TV is love, TV is life.
Jun. 12th, 2015 05:39 pmTelevision meme taken from
sakuraberries:
01. Earliest show you remember getting into.
Well, if we're talking childhood shows, that would be most of Disney Channel (back in the early-mid 90s when the channel still used to have good and diverse programming) and then later Nickelodeon shows. If we're taking later with getting involved with fandom, then it was definitely Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was in junior high I saw a random episode during its third season and I was all in, and remained hooked until the end of the series.
02. First anime watched.
I've never gotten into anime.
03. A show you've been meaning to finish.
Quite a handful, really. I've fallen way behind on Falling Skies, it's ridiculous. I need to watch the last two seasons of Revenge, the second (and final) season of Helix. I started the first season of Shameless (US) but really need to finish that so I can watch the rest of the seasons.
04. 2 shows you abandoned.
Game of Thrones. I just can't with that show anymore for many reasons. It's just hugely disappointing since it started off really amazing, the first season was fantastic, but then it's just been gradually deteriorating in quality ever since. The show had much potential to become such a political high fantasy reminiscent of the books themselves, unfortunately it's gotten so boring and predictable (esp with violence/sexual violence against women for cheap shock value) that it's kind of insulting at this point, even by the standards for an adaptation. And secondly I dropped American Horror Story. The first season was basically the only season I really liked, the second season I couldn't get through, the third season started off great but ended kind of meh, and I didn't bother watching the fourth and have no plans on seeing the fifth or anything else beyond that.
05. A series you're currently watching.
Too much, honestly.
06. A show you're sad is over.
There are plenty of shows that I'm sad is over, but from current ending ones I'd have to say Parks and Recreation. It was a show that I had recently just gotten into earlier this year, which is sadly ironic since the show was going to end. But it was such a good show, genuinely funny, and while it did have a good run and end on a good note it's still sad that it's over.
07. Favorite series finale.
It's quite tricky when it comes to series finales because they can be that one thing that makes or breaks the show when it comes to tying everything together, for the enjoyment and satisfaction to the audience who have been with it for so long. And sometimes shows don't often get that chance on properly wrapping something up if they're prematurely cancelled or not given enough time to end their stories the way the creators felt was organic to what they were setting up for the long haul.
Going with that, my favorite series finales mostly go by how I personally felt about them and don't often correlate with how the majority feels at times. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was such an uplifting and empowering finale, I remember thinking about that one for a long time afterwards. Angel's finale was one that I didn't like at first (because the show was cancelled and it was unfair) until some time later and now it has become one of my favorites. Battlestar Galactica, which is an unpopular opinion, but I simply loved that finale. It just felt complete to me with the journey with the characters and the overall story, flaws and all. Obviously Parks and Recreation's finale was beautiful, even though it did kind of feel weird without the characters talking to the camera like they usually do. The Tudors was also done beautifully as well, most importantly because they featured the ghosts of Henry's wives during his last remaining days. I particularly enjoyed Anne appearing once more, and pretty much telling him off. That was quite satisfactory.
I'm probably forgetting so many others, but these are just a few standout ones for me, personally.
08. A series finale you would change.
How I Met Your Mother is always the first choice for aired series finales that should never have happened, ever. I wasn't even that invested with the show, but it still managed to piss me off. And the fact that it universally pissed off everyone, regardless whether they watched it or not, really spoke volumes on how the writers/creators monumentally fucked up. I have never seen such a collective amount of rage go completely widespread, and that rage was absolutely justified by the bullshit that finale was. Following that would be Gossip Girl. Now, the show was a massive trainwreck to begin with, but they literally pulled everything out from their ass in not just that series finale, but that final season as a whole. And then there's Warehouse 13, but we don't talk about that series finale or that final season. It doesn't exist.
09. Worst TV program you've ever seen.
The majority of reality programs, with the exception of a few.
