Pioneer on the Internet – Sean Gursky

I kind of love Battlestar Galactica. Don’t let my low post count on the topic of the show deceive you, this new version of seagurs has a fraction of what I had written before. Even though the show ended 133 days ago that won’t stop me from writing about it again, or when The Plan is released.

After the show ended in March rumors began about what the complete series would be like, when it would be released and what special features would be included. Information was slow to come out, but little by little an idea of how it would all look began to form. Soon box art and a release date was announced. I debated about whether I needed a box set of something I already owned 90% of own DVD, but I am a consumer whore and caved.

Even though the cost was high, I justified it to myself by believing this was reasonable value for a complete series on BluRay. I did not regret my decision, however, I did wonder if it was worth while. I read about what was included in this complete series and felt more confident in this purchase.

Yesterday the series was delivered to me and all concerns I had were washed away; it is gorgeous. This weekend I plan on spending many hours watching the extended Daybreak finale, special features and watching my favorite moments (Exodus Pt. 2 and Crossroads Pt. 2 come to mind) in glorious high definition and digital sound.

So say we all.

A few weeks ago the television season drew to a close, however with another binge of Battlestar Galactica and other things taking precedence I was unable to complete all of the May finales until recently. September seems so long ago, a fresh season of possibilities is now ready for critiquing. I could talk about any of the following shows ad nauseum so I will try to keep this brief.

Monday Night
Chuck: My leader of Monday night programming. There were some stunts this year (the 3D episode and large guest stars) that may not have worked as well as originally hoped, but that did not take away from a really solid sophomore season. The story progressed nicely, there was the right blend of cheesiness and humor and there was a definite story arc determined in the beginning and stuck to right through the end. This show has given me plenty of laughs and entertainment and I am extremely happy to welcome Chuck back again for a third season.

How I Met Your Mother: If Chuck had not been as solid this year HIMYM would have taken top ranks for Monday programming. Still, this year was not without its flaws. While Sarah Chalke is a fun actress her Stella character was a low point in the season. The show has dipped and dived around the ‘who is the Mother’ arc with some interesting b-stories (Robin and Barney) but it was always in the background. This season finally delivered on the goat, which has been teased about since the beginning. Next to debating when the next slap will occur this left me really satisfied.

The Big Bang Theory: A consistently enjoyable show. It was always a reliable choice on an otherwise busy Monday of programming. Thinking back on the year that was I am not sure I could define one main plot point. There was relationship tension between Penny and Leonard, but everything seemed to be a stand-alone story. The laugh track can be a bit extreme for some viewers but don’t let that spoil what is an otherwise smart and cute story.

24: I groan when I think of what I sat through with season six of 24. On the roller coaster ride of this series season six was the lowest point. The writers strike was a blessing in disguise as it gave more time to develop the season seven story, craft Redemption to be a nice lead-in for the season. The tension level was high to start the season but slowly lost momentum. It was good TV but I was never as fixed to the TV craving the next episode as I have in the past with the series. I may put 24 into exile next season.

Heroes: I stopped watching after the third Chapter break, or the mid point in season three. I have put this series in limbo and will watch the most recent episodes during the summer time. This is the equivalent of a show being put in purgatory, it could return from it, or it could disappear forever if I am not impressed.

Tuesday Night
Fringe: I have a love/hate relationship with this show. There have been some strong story arcs, but they would be intermixed with stand alone episodes that did not further the overall plot. Having watched the pilot last summer I feel like I have been watching this show for years and to think it has only been a single season is surprising. I want to like this show, I am excited for the mythology they have created but it is not addressed the same way the mysteries in Lost was set up and I find my interest fluctuates.

Wednesday Night
Lost: The highlight of my television week. When Lost and Battlestar Galactica were on at the same time I was a happy person. This season has been extremely well done, a lot happened in this short season and the set up for the final season is huge. This show will always be my favorite regardless of what else airs that week, I just have to wait until January to feel that way again.

Scrubs: I love Scrubs. We have had some great moments, but the last few seasons have been mediocre in quality and I was prepared for this season on ABC to be its last. The stories had an improvement, the lighting was turned down and the fantasy sequences were less outrageous. The final minutes of the season were a perfect series finale, and now that there is talk of bringing the crew back for another season I feel incredibly torn and not sure I will add it to my television line up.

Thursday Night
The Office: A reliable choice on Thursday’s, easily the highlight of the day. This show is easy to get into and you can lose yourself in that half hour laughing through most of it. I enjoyed the Michael Scott Paper Company arc and am pleased to see some development with Jim and Pam.

ER: I was glad to have been with this from the beginning, and its final season was a nice ending. This year had a really good story, past characters being brought back was a nice touch and went out with another busy day at County.

Survivor: Easily digestible television that has been a routine of mine since 2000. I enjoy Survivor for the inter-personal conflicts, the variety of challenges and how I go from hating a character in the beginning to loving them in the end. I have no other investment in this series other than out of habit. I do not need to watch this live, and if I miss a week I can still follow along the following week. This year was enjoyable but not as good as some in recent memories, still I will tune in for the next edition in the fall.

