Yes, I Really Do Like My Favourite TV Shows and Books

So often what I post on this blog is a critique of the stories I’m obsessed with, explorations of why points they bring up or moves they make drive me nuts. Most of the time, I say what I like about them, too, but some of the stories I mention most often inspire rants on various subjects rather than a single, balanced review. This happens to the point that anyone who reads this might come to the conclusion that I find nothing likable about these book or TV series.

Well, obviously, that’s not true, or I wouldn’t be watching them. Anyway, in the spirit of positivity, here’s why I love – or at least love to hate – the series that drive me to blog. (I would pretend this has something to do thematically with it being Valentine’s Day, but let’s be honest: that’s only because it happened to fall on a Sunday this year.)

House, M. D. – Yes, this show’s themes, portrayal of women, and self-presentation usually drive me up the wall. But there’s so much to like about it, too. By far what appeals to me most is the characters and their interactions. I can’t get enough of how the show explores the dysfunctional relationships of House, Wilson, and Cuddy, nor of how the team, no matter who’s on it, bickers and squabbles and rolls its collective eyes at House’s antics. Even though the way House (the guy) is brilliantly written and performed can sometimes make the others feel boring by comparison, there is no dud character on this show. *sigh* Fine, fine, not even Thirteen or Foreman. That’s good acting, direction, design, and writing right there.

I also appreciate how House, M. D. never underestimates its audience. I may disagree with their philosophy or consider their arguments to be sketchy, but at least it’s there, and at least the artists make a case with some real points to it.  Even better, each show has three or more plots that at least try to thematically intertwine. There’s a lot to follow, but cuts between characters are made with Shakespearean dexterity so the audience is on its toes but never lost. The storylines are always separate enough that no single one warps the others but connected enough that it doesn’t feel like we’re watching  three different shows. Sometimes, the payoff is predictable, but other times, it genuinely surprises.

And, of course, if you’re looking for the cable king of snappy comebacks and hilarious exchanges, look no further – House, M. D. is the reigning champ, and every character occasionally gets a shot at the title.

the Harry Potter series – Right. First, it’s really the later books that get my goat. Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban were all three right up my alley. They mix the whimsy and the mystery perfectly, building up to a tense climax that you know will always end okay for the good guys, in a world full of playful details and silly school hijinks. Before Harry is set up as a paragon of virtue, he’s a good Joe Everykid, and Rowling constructs a world of tantalizing possibilities with a huge cast of vivid and intriguing characters. I’m happy to boo and hiss at Snape and Malfoy as long as we’re not going to damn them for their actions or canonize Harry for his.

And though I’m not fond of the later additions to the series, even I have to admit that they have their evocative moments, too. I loved Snape’s Worst Memory, where Rowling managed to turn our expectations on their head and showed us that our sneering antagonist wasn’t actually too far off when he taunted Harry about his dad. Neville finally coming through as a hero in his own right wasn’t unexpected, but it was satisfying. And Harry accidentally sectumsempra-ing Malfoy in the bathroom in book six was a horrifying set-piece that for a moment seemed like it was going to ask us what our hero was capable of becoming in his well meaning arrogance and ignorance.

And for all seven books, well, say what you like about Rowling, but there’s no denying she’s excellent at cultivating that compulsion to know what happens next.

The X Files – Before the conspiracy got tangled into a Gordian knot too tough for even Alexander to handle, even before we met Krycek or CSM or the Lone Gunmen, the heart of the series was still there: Mulder and Scully and their relationship with one another. Sure, sometimes it’s hard to believe that they hit it off so well after just a single UFO-related case, but the performers make it work, and let’s face it –  their dance around each other (a sort of symbolic dance of science and faith, if you will) was the glue that held the show together.

And while the aliens and non-CGI monsters-of-the-week can seem dated in the age of Avatar, the writers came up with some really creepy, really memorable plot conceits. Eugene Victor Tooms, the murderer who can squeeze through a mailbox slot. Clyde Bruckman, the guy from Everybody Loves Raymond who can tell you how you’re going to die. The Flukeman. The inbreeding Peacock family that keeps its limbless mother on a trolley under the bed. The X Files team had tons of fun coming up with off-the-beaten-path horror ideas, and that translates into fun for their viewers.

Yeah, it could be hokey or short-sighted, but The X Files had that vibe to it that reminded the audience: anything can happen, and when it does, you’ll get to watch Mulder and Scully deal with it.

Star Trek – Let’s make Star Trek‘s most telling virtue clear: it tries, hard. It’s true that there are many uncomfortable story elements surrounding its famous political landmarks, like the first televised interracial and same-sex kisses. But it holds up peace and diversity as an ideal to aim for, even if it sometimes makes mis-steps like casting black men as members of a noble-savage warrior race or focussing on the trials of its white, male main characters, and from the very beginning, the crew has always tried its best to include on the Enterprise (or DS9 or Voyager) bridge characters whose ethnicity, gender, or background excluded them from other shows.

Like House, M.D., it’s not afraid to dish out the (sometimes simplistic, but always deeply felt) philosophy, tackling moral and political issues through the screen of science fiction. Many of its very best episodes are tightly constructed and require careful thought, like the one where Data is hiding something from the crew and cannot be persuaded to tell them what, while others are whimsical and slyly fun, like the one where Jake and Nog spend the entire day trading favours to obtain a special baseball card, or the classic where Kirk accidentally lets the perpetually multiplying, Klingon-hating furballs known as tribbles on board.

In fact, when Star Trek is at the top of its game, there’s something for everyone – and thirty plus years’ worth of devoted fans shows it.