Intelligence

Oh, Intelligence. If only you wrote as good as you want to be.  

Intelligence centers around Josh Holloway as a decorated veteran who just happens to have a genetic defect that allows a chip to be implanted into his head. This chip allows him to access the internet and anything connected to it, which can be mighty handy.  Meghan Ory as his Secret Service guard, tasked with keeping Gabriel's inherent recklessness from getting him killed. Marg Helgenberger is the head of Cyber Command, of which Gabriel is an agent, charged to investigate episodes of cyberterrorism. Or something like that.

The problem with Intelligence is not its premise, which is about as far fetched as other shows, such as Chuck and Person of Interest. The problem has to do with the cardboard characters and the show's insistence in setting stakes too high too soon. In the first episode, the scientist who created the chip is kidnapped - high stakes, but who cares? In the second episode, the team is forced to deal with Gabriel's wife, a CIA agent turned terrorist. She's turned into a suicide bomber and dies In front of Gabriel.  In the next episode, a Chinese agent with a similar chip hacks into Gabriel's chip. 

So many things happens to Gabriel in the first three episodes, episodes that are supposed to make us feel for the pain he's experiencing. But we don't know Gabriel or his team enough to care. They haven't earned our empathy. They would have done better to follow the example of Person of Interest, the show it is most similar to. Show your heroes working their weekly cases, building up comaraderie amongst themselves, and with us. Then, when the stakes are high, when our heroes are brought to their knees, so are we. We care. We're as devastated as they are. Intelligence never gave us the time and opportunity to develop that relationship with their characters. 

The best part of the show is that it's a cornucopia of Fan Alerts. A lot of good actors are given work in this pedestrian show:

Lost Fan Alert - Josh Holloway is not the only alum who shows up. His character's wife is played by Zuleikha Robinson, Ilana herself. That really amused me, for some reason. Tania Raymonde, Ben's daughter, Alex, also makes an appearance as a murderous CIA agent. 

Once Upon a Time Fan Alert - Meghan Ory plays Ruby, aka Little Red Riding Hood, on OUAT. I think it's a little worrying that her character's been missing all season, and no one's said anything. What's that about?

Fringe Fan Alert - Is it me or is Lance Reddick everywhere these days? I'm not complaining. On Intelligence he's the secretive head of the CIA, but I keep expecting him to be called Lt. Broyles. And don't forget he too was on Lost as the mysterious Matthew Abaddon. 

BSG Fan Alert - Michael Trucco, Starbuck's husband Sam, also makes an appearance as a Secret Service agent who shares a past with Ory's Riley. 

The 4400 Fan Alert - I laugh as I write this, as Peter Coyote's been in everything. But his Dennis Ryland was in charge of the agency investigating The 4400.  Now he's Marg Helgenberger's father, and apparently in the president's administration. 

Life Goes On Fan Alert - Another laugh. Corky's dad, Bill Smitrovich, also makes an appearance. 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Fan Alert - Rosalind Chao played Keiko O'Brien, Miles's wife, on both Deep Space Nine and Next Generation. Here she played a Chinese diplomat.

Don't waste your time. Let's hope Intelligence dies an early death and Holloway finds a vehicle worthy of his talents. 

The Best of 2013

All the critics are creating their best-of-2013 lists, and while I'm no critic, I feel compelled to write up what my favorite shows of the year were.

But it's a funny list. Because I'm limiting it to shows that were first aired in 2013. One of my favorite shows I watched this year is Battlestar Galactica, which did not first air in 2013. So it doesn't belong on this list.

Another funny thing about this list. The critics' lists this year are teeming with shows from all types of distribution channels: pay channels, cable channels, networks, and now streaming channels. Sundance got into the episodic television series this year, with fantastic results. But I've not seen nearly as many of these shows as I would like. So while the critics (who, unlike me, are paid to watch television) had difficulty limiting their lists to ten or so, I could only come up with five.

Please understand that there are a lot of shows that might be on this list had I seen them (or in some cases seen the entire season). 

No ranking, because they are all great in their own way. I therefore submit in alphabetical order my best of 2013.

