Sunday, March 29, 2009

TwoCents Editorial - When Television Cliches Attack!

Kathryn - TwoCents Columnist

They say people like routine and predictability, but what is it with television shows and their consistently consistent routines? Tautology! This isn’t saying the same thing twice. This is saying, the same thing every single episode. While I may like the Number 47 bus to arrive at the same time each morning so I am not late for work I do like the odd surprise in my television viewing.

How come every highly well organized organization always locked The A-Team up in a big ‘ole shed complete with an oxyacetylene tank, a large supply of rocket fuel and bingo – before you can cue the dramatic music they have made their escape in some sort of modified jeep? I mean just how many oxyacetylene tanks are there in America? How come all they had to do on Star Trek was reverse the polarity of the neutron flow… hang on… that might have been Doctor Who? On Star Trek all they had to do was do ‘that thing’ to the warp shields. How come every evil super villain just sets James Bond up to die in an easily escapable situation, walks away and hopes everything will go to plan? How come in every Die Hard movie Bruce Willis invariably loses just about every single item of clothing?

Some of my pet peeves:

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2 comments:

  1. They say people like routine and predictability, but what is it with television shows and their consistently consistent routines? Tautology! This isn’t saying the same thing twice. This is saying, the same thing every single episode. While I may like the Number 47 bus to arrive at the same time each morning so I am not late for work I do like the odd surprise in my television viewing.

    How come every highly well organized organization always locked The A Team up in a big ‘ole shed complete with an oxyacetylene tank, a large supply of rocket fuel and bingo – before you can cue the dramatic music they have made their escape in some sort of modified jeep? I mean just how many oxyacetylene tanks are there in America? How come all they had to do on Startrek was reverse the polarity of the neutron flow… hang on… that might have been Doctor Who? On Startrek all they had to do was do ‘that thing’ to the warp shields. How come every evil super villain just sets James Bond up to die in an easily escapable situation, walks away and hopes everything will go to plan? How come in every Die Hard movie Bruce Willis invariably loses just about every single item of clothing?

    Some of my pet peeves:

    Medium

    That is one long suffering husband. Every week the poor guy gets woken up at three in the morning by Alison’s visions about horrible gruesome murders. You’d think he’d have suggested a divorce or maybe separate bedrooms by now. At least he could have got some weapons training to fend off all the psychotic weirdoes who invariably come after poor Alison with an axe.

    Murder She Wrote

    This is the grand Dame of television formula television. After the funky theme song you have our super sleuth/writer Jessica Fletcher being invited to a dinner party. Ten minutes in half the dinner party are slumped into their soup. Thirty two minutes in she has found the killer who isn’t in the mood for her pesky interfering and wants to rid the world of her mediocre novels once and for all. Fortunately her equally antiquated cop buddy comes in at the last moment and she is safe to wreak havoc and destruction next week. I’m not a five star listing in the TV guide, but even I worked out the formula after the 1000th episode.

    House

    People have actually timed it. The House ‘epiphany’ always happens around 38 minutes and 23 seconds into the episode. It’s always the same:

    House: Hey what are you eating?

    Wilson: Liver.

    House goes quiet and looks thoughtful: The liver, that’s it!

    Wilson: You’re going to run out of the room now aren’t you?

    And it’s never Lupus (except for the time it was).

    Whatever Country Idol

    How come Simon Cowell has to be in every single one? And why does he have to wear the same black T-Shirt every time?

    Or maybe he has an Inspector Gadget-like wardrobe of them? Now that’s a kinky thought? Simon's closet. Maybe one day he will come out of it!

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  2. Nice blog Dude. Do You like American TV Shows? Watch Men in Trees Episodes. This is a fantastic TV Show. Just see it once you will like this show.

    ReplyDelete

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