current pop culture consumption

last year, my wife and i decided to jump in to LOST when we realized that it was only going to last one more season, and when i realized how much of a cultural phenomenon LOST actually was.

You see, i'm one of those people who HATE jumping on bandwagons, and by season 2 LOST had become one of those 'bandwagon' shows, and it is somehow difficult for me to imagine that lots and lots of people might be right about something, not just liking it because their friends like it but because it's good art. 

so, we jumped on the LOST train a little late, but we watched seasons 1-5 and started season 6 in "real-time," so that we could watch the series finale with some great friends.  i have to admit, the LOST crash course and then watching it with our friends was a pretty great experience, and there were some great stories told in the course of LOST. 

this brings us to our current TV show to be consumed... we have been watching Smallville. 

10 years ago, when my roommate in college started watching Smallville, i thought it was awful... i was such a comic purist that i was appalled that they would have so many changes to the established Superman mythology.  being a young snob, i refused to even indulge in a single episode, and would literally walk out of the room if my roommate was enjoying an episode. 

i don't think i'm as much of a jerk now...

sarah and i were thinking, since Smallville will end with season 10, maybe we can start with season 1 and catch up in time for the end of the show!

we came close... the series finale was two weeks ago, and we are halfway through season 9 right now.  that's right - we've watched 9 seasons of a show in just a few months!  9 YEARS of Tom Welling learning how to act, Allison Mack carrying significant storylines, and Michael Rosenbaum shaving his head. 

Here is my summary so far, in case you have never considered Smallville before:
seasons 1-5 = monster-of-the-week Buffy wannabe.  best reason to watch - Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor. 
season 6 = now we're getting somewhere
season 7 = supergirl!
season 8 = now we're REALLY getting somewhere
season 9 = finally Superman is a compelling character, and chemistry with Lois is legit.
season 10... i'll have to wait for DVD!

seriously, Michael Rosenbaum's Lex is the only character with any real levels to work with, and Rosenbaum is the only actor who uses those levels wisely.  Tom Welling looks like a comic book character, but pretty much none of his acting has been worth it until season 9.  And honestly, once you can get Geoff Johns to write an episode (1 in season 8 and one in season 9), i will definitely take you seriously.  

and lastly - if you're going to jump in and watch ANY sort of TV show that fills several hundred hours of your life... don't let it simply become an escape from your own life.  watch it with someone else.  engage with the story, and talk about what is interesting - and maybe, you could even write something just as compelling, or find ways to live your own story well.