season seven debut is October 15th. I felt that this show was losing it's potential, and pretty quickly. The writers wrapped up the whole Lian Yu story line a few seasons ago, and the story to me just fell flat. It has gotten to be repetitive and quite frankly: boring. I will try to stick with this one, but this show may just join a short list of shows that I've abandoned because it just wasn't enjoyable any more.
Airing concurrently to that, on the Fox network is returning show The Resident. While the first season was short--only 13 episodes-- I have not seen how many this second season, set to debut September 24th, is expected to have. All I know is that they have a lot of potential coming off a strong first season, this medical drama has amazing actors in the spotlight and a lot of room for growth.
In the 9pm slot is another CW hit Legends of Tomorrow. Season four debuts October 22nd, so quite a bit later than the other CW shows, this show is expected to only have 16 episodes, dropping 2 from last season. It could be an indication of a couple of things (in my opinion): a) that the show isn't going to be around much longer or b)that they are keeping the seasons short so they have more flexibility with the story writing. Or c) they just like making this short so they have more air time for other shows.
New to air in the 10pm slot on NBC is Manifest. Set to debut also on September 24th, this new drama is about a flight that disappeared, only to reappear five years later to everyone but those on the plane. To those on the flight, it was only the time of the flight. It is bringing Josh Dallas from Once Upon a Time (ABC, which ended it's final season back in April), so I'm pretty excited about that, but also the premise behind it just sounds interesting. We'll see on this one!
(In case you haven't noticed, Monday is going to be pretty packed.)
Tuesday
Airing at 8pm is the CW show The Flash. Returning for its season five on October 9th, I'm not really sure that this will be one that I continue. Much like Arrow, which this show is a branch off of, I just feel like the story line is repetitive and that there is not much that they can do differently. It's gotten to the point were you can easily guess what is going to happen. And to a degree that's a good thing. But when you can guess pretty much what is going to happen when you weren't really paying attention.... yeah.
Also airing at 8pm, but not until sometime in 2019, is the Freeform supershow Shadowhunters. Which sadly will be airing the final 12 episodes of the third season, which was deemed the final season because Netflix pulled it's funding of the show (which I am still very bitter about). They released sometime in the past two days the titles for the final two episodes, which are "Alliance" and "All Good Things..." and I may have teared up a bit upon reading that. Freeform however, has not released exact dates for when the final episodes will air, but I will update that info when I happen upon it. I also fully expect to cry when the finale actually airs.
Wednesday
I do have one show airing at 9pm on Wednesday, The Magicians on the SyFy network, but again this one will not air until sometime in 2019. If it follows suit with the third season, it will air from January to April with 13 episodes, but even the number of episodes hasn't been confirmed to the public yet (at least that I've seen). So more on that when I have more information.
Thursday
Airing at 8pm on the CW, is returning Supernatural. Once my favorite show, this milk cow of a show is airing its fourteenth (FOURTEENTH) season starting October 11th. Recapping previous posts of mine, this show has been airing since 2005, and I feel like they've done all they can with the show, but because they can market the crap out of it, they keep renewing the show even though the initial brain behind the story felt the natural end to it was season 5. This one may also join the short list of shows that I've stopped watching if they continue on the way they have.
Airing at 9pm on the SyFy network is returning show Van Helsing. However, this show does not have a definitive start date as of the time I'm writing this (which is 11pm on Sept. 2nd). It was confirmed however, that the third season will contain 13 episodes. I will keep you updated as I find out more.
Friday
Airing at 8pm on NBC is returning champ Blindspot. Its fourth season debut is scheduled for October 12th, but they haven't released much information about it that I can find (not that I'm looking very hard but still...). I felt that the third season had a bit of a rocky start, but they recovered well and I look forward to the upcoming season.
Airing at 9pm also on NBC is sophomore show Midnight, Texas. Based on a book series by Charlaine Harris (the brain behind the Sookie Stackhouse novels, which HBO's True Blood was based on), this show originally aired during the Summer of 2017 but was moved to the Fall schedule with a debut of October 26th. So I'm hoping that means the season will be longer than the 10 episode first season, but I haven't found anything that gives an expected episode count for the second season.
