a moment of levity

[und1sk0]

instead of worry about the things that are currently bothering me, let's talk television!

this op-ed in salon is, as much as i love CSI and law and order, pretty much dead-on. what's with these shoegazing sullen loner types as prime-time drama heroes?:

In fact, they're not just incapable of normal human interaction, they're disdainful of it. David Caruso, who's made a fitful career out of disdain, doesn't even make eye contact on "CSI Miami." He delivers his lines like it causes him actual physical pain to relate to a mere human. Vincent D'Onofrio acts as if talking to people is literally killing him -- he takes a deep breath after every three words so he can gather enough strength for the next three, like someone who's dying of lung cancer. He sometimes seems to actually be on the verge of croaking right in the middle of a line, just from the sheer boredom of having to explain things to someone who hasn't taken the time to memorize the periodic table.

perhaps the appeal of a gil grissom is that, in addition to being a total geek, his life is more miserable than mine; and so, with schadenfreunde we watch csi. of course, the truth is my life is as out of control and miserable as jimmy mcnulty's (and maybe has some parity to his turnaround at the end of the wire season 3).

that is all.

Comments

[wolffire.livejournal.com]

I'll join you in disregarding reality for a moment.

I've been watching reruns of early CSI episodes, the original one. Grissom had more of a sense of humor. He had quirks and foibles. He was more real. I've often felt the same about the Law and Order shows.

My theory...the gestalt of these shows all took a turn for the heavy, the big bad serious around that whole 9/11 thing. Stories had to be darker, leads more inscrutible, more the uberman apart and different than the rest of us mere mortals to keep our attention. CSI NY...hideously dark and depressing. Bleak.

Hopefully, one day they will return to having a sense of fun and real humanity about them. For now I watch Las Vegas if I want bright lights, beautiful people, interesting characters, and a mystery.

I see your Gestalt and raise you a Zeitgeist

[und1sk0.livejournal.com]

Oh sure, post-9/11 procedural dramas made some real thematic changes, the most obvious is "24," which I think is alot like looking into the mind of America's paranoid group-think. Of course, I don't know if the 24 audience sees the actions of Jack and his imaginary counter-terrorism agency, as well as those of the government as being immoral, reactive and vindictive: probably the show appeals to the vilgilante in all of us (oddly, more to the vigilantes of the fly over states least impacted by terrorism). I don't even know if the 24 writers intentionally make the parallels one could draw about our go-it-alone, reality be damned president and his close Machiavellian advisors like Karl Rove.

As for CSI:NY, it is practically unwatchable, and the formulaic echoes of the LV version are laughable. Also, what's with the junior CSI, the one with the DSLs? She looks like she's 17. Note also: quirky young lab tech with spikey hair.

As much as I love the proceedural and all its lame trappings, I think I'll be sticking with SciFri this summer. HBO can't get the Wire back on quick enough.