The Last Lost Word (for now)

It's been about two months since the Lost finale aired, two long months in between blogging. I'm not sure what you call that except maybe, bad blogging. Even though Lost has been over for awhile, I can't let it end without commenting one last time. It was such a big part of my tv life and I'm sad it's gone. Its noticeable absence from San Diego Comic Con was one of the first signs that it really is over.

So, what about that finale? As an episode of television it was great; as a series finale, one that resonates, redeems characters, and retains some mystery it was brilliant; as the final word, that last chance for fans to understand the mythology that is Lost, well, on that point, I gotta say, it sucked.

That is in fact my main issue with the finale, and to a greater extent the last season: it just didn't connect the dots very well. Darlton spent five years weaving mystery with character, making us care both about the who and the why of the show. This was done at a consistently good level, and sometimes a great one. "The Constant", many fans favourite episode (including me) is a fabulous example of both. So why then does the last season feel so disconnected from the other five? Why did we meet so many new characters (Drogen, Zoe, Lennon) to have them not really mean anything, whilst barely revisiting Eloise Hawking and Penny? I refrained from complaining about too much during the season, because I had faith the writers would tie it together. But I don't really think they did.

Darlton have said, rightly so, that Lost was their story and they must write it true to their vision. But, I think it's slightly disingenuous to spend five years building a mythology and having incredible attention to detail, to then say it's just about the characters. Still it's hard to not think they realise there were mis-steps when we learn that more 'answers' (such as on Walt, who save for one of Locke's flashes, was not mentioned in the finale) are coming on the DVD. And, I simply wish that those answers would have come through the show.

Anyway, I put that part first because while I needed to say it, I don't want that to be my last word. Because when I let go of that, what I see is a genuinely good episode that made me cry and made me proud to have been a fan since day 1. The emotional payoff for spending six seasons with these characters was amazing. The last 15 minutes to me were some of the best Lost has to offer. From Locke and Ben's final exchange, to Jack being the last holdout, they stayed true to the characters, whilst also showing their growth over the five season. Jack finding his Dad, and seeing all (well most all) our original crew back was great nostalgia. In fact, the best trick of Season Six was making me care about Jack, and by the time his eyes closed (in a perfect framing device), with Vincent at his side once again, I was genuinely moved.

The legacy of Lost will live on, both through websites like Lostpedia, but also as a standard for main stream sci-fi that can appeal to the masses (or at least more than most sci-fi shows). There won't ever be another show like Lost, but hopefully more shows will aspire to be like Lost--and that can only be a good thing for tv fans.

In the end...

Well tonight (or tomorrow morning for those of us across the pond) is it: the end of Lost. The end of polar bears and time travel (on the same island), and an end to a particular-type of WTF moments. For me personally, so much has changed in the 5.5 years since lost debuted in 2004, it is amazing to think that I went from De Soto, MO to Leavenworth, KS, to Kingston, Jamaica, and London, England. From Cingular, to Saint Mary, to Big Brothers Big Sisters, to UTech & Roehampton, Starbucks, and the National Union of Students. Wow. Lost has truly been my 'constant' for a whole lot of change and jumping around the world (and even and island or two). It's the one show that I never miss, that I have to see as soon as I can. I'm probably more than just a little unreasonably sad about it ending, but when a show has been with you for all that change, when it's helped me make new friends, and when I've spent some great evenings watching it with old ones, it's sad to see it go.

I have high hopes for the finale, that in the end it will be fantastic and fun and yes, I really hope we'll get some answers (they really need to mention Walt). I know they can't possibly answer everything I want, but if it's done well, that's okay. So, instead of focussing on what they better show me, I just want to briefly reflect on what they already have, in my favorite epsiodes.

1) Walkabout--I've mentioned in on the blog before, but the episode where we learn that John Locke was a wheelchair user before they crashed on the island, was the first big moment of Lost for me. It also showed us a powerful and confident Locke on the island, my first favorite character. It was this episode that the flashback device was really used well, and brought suspense.

2) Flashes Before Your Eyes--My current favourite character is Desmond, something that started in this episode. He gets drunk with Charlie and Hurley and tells them what happened when he turned the key and the hatch imploded. It was our first taste of time travel, we met Eloise Hawking for the first time, and we get a hint of the growing importance of Desmond.

