labingi

The 1970’s TV show Emergency! is a treasure. If you want a reminder that society can be decent and humane, (re)discover it today. Emergency! follows the adventures of two paramedics (Roy and John) and the firefighters and hospital staff they work with. It’s low on plot, high on the specifics of various rescues and medical procedures, interspersed with human interest and light comedy. Though it is sometimes pulse-pounding, things almost always turn out okay and interpersonal conflicts are almost always slight. It’s a feel-good show about competent people doing their jobs with professionalism and compassion.

Below the cut are three things I especially like about Emergency! No spoilers to speak of; there’s not much to “spoil.” ( Read more... )

I just finished season 1 of Foundation, and it's inspired meta in me. Rather like with ST: Discovery season 4, Foundation left me feeling like I was watching (at least) two shows: one that was spectacularly good science fiction and one that okay-ish. I'm bursting to write a gushing fannish essay about the good show, but I'm going to make that my reward for starting out with the okay-ish, and to do that, alas, I need to address "wokeness." Because my discontents with Foundation land along its arguably "woke" female hero. Moreover, it's not just Foundation. Frustration with "woke" women heroes is a pattern for me, and that bothers me because I consider myself progressive. I want to have better representation in media. I want to see diversity celebrated. I agree we've had far too many white male heroes in our narratives. So why do my frustrations so often align with those of more conservative folks? I want to do a meander through some things I see going on, both in me and in our society.

Disclaimers: This essay ended up not really discussing men of color. There's much to say; it just ended up being a bit too much to tackle in one essay. This essay is also very much about my personal response as a viewer; others' will vary.

(Major spoilers for Discovery and Babylon 5, minor spoilers for Foundation, Star Trek: TOS, possibly others)( Read more... )