Warning the following blog contains spoilers from Dexter episode The Getaway, Weeds episode All About My Mom, and Breaking Bad episode Half Measures. This was also written before I saw the Breaking Bad season finale.
Television used to be nothing more than an escape from our daily routine, but in the end it was nothing more than a routine, wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch Friends, watch ER, watch the news, watch Jay Leno if youre into him, and go to bed, then do the same thing the next day but with different shows. This isnt necessarily a bad thing though because it gave us the escape we needed from the hectic daily routine we have. So when we needed a better escape we went to the movies, paid our 10 dollars and escaped into a grandiose adventure for an hour and a half. Now days its a little different, when I think back to ER and Friends I liked them characters but I didnt have an emotional attachment to them. Oh shit Dr. Green has brain cancer, that blows. Thats a sentiment I felt but I didnt care it was just a show and the story telling didnt make me care that much for it. Now days its a little different.
In 2010 the daily routine is the same, but we have a decline in the movie industry, unless youre 12 and have to go see Twilight 230 times. The movie industry is starting to slump in a way that only the music industry can relate to, why is this slump occurring though? I think its because television and its story telling is superb and on the same level as the movie industries story telling. I care about these characters, Weeds, Dexter, and Breaking Bad I care about these people. I had the idea for this blog when I showed a friend a clip from last weeks Breaking Bad, Jesse Pinkman snorted some of the crystal meth him and his partner Walter White produce to have the courage to have this gun fight in the middle of the street with two drug dealers that killed a child, a child that was the little brother of the girl he has started to date. Why did I care about this character snorting crystal meth? Because Ive followed this character through two seasons, from drug dealing drug addict, to drug addict and drug producer, to a drug producer that went through rehab and had been clean. Why did I scream, holy fucking shit when Walter came through with his Aztec, ran over the drug dealers, and shot the surviving drug dealer in point blank range in the head? Because much like Jesse Ive followed Walts story from high school chemistry teacher, to a lung cancer patient, to a drug producer, to a divorcee, to some sort of bad ass in one simple greatly implemented 3 minute scene that sets up one of the most exciting times Ive had since the Dexter season finale.
How did the creators of Dexter set up their season finale? Dexter Morgan had been hanging out and following the Trinity Killer, Arthur Mitchell, but had been using the fake name Kyle Butler. Having Arthur track Dexter to his job at Miami Metro and having the show end with a spine tingling, Hello Dexter Morgan from Arthur in the middle of the homicide department set the stage for a hectic and epic season finale. The season finale ended with Dexter killing Arthur and feeling as though he finally got all the crap from the whole season in a complete, about to go on a vacation with his son Harrison and wife Rita. That is until he calls her and notices her phone in the kitchen, hears his son crying and walks into his bathroom. His son sitting in a pool of blood on the floor crying, and his lovely wife Rita in the bathtub murdered by Arthur, but heres the key how did I handle that, the audience that is invested into this show for three seasons? Well Dexter carrying his son out of the bathroom covered in blood, I was on the side of my bed, mouth dropped and hands shaking, all I could think was, oh my god for 30 minutes after the show I replayed that scene and every time had the same reaction. They had a great season finale, an epic ending, and something to keep me and all of the fans on the edge until the show returns in September. Can Breaking Bad attain the same thing? I think they can but I hope they dont do what I think and have been saying for 4 weeks now, please dont kill Jesse!
The other show that I am totally invested in and returns in August is Weeds. The show is amazing but has declined a little bit in the last two seasons. The last season kinda amped it up, Celia as a drug dealing lesbian, Esteban going back to his old boss, Nancy actually having his baby, and then the season finale. After being hounded by Pilar the whole season for having Estebans baby and marrying him, hounding her because she is a white american and the people of Mexico cant know their mayor is with her, threatening her kids lives. Then in one genius instant Nancys youngest son out of no where hits Pilar in the head with a croquet bat and kills her. Once again a great, great way to end a great season to a great show.