3) Greatest Hits--I loved the Desmond and Charlie interactions, and how hard Desmond fought to save Charlie's life. When Charlie finally comes to the realisation that his time is over, he is given once last episode. This one uses the flashback device to show what Charlie considers his 'Greatest Hits.' They are: learning to swim, saving a woman's life (who happened to be Sayid's Nadia), hearing "She's all everybody' for the first time on the radio, getting, his brother giving him a family ring, and meeting Claire. It was a sweet and poignant good-bye, and although Charlie didn't die until the season finale a few episodes later (remember, Not Penny's Boat), it was the perfect ending to a loved character.

4) The Constant--This is my all time favourite episode, and if you have noticed a theme, you will now: this is the one where Desmond keeps switching consciousnesses between the present and the past. If he doesn't find someone to be his 'constant,' someone to anchor him to a reality, he will die. Well, he realises that Penny must be his constant, and the ending where he calls her (like he told her he would) is one of the sweetest endings endings to an episode ever.

So that's it. All that's left is to watch and enjoy and say good bye!

I'm still "Lost" and loving it

After the most recent Lost outing, the final season of the show about an island, is down to seven episodes. We are at the beginning of the very end my friends, and in about 6 weeks we'll have to say good-bye to one of the most interesting, spooky, suspenseful, and confusing shows ever.

As we push forward to the end, let's take a step back to see where we are. Instead of flashbacks or flashforwards, we are in some sort of 'sideways world' (as coined by Doc Jensen), a sort of altera-universe where Flight 815 didn't crash, but made it all the way to L.A. Our characters are still intrinsically linked in our sideways world--while each episode focuses on one character, there are several interactions between each other. I guess these people just belong together.

Back on the island, the final showdown is brewing between Jacob and the Man in Black, aka Smokey, aka Fake-Locke or FLocke. About half our characters of Team Jacob right now (Jack, Sun, Hurley, Lapidus, Miles, Ben) aided by Ilana and Richard Alpert, the other half Team FLocke (Sayid, Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Sayid, Jin) along with Cindy the flight attendant and those kids that were kidnapped from the Tailies way back when.

So far, in the altera-timeline have learned Richard's backstory (his true love died while he was accidentally killing a mean doctor in the 1800s, was a slave on the Black Rock that crashed on the island, freed by Smokey, and chose immortality since his first two options of being with his wife and saving his soul from hell were off the table); learned that Jack has a son in sideways world (but, conspicuously did NOT see the mother of said child); Kate helped Claire and Aaron when Claire went into early labour; Locke was with Helen, and accepted that some things he just can't do; Ben was a teacher who helped Alex; Sayid was NOT with Nadia ;Sawyer is a cop and Miles his is partner; Jin and Sun weren't married, but together; and Keamy works for Sun's Dad who was trying to kill both Jin and Sayid's brother. We've also seen Charlie, his brother, Daniel Farraday, Charlotte, Boone, Mikael so far.

On the island, Jin and Sun STILL aren't together, Claire wants to kill Kate (encouraged by FLocke), some of characters are 'candidates' to take over the protection of the island, Hurley still sees dead people, FLocke killed a bunch of people in the Temple, there have been many meta-conversations between characters about being in hell and some skeletons in a cave, and Charles Widmore is on Hydra Island (polar bear cage sex could be just around the corner) and Desmond finally made his reappearance.

Confused? Me too. I've just written four paragraphs of what is surely to be gibberish to anyone not watching Lost, and totally incomplete for those that do watch it. It is not often that this far into a show, there is still so much mystery and confusion. After all the point of the final season is to explain not confuse. This my friends, is what makes Lost the ultimate test of faith in television. Not to be too dramatic, but who amongst us isn't just a little afraid that there are too many questions and too little time? Those of us that were burned with Alias's Rimbaldi reveal (I'm still pissed that it was all about eternal life) know all too well how a bad ending can make you wince.

Yet, to me, the reason Lost is still working, the reason I'm not worrying, is more than simple trust in Darlton (which I do) is the characters. I relish the relationships of certain characters that occur in both worlds. Miles and Sawyer, Claire and Kate, Desmond and Charlie. I hope that Hurley gets his peace, that Jin/Sun, and Desmond/Penny, and Sawyer/Juliet (sorry it's all boy/girl couples--we need to take that up with Darlton) get their chance at happily ever after, that somehow Sayid gets redemption and Locke learns his worth. I don't really care about Jack and Kate, unless Kate and Claire end up both raising Aaron. I know all of this might not happen, but I hope some of it happens. That's why I watch, and I suspect why you do too.

I'm sure there will be at least one more post about Lost as it winds up, so until then Happy Watching.

