♣ Sherlock & What Happened in the Darkened Swimming Pool

Sherlock is never merely about solving cool crime in cool ways.

I wish I had known that from the start --from the moment my friend urged me to check on this BBC's modern take of Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary fictional detective story. Well, in a way, it is about solving cool crime in cool ways because, come on, it is Sherlock Holmes and what is not cool about him, right? But there are so much more than that. And if only I had realized this, I wouldn't have been so caught up in picking every little detail on the technical way of solving a case, one clue leading to another clue, or being trapped in the whodunit scheme that in the end only leads to the not-so-plausible reveal (I'm talking about the disappointing reveal of the cabbie and the oh-so-unthreatening Black Lotus).

Yes, it literally took an entire first series to get me hooked. And it's not only because Moriarty in The Great Game is a lot more interesting criminal mind, but also because this episode kind of wakes me up. Suddenly I felt like I'd only been sleep-watching it all this time. What happened in The Great Game? John Watson happened.

It's what John did in the "darkened swimming pool". Against Moriarty, John offered his own life to save Sherlock's. His action not only shocked Sherlock himself but also shocked me. Up to this point I saw Sherlock as being annoying, irritating, a bad person who is selfish, doesn't care about anybody else and has been treating John like a doormat. But how could John, a man with high standard of morality, be willing to die for someone like Sherlock? What. Do. I. Miss?

As the series continued and their "relationship" became more and more interesting with each episode, I still couldn't exactly figure it out when I finally finished second series and I asked my friend (still the same friend I mentioned earlier), why is John sooo emotionally dependent on Sherlock? He obviously has better social skill, he can make friends easily, WHY does he NEED Sherlock?

Of course my friend is so nice, she bothered providing me with such a very diplomatic answer. But now that I look at it again, my question itself is slightly misleading. See, John barely had friends when we met him in A Study in Pink so I doubt that my statement is even right. He obviously doesn't get along with just anyone. There is obviously something. Something not too obvious that makes our war vet John Watson decide to not only befriend the peculiar Sherlock Homes but also to basically devote his life to him.

But why? W. H. Y.

I am not going to explain anything here, though. I just want to point out about what I said in the beginning that Sherlock is never just a detective story. It is a very interesting look at human personality and its complexity. It is about how two men with their different  --even opposite-- personalities can form a solid, endearing friendship we possibly can only imagine we have. It is how an introverted-sensing John and an introverted-thinking Sherlock can function as a complement to each other. Like an actual soul mate. Seriously, someone has done this Myers-Briggs analysis on them and I think whoever wonders why John is so attached to Sherlock and vice versa should definitely read it here. In short, they are attached to each other because they can give what the other one needs and because of this they are in sort of life-debt to each other. To semi-quote F. Scott Fitzgerald's words: they understand each other just as far as they want to be understood, they believe in each other just as one would like to believe in himself… maybe even more.

Seeing it from a totally different perspective now, even The Blind Banker becomes a great episode (read here why) and the taxi driver's *cough* lame *cough* modus operandi to murder people suddenly has redeeming quality. The whole final showdown between him and Sherlock was to show how close Sherlock had come to being self-destructive if only John Watson hadn't come to his life. While I'm busy nitpicking the plausibility of every case presented in the show, the show actually offers a whole different side to it, which is the dynamic between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Image via aithine.org.

♣ Myoneandlonely’s Five faves things of the week.

(You've learned enough when I mention a list of things all together in one post, it’s time to prepare yourself for five completely random things and some moments of shallowness with me here, so…)

1. Thank You, Camellia Kris Allen

Okay, this one ended up here just because I sooo want to tell the world about it (since this is technically my three-weeks-ago fave thing). I mean, I love Kris Allen! He’s the only American Idol alumnus that I actually care about for his future work after Idol. “Thank You Camellia” is the second major-label studio album by him. It was released on May 22, 2012 but we can stream in its entirety on Kris Allen’s Official Music Store even before it released. Lindsey Parker from Yahoo! Music had summed up everything I love about this album (and what I love about Kris himself). Quoting her, Kris’ songwriting skills have clearly grown more sophisticated, praising the range of the material from jaunty, summer-convertible-cruising anthems like the finger-snapper “Better With You” and the absolutely charming “My Weakness”, to some serious tracks like the heart-sleeved romantic ode “Blindfolded” or the propulsive and sinister alt-rocker “Monster”. She also noted that the lyrics are plain-spoken, refreshingly unflowery, and cut right to the heart of the matter –and right to the listener's heart. And yes I’ve been giving away some seriously cool track titles SO GO CHECK THEM OUT! :D