Broadchurch

If you haven't seen this yet, do so, now. Airing on BBC America, Broadchurch takes place in a small seaside village of the same name in England, and centers around two cops, an outcast detective played by Doctor Who's David Tennant and the woman who wanted the job he got. Tennant plays Alec Hardy, who's first day on the job puts him in charge of the investigation of a boy's death. Does this sound like any other procedural you ever saw? Well, the comparisons end there, because it is really a moody exploration of the effects of that death on the boy's family, the detectives, and the town. Small town secrets are revealed to devastating effects, and the town turns on one of its own in a witch hunt. The revelation of the killer is almost irrelevant when it comes, as families have been destroyed and friendships ruined. But there is also hope, and at the end, it is clear that the town will move on, stronger and better.

Broadchurch showcases some of the best acting this year, especially Tennant (who is now on "my list"), Olivia Colman as his reluctant colleague, and Jodie Whitaker, who's grief at her son's death is palpable. I'm a little concerned, though, because Broadchurch is a series, with a second season guaranteed. I'm not sure what next season will be. What also concerns me is that Fox is also remaking Broadchurch, with a different name and a different place (California), but with Tennant in the same role. The same producers are involved in both projects, so I will try to put aside my skepticism.

Game of Thrones

Word of warning about this show: do not, I repeat, do NOT get attached to any character in this show. You would think the viewing audience learned this in Season 1 when the head of Ned Stark was removed from his neck, but the Red Wedding proved that we may never be ready for George R.R. Martin's nihilistic fantasy epic. Game of Thrones is beautifully filmed, with numerous sets in numerous countries for the various different story lines. The plotting is usually tight and the costumes are delightful.

But none of that would matter if it weren't for the characters, who are  beautifully drawn and excellently acted. Why do you think it is so devastating when one of them dies? Tyrion Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Arya Stark, and Tywin Lannister are among my favorites, with the Queen of Thornes, played by a transcendent Diana Rigg, being the newest to the pantheon.

It is easy to nitpick on Game of Thrones. However, it's one of the few shows that B and I both have to watch as soon as possible.

Orange is the New Black

If I had to pick one of these five shows as number one, this would be it. OITNB is not for the fainthearted; its depiction of violence and sexuality is brutally frank. It follows Piper Chapman, an upper-middle class, sheltered woman who finds herself behind bars. She enters prison and finds it has its own rules and culture, which she has difficulty understanding. She immediately offends the head cook, somehow acquires a girlfriend, and gets another prisoner sent to solitary.

But Chapman is actually the weakest link among a wealth of character riches. The breakout character is Crazy Eyes (you may have heard of a Caucasian celebrity dressing up as Crazy Eyes for Halloween, in full black face), who doesn't understand why everyone calls her Crazy Eyes. There's Taystee, who refuses to let prison bring her down, until she's released and realizes how little she has going for her in her on the outside. There's Miss Claudette, who's rumored to have killed someone but keeps her life neat and clutter-free. There's Yoga Jones, the soul of the prison, teaching yoga classes. I could go on - I love them all.

There are a few weak spots in OITNB, such as meth-head, anti-abortionist avenging angel Pennsatucky. But otherwise, this show is just about the best I've seen in a while.

Person of Interest

I know, surprising, right? Person of Interest? A network show? A procedural?

Well. Yes. I enjoyed POI's first two seasons, but it didn't really hit me until this year how much I really love it. Granted, I thought it's primary conceit of a machine that could essentially spy on us to detect terrorism was a bit paranoid. Everyone trying to get control of this machine for their own nefarious purposes seemed far fetched. I laughed and thought little of it.

Until Edward Snowden. Oh.

This season still has its weekly POI that must be protected by our heroes, but the story arcs have been tremendous. There's now a group of privacy terrorists (I laugh as I write that) who will do anything to destroy the machine and anyone who exploits it. But the corrupt cops and politicians that made up "HR" made the last three or four episodes into nail biters, culminating in the death of one of our heroes. Carter's death has unmoored Jim Cavaziel's John Reese, but has given Fusco moral clarity. (Ironically, the promos made it seem Fusco was the intended victim. Carter's death was truly shocking primarily because it was so unexpected).

I'm furious at the show right now, since it has left us on a cliff (I used words I probably shouldn't). But when it returns next year, I'll be there, on the edge of my seat to see how my heroes save themselves from this predicament.

Top of the Lake

Sundance entered the drama field with this and two other dramas, all three of which ended up on many critics best-of lists. I've only seen this one.