Lost: The Final Season

Lost kicks off its sixth and final season tonight in the United States, and Friday in the United Kingdom, when I will be watching. And yes, it is going to be nearly impossible for me to wait that long, and I will have to stay far away from the internets in order to avoid being spoiled. Because, man, I don't want to be within 100 feet of a spoiler. I ready to enjoy watching the dominoes fall, and the connections made as I watch the answers to about a billion mysteries come. Or not come, as I suspect.

Lost has been a show that I've been a fan of since Day 1. Actually, I was a fan before it ever premiered. They had me at 'from the maker of Alias,' and they kept me through mystery and intrigue. Even in its weaker seasons, the mystery kept me coming for more. I do love the characters (well some of them) and I certainly care what happens to them, but there were times when we had to sit through episodes on characters I didn't really care about. (Hello, Shannon). And then of course, there were those characters I liked, who's departure from the show (for whatever on- or off-set reasons) disappointed and frustrated me. (I'm looking at you Mr Eko). But there was always the mystery and always the sci-fi, and generally good writing, so there you go. A hat tip to Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for that. [Also, I'm such a big dork I knew those names without having to look them up. At all.]

Before we enjoy the last season, I thought I'd call attention to ten of of my favorite moments. Interestingly, Lost is not a show I've watched over and over like some others, so these moments are the ones that truly stand out. I remember the main points, but some of the finer ones may have been lost. (he he) (As an aside, I have some theories on why I haven't watched them multiple times, the main one being that, for me, it's the reveal that makes Lost, so once you've seen the reveal it's not as much fun. ) Anyway, without further fanfare here are my 10 favorite moments, in no particular order:

1) 'The Pilot': This episode did what all pilots should--introduced enough characters, gave us some intrigue, gave us some WTF moments (a monster? a polar bear) all with pretty good dialogue and writing.

2) The end of the Pilot part 2: The first truly bone chilling moment for me was when we hear the French distress signal playing over and over, and learn it's been that way for 16 years. We've come a long way from the moment, but it showed us definitely that this island and this show, was different.

3) 'Walkabout': The first John Locke episode (and John Locke is my favorite character, and yes he best get his redemption) and arguably one of the best episodes ever. Learning that Locke had been in a wheelchair until arriving on the island was a spectacular twist, and showed us Locke was special. It also gives some reason for his 'Man of Faith' attitude. And do we know how he caught that boar yet?

4) The character growth of Jin: I'm not sure if there were original plans for Sun and Michael to get together, but once the writers gave Jin more dimensions than just 'mean guy who treats his wife bad' it as easy to see why Sun stuck around. Showing the same story from each of their perspective in Season 1 helped show us why Jin was the way he was. And when he apologised to Sun for not being a good husband in Season 4, you really did believe he meant it. His was a journey worth watching.

5) Desmond: If Locke is my favorite character, Desmond is 1.5 on my list (brotha). We first see the Scottish lad in a Jack flashback in Season 2 when we have no idea how integral he will become. He says he'll see Jack in another life, and boy was he right. Two of my favorite episodes, 'Flashes Before Your Eyes' and 'The Constant', are Desmond episodes. They also happen to be bookends on the Penny/Desmond arc, taking us through their journey of love, separation, and reconciliation.

6)' The Other 48 Days': Or, where we meet the Tailies. We finally see what happened to the tail section of the plane, learn who was on the other end of Boone's radio, and figure out Rose's husband is a white guy. Of course we also meet Ana-Lucia and Mr Eko, lost some kids, and Cindy, the flight attendant. And certainly don't forget, this is where Shannon gets shot. Which made me mad only in that it made all the time spent with Boone and Shannon fairly pointless.

7) 'Greatest Hits': I had a love/hate relationship with Charlie. I loved him, then hated him in that period where all he did was whine, but then kind of loved him again in the end. The final Charlie-centred episode, where he recalls his five greatest moments, was a beautiful swan song. And even though he didn't actually die until the next episode, we all knew it was coming. Seeing his moments and his good-bye to Claire, was the perfect way for him to go out on top.

8) Locke sees Jacob: Another of the truly terrifying moments was in that cabin when Locke sees Jacob for the first time. Or was it Jacob? Well, I guess we don't know about that, but it added a new level to the mythology, and I loved it.

9) Time Travelling: I love sci-fi. Duh. And there's nothing more sci-fi than time travelling. So last season was particularly fun for me when they were bouncing around time. I don't always understand it (so, Locke gave Richard the watch, which Richard gave to young Locke, who then gave it back, or something like that, and anyway, where did the damn watch come from), but I always like it.

