Dosboy's Bits and Bytes

On the heels of What I'm Watching the other day, I'd just like to comment on a couple of shows.  Let's take Weeds.  Hands down, every episode delivers a punch, and every episode not only moves the plot forward, but literally propels the plot forward.  For a 30 (minus network shit; ~24 mins overall) minute show, this is phenomenal.

Then there's Terminator:  The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  Tonight's (well, maybe last night, depending on which timezone you're in) episode was awesome.  As was last week's.  Moving the plot forward.  This is what I look for in a TV show.  Now, here's the rub... Heroes Season 1 did this in the most imaginative way possible.  But season 2... well, it sucked.  There may have been a little bit of plot development each episode, but it was minor with a HUGE jump forward in the last episode (obviously due to the writer's strike, but that's not forgiveness).  Anyway, suffice it to say that Weeds left a great season ending cliffhanger, and TTSCC is doing a great job of making me want to watch the next episode.  Heroes did a great job of making me want to stop watching the show altogether.  And Show(case/time?)... there's no question that Weeds is the cream of the crop... or the fluffy white crystalized plant... of the crop, as the case may be.  So, to you networks that are providing quality... good job.  To the rest of you... Boo!  Boo I say!

Mostly this is just so that I can remember which shows to watch this season.  I know, I know... I'm in Thailand and I should be out there training or diving or swimming or boating or surfing or something else outdoorsy.  And it's not to say that I don't do those things (actually I haven't been diving or surfing yet, but we're into rainy season so I'm likely gonna have to wait until November for that anyway).  So for the next couple of months I'm holed up in my cave and need something to pass the time.  All of these shows I've been watching for a couple of years (at least) now, so really they've hooked me and I don't really have any free will left.  Also I like to be entertained.  So, without further adieu, my television viewing list, in order of preference.

1. Weeds - this season's almost over, but it still holds the #1 spot for me.
   
2. Entourage - Sex in the City for men.  Great show with absolutely no substance.  Pure entertainment.
3. Survivor - What can I say?  I'm an addict.
4. Eureka - Great underrated show, especially if you're a big geek like me.
5. The Office - Forgot about this one.  Definitely better than Smallville, but not as good as Eureka.
   
6. Smallville - I know, I'm not a 16 year old girl (the target market of the WB), but I've been following this show since the beginning and this looks like it's gonna be the last season, so I may as well see it out to the end.  Though apparently Lex Luthor didn't sign on this season (probably because he wanted to grow hair again), which means it may not be as good as it has been.  But we'll see.
7. Battlestar Galactica - Has its ups and downs (my god do I hate Starbuck, especially since she's supposed to be a he, and he's supposed to be the Faceman) but when it's good it's really good.
8. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Only one season old, but it was suprisingly good.  And it's got David Silver in it!
9. Knight Rider - I have no idea if this show is gonna be any good, but the movie/pilot was pretty decent so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
   
10. Lost - This would actually take the last spot if Heroes didn't suck so bad last season.  But since it's not starting the next season until Jan 09, I have to give it the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe.  We'll see how the first few episodes of Heroes does and whether or not I can bump it up in this list.
    
11. Heroes - Before last season this would have taken the top spot in this list (well, maybe #2 behind Weeds), but last season was like a slap in the face.  It ended on such a horrible, poorly thought out note that they need to do some serious recovery to even keep it in this list.

Now if only someone (you know who you are!) would set up my SlingBox.

...until someone gets all of the skin on their body sanded off with an electric sander.

My god I love Weeds.  It was a little slow there last season, but this season has been crazy, and it's back to the breathless cliffhanger at the end of each episode.  And next week is this season's finale, which I'm sure will leave a googol of things unresolved and I'll be chasing the dragon until next season.  If you watch it and you haven't seen last night's episode, I apologize for the spoiler.  If you don't watch it, do so.  Start at the beginning of season 1 and watch it straight through.  You won't be able to stop.

