Sunshine Challenge #2

[pensnest]

Orange. Well, it's the new black, so they say.

Which reminds me that we watched, I dunno, three seasons of Orange is the New Black, ran out of DVDs and never bothered to get back to it. There was much to like about the show—not least, so many women!—and the primary thing to dislike was the leading character, who was whiny, annoying and frequently stupid. I did enjoy it, but obviously, not enough to keep going.

There have been a lot of shows like that. Game of Thrones—I watched some while at my sister's, but had no urge to make the effort to continue when I got home. Dexter, which I was very dubious about even getting into, but which was horribly fascinating for quite a while. We stopped watching at the end of…. eh, one of the seasons, and I carefully forgot to remember to order the next season, because on the whole, a 'good' serial killer isn't really my kind of hero.

We were very fond of Bones at one point, even though it is ridiculous, but again, it wore itself out. Castle, too. The Good Wife, not sure why we stopped bothering with that, but, well, we did. Despite Christine Baranski *and* Alan Cumming, even. Hmm. Might have to see about that one. I suppose my problem is that I don't very often care much about leading characters, which is a bit of a handicap when watching the show that is about, say, an awesome female lawyer. Or possibly, I don't have the concentration to watch good shows. Perhaps I'm improving in that respect.

Have you given up on good shows because you stopped caring, or couldn't concentrate?

*

Back to orange. I approve of orange. I actually look quite good in orange, and have a couple of orange tops and a casual-ish skirt suit which I never wear. My adored Lance also looks good in orange, though I don't see him in it nowadays. I love the colour for decoration, in theory, although as I am looking around my living room, which is filled with pictures in shades of red, brown and gold metallics, there is not a lot of orange in the mix. Odd, that. There are a couple of glass baubles hanging in the window, both basically orange coloured—and someone at Camp Sparkle guessed which bauble was mine because of the colour. Fair enough. My current knitting project includes orange, and my next is a ball of vivid variegated orange yarn for which I have high hopes.

But it's not a colour that crops up that often, is it? I've been contemplating my garden (the garden I'd like to have, rather than the one I actually have), and aside from the crocosmia which might, possibly, spike out some flowers at some point, there isn't anything orange in either garden, actual or imagined. Well, maybe an occasional pumpkin. Orange flowers exist, certainly, but I'm not planning to plant any. I walk past marigolds and such when we venture into town and they make a wonderfully bright splash of joyfulness in any flower border, but most flowers aren't orange. Orange blossom isn't orange!

*

There is an Orange story in the Chronicles, too.

***

There is a bird meowing in the garden. Seriously, it sounds like an aggrieved feline. Odd.

Comments

[kingstoken]

I enjoyed Orange is the New Black, but I stopped watching after season 4, because of something that happened at the end of the season that disappointed me greatly, I always thought that I might go back to it some day, but I heard that the seasons after that got a little darker, and I just don't want to watch the characters I like suffer so much, so I think I'll give it a pass.

[pensnest]

It was one of those shows that was quite hard work to watch, I found, and after a break (I watched it on DVD) I felt more inclined not to go back. And there are so many shows getting 'a little darker', and meh.

2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

I think you made the right decision on most of those shows that you gave up on. Dexter was a little creepy to begin with (the "sympathetic serial killer" thing was just unsettling) but also the quality declined in later seasons. (I didn't make it to the final season or two myself, but I heard the ending made no sense and left fans upset.) Game of Thrones was also problematic even to begin with, but when the show writers ran out of book material, the series drastically dropped in quality. I saw it out to the end, but… it was less than satisfying. I still loved several of the actors so I don't regret watching, but I wouldn't recommend anyone go out of their way to watch it. (I don't even remember why I quit watching Castle and Bones, but I just wasn't interested after awhile.)

Orange is the New Black I have mixed feelings about, because I loved so much of it, but it was also heartbreaking. (In a story about a women's prison that focuses on the broken system, you can't expect a happy ending for many of them.) And, wow, they spent too much time focusing on Piper and Alex. (I get that the series was based on the real Piper's book so we were stuck with her as the main character, but… I would have liked to see a little more character development if they were going to keep focusing on her.) I still loved the series and watched it to the end, but—due to the heartbreak factor—I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone. 🧡

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[pensnest]

I was definitely more interested in the other prisoners - so many great characters - than in Piper, but it's all rather heartbreaking stuff.

Things like Castle and Bones have such a formula, and yes, they play with it a bit, but ultimately it just gets a bit tired, I think. And if a show like that branches out into something a bit less formulaic, that can easily be not very satisfactory as well. I think they should set out with an idea of completing the thing in, say, five seasons - but of course, American TV doesn't really work like that.

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

Agreed. One of my favorite shows was a Canadian series called Slings & Arrows. Just 6 episodes per season and only 3 seasons. It's concise, tightly edited, tells a complete story, zero filler episodes. I keep thinking U.S. TV would be so much better if they cut the number of seasons and episodes and went in with a plan how to end it. (I loved, loved, loved The Good Place and yet I was so happy that the creator chose to end it rather than drag it out just to make money. The rare U.S. show that had a solid conclusion.)

