"Smallville" as Brain Candy

Sometimes, I like to watch movies that I categorize as “brain candy.” When I go to these movies, I don’t expect to be challenged or surprised, and I don’t expect to develop any sort of huge attachment to the characters. I just go along for the ride and have a good time. Occasionally, these movies do impress me, but that’s always a bonus when it comes along rather than an expectation.

On television, my “brain candy” is Smallville, and as candy goes, it’s surprisingly good stuff. It doesn’t have the complex human drama of Battlestar Galactica, the detailed character development or the intricate mysteries of LOST, the joie de vivre and heart of Doctor Who, the brilliant plot twists and intelligent characterizations of Veronica Mars (and, to a lesser extent these days, Alias), or the extreme character devotion that I feel for Stargate SG-1. But what Smallville does, it does very well.

There’s no pretense about the show being more than it is: a friendly homage to some of the best-known source material in American pop culture. It’s near-impossible to find someone who hasn’t heard of Superman. Smallville sets itself in the pre-superhero years, but we know who Clark Kent will become, the writers know that we know, and we know that the writers know that we know. With everyone already on the same page, Smallville can revel in being what it is: brain candy for all of us card-carrying geeks, and it does so with gusto. Clark Kent unknowingly self-references himself each and every week, and the other characters follow suit, eliciting giggles from all of us “in the know.” From Clark’s red- and blue-dominated wardrobe to the constant hints about his future, we gladly snicker along, and somehow, the joke doesn’t get old.

The most fascinating characters in the show are those in the Luthor clan: Lex and his father Lionel. With the show now in its fifth season, we’ve watched Lex slowly turn from Clark’s Good Buddy with tons of money and a blatantly evil father to Corporate Near-Megalomaniac who is well on his way to supervillain-hood. Throughout the show’s run, even in the early years when it took itself a bit too seriously, the development of Lex Luthor has always been a great reason to watch Smallville.

But two recent episode prompted me to publicly celebrate this little genre show: "Aqua," in which Aquaman shows up in Smallville as a swim team star/surfer-type dude from the University of Miami, complete with his orange and green outfits (deservedly mocked in the episode) and a sly reference to the future Justice League of America, and "Thirst," a Halloween vampire episode in which Clark’s love interest Lana Lang slays Buffy the Vampire (really!) and a lovely moment in which Professor Milton Fine, a recurring character played by James Marsters – best known as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – states, “There’s no such thing as vampires.” The vampires are cured thanks to LuthorCorp’s Project 1138, which becomes a bigger joke to George Lucas fans by the presence of Carrie Fisher in the episode as the new Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief.

These examples demonstrate exactly what makes Smallville so enjoyable: it caters to geeks of all sorts, welcoming us openly. It makes us feel good about our obsessions by tipping its cap to us each week. Smallville knows that we’ve got the basic Superman mythology wired into our brains, and it knows that our interests branch out into other sub-genres, so it capitalizes on this knowledge. To keep the stories going year after year, they regularly stretch the limits of plausible believability – even in this comic book-inspired world – blaming almost every superhuman mutation (including, as in this past week, vampirism) on Kryptonite meteorites, but it’s easy to not care about the absurdities. We go along on the X-Files-like investigations of “meteor freaks” and other Strange Smallville Phenomena (with proto-Lois character Chloe – cousin to the Lois character on the show – as the resident Mulder) knowing that, whatever it is, Clark will stop it. Because he’s super that way.

I’m not saying that the show is sub-standard otherwise; quite honestly, after watching the Smallville and Alias season premieres (the two shows air simultaneously), I had to admit that the Smallville premiere (a homage to Superman 2) was more engaging. Considering that Alias killed off a main character in their premiere, that says a lot... about both shows (in defense of Alias, that show has improved significantly since the initial two episodes of the season). Smallville is neither great nor bad, but it is good fun, and sometimes, good geeky fun is enough for me. Bring on the brain candy.

Originally published at DarkWorlds.

