I probably should go for a walk

[threemonkeys]

By my count it is about 5 days since I said that I had yet to watch BSG season 2. I am now caught up to the end of season 3. It hardly qualifies as a marathon, but I am still have the feeling that I have been looking at that screen too much.

To watch 40 episodes of a show back to back you have to be pretty engaged with it. Some might even say obsessed, but I wouldn't. The thing is that the reason it took so long to get around to watching season 2 was that I thought I should re-watch season 1 first - something which I just could not do. I can pretty confidently say that I will not want to re-watch seasons 2 or 3 again either. A contradiction eh? Compelling viewing and yet not worth seeing twice.

The reason for this is that, I think, I am primarily engaged by the story. Once you have processed a story then you don't need to process it again. There are other modes of engagement apart from story but, for me, while they exist they are not so strong with BSG. I know some of you out there have different experiences but this is how it works for me. There are also quite a few things about BSG that I don't like but which engagement with the story carries me past. I wouldn't want to encounter those negatives without it. The negatives were not big issues, but lots of smallish ones. One day I might see if I can collate them all, but that might mean I have to re-watch the show. I see a problem.

Well, at least I can join in the discussions now.

Comments

[flinthart.livejournal.com]

Good point about story-driven engagement. There's a few films and series' that I can rewatch: Firefly, Casablanca, Blade Runner, The Princess Bride, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life Of Brian... Then there's a whole bunch which were fun once, and get rewatched only after years of work at forgetting -- anthing Trek, anything Babylon, X-files (couple of exceptions in that last for the humorous episodes)...

... it's not always easy to explain the difference, but it's always there.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I thoroughly agree with all your list. Other items high on mine are Wonderfalls, the Biederbecke trilogy and any of the Poirot stories with David Suchet. The latter being particularly interesting because you would think that being murder mystery stories that the engagement would be very story driven but it isn't.

[flinthart.livejournal.com]

What is "wonderfalls"?

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Another of the series Fox canceled before it could get going - only 13 episodes were made. The exec producers were Tim Minear (Firefly, Buffy), Bryan Fuller (Heroes, Dead like Me) and Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle, Larry Sanders show) which might give you an idea of the pedigree. To describe the plot of a woman who had inanimate objects talking to her and telling her to do things does not capture the quality of the writing, acting and directing of this show. It is a show where the engagement is at the character level. Very funny too.

Did I mention that I'm a fan. :-)