Television Without Pity

Oh for sure - I remember the same arguments about Alias, Veronica Mars, Dawson's Creek.... I mean, I get that last one, but the answer is the same for all of these: If you can't accept that the show is going to focus on the main character above all others (especially when they are the titular character), I mean, maybe it's just not for you.

I've always said that there is a variety of TWOP viewer who has a very skewed view of what any particular show is supposed to be. The analogy I used back in the day was if someone was constantly bitching about Crossing Jordan (because this was the early aughts), that instead of being a show where Jill Hennessey plays Jordan Cavenaugh, a maverick medical examiner, it should REALLY be about Jill playing Jordan Cavenaugh, lingerie model/bounty hunter. So this hypothetical viewer, every week, would bitch about the constant presence of dead bodies and case solving with forensics, and bemoan the complete lack of lingerie and bounty hunting action on the show.

That was the vibe I constantly got from TWOP, and was pretty much why I stopped going.

In the case of Creek, though, I think it was less "this show focuses too much on the main character" and more "the main character is HORRIBLE and the writers are making him even MORE unlikable by having all the other characters kiss his ass."

Plus the Creek boards were fun. Say what you will about Wing Chun** now, but her and Sars's Creek recaps were hilarious, critical of the show without being bitter. And just when Sars started to edge closer to bitter territory, Jessica took over just in time and everything was funny again. Sigh. Those were the days.

**I actually met her and Glark, completely randomly, two years ago at a networking event run by one of my cousins. They were both quite nice and friendly.

Yeah, I feel like the tone surrounding Dawson's Creek was what TWoP imagines itself to be but very rarely is. It makes sense since the entire site started with Dawson's Wrap. But I did feel like the recappers and even a majority of the posters never totally lost their sense of humor over that show the way they did with so many others.

7th Heaven and The X-Files, I also feel straddled that line between outright loathing and good-natured mocking.

I think that tone shift came about because they started recapping shows that were *actually* "good" in the sense of critically admired and genuinely loved. Smacking around teenage soap operas and Third Watch and Smallville worked pretty well, (and Omar was totes someone who I did think kept it fun/light for his duration in both cases). I miss the Gayest Look of the Episode.

The forum community's I'm not sure there's anything to be done about people's perceptions of how good the old days were before everything started to suck, on the internet or anywhere else. As Yogi Bera said, no one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

Weird thing is, they have a chance to recapture that with Glee, but the tone of half of the recaps of that show seems negative and nearly angry.

Quality-wise, Glee is probably on a similar level as Creek. And they're two shows that have absolutely terrible writing and unrealistic melodramatic situations, while also managing to include a really sweet and believable teenage love story.

But, Creek was never nominated for any Emmys and never received undeserved, over-the-top critical praise, and in many ways I think the writing on Creek was much less ridiculous than it is on Glee. I wonder if the recappers are as perplexed as I am over its critical success relative to its quality.

However, the Glee recappers and posters on TWoP still seriously need to chill. I posted there for awhile under a different screen name because I needed a place to gush over Kurt and Blaine, but after ONE HUNDRED PAGES in an episode thread arguing about the Finn/Santana fight, I just couldn't do it anymore. Yegads.

You're all right about the Creek - I really didn't watch it because I hated everyone but Pacey so much, but I checked out the forums a couple of times near the end. It did seem more like, "UGH, Dawson" rather than an actual plea that the show stop focusing on him. The attitude bugged me a lot more on the BtVS, VM, and Alias boards, partially because Buffy, Veronica, and Sydney were my favorite characters, so I was a little defensive of them - but also because it seemed like the posters were actually angry that the shows spent so much time on those characters, and thought that bitching about it might make the writers change course. That delusional aspect of some TWoP posters is still one of my favorite things.

Jack on Lost got a similar dose of lead-character hate, and that was notable to me as the only time on TWoP where the male lead was more hated than the female lead - at least when thinking of the shows I watched/followed. There was even a period where Joey got more hate than Dawson did.

With Lost, I honestly think there were people who wanted nothing from that show other than Charlie, Hurley, Rose and Bernard hanging out, while Locke wandered around and Solved The Island like it was a game of Myst.

And where Sawyer (ugh) took his shirt off.

My biggest annoyance with the Lost thread was how much they complained about the wacky schedule of a show they hated. First of all, the show did not have a wackier schedule than any other show on television. Most non-cable TV shows have that cycle: season premiere & a few new episodes, followed by a few repeats, then followed by new episodes for sweeps, lather, rinse, repeat. And they were SO ANGRY that Lost was following the same type of schedule as every other show on television. What made it worse was that legitimate critics were also complaining about the schedule, and the network actually gave into their demands. Crazy.

I hate this show! It insults my intelligence and is a total waste of time! Why do I have to wait 3 weeks for the next episode????

swsa wrote:I hate this show! It insults my intelligence and is a total waste of time! Why do I have to wait 3 weeks for the next episode????

"The food is horrible."

"Yes, and the portions are so small!"

Speaking of "How I Met Your Mother", someone on TWOP tried to accuse the show of racism because Barney (posing as a judge) was trying out his "I suppose I can get you ... off" line on an African-American girl. Because an African-American was more likely to commit a crime, or something. Now, I'll certainly admit that HIMYM is one of the whitest shows on TV, but C'MON. One of the other posters said gently "You're reaching."

