Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[ABay]

(I may be one of the five people in the US who hasn't watched seen Jaws

We need to find the other 3 and have a party.

[kiddo82]

Shark Week lost all credibility for me last year when they aired Sharknado. (As awesomely horrible as that movie was, it has no place on the frikkin' Discovery Channel.)

I think Shaknado actually aired on SyFy. Either way, the thing is, I do understand the appeal of campy movies like it. I've never seen it, but I have seen its less popular cousin Sharktopus. (It's just as amazingly terrible as you can imagine) I guess, in the modern age, my belief on Shark Week is that if you're that into sharks, you can educate yourself whenever you want. Don't get me wrong, I love a good documentary on a topic that interests me, but again, I also needn't wait for one to learn about said topic. Maybe Shark Week's appeal at this point has more to do with a tradition factor with people than an education/entertainment factor.

Edited August 9, 2014 by kiddo82

[amaranta]

I hate Doctor Who.

    

    ::mic drop::

 

I have no interest in Shark Week.

 

Hear, hear.  Now my confession...

 

I tried.  Really, I did.  Made it through two and a half episodes.

 

I hated Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

[scarynikki12]

Shark Week is hit or miss.  They miss when they try to bring in the big crowds with sensational specials (last year's Megalodon special for example) but hit big when they focus on the details: the different species of shark (the search for Megamouth was one of my favorites, particularly the excitement among the scientists when they finally saw one in person), their feeding patterns, their intelligence, their mating habits, etc.  That's what's interesting about sharks, not how often they mistake humans for food.  When Shark Week focuses on the good stuff it's riveting television but recent years has seen more of the sensational stories that leave them open for ridicule.  Hopefully next week sees more of the interesting stuff.

[DittyDotDot]

I may be one of the five people in the US who hasn't watched seen Jaws

 

We need to find the other 3 and have a party.

 

I'm one!  Only two more and a party, you say...I'm always up for a party!.

[walnutqueen]

Shark Week lost all credibility for me last year when they aired Sharknado.  (As awesomely horrible as that movie was, it has no place on the frikkin' Discovery Channel.)

 

Nor do most of the other shows Disco airs - Discovery ain't what it used to be (like many other channels who branch out in hopes of attracting new audiences and losing their core).

[The Crazed Spruce]

I think Shaknado actually aired on SyFy.

 

Originally, yeah, but Discovery replayed it during Shark Week. (At least in Canada.)

[Snowprince]

From a marketing standpoint, a brilliant move. Knowing it's cult status and following they knew it would pull big numbers.

[Jeebus Cripes]

The worst thing about the current Shark Week is that it "inspired" Shart Week on Comedy Central.

 

That actually sounds awesome to me. I would much rather watch Shart Week.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Jeebus Cripes

[Shannon L.]

 

Ah, I never found sharks particularly interesting (I may be one of the five people in the US who hasn't watched Jaws).  So, yes, I'm glad to be clueless on this front. Shannon L., hopefully, you get some TV reciprocity at home!

Thanks.  Maybe I'll buy a book or two--yesterday, I sat with my husband (how knows almost nothing about programming the dvr) and went through the entire week on the Discovery channel recording everything that he wanted to see at a time that wouldn't interrupt our regularly scheduled dvr recordings (because if you hit "all new", then they record the first showing of the day, which most times will interfere with something previously programmed. So, you have to record the second showing of it every day as "record once").  I don't mind him taking the tv throughout the week--it's his house and tv, too, but the seriously, how many shark shows can one take?

[callie lee 29]

 

 

I may be one of the five people in the US who hasn't watched seen Jaws

    

    We need to find the other 3 and have a party.

 

 

I'm one!  Only two more and a party, you say...I'm always up for a party!.

 

I'm in (but I've also never seen any Star Wars so I tend to be a bit of an odd duck). I don't get the shark appeal. Completely baffles me.

[TattleTeeny]

But by the time Spike came along and she was making the same damn mistakes, I was like, "Ummm, Buffy? You haven't learned yet? Post-Angel? Post-Riley? Really?"