Directed by Jane Campion, Top of the Lake takes place in a part of New Zealand never seen by hobbits. It's isolated and peopled by rugged and solitary individuals. Like Broadchurch, the central storyline involves an unspeakable crime against a child, this time a pregnant twelve-year old. Elisabeth Moss stars as a Sydney detective in town to care for her ailing mother. She's called into service by David Wenham's Al to investigate the child's presumed rape.

Among the people she must investigate is the father of the girl, played to discomforting perfection by Peter Mullan. Also appearing is Holly Hunter as the cryptic leader of a commune of women, who are apparently trying to find themselves.

This mini-series is marked by stunning cinematography, moody scenes, and excellent acting. One of the central mysteries is pretty obvious well before it is revealed, but it hardly matters. Instead, we were on an exploration of the town as it's past is revealed and justice is explored. There are no easy answers, and a lot is left unclear, but the show is satisfying.

I want to give a shout-out to my favorite new network show:

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow hit the ground running and hasn't stopped the crazy since. The show is marked by one of the best pairings ever in Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie.  I'm on the record as hoping they never set these up as romantic partners. 

Doctor Who Fan Alert - I've already mentioned David Tennant plays Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, and is expected to reprise his role in the Fox version.

Game of Thrones Fan Alert - David Bradley, the evil Walder Frey in Game of Thrones, plays Broadchurch's Jack Marshall, a storekeeper with ties to the murdered boy and a past.

LOTR Fan Alert - yes, that is Faramir you see in Top of the Lake.  David Wenham's Al has a way of making your skin crawl.

Lost Fan Alert - in case you've forgotten, Michael Emerson plays Harold Finch in Person of Interest. He became famous as Ben Linus. 

Mad Men Fan Alert - Elisabeth Moss, Peggy Olson, plays the Robin on Top of the Lake, demonstrating her acting skills, though her New Zealand accent was iffy, at best.

Star Trek: Voyager Fan Alert - Kate Mulgrew, Captain Janeway on Voyager, is nearly unrecognizable as Red, the domineering head chef in OITNB.

Intelligence

So, you may have heard of a little show coming on tonight, called Intelligence. It's about a cocky special agent who just happens to have a chip in his head. This chip lets him access everything online, including stuff that requires hacking. He has to be tightly monitored, because, of course, he's reckless, and likely to get himself killed. Why do they always put chips in guys like this?

It sounds kind of boring, doesn't it? Except for one thing:

The holder of the chip is played by Josh Holloway. You heard that right. Sawyer himself. This means I'll be watching. Maybe not tonight, since it is DVRed, but I will be watching, despite the middling reviews it has gotten. Because, you see, I miss seeing that face on television. And as I posted on my Lost blog, Holloway turned out to be a pretty good actor.

But I now have a question. Do I miss seeing Sawyer?

Or do I miss Josh Holloway? 

Well, we'll see. I'm sure I'll share my conclusions soon.

Lost Fan Alert: okay, really? 

The Mythology of Battlestar Galactica

Spoiler warning: if you've not watched Battlestar Galactica and you hope to, without being totally spoiled, don't read this post!

I didn't realize when I linked to my last post on Battlestar Galactica that I would start an impassioned discussion on the qualities of the two versions of Battlestar Galactica. In reading the discussion, my friend P added something that I feel deserves further exploration. Here is his post:


...One of the continuing themes (indeed, the overarching theme) in the reboot is that of the Eternal Return--"All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again." With this in mind, the reboot doesn't need to be absolutely true to the original, as it is not a retelling of the original story. It is a telling of a different iteration....

The characters in the reboot--including the Cylons--are not merely journeying to Earth, they are each on their own personal journey.

The reboot isn't perfect--there is a lack of plotting and overall story arc that makes things like the reveal of the Final Five seem like they just pulled the names out of a hat and then retconned the character's back stories. Other than that, IMHO, the reboot is superior to the original in every way.


P was basically defending himself as to why he thought the reboot was better than the original. I've edited out a lot (but feel compelled to leave in his criticisms of the reboot). What he touched on, however, was one thing I left out of my original post that added so much to the reboot, and that is the mythology of the show.

