Tag Archive: Media


I want to know how this wiring works between father and son.

Since having “A” I have discovered that I am an absolute pawn to media over small children.

Commercials with them make me contemplate the product. Movies with them make me defensive.

And don’t get me started about Mufasa’s death scene in “Lion King”

Recently, I’ve been watching “The Guild” – this is the program that effectively inspired “Dr. Horrible” to be made.

The basic plot is a series of “Insert your favourite WoW like game” addicts trying to interact with the real world.

The irony is not without merit, but it was really hard for me to enjoy this over time due to a need for suspending not only disbelief but also resigning some core issues that have developed as a parent.

I suppose it just goes too far into the realm of “Look how disfunctional online game addiction can make you.”

To be honest I absolutely resent two of the characters, have no pity for the rest, and can not even laugh at the jokes about children. I don’t know if I can make it through more episodes after numbers 6 and 7.

Don’t get me wrong. I salute them for the work done on this guerilla project. It’s amazing and a great step for independent-made-for-internet entertainment. I’m just personally not entertained.

I used to have a very macabre sense of humour. Verging on warped, twisted, and actually broken in 3 places likely needing a permanent pin.

But each episode just makes me more an more uncomfortable.

What happened to my sense of humour?

In 1983 my grandparents remembered World War II although none of them had been directly touched by it. I suppose I was lucky not to have relatives that were in Germany or the surrounding countries at that time.

You may find it odd for me to be discussing WWII in conjunction with such a random year.

1983 was muchly a year like any other with highs, lows, attractions, news, entertainment.

Annie closed on Broadway, Maragaret Thatcher wins the Prime Ministry of England by a landslide, Sally Ride becomes the first woman into space. Guion Bluford becomes the first African-America in space. The Nintendo was introduced. IBM made a personal computer. And the first version of Microsoft Word is released. (Hello eventual employment.) Regan proclaims that starting the following year, MLK day will be a national holiday. The UN states that the Soviet Union needs to stop occupying Afghanistan. “Thriller” is broadcast for the first time.

Yes, Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie was arrested and charged with war crimes. But that’s really minor.

“Flashdance” and “Return of the Jedi” are box office smashes.

But nowhere on the 1983 calendar is a simple Television Miniseries.

The show was simply called, “V” (And for you younger whipper snappers out there) this one didn’t directly involve Guy Fawkes.)

The basic plot to V is that one day aliens come to earth from a dying world. They need resources from Earth and will trade scientific advancement for the assistance. But soon the visiting aliens start establishing youth support groups and releasing information how scientists are covertly undermining their efforts. Scientists are asked to register with government agencies. Friends are told to report suspicious neighbors that have scientists in the families. People are ostracized, beaten, and shunned… merely for affiliation.

If it’s not obvious by now. “V” was a retelling of the growth of the third reich and how it allowed Germany to be subsumed in ethnocentrism while turning a blind eye to racial genocide.

“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”
Pastor Martin Niemoller

“V” is a strong reminder about what I believe is true science fiction. Using the fantastic and implausible to show the human story at its most realistic. Joss Whedon likened the werewolf character of Oz to the ferocity of male pubescence pointing out that even the quietest and most cerebral boy could have an uncontrollable and ferocious side that makes him very cautious and afraid to interact.

So, here I sit a quarter of a century later. Only 2 months off from the original broadcast date. The styles are dated. The hero looks like a Mark Hammil knockoff. The effects… not as bad as I thought they’d be… not as scary as I remember them as a 15 year old. But I remember the awkward 15 year old in the show who was a grandson of a holocaust survivor dotingly going off to join the youth group. I remember the concern at watching people pick sides in the atrocities. I remember families turning against each other.

Twenty-Five years later, “V” stands the test of time to be a story to remind us of how easily we can be blinded by media, culture, and especially peer pressure through inactivity. It shows the determination of the human spirit on a quest for truth. It poignantly begins with a simple black slate with white writing dedicating itself to the freedom fighters of our past.

“V” (The original series) definitely warrants a re-watching or for some of you a first watch. It’s is moving, stunningly acted, and most importantly a piece of history that no matter how told… should never be forgotten.

NGGGGAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

For those that care…

… I’ve now seen “Turn Left”

Wow.

PSA: No Spoiler Zone

I have enabled a new personal filter called: antiDoctor

This filter is everything in my subscription list except

I realize the 4th series has completed in UK. I realize that most of my Stateside friends have downloaded it and watched it.

The family is watching it on Fridays as it airs on the Sci-Fi channel. (You can’t get captioning on YouTube or less-than-legal downloads)

So, please do me the honour of not spilling the beans to me until the show has run its course on Sci-Fi.

Actually, it’s been made clear to me that I must truly suffer. The finale runs on Friday August 1. I will be out of town that weekend and will not be able to see the episode until I return late on the 4th.

So, if you see me that weekend… Don’t ask. I’ll be stewing in my own Gallifreyan blood.

Thank you for your understanding.