Oh for fuck's sake. Now they're complaining about the "perfect teeth" on the Zombie apocalypse survivors on The Walking Dead becoming too distracting. People have really never heard of suspending their disbelief and just enjoying something, have they?

I mean, come on! Can't Andrew Lincoln knock out a bicuspid for THE SAKE OF HIS CRAFT? Is that asking too much?

I suppose all these people hate perfect teeth on any show taking place before 1985 as well? Back in the day not everyone had gleaming pearly whites that are practically blue and transparent, after all.

TWoP Pet Peeve #1239123:

When people post in a thread that they forgot a show even existed/was on/needed to be DVRed. Seriously? A whole post just announce that a show is so beneath your notice that you can't be bothered to watch it? GTFO of my thread.

So you're saying you don't need that kinda announcement in your life? But...it's so necessary!

Well, here's one I haven't heard before...

Anyone watch Boardwalk Empire? If you check out the "Season Three" thread for the show, you'll find a gem about how TV shows make a "contract" with the viewer when it comes to the amount of realism a period drama like BE has. BE apparently violated this contract because the body count on last night's finale was too high. After all, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre only killed seven people, whereas the Atlantic City gang war on BE killed like, forty. That's totally unbelievable because nothing like that ever happened in history, or something.

It's like the idea of sitting back and enjoying a FICTIONAL TV SHOW is torture to them. I don't get it- why get your panties in a wad over fake "contracts" between writers and viewers? WTF is that?

I forget which thread I was in where people were arguing about one character's eyes being a color that didn't make sense because of the color of his parents' eyes. Cause you know when they cast actors they go based on eye color.

I need to remember to stay out of the thread for Say Yes To the Dress: Atlanta. It's like going on ONTD to look for pictures of actors I like, I just end up thinking, "why are you so hateful?" I mean, it's another goofy wedding-dress show, and sure Monte is a bit cartoony, but I think he's funny. And Lori kills me. I want to take her out and ply her with liquor and make her tell me funny stories. I think I actually like it better than original-recipe SYTTD, and I do not get the near-universal disdain.

Ahem. On the other hand, the thread for Ink Master has not yet gone bonkers. Maybe I should just read that one and ignore everything else on the boards.

Snarker wrote:

mrinsouciance wrote:Note to self: don't read this Jacob guy's stuff.

If you think Jacob is bad, try reading Damien's Supernatural recaps. They're nothing but idiot blather about some imaginary gay dragon, interspersed with whining about the wipe effects with a few complaints about the actual show. I never thought I'd say this, but Jacob's pretentious overanalyzing is starting to look good.

Boy was I ever naive. The new SPN recapper is a total DeanGirl who bashes Sam non-stop and tonguebathes St. Deano. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Demian, imaginary gay dragon and all.

biakbiak wrote:

But what I find weird about their snobbishness is that when they reveal their OWN tastes and cooking habits, they're almost always incredibly pedestrian.

Like the infamous poster who was always being such a snob about everything and what an amazing cook she was and then mentioned that she had only ever had Parmesan cheese from the green can.

I'm sorry, I had to quote this to share a non-food-show-related TWOP snark: a while back, a female contestant on one of the singing shows did a version of "House of the Rising Sun." And, because mocking the lack of musical knowledge of contestants is a sport on those threads, a couple of people mocked her. "Who ever heard of a woman singing 'The House Of the Rising Sun'?"

I was SO HAPPY to be able to reply, "IT WAS A WOMAN'S SONG FOR A HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS GOT HOLD OF IT."

And the Canadian Idol thread where someone posted about Sass Jordan singing a version of "some weirdo obscure song." Me: "IT WAS 'STAGE FRIGHT', BY THE BAND. IF YOU CLAIM TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ROCK MUSIC, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD LOOK THEM UP. 'STAGE FRIGHT' IS ONE OF THEIR CLASSICS."

I didn't really post in all-caps, but I felt like it. DON'T BE SNOTTY ABOUT YOUR VAST KNOWLEDGE IF YOU DON'T KNOW BASIC OBVIOUS CRAP, OR CAN'T BE ARSED TO LOOK IT UP BEFORE YOU POST.

Ahem. Sorry. Just chiming in to second, "pretentious posters who actually know nothing are really annoying!"

Snarker wrote:

Snarker wrote:

mrinsouciance wrote:Note to self: don't read this Jacob guy's stuff.

If you think Jacob is bad, try reading Damien's Supernatural recaps. They're nothing but idiot blather about some imaginary gay dragon, interspersed with whining about the wipe effects with a few complaints about the actual show. I never thought I'd say this, but Jacob's pretentious overanalyzing is starting to look good.

Boy was I ever naive. The new SPN recapper is a total DeanGirl who bashes Sam non-stop and tonguebathes St. Deano. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Demian, imaginary gay dragon and all.

I actually liked Demian's recaps, although I may have been running on sentimental fumes from his earlier shows, because I concur that Raoul got old pretty fast.

Daniel's Fringe recaps are great. I'm going to miss them along with the actual show.