I haven't talked a lot about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (I'll call it DS9 for brevity) before, but it is my favorite of the new Star Treks. What I loved about it drove a lot of people crazy: the mythology. Because the space station was stuck in one place, the show had time to fully explore Bajor, including it politics and religious beliefs. The mythology suffused the show, and added a depth and texture lacking in most modern dramas.

The mythology that was added into Battlestar Galactica was an unexpected pleasure. Some of this was found in the original series, but there it seemed like it was just window dressing. In the series, the humans believe in twelve gods that seem based on the Greek gods. The Cylons, however, believe in the one true God, and Head Six's conversion of Baltar from atheist to true believer (and he was a true believer) is one of the best parts of the show. I didn't touch on this in my original post, because it's a little spoilerific, but Baltar's entire journey into his beliefs and his role in them is a fantastic plot.

Had I watched BSG (I'm getting a little lazy now!) from the beginning, or if I had not binged watched the show as I did, I probably would have produced quite a few more posst exploring the more interesting parts of the show, including the mythology. Other questions I would have explored (and may still) include the humanity of the Cylons, what the treatment of captive Cylons says about the humanity of the humans, Baltar's journey, the President's journey, Cylon politics, Kara Thrace's journey...well, it goes on. However, I still have to finish the show!

Maybe I'll name a male cat Malcolm after Mal Reynolds on Firefly?

If I Can't Be Buffy Summers When I Grow Up, I'll Be Twilight Sparkle

Picture the scene. It's a dank room, with faded streamers and deflated balloons strewn around. A bunch of embarrassed people are seated in chairs in a semi-circle. I step up to the podium. "Hello, my name is Carol, and I'm a bronette." The group shuffles shamefacedly as they declare, "Hi Carol."

Yes, I'm a bronette.

If you're like I was, just a short year ago, you would have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm talking about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

I never intended for this to happen. It all started innocently enough. B and I went on a date, and our daughter, N, (don't ask - it's complicated) babysat. And she turned the television on to the Hub and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The next day, my children, boy and girl, demanded to watch "the ponies". We sighed, we moaned, we gave in and coped.

And one day, we realized, hey, this isn't so bad. We then later realized, hey, this is pretty good.

Let me give you a little background. Equestria is a country with earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, ruled by a very, very old (but young looking!) Princess Celestia. Her most faithful student is Twilight Sparkle, a brilliant but socially awkward unicorn who is assisted by a green baby dragon (I didn't say this is based in reality). Princess Celestia sends Twilight to Ponyville, with an unusual assignment - learn about friendship. She meets five ponies there, and becomes friends with them. She discovers, to her surprise, that she and her friends represent the powerful Elements of Harmony.

Applejack represents honesty. She speaks with a Southern twang and runs an apple farm with Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom. She's forthright, plain-spoken, and hardworking.

Pinkie Pie represents laughter. Born on a rock farm, she realizes she has a passion for parties. Her goal is to make everyone happy, and she's pretty much friends with everyone.

Rarity represents generosity. She's a fashion designer with a gift for making the world a little more beautiful.

Fluttershy represents kindness. She communicates with animals and has a soft and gentle manner.

Rainbow Dash represents loyalty. She's an athletic tomboy who wants to join the Wonderbolts.

And Twilight represents magic.

I didn't want to leave out Spike, Twilight's dragon friend. He provides a lot of comic relief, often through his sarcastic one-liners.

I'm sure you think I've lost my touch on reason at this point. What in the world is wrong with me? But like the best in cartoons, MLP (as we've taken to calling it) provides more than entertainment for children. The stories appeal to children, but they do to adults as well, because they are funny and don't take themselves too seriously. They've referenced Music Man, Indiana Jones, and The Big Lebowski. And who can't love it when they hire John DeLancie to provide the voice of Discord, a chaos demon?

But there's more. I love the fact that the main characters are all strong characters in their own right. They aren't all interested in shopping, cooking, or boys. The only one interested in finding her prince is Rarity, but when she finds one and he treats her like a door mat, she lets him know exactly what she thinks (and even smashes the glass slipper she left behind to prevent him from finding her!). Rainbow Dash is a typical tomboy, tough and competitive, with no time for boys (except to rescue them when they need it). But neither one of these extremes is promoted as superior to the other. Rarity demonstrates that even if she wants to be a lady she can still take care of herself, as the Diamond Dogs discovered after kidnapping her. Rainbow Dash thinks reading is for sissies and eggheads, until she finds herself with nothing to do in the hospital. I don't know what my daughter will be like, and I want her to be able to explore all aspects of herself, not just a limited idea of what femininity is. I like that the ponies are all so different and yet, so okay.

