Apotheosis Now!

From the Diary of Erin Palette, newly incarnate Goddess of Chaos:

Friday, 14 March
Feeling v. excited about new divinity status.

Rained all day today. Decided I didn't like rain and chose to change it. Went outside and commanded rain to stop falling.

Succeeded only in giving myself killer headache. Ouch. Have decided rain is not in my Goddess portfolio. Stupid rain.

Have decided that rain is Zeus' way of keeping me down. Goth side of me is heartened by this act of patriarchal theocratic oppression.

Have further decided that headaches are part of Goddess portfolio, specifically the giving thereof: If I give headaches to other people maybe mine will go away. Suddenly Eris' bitchiness makes total sense.

Am heartened by this revelation. To celebrate, I go to bed early.


Saturday, 15 March (Ides of March)
Headache gone. Wonder to whom I gave it. Maybe Zeus? Rain is gone today.

Caught up on last 2 weeks of Jericho. V. sad Bonnie killed by Goetz. Stupid Ravenwood.

Wonder if Jake and Major Beck will ever confess forbidden love for each other. Probably never. Hawkins will kill Beck if he tries anything.

Wonder who is prettier, Skeet Ulrich or Esai Morales. Skeet has brooding, stubble-y emo look down pat, but Esai has that razor-sharp, "I iron my underwear" STRAC thing going. Both v. sexy.

Joyously partook of hot dogs without buns for lunch. Should have done this on Friday, but was distracted by Goddess duties. Besides, Ides of March more Discordian anyway, because 1 x 5=5, and Caesar was a Greyface.

Briefly ponder how big a racket this Goddess thing can be. Wonder if I can get sympathetic Discordians to send me $5 tithe on a regular basis.

Decide it would be easier to herd a tub full of wet cats than get Discordians to do anything.

Briefly wonder where to get tubful of cats to test herding hypothesis. Abandon idea when it starts looking like actual work.

Finally get around to making Bad Touché for City of Villains. Am pleased with how skeezy he looks, yet still wish for a floppy hat with a feather. Made do with beret instead.



Still no progress re: life-changing change. Will have to try harder tomorrow.



(Apologies to Cassandra Claire for cribbing her format)


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Now playing: VNV Nation - The Solitary EP - 05 - Freude (schlachtfeld version by Wumpscut)
via FoxyTunes

Overcoming Blog Paralysis

Words of wisdom from Jeff Stolarcyk:

Me: My problem lately -- i.e., why I haven't posted anything of substance for a week -- is that I can't think of anything worthwhile to post about. I wonder if I should just go back to my practice of trying to churn out SOMETHING each day, but that means the blog stops being an outlet for creative writing and becomes, well, an online diary. A LiveJournal entry. You know? I don't want to dilute my BIG WRITING THING by having daily bitch and moan sessions. But if I don't make myself write... sometimes nothing comes out for weeks at a time.

Jeff: It seems to me that your issue is differentiating between writing and Writing.Like cooking is only adding food and heat together, writing is jotting down words coherently. Take one kind (based on style, length or content) any more seriously as a creator than any other is limiting and it ends up breeding the sort of "I don't want to write if it's not significant" line of thinking that has led you to this sort of blog paralysis you've been stricken with.

Me: Yes. Well spotted. Now how do I get over it? Other than just jump in and write about crap?

Jeff: Well, that's the ideal outcome. Because even if you think that everything you write is crap, that doesn't mean that your reader thinks it is.

So anyway, to stave off "Blog Paralysis," instead of random blathering I shall do.... another ITEM! post!


ITEM! It's time for me to cull Ye Olde Blogrolle again. My rules are simple: if you don't post new content within a span of one month, out you go. Todays' victims:

• Music of the Spheres
• Notes from the Sonic Stapler
• Selective Continuity

I'm really sorry to see you guys go. If you ever get your acts together and update, let me know and I'll re-add you.

ITEM! Jeff Stolarcyk has once again caved to the Wednesday Night Night Wackiness. Unfortunately, he decides to hate on Jericho. However, he betrays his true colors as a fan of the show by demonstrating he knows not only the names of the characters but the actors portraying them. Also, he admits he listens to Maroon 5.

