In a Letter to Television Without Pity
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,