I also like that the ponies aren't smart-mouthed brats who are smarter than their clueless out-of-touch parents. Instead, they work together, and if there is conflict, it is based on character differences (see Rarity and Applejack learn they can be friends even though they are so different). The friendship between the ponies is important, and I really like what it is saying about being friends.

But I'm a little unnerved that I've joined a seemingly clandestine group of adults who like this show. It appears that most are male, many of them fathers of their own pony-loving children. There are many websites devoted to the show, most run by males. And one man even found that being a brony can get you get you fired (and being a brony is not a protected class). Why does it make us uncomfortable for men to be fascinated by this show? Although they don't appear to be predators, I guess their love of MLP makes them seem so. All I know is I will not make a picture of Rainbow Dash as my screensaver at work any time soon.

The Hub aired a MLP special over the fall in which Twilight Sparkle went through a magic portal to a world in which she and her friends were all humans. The kind of humans where the girls had teeny bodies and big heads. I didn't live the images as much, but the focus was still on the friendship, so it wasn't too bad.

The show airs on the Hub, the channel owned and operated by Hasbro, a toy company. Yes, the show is designed to make you want to buy their products. Yes, we have a number of My Little Pony ponies. Yes, you can comb their hair. Yes, we bought MLP bandages. Oh, well.

Be that as it may, we'll keep watching MLP. We usually watch On Demand (and have bought the first two seasons on DVD), so we get minimal commercials. And we aren't going to stop, until our children tell us they don't want to watch it anymore. (Seriously, did you think the two adults watched it on our own?).

Star Trek: TNG Fan Alert: John DeLancie, Q, is the voice of Discord. He also narrated a DVD on bronies (which I don't own!).

Catching Up On....Battlestar Galactica

So, "Catching Up On..." is a new segment for when I want to write about a show that I didn't watch when it was originally on. Thanks to the wonders of Netflix (my new favorite!), I have a whole host of entire seasons of shows waiting for me to watch. I'm starting with Battlestar Galactica.

First, my excuse for not watching it when it was first on. According to Wikipedia, the rebooted Battlestar Galactica aired its opening miniseries in 2003, right during the time I was studying for my first set of law school final exams. Exams are never easy, and law school exams are particularly strenuous. I had no idea what to expect. I certainly wasn't going to watch a miniseries based on a television show that wasn't all that great when it first aired. The first season aired during the Fall of 2004. You may have heard of another show that started at the same time: Lost. I hadn't seen the miniseries, and I never tried to catch up.

I was surprised to read and hear how fabulous the reboot was. The original show was mildly entertaining, but it had as much depth as a party princess. The reboot, on the other hand, was serialized, had a dark tone, and existed on multiple layers. Themes abounded. In other words, it sounded like a show I would love, the original be damned.

What cinched it was this. I posted on Facebook how obsessed I was with Lost. A friend of mine, I'll call him "P", responded that he was feeling the same way about Battlestar Galactica. I was annoyed by his post, as I was all about Lost at the time, but I filed it away for the future. "P" might have annoyed me, but he has good taste in television.

Fast forward to 2013. B and I have bought a "smart" television and signed up for Netflix. Spotting Battlestar Galactica, I save it on my list. Thanks to what I'm now calling "preschool crud", I was home for an entire week, wishing for an early death. I was also binge-watching Battlestar Galactica. It is every bit as good as I thought it would be. It's got science fiction, it's got mythology, it's got beautiful people, it's got great characters, it's got suspense. It was like a book I couldn't put down (which is a problem with binge-watching).

I'm currently at the beginning of Season 4, the final season.  I don't know how long it will take me to finish, but as much as I'm looking forward to it, I'm also going to be sad when it is over.

A brief overview of the plot (if you need it): humans created Cylons, who eventually turned on them. After a 40-year truce, the Cylons invade, and with the unwitting help of a randy scientist, are able to ride over the defenses of the Twelve Colonies. The Colonies are destroyed in a nuclear holocaust, while computer viruses make the battlestars and other spaceships inert, and easy victim to the Cylons. Humanity is almost wiped out. Only the fact that Battlestar Galactica was too antiquated to be wired into the system that was infected by the virus kept it from being similarly defenseless. A ragtag group of survivors in various types of spaceships try to find Earth, the missing thirteenth colony.

