Thursday, February 24, 2005

It’s been a while since I’ve talked TV. So here’s a round-up of random thoughts I have on recently viewed television.

1. Alias - I’m getting a bit meh about this season. Bringing back Anna and Sark didn’t excite me as it may have others. New villians would be more interesting. Also the continued venomous animosity of Sydney for Sloan is wearing thin. Hate gets old.

2. LOST - still one of the best shows this season. I missed the first five minutes of last night’s episode, but I have it Season Passed on Tivo and just watched it. Those first minutes make the last five minutes even sadder than they were last night.

3. CSI - this is one of the freakiest shows, but I love it. ECD, not a TV viewer until I moved in, hadn’t seen it before. She’s seen parts of a few episodes and they’ve all been the ones with the freaks - vampires, swingers, grown men in diapers, etc. “I’m not sure I like this show,” she said after one episode. I had to reassure her that those are not the usual episodes. Every week I pray for the bus over the cliff type of episode so that she can see that it’s not all about the freakshow.

Meanwhile, my parents have jumped onto the CSI bandwagon and like the show despite the freak shows. We all agree that what we appreciate is that while they show the seedier side of our society, they always show that there’s a consequence to one’s actions. There aren’t many shows on TV with a moral at the end.

4. TAR7 - I really can’t believe that the next season of The Amazing Race starts next Tuesday. I’m not doing the game this season, nor am I playing. If you’re interested in a game, see here. I will take notes on all episodes and post my thoughts as I have done for the past couple of seasons - so tune in every Wednesday and be prepared to share your thoughts as well.

I’m also watching 24, American Idol, Survivor (and participating in a quiz game for that as well - after the first ep, I came in 6th overall, which was hilarious to me. I’ll drop quickly now), Celebrity Poker Showdown, and Cold Case on a regular basis. CPS gets Tivo’d in the wee hours of the morning and I’m behind on my viewing - I plan to catch up on that today while I work. That’s a show that I can passively “watch” while doing other things. I like to listen to the banter around the poker table.

LATER: Jay reminded me about House in the comments. House is on at the same time as TAR. Given that I was running a TAR game, House was relegated to the back burner. That said, I’ve been recording the season of House on my VCR and plan to start watching it sometime soon. I did see this week’s episode and a few earlier episodes and I like the show a lot.

LATERER: I also forgot to mention Numb3rs. I Tivo this one and usually watch it over the weekend. I like it. I know the math is sketchy - it’s TV math. It’s like TV spies and forensics.  I suspend my disbelief just enough to enjoy the show. I like the way the father and brothers are portrayed - deeply loving of one another.