ITEM! Speaking of Jericho, no, I haven't forgotten about it. I'm still watching and am very positive about the writing, the acting, and the current story arc, but I've decided to hold off on posting about it until more develops because it's all kind of expository right now. The past two episodes have dealt with learning about the Conspiracy, and I get the feeling that Important Stuff will happen Real Soon Now. When that does, I'll do a big post where I try to tie everything together and make sense of it all. That said, I hope you're all being good and watching it every Tuesday night at 10 pm on CBS.

ITEM! Hopefully I'm back on track now, and will try to post something every weekday. It may not be creative genius -- it may in fact be the kind of whiny crap you get from an online diary like LiveJournal -- but dammit, I need to get back into the habit of daily writing. If I stop writing, then I can no longer Write, if that makes sense.

ITEM! If you've been wondering about what has happened to my poor abused L5R players, tomorrow is the day you've been waiting for.


And that's it. Sorry, no amusing bon mot in closing. See you all tomorrow.

Jericho: Reconstruction

Season 2, Episode 1: Reconstruction
Morse code: "WE'RE BAAACK"


Hm. Okay.

Do any of you watch Lost? You know that feeling you got about midway through the first episode of Season 2 when you realized that the show's premise had changed from "Crash survivors on a mysterious island" to "There's a lot of really weird shit on this island"?

Yeah. It's kind of like that. Where Season 1 of Jericho was about "Small Kansas town struggles to survive in the wake of nuclear holocaust," Season 2 seems to be about the rebuilding of America, the upcoming civil war between the Allied States (those west of the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean) and the Eastern Block, politics and conspiracies and "the smoking gun behind the greatest crime in the history of the world".

Don't get me wrong, I liked the episode, and I generally approve of where the series is going... it just felt rather abrupt, is all. I would have preferred that the premise had evolved organically over time, much like how Babylon 5 went from "A story about a space station" to a sweeping epic which spanned the galaxy

I'd like to assume the writers did it this way because they were only given 7 episodes in this season to potentially resolve everything, but watching last year's season finale makes me wonder if this was planned all along.

Other random thoughts:

• I'm a bit annoyed that the war with New Bern was ended so quickly, but getting to see an A-10 Warthog (it's so ugly, it's cute!) drop a napalm strike was rather nice.
  
• Oh, Jake. Emily is so wrong for you. Can't you see that you're meant to be with Heather?
• Martial Law is always interesting. Gotta love that mandatory death penalty for pissing off the Major.
  
• Allied States of America? A different flag? Texas as the swing state? This is all very interesting...
• Is it just me, or is there a definite "Bleeding Kansas" vibe going on here? What with the seemingly inevitable civil war in the making, a divided union -- hell, even the episode's name is a direct antebellum reference -- and of course, the title location being smack in the middle of it all, I think things are going to get much, much worse before they get better.
  

So in short, it seems like Jericho has gone from "postholocaust survival" to "geopolitical thriller." Which is not a bad thing, really, as I love dark futures, and the prospect of a second American Civil War is pretty darn dark, even before you factor in the possibility that it was all engineered from inside the government so that certain elements could rise to power.

I look forward to more episodes.


PS: If you missed the episode, you can watch it online here.

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Now playing: Saliva - Click Click Boom
via FoxyTunes

Jericho Returns Tonight!

Faithful readers of this blog know that I am screaming, drooling, rabid Jericho fangirl.

The (abbreviated) second season airs tonight.

I will be watching it, and I will blog about it after.

And now, some Jericho videos found on YouTube.


"Today Is the Last Ordinary Day": Season 1 Trailer




"Jericho in a Nutshell": A summary of the 1st season




"Do You Wanna": A Jericho music video




Jericho Season 2 trailer (Warning! Here be spoilers!)




Pay attention tonight, class. There WILL be a quiz later.

The (long-awaited?) Jericho post

All right, I admit it: I've been dragging my feet for the last few weeks regarding Jericho.

I was all set to do a weekly blog on each episode as it was re-run, and then CBS decided to screw with me by airing the mid-season recap after the 1st episode. As you may guess, this left me in a bit of a dilemma: how does one recap a recap episode? Should I pick up where it left off, and start blogging about "Blackjack"? I suppose I could write about each episode anyway, but it's not feasible for me to try to cram 11 episodes of commentary into a weekly blog.