In the meantime, here are some initial thoughts, trying to keep the spoilers down (don't worry, I'll write a spoiler-laden post soon).

1. Edward James Olmos.

I've been afraid of this man since his taciturn Martin Castillo in Miami Vice. One glance, and it seems that he has weighed your soul and found it wanting. In Battlestar Galactica, he is just as intense, but he's a bit less of a cypher. Olmos takes over from Lorne Greene, playing William Adama, the commander of Battlestar Galactica when the Cylons attack. His divorce has haunted him, one son has died, and his remaining son won't forgive him for that son's death. (Adama in the original series also had a daughter, Athena, but she doesn't exist in the reboot). But in the crisis of the Cylon attack, he is a major force in keeping the survivors together. Watching Olmos bring Adama to life is a treat and one of the best parts of the show.

2. Two characters I adore: Starbuck and Gaius Baltar

First, Starbuck. In the original series, Starbuck was played by Dirk Benedict, who is male. The reboot rebooted Starbuck, by making the character female, much to Benedict's disgust.  Other than gender, the two are remarkably the same. Both smoke cigars, both are hotshot pilots - the best in the fleet, both are sexually active, both flout authority. But as played by Katee Sackhoff, Starbuck became a fantastic character.

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is more than just a tough pilot. She cares deeply about the people in her life, but makes some really bad and impulsive decisions. She flees from emotional intimacy, drinks too much, and acts before thinking. But what gets me are her eyes. Her facial expression may say she doesn't care, but her eyes prove differently. She acts like she doesn't feel deeply, but in reality, she does.

If my next cat is female, I'm naming her Starbuck.

Baltar in the original series was a moustache-twirling villain who sold out the humans to the Cylons for power and whatever it is that one-dimensional villains want. In the reboot, Gaius Baltar turned into a much more complicated figure. He didn't exactly betray the humans to the Cylons, he just wanted to get into a pretty girl's pants. He had no idea the pretty girl was a Cylon who was using Baltar to get the security codes to the Colonies' defenses.

Baltar is a fabulous character. He's vain, he's a coward, he's brilliant, he's conniving. Actually, all that sounds like he's a typical villain. So I'm clearly not doing my job. Because he's more than that. He's cynical, sarcastic, insightful, sometimes caring and sometimes harsh, but he's always intriguing. He's an unpredictable character and his presence is always appreciated.

As much as I love the character, I am not naming a male cat Gaius Baltar.

3. Tricky roles for actresses: Tricia Helfer and Grace Park

The tricky thing about Cylons is that they have somehow managed to create Cylons that look just like humans. There are twelve models, two of whom are in the main cast of characters. Tricia Helfer plays Six. One of the Sixes was sent to Caprica to get the security codes from Baltar. Another was on the Pegasus, trying to get its security codes (it was offline when the Cylons sent the virus through the systems). Baltar finds himself haunted by another Six, who can only be seen by Baltar.

Grace Park plays Eight. One is on Galactica - Sharon "Boomer" Valerii. Unlike the Sixes, Boomer at first has no idea she's a Cylon, until it is too late. Sharon "Athena" Agathon knows she's a Cylon, but she's imprinted with Boomer's memories so she can seduce Karl Agathon.

Despite the fact that the Sixes are the same and the Eights are the same, somehow, their experiences have made them different. Caprica Six is different from the Six that was raped and tortured on the Pegasus. Helfer managed to make each iteration of Six unique. Caprica Six, Gina (the Pegasus Six), and Head Six (Baltar's Six) each have their own personalities, and I can always tell which one is which, just by the way she carries herself and her facial expressions.

Grace Park struggled a bit more, perhaps because the differences between Boomer and Athena were less pronounced (remember, Athena had Boomer's memories). However, she did a fine job, and I wonder if she finds her current gig on Hawaii Five-0 to be somewhat dull in comparison.