That is it for those types of shows. If you recall from earlier posts, there were two more shows that I was on the lookout for, TNT drama Good Behavior and WGN's Bellevue. Both of which were neither confirmed for a renewal or for cancellation. However, unless I hear something about either one, they are most likely going to be swept under the rug by their respective networks.
I do have two Netflix shows that I will be looking out for, Marvel's Jessica Jones and A Series of Unfortunate Events. However both of those will most likely not be out until sometime next year.
ABC's Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will not return until July 2019 for a shorter season, but I will update on that as I learn more about it.
So until then, TA!
Edit on 9/16/18:
The SyFy network finally announced that Van Helsing will air on Friday nights at 10pm starting October 5th. However, they have not released the episode title or anything else as of 9/16.
To give you an idea of what I will be posting about (and so you don't have to look at my older posts (not that there are many at this point) I will list for you the ones that will be airing during the Fall 2018 season, many of which will be continuing through to what is considered the Winter 2019 season (usually April or May 2019). I already know that some are going to have shorter seasons and therefore most likely will not continue past December, and I have two shows in particular that won't start until the New Year, but I will make a note of those when appropriate.
Without further ado, the Fall 2018 season shows that I will be watching.
Sunday
Staying at the 8 o'clock hour but moving to Sundays, Supergirl (CW network) makes it's season four debut October 14th. I felt that this show held it's own for it's third season, but like the other shows that air on the CW, it may tank this season or may be stronger than previous.
Monday
Since Supergirl moved to Sunday, the CW show Arrow will be taking the 8 o'clock spot. The season seven debut is October 15th. I felt that this show was losing it's potential, and pretty quickly. The writers wrapped up the whole Lian Yu story line a few seasons ago, and the story to me just fell flat. It has gotten to be repetitive and quite frankly: boring. I will try to stick with this one, but this show may just join a short list of shows that I've abandoned because it just wasn't enjoyable any more.
Airing concurrently to that, on the Fox network is returning show The Resident. While the first season was short--only 13 episodes-- I have not seen how many this second season, set to debut September 24th, is expected to have. All I know is that they have a lot of potential coming off a strong first season, this medical drama has amazing actors in the spotlight and a lot of room for growth.
In the 9pm slot is another CW hit Legends of Tomorrow. Season four debuts October 22nd, so quite a bit later than the other CW shows, this show is expected to only have 16 episodes, dropping 2 from last season. It could be an indication of a couple of things (in my opinion): a) that the show isn't going to be around much longer or b)that they are keeping the seasons short so they have more flexibility with the story writing. Or c) they just like making this short so they have more air time for other shows.
New to air in the 10pm slot on NBC is Manifest. Set to debut also on September 24th, this new drama is about a flight that disappeared, only to reappear five years later to everyone but those on the plane. To those on the flight, it was only the time of the flight. It is bringing Josh Dallas from Once Upon a Time (ABC, which ended it's final season back in April), so I'm pretty excited about that, but also the premise behind it just sounds interesting. We'll see on this one!
(In case you haven't noticed, Monday is going to be pretty packed.)
Tuesday
Airing at 8pm is the CW show The Flash. Returning for its season five on October 9th, I'm not really sure that this will be one that I continue. Much like Arrow, which this show is a branch off of, I just feel like the story line is repetitive and that there is not much that they can do differently. It's gotten to the point were you can easily guess what is going to happen. And to a degree that's a good thing. But when you can guess pretty much what is going to happen when you weren't really paying attention.... yeah.
Also airing at 8pm, but not until sometime in 2019, is the Freeform supershow Shadowhunters. Which sadly will be airing the final 12 episodes of the third season, which was deemed the final season because Netflix pulled it's funding of the show (which I am still very bitter about). They released sometime in the past two days the titles for the final two episodes, which are "Alliance" and "All Good Things..." and I may have teared up a bit upon reading that. Freeform however, has not released exact dates for when the final episodes will air, but I will update that info when I happen upon it. I also fully expect to cry when the finale actually airs.
Wednesday
I do have one show airing at 9pm on Wednesday, The Magicians on the SyFy network, but again this one will not air until sometime in 2019. If it follows suit with the third season, it will air from January to April with 13 episodes, but even the number of episodes hasn't been confirmed to the public yet (at least that I've seen). So more on that when I have more information.
