First day of the year

[selenak]

Hope everyone had a great transition of years. Mine was spent with the Agent Parents and Beethoven - I'm somewhat partial to the Ode to Joy - and then a really great dinner. Definitely time to start dieting now, though, and with a vengeance.

Here are some (by no means all) of my fannish hopes and fears for 2009:

Watchmen - well, it would be good if it could get released, for starters, so I hope the WB and Fox come to an arrangment. It would be even better if the film lives up to the trailer and turns out to be awesome. On the fretting side of things, I am pretty sure that due to the casting of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, the movie, without toning down what the Comedian is like (interviews of cast and director alike mention the scene where he shoots the Vietnamese woman pregnant with his child is kept, for example), will produce a sudden influx of Comedian romantic fanfic, both slash (Eddie/Jon, Eddie/Rohrschach despite the utter lack of shared scenes but due to the fact Rohrschach is the already established fan favorite) and het, Eddie/Sally and incest fanfic, because this is fandom. And of course Comedian/Mary Sue AUs wherein he gets redeemed. And that's leaving out all the SPN crossovers and assorted pairings.

Star Trek - on the one hand, JJ Abrams' views on ST don't sound very promising if you're a fan, plus my break-up with another fandom has conditioned me to react with frothing rage at the sight of poor Zachary Quinto, whose fault this is not. Also, the trailer reminds me irresistably of that fannish custom, "they're all in high school" AUs. On the other hand, Abrams, conviction that ST should be like SW notwithstanding, has given me two shows I enjoy, Alias and Lost, and he does have a knack for presenting ensembles with the interest focus not just on one or two characters. (I.e. it won't be just the Kirk and Spock show.) I guess we'll see. What I do hope for is that the movie will galvanize fannish interest in all the preceding shows, much like New Who made a lot of new fans revisit, or visit for the first time, at least some of the 26 seasons preceeding it.

Battlestar Galactica - when it's good, it's really excellent, but alas every season since the first also put us through awful slumps. (And even the first had Litmus.) Still, what I hope for is a home run - for the final episodes, the second half of season 4, to be spectacular so the show goes out in style. More specific requests: more scenes with Caprica Six, please. (Some resolution to her relationship with Baltar would be good, but mostly I want more Six, and some explanation for the weirdness that is Six/Tigh and yet another baby.) No more Lee and Kara soap opera; 4.0 benefited to no end from the lack of same. (Though it got Adama Senior behaving every bit as self-indulgent as Lee ever did in mid s3, so there you go.) Lucy Lawless made a very welcome return as D'Anna/Three; more scenes with Roslin, please, for the one they got was awesome. And don't kill her off (before the very end), she's the last Three. Some more character fleshing out for Tory. At least one more meeting between Gaeta and Baltar. And finally, bring the tragicomedy which is Life of Gaius to a fitting end - what this would be, I have no idea, but I know what I don't want: either a last minute all out EVIL!Baltar (Ron, you wrote Waltz, which I shan't forget) or a redeemed-via-sacrificial-death Baltar. (On the other hand, given all the other deliberate imagery, I wouldn't put it past this lot to be cheeky enough for a crucifixion.)

Doctor Who specials - I'm completely unspoiled (save for the title of the next one, which was announced at the end of the Christmas special), and wish to remain so. They basically fill me with a mixture of fond expecation and slight melancholy (time is running out, and so forth - not that this isn't the right time, or will be next year, but I am rather fond of this particular incarnation), and curiosity as to what they'll be like without the seasonal tie-in. Wish-wise, I have two and a half easily guessable hopes for the last special before the Moff takes over: Firstly, it would be absolutely fantastic if his recent appearance in the SJAs turned out to be a trial run for one more screen outing for the Brigadier, on Doctor Who. David Tennant would be in fannish heaven right along with the rest of us, and he did work with Nicholas Courtney before (in the Big Finish production Sympathy for the Devil). I don't think any other actor playing the Doctor would appreciate it more, because the chances of getting another fanboy in the role are astronomical. (Which isn't to say that Patterson Joseph or whoever plays Eleven could not be great with the Brig on screen, but, you know, not the same thing.) Plus we need someone to see Ten off and welcome Eleven, and it can't be the season 5 companion, as Stephen Moffat will undoubtedly want to introduce her (default assumption of the next regular companion being a woman here) himself. The Brigadier, with his experience in the Doctor regenerating, would be perfect, and you wouldn't have to explain why he is not in the fifth season, either. Wish 2 is of course for a Donna return. Now Catherine Tate could of course come back later whenever she wishes, but for one thing I doubt Moffat will bring back any previous New Who companion in his first season (he might bring back an Old Who one for a cameo, but even that I'm not sure of), and for another there is the good old chemistry question. She and David Tennant just click - and have a blast working together - , and who knows whether she will with Eleven's actor? If Donna does return, I want her to have a good life already, proving her magnificence on Earth. (I can't tell you how fix-its which start with the premise that Donna is miserable annoy me.) Now a return of her memories (but not in too easy a fashion - I hate fix-its which ignore the original horrible dilemma with a handwave as well) would be welcome, but I'd also take her re-encountering the Doctor as a stranger she gets to know in a new fashion. Now for my half wish - Martha. I'm not sure, because the Brig and Donna are two guest stars in need of lots of screen attention already, and there will be the danger of the episode to deal with. On the other hand, given my "Martha is on her way to become the Brigadier of New Who, i.e. the friend who doesn't travel with the Doctor but whom the Doctor keeps coming back to" theory, she and the Brig could have a great transition scene. Finally, Eleven: Patterson Joseph would be great, but I am not set on anyone. As long as it's not James Nesbit.