10. A show that shouldn't have been cancelled.
FAR TOO MANY. Legend of the Seeker, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Helix, Ravenswood, Caprica, Dark Angel, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Tru Calling, Point Pleasant, Carnivale, Witchblade, Warehouse 13, Eureka, 17th Precinct (it never got a chance to air before it was cancelled, dammit), the list is pretty much endless with me. Most of my favorite shows were cancelled before their time, whether during their first season or when they should have had another season to properly wrap things up. Too many have been cut off before getting a chance to show their true potential, and just thinking of what could have been for the lot of these makes me so bitter and sad.
11. A show that needs to end.
Supernatural. It has already gone way beyond its expiration date twice over by now, and you can tell that they have long run out of ideas. Just put it out of its misery. Same to Bones and The Big Bang Theory.
12. Favorite cartoon.
Most of my childhood. My Little Pony, Gargoyles, DuckTales, Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, things like that. And then later during my preteen/teen years Daria and South Park.
13. Favorite reboot.
Battlestar Galactica, Nikita and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles are the three that I feel kind of set the bar when it comes to reboots. They took the concept of the originals and instead of doing an outright remake, they did a re-imagining of that universe, simply reinventing the mythos into their own canons. With BSG they took the basic concept of TOS but expanded more into the mythology and the stories they were going to be telling, going deeper into the characters that the original never did. Same with Nikita, same concept but having their own canon to follow by. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles also did this, but it remained true to the mythology of the Terminator franchise that you could honestly believe it was still apart of that timeline. They were just retelling certain events in their own way while paying respects and tribute to what has already been known from the movies. It's why most people say that T1, T2 and TSCC are the only Terminator canons they will accept.
14. A TV adaptation you'd like to see
I will always say that I feel like there needs to be a television adaptation of the Fearless series by Francine Pascal. One that works and that follows the events starting from the first book, and that doesn't follow the same television rules like so many other shows do, i.e. set it apart from teen-oriented shows or crime/mystery shows, but still be a mixture of the two. But I also feel like it has to be in the hands of someone who understands the characters, which more often than not doesn't always happen when it comes to adaptations.
Also, I've been thinking about this, since I've been displeased with the V.C. Andrews adaptations Lifetime has been doing. I think some of those series needs more of a television treatment. Because I view most of the earlier works like the Gothic literature it is, it should be filmed in such a way, similar to NBC's Hannibal. Think about that with the Dollanganger series (and it's why I prefer the 1980s movie that many seem to hate, because that atmosphere fits so perfectly with the dark tone and Gothic theme of the story itself).
And yeah, I've often thought about how Harry Potter would be as a television series as well. But more of an animated adaptation, that way there is no budget holding back for the possibilities needed to be shown. And it can be either a straight adaptation or something completely different from that world.
15. Saddest TV moment.
Goodness, where do I even start? I think when Steve died on Warehouse 13 really got me. I mean sure he was resurrected later, but that scene where they find his body was so emotional, especially Claudia's heart-wrenching cry. I just wasn't expecting that. I reacted similarly with Hale's death on Lost Girl. It literally came out of left field and just the emotional response from Kenzi caused me to cry. Several different moments from Buffy the Vampire Slayer have gotten me so good when it comes to the waterworks, like that is such an emotionally driven show that it's impossible to not cry at particular moments. Same with Battlestar Galactica.
(I cry easily, okay. I am an emotional person.)
16. Most satisfying TV moment.
I have to really think about this. There are so many satisfying moments from my various shows, it's hard to pick one specific scene. In general, I think it's mostly when characters who have been beaten down (physically or psychologically) finally stand up and say, "enough is enough." They find a certain level of strength and fight back. It can be both in the literal or figurative sense. Characters whose arcs finish in a satisfactory manner mean a lot to me, because you, as the viewer, are going through what they're going through and when there isn't something that pays off in the end it feels incomplete and kind of upsetting in a sense. So, yeah.