Battlestar Galactica - "Scattered" Review

The reimagined Battlestar Galactica returned for a much longer second season on the Sci-Fi Channel last Friday. Despite its disappointing (but unsurprising) lack of Emmy nominations, this is one of the best shows on television, and it's good to have it back.

The season begins right where the first season left off, and I mean to the instant. Adama is still bleeding from the gunshot wounds, Lee is handcuffed on the bridge for his choice to support Roslin, the President is still in jail, Baltar is still in vision mode with Six, stranded on Kobol with Tyrol, Callie, and the rest of that gang, and Starbuck is back on Caprica with Helo and his Sharon. No emotional levels have changed and no progress has been made. We're diving straight back in, folks.

The center of the episode revolved around Colonel Tigh. Suddenly the acting Commander, we take a look at some of the darker moments of his alcoholism, from his reactions to Adama returning to the fleet to how his suicide attempt was interrupted by Adama's message for his to return to the fleet. We see his self-doubt as he tries to fills Adama's shoes, his belief that he can't do the job (even though his wife is thrilled that he could become the actual Commander... Can she be a Cylon? Please?). His plea to the unconscious Adama to recover is as much for his own benefit as it is for his own commander.

Little happens in the other stories other than reestablishing locations and situations. On Caprica, there is more “She's a Cylon!”/”But she's carrying my child!” arguing, ending with CapricaSharon taking Starbuck's pet Cylon Raider (which led to my favorite line of the episode: “Bitch took my ride.”) Baltar gets out of his Six cradle reverie and rejoins reality, where Tyrol shows yet again that he is one of the most capable humans left. GalacticaSharon goes to a cell with no memory of shooting Adama (we think). Roslin advises Lee to turn his back on her because of the situation with his father. Yep, Lee is also imprisoned, but he is temporarily let out when his pilot skills are needed.

And that's where things get even more scattered. With the Cylons about to attack, the fleet makes an emergency jump, but while Galactica goes to the most recently chosen location, the rest of the fleet has old information and goes elsewhere. Gaeta kicks himself a lot over that one, then comes up with a solution to find them involving firewalls and a race against time. We get a nice little dogfight during that solution and a holding-your-breath situation, so it is all good fun.

Results of all this are that the gang on Kobol are stranded and being picked off, Starbuck and Helo no longer have a way off Caprica (and neither does that all-important arrow), and the fleet, although reunited, won't be easily found by Starbuck and can't go back to Kobol. We may not have moved very far this week, but we know where we are and had fun rediscovering it.

Originally posted on DarkWorlds

"Doctor Who" Needs a U.S. Home

When the Sci-Fi Channel decided to pass on the BBC's new Doctor Who last March, I was disappointed, but not crushed. I hadn't heard much about this revamped series, a past staple of the BBC airwaves (from 1963 to 1989), which, except for a disappointing T.V. movie in 1996, seemed to be firmly set on a shelf in science-fiction history.

But this is a show about a Time Lord, so “history” doesn't necessarily have to stay in the past. They've brought the Doctor back. As a fan (and an American fan) of the original series, I was skeptical about the idea. Anything bearing the name Doctor Who has a huge legacy to live up to, and after the failed attempt at re-creating that same magic last decade, I honestly expected more of the same. The balance between science-fiction, horror, and camp in an all-ages program is a delicate balance, and I didn't think they would fully pull it off. I figured that it would make it to DVD eventually, and that would satisfy my curiosity.

I know better now. I just had the opportunity to watch all thirteen episodes of the new Doctor Who. Sci-Fi Channel? You made a big mistake with this one. This show is worth airing.

Re-imagining does seem to be all the rage these days, and the Sci-Fi Channel already has one re-imagined show on its schedule. But while Doctor Who may lack the slick sophistication of the exceptional new Battlestar Galactica, it should lack it. It's a very different show. Doctor Who is, technically, a children's show, but it has never quite fit that mold in the strictest sense. It has always leaned toward the dark, with death, destruction, crises of conscience, and villains of the megalomaniac sort. But through it all, optimism, joy, zest for life, and enjoyment of the universe remain.

