First of all I would like to apologize for last night's bizarro post - I had a few beers in me and reading it this morning, it made absolutely no sense. So I deleted it. No hard feelings.
Bheeler made a great point about how (un)important it is for a product of popular culture to have some sort of an artistic merit. This was a response to my praise for BSG to be an intellectually stimulating and challenging show. I agree with Bheeler that when comparing a show like Lost with the works of Shakespeare, the winner is determined - by proxy - to be the latter because of its chronological advantage. Not that Shakespeare doesn't merit academic scrutiny, but the pedestal the academics and the critics put him on makes me question the validity of his artistic merit even more (that's two merits in one sentence). Same goes for the Oasis vs. the Beatles battle.
I also agree that studying or debating the made-up mythology behind popular culture is also an act of legitimizing them in our minds that they are serious shows and not just popcorn entertainment. A show like Lost, or BSG, or Alias have as much popcorn value as they do artistic value, but because of their chronological disadvantage and their inferior medium (television) will make them less worthy in artistic terms when academics will look back on early 21st century popular culture.
I have just watched last night's episode of BSG online and I had goosebumps all over me. Yes, I keep salivating over this show too much maybe, but my excitement does not only stem from what I see on the screen, but what this show will represent in the years to come.
The filmmakers of our generation will be remembered for a few new innovations and developments that are, in my opinion, rather bland compared to the previous generations. Now, I'm not trying to say that Casablanca is a more worthy addition to the film cannon than Fight Club, but I would rather my generation be represented with filmmakers not named McG or Eli Roth. Let's face it - the current filmmaking generation sucks ass. Yes, Scorsese still comes up with a scorcher once in a while. Yes, the Coens got their groove back (somehow), and yes Fincher just revealed a side we have never seen before. But they are not strictly our generation. (Well, maybe Fincher is. And let's not forget Nolan). But, the predominant products of popular culture of our times are rather ... well... un-artistic, for want of a better word.
Now, here's my point. I see a show like BSG shining like a beacon for the generations to come. Not because it has the best special effects on television I have ever seen, nor because it put a fledgling cable network (SciFi) in the big league. But because I feel that it will be a show critics and academics will be talking about not because of its place in a timeline, but because of its content. How many shows or films of the last 20 years can claim to that? You can go on about Blair Witch and Cloverfield's brilliant marketing strategies, but they are nothing but glorified Creature from the Black Lagoon - again, nothing is wrong with that. But BSG, in my humble opinion, goes a little beyond that. And that's why I think it will be a landmark show - not in a popular sense (how many people can say that an Antonioni film is their favorite?), but in an academic sense. I can now claim to have been witness to a show that transcended popular culture and academia legitimately.
So say we all ...
The Ru
P.S. There are a few slight SPOILERS in this link, but it is an interesting article about shows that ultimately come to an end.
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Hey folks. Where does this fandom of BSG come from...? It's never up for any awards, and I never seem to hear about it unless it's a venue like this one.. a blog, or maybe a random comment from someone at work. Same goes for The Wire...? Damages...? I mean, I'm most certain that they are good shows in their own right but I really don't see the appeal. Could it be that my TV viewing palette is biased and bitter? Perhaps. I'm always last to catch up with TV and the shows that folks end up worshipping. And the only shows I can honestly preach about are long gone gems from the 90s. Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, My So-Called life, etc. I will say this, though, that until those 'filmmakers' you so preach about, Bru, make a film, then and only then will my interest be piqued. Not to say that I consider Eli Roth or McG to be part of my recent roster of solid filmmakers, but they are making features. Their TV work is just TV. And though that line blurs more and more, it is still quite distinct.
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