Torchwood miniseries/season 3: season 2, by and large, was a very pleasant surprise, and fortunately made me fond of all the cast; otherwise certain events at the end of s2 might have driven me to abandon the show. I don't have specific fears or hopes (well, I'd rather they don't break up Gwen/Rhys, but other than that...), and just one request: it would be nice of my one big s2 annoyance from Fragments (aka the presentation of UNIT in the Tosh flashback) could be fixed. I'd prefer the revelation it was all a set-up by Jack so he could get Tosh for his team (this is the vindictive UNIT fan in me who thinks they simply wanted to make Torchwood look better by slandering the ORIGINAL Doctor Who dealing-with-aliens-and-mysteries organisation, much like a Mary Sue - or Gary Stu, in Jack's case - is written at the expense of the canon characters), but I'd be okay with "rogue department" as well.

Lost season 5: will start soon, and it can't be soon enough for me. Season 4 was great but did get cut short due to the writers' strike, so what I first want from season 5 is what couldn't make the cut before, i.e. more time and fleshing out of the Freighter characters. Secondly, there is of course the matter of that person in the coffin. At this point I'm not worried that we won't see Locke again, because obviously he has a whole "what happened on the island" plotline to go through before leaving the island, but I am worried it means we won't get any more Locke and Ben scenes, and this I find a very saddening prospect, so I'd be thrilled to be proven wrong. (As to Locke's final fate, I strongly suspect Ben doesn't want to take his body along because he's feeling sentimental, but because he expects the island to do something with it, and the Babylon 5 fan in me wonders whether Locke won't turn out to be Jacob in a Sinclair/Valen manner - i.e. upon re-entering the island his body and soul will be flung back to the past and Jack & Co. will arrive minus one coffin, only to be greeted by undead Christian Shepard, who'll then finally introduce the man behind the curtain, as it were.) What I do further hope is that we're done killing female characters, so don't even think about doing something to Sun or Penny, Lindelof and Abrams. Oh, and finally: a minimum of screen time devoted to Jack's love life, if you please. And don't ever repeat a scene like "Omg I'm so frightened of Ben, protect me!" from The Other Woman again, that was the only Juliet scene I hated.

Marvelverse Comics: more Agent Brand, please. I'd like to see Matt Fraction's take on her; Ellis' I'm not yet sure about; Mike Carey and Bendis both used her very well in Secret Invasion. Speaking of Fraction, the current premise of the new arc of Invincible Iron Man has me excited in a good way, and the opening issue was very promising. (Is there any chance to bring back Henry Hellrung in this storyline? It practically begs for at least one doppelganger con...) I'm also looking forward to the Emma Frost flashback promised the Uncanny X-Men storyline.

Comments

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

safe for the title of the next one

Save! I've just made it my New Year's Resolution to iron out this wrinkle in your mostly flawless English.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

A fantastic icon, and I shall endeavour to internalize the cursed save/safe thing! *edits*

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I originally had "No fury like a woman" and then realised it was a misquotation...

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

I've started reading the Watchmen graphic novel at the urging of several people on my friends list, and I'm intrigued enough to want to see the movie, if it ever gets released. I fear you're right about fandom's reaction to The Comedian. *g* It's my first graphic novel, and (at least for me) reading it requires a different mindset from reading books or watching TV. I keep reading the speech/thought bubbles and forgetting to look at the pictures, or vice versa.

