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30 Days of TV - Day 07
( The Days )
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Still going with Hamish MacBeth as my favourite TV show, at first I thought it would be impossible to pick a "least favourite" because all 20 episodes are awesome. Do I pick the one with the shinty match, since the whole football allegory turns me off (and I still don't understand the significance of knitted ties - can anyone explain that joke, or am I not supposed to get it?)? But the ending of that one is so fantastic, with the chopper and Wee Jock doing the dog on the pitch thing. How about the one where Hamish takes a holiday - that's probably the least show-like of the episodes because none of the action takes place in Lochdubh. But it's still such a good ep, with Hamish pretending to be Jewish (because that's the only way to avoid picking sides in the Catholic vs Protestant debate at the dinner table) and bungling it massively. Or maybe the one with the religious fanatics declaring Hamish to be the Devil? The whole religious theme in that is irritating and the plot is confusing...but again, the ending, with the whole thing revealed as a scam to cover up the minister's gay love affair (with Zoot! And which ends well!) is just precious.
But when I reviewed my episode list, I realised I do have a least favourite, because I'd completely forgotten it. It's not a bad episode (although it does have faults), it's just...not memorable. That is the third season episode The Trouble With Rory. It's the episode in which the Lochdubh school burns down, and there's some suspicion of foul play and Rory is implicated. The thing is, the whole reveal at the end doesn't track for me. Rory was meeting with the builder because he wanted to build a new business for Esme, knowing that the school was going to be closed. But why on earth wouldn't he have discussed it with her? Even if he had to keep his mouth shut about the plans for the school (and it's weird that Esme wouldn't know about that anyway) what freaking right did he have to plan out her future career without consulting her? A lot of men do assume that right, but it doesn't seem in-character for Rory: after all, they aren't married. The show has played before with casting suspicion on unlikely characters, like TV John in The Big Freeze which I love, so I'm not overly bothered by the attempt to make Rory appear the villain...but I did find it unconvincing.
But even with those faults, the episode is a good one. There are no bad episodes of Hamish MacBeth. The attempted stake-out is hilarious. It's lovely to have Esme centre-stage: she's such a great character, strong like a lioness, but with a heart of pure gold. I like the way it plays politically, too, though I guess that aspect will be lost on non-UK viewers: education was a key issue at the time and the episode was quite topical. Maybe that's what makes it a weaker than average episode? I don't know.
ION - yesterday was a better day. It's still too hot! But I found Magnums on sale in Tesco (3 for 99p!!!) so I bought a bunch and they didn't melt while I got them home. Sis and the Useless Fiance were staying the night elsewhere, so I had a nice relaxing evening. I even wrote fic! I need the weather to cool off a bit so I can stand to sit at the computer long enough to finish some artwork for Geonn (see, I haven't forgotten you!) and type up the fic I wrote.
And there's a circus in town! They're building the big top in the park opposite my office building as I type. I may have to go tomorrow evening - it's the first night so tickets will be cheapest. I can't resist a circus :)
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Still going with Hamish MacBeth as my favourite TV show, at first I thought it would be impossible to pick a "least favourite" because all 20 episodes are awesome. Do I pick the one with the shinty match, since the whole football allegory turns me off (and I still don't understand the significance of knitted ties - can anyone explain that joke, or am I not supposed to get it?)? But the ending of that one is so fantastic, with the chopper and Wee Jock doing the dog on the pitch thing. How about the one where Hamish takes a holiday - that's probably the least show-like of the episodes because none of the action takes place in Lochdubh. But it's still such a good ep, with Hamish pretending to be Jewish (because that's the only way to avoid picking sides in the Catholic vs Protestant debate at the dinner table) and bungling it massively. Or maybe the one with the religious fanatics declaring Hamish to be the Devil? The whole religious theme in that is irritating and the plot is confusing...but again, the ending, with the whole thing revealed as a scam to cover up the minister's gay love affair (with Zoot! And which ends well!) is just precious.
But when I reviewed my episode list, I realised I do have a least favourite, because I'd completely forgotten it. It's not a bad episode (although it does have faults), it's just...not memorable. That is the third season episode The Trouble With Rory. It's the episode in which the Lochdubh school burns down, and there's some suspicion of foul play and Rory is implicated. The thing is, the whole reveal at the end doesn't track for me. Rory was meeting with the builder because he wanted to build a new business for Esme, knowing that the school was going to be closed. But why on earth wouldn't he have discussed it with her? Even if he had to keep his mouth shut about the plans for the school (and it's weird that Esme wouldn't know about that anyway) what freaking right did he have to plan out her future career without consulting her? A lot of men do assume that right, but it doesn't seem in-character for Rory: after all, they aren't married. The show has played before with casting suspicion on unlikely characters, like TV John in The Big Freeze which I love, so I'm not overly bothered by the attempt to make Rory appear the villain...but I did find it unconvincing.
But even with those faults, the episode is a good one. There are no bad episodes of Hamish MacBeth. The attempted stake-out is hilarious. It's lovely to have Esme centre-stage: she's such a great character, strong like a lioness, but with a heart of pure gold. I like the way it plays politically, too, though I guess that aspect will be lost on non-UK viewers: education was a key issue at the time and the episode was quite topical. Maybe that's what makes it a weaker than average episode? I don't know.
ION - yesterday was a better day. It's still too hot! But I found Magnums on sale in Tesco (3 for 99p!!!) so I bought a bunch and they didn't melt while I got them home. Sis and the Useless Fiance were staying the night elsewhere, so I had a nice relaxing evening. I even wrote fic! I need the weather to cool off a bit so I can stand to sit at the computer long enough to finish some artwork for Geonn (see, I haven't forgotten you!) and type up the fic I wrote.
And there's a circus in town! They're building the big top in the park opposite my office building as I type. I may have to go tomorrow evening - it's the first night so tickets will be cheapest. I can't resist a circus :)