Radiation by Fiona Rae

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Radiation: Sci-fi high

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  • Craig Ranapia,

    Poneke is pissed off that after waiting so long to screen it, they've buried it at 10.30pm. And then they'll act surprised when Season 1 doesn't go well ...

    Oh, do not get me started on the numpty who thought it was a good idea to bury Bleak House (you know the kind of big-budget BBC literary adaptation that used to be prime-time hits back in the day) around 10.30 on a Sunday night. What they did put in the alleged quality 'Sunday Theatre' slot was, to put it charitably, the kind of shit that used to be in the slots now occupied by sur-reality shows like 'Border Patrol'. (Charter funding at work!)

    What are these people smoking, and why isn't it illegal?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    But to spread the hate around, the Sci-Fi Channel in the States is reportedly going to cut 20 minutes from the super-sized finale of this series of Doctor Who. Which is going to make an already jam-packed show utterly incomprehensible. Apparently, showing fewer ads and/or starting Stargate Atlantis (which I can't stand) fifteen minutes later than usual is not an option.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    Poneke is pissed off that after waiting so long to screen it, they've buried it at 10.30pm. And then they'll act surprised when Season 1 doesn't go well ...

    Cue people bitching about how bad Torchwood is (when they can only have watched what they downloaded and even I'm not a big enough masochist to keep using my bandwidth on something I hate), and complaining about all the sex.

    But yeah, surely if The Sopranos could be on at 9:30... ah, screw it. I'll still be impressed if TVNZ plays the entire first series of Torchwood without changing its slot or yanking it off for six weeks halfway through...

    My mother, meanwhile, is STILL complaining about the scheduling of Bleak House.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Which is going to make an already jam-packed show utterly incomprehensible.

    How can you be that hostile to your viewers then complain about TV piracy?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Probably no one gives a rat's ass, but I'll mention it anyway. The last season of NYPD Blue (I've been following it for about 14 years, now), is back on, after being dumped mid-season for Underbelly. Tuesdays, 3, @ about 11.15. Second week back, so I guess about 5 eps. left.

    It still makes every cop show but The Wire look like a pile of puke.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    How can you be that hostile to your viewers then complain about TV piracy?

    And what gets me is that Doctor Who is rating extremely well for Sci-Fi -- who'd have thunk there were so many geeks out there with fond memories of catching the old school Who on PBS? While I love BSG, it's not exactly family-friendly unless your name is Adams, or you really want to explain to the kids why that blonde lady is sitting on the English chap. Again. :)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And another mystery of the universe to contemplate: What kind of sex and violence does TVNZ consider perfectly acceptable for an 8.30pm slot?

    Answer: The Tudors. Last week's episode included the delightful (and mercifully heavily implied rather than explicit) beheadings of Cardinal Fisher and Thomas Moore. And while I can watch Jonathan Rhys-Meyers have bare-arsed simulated sex all day long, I could have done without George Boleyn (who happens to be almost as big a queen as his sister) celebrates his wedding by violently sodomising his new wife -- who, unsurprisingly, is reduced to hysterical tears.

    Perhaps if John Barrowman gets a pair of tights for the next series?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I was actually quite happy with the Bones finale, given that they'd obviously squished two totally unrelated episodes into one - hence the naked!Booth/killer!Zach dichotomy. I bought the basic logic of Zach being the apprentice, even if the execution was flawed, and Tamara Taylor and T.J.Thyne both put in excellent performances. I'll admit to some bias on the grounds that I love Bones more than anything else on right now, but it still was far from the worst the show has produced (start of season two, I'm looking at you.)

    Stargate Atlantis (which I can't stand)

    The show works much better if you just accept that, a) the writers are a bunch of idiots who can't see their own racism, sexism, and colonialism when slapped in the face with it repeatedly, b) it's about cross-dressing space vampires and so can't be serious, and c) John Sheppard is possibly the gayest member of the US military ever to cross a TV screen. Personally, I just read the fic and save the show for mocking. It follows the rule for inverse levels of fandom activity/talent vs. show quality that shows such as Smallville demonstrated so aptly in the past.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    The show works much better if you just accept that, a) the writers are a bunch of idiots who can't see their own racism, sexism, and colonialism when slapped in the face with it repeatedly

    I'll take your word for that, Lucy. :) My more low-brow response is that every episode of Atlantis I've sat through, reminds me of an episode of SG1 where the premise was not only fresh(er) but done better. There are disturbingly few shows that resist urge to hang around past their natural lifespan -- and, like most dead things, they begin to stink. If anything I'd rather they'd cancelled this instead of SG1, which at least had the pleasure of Farscape-alumni Ben Browder and Claudia Black, who at least have detectable talent and personalities.