The movie industry hasnt ever made me feel attached to a character, with the exception of the most recent Batman movies, but that is probably more because Im a huge Batman fan. Television now days is far from Ross and Rachel going on a break and having sex with other people. I care about Jesse, Walter, Dexter, Rita, Nancy and Shane, I will follow and love these characters until the shows end, and at the same time be completely sad when they do end. Television is great now, it is completely immersive and makes me feel like I cant wait until Sunday or Wednesday
Television used to be nothing more than an escape from our daily routine, but in the end it was nothing more than a routine, wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch Friends, watch ER, watch the news, watch Jay Leno if youre into him, and go to bed, then do the same thing the next day but with different shows. This isnt necessarily a bad thing though because it gave us the escape we needed from the hectic daily routine we have. So when we needed a better escape we went to the movies, paid our 10 dollars and escaped into a grandiose adventure for an hour and a half. Now days its a little different, when I think back to ER and Friends I liked them characters but I didnt have an emotional attachment to them. Oh shit Dr. Green has brain cancer, that blows. Thats a sentiment I felt but I didnt care it was just a show and the story telling didnt make me care that much for it. Now days its a little different.
In 2010 the daily routine is the same, but we have a decline in the movie industry, unless youre 12 and have to go see Twilight 230 times. The movie industry is starting to slump in a way that only the music industry can relate to, why is this slump occurring though? I think its because television and its story telling is superb and on the same level as the movie industries story telling. I care about these characters, Weeds, Dexter, and Breaking Bad I care about these people. I had the idea for this blog when I showed a friend a clip from last weeks Breaking Bad, Jesse Pinkman snorted some of the crystal meth him and his partner Walter White produce to have the courage to have this gun fight in the middle of the street with two drug dealers that killed a child, a child that was the little brother of the girl he has started to date. Why did I care about this character snorting crystal meth? Because Ive followed this character through two seasons, from drug dealing drug addict, to drug addict and drug producer, to a drug producer that went through rehab and had been clean. Why did I scream, holy fucking shit when Walter came through with his Aztec, ran over the drug dealers, and shot the surviving drug dealer in point blank range in the head? Because much like Jesse Ive followed Walts story from high school chemistry teacher, to a lung cancer patient, to a drug producer, to a divorcee, to some sort of bad ass in one simple greatly implemented 3 minute scene that sets up one of the most exciting times Ive had since the Dexter season finale.
How did the creators of Dexter set up their season finale? Dexter Morgan had been hanging out and following the Trinity Killer, Arthur Mitchell, but had been using the fake name Kyle Butler. Having Arthur track Dexter to his job at Miami Metro and having the show end with a spine tingling, Hello Dexter Morgan from Arthur in the middle of the homicide department set the stage for a hectic and epic season finale. The season finale ended with Dexter killing Arthur and feeling as though he finally got all the crap from the whole season in a complete, about to go on a vacation with his son Harrison and wife Rita. That is until he calls her and notices her phone in the kitchen, hears his son crying and walks into his bathroom. His son sitting in a pool of blood on the floor crying, and his lovely wife Rita in the bathtub murdered by Arthur, but heres the key how did I handle that, the audience that is invested into this show for three seasons? Well Dexter carrying his son out of the bathroom covered in blood, I was on the side of my bed, mouth dropped and hands shaking, all I could think was, oh my god for 30 minutes after the show I replayed that scene and every time had the same reaction. They had a great season finale, an epic ending, and something to keep me and all of the fans on the edge until the show returns in September. Can Breaking Bad attain the same thing? I think they can but I hope they dont do what I think and have been saying for 4 weeks now, please dont kill Jesse!
The other show that I am totally invested in and returns in August is Weeds. The show is amazing but has declined a little bit in the last two seasons. The last season kinda amped it up, Celia as a drug dealing lesbian, Esteban going back to his old boss, Nancy actually having his baby, and then the season finale. After being hounded by Pilar the whole season for having Estebans baby and marrying him, hounding her because she is a white american and the people of Mexico cant know their mayor is with her, threatening her kids lives. Then in one genius instant Nancys youngest son out of no where hits Pilar in the head with a croquet bat and kills her. Once again a great, great way to end a great season to a great show.
The movie industry hasnt ever made me feel attached to a character, with the exception of the most recent Batman movies, but that is probably more because Im a huge Batman fan. Television now days is far from Ross and Rachel going on a break and having sex with other people. I care about Jesse, Walter, Dexter, Rita, Nancy and Shane, I will follow and love these characters until the shows end, and at the same time be completely sad when they do end. Television is great now, it is completely immersive and makes me feel like I cant wait until Sunday or Wednesday