 

To be fair, the show did make clear the reasons that Buffy was with Spike.

[Sara2009]

I've never seen " Jaws" either!!!

[Athena]

*whispers* I haven't seen "Jaws" either, but I'm not American. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, I have seen Jaws I, Jaws II. Don't ask me why. It might be the music...Roy Schieder...just the bad assery of Sherriff  Brody...

[Vera Similitude]

A TV UO! (sorry about the all caps there...): I really enjoyed Robin Williams in a few films and whatnot but sweet Fanny Moses, the nonstop carrying on all over the interwebz and the teevee are just too much. I'm sure his comparative youth (63 is nothing these days) and the tragic circumstances are adding to it, but it gets to a point where what was (perhaps) legitimate grief becomes all about the griever rather than the dearly departed.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Vera Similitude

[ganesh]

I'm sure his comparative youth (63 is nothing these days) and the tragic circumstances are adding to it, but it gets to a point where what was (perhaps) legitimate grief becomes all about the greiver rather than the dearly departed.

 

Oh, it totally is. What a relief. My FB feed is clogged. Enough already. I wasn't a super fan, but the guy was talented and has a huge successful body of work. There's a *lot* more important things going on in the world. 

 

If anything, hopefully mental illness is seen as more of a real, actual problem for many many people. The more it's accepted as a real thing, then maybe the next time, this doesn't happen. 

Edited August 12, 2014 by ganesh

[BellaLugosi]

Jaws is actually a really great movie. Love the music, the acting, the cinematography, the mood.  

[Shannon L.]

 

Jaws is actually a really great movie. Love the music, the acting, the cinematography, the mood.

I'm phobic about natural bodies of water and Jaws is one of my favorite movies--I've seen it dozens of times (but still tend to hide my eyes when I know he's coming :)

 

I'm still thinking and posting about Robin Williams.  Sorry.  But, now, 24 hours later, it's more about the wonderful memories he gave me from my childhood right up to the last movie I saw with him in it.  I'll always grieve for him and others lost too young (John Ritter, Heath Ledger and dozens of non-celebrities, too) either by their own hand or a stupid accident or disease or the violence that's going on around the world.  I do hope that the continued posting about his death brings light to a serious mental issue. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

A TV UO! (sorry about the all caps there...): I really enjoyed Robin Williams in a few films and whatnot but sweet Fanny Moses, the nonstop carrying on all over the interwebz and the teevee are just too much. I'm sure his comparative youth (63 is nothing these days) and the tragic circumstances are adding to it, but it gets to a point where what was (perhaps) legitimate grief becomes all about the greiver rather than the dearly departed.

When Kurt Cobain committed suicide, and Jesus I can't believe that was twenty years ago, there was a similar outpouring of "carrying on", to the point that Andy Rooney snarked at the people who were doing things like gathering outside of Cobain's house. I can't remember all of it, or even much of it, but what I do remember is that Rooney said, "Let me dry your tears." Say what you will about people being inappropriate when a celebrity dies, but I don't think its any less inappropriate to make fun of those who might genuinely be grief-stricken.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[ganesh]

That missed the point of the original post though. The question, which I think is legit, is that "is there a point where the grieving becomes more about the griever than the deceased?" People who are genuinely grief-stricken weren't the subject of the criticism. 

 

It's a UO, but it's about the context.

[ribboninthesky1]

A TV UO! (sorry about the all caps there...): I really enjoyed Robin Williams in a few films and whatnot but sweet Fanny Moses, the nonstop carrying on all over the interwebz and the teevee are just too much. I'm sure his comparative youth (63 is nothing these days) and the tragic circumstances are adding to it, but it gets to a point where what was (perhaps) legitimate grief becomes all about the greiver rather than the dearly departed.

 

I understand where you're coming from, and it's a valid question.  On top of what you mentioned, I think the sudden nature of his death also contributed to the grief.  As far as the general public knew, Robin Williams, despite his personal problems, didn't struggle with mental illness (though I've never understood why the media/general public never seem to acknowledge a correlation between substance abuse and mental illness).  I also think Robin's star rose long before social media, where a celebrity's personal life is much more highly scrutinized, and by the time the media largely reported on Robin's issues (i.e. his 2006/7 interview with Larry King), media and the general public already had his persona imprinted, and didn't see beyond that.   

