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As I mentioned, I'm watching several new TV series this season. This is unusual for me. But they caught my eye for various reasons and I knew I wanted to check them out.
In addition to Once Upon a Time and A Gifted Man, I've been watching Pan Am, a period drama involving stewardesses on the Pan Am airline. It started really strong and I was absolutely thrilled. I really like the characters and enjoy seeing their various adventures.
But I am getting increasingly annoyed that, from the fifth episode on, they've found it necessary to have sexual encounters and people jumping in bed together in every episode (with the exception of episode 8). The most recent episode had two, with a third implied. Junk like that is one major reason why I don't watch many recent shows. Why must shows always have that content? It's pointless. It doesn't add anything to the plot! As far as I'm concerned, it just takes away from it. I've gotten to where I'm not sure if I'll keep following the show or not, but then something awesome like 8 happens or 9 ends on a cliffhanger and I know I have to keep watching. At least for a little while longer.
Laura is my favorite of the girls. I can relate to her on so many levels. Maggie is my least favorite. I try to see things from her point-of-view, but she just aggravates me so much. In the episode where she was in danger of being sacked, which was 5, I think, it was really her own fault. Her outrageous behavior and disrespect of authority got her into that mess. I suppose she did try to get better at towing the line after that, but her appalling personality remains and can still come out in full force.
And I keep thinking that Christina Ricci reminds me of someone else with those big wide eyes, but I just can't think who it is. She's never been a favorite of mine, but that is completely independent from why I don't like Maggie. I don't dislike characters because of who plays them; I dislike them for them, if I dislike them at all.
Also, I saw the 1938 Christmas Carol the other day. I was appalled. MGM wanted to make the story a "nice little family film", so they cut out honest-to-goodness important, darker plot points, like showing Scrooge's descent into greed, the woman he had loved, and the bit with the Ghost of Christmas Present warning Scrooge against Ignorance and Want. They padded the story with many things that were not supposed to be there, such as Bob getting into a snowball fight with some kids and inadvertently throwing a snowball at Scrooge, which gets him outright fired. They also expanded Fred's role, which was just about the one thing I didn't mind much. I like things that are added if they don't interfere with or go against canon, and showing more of Fred and having him strike up a friendship with Bob and his family was too squeeful. But the whole bit about the snowballs and getting fired was unnecessary and changed canon.
Another thing I detested was Scrooge acting like a child. And I don't mean his adorable joyous glee upon his transformation; this was instead completely ridiculous. He observed Bob telling the story of Aladdin to his kids. Then Scrooge pleaded with the Ghost of Christmas Present to let him stay, oh please, let him stay! Bob was telling the story of Aladdin and Scrooge wanted to hear! And on and on like that for a bit. It was painful. And they were always emphasizing that Scrooge hated Christmas. The Ghost kept saying, "But you hate Christmas." As I recall, that was not the emphasis in the original source material. His hatred of Christmas was just one part of a larger problem. And it was the larger problem that the Ghosts were trying to cure, partially through Christmas. By changing it so the main problem seemed to be that Scrooge hated Christmas, they simplified everything!
I think the only other things I liked were a scene at church, where Scrooge observes Fred and his "fiancee" (instead of his wife), and Bob and Tiny Tim, all singing O Come All Ye Faithful. And the Ghost of Christmas Past in this version was a woman, played by Ann Rutherford, and she was just beautiful. I was fascinated by that portrayal; I always like seeing how each version depicts the Ghosts.
But all in all, it paled miserably before the 1951 version, which was far closer to the book.
In addition to Once Upon a Time and A Gifted Man, I've been watching Pan Am, a period drama involving stewardesses on the Pan Am airline. It started really strong and I was absolutely thrilled. I really like the characters and enjoy seeing their various adventures.
But I am getting increasingly annoyed that, from the fifth episode on, they've found it necessary to have sexual encounters and people jumping in bed together in every episode (with the exception of episode 8). The most recent episode had two, with a third implied. Junk like that is one major reason why I don't watch many recent shows. Why must shows always have that content? It's pointless. It doesn't add anything to the plot! As far as I'm concerned, it just takes away from it. I've gotten to where I'm not sure if I'll keep following the show or not, but then something awesome like 8 happens or 9 ends on a cliffhanger and I know I have to keep watching. At least for a little while longer.
Laura is my favorite of the girls. I can relate to her on so many levels. Maggie is my least favorite. I try to see things from her point-of-view, but she just aggravates me so much. In the episode where she was in danger of being sacked, which was 5, I think, it was really her own fault. Her outrageous behavior and disrespect of authority got her into that mess. I suppose she did try to get better at towing the line after that, but her appalling personality remains and can still come out in full force.
And I keep thinking that Christina Ricci reminds me of someone else with those big wide eyes, but I just can't think who it is. She's never been a favorite of mine, but that is completely independent from why I don't like Maggie. I don't dislike characters because of who plays them; I dislike them for them, if I dislike them at all.
Also, I saw the 1938 Christmas Carol the other day. I was appalled. MGM wanted to make the story a "nice little family film", so they cut out honest-to-goodness important, darker plot points, like showing Scrooge's descent into greed, the woman he had loved, and the bit with the Ghost of Christmas Present warning Scrooge against Ignorance and Want. They padded the story with many things that were not supposed to be there, such as Bob getting into a snowball fight with some kids and inadvertently throwing a snowball at Scrooge, which gets him outright fired. They also expanded Fred's role, which was just about the one thing I didn't mind much. I like things that are added if they don't interfere with or go against canon, and showing more of Fred and having him strike up a friendship with Bob and his family was too squeeful. But the whole bit about the snowballs and getting fired was unnecessary and changed canon.
Another thing I detested was Scrooge acting like a child. And I don't mean his adorable joyous glee upon his transformation; this was instead completely ridiculous. He observed Bob telling the story of Aladdin to his kids. Then Scrooge pleaded with the Ghost of Christmas Present to let him stay, oh please, let him stay! Bob was telling the story of Aladdin and Scrooge wanted to hear! And on and on like that for a bit. It was painful. And they were always emphasizing that Scrooge hated Christmas. The Ghost kept saying, "But you hate Christmas." As I recall, that was not the emphasis in the original source material. His hatred of Christmas was just one part of a larger problem. And it was the larger problem that the Ghosts were trying to cure, partially through Christmas. By changing it so the main problem seemed to be that Scrooge hated Christmas, they simplified everything!
I think the only other things I liked were a scene at church, where Scrooge observes Fred and his "fiancee" (instead of his wife), and Bob and Tiny Tim, all singing O Come All Ye Faithful. And the Ghost of Christmas Past in this version was a woman, played by Ann Rutherford, and she was just beautiful. I was fascinated by that portrayal; I always like seeing how each version depicts the Ghosts.
But all in all, it paled miserably before the 1951 version, which was far closer to the book.
