An Embarrassment of Riches....or not.

[shapinglight]

You know how there's never anything on telly, and when there is it clashes with something else? That's happening to me on Sundays and it's really, really annoying. Okay, so you can get around to watching everything eventually thanks to iPlayer, but did the BBC really have to schedule the new series of Upstairs, Downstairs against Being Human and a program about Ben Fogle possibly being eaten by a Nile crocodile?

Mind you, I didn't get through all the Upstairs, Downstairs pilot last year, and even the bit I did watch was mostly for Art Malik pretending to be a Sikh, so I don't know why I even mention it. Okay, Being Human vs Ben Fogle as crocodile bait - not so hard a choice, except that Channel 4 are showing the pilot episode of Homeland, also at the same time. Grrr!

I meant to ask you all about Homeland, in fact. The TV books/newspapers over here have been talking it up big time. Barack Obama's favourite show etc, etc. So is it really that good, or is it just going to annoy me by confirming the beard+turban=terrorist stereotype (which can lead to lots of bad places, for which read this, and yes it happens this side of the Pond too)?

Speaking of Being Human, brief spoilers behind cut for ep 2



I didn't like ep 2 as much as ep 1. Too much angst, of which I am really sick. I do quite like Hal the OCD vampire, though, and also the vampire with the focus group. But the time paradox stuff is doing my head in. Surely, if Hal in the present kills baby Eve, future Eve will never exist and her ghost will poof out of existence. Why is she trying to make him kill the baby? :is confused:

Comments

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

So is it really that good, or is it just going to annoy me by confirming the beard+turban=terrorist stereotype (which can lead to lots of bad places, for which read this, and yes it happens this side of the Pond too)?

It's really that good, and it does do a lot to subvert that stereotype (even if it's not completely free of it, which makes sense since it's ostensibly about US vs Al-Qaeda).

[shapinglight]

Nice to know. I think I'll give it a go, then. I do like Claire Danes.

[missus-grace.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, and yes. Homeland is absolutely one of the best shows I've seen recently. I love Damien Lewis and Clare Danes totally rocks her role.

And the stereotype is not blatant, but very organic to the story.

DO WATCH IT!

[shapinglight]

I will. I'm getting quite excited about it, in fact.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

Have you got any +1 channels? I find I can record 3 or even 4 simultaneous programmes by recording two of them an hour later. Unfortunately, I haven't perfected getting round to watching them yet...

The time shift was doing my head in in episode 1, so it sounds like I'll really be confused by episode 2!

[shapinglight]

I don't bother recording stuff any more because I know I'll never get around to watching it. But thanks for reminding me about the +1 options. I'd forgotten. Being Human and Homeland all in one night is very doable that way.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Homeland is incredibly good. The turban stereotype is there but they subvert it often enough that it does not get too bad. Plus they manage to humanize basically everybody into conflict.

It's a great show and the actors are wonderful. After this I am a complete Claire Danes fan, but really everyone on this show is brilliant.

I watched it always with a friend of mine who is usually bored out of his mind by CIA drama (as am I) and we both loved it too pieces.

[shapinglight]

The turban stereotype is there but they subvert it often enough that it does not get too bad. Plus they manage to humanize basically everybody into conflict

That's sounds not too bad. I'm definitely going to give it a go. Also, I've liked Claire Danes in everything I've seen her in so far. Have you ever watched Stage Beauty?

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

I'm going to dissent and say that I don't think "Homeland" lived up to all the hype. It's OK, but the main character does something that is completely illegal and unethical in the very first episode and doesn't seem to have any qualms at all about it and the plot relies heavily on coincidences and standard spy cliches. Based on the hype I was expecting something like John LeCarre's spy stories or "The Wire" set in the intelligence world, and instead it relied on the same tired storytelling devices that every other semi-believable spy thing does. The acting was really good, which did help somewhat, but it was hard to take myself out of the "that would never, never happen."

I think if I'd realized from the get-go what kind of a show it was, I would have enjoyed it a lot more than I did, but I went expecting something much more realistic than I got and so I kept being taken out of the story by that.

[shapinglight]

Thanks for the warning. I'll take that under advisement. I do have a lot of qualms about it going in, but I shall at least watch the first few episodes.