 

I've avoided much of it just by not watching much TV, and the social media pages I visit have expressed sadness, but it's not been OTT.  I think Robin being so well-known, and that much of his more popular work was more family-driven, a lot of people of a certain age were sincerely touched by his performances.  I wasn't one of those people, but as long as no one tries to tell me if or why *I* should grieve, I'm okay with giving people space to do their grieving. In a couple of weeks, maybe even next week, the (TV and social) media cycle will have moved on. 

Edited August 13, 2014 by ribboninthesky1

[walnutqueen]

That missed the point of the original post though. The question, which I think is legit, is that "is there a point where the grieving becomes more about the griever than the deceased?" People who are genuinely grief-stricken weren't the subject of the criticism. 

 

It's a UO, but it's about the context.

 

I think grief is always about the griever. 

 

UO  ?

[Cobalt Stargazer]

That missed the point of the original post though. The question, which I think is legit, is that "is there a point where the grieving becomes more about the griever than the deceased?" People who are genuinely grief-stricken weren't the subject of the criticism. 

 

It's a UO, but it's about the context.

Perhaps, but OTOH, the context is also that Robin was a depression sufferer, and his not beating the disease is part of what people are talking about. A Facebook acquaintance of mine posted some stuff about her experiences with struggling against depression, and people there basically started flaming her for it and telling her to shut up because "depression isn't real" or some happy horseshit. My own depression is currently under control, but I can assure these morons, it is very real. I know discussions of mental illness can make people uncomfortable, but assholism towards someone you don't even know is not cute to me. Its dismissive and it compounds the isolation of a person who just might be in dire straits. That's what I was reacting to, because sometimes, its valid for it to be about other people.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[kiddo82]

I think there's a fine line between being bummed when a celebrity dies vs. grief jacking from those who lost him personally. When it's someone of Robin Williams' caliber, everyone has a story to share and that's cool. Celebrity performances give us memories. Whitney Houston belting out what would become an iconic version of the national anthem. Heath Ledger giving us his freaky ass portrayal of the Joker. Robin Williams telling us to Carpe Diem. We experience these things with friends or family or even by ourselves and we remember the times they made us laugh, cry, or think. It's natural to feel sad that another human is gone and to recall the times we spent enjoying their work. Having said that, for me, to truly grieve over someone that I did not know personally feels disingenuous. Today I woke up and my life was no different but someone out there lost a friend, a father, a family member, etc. I can be sad but they are the grief stricken.

I think grief is always about the griever.

A teacher once told my class that funerals are not for the deceased but for the living. Edited August 13, 2014 by kiddo82

[ganesh]

 

Perhaps, but OTOH, the context is also that Robin was a depression sufferer, and his not beating the disease is part of what people are talking about.

As I said originally in my post, that would be a positive outcome. They aren't really talking about depression though overall and it's largely OTT. 

 

I'm expressing frustration of the media/social coverage. It largely has missed the point. I'm fully aware depression is real, and it's not being covered in that way even remotely. 

 

To be clear and precise: My post hasn't got anything to do with people feeling better about talking about depression. Because I originally stated: 

 

If anything, hopefully mental illness is seen as more of a real, actual problem for many many people. The more it's accepted as a real thing, then maybe the next time, this doesn't happen.

 

 

My comment was in response to "a point where what was (perhaps) legitimate grief becomes all about the greiver rather than the dearly departed."

 

So for anyone who has depression at any point in their life, then that's legit imo. Anyone who suffers or has suffered from depression was not the subject of my post.

 

For the people who feel the need to tweet out 1000 movies quotes or the "news" sources who put out "top 10 movies of his career" then I question whether the grief is legit. It's hard to avoid when you need the sources for actual work.

 

 

I think there's a fine line between being bummed when a celebrity dies vs. grief jacking from those who lost him personally. Having said that, for me, to truly grieve over someone that I did not know personally feels disingenuous.

