American TV Shows
Why are some of the best American television shows so visibly annoying and behind their times?
Prison Break
This is where it all started. When you’re sitting in company, it becomes exceedingly difficult to maintain a conversation if people around you start discussing tv shows you have no idea of. But more importantly, I had grown tired of being told that I ‘Must-Watch’ this show. So, around 2-3 months ago, I borrowed my friend’s Prison Break DVDs to catch up with what I had apparently been missing. Around 8-10 episodes down the line, a pattern began to emerge in the way the show had been put together, the characters became exceedingly annoying, and I couldn’t help but curse myself for having agreed to watch the show. Here’s how it works: you put together loads of characters, all struggling to survive in a prison, or a city, or a hospital (tick what’s applicable), besides the main central plot all the characters have their own little stories going on which are completely independent of each other (this also helps in ensuring the main story progresses at a glatial pace by providing a million distarctions that eventually get sorted out anyway) but influence their actions towards the main plot, good guys are made to look bad and bad guys are made to look good, all the characters believe things should be done their way so instead of quietly working on escaping from the prison, there are ego clashes all over which serves as yet another distraction from the main plot. All the characters are given strict instructions to maintain minimum dialogues so as to leave ample room for misunderstandings and miscommunications. Again, this helps to keep us from thinking about the main plot. There’s very little talking amongst the characters, most are just thinking out loud in their heads, and the rest are too busy either fighting their own battles or staring hard at one of the other characters in an attempt to scare them! Lincoln Burrows, the brain behind the escape, is prone to helping people irrespective of the trauma it causes him (and us!). In one of the episodes, somebody also mentioned how he had been going to a shrink so as to help him with this ‘problem’. Indeed it is a problem. Because, there were millions of instances in the show where all he really needed to do was to quietly walk away without sticking his butt into other people’s affairs, but Lincoln being Lincoln, he is made to go back, walk right back into trouble, just so that the script writers are able to introduce a few more distractions and issues which keep us occupied enough to forget about the main plot! Sick I say! By the end of this one, I was tired of all the characters and their immense ability to attract problems, their undying faith and dedication towards their egos, and their absolute conviction to leave everything unanswered so that the rest of characters can feel free to draw their own conclusions. Everyone in the show, though shown to be working together, is actually absolutely unaware of what’s going on, what needs to be done and where they want to be. Please, please people! TALK to each other, and occasionally finish your sentences so that the other person understands your motives! But then, how would the plot be stretched to at least 4 seasons?!
24
The first thing I noticed and probably even loved about the show was that everyone was in the loop as to what was happening, the situation was very well co-ordinated and the information exchange was accurate. Which meant that we could stick to the plot without having to worry about all the rest of the side crap stories. However, the most annoying thing about this show was Kim Bauer. She is whiny, annoying, stupid, very stupid, and just plain irritating. She is more of a distarction to Jack than anything else. She doesn’t understand a thing but pretends to have answers to everything. Anyway, point being, that I hate her. The fact that she is a blond seems to re-iterate the age old ‘myth’. However, I was happy to see that all the characters had cell phones on them which meant, things were communicated as they happened. No side stories after Prison Break please!!
Heroes
Everything that I’ve said about Prison Break, also goes for Heroes. I find it hard to imagine that these people with special powers, wouldn’t want to exchange telephone numbers and stay in touch! All of them seem to be operating independently, which like I said earlier, gives enough time to the creators to introduce as many distractions as humanly possible in one life!
House MD
By far the best show I’ve seen on television. Thank god for House!
