Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All

I threw Sherlock into my Netflix queue because it is BBC and they do genre shows well. Plus, Sherlock Holmes right?

Then when the credits started showing up, imagine my surprise that this is from the Doctor Who people, specifically Stephen Moffat and Mart Gatiss. Now imagine me with my fist raised and shaking at the TV growling “Mofffaaattttt.”

I’ve had my issues with his handling of my beloved Doctor Who.

I’m as shocked as anyone that I actually saw a first episode that was all about character development and relationship development amidst a very exciting murder mystery. A cool, super-smart hero with a dark side coming to see the value of his brave, moral, stalwart human companion? However will it work?

Unlike their work over on Who, here, it does. There is chemistry. There is partnership. Yet each character stands on his own.

The pair must be the heart of the series, but so far, all of the crimes have been gripping as well. At 90 minutes, these episodes make me wonder if any of our crime procedurals can do better with an extra half hour. On the DVDs, one of the special features is the original 60 minute pilot. The actual 90 minute first episode is truly so much better because the creators were really able to ramp up the mystery and allow the final confrontation to simmer. The extra time also allowed the final confrontation to come down as a matter of Sherlock’s character rather than just being a more straight-forward adventure ending. Quite well done.

Tags: TV by Ms. SP
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The new season of Doctor Who started this past weekend, and TWoP had this blog post up about what they want for the latest go-around.

When I got to the comments, I was very surprised at what people were saying about Jacob, the recapper for Doctor Who at Television Without Pity. In case you didn’t know, I’m quite a fan (exhibit 1, exhibit 2, and exhibit 3) of his.

I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the level of angry dismissiveness shocked and, quite frankly, angered me.

Really? You want TWoP further dumbed down and smoothed out? It’s still better than every official thing out there, but since going corporate, the site is certainly not what it was.

I’m not being pie in the sky about all that. I know the realities of web businesses but I, too, want my say.

So I wrote the following letter and sent it in to their Powers That Be (a phrase I started using thanks to TWoPers). And I’m making it public here to stake my stand.

[start letter]
Dear TWoP,

In reading through the comments to the Doctor Who mini-feature, I saw that there are several voices that advocate the removal of Jacob as the recapper for the show.

I wanted send you a note to say that I am very pro-Jacob.

One commenter has a good point that the pro-Jacob people tend to be fans of Jacob rather than of the show(s) he’s handling at the time. I think that’s valid, but I also think that TWoP has traditionally been about writers putting their stamps on coverage.

I’ve been around since the Mighty Big TV days. Specifically, I can cite Miss Alli as the person that practically taught me how to watch reality TV intelligently. She didn’t just reap; she analyzed. And that’s why I would read her, even for shows that I didn’t actually watch.

Like Miss Alli, Jacob brings something extra to his recaps.

I’m fond of saying that sci-fi is applied philosophy. As such, I find his offerings especially fitting. Yes, his recaps challenge me, but my viewing of shows like Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who have been enriched by his observations. I like his write up for the movie Serenity more than I liked the movie.

I can get summaries of episodes almost anywhere now. I come to TWoP for more.

Snark, to me, is not simply about ridicule. It’s about pointing out as stupid—the things that should and could be done better. TWoP is about a higher level of pop engagement.

I know that there are other considerations in play now, and that the old days are not coming back. But, TWoP built a fanbase based on things like Jessica having her Mulder and Scully dolls dialogue in the middle of her The X-Files recaps. I’ve noticed that the recappers today do not have as much freedom to nickname and play away like they used to do.

But Jacob remains unique, relevant, and valid. As such, I continue to be his fan, and I wanted to make sure that my voice is heard in this conversation.

Very sincerely,

Tags: TV by Ms. SP
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To recap, Dollhouse: Season One did not start off strong. But build it did. In season 2, thanks to the great likelihood of cancellation back in real time by Fox, the action became highly compacted and the plot twists came fast and furious.

Although I would have liked to see a lot of what happened play out over several seasons, the short order for only thirteen episodes did make for a really fun ride. I was especially pleased at how much character development they were able to do in such a short time for an action-oriented show.

That’s not to say that there are no problems with continuity and all the logic is sound, but I’ve found that knowing the final fate of a show while watching it allows for a much more zen-like experience. Just accept things and go.

Luckily, Whedon shows do tend to focus on the organics of what feels real and on emotional truths. I can’t help but think how much fun it would have been to be in that Epitaph world for at least a couple of episodes though. They always show such fun and creativity while creating the realities of different worlds. (Yes, I’m missing Firefly right here.)

I don’t know how Dollhouse is going to rate in the final tally of Joss Whedon’s oeuvre but this second season will certainly help it climb. I’m also very excited at the number of outstanding acting talents that are now members of the Whedonverse.

Tags: TV by Ms. SP
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