 

That's basically it. Sitting outside the Mrs. Doubtfire house all day seems more like you want to be seen or have the news talk to you than anything. 

Edited August 13, 2014 by ganesh

[ribboninthesky1]

Wait, people are really doing that? Wow...okay, to each their own.  I've never seen the film in its entirety, so I didn't even know the house existed.  I hope no one lives there? If so, that's intrusive, IMO.  I admit, I'm kind of skeptical of grief jacking - as long as the loved ones of the deceased can grieve in peace, it shouldn't really matter what the general public does.  I hope that's the case, but it's also why I've limited my media coverage.  The TV media will do what it typically does.   

 

I think grief is always about the griever. 

 

UO  ?

 

I was gonna mention this in my original post, but it was long enough, so I deleted that part.  Plus, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing - grieving is a way for the living to cope with losing the deceased.  It's never been beneficial for the deceased.

[merylinkid]

I couldnt' stand the new Battlestar Galactic.   Didn't like they made Starbuck a woman.   Hated that "updating" it meant more sex and darker.   I loved the original in all its campy glory.   If they had done that, would have watched.   But as soon as they had Cylon only in Baltar's mind so he could have mind sex all the time, I was O.U.T.

 

And in the interest of full disclosure -- I have seen all 4 Jaws movies.   Clearly I love camp so much I should own a tent.

[ganesh]

I heard about the house on the local news, but on the radio. I assume that the local tv would have covered it as well. There was a piece with his actual neighbors who knew him, which is legit imo. 

 

This is probably more a discussion on media in general, but there's no other place to say, I'm a rather over all the current "grieving." 

[Jeebus Cripes]

When Kurt Cobain committed suicide, and Jesus I can't believe that was twenty years ago, there was a similar outpouring of "carrying on", to the point that Andy Rooney snarked at the people who were doing things like gathering outside of Cobain's house. I can't remember all of it, or even much of it, but what I do remember is that Rooney said, "Let me dry your tears." Say what you will about people being inappropriate when a celebrity dies, but I don't think its any less inappropriate to make fun of those who might genuinely be grief-stricken.

 

Andy Rooney was such an enormous asshole. 

 

Topic: I hate procedural cop, CSI, medical, and courtroom dramas. So BORING.

[Vera Similitude]

Thanks, @ganesh, for getting what I was saying.

 

Another UO: I actually enjoy some awards shows and am looking forward to the Emmys. Well, snarking on the Emmys.

[Shannon L.]

 

Another UO: I actually enjoy some awards shows and am looking forward to the Emmys. Well, snarking on the Emmys.

Is that UO?  I freakin' love awards shows.  The Oscars are like my Super Bowl--I sit down at the tv as early as 2pm and don't even think about interrupting me unless a commercial is on.  Thank God for DVRs. 

[galax-arena]

A TV UO! (sorry about the all caps there...): I really enjoyed Robin Williams in a few films and whatnot but sweet Fanny Moses, the nonstop carrying on all over the interwebz and the teevee are just too much. I'm sure his comparative youth (63 is nothing these days) and the tragic circumstances are adding to it, but it gets to a point where what was (perhaps) legitimate grief becomes all about the griever rather than the dearly departed.

I don’t mind the outpouring of grief. What I do mind is how nowadays we question anyone who doesn’t issue a public statement about it right away, and act like it means that they don’t care. I’ve seen people wondering why Matt Damon didn’t say anything yesterday. For fuck’s sake, Robin Williams hadn’t even been dead for over 24 hours at that point! Maybe he was still in shock. Maybe he prefers to grieve in private. Who the hell knows? Everyone copes with loss differently, and just because someone isn’t willing to let a million people know about it doesn’t mean that they care any less about the dead person.

 

I can only imagine the shit that, say, Zelda Williams would have received if she hadn’t said anything. She also went on to say, "My family has always been private about our time spent together. It was our way of keeping one thing that was ours, with a man we shared with an entire world," which makes me wonder if she only issued the public tweet/instagram because she felt obligated to in a way. 