Friday Night
Battlestar Galactica: What more can be said about a show that I have talked about in length on here and have seen each episode four or more times? I loved this show completely, I still enjoy watching episodes and have probably not come to terms with it going off the air. It was an end of week highlight and I have felt my Friday’s a little lacking since March 20th.

Dollhouse: Like Fringe, I am in a love/hate relationship with this show. When asked “Which show should Fox cancel: Dollhouse or Fringe?” my answer changes, likely based on how terrible either episode was the previous week. I am pleased this show will have a second season to continue with the trend that season one finished with, but there is only so much I am will to tolerate Joss; make the next season good or I will have lost all hope. If this show could maintain the quality it showed in the final episodes of season one then this could be a weekly favorite.

Sunday Night
Dexter: That show was on television? A show that has a limited number of episodes that airs at the beginning of the television year could easily be forgotten but many months ago there was another installment of Mr. Morgan and his life as a serial killer. The time has made me forget the good and bad points of the last season but the tension was always at a point of breaking with Miguel, Rita and an endless supply of foes in Miami.

Thanks 2008-2009 television season, you were great and treated me to some amazing moments. See you soon with a new batch of shows to watch.

slashfilm posted:

Michael Emerson, who plays Ben Linus on ABC’s LOST, says that the season finale for Season Five will make you want to eat your soul.

I went into the season five finale of Lost cold. All I saw was a cut off preview after the end of Follow The Leader, but surely not enough to have predicted what would happen last night. Right from the opening you knew this episode was going to be different, and having what Michael Emerson said in the back of my head I was prepared for anything…how naive I was.

It feels like the fifth season just started and now I begin the last eight to nine month wait for the final season to return. Last nights episode was everything I could have hoped for and then some. If you had not seen the finale then turn back now because I will be talking about episode specific things.

The beginning sequence set the tone for the episode with the introduction of the infamous Jacob, and perhaps the Black Rock approaching in the distance. Jacob appearing as a background character in the lives of Oceanic 815, at critical times in their lives was a huge thrill. It almost became a game of ‘guess who the character is’ when you went through a flashback. Jin and Sun’s wedding vows, the “count to five” surgery Jack had always talked about, Kate and Tom getting their memory lunch box, Sawyer’s letter, Nadia’s death; little pieces of history coming together.

The first hour was so packed with plot and development that I was exhausted when it was all over, and then the final hour flew by. Juliet’s death was so much more painful after you see her parents flashback and then the quick (and long overdue) conversation with Rose and Bernard, the incredible reveal of what was in the Ajira 316 cargo box and finally Ben’s rage on Jacob. Everything was coming to a brilliant end, my brain was reeling from the last few minutes. Then, just when you cannot take enough the screen goes white and…

…the ultimate cliffhanger.

Everything about this show is now uncertain. Whatever I had figured out is now rewritten. What is going to happen next? Better yet, what can happen next? Even though 30 years separate the events will the death of Jacob be affected by Juliet setting off the bomb? Or was Miles right and the Incident Jack was trying to prevent was actually him that caused it and nothing will change? Will next season start with them landing at LAX successfully or has all of this happened before and will continue to happen?

Today the countdown starts, I will just close my eyes and count to five. One…

The third, and hopefully, final show that I watch aired its final episode this week. The doctors and nurses of Sacred Heart aired what could have been the series finale for Scrubs on Wednesday. I have been a fan of Scrubs for many seasons. Like most shows I watch over multiple years I was able to see the show start out young, and fresh, and then slowly evolve over time.

Whatever road it went down Scrubs still remained one of my favorite shows to watch. The comical timings were excellent, the dream sequences were outrageous (Turk and JD walking into Sacred Heart as pimps, Luftballons) and had some remarkable jokes (Pancake Drawer, Warrior, Safety Dance, Toto, Moment Killer). I think I reference Scrubs in my day to day conversations more than I realize. Scrubs also had a direct impact on “Pioneer on the Internet” as I adopted the “My” naming convention for posts back in November 2005.

Scrubs is one of the only shows where I have spent hours going through uploaded clips and remembering the good times. Even while finding clips for this post I spent another hour going from one to another, trying to find specific moments or just see what people had thought was worthy of uploading.

Still, for all of the good times there were some low points with the Scrubs franchise. Most fans of the show will agree that the first few seasons were amazing and the quality started to go down around the later seasons. To add insult to injury the show suffered neglect by NBC and was not given proper treatment in its seventh season. The future of Scrubs was in jeopardy and Bill Lawrence (creator) was able to negotiate a move for the show over to ABC and give it the proper ending he felt it deserved.

The season on ABC had a definite change in production, writing and feel. The show returned to a darker lighting, with less focus on trying to outdo past stunt and more on the people and relationships. It was a season that fans could be proud of and remember Scrubs the way it used to be.

Now, the future of an ninth season is to be determined but Zach Braff has decided to leave the show and Bill Lawrence is unsure of his involvement for another season. I have read discussions that the show would continue and focus on the new interns, with some remaining cast to help out. I can see it working, but for me, at least emotionally, Scrubs ended on Wednesday night.