    I'm certainly not looking forward to the American version of Life on Mars (the advance buzz is not encouraging), because the premise worked itself out in two series of eight episodes. It was over, and the creative team let it go. And I'll say the same for Galactica, though I'm still going through my five stages of geek-grief (cursing in Klingon, writing bad fan fic, watching DVDs in a dark room until friends and family stage an intervention, futile letter-writing campaigns and, finally, getting gouged while buying memorabilia).

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    I don't watch any of the aforementioned programmes, and I'm still watching telly - my newest must-see is Mad Men on Prime, Sundays, 8.30pm. It's well lush.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • tussock,

    Craig, when the lady sits in the mans lap with no clothes on like that, it's often because they're having sex.


    And yes, Asperger's faulty-logic crime waves coming your way soon (because it's strong emotive displays that prevent crime!). See also Psychopaths who don't understand people but are really good at planning. Or the lawyer gentleman who seems to have every disorder imaginable, but no apparent learning difficulty.
    Those TV writer guys should grab a DSM IV at some point, or even try talking to some affected people.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    my newest must-see is Mad Men

    Loooooooooove it. It doesn't hurt that it's set in my current favourite 20th century period. Frocks! Cars! Furniture! Graphic design! Mouth-droppingly appalling sexism, racism and homophobia! Weird undercurrents! Swingin' tunes!

    (Unfortunately the MySky cocked up and we missed episode two the other week. To the torrents!)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    - my newest must-see is Mad Men on Prime, Sundays, 8.30pm. It's well lush.

    Dang tootin' - I want to machine gun all the characters (they're all meant to be vile beyond endurance, I hope, so no guilt) and steal the furniture. The production, costume and set design is yummy retro but (if this makes sense) isn't so flashy or self-knowingly kitschy that it draws attention to itself and away from the drama. Not quite so sure that it's such a startling insight that Madison Avenue in the 60's (read: America now) proves that when deception is an industry and a way of life, it poisons everything and everyone it touches. But feh... it's hypnotically dreadful.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Craig, when the lady sits in the mans lap with no clothes on like that, it's often because they're having sex.

    Yes, I've had the rather mutually embarrasing sex talk with my father. and I'd rather my partner's ten year old grand-nephew not get his sex ed while we're watching a seriously age-inappropriate DVD the next time I'm baby-sitting. Not least because his Mum would slap my head until it rang like a cathedral carillon on a high holy day. He really enjoys Doctor Who, which is fine becuase I've got quite a few DVDs he knows not to even ask to see.

    And yes, Asperger's faulty-logic crime waves coming your way soon (because it's strong emotive displays that prevent crime!).

    Ough... point taken.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    And yes, Asperger's faulty-logic crime waves coming your way soon (because it's strong emotive displays that prevent crime!).

    At least they never specifically said on the show that Zach had Asperger's? It was, of course, blatantly obvious, and Emily Deschanel discussed it (and Bones' own autistic tendencies) extensively in interviews, but your average viewer isn't going to pick up on that to the point of naming it. Probably.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • samuel walker,

    re: battlestar best starting point...

    ideally the miniseries, prior to season one. there are layers within layers and loops within strange loops that will be clearer upon watching that way. but the last couple of eps of s2 would suffice.....

    and yes, it is mos def adult tv.

    Doctor Who is more family friendly [even with the jack subtext], although those *#*#*#*#*#*'s sure put the fear into all involved. I'm looking forward to watching again in a few years with my little uns. And with Moffat taking the reins next season i rekon it can only get better.



    icanhastardis warning season four finale spoilers, but funny

    the Sci-Fi Channel in the States is reportedly going to cut 20 minutes from the super-sized finale of this series of Doctor Who.

    possibly not....

