TV Series Reviews - Apparently, I Like Gritty

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Now for today's show...watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!  Where'd that come from??? Was it Bullwinkle?  Oh never mind, read on McDuff . . .

Under the Dome
Falling Skies   
The Walking Dead
Hell on Wheels

Dang! Am I becoming a couch 'tater or what?

Okay, okay, I can't help it, let me just start off by saying that I consistently DVR the TV series listed above (along with NCIS and Blue Bloods) and my hubby and I love to sit and critique.  I especially love it when he says, "I can't believe they wrote that.  You would never write something so illogical!"  Yep.  And here I sit blogging while those writers are viewed by kookookazillions every week.  Hmm, let's think about this . . .

I remember Stephen King saying (yes, I actually got to see him speak at George Mason University a couple years ago thanks to a cuz who lives nearby -- and to whom I shall remain forever grateful) that his answer to Writer's Corner--my term for that awful spot you find yourself in at least once in every manuscript--you know, you write yourself into a corner and can't find a way out--is to ask THE QUESTION, "What's the worst that could happen?"  And when he figures out the answer, he continues with the story, or rather, it continues with him.

So, I've been trying to do that more, ask THE QUESTION.  And as I complete my armchair critiques of my fave TV shows, I tend to wonder if they sometimes ask the same question but forget to make sure it MAKES SENSE!  Okay, Under the Dome I'd already read so I find myself saying things like, "I don't remember that," or "who is this person?!"  In other words, I'm a bit confused and sort of wish I hadn't read it first.  But then, a few days back, I read an interview where Mr. King said not to compare the book and the TV series because there would be necessary changes and he was onboard with them.  Well that makes it all okay.  Seriously.  As long as he's okay with the changes, I can turn off my internal critic.  I think.

Now, Falling Skies is a different animal.  I love the skitters and the whole skitters storyline.  I adore the lead characters -- I don't like this love/hate relationship with Pope.  It just isn't realistic, especially the one on one fight in the forest right after the plane crash.  Puhleeese!  How silly.  C'mon writers, do better.  I know you can.

The Walking Dead.  Yep.  Love it.  Don't love the gore.  I've seen enough zombies bashed in the head that I never need to see that again.  Ever.  Nothing new.  And no, that doesn't mean I need the gore factor amped up.  I need the writing amped up.  Don't get sloppy now.  What I do love in the storyline is how the new world is affecting Carl, the kid.  Keep that going--what's all this done to him?  We see that he can kill without blinking an eye . . . what does that mean?  BTW, I noticed on Falling Skies that the youngest member of that family is beginning to exhibit that same willing-to-kill trait.  Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Okay, now for Hell on Wheels, it has such awesome characters, and such a cool, gritty storyline, that I'm really looking forward to its return from hiatus TODAY!  That's right, Season 3 starts tonight!  I've got my DVR locked and loaded (does that even make sense?) but the series has been very uneven so far, as if the writer's weren't sure where the show was actually going.  So, keeping Lost in mind (eek), I'm still holding out hope that they get Hell on Wheels back on track (pun most definitely intended), but if not, at least we can rest assured that some of it was based on history.

Afterthought: What's your favorite show and what am I missing--if anything--by avoiding Breaking Bad?