Walt is back! Breaking Bad returns. - by SubJeff
fett on 13/10/2011 at 05:20
Here's the problem for me now: Since The Wire and BB, I feel like such a snob. My brother is really into this show called White Collar, begging me to watch it. So I agreed to watch a few episodes. After the great acting, brilliant writing, slow pace, tactful music (or lack thereof), and stunning camera work on The Wire and BB, how the hell am I supposed to watch normal TV again? I enjoyed The Shield, but everything else just seems to suck so much. These shows (like White Collar) where they catch The Bad Guy at the end of each episode, through coincidences and happenstance that defy the laws of probability week after week...I just can't take it. The actors may as well wink at the camera after every conversation, in which they catch you up with the plot continually. The music tries to force emotions on you, it's melodramatic, and overdone. It's horrible. How do you constantly tell people, "Yeah, I watched it. It wasn't that good"? I feel like such a douche because I literally cannot find any enthusiasm for these shows that my friends and family laud as great TV. Drop Dead Diva? House? NCIS? Jesus Fucking Christ I've never seen so much shit TV in my life.
jtr7 on 13/10/2011 at 06:01
Yeah, if you ever figure that out, and can put it into words, please let me know.
Sulphur on 13/10/2011 at 07:08
Quote Posted by fett
Here's the problem for me now: Since The Wire and BB, I feel like such a snob. My brother is really into this show called White Collar, begging me to watch it. So I agreed to watch a few episodes. After the great acting, brilliant writing, slow pace, tactful music (or lack thereof), and stunning camera work on The Wire and BB, how the hell am I supposed to watch normal TV again? I enjoyed The Shield, but everything else just seems to suck so much. These shows (like White Collar) where they catch The Bad Guy at the end of each episode, through coincidences and happenstance that defy the laws of probability week after week...I just can't take it. The actors may as well wink at the camera after every conversation, in which they catch you up with the plot continually. The music tries to force emotions on you, it's melodramatic, and overdone. It's horrible. How do you constantly tell people, "Yeah, I watched it. It wasn't that good"? I feel like such a douche because I literally cannot find any enthusiasm for these shows that my friends and family laud as great TV. Drop Dead Diva? House? NCIS? Jesus Fucking Christ I've never seen so much shit TV in my life.
It's called escapism. Bubblegum pop fluff that takes your mind off the weary drudge. I've had this argument with certain... people (life, not TTLG) and I can say I share the same perspective - this shit you watch, it is SHIT. That's how I say it, too, pretty much.
Of course, they're offended. But that's not what we're talking about. The Wire is a studied look at the police procedural, but not just that - deep, complex characters, societal issues and societal pressure, politics, backroom dealing, it nails it all. And it's true to life about all these things. It doesn't flip a reset switch, doesn't yank a convenient Deus Ex Machina out of the sky, and most of all, it's extremely, extremely real. One of these days, I'm going to put the Wire up next to, whatever, Grey's Anatomy or whatever shit these yokels watch and tell them, 'I defy you to show me a single episode where you can find the principals in The Wire
acting.'
But that isn't what people want. People want entertainment. They don't want to watch The Wire. Too depressing. Too complicated. I want snark-a-minute sitcom mixed with my drama, I want you to telegraph the feelings I'm supposed to be feeling by overplaying and overstating. I want the soundtrack to swell and sweep me away with the moment. I want to escape, damn it. I want
entertainment.
So that's the overriding factor, really. You don't really want to look away from your TV and out the window and see what's on the TV out your window if it was the Wire playing, do you? Bubblegum candyland works by absorbing you into its formulaic ridiculousness and pat conclusions, which you come to look forward to because, hey, life doesn't work like that so it's a nice enough change to see somewhere where it does.
So yeah, I get that bit. I'm sure you do too, fett. Doesn't make the shit not shit, but The Wire and its gritty, unflinching, complicated realism is not what TV is about, or what most people want.
So thank fuck for HBO, huh?
june gloom on 13/10/2011 at 07:16
i'll just be over here watching the mentalist and lusting over simon baker
oh fine robin tunney too
The Alchemist on 13/10/2011 at 07:27
I'm liking Mike far too much.
Scots Taffer on 13/10/2011 at 07:52
It's funny, having been raised on a solid diet of quality tv writing, acting and production that - for my money - gets more artistically ambitious and actually achieves success on that ambition with every year, I'm finding that I'm turning to movies more and more for light hearted escapist fare. A 2hr popcorn mindless respite from life and excellent character study drama/comedy? Sure. Sign me up! But mindless tv? With it's endless rehashing of the same tired situational shit? How could I ever sit through more than a half hour of that without actually feeling guilty about wasting my time? Combine that with the fact that I'm finding stories like the ones being told in The Wire and Breaking Bad as having such emotional and intellectual kick with long play set ups and pay offs, and solid arcs that leave indelible impressions, that I don't find that 2 hrs of conventional 3 act narrative can realistically compete for the same level of artistic appreciation nor that the commercial drives of hollywood allows for it.
Of course I'm not being fair here, as for BB there are a dozen more highly rated piece of shit sitcoms/serials, the same way that for every Social Network or Inception there are a dozen shitty actioners/fat people comedies/boring period dramas, but that doesn't diminish what I'm saying.
That is if I'm saying much of anything at all. :)
The Alchemist on 13/10/2011 at 08:12
I was like yay Jessie then I was like oh no Jessie.
Holy fuck holy fuck holy fuck. Way to take one for the team, Gus!.
Hoooooly shit. The end to EP 11 was INTENSE.
Edit #534132: Oh my fucking GOD I thought EP 13 wasnt out... downloading now. It's going slow D: I want to read the spoilers already.
SubJeff on 13/10/2011 at 11:19
I feel the same as other people re: being spoilt by high quality shows.
There is so much I just cannot watch after seeing awesomeness like BB and The Wire. It's a shame there is no really good sci fi show. Nothing that comes close anyway.
The Alchemist on 13/10/2011 at 12:07
Mother Fucking Jesus H Crystal that was brilliant. I also went back and read all the spoiler text. :D Dude, thank you guys for getting me on this show. Best damn tv show I've ever seen! Hungry for Season 5.
Jessie is my favorite character too, RBJ.
Also, thanks to this show and Reddit, I have probably slept a total of 6 hours in the last 3 days. I'm looking forward to a good nights sleep tonight.
*Edits hostfile so that reddit points to lemonparty*
Mr. White on 13/10/2011 at 12:37
I am the one who knocks!