10) They mysteries come and gone: Who are the Others (and the other Others)? What's in the hatch? Who stole Walt? Who was on the Boone's radio? Why is there a polar bear on the island? Why do the Others steal children? Who are Paulo and Nikki? Those are just a few that have had their day in the sun. It's seems so funny now that we speculated for an entire summer about what was in the hatch, but at the time who knew it was Desmond? As we gear up for the last season of debate and mysteries it's fun to go back and think about all we already do know.

There are many more moments that could make that list (a big Honorable Mention to the end of Season 3 when we figure out Jack is in the future-that was a near perfect season finale), but I have to stop somewhere.

I'll be rep-visiting Lost often throughout this season, so for now, enjoy the 'LA X, Parts 1 & 2'!

The Next Lost?: Flash Forward

The latest show to catch my eye is the new American drama, from ABC (shown on FIVE in the UK) Flash Forward. The basics of the story are that everyone on the planet blacks out for 2 mintues and some odd seconds at the same time, and during this time most (not quite all, or so we have been led to believe at this point) people saw flashes of some future event roughly six months in the future. Everything is in chaos when they wake up, as you'd suspect and people are wondering what now? Why did this happen? Can those that saw great futures ensure they happen, and can those that had not so great futures stop them? Flash Forward has all the elements that generally catch my eye in a tv show: an intriguing and mysterious hook with a seemingly sci-fi twist, attractive actors, great cinematography, and decent writing. Plus, the very famous Jett Jackson, of course. The questions is: haven't I seen this all before?

Perhaps it is precisely because I love these kind of shows that it is getting harder to for me to feel like I am seeing something new. Don't get me wrong, I think the pilot was pretty strong and the acting pretty good. All those British actors (three by my count) pretty much nailed their American accents, and I'll take Joseph Fiennes (Ralph's younger brother) any day. But much of the pilot felt familiar. From the opening scene focusing on a man's face, to a seemingly random but endlessly repeated number (the amount of time people were under), to the use of flashes, I felt the show was trying a little to hard to be the next Lost. Add a hobbit in the mix, and it's practically the same show.

Obviously, I am exaggerating. In fact, I can't fault the show for using flashes as it is the underlying premise for the show, a premise that from the second I heard about it I knew I wanted to watch . And better it try and emulate Lost than something of a lesser quality, like According to Jim. Even with its familiarity, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable experience. One of the major critiques that I had was that the audience is supposed to buy that in six months, not only is the relationship of the two main characters going to fail, but that she is going to let another man move into the house. (I'm not using the character names yet as I haven't seen enough episodes to remember them. So to me they are: Shakespeare and Penny are going to separate, and Penny is going to let Steve move in. Don't worry, as the series moves on, that will change.) But, I'm willing to give the show time to explain that better.

I suspect one of the biggest questions surrounding the show will be its sustainability of the pilot and premise. How will they keep the story moving but not get is six months in the future too quickly? (Are they going to emulate Lost once more in making a whole season be just a few weeks?) Can they keep up the mystery and suspense ? Do the writers and producers have a plan? I've been burned so many times by tv shows, that at this point I'm just going to go with the flow. That didn't work so well for Alias. It's worked out so far with Lost, and since Flash Forward so desperately wants to be Lost, then I'll trust there is a direction, at least for now.

I don't want to be too harsh on Flash Forward, as I really did enjoy the pilot. I suspect that within a few episodes there will be more differences between Flash Forward and Lost than there are similarities. And, if the similarities are good writing, good acting, and a great mystery, all with a helping of sci-fi, then I know I will be a Flash Forward fan for the long haul.

I'm back!

After a very long break I am back! I apologise for being gone for so long. The short explanation as to why I've been gone is that I was spending nearly all of my free time applying to jobs, and after spending hours writing applications I just didn't have any thoughts in my brain. Also, I wasn't really watching much television, which is a problem for a blog about TV. As for why I have now emerged the easy answer is: I found a job in London. So, while I be working a full-time schedule, my free time is now mine again. Finally.

I have so much TV to catch up on, and my goal is to be caught up by the time the Fall Season starts in the US. This is probably too ambitious, but my goals generally are. (Remember that one where I was going to blog more often?) Anyway, here is my list of shows to catch up on (I will also take any suggestions if one of your favorites is not on the list):

Fringe
Chuck
Dollhouse
30 Rock
The Office
Ashes to Ashes
Mad Men
Scrubs
True Blood
How I Met Your Mother

Watching these will of course depend much on how easily I can access them, as well as how much time I ultimately have. I love television, but I won't spend ALL of my free time watching it. At least, it won't be healthy for me to do that.