17. A character you identify with.
It's funny because there are always characters I identify with in most things I watch, either it's a certain aspect of their personality or of their situation. Like, for example, I always felt a connection with Faith Lehane (being an outsider, a loner, wanting acceptance and perhaps doing some kind of self-destructive behavior) and Dawn Summers (being the youngest, not knowing who I am), perhaps a little Hanna Marin (have certain insecurities), and a little of Alex Russo and April Ludgate (their lazy and blasé "I don't give a fuck" attitudes). Like, it's always been a combination of characters that I kind of identify with. Sometimes good qualities, sometimes bad. It all depends on who I feel like I connect with on that kind of level, and it varies tremendously.
18. A character that reminds you of your friend.
I...honestly don't know.
19. Favorite talk show.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I rarely watch talk shows, but these were the few that I genuinely found hilarious and enjoyed the content they churned out. Even though I know that Stephen and Craig have gotten other job opportunities after their shows ended, it's still disheartening that none of these shows, at least TDS and TLLS, won't ever be the same without their hosts. No disrespect to their newer ones, of course, but it's pretty big shoes to fill, particularly in regards to TDS.
20. Sports or nah.
Nah. Unless it's something like the Olympics, but even with that I'm quite selective.
21. A TV world you'd like to live in.
Probably Gilmore Girls, preferably in Stars Hollow. While I could do without the "everybody knows everybody else's business" aspect, it pretty much was the idealized small town. Complete with the wackiness that ensues which make everything a bit more entertaining and not boring, but still on the quiet side of things, it's pretty much an atmosphere I would like to live in. I would just need to find my own version of a Luke, minus the coffee.
01. Earliest show you remember getting into.
Well, if we're talking childhood shows, that would be most of Disney Channel (back in the early-mid 90s when the channel still used to have good and diverse programming) and then later Nickelodeon shows. If we're taking later with getting involved with fandom, then it was definitely Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was in junior high I saw a random episode during its third season and I was all in, and remained hooked until the end of the series.
02. First anime watched.
I've never gotten into anime.
03. A show you've been meaning to finish.
Quite a handful, really. I've fallen way behind on Falling Skies, it's ridiculous. I need to watch the last two seasons of Revenge, the second (and final) season of Helix. I started the first season of Shameless (US) but really need to finish that so I can watch the rest of the seasons.
04. 2 shows you abandoned.
Game of Thrones. I just can't with that show anymore for many reasons. It's just hugely disappointing since it started off really amazing, the first season was fantastic, but then it's just been gradually deteriorating in quality ever since. The show had much potential to become such a political high fantasy reminiscent of the books themselves, unfortunately it's gotten so boring and predictable (esp with violence/sexual violence against women for cheap shock value) that it's kind of insulting at this point, even by the standards for an adaptation. And secondly I dropped American Horror Story. The first season was basically the only season I really liked, the second season I couldn't get through, the third season started off great but ended kind of meh, and I didn't bother watching the fourth and have no plans on seeing the fifth or anything else beyond that.
05. A series you're currently watching.
Too much, honestly.
06. A show you're sad is over.
There are plenty of shows that I'm sad is over, but from current ending ones I'd have to say Parks and Recreation. It was a show that I had recently just gotten into earlier this year, which is sadly ironic since the show was going to end. But it was such a good show, genuinely funny, and while it did have a good run and end on a good note it's still sad that it's over.
07. Favorite series finale.
It's quite tricky when it comes to series finales because they can be that one thing that makes or breaks the show when it comes to tying everything together, for the enjoyment and satisfaction to the audience who have been with it for so long. And sometimes shows don't often get that chance on properly wrapping something up if they're prematurely cancelled or not given enough time to end their stories the way the creators felt was organic to what they were setting up for the long haul.
Going with that, my favorite series finales mostly go by how I personally felt about them and don't often correlate with how the majority feels at times. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was such an uplifting and empowering finale, I remember thinking about that one for a long time afterwards. Angel's finale was one that I didn't like at first (because the show was cancelled and it was unfair) until some time later and now it has become one of my favorites. Battlestar Galactica, which is an unpopular opinion, but I simply loved that finale. It just felt complete to me with the journey with the characters and the overall story, flaws and all. Obviously Parks and Recreation's finale was beautiful, even though it did kind of feel weird without the characters talking to the camera like they usually do. The Tudors was also done beautifully as well, most importantly because they featured the ghosts of Henry's wives during his last remaining days. I particularly enjoyed Anne appearing once more, and pretty much telling him off. That was quite satisfactory.
