Two season threes were in the queue this past week and they could not have been more different in subject, content, or execution.
Generally speaking, the first season of a television series mostly introduces the characters and the situation. The second season provides a bit more insight into the character's motivations through flashbacks, back story, and exposition. If the series makes it to a third season, the writers have to introduce some sort of crisis or shake-up to keep the audience's attention for a longer run. This type of story arc is common to most types of literature and entertainment.
I tend to be a rather loyal fan of a television show. Once a program makes it onto the DVR recording list, unless it turns god-awful bad, it stays there until the demise of the series, or there is a broadcast schedule conflict. Then a difficult decision has to be made. Should I trade in an old friend who may be fading a bit for something shiny and new? Or should I stick with the comfortable friends and situations I know? It can be difficult at times. That is one of the reasons that I am such a big fan of AMC and FX. They introduce quality new programs that are usually about 12 episodes long, so that each episode progresses the story arc without any of those annoying filler shows, and the shows are repeated throughout the week. So I can always record a 1:00 AM showing without having to toss a friend off the schedule.
So on the recommendation of several friends, an aunt, an uncle, and Facebook, I added Rescue Me to my Netflix streaming queue. The show follows the life of New York fireman Tommy Gavin (Dennis Leary) in the years following the 9/11 attacks. In the first season, Tommy is haunted by a cousin who perished in the twin towers, as well as other fire victims that Tommy was unable to save in subsequent fires. The second season took the hallucination idea a bit further, in that as Tommy tries to get sober, it is a sarcastic Jesus and jealous, put-upon Mary Magdalen who populate his hallucinations. While all this sounds a bit heavy, it is the cast of characters from Tommy's family and his firehouse that keep the stories from devolving into a giant alcoholic pity party. All of the characters are broken in their own ways, but the topics, the acting, the casting, and the humor keep this series fresh.
The third season picks up shortly after the tragic events that ended the second season. True to the third season formula, all of the characters are faced with life changing choices. And true to their character's history, none of them can actually make the choice. In some ways, it seemed that the writers were preparing for the end of the series. Every character was at a crossroads that would have taken them out of the firehouse and thus off the show. And at the last minute, they do not pursue the choices before them. But, I think that is why I like this series so much. All of the characters are seriously broken human beings, and yet they find humor and camaraderie that keeps them in the game - if not really moving forward. I am looking forward to starting the fourth season.
The next third season in the queue was HBO's True Blood. When I was traveling for work, I would occasionally catch an episode in a hotel, but I never actually watched an entire season. Once again, Netflix came to the rescue. I thought the first season was quite fun. Like my Harry Potter obsessed nieces, I like my vampires to be dirty, sexy, and to explode in the sunlight - not sparkle. As a brief aside, my nieces (14 and 16) informed me last Christmas that "sparkly vampires are gay." I was slightly taken aback by this until I confirmed they meant gay in the bad way and not gay in the good way.
The first season of True Blood delivered good dirty adult fun. Unfortunately, I let someone convince me that the subsequent seasons did not live up to the first season. However, when my brother was last visiting he attempted to bring me back to the darkness. And, I am so glad he did. Yes, the second season was a little odd, but the third season, really paid off. I loved the ironic humor, the back story of Eric Northman, and the deliciously humpy nazi werewolf digression. Who could not love that as an escape from the mundane human world. Plus, there are more abs per frame in this series than any other program currently in production.
One thing that I particularly find fun about the True Blood series is the vampires are attempting to get equal rights since "coming out of the coffin." In the opening credits there is a church sign stating "God hates fangs," which is oddly reminiscent of Westboro Baptist Church that has a similar headline on their home page. Of course, throughout the series, there has always been the background noise of talking heads debating vampire rights, but this season the dark hidden vampire world of kings, queens, sheriffs, the magister, makers and their progeny is more fully explored. Also, true to the season three formula, bad guys turn out to be good guys and vice versa providing some interesting story lines for the seasons to come. Thank you my brother for the recommendation. I look forward to the release of season four.
Next week's queue is chock full of odd little gems. So until then, happy watching.
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