Now, of course, it's over a week later and not only am I no closer to a decision, I'm two episodes behind schedule.

So here's what I'm gonna do: I will give you links to the individual episodes that CBS hasn't re-broadcasted as well as their summaries (in case you don't have the time to watch or would prefer to read a synopsis instead). I will also state that you must -- categorically MUST -- watch episode 12, "The Day Before," which will answer a lot of questions that new viewers will undoubtedly have.

Episode 2: Fallout Summary
Episode 3: Four Horsemen Summary
Episode 4: Walls of Jericho Summary
Episode 5: Federal Response Summary
Episode 6: 9:02 Summary
Episode 7: Long Live the Mayor Summary
Episode 8: Rogue River (I reviewed this episode earlier this year) Summary
Episode 9: Crossroads Summary
Episode 10: Red Flag Summary
Episode 11: Vox Populi Summary

Episode 12: The Day Before If you don't watch ANY of the others, watch THIS ONE! Summary


Okay. Now you're caught up to mid-season. I owe you two episode blogs -- ep 13, "Blackjack" and ep 14, "Heart of Winter" -- and then I'm caught up.

Unless I don't get to them by Friday, in which case I'll owe you three. C'est la guerre.

Jericho: Pilot Episode

Wow. Still as good as it was the first time around!

Just so you know, I don't intend to recap the episode for you: I trust that you actually sat down to watch it or, failing that, you recorded it and intend to watch it later. If for some reason your VCR malfunctioned, you can watch this episode online, for free, at the Jericho website, and if you do need a recap you can get a refresher at the Jericho Wiki.

No, this is mostly going to be my thoughts, feelings, and opinions about this show, interspersed with "You might've missed this!" and "Isn't this cool?"

I love how the series starts out: seeming for all the world like a weepy "coming home" drama, replete with music by The Killers (All These Things That I've Done): Jake's awkward reunion with ex-girlfriend Emily; strained conversations with his father; evasive questions as to where he's been for the past five years (as as aside: did anyone else make a Grosse Pointe Blank connection, or is it just me?

[Practicing in a mirror before his high school reunion]
Marty: Hi. I'm, uh, I'm a pet psychiatrist. I sell couch insurance. Mm-hmm, and I - and I test-market positive thinking. I lead a weekend men's group, we specialize in ritual killings. Yeah, you look great! God, yeah! Hi, how are you? Hi, how are you? Hi, I'm Martin Blank, you remember me? I'm not married, I don't have any kids, and I'd blow your head off if someone paid me enough.

... maybe it's just me.)

Anyway, I love how everything starts out so painfully mundane, and then right before the first commercial break, BAM! You see that mushroom cloud and you know, just know, that everything is about to change for the worse. What a way to begin a series, eh?

Some other noteworthy stuff:

• If you can't do it with quality, do it with quantity: Jake making a tracheotomy tube out of a dozen juicebox straws is perhaps the most player character thing I've seen lately.
  
• Johnston Green sure has a nasty cough, doesn't he? He'd better get that looked at...
  
• Gray Anderson, the man I love to hate... the way he shamelessly manipulated worried parents and tried to turn the missing children into political leverage. He's going to be trouble, you can just tell.
• Speaking of trouble: that Robert Hawkins has an oddness to him, don't you think?
• And finally, Gracie. She strikes me as the kind of weepy Oprah-watching woman I hate. I mean, really: Dale shows up at her store late at night... she lets him in, so clearly she trusts him, right? And yet when he -- her stockboy, don't forget -- starts taking the food outside, what does she say? Not "What are you doing" or "Let me help you," but "Why are you stealing from me, Dale?" WTF? Her first reaction is that he's stealing from her? She has "victim" written all over her.
  

Finally: Right before the blast, when the little girl is playing Hide and Seek and is counting down? That's a reference to the 1964 Johnson Campaign's "Daisy" Commercial.

Stay tuned next week for Episode 2, when the town of Jericho, Kansas must deal with.... Fallout!

Sounding the horns of Jericho

Faithful readers might have noticed that I have some small fondness for the Jericho TV show.



(Fun fact: over 20 tons of peanuts were delivered to CBS studios by disgruntled fans. For those curious, the food was donated to local food banks, which gave them to various charities as well as to our troops overseas.)