I have high hopes for Lost Season 5. Still virtually unspoiled. I'm thinking of DVRing the entire season then marathoning in one go over the summer, though, because the show is a lot more fun for me that way.

plus my break-up with another fandom has conditioned me to react with frothing rage at the sight of poor Zachary Quinto, whose fault this is not...

Oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one. xD

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh, it takes some adjustment, but you'll get the hang, and you know, you started with a classic! (My favourite graphic novels are actually the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman, but Watchmen is great.)

And no, you're definitely not alone!

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

And finally, bring the tragicomedy which is Life of Gaius to a fitting end

I haven't seen the series, but from what I've heard of the character I'd suggest:

Lindsey in Angel: "I don't get killed by a flunky, do I?"

Something on the lines of what Garth Ennis (who I know you have issues with) did with his charming-but-not-prettified sociopath character Cassidy at the very end of Preacher: ie he commits redemptive suicide so far as his ex-friends who he betrayed are left believing, but he's actually set up his own mystical resurrection beforehand, and it's all part of a wider manipulative ploy to try to ensure that the main series plot arc wraps up with the minimum of people he likes dying and him smelling of roses, which will cause arguments between fans forever after as to whether it was solely self-serving or partly altrustic and apologetic.

it would be nice of my one big s2 annoyance from Fragments (aka the presentation of UNIT in the Tosh flashback) could be fixed

As well as the "Jack set Tosh up" fix-it, you could also blame the Bane infiltration of UNIT seen in Sarah Jane Adventures this year.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You know, it's not that Garth Ennis hasn't impressed me with Dangerous Habits and his other Hellblazer stuff, but the Nick Fury novel was so vile that I'm still not over it. However, what you describe sounds like a plausible type of ending, yes.

Blaming the Bane infiltration: right you are! Another reason why The Sarah Jane Adventures are quintessential to DW canon. :)

[seriousfic.livejournal.com]

I think that's the best summation of Garth Ennis's career to date. "You know, it's not that Garth Ennis hasn't impressed me with X, but Y was so vile that I'm still not over it.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

I also have issues with Ennis's more recent work, but I still think Preacher is superb. Perhaps because it actually had some subtle and moving characterisation, along with all the sex and violence.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

The Comedian: On the one hand, it should be very hard to redeem *that*, on the other, I have seen people making excuses for him because he tried to connect to Laurie (which, in my eyes, gives him probably a smidgen of grey right in between all the blackness, but I would never pretend that I like the Comedian...), so JDM might definitely strengthen that desire. I found it telling that he seemed to have rather big trouble to still connect to the character, and I think for an actor, that is quite a big deal.

As for Doctor Who:

Finally, Eleven: Patterson Joseph would be great, but I am not set on anyone. As long as it's not James Nesbit.

So, you have finally seen Jekyll, then? ;) Not that that paints a very glowing picture of Patterson Joseph, either, but it made me wish fervently that Nesbit is otherwise occupied when the time comes for casting Eleven.

Concerning Zach Quinto: I actually feel that I like him better now that I don't watch That Show anymore. It's a relief, in a way.

And finally, Locke as Jacob: would that work, though, I mean they were in the same room. Wouldn't that make the universe explode? *g*

Oh, und Frohes Neues Jahr auch...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I found it telling that he seemed to have rather big trouble to still connect to the character, and I think for an actor, that is quite a big deal.

Indeed, since most of them enjoy playing villains. But yes, that's one of the reasons why I'm reasonably confident the film itself won't prettify the Comedian. (Re: his moment of trying to connect with Laurie - true, a smidgen of grey in an ocean of blackness at best, with the other one being that Plan New York is too much for him, but neither makes what he did and was otherwise better.)

No, I still have seen only the first episode, but that was enough to put me off James Nesbit.

finally, Locke as Jacob: would that work, though, I mean they were in the same room. Wouldn't that make the universe explode? *g*

Ah, but what do you think made the room shake? *veg* Also, Locke never saw Jacob. He heard his voice, but he didn't see him, and the second time he entered the cabin Jacob wasn't there at all, Christian was.

Frohes Neues Jahr auch dir!

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Ah, but what do you think made the room shake? *veg*

Hee. Actually, I think that was Jacob throwing a hissyfit because John was brandishing his torch, that vile piece of modern technology. On the other hand, if Jacob is somehow between times, it might be possible...(I'm starting to try and make sense of Lost again, that is not a good thing.)

Speaking of Christian: what do you think, is he actually speaking for Jacob, or does Team Zombie Shepards have an evil plan to take over the island?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

But trying to make sense of Lost is fun!

