Down to the Wire

[gwyn]

I'm in a monstrously grumptastic mood today, and one of the things I was thinking about this morning while grumbling through getting ready for work is how annoyed I am by the disappearance of conversation in my fannish life, how few people want to actually talk about anything and how the disparity between the fannish consumer and the fannish producer has grown even more pronounced and how much I hate that (the idea that because someone isn't a writer or vidder they have no intrinsic value sends me into a frenzy of anger), and mostly, how much I resent the fact that I have no more shows to review. That was the defining thing for me in starting this LJ: the chance to write the meta, generate discussion (even if sometimes the discussions haven't been pleasant), review and critique and dissect, and I have nothing to do that with anymore. Because of the asshat executives who cancelled both Firefly and Angel, the best shows -- the Jossverse -- for reviews are gone, and there is nothing currently airing that I either enjoy, or that is the kind of show worth reviewing. Much as I love Gilmore Girls, for instance, it's not a reviewy show the way Buffy, Angel, and Firefly were for me.

I don't like Lost (mark my words, JJ Abrams will only bring you heartache and misery) and only endure it for Naveen Andrews, and even with Alias and some new eps of Spooks/MI-5 and 24 coming up, I doubt there will really be anything reviewy there either. The only things I've had the slightest passing interest in this year are Kevin Hill (watchable solely for the luscious Taye Diggs), and Veronica Mars, but it doesn't always hold my interest, and isn't so far a review the next day type show. I miss the discussion, the analysis, the whole... fun of picking things apart and looking for deeper meanings. It makes me grumpy that I haven't got anything like that. The Shield will also be coming up, but... they lost me a while ago and now I watch more out of loyalty than anything. I loathe and despise the crime procedurals with the white hot fury of a thousand burning suns, but have to watch the despicable and cretinous CSI:NY for my favorite actor, Gary Sinise. The only procedural I give a crap about is Without a Trace and it's more a tribute to that cast and the personal storylines than anything else.

The best things are all on pay cable, which I can't afford. I will be waiting for the S2 discs of Dead Like Me, for a while, I'm sure, but look forward to seeing it; can't wait to watch Carnivale on something better than the horrible rainbowed dark and murky tapes we saw first season on, and eagerly await the ability to view the second season. The idea of more Deadwood is thrilling, too. But none of these are shows I can sink teeth into because I often won't see them for months and months and months after they air. One of my favorite discoveries so far is The Wire. I really like this series and am only to episode 5. I wish I'd had the chance to watch this series as it aired; it would have been interesting to review, especially because I have no idea half the time what's happening. I can't keep about 2/3 of the characters straight, and especially the different gang street wars confuse me, as do the relationships of the hateful, venal cops that McNulty battles with. (Plus, crime! While I'm writing a crime-based WIP, it's enormously helpful as research material.)

But when I get what's going on, what a wing-ding of a show it is. It's also one of the few shows I've seen that deals with homosexuality on a fairly realistic basis and challenges assumptions about its acceptance in these very tough, often discriminatory worlds. Not they don't also play it for a little prurient interest, as well, but it's fairer than most other shows could hope to be. Omar, the one criminal character who seems to be on opposite sides of the Barksdale group, in particular fascinates me: his elaborate cornrows and his cool facial scar; his obvious tender love of his boyfriend in a world where a homosexual man is most decidedly not welcome; his sarcastic wit and wary perspicacity; his amusing idiosyncracies such as not wanting his boyfriend to swear because it's uncouth and his friendliness to the cops... I could watch him alone on this show and be happy. I've never seen a young black male character, especially a drug-dealing homicidal thug, portrayed like this, and I'm mesmerized not just by the role but by the actor (and his boyfriend, as well). I have a bad feeling subsequent episodes will bring bad things for him, but I'm enjoying these, anyway.

