I do one of these diaries every so often, but I had to after
3 great shows had overt & subtle political tones. I also wondered if anyone had some good recomendations for the rest of us.
Here's the list of my VCR's taping habits...
- "The West Wing"
- "Desperate Housewives"
- "Grey's Anatomy"
- "Prison Break"
- "House M.D."
- "Boston Legal"
- "Scrubs"
- "Lost"
- "The O.C."
HBO's
"Entourage" will be back soon, and FX's
"The Shield" is over until next January. Although, I do have my reality show
guilty pleasures.
"American Idol", "America's Next Top Model", and I'm finding A&E's
"God or the Girl" fascinating. However, 3 series stand out to me...
Warning: Spoilers Lurk Below
24
President Logan: How dare you stand there & judge me. You have no idea. Until you sit in my chair, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Secretary Heller: Your chair is not a throne Charles.
President Logan: I'm protecting the interests of our country.
Secretary Heller: You mean oil?
President Logan: Yes. YES!!! This country needs energy more than you or anybody in this gridlocked government cares to admit. We'll see how you judge me when the cost of oil goes up over $100 a barrel & the people who put me in office can't afford to heat their homes or run their cars.
Secretary Heller: And you think that justifies the blood on your hands?
Who could they have been referencing? The best
"Power Hour" on television marches on, with Jack Bauer having his only evidence taken away & his girlfriend's artery slashed. Gregory Itzin's
"President Charles Logan" has become a weird mix of Bush, Cheney, and Nixon. The ultimate theme throughout the five seasons of the show has been
utility. Is it
"ok" to allow some to perish or suffer so more can live. The show is really based around Spock's quote in
Star Trek that
"the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few or the one." This season seems to be about the limits of that, with President Logan & Christopher Henderson
(Peter Weller) being a dark mirror of President Palmer & Jack Bauer.
Where Jack Bauer & President Palmer would make sacrifices to "protect" people, Henderson & Logan are willing to kill people in the name of American interest. Henderson believes he's a patriot because he's serving & protecting the person who holds the office & institution of the Presidency, where Jack Bauer is a patriot only to the "Dream" & those who serve it. You can see the dichotomy in the other choice quote from yesterday's episode...
Christopher Henderson: I'm protecting something much more important than Charles Logan.
Jack Bauer: What?
Christopher Henderson: The integrity of our government.
Jack Bauer: Our government has no integrity, not when someone like Charles Logan occupies the Presidency.
Major Spoiler In Invisotext: Rumors & spoilers have Audrey dying before the season is over. The actress, Kim Raver, has a new series starting in the fall.
The Sopranos
Doctor Melfi: You personally, how do you feel about homosexuality?
Tony Soprano: I find it disgusting. Men kissing men. Holding hands in the street. Every fucking TV show now, they rub your nose in it. Although that... the
lesbian thing with Jennifer Beals. It's not bad. Is she a dyke in real life?
(Doctor Melfi Shrugs)
Tony Soprano: I don't give too much of a shit what people do behind closed doors if they're consenting adults. Although don't forget, I'm a strict Catholic. I agree with that
Senator Sanatorium. He says if we let this stuff go too far, pretty soon we'll be fucking dogs.
The Sopranos has been pretty political this season. They had the episode where they went after "Intelligent Design", they talked about homosexuality in last sunday's episode, and detention of arab suspects. The big storylines this season has been Vito the gay gangster, and Tony's attempt to be a better man. Vito was discovered in a gay bar in New York dressed up like one of the
Village People (the biker to be exact). This leads to Vito going on the run to New Hampshire, while Tony & his guys try to figure out the truth & what to do about it.
Doctor Melfi points out the hypocrisy of Tony & his crew's disgust at Vito's sexual orientation, but will then do some of the same shit while in prison. Tony states that guys get a "pass" since there's no women in prison, and guys are there for 5-10 years. Tony however is conflicted about the whole situation. In trying to be a better person after his shooting, he doesn't want to kill him. However, the other guys want it because of how Vito reflects on them.
The other storyline that was interesting & somewhat related to this was Meadow Soprano's feeling about injustice toward Arab-Americans. She comes home after being an intern at a law center to tell her family about an Afghani family whose son has been detained without charges. Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) says they must have done something wrong. When Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) says this about George W. Bush's policies & fear, Carmela responds by saying she voted for Bush. However, this scene is contrasted with a scene at the end of the episode where Meadow's boyfriend Finn has to tell Tony & his guys about catching Vito giving a blow job to a security guard. When Meadow starts talking about the injustice in the world, Finn responds about how she tolerates injustice in her own family. Finn asks her about what she thinks will happen to Vito, making Meadow in some ways just like her mother. Both Carmela & Meadow are willing to tolerate injustice inside their own home, while both seek ways to find absolution. Carmela with her Catholicism, and Meadow with the law.
Major Spoiler In Invisotext: Before last sunday's episode, Aint It Cool News had Vito coming back & savagely raping Finn in last sunday or this week's episode.
Doctor Who
The Doctor: They're never going to come. Your race is dead. You all burned. All of you. 10 million ships on fire. The entire Dalek race wiped out in one second.
Dalek: You Lie.
The Doctor: I watched it happen. I made it happen.
Dalek: You de-stroyed us?
The Doctor: I had no choice.
Dalek: And what of the Time Lords?
The Doctor: Dead. They burned with you. The end of the last Great Time War. Everyone lost.
Dalek: As the cow-ard survived.
The Doctor: (mocking the Dalek) Oh & I got your little signal. Help me. Poor little thing. But there's no one else coming, because there's no one else left.
Dalek: I am alone in the universe?
The Doctor: Yep.
Dalek: So are you. We are the same.
The Doctor: We're not the same! I'm not... No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right. Yeah ok. You've got a point, because I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve. EXTERMINATE.
I was never a big
Doctor Who fan but this show is growing on me, and I found the last episode to be really really good. The show has a "
Buffy The Vampire Slayer" feel about it. Some people even saw political overtones. The episode before this one had an alien race called the Slaveen taking control of the British government, and asking for control of nuclear weapons because of an alien threats "45 second" ability to attack London. This is a sly attack on the British government's claim that Sadaam could attack London within 45 minutes of orders. Some have seen Guantanamo Bay in last friday's
Dalek episode. The Dalek is unquestionably an evil being bent on doing evil thing, but it is being held at an American facility underground being tortured.
If you want an answer to the classic question of how does a Dalek deal with stairs, click here. For those who've already watched the first season after bittorrenting it, here is a preview of Season 2 which is beginning over in the UK.
Major Spoiler For Season One In Invisotext: Contrary to the Doctor's assertion, the Daleks are very much alive & will be back in force before the season ends.