2. The Big Split: Revisited

I’m talking about Panic! at the Disco. If you happen to like the band too, you understand what I mean. But if you LOVE them, you understand how “big“ it was. It’s almost 3 friggin’ years now since Ryan Ross and Jon Walker decided to leave the band to pursue their own musical venture together blah blah blah let’s skip that. So why revisiting a sad memory then deciding to put it in the faves list, I don’t know, I’m just feeling a bit sentimental right now. Oh and because I watched this video on YouTube last weekend. “I think this’ll be the first time I don’t, uh, cry during this song. I’m gonna try, but I usually start to tear up so, forgive me. This is called ‘Northern Downpour’,” said Brendon Urie, before he started singing the song he used to sing duet with his ex-bandmate, Ryan Ross. Of course Brendon Urie tried. And of course he failed again this time. “God, I’m sorry,” smiling to the crowd, Brendon said in the end of the song. Don’t be sorry, Brendon. Who doesn’t tear up listening to you singing that song without Ryan?

3. SPN Silent Majority

Supernatural’s Silent Majority is a cause, first started on Tumblr, for expressing dissenting opinions about the TV show “Supernatural”, for those who feel upset by what is seen as a decline in quality and loss of the Dean and Sam story during Season 7. SPN Silent Majority is a space for those opinions. Unhappy with the direction of the show this year? Wondering what happened to the Winchester Brothers’ story? You are not alone, is what they declared on their “About” page. Unfortunately, some parts of Supernatural fandom are accusing this movement as an effort to get rid of certain character from the show, or to make the whole show be all about nothing but the brothers and the brothers only. But seriously, I think it’s not their point. We wouldn’t mind the other extra fan-favorite characters added into the show and the brothers developing a new bond with those other extra characters. As long as the brothers are still… being brothers. Late Season 7 Dean and Sam are like long time married couples who are slowly getting bored of each other. They still hold each other back merely because they have to –there’s zero passion in that. All we ask is to be assured that the “brotherly bond” is still there. Because Supernatural we know, despite those gigantic myth arc that covers it, the whole point of the show is humbly about family, about these two brothers who rely on each other to face the world. I’m sounding like I join this cause? Because I do. I don’t think this movement will somehow effect the writing decision for Season 8. But at least it feels good just to know that I’m not in this alone.

4. First professional photo shoot of Thomas Padalecki

Finally an official public photo for cute baby Padalecki is out! The couple's son was born on March 19 this year. I just cannot not include this on the list. And I just cannot not include the actual scan from People magazine here. Because Jared is such such a great dad and Thomas is just… adorable. I’m not even going to comment any longer just see it for yourself.

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5. Welcome EURO 2012 (and Arne Friedrich, we miss you)

Ah yes, did I ever mention that on occasion I love watching football too? So YAYYY!! for EURO 2012 that has just started last weekend. Good luck for the Germany national team! I’ve been a huge supporter for them since watching their match back in World Cup 2002, and never changed mind ever since. Then there is this one player in Germany national team –I’m not going to say he’s my favorite player but, I’ve seen him guarding the Germany defense line all this time and suddenly this year he’s not even in the squad. Where are you Friedrich? And how can we not miss him? Especially if this guy likes hug-attacking his teammates in every chance he gets. Hehee. I love some bromance, even on the football field. So here’s a picture full of bromance hugs to finish the list.

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♣ SUPERNATURAL: Why I could never love another TV Series more than this

Since the owner of this blog generously invited me to join her blog, I've been several times considering writing something about this TV show, Supernatural. But sadly, whenever it came to Supernatural, I rethought. Even though Supernatural is not a mainstream-success show, it still owns one of the biggest Internet fan-base all across the world. If you bother to search through the Web, you can find tons of article about it. Most of them are written by hard-core fans who pay attention to every little details of the show. The rest are written by experienced writers and/or TV critics who are really good at what they do. The articles vary from episode reviews, season reviews, top fives, best moments, or a bunch of deeper look at characters. So what's left for me? Basically, nothing.