CBS is really pushing this ad -- I saw it no less than three times tonight while watching Pirate Master (shut up, I like pirates!) which tells me that they're taking this renewal seriously. I approve. *golf applause*

If you haven't seen this wonderful show, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. In fact, I'll be blogging about each episode after it airs, so if you want to know what I'm talking about you'd best watch the show, either every Friday night at 9 pm eastern time (starting tomorrow!) or you can go to the Jericho website and watch the episodes online!

Yes, I know that some of the first episodes are a bit weak, but don't worry, I'll be here to hold your hand and coach you through the rough parts. Trust me -- It will become awesome before you know it.

Hot Damn! We Did It!

From the Jericho Message Boards (bolding added for emphasis):

June 6, 2007

To the Fans of Jericho:

Wow!

Over the past few weeks you have put forth an impressive and probably unprecedented display of passion in support of a prime time television series. You got our attention; your emails and collective voice have been heard.

As a result, CBS has ordered seven episodes of “Jericho” for mid-season next year. In success, there is the potential for more. But, for there to be more “Jericho,” we will need more viewers.

A loyal and passionate community has clearly formed around the show. But that community needs to grow. It needs to grow on the CBS Television Network, as well as on the many digital platforms where we make the show available.

We will count on you to rally around the show, to recruit new viewers with the same grass-roots energy, intensity and volume you have displayed in recent weeks.

At this time, I cannot tell you the specific date or time period that “Jericho” will return to our schedule. However, in the interim, we are working on several initiatives to help introduce the show to new audiences. This includes re-broadcasting “Jericho” on CBS this summer, streaming episodes and clips from these episodes across the CBS Audience Network (online), releasing the first season DVD on September 25 and continuing the story of Jericho in the digital world until the new episodes return. We will let you know specifics when we have them so you can pass them on.

On behalf of everyone at CBS, thank you for expressing your support of “Jericho” in such an extraordinary manner. Your protest was creative, sustained and very thoughtful and respectful in tone. You made a difference.

Sincerely,

Nina Tassler
President, CBS Entertainment


P.S. Please stop sending us nuts :)

Big thanks to everyone who helped in this epic struggle for quality TV. I would like to dedicate this victory to all my Browncoat brothers and sisters; without them, we never would have learned how to fight for the shows we love.

And a big "In your FACE!" shoutout to Les Moonves.

Dare I hope?

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES - Fans trumpeting the cause of CBS' canceled drama "Jericho" have caught the network's ear. CBS, deluged with calls, messages and shipments of nuts signifying viewer displeasure, is reconsidering its decision, a source close to the production said Tuesday.

The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly. A decision on whether to bring the show back, probably for a midseason run, is imminent, the source said.

Dear God/Eris/Occupant:

I will give up my dreams of conquering Eastern Europe if you make this happen.

Signed,

Erin Palette

Jericho Update

It is an odd truism of my life that the moment I declare something to be a certain way, the universe suddenly reverses. Case in point: not 24 hours after yesterday's post that I didn't know when I would feel up to writing again -- I feel like writing again.

Of course, if I'm expecting a call I deliberately go take a shower with the full intent of making the phone ring while I bathe, so that should tell you something about my life.

I bring this up because I hope it will hold true in regards to Jericho. It's been a week since CBS announced the cancellation of this fine show, and in that time the fans have mobilized to show their support.

1. As of this writing, there are nearly 80,000 signatures on the "Save Jericho Petition".
2. CBS Administrators have acknowledged the existence of an outraged fan community and in this message have stated that "In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story." I'll believe it when I see it, but the fact that we're getting responses means something.
   
3. In a related note, the stars of Jericho have posted their thanks for our love and support. Look for the 5-starred posts.
   
4. There are rumors that TNT may pick up the series. This is currently unsubstantiated. If I learn anything, I'll post it.
   
5. This last one is the most spectacular: A company called NutsOnline is taking orders to have crates of roasted peanuts delivered to CBS offices. From their website:

NUTS! Save Jericho! Jericho fans unite! In addition to sending individual orders to CBS programming executives, as a Jericho fan you can now contribute money to massive shipments of nuts. NutsOnline will do our part by pooling monies and supplying nuts at a steep discount! At the end of each day we will tally dollars collected and ship out huge quantities of roasted peanuts in the shell!