 

Social media has really done a number on our expectations of privacy. It’s so messed up.

[walnutqueen]

Social media has really done a number on our expectations of privacy. It’s so messed up.

 

 

I don't participate, but I heard Zelda Williams closed her accounts after a couple of cretins sent her photoshopped pics of her dead dad. 

 

It makes me appreciate a safe place like PTV even more.

[ramble]

I never saw Jaws either but I used to really like Shark Week. After Megalodon last year & Submarine this year it just makes me sad. It used to be somewhat educational entertainment but now it's just crap. And they have that hideous Shark Week After Dark with the some hideous host & hideous structure that they tried on Naked After Dark.

I don't hate Doctor Who but I don't get the crazy appeal. I watch random episodes because my youngest loves it, but it's never my choice of shows.

I loved the new Battlestar Galactica but hated Starbuck. It wasn't that she was a women, although I have distant memories of the old version so that was odd, I simply hated the character. I found her rude, unlikable & overall unenjoyable. *whispering* (I didn't like President Roslin much either.)

Edited August 13, 2014 by ramble

[Enigma X]

 

I loved the new Battlestar Galactica but hated Starbuck. It wasn't that she was a women, although I have distant memories of the old version so that was odd, I simply hated the character. I found her rude, unlikable & overall unenjoyable. *whispering* (I didn't like President Roslin much either.)

 

Ditto on all this, except I just liked, not loved, the new BSG!

[kiddo82]

I don’t mind the outpouring of grief. What I do mind is how nowadays we question anyone who doesn’t issue a public statement about it right away, and act like it means that they don’t care.

Clearly, you have to post about all your feelings all the time or else they're not real. If it doesn't happen on twitter, it doesn't happen.

My UO is that at its best, My Name is Earl was every bit as good as the Office or 30 Rock.

[ganesh]

Earl was a good show. Earl's monologue when he was in jail about how he just wants to go eat wings with Randy and his friends made me cry. 

[Sweet Tee]

Speaking of BSG, my UO is that I like the old one much, much more than the reboot.  The old one was fun.  The reboot just got so boring.  I barely made it through a season and a half before the boredom proved too much for me.  I applaud it for genderbending some characters (new Starbuck was one of the very few things I did like about the reboot) but...why did they totally ignore the female characters from the original?  You make Starbuck and Boomer women, and yay for you, but where are Athena, Sheba, Cassie, or Serina? 

 

Also, I totally agree that Earl was just as good as The Office.  I loved that show.  I think it really lost itself in season 3 (I think?) with two back to back arcs that were wildly different from the norm of that show.  I liked the prison arc a lot but then they moved right into the coma arc, which I hated.  But, other than that, the show was funny and actually had a good message.

[Joe]

Speaking of BSG, my UO is that I like the old one much, much more than the reboot.  The old one was fun.  The reboot just got so boring.  I barely made it through a season and a half before the boredom proved too much for me.  I applaud it for genderbending some characters (new Starbuck was one of the very few things I did like about the reboot) but...why did they totally ignore the female characters from the original?  You make Starbuck and Boomer women, and yay for you, but where are Athena, Sheba, Cassie, or Serina?

Athena shows up later. One of the Boomers joins the Glactica crew, her callsign is Athena.

[Sweet Tee]

Yeah, I know one of the Boomer's has that callsign but that's not the same thing.  Athena was Adama's daughter and Apollo's sister.  I wanted that character around.  Giving the callsign to one of the Boomers was, at best, a cute little nod to the original.  It's not the same thing as rebooting the character like they did with Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, etc.

[Pickles Aplenty]

I liked My Name Is Earl, too, and I wonder why it doesn't get the same amount of praise The Office does.  In some ways, it was like a live action King of the Hill, but it had its own thing going on, too, and it was unique.  The performances were hilarious and touching.  Totally underrated show, IMO.

[Gudzilla]

Here's some of my uo's:

Alfie Allen is the best actor on GOT.

I liked Xander on BTVS

Scrubs had more realistic moments than most of the serious medical shows out there. 

On Warehouse 13 I never saw the Myka/HG chemistry.