Then why this time bother to write about it? The first reason, of course, my true love for the show. The second reason, well, because I’m currently on the mood of celebrating it’s Season 7 Finale exactly just last week! I mean, looking at it, it’s been a very wonderful, if not magical, 7 seasons journey with the show. I even had this teary moment for a while there watching the finale… So what is it that makes me love the show so wholeheartedly? That’s what I want to share with you.

Never heard of Supernatural before? Come onnn… You gotta be kidding me. It’s an American TV show about two monster-hunting brothers who first reunited on the search of finding their father who suddenly went missing. Sam, the younger brother, had previously stated that he’s done “hunting” for good, left his father and brother, Dean, to go to college and to live a “normal life”. But when his fiancée, Jessica, got killed in the same supernatural way as his mother, he decided to go hit the road with Dean to find their father as well as to avenge Jessica’s death. Speaking of it, now things have escalated from there… way way way more complicated. But again I’m not here to talk about WHAT; I’m here to talk about WHY. Why Supernatural?

#1. Classic horror story is classic. This is basically what got me into Supernatural in the first place. The initial premise is very interesting, at least for me as a fan of horror genre; a TV show that will bring a different ghost story every week. There have been various urban legends that you’re already familiar with (Woman in White, Hook Man, Bloody Mary, poltergeist), famous monsters (Shape Shifter, Werewolf, Vampire) and other supernatural creatures from various cultures and regions, including demons and Pagan gods, and still many many others that you never even heard about.

#2. The joke that never gets old. This is what makes Supernatural is not just another horror show. It has a really good humor within it. Sometimes I can laugh louder while watching Supernatural than watching a comedy show (and no, it’s not an exaggeration). The dialog is smart and witty. There are so many references to pop cultures (movies, TV programs) here and there. And not to forget about the “one-liners”. I never watched a TV show that has so many memorable one-liners and funny quotes like Supernatural has.

#3. Drama, drama, drama. Yet when people first watch a show like Supernatural, they don’t expect to see much drama in it. But Supernatural here, it provides you big time, and they are great ones. Mostly family drama between the two brothers and their own personal crisis; sweet and very touching. A little romance here and there in a healthy quantity, not too much. The drama is centered on the topic of being good, evil, and being everything in between.

#4. Killing monsters like a badass. Normal people, they see a monster, and they run. But not Sam and Dean, they search out things that want to kill them. They fight ghosts and monsters and demons like they are nothing to be scared of; with shotguns, or knife, or anything sharp and big that can easily chop your head off, combined with a little action. It leaves impression that all those supernatural creatures are not that scary because we can actually kill them (though I don’t have a plan to encounter any in real world).

#5. A solid supernatural universe with its underlying mythology. This is what I love about Supernatural. It has its own universe, predefined lore and mythology, which is exactly what I’m looking for when I watch a UK/US TV series. I mean, I’m not going to watch an American TV series where the setting is just plainly on real world, centering about just daily drama. I would’ve just watched sinetron if I wanted that. No. I want to experience something different. And Supernatural gives me that, in a wonderful way. They basically have conducted a complete encyclopedia of various supernatural creatures and how to kill them, along the way. [BONUS:] And this is what you should know about vampire: A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them and neither will a stake to the heart, but dead man’s blood works like a poison to them (and they don’t sparkle!).

#6. Super creative writing crew. Being a show with supernatural theme, the writing crew seem don’t want to waste the advantages; Nothing is natural, everything here is SUPER natural. They have covered every possibility, every wacky idea that can only come true in their weirdest wildest dreams. The brothers have fought fairies (yes, fairies!), they have time-traveled to the past and to the future, they have also been in various alternate universes. One of them is when Dean got attacked by some supernatural creature and woke up in an alternate reality where they never go hunting at all; his mother is alive, Sam goes to college and is engaged to Jessica (a little bit emotional, this one). Or my personal favorite, when Dean and Sam ended up in an alternate universe where they are Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki who both star in a TV show called Supernatural! (for those who don’t know, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are the actors who play Dean and Sam). Like I said, everything is supernaturally possible.