I'm probably forgetting so many others, but these are just a few standout ones for me, personally.
08. A series finale you would change.
How I Met Your Mother is always the first choice for aired series finales that should never have happened, ever. I wasn't even that invested with the show, but it still managed to piss me off. And the fact that it universally pissed off everyone, regardless whether they watched it or not, really spoke volumes on how the writers/creators monumentally fucked up. I have never seen such a collective amount of rage go completely widespread, and that rage was absolutely justified by the bullshit that finale was. Following that would be Gossip Girl. Now, the show was a massive trainwreck to begin with, but they literally pulled everything out from their ass in not just that series finale, but that final season as a whole. And then there's Warehouse 13, but we don't talk about that series finale or that final season. It doesn't exist.
09. Worst TV program you've ever seen.
The majority of reality programs, with the exception of a few.
10. A show that shouldn't have been cancelled.
FAR TOO MANY. Legend of the Seeker, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Helix, Ravenswood, Caprica, Dark Angel, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Tru Calling, Point Pleasant, Carnivale, Witchblade, Warehouse 13, Eureka, 17th Precinct (it never got a chance to air before it was cancelled, dammit), the list is pretty much endless with me. Most of my favorite shows were cancelled before their time, whether during their first season or when they should have had another season to properly wrap things up. Too many have been cut off before getting a chance to show their true potential, and just thinking of what could have been for the lot of these makes me so bitter and sad.
11. A show that needs to end.
Supernatural. It has already gone way beyond its expiration date twice over by now, and you can tell that they have long run out of ideas. Just put it out of its misery. Same to Bones and The Big Bang Theory.
12. Favorite cartoon.
Most of my childhood. My Little Pony, Gargoyles, DuckTales, Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, things like that. And then later during my preteen/teen years Daria and South Park.
13. Favorite reboot.
Battlestar Galactica, Nikita and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles are the three that I feel kind of set the bar when it comes to reboots. They took the concept of the originals and instead of doing an outright remake, they did a re-imagining of that universe, simply reinventing the mythos into their own canons. With BSG they took the basic concept of TOS but expanded more into the mythology and the stories they were going to be telling, going deeper into the characters that the original never did. Same with Nikita, same concept but having their own canon to follow by. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles also did this, but it remained true to the mythology of the Terminator franchise that you could honestly believe it was still apart of that timeline. They were just retelling certain events in their own way while paying respects and tribute to what has already been known from the movies. It's why most people say that T1, T2 and TSCC are the only Terminator canons they will accept.
14. A TV adaptation you'd like to see
I will always say that I feel like there needs to be a television adaptation of the Fearless series by Francine Pascal. One that works and that follows the events starting from the first book, and that doesn't follow the same television rules like so many other shows do, i.e. set it apart from teen-oriented shows or crime/mystery shows, but still be a mixture of the two. But I also feel like it has to be in the hands of someone who understands the characters, which more often than not doesn't always happen when it comes to adaptations.
Also, I've been thinking about this, since I've been displeased with the V.C. Andrews adaptations Lifetime has been doing. I think some of those series needs more of a television treatment. Because I view most of the earlier works like the Gothic literature it is, it should be filmed in such a way, similar to NBC's Hannibal. Think about that with the Dollanganger series (and it's why I prefer the 1980s movie that many seem to hate, because that atmosphere fits so perfectly with the dark tone and Gothic theme of the story itself).
And yeah, I've often thought about how Harry Potter would be as a television series as well. But more of an animated adaptation, that way there is no budget holding back for the possibilities needed to be shown. And it can be either a straight adaptation or something completely different from that world.
