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rose_griffes) wrote2007-07-27 01:51 pm
rose_griffes) wrote2007-07-27 01:51 pm
Entry tags:
summer days, driftin' away
How sad am I going to be when my copious free time to sit around and watch (and write about) weird DVDs comes to an end? (answer: really really sad)
Due South: Why did I decide to put this in my Netflix queue? Oh yeah, 'cause CKR is in it and not playing some psycho-killer which would necessitate me hiding my eyes half of the time. He's in the show for the third and fourth seasons, I have a Netflix account now--voila! Time to watch some nineties TV!
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pataka02 wanted to know if DS was worth watching for any other reason besides Callum-staring. So far I've seen the first seven episodes of season three, CKR's first season on the show. (In case this isn't obvious, cramming seven episodes of a show onto one disk means no special features of any kind, not even subtitles.)
I should probably mention that in order to skip seasons one and two I 1) watched the very first episode of DS on YouTube and 2) went and found a bunch of spoilers to get up to speed for the key characters. So far skipping the first two seasons is working fine. Being spoiled was helpful only for the very first episode of season three; if anyone wants a brief explanation, let me know--I'll put it in the comments.
first thoughts
Plot: what plot? Mountie Benton Fraser (dark hair, played by Paul Gross) runs aroundToronto Chicago with Stanley Ray Kowalski aka Ray Vecchio (Callum, fake Chicago accent, adorable) and they have adventures, which might or might not make actual sense. It's rather like watching a season-long buddy movie so far. So far the plots haven't been very believable, but eh. S'okay. I can appreciate over-the-top silliness on occasion.
Paul Gross as the Mountie is tall, dark and handsome. I like his ghost-dad popping up, horning in on conversations. Heh. Poor ghost-dad, though--he's not in every episode. Callum is quite different in his cop role--he's like an overactive puppy. It's amazing how CKR can add in that layer of creepy menace to the role of Leoben, 'cause he doesn't have it at all here. Oh Ray: I wanna hug him and make him take me dancing (and then make out with him).
The show so far is not trying to Convey A Very Important Message. At the entertainment level it definitely works for me. It's funny; Paul Gross is so earnest as Fraser that I want to giggle (and feed him lunch). If you want some mindless fun with an attractive man running around with guns (Callum) and another attractive man (Paul Gross) who has a deaf wolf-dog, it's quite enjoyable. If you're looking for a deep theme and multi-episode arcs, this is not the show for you.
I'll eventually watch the rest of the episodes that have Callum, but they'll have to compete with everything else in my Netflix queue.
genre
It's not exactly a buddy-cop show--too many plotholes, too many other elements. It's not quite a sit-com: it's an hour-long show, and there's no laugh-track, and the comedy doesn't usually cross into slapstick nor is there a lot of wordplay, so... OH! I figured it out! Due South is a summer show! Y'know, it just won't stand up to the competition from shows with actual plot and character/relationship-building, but for the summer it's just fine.
the curious effect of the Mountie uniform
Generally I'm quite susceptible to handsome men in well-tailored uniforms, but something about those Mountie outfits has the opposite effect. Is it the red color for the jacket or the poochy riding trousers? I'm not sure, but when Fraser was supposed to be romantically interested in a woman in episode six I was cringing--possibly at the usual tv-formula of skipping steps, but mostly because I just couldn't see him feeling that way--until he was wearing civilian clothes. (Later he had on a pair of red longjohn underwear, which killed the romantic mood again. Hee!) Or maybe the neuter effect is because the guards at Buckingham palace wear similar uniforms with a big brush thingy on their heads--that's rather emasculating. Hm.
eta: This rant about the last Harry Potter book is right on target, I think. Spoilers for the whole series.
Due South: Why did I decide to put this in my Netflix queue? Oh yeah, 'cause CKR is in it and not playing some psycho-killer which would necessitate me hiding my eyes half of the time. He's in the show for the third and fourth seasons, I have a Netflix account now--voila! Time to watch some nineties TV!
pataka02 wanted to know if DS was worth watching for any other reason besides Callum-staring. So far I've seen the first seven episodes of season three, CKR's first season on the show. (In case this isn't obvious, cramming seven episodes of a show onto one disk means no special features of any kind, not even subtitles.)I should probably mention that in order to skip seasons one and two I 1) watched the very first episode of DS on YouTube and 2) went and found a bunch of spoilers to get up to speed for the key characters. So far skipping the first two seasons is working fine. Being spoiled was helpful only for the very first episode of season three; if anyone wants a brief explanation, let me know--I'll put it in the comments.
first thoughts
Plot: what plot? Mountie Benton Fraser (dark hair, played by Paul Gross) runs around
Paul Gross as the Mountie is tall, dark and handsome. I like his ghost-dad popping up, horning in on conversations. Heh. Poor ghost-dad, though--he's not in every episode. Callum is quite different in his cop role--he's like an overactive puppy. It's amazing how CKR can add in that layer of creepy menace to the role of Leoben, 'cause he doesn't have it at all here. Oh Ray: I wanna hug him and make him take me dancing (and then make out with him).
The show so far is not trying to Convey A Very Important Message. At the entertainment level it definitely works for me. It's funny; Paul Gross is so earnest as Fraser that I want to giggle (and feed him lunch). If you want some mindless fun with an attractive man running around with guns (Callum) and another attractive man (Paul Gross) who has a deaf wolf-dog, it's quite enjoyable. If you're looking for a deep theme and multi-episode arcs, this is not the show for you.
I'll eventually watch the rest of the episodes that have Callum, but they'll have to compete with everything else in my Netflix queue.
genre
It's not exactly a buddy-cop show--too many plotholes, too many other elements. It's not quite a sit-com: it's an hour-long show, and there's no laugh-track, and the comedy doesn't usually cross into slapstick nor is there a lot of wordplay, so... OH! I figured it out! Due South is a summer show! Y'know, it just won't stand up to the competition from shows with actual plot and character/relationship-building, but for the summer it's just fine.
the curious effect of the Mountie uniform
Generally I'm quite susceptible to handsome men in well-tailored uniforms, but something about those Mountie outfits has the opposite effect. Is it the red color for the jacket or the poochy riding trousers? I'm not sure, but when Fraser was supposed to be romantically interested in a woman in episode six I was cringing--possibly at the usual tv-formula of skipping steps, but mostly because I just couldn't see him feeling that way--until he was wearing civilian clothes. (Later he had on a pair of red longjohn underwear, which killed the romantic mood again. Hee!) Or maybe the neuter effect is because the guards at Buckingham palace wear similar uniforms with a big brush thingy on their heads--that's rather emasculating. Hm.
eta: This rant about the last Harry Potter book is right on target, I think. Spoilers for the whole series.