tv catch-up

I did that "who do you write like" meme, and apparently I write like Chuck Palahniuk. Tried it twice, same result. Um, okay.

I could still use a beta for the Amy & Bad Wolf fic. Which I don't think is particularly Palahniuk-y, but what do I know.

I have fallen drastically behind in the TV meme. Not that anyone cares, but still. Catch-up time!


Day 24 - Best quote

There are so, so many. I love catchy quotes. And there's no way to logically narrow it down -- Whedon or Sorkin? Who could possibly choose? -- so I'll go with a perennial favorite:

"Please explain to me the scientific nature of the whammy." -Dana Scully, X-Files


Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)

I've seen the first two episodes each of M*A*S*H and White Collar, respectively. At some point I will actually sit down and work my way through them. (I have the first three seasons of M*A*S*H on DVD, I really don't know why I keep putting off watching them when I've really enjoyed what little I've seen.)


Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale

In the good way, I'll assume. The first time a season finale ever made me go all OH HOLY SHIT YOU ARE SO NOT LEAVING ME LIKE THIS ALL SUMMER was the end of X-Files season 4, "Gethsemane". Now THAT was a whammy of an ending. Scully telling a panel of FBI investigators that Mulder committed suicide that morning. WHAT. I was like twelve. Waiting through that summer was NOT fun.

Runner-up would be West Wing S1 ("What Kind of Day Has It Been?"). Now that I think of it, those both follow the classic Dallas cliffhanger model (who shot J.R.?), though with some variation. And both X-Files and West Wing tended toward fantastic cliffhanger season finales, just about every season.


Day 27 - Best pilot episode

Most shows don't start well. Most good shows aren't particularly great until halfway through the first season, at least. But there seems to be a running theme through this post, because again, I'm going to go with a tie between X-Files and West Wing. The X-Files pilot was a bit cheesy, but it did a fantastic job of introducing us to the characters, format, style, and themes of the show as a whole. "Nobody down here but the FBI's Most Unwanted!"

Likewise the West Wing. It's a bit more madcap -- well, there are a LOT of characters to introduce -- but it's a pretty brilliant introduction to the show:

C.J.: Is there anything I can say other than "The President rode his bicycle into a tree?"
Leo: He hopes never to do it again.
C.J.: Seriously, they're laughing pretty hard.
Leo: He rode his bicycle into a tree, C.J. What do you want me to – "The president, while riding a bicycle on his vacation in Jackson Hole, came to a sudden arboreal stop." What do you want from me?
C.J.: A little love, Leo.

And I'll leave the rest for another day.