When I was very young, I'd sometimes hear the others in my family talking about a long departed show called Man From Atlantis. It sounded tailor-made for me - a man who breathes underwater! Undersea adventures! Action, adventure and the ocean. It couldn't very well have been more perfect. And then, some thirty-plus years on, I finally got to see it. And it was awful. Not entertainingly awful - not even amusingly awful. Just awful. Lesson learned.

When I first got on the internet, there was a TV series that I'd sometimes hear America talking about: Counterstrike, a spy drama starring Christopher Plummer and Simon MacCorkindale. Simon MacCorkindale! As a fan of the long defunct Manimal, this seemed like a very good prospect. Didn't seem likely that I'd ever get to see it though. And then, a couple of days ago, I found it on YouTube. And, yes, it's terrible. Not the fault of Christopher Plummer or Simon Mac - they're doing the best they can with it. But everybody else in the cast? And the writers? And the directors? Oh boy. Lesson, once again, learned.

It's not going to go into the long term memory though, let's face it. Somehow these things never do.

In other news, I was given a 1978 Battlestar Galactica annual for Christmas, which I've just got around to reading (I wanted to finish something else first). It's in the finest annual tradition of having an appalling grasp of the premise and characters of the TV show, and the artwork borders on hilarious - but Battlestar Galactica! The annual! It made me smile throughout. I particularly like the fabulously jolly interview with Lorne Greene, that suggests BSG might last as long as Bonanza did, and be his next big hit. Hmm. Bonanza ran for fourteen seasons. Battlestar Galactica... didn't. But it was nice of them to try. The stories in the annual have some of the best titles ever, clearly written by writers who got a bit carried away with the whole SF thing. Presumably they usually had to write stories for Grange Hill or The Waltons or something. Amazons Of Space!; Chess-Players Of Space!; Hijack In Space!. When in doubt, always stick "Of/In Space!" at the end of your title. You'll be amazed at what a difference it makes. It's a bit sad actually, when they talk to the various stars about their hopes for the future. Everybody seems all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and sure that this is their great stepping-stone to wonderful things. Yeah. Don't hold your breath, guys. The only one whose long-term plan turned out the way he'd hoped was Dirk Benedict, who said that he'd like to act for a few years, then slip away into relative anonymity, live in the middle of nowhere, and write. Which is precisely what happened. Lucky sod!

And speaking of actors who write, in other other news, I've just started reading a book called Once A Crooked Man, by David McCallum (mostly because Amazon were selling it for two quid on Kindle. Sorry Illya, but I can't afford costly book experiments!) I wasn't sure about it at first, as it had a slightly rocky beginning, but the Kindle tells me I'm 25% in now, and I'm enjoying it. It relies very much on people doing things that they probably wouldn't in the real world (the whole story is basically the hero doing this), but it's engaging enough, and I like the scene setting. Some of the prose is a bit clumsy here and there (first book-itis - it's largely inescapable), but the descriptive passages are nicely done, the plot seems strong, and the characters are well drawn. I quite recommend it, if you're in the mood for a contemporary thriller. Mind you, I am only 25% in, so it could all go wrong yet.

(Sorry. I think Counterstrike just murdered my optimism).
In episodes twenty-two and twenty-three, The Time Tunnel suddenly turns into a show tailor-made for me, and comes up with just about everything that I could want. That anybody could want, really. If there's anybody alive who doesn't think that pirates and cowboys are just about the most excitingest things ever, then they're probably somebody confused and disillusioned, and soon to see the error of their ways. Oh yes.

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Episode 17: Deadly Carnival

In which there's finally an episode of Man From Atlantis that I really, genuinely enjoy. And the series gets axed at the same moment. Life's a funny thing...

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Though not necessarily in the same place. More from the late eighties in a moment, but for now it's still the late seventies, and the penultimate episode of Man From Atlantis. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Or there will be, once the warbling mergirl is out of the way.

Episode 16: The Siren

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Episode 15: Imp

Sometimes a television programme will startle you with its beauty, vision and heart. Unsurprisingly, this is not one of those times.

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swordznsorcery: (Default)
( Apr. 5th, 2011 23:49)
A scary, slavering, untamed, fire-breathing monster! I'm terrified!

Episode 14: Scavenger Hunt

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Episode 13: C.W. Hyde

I think my brain is starting to bubble out of my ears.

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Than this of Juliet, and everybody else who's stuck with her in this stupid episode.

Episode 12: The Naked Montague

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Episode 11: Crystal Water, Sudden Death

From inexplicable undersea cowboys, we move to slightly less inexplicable undersea aliens. Sadly the cowboys took the fun scripts with them, though, and we're back to business as usual.

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Episode 10: Shoot-Out At Land's End

Proof positive that cowboys make everything better. Not good, necessarily, but better. And these are Bonanza-flavoured cowboys to boot!

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Episode 9: Man O'War

In which Man From Atlantis impresses me by getting steadily worse, and My Two Dads makes me laugh stupid amounts. With, once again, added YouTubery.

Sorry. It's a Paul Reiser thing. It appears to be entirely involuntary. )
Episode 8: Giant

So is episode eight as bad as all the others? Yes. That's probably the only bit of the whole entry that you need to read.

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In which I attempt to tackle two episodes back to back, in the hope that one of them won't be truly dire. And very quickly learn the error of my ways.

Episode 6: The Mudworm & Episode 7: The Hawk Of Mu

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And a really, really annoying one at that.

Episode 5: Melt Down

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Yes, I've been watching television again. And regretting it quite a lot, as it turns out.

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