The Ottawa Science Fiction Society Meeting...

[fajrdrako]

Yesterday was the OSFS meeting where we gave presentations on current or coming TV shows we find remarkable - a fannish pimping session.

I did Doctor Who, with mention of Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. They've heard me go on about Captain Jack Harkness before. My presentation this time was more focussed on Martha as the 'new companion'.

Lyn did Heroes. I helped her; love that show.

Tasia did Life on Mars. I very much enjoyed the scenes she chose, but as usual, I find myself a little disappointed by the show in ways I can't put my finger on. I find it underwhelming.

Sandi did The Dresden Files, which looked good, rather to my surprise, because I didn't like the first of the books when I read it. And I don't much like the actor in the lead, but that's okay, since the writing of the TV show seems better than the writing of the book adn the story had a certain charm.

Sandi also did Eureka. She said she hated Heroes, but couldn't explain why. That's pretty much my reaction to Eureka, in which I find all the characters vaguely distasteful but I can't put my finger on the problem. Even when I think their lines are funny, I find them all annoying. maaboroshi suggested it was because in Eureka we have the Marshall's point of view, and he's an outsider, looking at all the geeky people in the town. In Heroes, the geeks are the viewpoint, Hiro the ultimate fanboy and absolutely brilliant, and it's a show that plays on the strengths of the intelligent outsider. Or maybe the unintelligent outsider, if I'm thinking of Ted and Matt.

Pat did a presentation on the Green Arrow storyline in Smallville.

Originally there had been talk about Joel doing a presentation on Battlestar Galactica, which he hated. He borrowed the first season from a friend, I don't think he got through more than a few episodes. Sandi thought his comments would be interesting, but we didn't have time for it, and I was relieved. I could see myself defending this show I adore against those who dislike it - and I think I may be the only person in OSFS who loves BSG, though I could be wrong. Some of them liked the old series, which I don't like at all.

Sometimes I feel a little out of step with my peers.

Comments

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sci-Fi aired The Dresden Files almost completely out of order, so that didn't help the storyline any.

Oh no! I didn't know that. That's the old trick with Firefly - on first viewing I found it very surreal. As far as I know, SPACE aired the episodes in the right order.

I enjoyed it well enough, and ended up really appreciating Harry, but I have yet to fall for it in a big way.

This evening I got Sandi to show me the rest of the episode - the first, I believe - that she'd shown the beginning of at the meeting. I enjoyed it well enough but found it rather unspectacular, not quite disappointing but not impressive either. Pity.

I just couldn't work up an interest, and then I heard how it ended and that killed any interest I had in seeing it.

Oh? How did it end? (I believe we haven't seen the end of it yet in Canada; I think they're still showing first season here.)

everyone has shows that just put them off for inexplicable reasons.

Perhaps the sense of humour just doesn't mesh with mine? or something in the characters' body language? For some reason I find them all off-putting. It isn't one or two of the characters, which is normal enough, it's everyone. Something in the way it's directed, perhaps.

Loads of people on my flist are mad about Friday Night Lights,

I tried watching the pilot, and lasted about five minutes!

I think it may be one of those things that if it didn't hook you when it originally aired, you won't get it.

I never watched it when it originally aired, though a teen-aged girl I knew told me the details of every episode, so I had a good sense of the story. Never wanted to see it. Saw part of an episode a few months ago, thought it was hokey - everything I thought it was when I was avoiding watching it in the 1970s. (Or whenever it was.) I'm really a horrible snob when it comes to TV.

But I totally and absolutely love the new series.

That being said, it hasn't caught my fannish side the way Doctor Who has. I love watching BSG and I watch it mesmerized. Then I forget about it till the next episode. Doctor Who (as you see) stays with me and comes out in fanfic and eagerness to talk about it - it matters to me in a was BSG doesn't. I'm not sure what makes the difference. I'm not sure it matters. Isn't it wonderful that there are good TV shows on the air?