Stumbled across information today that the new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, has been leaked onto the 'net. Or at least 9 tracks anyway. Listening to it now, and I'm not really sure what to think. Guns N' Roses is now basically Axl, as all of the other Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion members have parted ways from the band. It sounds kinda raw, which could be because it's a leak and not official releases, but I mean raw in a more amateurish way. Axl's voice is unmistakable, and his range is still amazing. But so far I'm unimpressed with the actual musical quality. To me, GNR was Axl and Slash. The rest of them were gravy. But now it's just Axl. I haven't heard any sort of great instrumental action like Slash used to perform. So maybe I'm biased and can't get over the fact that this isn't the GNR that I grew up on. Or maybe it's just inferior. Either way I'm gonna listen to it a few more times and try to keep an open mind.

If anyone's interested in acquiring these tracks, just search some torrent sites.

Also interesting is that apparently Dr. Pepper is going to give everyone in America (except former guitarists Slash and Buckethead) a free soda if GNR releases Chinese Democracy anytime in 2008. - http://gunsnroses.us/news/article.php3?id_article=171

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UPDATE: Ok, I quite like There Was A Time, and The Blues is pretty good too. Still gonna give the album a few more listens to, but it does seem like it's got potential.

I figured out why I just don't like the previews/posters/pictures/trailers/whatever. The robot forms of the transformers remind me of Madame Trash Heap. Or that car commercial where the "robot" is running and all the crap keeps falling off of it until it's just a guy (I'd link but for the life of me I can't remember what the commercial is for - obviously it's very effective ;). I've been saying for awhile that they're overly complicated, but upon watching a trailer just now I realize it's more than that. It literally looks like there's orbiting trash flying around them when they transform. It isn't "an axle becomes a leg" or anything like that. It's more like a molecular (albeit large molecules) transformation. I equate it to the difference between Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron. No one liked Vehicle Voltron, but Lion Voltron was stupendous due to its simplicity. And because you could identify the individual components in its transformed state (in the case of Voltron - Lions; in the case of Autobots - bumpers, windshields and other car-like components).

Form feet and legs!
Form arms and body!
And I'll form the head!

I think I've said enough. I'm biased. And not expecting much.

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UPDATE: As mentioned by Gregg in the comments, the commercial with the crap falling off the guy is for Propel Fitness Water (select the "Stress Monster" one). And here I thought it was for a car of some sort. Like a Michael Bay Autobot - probably named Sanitation Prime.

Just a few minutes after I typed that last post Starbuck killed herself. All I could do was laugh and think that even she was bored to death with this season. Hell, she had to live it. I just have to watch it.

... is like watching porn. I just keep wanting to fast forward over the crap to get to the good parts. Too bad they're shorter and less frequent.

I finally finished this god forsaken show. It's over. Done. However I have some thoughts on it that will be made in a future post. I just can't deal with it now. Need to drink myself into a stupor first.

I feel like I've been violated.

One more effing episode to go! Then I'm done! And I never have to watch this god forsaken show ever again! Yee haw!

I can't wait for this damn show to end. One step forward, two steps back. No wonder it went off the air. I'm 3 episodes away from finishing the entire series, and I just want to power through them to say I'm done. I do not blame the actors at all, but the writers really suck ass. They should be court-martialed, or whatever it is they do in the Star Trek universe. Maybe shoot them with a phase pistol. Or a photon torpedo. Or... hell, whatever. Just glad it's done soon. I feel like a masochist, getting through every episode of this show in a couple of weeks time.

In another episode the engineer gets captured and is held in a cargo hold of an alien ship. All kinds of alien tech (though lowish) and hardware lying around. He uses his technical know-how to jettison an escape pod off the ship and does some other crap.

Now, think what the A-Team would've done in that situation. They would've built some sorta space-tank and driven it down the corridors of their captor's ship. Or rigged the escape pod with a potato cannon or something. Anyway, here's what I think their ship would look like as they flew through outer space, looking for wrongs to right.

I understand that the Enterprise is on a peaceful mission of exploration, but I'm watching an episode where they're trying to avoid contamination of a pre-warp culture, and in doing so Scott Bakula and British Guy are almost killed. Hot Vulcan stages a rescue operation and they get into a shootout. So, we're talking a shootout between WWII-era weapons and PHASE PISTOLS! And yet the Enterprise crew are all just wearing their cotton jumpsuits. For the love of god, are there no bullet proof vests in the 23rd century?