The later is also called a “meta episode”. On TV, “meta” means the show is commenting itself as a story, or, making reference to itself. Supernatural here, it has gone meta several times; making fun of itself, making fun of other TV shows, even making fun of its own fandom. The first most notable meta episode is when Sam and Dean discovered a series of books that tells story about their life down to every little detail, which they later found out that the author of the books was a prophet (again, the show is open to all possibilities).

#7. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. The actors who play Dean and Sam. Just gotta love these guys. Their chemistry as brothers is just wonderfully believable. Their brotherly bond has been like the heart of the show.  Their characters have grown on me since day one. Besides, they are amazing actor both in dramatic and comedic scenes. I don’t even have to mention that they both have an exceptionally good looks, do I?

Lately, people say Supernatural is not scary anymore. That it has gone from horror to fantasy (since the introduction of angels to their mythology in Season 4). Or that it’s already going downhill in quality. Speaking of its main plot, I personally agree that Season 6 was messy, while Season 7 was a bit of a disappointment. But because it is Supernatural, there are still a bunch of stand-alone episodes that are too good to be missed. There’s still also hope with the upcoming Season 8, wishing the show can get back to its glory day.

But then again, even when Supernatural is not on its best form, it’s still for me the best TV show on earth…

♣ Peter Benchley’s Amazon, an underappreciated gem

So the other other other other night, I was bored. What happened when I’m bored is usually a finding of a buried treasure or a… long-lost memory, like this one. I couldn’t be more than 11 years old, was on the fifth grade, when “Peter Benchley’s Amazon” came out on a local TV channel. What I can still remember about this TV series is that it was quite cool, addictive, I never missed a single episode, I was even kind of obsessed with “Amazon” back in that moment. Are you or aren’t you with me? First thing first, let’s refresh our memory… or in case it’s the first time you hear about this TV underappreciated gem, let’s find out more.

 What is it?

“Amazon”, or “Peter Benchley’s Amazon”, was a syndicated television show created by Peter Benchley, an American author, best known for his novel Jaws and its subsequent film adaptation (several more of his works were also adapted for cinema, including The Deep and The Island). The drama series focused on the six survivors of a crashed airline flight in the Brazilian Amazon jungle. The 22 episodes of the series were in first-run syndication between 1999 and 2000.

A commercial aircraft crashes in the Amazon rain forest in Brazil, leaving only a handful of survivors. Their hopes of being rescued aren't very good, as the Amazon proves to be even more hostile than the terrifying plane crash which brought them there. Encountering a mysterious legendary white tribe, a Ghost Tribe descended from 17th century explorers, and threatened by natives, swarms of poisonous plants, venomous snakes, armies of flesh-eating ants, tarantulas and piranhas, they push themselves to extremes in their attempts to escape… or simply to survive.

The casts are including:

C. Thomas Howell as Dr. Alex Kennedy, the aggressive but learning, intensely survivalist doctor

Carol Alt as Karen Oldham, the stewardess

Fabiana Udenio as Pia Claire, the spoiled but tender opera diva

Chris Martin as Jimmy Stack, a mechanic, wins a prize on a gameshow and uses the money to buy the plane ticket to Rio

Rob Stewart as Andrew Talbott, a high-school biology teacher, dying of leukemia that mysteriously went into remission once he’s in the jungle

Tyler Hynes as Will Bauer, a 10 year-old boy caught between three worlds, he takes adolescent angst to the highest degree

What’s so special?

1. If you like shows and movies about survivors and castaways, you will also like this. In fact, “Amazon” is one of a few shows of its kind that is not about some mysterious island but about Amazon rain forest.

For me, though, it goes the other way; I like this show first and because of that, later I got more interested with movies about survivors. Sadly for me, I never found myself got hooked to other survivor-themed shows/movies more than the way “Peter Benchley’s Amazon” got me hooked. It was just so wonderful, the tone was set so perfect and believable, the execution was nicely done. As one of the character, dr. Kennedy, remarks “We’re dead to them now. No survivors”. Can you imagine that? Being the only survivors of a terrible plane crash but presumably dead and sooner or later will be forgotten by the world they belong? That fact alone can lead to numerous interesting drama among the survivors themselves. Let alone the fact that they still have to cope with an extremely hostile environment, hostile tribes.

