Day 11 - A show that disappointed you

Heroes, a thousand times over.

I stopped watching near the beginning of the third season. When the third season came around, I don't know what happened, but I really wasn't enjoying the show and halfway through the two-part eclipse episode, I thought, "I don't need this." I never watched another episode.

The first season, I absolutely could not miss an episode. Some were less good, but none were outright bad. Moreover, they'd plotted out their online content so it truly complemented the episodes without being necessary for the fans who weren't as involved. When Nathan swooped down to save the day in "How to Stop an Exploding Man" it was the culmination of all 22 episodes. It was the perfect bookend to his flying up to keep Peter from dying in the first episode. Had Tim Kring had the guts to follow through on his original idea -- that each season of Heroes be newly cast with one or two characters (probably Sylar and Mohinder the most) from earlier seasons crossing in and out occasionally -- I think the series could have been great. Instead, it became a watered down soap opera with superpowers.

In its own way, as satisfying as it was to open Season 2 with Peter rescuing Nathan, the mistake came when their sacrifice became something they could recover from. I love Pasdar. He tried to make sense of some inherently nonsensical scenes and dialogue and succeeded more often than failed, but magic blood and the writer's attempts to recapture the lightning in the bottle of the first season meant that his talent, and that of everyone else, was ultimately wasted.

Icon begging

I have determined I need icons for:
VR.5 -- anything really, I'd especially love one of Oliver, Duncan, or Sydney in the glasses
Beauty and the Beast -- Vincent, Vincent and Catherine, Paracelsus, Elliott Burch, or Father.
Wiseguy -- Frank, Lifeguard, Lococco, Raglin

Anyone feel up to making some?

Day 12 - An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times

There are so many. Seriously.

"Two Cathedrals" from The West Wing still gives me a visceral thrill when Bartlett yells at God in National Cathedral... in Latin. It's probably wrong that I think it's sexy.

The final three episodes of season 2 of The 4400 where Diana and Tom rope Marco in to take out a government conspiracy that's killing The 4400. Even as I understand the "threat to national security" that makes it possible, I am deeply liberal and these people are still citizens with full rights until or unless they commit a crime. There are other shades in there, of course. Each of them is making the choice for a different reason and the interpersonal relationships of those three characters are a huge part of it. Tom's nephew and his son are effected by the plot, in the case of his son tangentially; Diana's daughter is a trigger for much of what happens. I love those episodes. They're political and emotional comfort food.

Stargate SG-1... "The Serpent's Lair," "Secrets," "A Matter of Time" (that one just makes me tingle with the black hole time distortion actually being a key plot point), "Serpent's Song" and that's just season 2. My two favorites are "Scorched Earth," which prompted an essay on military ethics from me, and "The First Ones" which actually has Daniel being a linguist ("Don't say 'ka' till you've tried it."). I know there are others I've seen multiple times and there are always nuances that I missed on prior viewings. Of course, there are also parts I fast forward through, too. *G*

I would say my very favorite episodes, the ones I'm afraid I might wear out in the DVD player are from Criminal Minds. They are all Reid-centric to a greater or lesser extent. "Derailed" which was the first "show not tell" example of his genius for me was an early favorite. It made meeting his mother in "The Fisher King" episodes resonate. I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise as I made the connection when he drops off the book for her in "The Fisher King, part 1." Those two, I'll throw in occasionally as well. "Sex, Birth, and Death," "The Big Game," "Revelations," and "Elephant's Memory" are biggies. "Empty Planet." "Elephant's Memory." "Minimal Loss," "The Instincts," "Memoriam," and "Amplification" are all episodes I revel in. There are others. I love this show and this character. (Okay, there's also lots of hotness in the cast.)