I also like the lesbian cop McNulty works with, whose name totally escapes me right now. The actress is up and down, not always on top of the role, but the character has a really unusual background and relationships with people that I've never seen before, especially when most shows would just have her be the dyke cop in the background. Anyway, I have quite a few more S1 discs to get through, and am looking forward to seeing Aiden Gillen when he arrives. But this is the first show that feels rich enough in characters and story arcs to be a review-worthy outside of Deadwood, but like Deadwood, I'm seeing these so much later that I never have the chance to get down and dirty with them. I miss that, a lot. Most of the time I don't miss the grind of movie reviewing, but sometimes I do, and have been feeling the loss of writing my little post-ep TV reviews in LJ a lot this fall. The Wire is definitely a series worth that kind of attention. I'm almost thinking of investing in the discs becuase it would make such a great vidding show, as well, but I'll have to think about that.

Comments

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

Cheer up! Just two more weeks and all of the January shows start! There is one that looks promising a that seems to be a Baretta rip-off. There's another one that seems to be some sort of horror pastiche with lots of nifty effects. Yippee!

Is it weird that I'm more excited about the January shows starting than I was about Christmas in Vegas?

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

y'know...i've been trying to put my finger on what has change on my flist, and part of it is that people move to different fandoms and part is that i have a lot of folks friended just b/c of my flocked journal whom i'm not really that intersted in..but it wasn't untill reading your post just now that i realized that the actual show discussions are missing...i mean, i like reading them even if i'm not a huge fan of the show (well, except for lost :-) but there is very little left...we so need a wheedon show :-) or at least something to combine us in a way that certain shows did..even if you weren't reading/writing in it, you more than likely watched it (i always think of XF and BtVS as two such shows...)

i'm watching SV, VM, and CSI every week, but none of them make me wanna write (well, SV sometimes...)

[kathyh]

and mostly, how much I resent the fact that I have no more shows to review.

I do know what you mean. From a British point of view I would say that Spooks/MI5 this season is fascinating for various reasons so I wouldn't write it off. We've also been lucky enough to see Battlestar Galactica first and I'd highly recommend that. Nothing has quite made up for the loss of the Jossverse though...

[viverra-libro.livejournal.com]

There is a sense of being adrift, isn't there? I am no longer anchored by my weekly TV schedule -- there is nothing really to look forward to, and I just aimlessly drift, flipping through the channels. I'm trying to make that a good thing, by looking into other fandoms and non-TV-related pastimes (noooooo!), but it's kind of lonely. The only things I watch now are on FX - Nip/Tuck, The Shield, and Rescue Me (with the strangely attractive Dennis Leary), but they seem to only run one at a time, and the schedules are erratic.

I haven't seen Lost yet, but last week I read what appears to be the single best piece of lotrips fic in existence (because everything I've read since then has been rather disappointing), and am going to watch on Wednesday to see Dom. Are you going to watch, too, despite your forebodings?

[maubast.livejournal.com]

Jumping around a little bit:

but have to watch the despicable and cretinous CSI:NY for my favorite actor, Gary Sinise.

Isn't it just a pathetic show? I love him, but I couldn't endure it. I really couldn't.

CSI: M lost me when Rory Cochrane left (even though I still like the cast a great deal but I hated the way they killed off Rory's character). Now I watch CSI:M if I think of it, or if my parents talk me into it. The only show I watch without fail is NCIS, because of David McCallum, Pauley Perrette and Sean Murray.

I'm sort of a strange fannish person in the sense I don't really like television much. Okay, very little at all.

I'm in a monstrously grumptastic mood today

I was yesterday so it must be going around. *hugs*

the disaprity between the fannish consumer and the fannish producer has grown even more pronounced and how much I hate that (the idea that because someone isn't a writer or vidder they have no intrinsic value sends me into a frenzy of anger)

Wow. I had no idea people acted like that. Call me sheltered, but... that's not cool. I mean, as a fanzine publisher, I get complaints about certain things, but I would never think that just because someone isn't a vidder/writer/publisher/what have you, they have no value to the fannish world. So not cool.