The main goal of Battlestar Galactica is to survive, while the goal in Doctor Who is to live. That's a huge philosophical difference, and there is room for both on our televisions.

There is a reason that the original incarnations had 679 episodes stretching over the decades. Doctor Who has heart. It offers unfailing optimism. Through a constantly changing cast of Doctors (thanks to the handy regeneration ability of a Time Lord) and his companions, the show always kept the chemistry going. That was my primary doubt when considering this new show: would the new Doctor and companion(s) capture the same spirit? I'm happy to report that they do. Christopher Eccleston is a fantastic Doctor, alien enough to be different, but human enough to be relatable. He has the right spark, and I'm sorry that this season will be his only one. The main companion, Billie Piper's Rose Tyler, brings to mind previous companions Sarah Jane Smith, Ace, or Tegan Jovanka, but more outspoken and independent while remaining entirely likable (unlike Peri, who used to drive me nuts). We've come a long way from the companion serving simply as the screamer-at-monsters. What this new show adds to the mix is recurring characters from Rose's life (mother Jackie and boyfriend Rickey... I mean Mickey), bringing much more dimension to her character. Rose is as important to this show as the Doctor himself.

The show retains some of the most important aspects of the original show, such as his police box-shaped time/space machine, the TARDIS (that's Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, by the way) and his always-handy sonic screwdriver. It also mentions old allies and enemies from the past, a treat for us old fans without alienating the new ones. It does have one thing that the previous incarnation did not: a decent special effects budget. I can no longer say the words “BBC technology” with a smirk on my face. What the effects don't do is overpower the spirit of the show, and most effects, like killer manikins, hungry dumpsters, and baby-faced aliens, are still campy enough to be Whovian.

Most of the people I know who greatly enjoy this new show have never seen the old series. Doctor Who is succeeding on its own merits. Even without considering its rich history, it is quality television all on its own. The characterizations are deep and rich, the plot lines are well-crafted, and it is a joy to watch. It's hysterical, it's scary, it's fun, and it's consistently interesting. It's everything I remember, but more grown-up.

Now, somebody has to show the rest of America what they're missing.

Originally posted on DarkWorlds.com

Summertime...

The "day job" swallowed me during the rest of April and May (except for DarkWorlds reviews, of course), so it's nice to have a slower pace and some sanity back. I've been writing a lot, but most of it has been job-related.

Another wonderful part of summer is Comic-Con, which I like to call "the most wonderful time of the year." I'll have friends galore visiting again, and it's always a blast. Plus, I'm insanely excited about it this time around because I'll be on a panel:

Thursday, July 14, 5:00-6:00 p.m. SmartPop Books - These anthologies bring together non-fiction essays by authors, journalists, actors, television writers, scientists, and academicians, all looking at popular culture subjects such as The Matrix, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Alias, Farscape, Charmed, King Kong, and Stargate: SG-1. Join BenBella Books Editor-in-Chief Glenn Yeffeth and anthology contributors Amy Berner, Don DeBrandt, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Bob Eggleton, K. Stoddard Hayes, Nancy Holder, and Kevin Andrew Murphy for a discussion of this series. Autograph Session to follow. Room 3

And, with Alias Assumed and Farscape Forever both at the printers, it looks to be a happy summer. Now, if I can only finish this Harry Potter piece... Although I buried myself in the library last Saturday to get some of the last pieces in place that simply weren't fitting before. Big relief there.

On a very sad note, DarkWorlds will likely be closing down soon. I've been writing for them for two years, and it's become a home of sorts. I'll miss it terribly. I'm hoping to find a new place to babble, whether it be with some of the same folks or new ones.

To happier subjects... I've recently starting watching Veronica Mars, and I'm sorry I missed it during the season. It's excellent. I also now have access to the new Doctor Who - why, pray tell, is it not shown in the U.S.? - and I can't wait to start watching those. That was my first "fandom," dating back to junior high.