15. Saddest TV moment.
Goodness, where do I even start? I think when Steve died on Warehouse 13 really got me. I mean sure he was resurrected later, but that scene where they find his body was so emotional, especially Claudia's heart-wrenching cry. I just wasn't expecting that. I reacted similarly with Hale's death on Lost Girl. It literally came out of left field and just the emotional response from Kenzi caused me to cry. Several different moments from Buffy the Vampire Slayer have gotten me so good when it comes to the waterworks, like that is such an emotionally driven show that it's impossible to not cry at particular moments. Same with Battlestar Galactica.
(I cry easily, okay. I am an emotional person.)
16. Most satisfying TV moment.
I have to really think about this. There are so many satisfying moments from my various shows, it's hard to pick one specific scene. In general, I think it's mostly when characters who have been beaten down (physically or psychologically) finally stand up and say, "enough is enough." They find a certain level of strength and fight back. It can be both in the literal or figurative sense. Characters whose arcs finish in a satisfactory manner mean a lot to me, because you, as the viewer, are going through what they're going through and when there isn't something that pays off in the end it feels incomplete and kind of upsetting in a sense. So, yeah.
17. A character you identify with.
It's funny because there are always characters I identify with in most things I watch, either it's a certain aspect of their personality or of their situation. Like, for example, I always felt a connection with Faith Lehane (being an outsider, a loner, wanting acceptance and perhaps doing some kind of self-destructive behavior) and Dawn Summers (being the youngest, not knowing who I am), perhaps a little Hanna Marin (have certain insecurities), and a little of Alex Russo and April Ludgate (their lazy and blasé "I don't give a fuck" attitudes). Like, it's always been a combination of characters that I kind of identify with. Sometimes good qualities, sometimes bad. It all depends on who I feel like I connect with on that kind of level, and it varies tremendously.
18. A character that reminds you of your friend.
I...honestly don't know.
19. Favorite talk show.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I rarely watch talk shows, but these were the few that I genuinely found hilarious and enjoyed the content they churned out. Even though I know that Stephen and Craig have gotten other job opportunities after their shows ended, it's still disheartening that none of these shows, at least TDS and TLLS, won't ever be the same without their hosts. No disrespect to their newer ones, of course, but it's pretty big shoes to fill, particularly in regards to TDS.
20. Sports or nah.
Nah. Unless it's something like the Olympics, but even with that I'm quite selective.
21. A TV world you'd like to live in.
Probably Gilmore Girls, preferably in Stars Hollow. While I could do without the "everybody knows everybody else's business" aspect, it pretty much was the idealized small town. Complete with the wackiness that ensues which make everything a bit more entertaining and not boring, but still on the quiet side of things, it's pretty much an atmosphere I would like to live in. I would just need to find my own version of a Luke, minus the coffee.
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Date: 2015-06-13 02:00 am (UTC)...i may need to do this meme myself now!
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Date: 2015-06-13 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 03:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 03:55 am (UTC)I'm still sad thinking about what could have been on TSCC if it hadn't been cancelled, and that isn't the only show I miss, unfortunately.
With you on Game of Thrones. Such a waste when it started so brilliantly. I enjoyed more of AHS than you did, but I really didn't like the last one, and Coven did sort of fizzle out.
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Date: 2015-06-13 03:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 04:04 am (UTC)And I thought about Pawnee for that particular question, but then I realized the citizens there are too tiring and stressful to deal with. I mean, they're funny to watch on the show, but impossible to actually have to handle in real life. Stars Hollow is kind of an eccentric town, but not entirely aggressive as the citizens of Pawnee are. I mean, Taylor may get exhausting to deal with, but overall it seems like a nice little town with its own unique quirks, and the people are generally harmless. :)
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Date: 2015-06-13 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 04:46 am (UTC)The finale of TSCC was still rather good, but it left a huge open window with so much left to explore. They were clearly setting up for some more things, and just hearing some of those ideas it makes me even more bitter that it didn't get at least one more season.
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Date: 2015-06-13 12:06 pm (UTC)Oh man, Game of Thrones. I haven't watched it properly since season two (just a few episodes from season three and four). I kind of wanna catch up on it, but a lot of stuff I read about it makes me so unmotivated.
