Tuesday, September 25, 2007

"Eighth time's the charm!" *

I am not much of a television watcher.

Sometimes if H brings home a movie he wants to see, I’ll watch with him. Sometimes he’ll be interested in a (usually long-cancelled) television series, and bring home a DVD of a season or so.
Sometimes during hockey season I’ll sit and watch a period or two of a game.

But generally I would say that, left to my own devices, I would rather read or quilt or noodle around on the computer.

I haven’t watched a show regularly since I freaked out on H for not taping an episode of ‘Ally McBeal.’ The freaking-out over little things was yet another symptom of my depression and OCD; the Zoloft tones that down, and Ally McBeal got stupid and I never really got sucked into a show again, and certainly never screamed at my husband that I hated him just because he forgot to tape something for me. (After all, aren’t there plenty of valid reasons for hating your spouse?)

But even though I am used to being home by myself, this week I am lonely.
There’s a different feel to H’s absence this week.
Maybe it’s because I am not subconsciously, even in sleep, listening for the car door slam, the beep of the alarm, the key in the lock.
Maybe it’s because I know Punto isn’t barking at H arriving home, but some unseen, possibly menacing something outside.

For whatever reason, this week, after the boys go to bed, I have been switching on the television and finding something to watch.

Last night I watched the first half hour of a program about a family that adopted 23 special-needs children. Then I flicked around and watched bits of a President Bush speech, and some real estate show on TLC, and some baseball. There were numerous repeated commercials for a show called “Lincoln Place,” and a funny preview for Peter Krause’s new series, “Dirty Sexy Money.” I eventually settled on a movie on The Disney Channel called “The Prince and Me.” It starred Julia Stiles as an American premed student who unwittingly falls in love with the Prince of Denmark who has come to her college masquerading as an exchange student. Despite her numerous and very large teeth, I find Stiles engaging and adorable. The prince, played by Luke Mably, grew on me eventually. The romance was gentle and sweet, and built up gradually to some minor sexual situations and a predictable if not terribly typical happy ending.

Tonight, I was unfortunate enough to turn the TV on at 755. Everything that looked any good was just ending. I watched bits and pieces of programs – “Family Guy,” some more baseball, the news, until I came across the last half hour of a show called “Bones.”

Those of you who have read this blog for a while probably are aware of my admiration of Quincy. I wanted to be Quincy when I grew up. This perhaps abnormal and morbid interest in medical detection and the accompanying biological gore translates now into reading anything I can get my hands on about forensic pathology and anthropology, and crime scene analysis. This show should have hit my sweet spot, but it was too scattered. There was too much action and not enough explanation. I suppose I really prefer documentaries.

“House” was on next. I’ve never watched this before, and I really don’t get Hugh Laurie’s sex appeal, but some of you love this show, so I figured, what the hell.

Forgive me, Blackbird, but I really hated it.
He’s an egomaniacal asshole who can’t be bothered to actually think about something, and the plot leapt all over the place. There was no thought, no detection, no debate – and judging from the past show synopses I found on fox.com, this is typical. House seems to stumble his way through a myriad of mistaken diagnoses until he happens to hit upon the accurate diagnosis, by which time you are so thoroughly sick of him you wish he would drop dead along with the patient he invariably almost kills.
His isn’t the deserved arrogance of Daniel Craig, the brilliant if irascible heart surgeon on my beloved “St Elsewhere,” or the passion of a young Doug Ross whose brashness is driven by concern for his patient’s wellbeing; House is lazy, annoying, careless, and thoroughly unlikeable.

I remember now why I don’t watch TV.

And in case I really needed a reminder, I watched the first couple minutes of the local ten o’clock news.
Yawn.

“A beloved family pet falls down a well in Kittaning, details after these messages...”

Or not.

**************

* Dr Gregory House

15 comments:

Joke said...

The only "real" show I watch religiously is MadMen.

-J.

Velma said...

Lately I'm on a "CSI" kick, because despite my love of all things written about murder and mystery and gore, I usually don't care for the T.V. versions. Except for "Dexter" and "The Closer." But anyhoo - CSI is usually on at 10 p.m., roughly the time I disentangle myself from random family obligations. Ahem.

lazy cow said...

I hate House too. Love Hugh Laurie as a Brit, but not as an American. And the Aussie actor (the one with the blonde floppy hair) was on one of our soapies and I just can't take him seriously.
You know, you *might* want to give Buffy a go if you're desperate...Personally, I'm loving The Golden Girls. Had forgotten what a slut Blanche was. Hilarious.

Gina said...

I'm with LC on Buffy. And don't forget my sweet love, Veronica Mars. Freaks & Geeks. Thank God for DVDs.

KPB said...

HAH! J - when I watched the first episode of MadMen all I could do was think of you!

Everyone else, avert your eyes! Someone talking badly about the big beautiful box.

Badger said...

LOVE House.

Hated the pilot of MadMen, and so never watched it again.

Cannot freaking WAIT for the second season premier of Friday Night Lights.

Peg said...

Haven't seen "House" since I was in the hospital last year. My room mate had it on, loudly, in the next bed. Didn't do it for me either.

BB, you will appreciate "Sing Louder: The Stagehands' Ring Cycle." Filmed at San Francisco Opera in '99, it's a backstage look at, well, the Ring Cycle. It's pretty amazing what they've done with theatre technology in 8 years -- most of this stuff is still done by hand, very little automation / hydraulics / etc. (You know, how *we* would have done it.) They could have done much more with the documentary itself, but I know you'll get a kick out of it anyway. Netflix has it.

Peg said...

Strike that --

"Sing FASTER," not "Sing Louder."

Makes more sense the right way, doesn't it.

blackbird said...

HA!
You don't like House!
That leaves Mr. Laurie FOR ME.

Sarah Louise said...

I remember an ex-b saying TV is a drug. When we broke up the first time I went off TV, only to find (when we got back together) that TV was his drug of choice.

I don't keep it on for noise (well, not too often) but I will catch myself watching things because there's nothing else on (which is why I watch Seinfeld, it comes on at the end of the Fox 6pm to 8pm classic comedies.)

I draw the line at watching particular episodes that I've seen before and hated the first two times.

Sorry for all the parentheses...

I'm not too crazy about House--haven't really been a medical show person since the first big cast change at ER, eons ago, in the 90s. Although Scrubs has grown on me and now I like it.

And now that my DVD player is on the blink, that precludes watching TV on DVD, so I'm stuck with my 5 (when I'm lucky) channels.

Anonymous said...

I also watched the first half of the special about the family with 27 special needs kids. Did they ever say what they do for income?

Anonymous said...

Or was it 23? One looses count...

Kathy said...

I am a Buffyholic -- my daughter is too. I like Madmen a lot. As to House, I like it but I can't watch it because I can't believe that doctors are like that if I'm ever to go back to one again.

BabelBabe said...

Liz - Welfare. Seriously. They said on the show that they rely on welfare. I don't see hwo that could posisbly be even close to enough money though.

All - Buffy is on the list of DVD TV shows to watch. Too many people have said I would like it to ignore them all.

Sarah Louise said...

Also, I love The Prince and Me, incorrect title n'all--shouldn't it be the Prince and I?

I've seen it at least twice. And yes, I like Julia S. too. Did you see her in O.? (It was a remake of Othello) I saw it back when my sister and I occasionally went to the movies together. I miss that.

Silly me--I've gone all sentimental...

ta,

SL