Thursday
Airing at 8pm on the CW, is returning Supernatural. Once my favorite show, this milk cow of a show is airing its fourteenth (FOURTEENTH) season starting October 11th. Recapping previous posts of mine, this show has been airing since 2005, and I feel like they've done all they can with the show, but because they can market the crap out of it, they keep renewing the show even though the initial brain behind the story felt the natural end to it was season 5. This one may also join the short list of shows that I've stopped watching if they continue on the way they have.
Airing at 9pm on the SyFy network is returning show Van Helsing. However, this show does not have a definitive start date as of the time I'm writing this (which is 11pm on Sept. 2nd). It was confirmed however, that the third season will contain 13 episodes. I will keep you updated as I find out more.
Friday
Airing at 8pm on NBC is returning champ Blindspot. Its fourth season debut is scheduled for October 12th, but they haven't released much information about it that I can find (not that I'm looking very hard but still...). I felt that the third season had a bit of a rocky start, but they recovered well and I look forward to the upcoming season.
Airing at 9pm also on NBC is sophomore show Midnight, Texas. Based on a book series by Charlaine Harris (the brain behind the Sookie Stackhouse novels, which HBO's True Blood was based on), this show originally aired during the Summer of 2017 but was moved to the Fall schedule with a debut of October 26th. So I'm hoping that means the season will be longer than the 10 episode first season, but I haven't found anything that gives an expected episode count for the second season.
That is it for those types of shows. If you recall from earlier posts, there were two more shows that I was on the lookout for, TNT drama Good Behavior and WGN's Bellevue. Both of which were neither confirmed for a renewal or for cancellation. However, unless I hear something about either one, they are most likely going to be swept under the rug by their respective networks.
I do have two Netflix shows that I will be looking out for, Marvel's Jessica Jones and A Series of Unfortunate Events. However both of those will most likely not be out until sometime next year.
ABC's Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will not return until July 2019 for a shorter season, but I will update on that as I learn more about it.
So until then, TA!
Edit on 9/16/18:
The SyFy network finally announced that Van Helsing will air on Friday nights at 10pm starting October 5th. However, they have not released the episode title or anything else as of 9/16.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS.
So I want to talk about something different today.
And that something would be books.
As of right now, on my GoodReads account, I have 100 books on a to-read list, with 3 listed as currently reading.
Actively reading is Anthony Ryan's Blood Song, which is the first in a trilogy titled "A Raven's Shadow". This book had a great start, but has started to dwindle (on page 399 of 575) and drag on. But the book is due back to the library on the 30th of this month so that is my motivation to finish it. So there is that.
Way back when, I started George R.R. Martin's A Clash of Kings which is the second book in the "A Song of Fire and Ice" series. I am a little shy of half way done with that book, but I don't remember what happened and since I had binge-watched the show, the events of the show blurred together and it would probably be wise to reread the first book so that I have the events of the books separate from the show.
And bear with me, but my brother and I have similar tastes in reading materials. When he was still living here with us, I would sneak in his room and steal the book that was next in the series. Well he is now 2ish hours away and I can't drive right now and a 2ish hour drive for a book is a tad ridiculous anyway. So. I have his copy of Sceptors by L.E. Modesitt Jr. held hostage (which is the third book), but I don't remember what has happened enough to feel comfortable just jumping into it, so I borrowed the first two books in the series from the library so that I can reread them and then move onto Sceptors. I also have my brother's copy of Ordermaster which is interesting in how Modesitt writes the "Saga of Recluce" series, and seeing as they read as a history of a nation instead of following just one person or group of people, I wanted the preceding book Wellspring of Chaos as well as the following (which is not following chronologically) Natural Ordermage. But seeing as that is a borrow from my brother and not the library I can hold those three hostage technically indefinitely.
