Day 04 - Your favorite show ever

[fabrisse]

This one is tough in some ways. Ultimately, I have to go with Beauty and the Beast.

I don't think Linda Hamilton is or was a great actress, but Catherine was less important in many ways.

Vincent was a unique creation. Ron Perlman has said that much of Vincent's appeal was that people could see he was already the Prince whatever his exterior.

It was the first show I fought for. I wrote letters to CBS (hmm, that feels horribly familiar), and I bugged my friends to do the same. If I'd known about fanfiction back in the dark ages, I'd have written it.

My sister loved Catherine. The episode titled "A Happy Life" inspired her to go back to school, get her degree in film, and become a film editor. It hasn't been a smooth ride for her, that profession, but she loves what she does and is truly excellent at it. I just wish TV showrunners and movie producers recognized her talent.

My first episode was "Dead of Winter" which I still think is one of its best. The creation of the underground world was so detailed, and this mid winter festival of theirs with all the helpers invited was a stunning introduction. Beyond that, the use of quotations, always a feature of this show, was very intricate. I've never checked it, but I remember at the time telling my sister that not only had all the quotes come from Hamlet, I was pretty sure they were used in order.

Other than Vincent, the two best characters for me were the villains.

The mundane villain was Elliott Burch, and I cried when Edward Albert died because I remembered how much detail he'd brought to a character who was never going to be anything more than second best to Vincent, even if he hadn't started out as a ruthless millionaire.

Tony Jay's Paracelsus was the villain of the world below, and just as the underworld held fairy tale magic, so did Paracelsus -- of the Maleficent variety. (By the way, I thought it was hilarious that he also voiced one of the villains (Monsieur D'Arque) in the animated Beauty and the Beast.) His powers were legendary. A scientist who pursued the mystical arts of alchemy as well as being one of the founders of the world below, Paracelsus had a chilling voice and a knack for mythmaking that made him a formidable opponent.

George R.R. Martin was a producer and writer for the series. Two of my favorite episodes, the aforementioned "Dead of Winter" and "Ozymandias" which introduced the character of Elliott Burch (n.b. there were actually two prior Elliot Burch episodes, both of which I loved, but had forgotten about, "Siege" and "Shades of Gray") were his. He also wrote the pivotal Paracelsus episode, "Ceremony of Innocence."

These days one of the biggest moments of magic in watching the episodes on DVD are the shots of Manhattan with the twin towers shimmering in all the different lights at all the different times of day.

Comments

[madlori.livejournal.com]

I rewatched it when the DVDs came out. Some things hold up. Some don't. The horrific guest stars, the hackneyed writing...Linda's 1980s fabulous wardrobe...but Vincent holds up fantastically well and so does their relationship. The makeup still looks great and Perlman is as awesome as I remember. IT's amazing how much warmth and intelligence and sheer fabulousness he brought to that role. We all fell in love with Vincent. *sigh*

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

Oh, for CGI and better dialogue. But the magic of the world below remains for me. The realism of the crime Catherine fights (and the fact that she does real work, not Hollywood lawyering) always impressed me, too. They didn't try to sugar coat anything. The people below had made a community, but it had dangers and couldn't exist without charity and occasionally theft.

Vincent is one of the great creations of television mythology.

[rhiannonhero.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of this show just earlier today, wondering how it holds up to time. When I watched it, I was 12 years old. I wonder how I'd feel about it now as an adult. Also, I wondered if there was a lot of violence -- I can't recall -- and if it would be appropriate viewing for Cecily.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

Some episodes yes, some episodes no. A few of the yes because the violence is light might still be no because the rest of it would be dull.

I think the first episode, which is real world scary but sets up the universe might be okay, but you'd need to seriously vet the episodes after that before sharing them with her.