You can contribute as little as $5.00 to this effort. As of this writing, they have delivered over 16,000 pounds of nuts to the CBS headquarters. That's eight tons, folks.

In closing, let me leave you with this thought from Jeffrey, who runs NutsOnline:

I wonder if the real trick to getting this back on the air is by watching the episodes online, where CBS can see real, hard data.

He makes an excellent point. If you haven't done so, please encourage your friends to give the show a try by watching online episodes at http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/.

Thank you all, and remember: Keep saying "NUTS!" to CBS!

Help me save Jericho

So. CBS cancelled Jericho yesterday. I aim to change that.

Many of you are Browncoats, and know what it feels like when a beloved TV show is cancelled before its time. I call upon the sacred bonds of sci-fi geekdom, and ask for your help.

Some of you respect my taste in television, even if you don't watch the show yourself. I need you to believe me when I say that this is one of the most intelligent, well-written shows out there. Please help me in this.

Some of you may not care about the show at all, but are my friends and don't want to see me upset. Please, please, help me.

Here's what you can do to help save this show, from easy to involved. If you do nothing else, please do #1.

1. Go to the Save Jericho Petition at PetitionOnline and sign it. Leave a comment if possible. If you can't think of a comment, then feel free to use mine: "I will buy as many seasons of Jericho on DVD as you care to make." The promise of money is a strong motivator.
   
2. Use the CBS Feedback Form and leave an email complaint. Politely express your displeasure at the cancellation of the show, and ask them to re-think their decision.
   
3. Call the CBS programming department at (212) 975 3247. Leave a voicemail with the same polite message as in #2.
   
4. Send nuts-- be it peanuts, pictures of peanuts, styrofoam peanuts, you get the idea -- to:

CBS ATTN: Nina Tassler
51 West 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019
RE: RENEW JERICHO

5. If you're especially hardcore, contact the sponsors of the show (you know, the folks who pay lots of money to air commercials that pay for the show) and tell them that you want them to get CBS to renew Jericho. A list of sponsors and their web addresses can be found HERE.

Please help me. I'm not too proud to beg. Please, please, help me.

FUCK!

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

Rogue River

Oh my dear little blog, how I have been neglecting thee! Things have been rather crazy at Château de Palette recently, and I might be forced into a thrice-weekly schedule until they settle down.

Loyal readers, centuria that ye be, are no doubt aware of my love for the post-apocalyptic TV show known as Jericho. I am, however, not completely convinced that all of you have actually taken the time to watch this little gem of a program. Normally the punishment for such a transgression would be fifty strokes with a silken lash, but I suspect you'd enjoy that too much for the lesson to properly take. Thus, I shall forgo your corporal punishment -- this time -- in lieu of you taking 45 minutes out of your life to watch a single episode with me.

Go to the CBS website here and select Episode 8: "Rogue River". While it's loading I'll give you a brief synopsis of what the heck is going on.

Jericho is a small Kansas farm town, the kind of place you would expect Superman to have grown up in. It is also, conveniently enough, outside of the fallout zones for all major cities in Kansas and Colorado. That fluke of geography, as well as access to a salt mine and uncontaminated water table, allow it to survive being cut off from the rest of the world when twenty-three major American cities are simultaneously destroyed by nuclear bombs.

There are three plots that occur in this episode.

1. Major Plot: Jake and Eric Green must leave Jericho in search of antibiotic for their father (and mayor of Jericho) Johnston Green, who has gone into septic shock as a result of the flu. They take Jake's car because its 1970s-era guts weren't toasted by the EMP.
   
2. Minor Plot: Gray Anderson, the man who wants to be mayor, decides he doesn't know enough about some of the new people in town. He drops in unannounced at the Hawkins residence and starts asking very undelicate questions of people who don't want such questions asked...
   
3. "C" plot: Heather, a friend of Jake, tries to make ice to cool Johnston's fever. Without electricity, this becomes difficult.
   