The two shows I have been able to watch are Lost (I've seen the whole season) and Battlestar Galactica (just three more episodes in the series to go for me. I think I haven't finished them as I don't want it to actually be over). So, I will be writing some thoughts on those, most likely making me the slowest blogger on television in the land. I have some other posts in the works as well, and I hope to do my part in making this an actual working blog.

Thanks for your patience.

BSG is here! Lost is almost here!

The last season of Battlestar Galactica got underway yesterday in the States, and while I haven't seen it yet, I hope to soon. I just need to find it (in ways we aren't going to speak of), and then we'll chat.  Lost starts up next week for its penultimate season, and let's just say, I CAN NOT WAIT.  I have already purchased my Season's Pass on iTunes (thanks in large part to a gift card someone gave me), and am ready for the shows to begin downloading. Let's hope iTunes is better at it this year, than they were last season.  

I love both of these shows for their suspense, their quest for answers, and let's face it, for their sci-fi-ness.  I haven't opined a great deal about these two shows, other than that I love them.  I'm going rectify that (hopefully) each week as I see the new episodes, and try and explain what it is that is great about them.  Maybe I can even get some of you who won't watch BSG because you think that people in space is just where you have to draw your sci-fi line, to change your mind.

I'm also looking forward to the new Joss Whedon show, Dollhouse, and seeing if it lives up to Buffy, Firefly, and Angel. 

A lot more to come as the real tv season for me heats up!

Better Late Than Never: Sara's Best of 2008...

I’m a little late to the “Best of 2008” game, but I decided to go ahead and join in on the fun. I picked my Top 5 TV shows/moments this year, and while admittedly, I did not get to watch as much television as would have liked to, I think it’s a pretty good list. So, for what it is worth, here they are:

1) Lost
I have always been a big supporter of Lost, never missing an episode. I watched this entire season via iTunes, which was sometimes frustrating as I waited for each new episode to become available. This was the season that Lost showed its true sci-fi feathers (and I for one couldn’t be more happy), picked up the story telling pace, gave us a few answers and more mystery, got Penny and Desmond back together, and generally got its groove back. All those that left came crawling back, and those of us that stayed go to be smug about staying. He he. I can’t wait for the new season, and I suspect it will be one of the things that will get me through the dreary London winter.

2) Summer Heights High
My most recent post tells you why I love it, and it ranks as my best find of 2008. It also is my first non-American or English show to fall in love with, and is indicative of what I get see while in England. Hopefully this will lead to some exciting new posts.

3) The calling of California, Washington, and Hawaii for Barack Obama on the BBC, and the subsequent election coverage…
On a cold November morning, at 4 am GMT, thousands of miles away from my country, and in the quiet of my living room, I watched history being made. The BBC had a countdown, the calling of the win, and then just showed the jubilation, sans commentary for a few minutes. It was the best way to cover it since the election itself had all the pieces to a good drama, with suspense, a history making aspect, and most of all great dialogue. I was glued to the television that night through Obama’s speech, and after some sleep, all the next day. I can say it is a television moment (and a life moment) I will never forget.

4) Battlestar Galactica
While not its best year, it still delivers better than most. With great acting, generally great storytelling, and the weight of a penultimate season, it, like Lost, has me biting my nails to see what’s next. This leads me to ask of you, once again, please rent the DVDs from previous seasons, realize what a great show this is, and give it the send off it deserves.

5) Comparing the two Life on Mars
I tried not to do it, but do it I did. As a major fan of the BBC’s Life on Mars, I just couldn’t help comparing the American version to the original. Once I realized I was going to compare, I embraced it, and went all out. It was fun to be in the know on many storylines, to wonder about the differences in the two shows and why they were made, argue with myself on the merits of John Simm v. Jason O’Mara, or more importantly Philip Glenister v. Harvey Keitel, and to wonder just how different the ending will be.

A television related highlight for me, that didn’t occur on TV, was being a featured blogger on TV Guide.com. Unfortunately, TV Guide.com has ended that community, but it was fun while it lasted! It was for my post, originally published here, about how hard it is to watch tv legally. I was going to link to it, but it seems to have disappeared. In fact I see there are a lot of changes at that website, and I'm not sure I like it. But, that's another whole post!