2. “Peter Benchley’s Amazon” or, as the fans of this show call it, PBA, is that kind of series which each episode leaves you wanting to know what will happen next, you find yourself anxiously awaiting each new episode. It’s that kind of show that will make you scream “WTF it’s over??!” every time the end credit starts rolling.

3. The casts, apparently, they are not only pretty to look at on screen, but also good at what they do. The actors have done a superb job of making their characters grow on you with each passing episode. The six survivors each have their unique persona, and as a group they have such great chemistry on screen.

4. The sets are beautiful, the locale is exotic. It is refreshing to watch a TV series with a totally unique concept. It's a change from the usual sit-com apartment or coffee shop. The natives have such great costumes, they speak the language so convincingly and they really do help add some spice to the vast diversity of the show. The effect is, well, okay. But the first episode showing the horrific plane crash is neat. Quite a heavy disaster and good special effects, considering it is only a TV series.

5. There’s always remarkable moment in each episode. The scene when the young boy, Will, climbs up a tree to reach the top of it, hoping in reaching signal coverage for the cellphone he holds, instead, he becomes the first among other survivors to realize how bad the situation they’re in; There’s only trees at least until hundred miles from where they are! It is the scene in the end of pilot episode, and was the scene that finally made me go “Wow, this series is gonna be so much fun”… and it is!

Precursor to “Lost”?

We can't help but notice that the more recent hit show “Lost” seems to be borrowing a lot of elements from PBA. Eventhough the idea of crashing in Amazon rain forest is more interesting than on some mysterious island, “Lost” was a more riveting show with undeniable higher rating. It had more characters, a range of people both likeable and unsympathetic, it had better effects, in many respects better script writing, gigantic plots with lots of action. Whereas Amazon actually moved a plot along and still had a pretty cool range of characters despite such a small cast, PBA was actually quite promising, it could have had the success of “Lost”.

The whole underlying premise is a direct rip off, some say. The isolated jungle versus an unreachable island. A small group of survivors against a local tribe that has its own group of antagonists plus threats come later from the outside world. (The Chosen in PBA versus The Others in “Lost”). There are other similarities that seem likely not an accident.

1. The kid in “Lost”, Walt, is kidnapped by The Others because he is considered special. Will is also kidnapped by Korakal's tribe because he is special; The Chosen.

2. Sidney, a character in PBA, who has been killed, shows up and mentions to Jimmy Stack that they are all dead actually and lights up his cigarette and vanishes. The survivors are all dead. Isn't that how “Lost” actually ended?

3. dr. Alex Kennedy in PBA versus dr. Jack Shephard in “Lost”

4. In Karen Oldham's dream, Andrew mentions that he has to return to the jungle and they all find themselves back there after her clairvoyant dream. “Lost” characters have to return to the island too after reaching civilization.

5. Hurley wins a lottery and buys a plane ticket in “Lost”. Jimmy Stack wins a prize on the Price is Right and buys a plane ticket.

We don't say that everything in the shows is the same, but some events in the metaplot are indeed similar. I’m saying, I think everyone who enjoyed “Lost” should watch this show too.

Where can I watch it?

That’s a tough question. I doubt if any TV channel will air it again in the future. Alliance Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD on February 22, 2011 but sadly, in Canada only. But lucky for you who speak English naturally, someone is generous enough to share the joy of this show on YouTube! (no sub available as far as I know, that is why I said lucky for you who speak English).

Anyway, something you have to know, the show was cut too short; Critics seemed to dislike it and it was cancelled after one season (though that was allegedly due less to ratings and more to the fact that one of the American production companies decided to get out of fiction programs entirely, leaving the series without some of its financing). It could also be because the series was not well-publicized (It wasn't that the viewers turned it off, but most didn't even seem to know it was on!). So it’s no surprise the show has cliffhanger ending.

Regardless, the series overall is worth watching and was arguably the best Canadian-made series of its day.

From various sources, including the official Facebook open group and IMDb.