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I am well aware of series rot from long experience. I know that those nagging problems at the beginning are highly unlikely to be a set-up for subverting cliches and stereotypes and will probably grow until they overwhelm everything that was once good about the series. And yet I keep hoping. Futilely, so far.
Some recent disappointments:
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
Granted, based on The Alienist I wasn't expecting much more than a competent mystery. But I was encouraged by the relative absence of gore and prostitutes, because it's nice to see criminals who are driven to do things other than murder prostitutes for once. And it started raising some interesting points about how much damage the constant message that a woman must have babies and be nurturing to be A Real Woman and worth anything causes, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton makes a cameo appearance, and Sara Howard's friendship with Nellie Bly is mentioned in passing. Also Stevie drops a not-so-subtle hint that Sara might get her own novel to narrate someday. (Alas, this does not seem to have happened...)
But. ( Small spoiler, not that it wasn't dead obvious from the start... )
The Big Bang Theory
I know, I know, this one was obvious. But sometimes they had such good science and fannish jokes! Like the episode where they had the (movie prop of the) One Ring and it started working on them and we got the fabulous makeup job turning Sheldon into Gollum.
And they had Amy Farah Fowler. For maybe three glorious episodes, she was the kind of character who said things like this:( Cut for AWESOME followed by crushed hopes. )
The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
I enjoyed The Night Watch, overall, though it had its annoyances. Like the whole tired Light vs. Dark thing, and this faintly skeevy undercurrent whenever a woman appeared on the page. But I expected, as one might, that - for instance - now that two of the women were no longer untrained and clueless or stuck as an owl, that they would become more prominent and interesting in the next book, only as opponents because the female Day Watch character would be narrating the whole of the sequel as Anton had narrated the first book. The twisty intrigues also promised to continue, especially given the huge cliffhanger at the end of the first book.
( Cut for spoilers. )
Downton Abbey
Hey, they were emphasizing from the beginning that Society Is Changing, and they would occasionally point out how the aristocrats were majorly screwing up something or other. I could hope that they actually meant it. Right?
( Cut for spoilers. )I'll still keep watching, because I am a sucker like that. Maybe Cora will not just cave and forgive him tonight, and there will be lasting consequences for his bad judgement! Also, Lucy will totally let me kick that football this time.
And what have I been doing, after so many disappointments? Watching Fringe. I deserve whatever's coming.
Some recent disappointments:
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
Granted, based on The Alienist I wasn't expecting much more than a competent mystery. But I was encouraged by the relative absence of gore and prostitutes, because it's nice to see criminals who are driven to do things other than murder prostitutes for once. And it started raising some interesting points about how much damage the constant message that a woman must have babies and be nurturing to be A Real Woman and worth anything causes, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton makes a cameo appearance, and Sara Howard's friendship with Nellie Bly is mentioned in passing. Also Stevie drops a not-so-subtle hint that Sara might get her own novel to narrate someday. (Alas, this does not seem to have happened...)
But. ( Small spoiler, not that it wasn't dead obvious from the start... )
The Big Bang Theory
I know, I know, this one was obvious. But sometimes they had such good science and fannish jokes! Like the episode where they had the (movie prop of the) One Ring and it started working on them and we got the fabulous makeup job turning Sheldon into Gollum.
And they had Amy Farah Fowler. For maybe three glorious episodes, she was the kind of character who said things like this:( Cut for AWESOME followed by crushed hopes. )
The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
I enjoyed The Night Watch, overall, though it had its annoyances. Like the whole tired Light vs. Dark thing, and this faintly skeevy undercurrent whenever a woman appeared on the page. But I expected, as one might, that - for instance - now that two of the women were no longer untrained and clueless or stuck as an owl, that they would become more prominent and interesting in the next book, only as opponents because the female Day Watch character would be narrating the whole of the sequel as Anton had narrated the first book. The twisty intrigues also promised to continue, especially given the huge cliffhanger at the end of the first book.
( Cut for spoilers. )
Downton Abbey
Hey, they were emphasizing from the beginning that Society Is Changing, and they would occasionally point out how the aristocrats were majorly screwing up something or other. I could hope that they actually meant it. Right?
( Cut for spoilers. )I'll still keep watching, because I am a sucker like that. Maybe Cora will not just cave and forgive him tonight, and there will be lasting consequences for his bad judgement! Also, Lucy will totally let me kick that football this time.
And what have I been doing, after so many disappointments? Watching Fringe. I deserve whatever's coming.