I should also give Ashes to Ashes, Lost in Austen, The Bill, Fringe, and SNL’s election coverage aHonorable Mentions, for entertaining me greatly this past year.

I also cannot let the new year pass without some Two Girls in Love, with TV resolutions. The first being: BLOG MORE OFTEN. The rest are a little more nuanced, and start with watching Mad Men, catching up with 30 Rock, discovering new British shows, and oh did I mention, BLOG MORE OFTEN.

I am also really going to work to increase the readership of the blog, so if you read please comment and send your friends on over here. I promise there will be posts on a more regular basis.

I will see you all soon. Happy New Year!

To Love TV From Afar...

Of all the complaints I may or may not have about the United States, one thing is for sure: we make great television.  From writing, acting, execution, location, down to the general look we have definitely set the standard of TV.  Don't misunderstand (or is that 'misunderestimate?') me.  I like television from other countries, BBC America for one, has shown some of the best of British TV (Life on Mars, Dr. Who, Coupling, etc).  I certainly don't like American TV at the expense of other TV...I am an equal opportunity television watcher.  

But, what's difficult, is trying to watch that great, well-made American television when you are in a foreign land, without actually owning a TV. Yes, my friends,  a (new) television blogger without a TV.  I swear it is not because I'm one of those people (you know the kind) who say, "I don't watch TV" or "I have no need for a television."  No, it is because I am a poor graduate student living in London, who can't afford that TV.

So, I've been forced to be creative in how I watch television--and it generally involves watching it on my 13" Mac computer.  I was able to watch all of Lost, for example, thanks to iTunes.  I downloaded each episode as soon as it was available (which was never as fast as I liked). Unfortunately, that has been the exception to my general experience here.  I would be more than happy to watch episodes streaming from network websites like NBC, ABC, etc, but those are, sadly unavailable to customers outside of the US. Oh, what about Hulu you say?  Again, I'm still waiting for Hulu to allow people outside of the United States use it. But, it looks cool.  [I can't even watch clips posted on other websites from Hulu!] I would have also gladly paid to get my Battlestar Galactica fix on iTunes this season. But, thanks to Universal/NBC yanking all their shows from iTunes, I couldn't do that.  I even tried Amazon Unbox, but what do you know?  You not only have to have a PC (which I could have worked around as annoying as it is), but you guessed it: you have to be in the United States.

My point being: I have explored all the known legal ways to watch these shows, outside of watching them on a regular television. And, since at this point I can not only not afford a television here in Britain, but I can't afford the cable it would require to watch American-network TV imported, I have had to resort to the more "gray area" of streaming video. Honestly, I don't know all the copyright rules, if they are valid in different countries, or if what I am doing is actually shady; frankly I'd rather not know--I figure if it works it's fine, and if it's not fine, it will stop working.  

This route is frustrating. Often times links are dead, or don't load, or only work on this browser or that browser.  I just think it is kind of weird that someone who wants to watch TV , has tried to do it in an up and up legal fashion, and is even willing to (sometimes) pay has to even worry if he or she might be in a legal gray area.  There seems like there must be a happy medium between honoring the right to sell a product, having things be a bit more available. At least one would think there could be. [And the studios claimed they make no money from the internet when the were fighting with the Writers Guild.] 

On the plus side I now have access to the BBC iPlayer, so I get to watch lots of new television that has been previously not only unavailable but unknown to me. So, um, don't be surprised if I blog about a lot of British TV.   

Despite all the troubles I have managed to watch a fair number of the shows I love; not all of them, but I am trying to catch up.  I do wish there was a way for me to do it right, so to speak, but I'll just have to make due.  So,  don't worry come fall I'll be watching and commenting on all the great TV.  (Just don't ask me how i watched it.) 

About Sara

Sara has loved TV as long as she can remember. From early morning viewings of Romper Room and The Muppet Show she was hooked on the 'idiot box'. As a kid she audio-tape recorded shows (no VCR for her family in the 80s) like Bewitched and Little House on the Prairie and then, listened to them over and over, much to the bemusement and dismay of her family. Thankfully, her tastes have gotten much better over the years (though she still loves Bewitched and Little House), but some things never change. She has been known to watch episodes of Sports Night and Arrested Development over and over, much to the bemusement and dismay of her family (and friends!). Her current favorite show on TV right now is Lost, followed closely by Battlestar Galactica (which is the best show you're not watching because you're afraid of sci-fi), and generally thinks her taste in television is not only excellent, but always right. Except when it's, um, you know, not.

Sara also blogs at http://issarainteresting.blogspot.com/