*hugs*

[umbo.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Can I just say that the mere idea of you getting into The Wire excites me like you wouldn't believe? I haven't actually seen season 1 yet, as I started watching last year and haven't invested in the discs yet, but it is *such* an amazing show, and I would *love* to see you reviewing it! Omar really is an amzing character, and Kima (the lesbian cop) is pretty cool too, but for me the most fascinating is Stringer Bell. Then again, I'm not sure what all he was up to in the first season.

But I do so wish there were another Wheadon show on. What would you think about going back and watching episodes again and writing review from that?

*more hugs*

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

I would love to read your reviews of "The Wire" - I started watching with Season 2 and haven't seen Season 1 yet, but it's definitely a show that rewards thinking and rich analysis and Season 2 was absolutely brilliant (I was less fond of the recently concluded Season 3, but part of that may change when I rewatch and see how everything comes together!) More than any other TV show I've ever seen (including the Jossverse ones!) "The Wire" is like an incredibly engrossing novel, and you have to watch all the way to the end of each season before stuff makes sense, I think.

The actress you're thinking of is Sonja Sohn, I believe, and Kima becomes a much more interesting character. McNulty is always and forever fascinating (and Dominic West is quite the hottie as I can attest having spoken to him at a booksigning recently!)

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Wishing for more meta as well. Should start writing some more myself. But ack, Exam looming. Le sigh.

[elz.livejournal.com]

I've got my fingers crossed that the new version of Battlestar Galactica will inspire lots of meta and fannish chatter (although I know a fair number of people on lj won't watch it because it's too science fictiony), especially since I can't afford HBO or Showtime either. I've felt like a bit of a slacker this year, only writing two-line reactions (if that) to Veronica Mars and Lost, but the truth is that you can't fake the kind of enthusiasm that makes you *want* to talk about a show in any sort of depth. I miss it, though, especially since I'm not a 'producer' of any sort and, yeah, it's easy to start to feel superfluous.

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

Now that you are off dialup and on high-speed 'net, have you thought about doing the bittorrent-type thing for downloading new episodes? That could solve your problem about having to wait for new episodes of premium cable shows.

You might also think about pimping people into fandoms you already enjoy, and want other people to get into. I mean, look at me: TFaTF, Mag 7, Second Sight (hell, Clive Owen in general), Firefly, a Mulder/Skinner perspective of XF, and I'm working up to LFN. You've pimped without even trying, just from me coming over and hanging out. I would never have known about Second Sight had you not had it playing one day when I arrived. Maybe I'm just easy, but I think you should give the old pimping game a shot. For instance, after watching your Keen Eddie vid, I'd love to hear more about that, and you haven't said boo yet.

Damn, I'm sort of liking this idea. Maybe I should do a ship manifesto for Herger/Ahmed from The Thirteenth Warrior?

Sorry the feedback thing is still preying on your mind. I'd kick some ass if it didn't result in bigger problems.

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

sandrine's post elsewhere on my f-list just reminded me: we HAVE to watch Brotherhood of the Wolf sometime.

[paris7am.livejournal.com]

You took the words right from my mouth...
Torrent opens up a whole new world of fannish happiness.
For myself, I jumped out of american tv and into asian and british. Huge difference.
Mlyn, I can't wait til you get to LFN - I'd love to discuss with you.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Of course, I'm also the kiss of death for shows, so if there are some good Jan. shows, I'm terrified I will jinx them by falling for them!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I mean, it's not that people didn't comment on Buffy or Angel with one or two lines of OMG I lvoed it! or something. But in general I felt there was more going on there than currently, and I also find that the larger fandom has become, the less conversation happens. The writers are all busy churning out their drabbles by the pound, and everything is directed toward feedbacking them; LJ isn't conducive to lengthy conversational threads... I dunno. I just am missing that whole environment. There's a lot of volume, but it all just sounds like static at times.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to the MI-5 eps. But... Tom! Ack! Though it will be nice to finally have a chance to see them after hearing so much.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I watched Lost since the beginning, but... I don't share the love everyone i know has for it. Except Naveen... I've been hot for him for years. It's weird, I feel like I'm looking at a nekkid emperor or something, and I cannot see the cool new threads everyone else sees. I find it contrived and boring and too coy for it's own good. Maybe someone can hypnotize me at Escapade and make me see what everyone else sees. Becuase it certainly seems like THE fannish program right now. I used to know the days of the week by what was on the previous night. Now half the time I can't remember what day it is!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Re the value thing, the weirdest part? The people who often say that are the ones who think they have no value because they are "just consumers." I can't tell you how many people have sent feedback to me and told me they never wrote before becuse they didn't think they had anything worthwhile to say since they aren't writers or vidders. And worse, a lot of BNFs have only encouraged this sort of thing -- quashing discussions on lists, etc because only the big writers have any value, you know.

