Genre television has undergone a resurgence in popularity this year. Network executives are frantically searching for a formula that will give them a ratings success on par with Lost. I’ve checked out a few of these contender and my impressions are less than favorable. Surface is generic and a little too cutesy. Invasion has potential, but I might be collecting Social Security by the time the plot gets to wherever it’s trying to go. I never even bothered with Threshold or Night Stalker. What makes Lost so good (and what these other programs lack) is its deft character development. Once you take away the back stories of each character, all you’re left with is a rehashing of Gilligan’s Island.
Good genre television puts character first and uses the standards of the genre (whether it’s spaceships, vampires, or monsters) as tools for exploring the light and dark aspects of those characters. Yet this concept seems to elude the creators of most of these shows, who think it’s sufficient to slap some new computer-generated effects on stories that were already stale ten or twenty years ago.
Over the weekend, one of my nurses persuaded me to elaborate on my usual holiday decorating (which typically consists of one string of lights). I have these paper snowflakes affixed to each of the windows in my living room. At first, I was worried they would look a little…well…girly. But I kind of like how they capture and reflect the light.