But the other thing is I also have a bunch of books that I've gotten for cheap or free on my kindle that I have not added to my GoodReads list. So at the beginning of the year I pledged to read as many books this year as I can to lower the list of to-read books. I set a realistic goal of 25 books (basically 2 books a month plus one more), and to date I am one book ahead of schedule because it doesn't count them until I mark the book as completed. I also am not counting rereads, although they technically count on GoodReads. If I counted them, I would be much closer to the goal of 25 books. Part of the problem is that I do not have a job that allows me enough money to buy the books myself so that I do not have them in either print or on my kindle, and not all of the books on my list are available to be borrowed from my local library. Another part is that a lot of the books are part of a series, and for a good chunk of them I haven't read the preceding book in a while so I don't remember what has happened and therefore I would feel better rereading at least the most recent book to familiarize myself again with the plot lines and characters and the relationships between characters. Another point is that a few of the book series I'm reading are still on going so the authors are releasing books which then adds to the number of books on my to-read list just by being part of something I'm already reading.
The other, more frustrating part of the problem? I don't want to read. I just want them to have been read. Like, I love to read. I full on call myself a lover of books and reading, but I just don't have the patience right now to sit down and just read a 575 page book like I use to. Back in 2007 or 2008 I read the book East by Edith Pattou, which is 498 pages, in like 6 hours. I am not kidding. I got home from school, took care of our dogs, started reading, took a small break to feed our dogs and cat, and didn't stop until I was reading the last word. At like 9pm. I would have gotten home at around 3pm. I just want to be able to do that again.
Now Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Frost and Starlight was released earlier this year and I full on read that in one sitting, a few days after it was released, but that was also only 229 pages and I absolutely adore both of Maas's series ("A Court of Thorns and Roses" and "A Throne of Glass") so that has something to do with it.
I kinda wish I had the patience to just sit and read right now, but as it is I can't even do that with books I genuinely want to read. Like I was stoked that the library has all three books of Anthony Ryan's series, and I started off strong, but now I'm just lagging. Uggh.
And that something would be books.
As of right now, on my GoodReads account, I have 100 books on a to-read list, with 3 listed as currently reading.
Actively reading is Anthony Ryan's Blood Song, which is the first in a trilogy titled "A Raven's Shadow". This book had a great start, but has started to dwindle (on page 399 of 575) and drag on. But the book is due back to the library on the 30th of this month so that is my motivation to finish it. So there is that.
Way back when, I started George R.R. Martin's A Clash of Kings which is the second book in the "A Song of Fire and Ice" series. I am a little shy of half way done with that book, but I don't remember what happened and since I had binge-watched the show, the events of the show blurred together and it would probably be wise to reread the first book so that I have the events of the books separate from the show.
And bear with me, but my brother and I have similar tastes in reading materials. When he was still living here with us, I would sneak in his room and steal the book that was next in the series. Well he is now 2ish hours away and I can't drive right now and a 2ish hour drive for a book is a tad ridiculous anyway. So. I have his copy of Sceptors by L.E. Modesitt Jr. held hostage (which is the third book), but I don't remember what has happened enough to feel comfortable just jumping into it, so I borrowed the first two books in the series from the library so that I can reread them and then move onto Sceptors. I also have my brother's copy of Ordermaster which is interesting in how Modesitt writes the "Saga of Recluce" series, and seeing as they read as a history of a nation instead of following just one person or group of people, I wanted the preceding book Wellspring of Chaos as well as the following (which is not following chronologically) Natural Ordermage. But seeing as that is a borrow from my brother and not the library I can hold those three hostage technically indefinitely.
But the other thing is I also have a bunch of books that I've gotten for cheap or free on my kindle that I have not added to my GoodReads list. So at the beginning of the year I pledged to read as many books this year as I can to lower the list of to-read books. I set a realistic goal of 25 books (basically 2 books a month plus one more), and to date I am one book ahead of schedule because it doesn't count them until I mark the book as completed. I also am not counting rereads, although they technically count on GoodReads. If I counted them, I would be much closer to the goal of 25 books. Part of the problem is that I do not have a job that allows me enough money to buy the books myself so that I do not have them in either print or on my kindle, and not all of the books on my list are available to be borrowed from my local library. Another part is that a lot of the books are part of a series, and for a good chunk of them I haven't read the preceding book in a while so I don't remember what has happened and therefore I would feel better rereading at least the most recent book to familiarize myself again with the plot lines and characters and the relationships between characters. Another point is that a few of the book series I'm reading are still on going so the authors are releasing books which then adds to the number of books on my to-read list just by being part of something I'm already reading.