I still have another project in the works , but nothing to report as of yet. Hopefully, I'll hear something soon.

Happy April!

It's hard to believe the The Anthology at the End of the Universe is out in stores already, far earlier than expected. And I've seen it! Multiple times! Part of my mind is completely blocking how personal of a piece is in that book. There's a lot of me in those three thousand-ish words, and there's a lot of dear memories that are out there for the world to read. It's scary. But I'm also rejoicing that so much of the essence of Mom got in there. People will read about brupper and frivles. Readers will get a small inkling of how incredible of a person she was.

I needed to do this, for her and me. And I did it.

My writing lately has been limited to not much more than my DarkWorlds reviews lately. "Lost" and "Alias" reviews continue, I've picked up "Tru Calling" now that "Point Pleasant" has been dumped (although I gave up on that show a week before it was pulled), and I was writing about the new "Battlestar Galactica," but the season has ended... and I'm anxiously waiting for more.

My "Farscape" essay about Bialar Crais sold, so I will be in Farscape Forever. I an very excited about that! I hope those who read ot feel that I did justice to the character. It's fairly similar in structure to my Wesley essay in FSoA.

My actual job has taken up more time than I'd like lately, but I do still have a Harry Potter essay in the works that I hope will sell. I also have a plan for world domination, but details of that will come later.

February Rolls In

The reviews keeping popping out in a clockwork sort of way for "Lost," "Alias," Point Pleasant," and "Battlestar Galactica" (all, as usual, at DarkWorlds) and my "Farscape" essay turned out rather well (I thought, but we'll see what the editor thinks), but I'm finding that I want more time. I have an "Angel" S5 essay in the works in honor of the DVD release, and I'm itching to do a "StargateSG-1" essay as well. Plus, there's the Harry Potter one, but that topic did a bit of a flip (for the good, and thankfully, my deadline extended as well).

Friends and others have been pestering me to write fanfic again. And I admit, I want to. I also have a piece that people are expecting. It's been constant prioritizing, and that has had to stay near the bottom until other pieces are done. I don't see that changing anytime soon, I'm afraid.

'Tis the time of year when my paying job takes over and pushes writing mostly to the sidelines. Next weekend should, in theory, be the first free weekend in a while (and for a while). It will be nice to both rest and write.

Stargate SG-1 Musings

I've been watching a lot of Stargate SG-1 lately, thanks to the wonder that is NetFlix. I'm almost halfway through the sixth season, so I'm going to hop on to reviewing the new episodes (season eight) on the Sci-Fi channel. But one thought keeps popping into my brain as I watch...

Wow, humans suck.

According to the show, most of our culture and ancient religions are all thanks to the maneuverings of alien races, primarily the Goa'uld and the Asgard. Did we come up with nothing ourselves? We probably can't even pat ourselves on the back for the wheel. Now, the recent (to me) revelation that the Ancients were human mollifies me a little. But despite SG-1's repeated success at defeating their various foes, the show makes our species seem sort of pathetic.

It's a fun show. I especially like it's willingness to mock itself. I wish that I'd started watching it sooner.

The blog of a thousand entries begins with just one post...

Hi. I'm Amy. I write stuff.

Like, for example, the new reviews which are up for Lost and Alias. Otherwise, I have a Harry Potter essay pounding on the sides of my skull and screaming to get on to the page via my two little typing fingers. Both that and my Farscape essay - also mostly-formed in my brain and waiting impatiently behind the Potter one - are due to the publisher by the end of the month. Of course, my "real job" is taking more and more of my evening hours away (ah, the pesky need for a regular paycheck), but I will get these done! And they shall be fabulous! Or something. I'm just hoping that they are worthy of publication when all is said and done.

Exciting news from the publisher - Looks like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy anthology has a decent chance of doing well, based on the initial buy-in from one of the major bookstore chains. Happy day!

And soon, the Big Idea will be officially off the ground...