I've seen sensible, smart women encourage this sort of disparity and then disingenuously say they aren't BNFs and oh I never asked for this status blah blah... it's so dispiriting to watch people do that. As fandom's gotten larger and larger, the focus has shifted primarily to the producers -- especially the prolific and vocal producers -- and the "just consumers" now think they have no voice or right or need to speak up. It just frosts me, because those are the people whose opinions and feedback and input I value most. but so many people encourage this "I don't know the details/skills/arcane knowledge of this" response that I think it's endemic to fandom. the fans of fans thing also leaves me really cold, because I think it's an outgrowth of this syndrome.

I need to write about this more at length, and I know I'll get flamed by some of my friends because we've had heated discussions before, but... I feel like I need to get this off my chest. without the consumers, the writers would have a pretty small audience. That larger group is way more important.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

There's definitely a lot of H:LotS in the Wire, isn't there? Stringer doesn't really ring a bell yet for me... but I'm only five eps in.

I am actually sorry I returned the disc today. Because now I'm wishing I could watch omar again. He's just... astonishing. I am madly in love! In a fascinating character way, not a BSO way.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I'm sort of annoyed that I have to go away for a bit and won't be able to watch the next disc in the series for a while. Because Omar... whoa. I really liked Dominic West in The Forgotten, and he's great here -- every once in a while that accent slips, but he's otherwise note perfect. And hot!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Edward James Olmos on TV again regularly. I hope it will produce that enthusiasm -- and in some respects, maybe as sci-fi, it will, because there seems to be more tolerance and openness to genre in fandom than there is for things like crime and family type stuff.

Well, if you don't count your stunning icons as producing, I don't know what to call it! Because you've certainly given me many favorites and much pleasure with them.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I know at least two people who'd love a 13th Warrior manifesto. I've thought about the torrent thing but... between the vidding and the other stuff, I don't have much room and much ability to learn yet another thing. I honestly don't understand it at all despite Jo's constant efforts to show me how it works. I'm completely bewildered, and I'm so pressed for space anyway...

I've never been fortunate in pimping. The times I've had people tune in to a running show, they tuned in during the worst episode of the series or whatever. plus I'm kiss of death -- what I like always fails, 99% of the time. People don't want to keep getting sucked into dead shows. Movies are easier, but... I just never seemed to have luck. this is the first time I've ever really had luck pimping! Maybe you just have to know how to spot that "pimp me" look in someone's eyes...

[maubast.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's wrong, per se, to have 'fans' - what I think is wrong is the BNFs who feel they are above us mere mortals. They have their cliques and their ways and never ever mingle with us po' folk.

I'm not saying you're wrong about the fans of fans outgrowth thing, but I really don't think it's bad or wrong to have a fannish following. I think there's ways to behave and ways not to behave. Manners, don'tcha know. I mean, I've got a small following of my own and I get down and muck around with them. See, I consider them my friends. And I thinks thats the way it should be. I don't consider myself above them - or better than them. I've been smacked with the "I'm better than you" syndrome from BNFs before. Not so nice.

I'm looking forward to reading more of your thoughts on it. I'm really interested.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I think I might have finally found a song to vid BotW to... I need to look into the rest of her music because her sound is so cool, and I want to see what kind of possibility it gives me. But I can't even remember her name now... gar. Must hunt around and see if i can find it.