    If anything I'd rather they'd cancelled this instead of SG1,

    SG1 went to the dogs too!, and the first newmovie ark of truth was terrrible, any one seen the latest one, evolution?

    and while the networks here and overseas keep making these stupid mistakes [they did do a little better with getting Lost to air a bit quicker...] judging from this interview with Jesse Alexander, the co-producer of both ‘Heroes’ and ‘Lost’ at least some of the producers have ideas....


    __So called “pirates” advertise the shows to their friends, or write about it on their blogs. Accordingly, when we asked Jesse Alexander whether he thinks that BitTorrent might have helped to reach a broader audience, he answered with a clear cut “Yes”.__

    Since Nov 2006 • 203 posts Report Reply

  • Carolyn Skelton,

    I can't wait for tomorrow night! I knew that Torchwood and season 3 BSG would finally get to FTA TV. BSG is my favourite show in recent years, and I just don't understand why other lesser programmes have had a more favourable showing on NZ TV e.g. Bionic Woman, Cashmere Mafia, endless CSI derivatives....

    And I am one who still watches TV. Some of us can't really afford the kind of internet connection that would allow for lots of TV downloading. As a recently ex-grad student with debts, any savings are worth it. And most stuff eventually gets to FTA TV (or my local library at a reasonable rental charge).

    In these times when some folks are struggling to pay the bills and/or buy food, I don't think it can be assumed everyone gets their TV from the Internet or bought DVDs, and that "no-one" watches FTA broadcast TV any more.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 39 posts Report Reply

  • StepD'oh,

    DONT look at wikipedia, it's got some Huge spoilers about BSG S3 on it, just buggered up the last coupla episodes for myself!

    Hamiltron • Since Dec 2006 • 3 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    the Sci-Fi Channel in the States is reportedly going to cut 20 minutes from the super-sized finale of this series of Doctor Who.

    possibly not....

    Yay... gold star for reducing the suckage supply in my life. :)

    icanhastardis warning season four finale spoilers, but funny

    Gold star with bar for reaffirming my faith in the human genius for being hilariously inappropriate at all times.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Fiona Rae,

    Has anyone been watching Jekyll? Thank the gods for series link on the PVR as it's been screening at 11pm on a Monday night, but it's written by Stephen Moffat, who is taking over Doctor Who . It's been heaps of fun - James Nesbitt looks like he's just loving chewing up all that scenery and Moffat really knows how to write a tense scene or two. Sadly, the final is on Monday, but I can recommend it as a renter fer sure.

    Point Chevalier • Since Nov 2006 • 34 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Has anyone been watching Jekyll?

    Sort of -- for some reason, when you set the video using the listings the last five minutes or so always gets chopped off. But it is damn good -- Moffat has a real talent for (as you say) writing a tense scene or two, but he also manages to be very, very funny without lapsing into campy smirking. When you pull off both at the same time... fraking genius. Just take a look at __Blink__, from the third series of Doctor Who -- which should win him his third Hugo Award in three years if there's any justice. (Though I wouldn't be too pissed off if he lost out to Paul Connell, for another third series highlight, 'Human Nature/The Family of Blood'), or Michael Taylor ('Battlestar Galactica: Razor').

    And did you notice the Kiwi connection in the cast of Jekyll?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Ackroyd,

    BSG. I really recommend starting at the very beginning, honestly. I got it all from the local library. Two week loans per season box set means you have to cram a lot of viewing in, but it's actually better that way. No ads, good 40 min episode length, you don't lose track, the picture is way better than TV or torrents, and there's no downloading or burning or geekery involved.

    The only downside is the local DVD release lagging original transmission. But it's cheap, choice and worth the wait.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 159 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    Has anyone been watching Jekyll?

    Recommended to me by a Canadian friend (blah blah Stephen Moffat blah blah), and we've since passed around most of our friends. Nesbitt is brilliant.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    The only downside is the local DVD release lagging original transmission. But it's cheap, choice and worth the wait.

    The local DVD release (season 2 and season 3 at least) has generally preceded original (local) transmission. In fact is it has also generally preceded the North American DVD release (which of course means we got screwed on the special features).

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Recommended to me by a Canadian friend (blah blah Stephen Moffat blah blah), and we've since passed around most of our friends. Nesbitt is brilliant.

    I only watched it last night. There are obvious parallels with Moffatt's work on Doctor Who and Nesbitt's stretch-and-squeeze performance was one of the most arresting things I've seen on TV for ages.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

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