You do have excellent taste, Lys. If you like something, it must be good.

V is another great update on an old programme W4J. Like Battlestar Galactica, it really polishes the original idea into something even more impressive than the first go-round. I actually caught a few episodes of the original recently, and I am so glad they remade this one. I enjoyed the original, but I always felt it was a bit bland. No such problem this time around.

Being a fan of weird conspiracy theories (they are very entertaining ), I listen to radio shows like Coast to Coast AM (originally with Art Bell) and read some very odd books. As you say, some people are very much into the whole Aliens Among Us conspiracies, particularly featuring the Reptilians and/or the Greys. But oddly enough, some believers are actually Christians too, who think that Satan is ultimately behind the Reptilian Occupation of Earth. People are quite remarkable in their ability to reconcile any number of seemingly contradictory ideas .

Flash Forward is another sort of Conspiracy show with a twist. I think its execution is quite good myself, with a number of compelling characters, and thought provoking themes .

Speaking of Anthony Head Booky and Lys, I just saw him as Sir Elliot in the 2007 Masterpiece version of Persuasion. He was hilarious in the role, constantly making sure his hair curled just right. He almost seemed the Dandy version of Uther, overbearing and snobby, yet conceited about his appearance .

GB

I've fallen into the sea of BBC Robin Hood fans.

My sister just started watching it with my other sister's NetFlix account and I was dragged in when she came home for Spring break.

The acting, for the most part, is really very good. The storyline is excellent, and the characters act consistent much of the time and if their character changes, it's for a reason. I really do like it.

I think that the girl who plays Marian could do better with her part, but I think she's improving as I keep watching

Lysander: Well, I'm surprised. The self-proclaimed purist has started watching and actually likes Merlin. And the things he doesn't like about it are the CGI and the acting. I agree with you though, the show is great for a lot of reasons, but one of the chief reasons is Colin Morgan. He does a great job. I think epsiode 7 was one of my favorites. It was pretty funny. Your door-opening observations are very funny. I never noticed that.

Ryan: You still remember that? My goodness. Arthur does get much more likable as the show goes on.

I think relationships are one of the show's weak points. The show doesn't know how to balance single-episode plots with the overall plot. They don't recognize that relationships are definitely multi-episode affairs. Season 2 is especially weak with characters falling in love for an episode and switching allegiances in the next episode.

I think Lancelot is a weak character, as much as I want to like him since he's played by Isaac from Heroes. He needs to get a personality. He's kind of the quintessential medieval knight, concerned only with courtly love and valor, which I suppose is appropriate, but one of the things I like about the show is how the characters aren't defined by medieval perceptions and traditions.

I'm not sure I'm that much of a purist when it comes to the Arthurian legends. Like GB said, you can't really be one, as the story changes so much from telling to telling. Admittedly, I do have my own ideas about how the story should go, but I realized coming into Merlin that I'd have to abandon them pretty quickly if I wanted to get anything out of it. It's different with something like Excalibur, where much is a direct telling of Malory and I can niggle at all if the little points they fudged. Merlin is more a riff off the legend for a young, modern audience. I can deal with that.

Actually, I'd say the acting is one of the series' greatest strengths. It was only Katie McGrath I complained about, and I think she got better over the course of the first season. She wasn't given very much at first, after all.

In terms of the minor characters, yeah, the relationships are sometimes a little rushed. But the interactions between Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana are another strength so far. Even in the weaker episodes their banter holds everything together.

The Pacific, from the producers of Band of Brothers, just started its run this week and I'm highly excited. Unfortunately I don't get HBO, but they are showing the first part on satellite TV at work so I get to watch that. This week Guadalcanal...the show looks great from what I've seen so far.

Ok, just a quick interruption. Back to the Aurthurian legends with all of you.

I'm not a fan of war movies/TV most of the time but The Pacific sounds very good and the different geographic focus is very welcome. I hear that much of it was filmed in Australia (very cool!) I'm looking forward to it.

Unless it has spaceships and lightsabers, or swords and sorcery, war films/tv aren't usually my cup of tea either . But having said that, every once in a while, something comes along that is so good I find myself drawn to it anyway. I quite enjoyed Baa Baa Black Sheep, a show that aired in the late 70's about a WW2 flight squadron.

I don't get HBO, so I guess I won't even get a chance to check The Pacific out (unless it repeats online).

Back to Swords and Sorcery : I have to agree with Lys, the acting and the ensemble chemistry (and some good story-writing) is really Merlin's strong point. The special effects are quite secondary. But even todays cheaper CGI is much superior to most TV special effects from decades past, so I'm very happy with the overall look of the show as well.

I wouldn't mind seeing the sword-play filmed a little better though. Legend of the Seeker is better in that regard.

GB

My favorite Shows are Psych, White Collar, and occasionally Bones. I used to be, and still am, a big Monk fan, but ever since the show ended... but I still get my good doses of mystery TV with Psych and White Collar

Tonight's two-hour return of FlashForward reminded me a lot of the series premiere - or even a Lost season premiere. Lots of action, revelations, and new questions raised. The episode is appropriately called "Revelation Zero," a likely reference to season 1.1's "Suspect Zero."

Trivia: Recently ABC has been promoting the return of V with specially-made commercials tailored to specific audiences, depending on the show in which they air. The one seen during Lost shows Anna against a white background, in which she says (both paraphrased), "We the Visitors share your fascination with LOST and its portrayal of survival of the fittest. We too believe in this." - the implication being that the Visitors are the fittest.

Similarly, in FlashForward she says "We share your fascination with FlashForward and its questions about destiny - especially since we know your planet's destiny."

Flash Forward was excellent tonight. I'd say a bit more but you've already covered the bases Stargazer . Though I can say I liked the exploration of the theological questions.

Can't wait for V to start again. I'm also looking forward to the season opener of In Plain Sight.

GB

(Posted March 23):
Last night's Castle was one of the best yet, I think. It's a two-part episode with the second half to air next Monday.

They've been advertising it a lot on other shows, so the cliffhanger event near the end of this episode - which I won't spoil quite yet - didn't surprise me; I'm sure it would have had I not seen so many ads. Still, I'm looking forward to next week's continuation.

edit early on March 27: It has been announced that this season of 24 (which ends in May) will be the last, and that rumors that another network (like NBC) would pick up the show are false. There may be a 24 movie, which would cover a 2-hour period of a day.

More details here:

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni1889123/

Anybody else here watch Glee? I didn't see it last year, but then friends recommended it. I bought it and saw all 13, 45min, episodes in one day

It'll be starting up again with new episodes tonight and I am excited for it.
I have AI just before that, and I will have to record LOST to see after it. (with LOST, I saw 5.5 seasons in less than a month and just caught up on Sunday).

I've been watching the first season of the cartoon Samurai Jack. It's very good. The art is quite simplistic but it has a lot of action, imagination and quality humour. It knows when to slow down too. Some great moments parody westerns, samurai and old sci-fi movies/tv shows. The series is definitely aimed at males.

I was watching an episode of X-Files recently and noticed Mulder's apartment number is 42. That amused me.