[maygra.livejournal.com]

As fandom's gotten larger and larger, the focus has shifted primarily to the producers -- especially the prolific and vocal producers -- and the "just consumers" now think they have no voice or right or need to speak up.

I hear this frequently, but I'm kind of in the camp that thinks this is more an effect of fandom moving to the net. It's never *not* been like this since I got in fandom. I had the same feeling when I first got online, knowing nothing, not even aware that *fandom* of this sort existed at all. It wasn't something I ever experienced before, despite being someone who went to a lot of conventions (sci-fi, comic cons) before I even had computer access. It didn't take me long to trip over "big" fans, people everyone knew, everyone referenced, especially *slash* which was still fairly small (as far as my perception went) Kellie Matthews, Kevin Robnett, those were my BNF's. I didn't feel like I had anything much to say about the show (HL) or the characters or concepts and it took me a couple of years, I think, before I felt confident enough to actually discuss things like characterization or arcs or underlying texts and messages...but what I could do was *write*. And it's what I did. But I also sent pretty gushing fan-girly letter to people, feeling pretty stupid and presumptuous at the time. The discussions were *so* very much of an academic-like nature that I felt totally inadequate. I still do, watching the discussions on LJ, where people who really do understand literary standards and are vastly more well-read than I make me feel like a first year comparative lit student again and I sucked at that class.

I don't disagree that some BNF's take themselves way to seriously, but I think that's more of function of their personalities that their status. (and the willingness of other people to fawn.) I've been there and the first time anyone ever referred to me as a BNF I was pretty much like, "what? are you nuts? all I do is write stories -- and badly edited ones at that."

It took me awhile to realize the status had way more to do with the fact that I was prolific rather than because I was good or because I contributed in some overall way to the whole HL fandom -- most of whom were still calling slash both an abomination and an aberration.

My one definition of a BNF is still guided by those early people, the people who actually influenced fandom in some way, either by producing or analyzing or being a reference, and people who have a high amount of name recognition.

Gah. all I think I'm saying is that I know it's different for you, but for me, coming in so much later, it's always been like this. HL was a balkanized fandom long before that became the term du jour, long before TPM hit the net...and even long before I realized there had been a whole other fannish existence before the net. The only thing I see now is that the people who can discuss fannish tropes (either fandom specific or on the meta level) -- they are hard to keep track of -- there's so many and way too many fandoms for me to keep up with. But there are a few. Cathexis comes to mind for the meta. Cereta at the fanfic Symposium, not because of what she writes but because of the kind of space she provides. And you do too, Gwyn, when I think of people who have managed to reach across multiple fandoms and leave an impact. I know you don't think you have but really, I think it's there.

[just-eunice.livejournal.com]

The Wire! *clings to you*

I think I might die of happiness if an actual fandom grew out of that show, I love it so.

I can't keep about 2/3 of the characters straight, and especially the different gang street wars confuse me, as do the relationships of the hateful, venal cops that McNulty battles with

This is on purpose, and it's part of the style of the show that I find so fascinating. Each season begins with a scattershot of events and characters that aren't always connected in immediately identifiable ways, and often seem random. Lots of them. As the season progresses the tension ratchets up as the lines between them become clearer and start drawing together until everything, and I do mean *everything*, collects in on itself into one climactic point that finishes off the season in mindblowing fashion.

Until you start the next season where the loose threads left over, and the core cast, are joined by a whole *new* set of scattershot events and characters that leave you going, "Hey! I just figured out what was going on, stop that! And what the hell does *this* have to do with x?" Season 2 is particularly good at starting you out with a big old "What the fuck?" and then nailing you right between the eyes as it all starts to come clear and ties back into season 1.

So, yeah. You're supposed to be confused and overwhelmed by the massive amounts of information and characters getting thrown at you to start with. I still have a bunch of season 3 episodes to catch up with, but it seems to be following the same pattern, even as it returns to familiar ground (vague enough for you? don't want to spoil).

Also, OMAR!