The final episode, appropriately titled “My Finale”, was an emotional and fitting end for the show. Many things were not addressed but it was great closure on several items. The fifty plus guest appearances was a fantastic touch at the end, especially Mrs. Tanner from the epic season one episode My Old Lady.

This series had a healthy mix of relationships, medical drama and comedy. Occasionally the balance would shift but at the core of it all was a fantastic show that is worthy of multiple re-watches or watching for the first time.

Finale five!

One series has ended and now it’s time to witness the closing of another, however this one has been much more influential in my life. For the last fifteen years my Thursday nights have been booked. Everyone that had ever crossed my path growing up knew that on Thursday night I would be unavailable. After tonight, for the first time since 1994, my television schedule on Thursday will be without ER.

I cannot say that the last fifteen years have all been good. I have seen the series start out in its infant stages, grow into a show that had most weekly viewers than the most recent airing of the Oscars, say farewell to beloved cast members, then go into a dark spiral where the show almost became a parody of itself and now to slowly turn itself back around to have a justifiable end.

Sadly, because of my age when I started watching, I remember more of the bad than the good but I remember how it felt to be watching ER in its prime. Because of this I often find myself remembering how much I enjoyed characters like Greene, Carter, Gallant and Barnett and finding myself becoming detached from, and a little angered at, current characters like Neela, Gates, Brenner and Banfield.

Looking over the top rated episodes on TV.com I am surprised to see how many are from the current season. Perhaps people have forgotten how good the early years were or just haven’t seen them recently enough to vote on them? ER did start before the Internet became accessible to the public so episodes from back then did not have the luxury of instant critiquing from fans.

While writing this it occurred to me that my television addiction could all be traced back to ER when Mom and I would look forward to Thursday’s for the newest episode. My compulsion to see a new television episode when it airs and stop what I was doing for it was because of this series. It is a little sad to see the cause of my dependence on TV go into retirement.

However, it has been a fun, sometimes a little long and demanding, trip but ER will be missed from my Thursday nights.

Thanks for the memories.

I have had several days, two complete viewings and a few hours of discussions among others but the hole left by Galactica is still pretty painful.

I still find myself thinking about the finale, the story, the music used and what it all means an awful lot. Fortunately I am not the only one still reeling from the finale. You could say that following the finale I didn’t sleep for over twenty four hours. It is an unrelated point but it’s still valid.

For something I love so much I don’t think I could ever give it’s final chapter a proper review, but my initial feeling was that I loved it. Going into the finale I wanted answers on Starbuck, the meaning of the Opera House and insight into the Head characters. I did not bat a perfect thousand but what I got was good. To my surprise there were some other character redemptions along the way that further added to my enjoyment.

It was a solid send off that gave the fans beautiful visual displays as the remaining CGI budget was spent, some ambiguity left for debate, a few issues that could spur arguments among fans and some thoroughly touching moments between seasoned characters.

I am not sure what my perfect finale would have been. I have come to expect the most grim and dire from this show and I anticipated a lot of death. However to do that would have been very dark, even for a show that killed off almost all of the human race at the very beginning.

I am currently in the process of watching the series again for a third time and what happened in the finale has directly impacted several of the episodes I have seen, even as far back as season two. I may have issues about how certain topics were dealt with but if a show can change the light I view past episodes, characters or decisions in then it successfully did its job.

I hope to never forget the moment the end credits rolled for the final time on the show. I put my head in my hands and asked Gord to give me a minute. Like watching a really good live performance you close your eyes to remember everything and hold onto that feeling of what it was like when you watched Battlestar Galactica on Friday evenings.

There must be some kind of way out of here…

For the last few weeks I have working on various stages of this post. Some versions had the beginnings of what made this show appealing to me. Other revisions had a simple graphic and a thank you. Each time I wrote something I felt that it wasn’t doing proper justice to the show or what I was thinking and for a show like this I think it would be difficult to properly convey everything you feel about it.

With that said, tonight is the series finale of Battlestar Galactica. Since the air dates of this season were announced over six months ago I have had March 20th noted on the calendar. It seemed like such a long time to wait, I felt that I could prepare myself for its end, but once 2009 began and the final episodes of the season started to air it flew by.

For the last sixteen months I have devoted a lot of my time and energy into this show, probably more than I have with any other show in that time. It is a bittersweet thing to see a show you love go off the air, one that I haven’t felt before. How did fans of Six Feet Under, The Sopranos or The Wire react when their show drew to a close? What will it be like watching the final minutes of the show air before wrapping up the television season for good?

I haven’t thought about what life after Battlestar Galactica would be like, it’s a topic I don’t want to dwell on. Instead I will focus on the now and realize that in five hours it will all be over.

To Galactica, the best ship in the fleet. You will be missed but never forgotten.

So say we all.

Lost was pretty good last night. Wait, that is a huge understatement. Last night was one of the best episodes of the season.

The ending came completely out of left field. It was one of the few times that I have yelled at the TV out of shock. This episode was worth waiting for, and now we are in the final stretch. Three weeks from now it will all be over until September.

What a ride!

Edit: It seems that there are some issues with my host as I have had problems editing this post. Your results may vary.