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[pensnest]

I've been trying to get hold of Slings & Arrows for ages, but have not been able to! It sounds really interesting.

My Beast and I have just watched a BBC3 series called The Capture, which was very intriguing, immaculately plotted and thought provoking. Only six episodes, but good stuff. I like something a bit longer, when it's good, but things can go on too long.

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

Slings & Arrows is up on YouTube! I made a post with links to each episode to help avoid spoilers (since YouTube always wants to suggest additional episodes and those thumbnails could give away plot points before you get there).

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[pensnest]

Thank you so much! This arrived at the perfect time, as we had run out of series to watch as we eat! Unfortunately the link you put into this comment didn't work, but we have found it on YouTube and made a start. \o/

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

Oh, sorry. I had it access locked out of habit. (It should work now, but as you've found them anyway, it doesn't matter.)

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[pensnest]

I'm enjoying it very much so far. We've seen the first four. I think it was in the third episode that I actually started laughing aloud at stuff.

Sings & Arrows

[oldtoadwoman]

I'm glad you like it!

[gwenhwyfar1984]

Season 3? Ugh. I skipped most of season 3 and went to season 4. It got a lot better. I think 4 is one of the best seasons! I just finished the show last week.
Piper is not supposed to be likable. In fact...she's not the real main character. The creators admit freely that they chose a white lead like her to get the show made, then when it was approved, started on the real mains: the POC and poor women.

[pensnest]

I certainly found the other characters far more interesting. Logically, I should identify with Piper, but she was so irritating! I can see the reasoning behind it, though.

And it was good to see a show where the few male characters were very much secondary to the female characters. And such a variety of women, too.

[turps]

Gah, each time I see Bones mentioned I want to complain about how they treated Zack but really, I need to get over it already. Especially as I stopped watching from that stupid plot point.

The only show I can remember giving up on after years of watching is The Walking Dead, though whether that's a good show is debatable.

Marigolds are beautiful flowers. I have some ready to plant, but sadly it's just a bit windy to do so.

[pensnest]

I can't remember ow - Zack was the first intern, right? Who apparently had no common sense or understanding of right and wrong, which was ridiculous. I quite liked most of the subsequent interns, as I recall, and there was some good stuff for many of them.

I've just been into the Homebase garden centre, which was pretty empty, thank goodness, and decided I want to grow some gerberas.

[zorealis]

I definitely thought of Orange is the New Black too for this prompt. I almost put it down after the third season, but managed to continue through with it. I'm glad I watched it, but I definitely thought it went to a lot of dark places and I'm not sure I could rewatch it again knowing how many of the stories end. I also struggled to suspend disbelief for some of the storylines too.

[pensnest]

I found I liked a lot of the characters, and even ones I didn't like were mostly interesting, so I'm glad I didn't see it through!

[frausorge]

I have fond memories of nslash fandom thrilling to Lance in orange! I myself tend to lean towards darker colors but I can imagine an orange suit would be magnificently eye-catching.

[pensnest]

Lance looked very peachy in orange. I miss it! He is all grown up now.

My suit is a velvety texture, quite slouchy, and quite a 'burnt' orange. I shoule wear the jacket more.

[silveradept]

I hear you on not watching shows for their main characters. I don't know if it's because we get to see the characters that much more, but a lot of the time, they seem less interesting than the rest of the world populated around them. (Several shows I've watched have specifically been because the leads are less interesting than everyone else and I want to see if the everyone else appears in the show or not.)

[pensnest]

I figured out a while back that I have a sidekick 'kink'. I'd much rather explore the secondary characters - even as a child, reading Arthurian stories and fairy tales, it was Sir Gareth, and the Crown Prince's younger brother, and the hero's best friend, who interested me. The Lead character's story is told, whereas there is more to find out about the others, who only get moments.

[enemytosleep]

I gave up on Supernatural partway into season 9. I think at that point it was getting a bit too repetitive for me (big risks to save the world again) so I sort of fell off and never picked it back up.

Looking around my house for the color orange, I have little things here and there (my toothbrush and some small orange accents on various things). I do like the color, though!

[pensnest]

When a series starts with "hero/heroine must save the world" there isn't really anywhere 'up' to go, and it sounds to me as though Supernatural is like Buffy in that respect. Gotta save the world again, but bigger! I loved Buffy, but if it had actually ended after season 3 it would probably have been *perfect* television. Although we would have missed out on 'Once More With Feeling' which would be tragic.

It is surprising how few orange things there are about the place here, considering that I am fond of the colour.

[shipperslist]

Oh yes. I dropped GoT after ...four seasons, I guess? It was tied to the decline of my marriage and when I couldn't stand sitting beside my then-husband on the sofa, well, I dropped lots of things.
I agree with you on Bones and The Good wife. Castle was annoying from the very beginning, so. And I don't think I'll bother more with Shadowhunters even with Alec and Magnus. OITNB is on my Netflix queue still