The CGI on OUAT is not that bad.......... Ok I'm kidding about this one

 

Thanks to all the other don't like Mad Men people.

[Rick Kitchen]

 

My UO is that at its best, My Name is Earl was every bit as good as the Office or 30 Rock.

 

That might explain why I never had any interest in MNiE, I never cared about either of those other shows.

[ganesh]

Earl is way way different than those other shows though. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

Not only do I hate the much lauded Firefly, but I've developed a deep-seated loathing of Mal Reynolds. I never for a second believed he was a "sexy, romantic badass". I thought he was a mean-spirited, monosyllabic, bullying misogynist. While I wasn't wild about milquetoast Simon either, I never liked how Mal pushed him around (too bad Dorothy Gale wasn't there to smack Mal on the nose and scold him for picking on people weaker than he is), and his treatment of Inara was unforgivable. Calling her a "whore", invading her space, "Nice-guying" her at every turn… um, how romantic?

 

My idea of a sexy badass IN SPAAAAAAACE (sorry, couldn't help myself)? Marcus Cole from Babylon 5. Brave, wise, well-read (I'm a weakling for men who read for pleasure), idealistic but also pragmatic (remember his "life shouldn't be fair" speech?), and best of all? He knew how to treat a lady. He was unfailingly charming and good to Ivanova, even if she did resist his advances at first, and then there's That Episode… I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't watched the show, but I will say this much: Marcus could wipe the floor a dozen times over with a loser like Mal.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Wiendish Fitch

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Not only do I hate the much lauded Firefly, but I've developed a deep-seated loathing of Mal Reynolds. I never for a second believed he was a "sexy, romantic badass". I thought he was a mean-spirited, monosyllabic, bullying misogynist. While I wasn't wild about milquetoast Simon either, I never liked how Mal pushed him around (too bad Dorothy Gale wasn't there to smack Mal on the nose and scold him for picking on people weaker than he is), and his treatment of Inara was unforgivable. Calling her a "whore", invading her space, "Nice-guying" her at every turn… um, how romantic?

This is either a nitpick or a point of order, but Inara was a paid companion, and she frequently complained to Mal about him largely landing Serenity on planets where she couldn't ply her trade. I admit to having my own problems with Fillion, who I could barely look at for a while after Caleb gouged out Xander's eye, but compared to that Mal's 'tude with Inara bothers me less.

[aradia22]

I have probably seen less than five full episodes of Breaking Bad but I watched enough to know that I did not like Skylar. I'm tired of people saying that if you don't like her character it's because you sympathize too much with Walter as the protagonist or you're a misogynist or some other reason that goes to how bloody clever Vince Gilligan is. I didn't like her because she was written as an irritating character and played in an irritating way. I would have found her irritating if she existed in a rom-com or a sitcom. You can't write an irritating character and then try and pull the Psycho thing on me. 

 

Also, still not getting the Joss Whedon thing and I'm really not prepared to say he writes great female characters or that he should be a feminist spokesperson. I enjoyed Dr. Horrible. Penny is not a great, fully realized character. I watched Dollhouse. Yeah, let's not talk about that. I will get around to Buffy and Firefly eventually but at the moment... not impressed.

Edited August 15, 2014 by aradia22

[BellaLugosi]

 

I have probably seen less than five full episodes of Breaking Bad but I watched enough to know that I did not like Skylar. I'm tired of people saying that if you don't like her character it's because you sympathize too much with Walter as the protagonist or you're a misogynist or some other reason that goes to how bloody clever Vince Gilligan is. I didn't like her because she was written as an irritating character and played in an irritating way. I would have found her irritating if she existed in a rom-com or a sitcom. You can't write an irritating character and then try and pull the Psycho thing on me.

 

This!  I've always thought Vince Gilligan was a smart man, until I heard he was baffled as to why people didn't like Skyler.  Really? She's a snotty, joyless person.  She's nasty to everyone.  

[ganesh]

I didn't like her either. She was pushy, and then when Walter clued her in, she thought she was a sooper criminal. I didn't find her outrage when Hank died to be believable. What do you think was going to happen?