The other, more frustrating part of the problem? I don't want to read. I just want them to have been read. Like, I love to read. I full on call myself a lover of books and reading, but I just don't have the patience right now to sit down and just read a 575 page book like I use to. Back in 2007 or 2008 I read the book East by Edith Pattou, which is 498 pages, in like 6 hours. I am not kidding. I got home from school, took care of our dogs, started reading, took a small break to feed our dogs and cat, and didn't stop until I was reading the last word. At like 9pm. I would have gotten home at around 3pm. I just want to be able to do that again.
Now Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Frost and Starlight was released earlier this year and I full on read that in one sitting, a few days after it was released, but that was also only 229 pages and I absolutely adore both of Maas's series ("A Court of Thorns and Roses" and "A Throne of Glass") so that has something to do with it.
I kinda wish I had the patience to just sit and read right now, but as it is I can't even do that with books I genuinely want to read. Like I was stoked that the library has all three books of Anthony Ryan's series, and I started off strong, but now I'm just lagging. Uggh.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
A Charmed Life
From October 1998 to May 2006, on the WB network aired a show called Charmed. Starring Shannon Doherty (who was later replaced by Rose McGowen in the fourth season onward), Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano as sisters with magical powers that fight the forces of supernatural evil.
I absolutely loved this show. From the first episode to the final episode, this show was brilliant. Charmed was considered to be a cult classic, doing an amazing job holding its own against shows on the big four networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox) for its 8 season run. It not only had the supernatural element that I adore, but it did also include a family element that brought the story together. I own all 8 seasons on DVD, I dressed up as Piper (Holly Marie Combs) for Halloween one year, and I had an English project themed for the show. I found this show at a time were I was struggling in life, and honestly it helped me in ways that I couldn't even explain at the time. I would not be were I am today if not for this show.
The WB network is now defunct, having merged with UPN (United Paramount Network) to create the CW network that is known today. Supernatural, another show that I watch that is similar in genre to Charmed, originally aired on the WB for 2 seasons and is still airing on CW. When the CW announced this year its lineup for the 2018-2019 season, it announced that they were rebooting Charmed. From what I understand, they have 3 young women coming back together after the death of their mother with the emergence of supernatural powers. There are some differences, such as the initial sisters have one half-sister right off the bat, whereas in the original the half-sister was brought in after Doherty left the show on some not so nice terms. There are also some other differences, bringing the more modern dynamics (one of the sisters is a lesbian this time around) to the show.
Why am I bringing this up? The original show ended in 2006. At this point, 12 years ago. I do not feel that a reboot is necessary at this time. There are still people who enjoyed the original show still out there, myself being one, and therefore the reboot is too soon coming. I can understand rebooting a show that has been off the air for 30 or more years, but 12? Just a little (or you know, a lot) too soon.
I absolutely loved this show. From the first episode to the final episode, this show was brilliant. Charmed was considered to be a cult classic, doing an amazing job holding its own against shows on the big four networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox) for its 8 season run. It not only had the supernatural element that I adore, but it did also include a family element that brought the story together. I own all 8 seasons on DVD, I dressed up as Piper (Holly Marie Combs) for Halloween one year, and I had an English project themed for the show. I found this show at a time were I was struggling in life, and honestly it helped me in ways that I couldn't even explain at the time. I would not be were I am today if not for this show.
The WB network is now defunct, having merged with UPN (United Paramount Network) to create the CW network that is known today. Supernatural, another show that I watch that is similar in genre to Charmed, originally aired on the WB for 2 seasons and is still airing on CW. When the CW announced this year its lineup for the 2018-2019 season, it announced that they were rebooting Charmed. From what I understand, they have 3 young women coming back together after the death of their mother with the emergence of supernatural powers. There are some differences, such as the initial sisters have one half-sister right off the bat, whereas in the original the half-sister was brought in after Doherty left the show on some not so nice terms. There are also some other differences, bringing the more modern dynamics (one of the sisters is a lesbian this time around) to the show.
Why am I bringing this up? The original show ended in 2006. At this point, 12 years ago. I do not feel that a reboot is necessary at this time. There are still people who enjoyed the original show still out there, myself being one, and therefore the reboot is too soon coming. I can understand rebooting a show that has been off the air for 30 or more years, but 12? Just a little (or you know, a lot) too soon.
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