And there you go. That's a typical episode of Jericho: Adventure in the unsafe lands beyond home; rampant paranoia; once-easy necessities of life becoming a struggle to produce. The "previously" bit that begins the show should reinforce what I already told you and give you enough of a feel for the characters and the setting that you'll be able to pick up what's going on with to trouble. This particular episode doesn't depend on any specialized knowledge of prior episodes, and (in my opinion) is exciting and well-paced.

Go! Watch!

Finished? Good! I hope you enjoyed it. If not, I respect your opinion (even if it's, y'know, wrong) and I thank you for taking the time to give it a chance.

Now, for one last thing: Did you notice how the title sequence had a morse code message? Well, that changes with each episode. The message encoded in "Rogue River" ....





















... "Rob not FBI."

I Love My TeeVee

I remember when I saw the first promo for Heroes last summer. My immediate reaction was "Please, God, let it not suck," quickly followed by "And let it last at least a season." Imagine my delight when not only did it not suck -- in fact, it's incredible -- but it became the breakout hit of the season. Hiro is reason alone to watch it.

Heroes returned to TV last night, and there was much rejoicing across the land. You just gotta love a show that does an episode called "Six Months Ago" and then later that same season does anther called "Five Years In The Future" (next week's episode.)

If for some bizarre reason you haven't been watching the show -- I'm looking at you, Isabella -- then proceed immediately to this site where you can watch every single episode that's been shown. There are currently 19 of them, and the season will end with #22. If you are a comic book nerd, like science fiction/fantasy, or just enjoy good television, there is no reason for not watching this show.

Fortunately, it seems like most of America agrees with me on this (a fact which slightly disturbs me, truth be told), so I don't need to campaign on behalf of Heroes. However, there are other shows chock-full of geeky goodness that also deserve your attention.

Battlestar Galactica is the single best sci-fi show out there, point blank. If you aren't watching it you are an uncultured ruffian, and I spurn you as I would spurn a rabid dog. Luckily, you have all year to get caught up, as the new season doesn't start until 2008. *sobs quietly*

Included for your viewing pleasure are a series of clips taken from Episode 304. It's a "good parts" compilation of nothing but action, and is as close to sequential as I could find. If this doesn't excite your geeky heart, nothing will.








Hankering for something a bit more modern? Then try Jericho, a story about a small Kansas town cut off from civilization when no less than twenty-three American cities are destroyed by nuclear bombs. It's kind of "Lost" meets "The Day After", except that unlike Lost there is no mystical weirdness going on and there seems to be a payoff every few episodes. In fact, by the end of this season I expect we will know exactly who was responsible for the bombing.

I'm honestly not sure if this show will be renewed for another season or not. I urge you all to please give it a try, as it is one of the most intelligent TV shows out there. I don't have any video clips to show you (sorry about that), but if you go here you can watch, for free, every single episode currently aired. The show is at 8 pm on CBS, and new episodes are uploaded to the website the next day.

Edit: I found a clip. It's not the best in the world, but at least it's not a crappy music video.


Speaking of potentially doomed good shows, there's The Dresden Files. It's a show about Harry Dresden, a wizard, who is sort of a magical Private Investigator who also consults with the Chicago P.D. to help solve occult crimes. The entire show reminds me of a World of Darkness RPG, and I mean that as a compliment.

Now, I don't practice magic, but I am fairly well-read on occultism, and I can tell you that this show goes to great pains to make its magic "feel" believable. It's almost like someone read Isaac Bonewits' Laws of Magic before writing this series. I don't know if it was Jim Butcher, the man who writes the series of novels that Dresden Files is based off, or if it's just a really good team of scriptwriters, but either way, credit is due. The show is just fun to watch, and never talks down to its viewers.

Here are some of the promos which aired for the show in January:






This is the last scene of episode 4. A bit long, and spoileriffic if you haven't seen it already, but if gives you a good look at the methodology of the magic. In this instance, Harry is helping a young man who (sold his soul) to exorcise the demon-taint inside him.


This show is also potentially on the chopping block, so if you enjoy it I implore you to go to the Save Harry Dresden! webpage. Send an email to feedback@scifi.com, if you do nothing else. I mentioned that I would be buying the DVD set of the first season, and would happily buy more if they continue the series. Money talks, you see.

I can't seem to think of a good closing paragraph, so I guess I'll just end with cheese: Tune in tomorrow! Same Lurking time, same Rhythmic channel!