4. Danged spoilers.

This is a hazard if you are watching serialized shows that have already aired and read a lot on television. I went in knowing a few things that I shouldn't have, but it turns out that most of what I knew I would have known if I had seen the entire miniseries. But right before I was about to start the third season, I read a TV Guide article about the 50 biggest surprises on television and read something about Battlestar Galactica that truly did surprise me. Because it hadn't happened yet. This meant that as I watched, I was able to pick up on all the hints that I probably wouldn't have picked up on before. Has it ruined my enjoyment? I don't know. It's a different level of enjoyment, I believe.

Finally...most of the actors I'd never heard of before Battlestar Galactica aired, but many have moved on to other roles.

Hawaii Five-0 fan alert: Grace Park played Boomer on Battlestar Galactica, a character that was originally male. She did a similar gender switch in another reboot, Hawaii Five-0, where she plays Kono.

Dollhouse fan alert: Tahmoh Penikett, "Helo", played Paul Ballard on Dollhouse, an FBI agent who's obsession with the doll Echo led to his expulsion from the FBI.

Flashforward fan alert (were there any of these?): James Callis, the brilliant and beloved by me Baltar, played a character at the tail end of Flashfoward. I had long stopped watching by that time.

Major Crimes fan alert: Mary McDonnell, President Roslin, plays Sharon Raydor on both The Closer and its spin-off, Major Crimes.  I get a little confused at times when watching Battlestar Galactica, since they too have a major character known as "Sharon".

24 fan alert: Katee Sackhoff, beloved by me as Starbuck, was a series regular on the eighth season. She now starts in Longmire, another show I'm hoping to watch one day.

TV Revolution

I know, I know...it's been a long time since I've written. One might say nearly two years. In that time, I've been quite busy, trying to survive parenthood and writing a food blog, which is also in abeyance at this time. What can I say? I'm doing the best I can.

B and I have finally caught up to the times. Yes, that means we've finally acquired a flat-screen HD TV and a Blu-ray, and even signed up for Netflix. Yes, you read that right. Netflix.

We were the last hold outs, not because we didn't want this stuff, but because we felt we should put our money into other things. But I've been wanting it all for a long time. Far more than my husband, but there you have it.

So, what happened? What changed? Well, our fancy new basement. Yes, we finished our basement. It was quite the undertaking, involving lots of headaches and annoyances. We didn't finish it ourselves (it would never have happened if it had depended upon us to be done). It's an open space with an area for toys, an area for music, and an area for watching TV. We have a 60-inch HD on one wall, with a sectional surrounding a corner, facing the TV. The basement is still relatively unfurnished, but it has the important stuff!

I got to select the TV. Yes, I selected the TV. I repeated it in case you didn't believe me. It's almost impossible to get an HD TV without it being a "smart" TV, with 3-D capability. I didn't initially care one way or the other about the "smart" functions, but they've grown on me. YouTube and Netflix. All very cool.

These changes have mirrored a change in how we view TV.

Let's talk about the past for a minute. Growing up, there were four channels: ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS. You watched what you could when it was on, otherwise, you missed it. I remember when we got an independent channel - how exciting it all was! Shortly thereafter, we got cable, and we had so many more options. WGN, WTBS, and WOR. And I was a first generation MTV watcher, back when MTV actually showed music videos.

At some point, the VCR was introduced. If you were smart enough you could program it to tape your shows, so you wouldn't miss your shows, so you could go out and have fun, come home and watch your show! It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing.

A couple of decades later, the DVR was born. What a wonderful device! We could record not just show by show, but whole seasons. Our DVR allowed us to record two episodes a time even. It was awesome.

But now, it's all upended. Thanks to On Demand and Netflix.

Both have been around for a whole, I admit, and we've had access to On Demand for years. We used to watch movies through On Demand, but this year I've discovered the TV shows On Demand. If my DVR missed a show, I watched it On Demand (except for Person of Interest, which, for reasons beyond me is not On Demand). I've caught up with Burn Notice and watched Elementary solely On Demand. Really cool. Of course, the problem with On Demand is that the cable company can decide to drop the show after a period of time. And they don't have entire seasons.

Netflix, on the other hand, has entire seasons of shows. It's like a candy store for someone like me. So far, B and I have watched Orange is the New Black and Top of the Lake (and highly recommend them), and I've watched most of Call the Midwife (which I also highly recommend). I'm finally going to see Battlestar Galactica, Dr Who, and The Fall. I can't wait! Binging is fun!