I like the idea of Team Zombie Shephards having their own agenda, not least because it might give poor Claire something to do other than utter ghostly warnings via telephone, an incident that shows she is still able to act independently from Jacob and/or the island, if, that is, Ben is right about everyone needing to go back at all, and not simply wrong... But mostly I think so far Christian did serve as a mouthpiece, yes.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

But trying to make sense of Lost is fun!

My current theory is that it'll all turn out to be a mixture of When Scientists Go To Far and the remnants of an ancient, long dead civilization of possible alien origin. What can I say, X-Files was a very formative show for me. (Given that the most cited influences seem to be Twin Peaks and The Stand, though, it'll probably all end up with Ben bashing his head against a mirror and repeating "How's Annie?", while Jack and Locke play out Judgement Day (you may chose who plays which role at your liking).)

But mostly I think so far Christian did serve as a mouthpiece, yes.

I can't shake off the feeling that there are at least two different factions on the island itself, and if we take the island as its own entity with its own wishes, it all gets even more complicated. I am sure, though, that pretty much every one wanted to get rid of poor Benji. :)

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I liked Nesbitt better in Jekyll than I had before. But he's still not on my casting list, and from an interview he gave the other day he's either not interested in the Doctor or a very good actor.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

I think the only other thing I saw him in was Jude, and frankly, I remember him as little as I remember David Tennant. He just seems a bit too unrestrained for a character who already invites overacting.

[aralias.livejournal.com]

i hope the brig is there at the doctor's regeneration too now you've suggested it. which probably means i'll be a bit disappointed at whatever they do do though i'm sure it'll be good. russell isn't the 'knocked his head against the console' type. which is good.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

True. Poor old Six. Though him bickering with Seven about who had the most undignified death in Eight's head is priceless.

[merrymaia.livejournal.com]

Happy New Year!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

And to you!

[nolivingman.livejournal.com]

JJ Abrams did inspire me to rewatch ST:TOS (after a 20 year or so lapse) and I am so full of fannish nostalgic joy because of it. I am really really loving it.

Also, on Zach Quinto: I think he's got a huge burden on him. I always knew I loved Spock, but rewatching them I find that much of that is coming because Nimoy is just so darned good in the part, and so very charismatic. I am not prejudging - I am cautiously optimistic about the new movie - but good luck to Quinto and the rest living up to the star power of the original cast.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

This reminds me: once you reach the second season, do tell whether it's weird to see a young Walter Koenig...

[nolivingman.livejournal.com]

I have been dying waiting for him to show up and be all young and Russian-sounding!

Zachary Quinto

[redfiona10.livejournal.com]

Your comment reminds me of my problem, every time I write about the new Star Trek, I find myself starting the post with 'No disrespect is intended to Zachary Quinto'.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure that due to the casting of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, the movie, without toning down what the Comedian is like (interviews of cast and director alike mention the scene where he shoots the Vietnamese woman pregnant with his child is kept, for example), will produce a sudden influx of Comedian romantic fanfic,

Oh, that's just CHARMING. Murder as a method of birth control, how creative.

See, based on never having read the graphic novel in question and just having heard some vague hype about it on the flist, I was already aware that the Comedian was not a 100% good egg. But I had assumed he'd be more of an "anti-HERO" rather than an "ANTI-hero".

It may make for a very good movie. Certainly a superhero movie with a main character (and not the villain) is kinda sociopathic could be very interesting. Dark, but more interesting than the usual run of superhero movies. I'm actually more intrigued by the premise now than I was befor. But I'm also more worried about the possibility of the movie going disastrously wrong. Does that make any sense?

I'm glad I'm not the only person who's having a hard time getting past Zachary Quinto's Sylar factor. Which is really more of a Tim Kring factor, actually. And as you say, not the actor's fault.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh, the Comedian is a complete psycho. (Think of the Joker, if the Joker had concluded he could do whatever he wanted as long as he did it licensed by the state because he killed their enemies for them as well.) He's also not the hero of the film, but an important character - among other things, Watchmen is a whodunit, and the story is kicked off by the Comedian getting killed. Not a spoiler - like I said, this happens right at the start, and is shown in every trailer I've seen. Since there are a lot of people with a motive, finding out who did it isn't easy, but it ties both to the past and present of the other main characters. Mind you, one of the quintessential questions are"what would the world be like if there really superheroes?" and "what kind of person dresses up in a costume and becomes a vigilante?". The answer to the second - well, they're all very messed up, though yes, there are some in whom this shows in a sympathetic way. The Comedian just isn't one of them.

Zachary Quinto: yes, exactly.