Observation...

[syredronning]

When I love a series, I love the series. Point.

It may go strong or weak, have flaws or not - I will view it through pink glasses and find something good even in the strangest development. This applies to TOS, DS9, X-Files, B5 and Heroes. (And maybe Boston Legal.) It does not necessarily apply to movies or spin-offs of said series ;)

Series that I'm not in love with are on the level of "will watch, but will complain lots of time". This applies to TNG, VOY, SPN and many others.

How's your approach to your preferred series, dear fellow fans?

Comments

[mrs-picard.livejournal.com]

LOL I know exactly what you mean. Don't ask me for an objective opinion on TNG. I simply pretend that some episodes I don't watch don't exist - THEY ARE NOT ON MY DVDs *nod nod nod*!!! - so that I can always say I loooooove all the episodes. *lol*
Even in the worst episodes (not the ones I don't watch, I'm referring to simply awful plot or incredibly lame episodes) I almost always find something cute about Jean-Luc. ;) So I guess my approach to TNG isn't exactly objective. ;)

As for other series... I tend to watch only a few... but I love to complain about the awful seasons 8 & 9 of X Files... and I love to complain about some aspects of LOST... so I guess this "pink glasses" approach is for TNG only in my book. ;)

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

LOL you're right, I have some "these episodes don't exist" moments too :)))

As for the late X-Files seasons, I love Doggett a lot so I can't really complain here, LOL! (Sexy guy. Woah.)

[jrosemary.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Interesting question.

Overall, I go with the pink glasses approach. My two all-time favorite shows--Star Trek TOS and Bonanza--both have some pretty awful episodes! But there's usually some redeeming feature about them...some great moment between the characters, that makes said episodes bearable.

(And that's my take on the other Star Trek series as well--there's usually something redeeming in even the worst episodes!)

It's harder to keep those pink glasses on when you feel that a series has lost its way...and that's how I felt about X-Files. It seems the show never had a consistent conspiracy story-line to uncover. And DD leaving didn't help matters!

So I couldn't watch those last couple of seasons even with the pink glasses--but I do go back and watch all the great 'one-shot,' non-conspiracy episodes. (And some of the great conspiracy episodes, even knowing that I'll never find fulfillment, lol.)

I gave up on the plotline of LOST, but my pink glasses allow me to watch the show strictly for the characters...I especially adore Hurley, but just about every character is well-drawn.

~Rose

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your comment :))

Lots of people hate the last X-Files seasons, but as a late-comer to the party (watched it all on DVD, in sequence), I grew to them - I love Doggett! Very sexy, sigh *G* So I had to like them a little. However, the weakness of season 9 linearly displays in the new movie IMVHO. And about this movie I will bitch to no end, if given a chance, LOL.

Bonanza - I watched it as teenie and then couldn't watch it for years. Gave it a try when buying those two early seasons for De's stuff, and well, it was okay for a short time - but overall, no, I'm not in love with it anymore. Might be different if someone catered my Adam/Little Joe twincest fantasies, but that fandom is so gen&het! *G*

LOST...I am lost there. Tried watching a few episodes but disliked it. Like a cheap thrill version of "Lord of the Flies" (which I adore), so no love from me *G*

[illariy.livejournal.com]

(Caveat: I can only answer this for one series, as that's the only one I've ever been properly fannish for. If I ever get another main fandom, things might turn out differently.)

Now as for the actual answer, I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, I came to ST:TOS years after the series ended and through a novelisation rather than an actual episode, and I believe I fell in love more with an idea than with the actual product.
There are lots of things that I wish ST had done differently or had elaborated on; some I like to turn around and around in my head pondering possible explanations (which, yes, is fun *g*), some I just ignore, some continue to annoy me whenever I think of them. Sometimes, I don't understand why I ever fell in love with this series.

On the other hand, I do appreciate bad episodes by concentrating entirely on the actors' looks instead of the 'plot':P and by doing the pick-and-choose described above, I took the pieces I liked and created my own version, and I definitely look at that with rose tinted glasses. Hm. So on the whole, 'my' ST is an idealised version but I acknowledge that. Maybe that's the conclusion. ;-)

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

I can relay to that. I couldn't bear watching the episodes for years, and only read the novels, so yeah, the idea counts - and the characters - more than the colorful cheap 60's production.

I fell in love with the visuals more again over time when doing vids, and at one point I desperately wished the newer series were MORE COLORFUL (dark, grey, dark, shady...bleh!).

Most bad episodes have redeeming character moments. And for everything else, we have fanfic to fix it, LOL!

[ayalesca.livejournal.com]

I'm capable of bitching and moaning about any TV show, even that which I love. But usually I'll blame the writers instead of the actors (unless I'm biased in that I dislike the actor.)

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

Yes, good point. When the writing is bad, even the best actor can't save it for eternity...

[catalenamara.livejournal.com]

Same here. If I love it, pink glasses. If I don't love it, all the flaws stand out.

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

Pink glasses are good for the beloved series...the others lose disproportionately high *G* We're not fair :)