The best television series ever?

[deleted]

I loved Deadwood and I liked the first few episodes of this show, so I bought the 1st season on DVD. Having seen the whole show, I think it was definitely interesting, but it's by no means perfect, and I think a lot of its imperfections came from the horrible critical response, probably a lot of flak from HBO execs, and getting the season cut down by 3 episodes.

Basically, in my view, episodes 1-6 are fascinating and show the series improving episode by episode up to the dream sequence at the end of episode 6.

But in 7-9, the reality of the show seems strained. I love the wide cast of characters, and liked the hairlip and "trixie" at the internet, but with the cast of characters so wide the episodes felt a lot less cohesive. I found some of the scenes jarring with weirdness, like the long sequence when Palaka (I can't believe he's Spiros from the wire!) is like shaking and incredibly sick because he got some horrible tattoo on his neck. It was like I was still watching it closely to catch the entire plot, but I wasn't really getting something out of it, and I think it might be because the creators were forced to compress the plot lines. Scenes with Cass's work on her film in the hotel room and the Stinkweed corporate plot felt like they rushed past some important element or theme.

Episode 10, the series finale, was like trying to put the brakes on a train...chaotic, and didn't exactly make sense. They trotted out a couple of extra characters, further proof that they knew they were dying to get out every last plot idea that had been planned. The very end of the episode is a bit strange with its bizarre fates of everyone. That's more dialogue you need to slow down and listen to a second or third time. What were they trying to end with? Or was there anything?

And David Milch's commentary on the episode, to say the least, is morose.


QUESTIONS/THAT INDICATE SPOILERS

What is this Cass-Kai mother of god thing thing?
Shaun: Christ, or anti-christ? or, angel, like john?
9/11/14: date of 2nd coming? Is there any biblical reference to some event that 7 years later is followed by the apocalypse?
Cass's camera: metaphor for all art and artistic storytelling.
Last note: I think its fascinating to think about Milch's original version of this show. That show was supposed to be about two city policemen in ancient Rome who arrest St. Paul, and thus learn about Jesus and etc. It would show the "genesis of faith." I believe that as JFC shows the birth of faith spreading through a community with its miraculous events, the Roman version would have shown through humans the story of divinity spreading. I imagine that the two original cops would have been Bill and Frankie, who in this show compete over guarding Shaun. Thoughts, ideas?

END SPOILERS NO MORE SPOILERS

If you want to read one of those amazing interviews where the interviewer is not understanding their subject in the slightest, read this PBS interview with milch.


http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200708/20070809_milch.html


"You wanna see a magic trick? I'm gonna make this pencil disappear."

I reckon people will still be asking this same question Fifty years from now.

-fm

I completely agree with the episode breakdown of Snewhouse. And Deadwood to me, is probably more entertaining. The show completely started to get off track once they knew it was ending...he had to rush things.

But this show was special. For the first time I can remember, or know, a mainstream writer used his pull to basically put real philosophy on the air. This wasn't fake "artists" simply trying to write confusingly and sayign they are smart. Milch wanted to get an idea across.... a philosophical conversation... and didn't just leave it up to interpretation (for the most part). He led you down the journey. Direct and specific symbolism was all over the place, and required more then one viewing.

I'm not a david lynch fan, because I think most of what he does is weird simply to be weird. And I know of too many movies that are simply regarded as "deep" because they don't answer any questions.

Most of the answers are right there, you just have to see them.

It goes back to old literature which was written to stress a philisophical point, like Thorogh or Emerson...but seldom has it been pushed onto a medium like TV....because people have used TV as somethign to get AWAY from thinking. This required thought and made my mind actually work during episodes... For me, that was a weird feeling. It didn't matter to me whether or not I agreed with what he was pushing, his philosphies on interractions between beings... I was just amazed at the conversation.

Is it the best show ever? Sure, but hopefully there will be more this way. It would help our acceptance of shows that actually work to say something....

I truly think it had a potential to be the best show ever, but it's not really possible to achieve with only one season, especially when we have finished shows like The Wire or The Sopranos. Anyhow, it remains one of the most interesting and unique things I've ever seen. Huge rewatch value too. I've seen it five times now and every time I watch it it makes more and more sense. This is coming from a person who's favorite director is David Lynch, I love his movies partially for the same rewatch value.

I have now watched the season six times on DVD. I keep getting new stuff from it. It is my favorite TV show of all time, and I go back a ways.

The writing, the casting, the directing, everything has melded beautifully into an incredible ten-episode masterpiece.

I hope everybody involved is proud of what they did here. And I hope they know there are many, many serious fans of their amazing work here.

I would have loved to see a couple more seasons. As it is, I'll just keep watching the first one over and over.

[deleted]

I actually enjoyed "John From Cincinnati" but, sorry, "The Wire" is best, and possibly the most important, TV show ever.