a rare television post

[lagilman]

Tuesday nights are turning into Destination TV for me -- the first time since Buffy was in her prime. First, with NCIS (so very much the silly pretty) and of course our beloved House.

I might survive without my food porn and homeowner smut (aka Food Network and BHG), but not CBS or Fox. And you have no idea how it pains me to say that.


Anyway. Last night's NCIS had a very nice twist to it -- the guy you thought was the bad guy wasn't... but was actually even worse in many ways than the bad guy. And the way they dealt with him, in that last scene, made me love Jethro even more. And the Jethro love is high, already, trust me. And Abby continues to rock my world. If I had a little sister, I'd want her to be Abby. Just so I could mock her with love. And I've already mentioned the Jethro-love, right?

(NCIS, for those not playing along at home, is CIS on a Navy base. Similar, only not. They are a lot more macho, for one thing. Even the guys. *grin* And Jethro, boss of the merry band, is Mark Harmon, who is one of those cute boys who grew up to be a sexy-but-not-pretty guy, which is a total weakness of mine, ayuh. And he's smart. Street, and otherwise. God, how I hate any-kind-of-dumb.)

And then there was House. How many ways can I love House? Not for the plot of itself (which was very good, especially in the relationship between the preacher-boy and his father) but for the way the plot, and the dialogue, is used to open up and showcase not just the main character, but all of them in turn. This is a television show as envisioned by a novelist, for readers, and it's probably no surprise to anyone who knows her that (IMGDO) the show's only gotten better since a certain Doris Egan joined the team. Also, some of the lines last night ("How come he gets a name?" "Seniority." and "if you talk to god, you're religious. If god talks to you, you're psychotic.") were simply, simply perfect, in placement, timing and inflection. Kudos to the entire team.

And there is much House-love, yes, although of a compeltely different sort than the Jethro-love. I want to beat House with his cane until he bleeds, then hang out with him. Jethro, I want to work for.


And, that out of my system, back to work...

In retrospect, it was probably a good thing he had decided to put off clipping his nails until another, even more boring evening. Otherwise, when the naked human female appeared in his living area, he might have lost a toe. And even for demon, toes were tough to regrow.

Comments

[going-not-gone.livejournal.com]

I want to beat House with his cane until he bleeds, then hang out with him.

Amazing. You have just summarized my entire reaction to this show.

[hoosier-red.livejournal.com]

When it finally comes time for HOUSE to end, I think he and Wilson should run off together and open a little clinic somewhere in Vermont where they can bicker at each other to their hearts' content.

[logrusboy.livejournal.com]

They do make such a cute couple...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I want to keep liking House, I really do. But despite the pull of the characters and the awesomeness that is Hugh Laurie, I've gotten fed up by the rigid plot structure. My favorite episode remains the one where he's teaching a class because it is the only one that doesn't follow the same narrow, revelation-by-the-clock pattern.

[lagilman]

Hm. This one, I thought, bypassed those structures pretty well, myself. The cause was determined swiftly (relatively) and the secondary infection, as it were, was more a howdunnit than anything else... she was actually not dying, rather than playing beat-the-clock.

But I admit to being distracted by the God vs. House chalkboard.

[moschus.livejournal.com]

Agree with you about House on every level -- one of my favorite characters to ever hit TV -- but...but...survive without Food Network???????

Surely you jest????


::shudders and runs off::

[lagilman]

I admit to having Good Eats withdrawal symptoms...

(however, I'm cooking a lot again, so there's something to be said for making your own fun...)

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

I agree completely re NCIS and House. But I top off the evening with Boston Legal. I thought I wouldn't like any show featuring William Shatner, but my gawd, the man actually can act. And I love the self-referential jokes they manage to slip in at least once an episode. Like last night's, when Alan is talking to a young and pretty co-counsel and his secretary pulls him out of the meeting to tell him that she doesn't want him to work with the woman because he's supposed to be kissing her (the secretary) and "she's just a guest star." (This exchange was much longer and funnier and unfortunately I can't reproduce it in toto. You'd have to have been watching, I guess.)

It gives jibber-jabber a whole new meaning....

[bentleywg.livejournal.com]

And I love the self-referential jokes they manage to slip in at least once an episode

There was one where Denny flipped open his cellphone and they had the communicator sound effect. Except no one in the room said anything or reacted in any way--they just continued the conversation as if there had been no sound. It was just there, in another reality. Odd, yet delightful. (Oh, and Denny ended up not using the phone after all. He just flipped it open, checked something, closed it.)

[zinelady.livejournal.com]

There was one where Denny flipped open his cellphone and they had the communicator sound effect.

And the episode where Denny and Alan are in bed in a cabin at a fishing lodge in Canada, and Alan is reading an article about Clingons (parasites that harm farm bred salmon) and tells Denny about it. Denny gets this weird look on his face and says "Did you say Klingons?" LOL

[delkytlar.livejournal.com]

Also, when his short-term wife (Bev?) tells him at their wedding that she's looking at property in Hawaii. He says "What do you want me to do? Beam myself to Boston every day?"

[jupitertulips.livejournal.com]

I don't watch much TV. My husband goes out Tuesday nights, putting me on parent duty instead of writing duty. I've developed the same House-love and Jethro-love as you. Let me tell ya, come Sunday, I'm hankering for my NCIS and House fix.

The only other TV I watch is Little People, Big World with the family on Saturdays.

[raiining.livejournal.com]

:: claws at the outside world ::

Hi, my name is Ty. (nods to everyone). I've been without Food Network for almost a year now (pauses for the sporatic applause). I'm ... I'm doing okay. Better now, than I was. I still have the occaisional need to shout "Quissant?" at inopportune moments, and yes, I still dream of the day I too may have lackey's in big hats obeying my every command, but ... but I'm getting better.

Thankfully, I've never gotten hooked on House. My roommate watches it, and swears the writers are attending our medical school, because every second week the plot seems to follow what we're actually learning this year. Mind you, that was last section, during infectious disease. I understand the show does quite a lot of infectious disease cases?

It's a good show, but I confess the endless-sameness of the plot bothers me too, though I was strangely fine with CSI in all its Las-Vegas-and-Grissom-glory. And, maybe I haven't watched enough new episodes, but the acting annoyed me too (and this is coming from a girl who has watched endless repeates of Babylon Five - I think I just expect more from a non-sci fi show).

I can't stand Grey's Anatomy though. :: ducks the tomatoes :: Its to much ... drama! And I keep finding myself shouting medical obsenities at the screen .. which I've heard was a problem for CSI fans who worked in real laboratories, a friend of mine could hardly get through an episode without a diatribe on what Gregg was doing wrong (>.<)

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

I blame my wife.
I was perfectly happy just getting my Prison Break fix. Then she had to go and get me watching other TV during primetime. I confess to enjoying NCIS, at least what I've seen of it. And I've really come to look forward to House. Good stuff. Good stuff indeed.

[delkytlar.livejournal.com]

My stupid VCR glitched on NCIS this week. When I went to watch NCIS last night after Lost, the blank tape I'd inserted for the taping was still blank.

NCIS is definitely one of two shows that I get very upset over missing (Lost being the other).