I might do this meme as well.
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Date: 2015-06-13 03:43 pm (UTC)Game of Thrones is one of those shows that showed real potential when it first started, but unfortunately had a gradual decline as the seasons continued. Just the creative decisions alone are pretty questionable. And the sad thing is the more you think about it, it's always been there from the beginning, it's just now they don't give a fuck.
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Date: 2015-06-13 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 05:58 pm (UTC)I also agree with what Maggie mentioned in an interview, that the show would've worked better on a different network, because while Nikita did have a good three and a half seasons, it was constantly being teetered on the possibility of being cancelled due to low ratings, and it wasn't nearly as promoted enough as their other shows were. Basically, the show deserved a better network, imho.
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Date: 2015-06-13 06:03 pm (UTC)I was happy enough with four seasons as the CW does have a tendency to stretch out their popular shows too much, so I think that Nikita got the better deal in that respect when it came to ending on a high note, but it was a shame not to get a proper fourth season. 6 episodes was ridiculous
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Date: 2015-06-13 07:06 pm (UTC)Thankfully, Nikita ended on a high note rather than the latter. I still would have liked it to have been longer, but nonetheless it got its good ending. :)
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Date: 2015-06-13 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-13 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-14 12:48 am (UTC)I literally balled over Hale's death. I didn't know it was coming. And Kensi broke my heart. I actually stopped watching Lost Girl with that episode.
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Date: 2015-06-14 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-16 05:06 am (UTC)ALSO YES PLZ TO BE KILLING SUPERNATURAL. That show should have died after Season 5. When they stopped the Apocalypse. THE APOCALYPSE. What else can those boys do?! The writers are grasping at straws now! Not to mention there are two big ideas that have gone down the drain in my mind: when we were first introduced to demons, we met the Seven Deadly Sins and I got so excited because I thought that was going to be a season-long thing. Nope, that was a one episode thing. That coulda been an entire arc if done right.
And this last season with the Steins. There could have been an entire season dedicated to chasing Frankenstein monsters. But nope they screwed that up too. JUST END THE SHOW ALREADY PLEASE (says the girl who is going to watch it religiously next season).
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Date: 2015-06-16 08:52 am (UTC)I thankfully stopped watching Supernatural years ago, and when you look at the show from an outside perspective it's really unbelievable it has lasted this long. It, too, is quite repetitive, from the earlier seasons to current. There literally has been no further development in any of the plots. It's just the same shit, different season. So many missed opportunities, including allowing the main characters to have friends outside of each other who don't, you know, die, especially women and minorities (which is a huge problem, the most recent outrage when Charlie died, a canonical lesbian, all because one of the producers thought her "time was up" on the show, just ugh.) Like all shows that has long outstayed their welcome, it just needs to end already. Sadly, though, the CW will continue milking the cash cow bone dry.
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Date: 2015-06-17 04:56 am (UTC)Supernatural for me has basically become like watching a trainwreck. You know it's gonna be bad. You know it's gonna be terrible, horrible, no good, you really should look away...
... and yet here I am, still watching this show because I have to see how it's gonna end -- assuming it ever does end.
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Date: 2015-06-17 05:17 am (UTC)Whoa, Bones is still on the air? It has to be in...what, it's 11th season by now?
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Date: 2015-06-17 05:43 am (UTC)Also, while they've admitted that at this point everything is a deviation (because they've basically caught up and gone beyond the books that have been released), they say that they will also be spoiling for future books. That is something I find highly questionable, and poor timing on everyone's part, including GRRM who gave the rights for such an adaptation to occur, knowing all too well that they would catch up eventually and why he still hasn't published The Winds of Winter yet.
The show is pretty much fanfiction at this point, which I find ironic.
Whoa, Bones is still on the air? It has to be in...what, it's 11th season by now?
Yeah, and from the sounds of things it doesn't look like it'll be ending anytime soon. Unfortunately.