Friday, August 13, 2010

The Big Bang and the theory of disbelief.

It's an inevitable that this event will happen to everyone, especially sci-fi nerds. We all have our favorite series, the ones that we speak to us for various reasons. We watch them with an enthusiasm the rivals the Super Bowl or even religious events. They are there when we are happy and when we need to something to help us escape our lives. You're watching your favorite show enjoying it when all of a sudden you that thought gingerly crosses your mind: There's no way he/she/they are going to die.

It's just a simple thought but it undermines everything the show is trying to accomplish. We all go into this unspoken agreement with tv shows and movies, we suspend our disbelief and they agree to transport us into another world. It is the only way that the relationship can work. If we don't believe that the acts committed or that the characters are in real danger then it's impossible to enjoy it. Unfortunately, it will eventually cross your mind.

It happened to me while watching the Doctor Who series 5 finale, The Big Bang(spoiler alert, of course if you haven't seen it by now you probably have an interesting life in which case, what is that like?). At the end of The Pandorica Opens I thought," Holy cow, all of the Doctor's enemies teamed up and locked the Doctor in the Pandorica. How is he gonna get out of this one?" Then watching The Big Bang I watched the Doctor somehow time travel back in time and free himself(albeit, indirectly) from the Pandorica. Later he is saved from being erased from time by Amy Pond remembering him. Really?!!


Courtesy of pandaman96
No copyright infringement intended, BBC owns this video.
(And yes I know it's mirrored.)

I had briefly broke the contract. I let the fact that these fantastical events were so outlandish make me forget that this is what I love about the show, the fact that the most impossible things happen to this character precisely because the Doctor is so impossible(and the fact that time is not linear, but wibbly, wobbly, timey, whimy). This is not reality but fantasy and it runs by a different set of rules and that knowledge is what the contract depends on.

I'm happy to say the my belief is once again suspended and I've been able to enjoy my shows just fine but I want to know; what events on your favorite shows have caused you to break the contract temporarily or permanently? Where you able to continue and enjoy your show or did they jump the shark for you?

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Guess Who?

Photo provided by Cheezburger.com


Well after an extended break I'VE COME BACK TO BLOGGING. No applause please............ and now that deafening sound of silence has passed I would like to tell you that after taking some time to process how I wanted my blog to be, I'm finally ready to get back to it. It won't be to much of a difference than before but I think it'll be a welcome improvement over what I've done before and my posts come at a semi-regular pace. I hope you enjoy what I have in store.