Looking for an escape…

With the demise of Buffy several years ago, followed by that of Angel, and now Charmed off the air as well, we find ourselves at the end of an era. I know that may sound a little overdone, but for those of us who were huge fans, you have to consider what we’ve lost.

Buffy started in 1997 – almost 10 years ago. Charmed started a year later in ‘98 and Angel followed in ‘99. All three shows focused on the fantastical-supernatural. More fantasy than a sci-fi shows, they all dealt with the paranormal, and were all classic shows of good verses evil. We got to watch the heroes and heroines grow personally and in their given powers. We also got to see an artistic parallel between the demons we face every day with literal demons. Let’s recap a little:

We saw Buffy go from a spoiled cheerleader who only cared about fitting in and trying to live a life apart from her calling to a strong young woman who embraced who she was called to be and put the good of others above her own pursuits. We watched Willow grow from a mousy geeky girl with a crush on the boy next door to a stong, confident woman with power of her own.

Angel, although continually struggling to give back to the world to make up for the terror he spread for years, learned to trust and depend on those around him. He learned compassion and love; he learned that having a family was more important than going through life alone. Cordelia changed from a rich snob who didn’t quite get it to someone with a gift to help others and the capability for love that touched her adopted family and in the end reached through a coma to help those she loved.

In Charmed, we saw three women go from petty, bickering and competitive sisters to women who love and supported each other. Through bad relationships and marriages, through the loss of one sister and the revelation of another, through the birth of children and the loss of hope, all ending with an encouraging look at the future they achieved that they had fought so hard for all those years.

Now consider, what do we have that’s similar on TV today? We’re inundated with shows like Nip/Tuck, Grey’s Anatomy, all kinds of reality shows, One Tree Hill and Desperate Housewives. Not only are none of them even the same genre, they aren’t even close to filling the gap that the loss of these shows left.

I’m glad to see shows like Lost and Heroes coming into their own – they’re both awesome. There are plenty of other shows I enjoy:  House, Monk, Psych just to name a few. Maybe I’m just attached to fantasy. Maybe I just liked having the girls be the one’s to take charge and kick some butt. Whatever the reason, it was a sad day when we said good-bye to these shows – but maybe it was best that they end on a high note – and that they did.

Thanks for the great entertainment guys.

Oh, and who was excited to see the mysterious black smoke again?

Yeah, I know, kind of cheesy considering all the other mysteries of the island, but since we haven’t seen it since, what, the first season, it’s kind of neat to see it make its sudden appearance. What I want to know is why did Locke survive his encounter and seem to be rejuvenated by it while it became judge, jury and executioner for Eko.

Also, was the Remi that Eko saw and spoke with the black cloud? If so, does that mean that when Jack saw his father, Kate saw her horse, and Hurley saw his imaginary friend that they were all manifestations of the black cloud? Scary. What else will it mimic?

Other than the fact that the show House is absolutely great, one of the neat things is seeing all the guest stars they have. Tonight was a rerun, but as a big fan, I don’t mind watching it again.

Anyone here watch Buffy? See anyone you know tonight? Maybe you didn’t recognize him with his skin on… Remember Warren? One of “the Trio” who made it their business to try to thwart Buffy and the Scoobies’ attempts at good. You know, the one who shot Buffy and, by accident, Tara, which caused Willow to go all evil and skin him alive. That guy.

Anyway, tonight on House, Adam Busch guest stars as a seriously troubled teen who is trying to get House to give him a prescription for Depro-provera because “he’s in love with cows.” Hmmm…. I won’t give away that secret in case you missed it (the first time it aired and the reruns…)

Also, if you’re watching Heroes, you should recognize the copy who can hear people’s thoughts. You might also know him from Felicity, Alias, and even a guest shot in Lost as the pilot who got ate by who knows what. Greg Gunberg plays a grieving huband who gives House a piece of his mind (and his knee) but manages to save the day in a round-about, gives-his-consent kind of way.

Oh, by the way, did you know that Greg and Hugh play in a band together? Together wil a handful of other celebrities, they’re part of Band From TV. Check them out – pretty cool!

Okay, so we’re starting with the 5th episode of the 3rd season, but hey, you’ve got to start somewhere, right? And since there are so many places you can go to read episode recaps, there’s no sense in my going back to the beginning and giving you a rundown. So, this is where we’ll start for now…

With flashbacks to Eko’s childhood showing his beginning step into “the world of crime,” we see some of what his childhood was like. Right off the bat I was struck by the lack of compassion the nun had for two hungry children. God calls us to reach those in need, and sometimes we have to fill their physical needs before we can begin to fill their spiritual needs. Seems like someone forgot to tell the nun. It’s also interesting to see how Eko’s first experience with the church began, only for him to eventually become what seemed like a religious man.

The next thing I thought was so interesting was how the island has “trained” the survivors to not question the oddities around them. With no fire burning, how did they think Eko’s tent caught on fire? Yet somehow, that’s not important… And does anyone else wonder who these new survivors are and why they’re suddenly part of the plot? Are we going to lose more main characters so we have to start replacing them? And how funny is it that a newbie points out that the TVs in the second hatch should be able to view other stations! 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island – or if you remember last week’s episode when Ben showed Sawyer the island just beside where them – on the island next door, Jack gets invited to a funeral. Not quite sure what the point in dragging him out to a private and personal ceremony was, unless it was to get him to see them as people instead of just captors who mistreated the survivors.

I found it an odd departure of character for Ben to confront Juliet like he did, kind of paranoid and wounded when he asked why she had shown Jack his x-rays. All other times he seems so calculated and in control, never giving in to the circumstances around him. Remember when he was being tortured and kept locked up by the survivors? He never flinched. But now he’s self-conscious?

And his plea to Jack for help, although it wasn’t an actual plea, it was presented as an honest proposal (as honest as we can accept from Ben). Who thinks that the doctor in  Jack will make him feel responsible for helping a patient in need to the point of looking past all the evil things he has done? If you saw the previews for next week, maybe not… As for Juliet – does anyone really trust her? Part of me really wants to, but part of me keeps saying, “you know better!” Guess we’ll have to wait ‘n see.