Wednesday Night's TV (11/1/06)

Once upon a time in a land called Tellyland, a series would appear on our screens and if it was good enough, if the ratings were high, it might return for another series. If it didn't catch an audience, it could exist in its own right - it would have told a story, albeit one we didn't necessarily want to hear. Six Feet Under was a bit like this; when the first series ended it was perfect, complete, discrete. It was also popular and HBO, thank the Lord, brought it back for another season. OZ, another excellent bit of HBO progamming which C4 unfortunately used to stick on at about three in the morning, had an excellent first series and, on the merit of this, was brought back for another. Can we infer from these two dramas that challenging programmes, the ones that push the boundaries about what we expect to see on our TVs, are often treated by networks as one-offs that need to prove themselves in order to be recommissioned? How then, should we think about the finale of Lost last night? I have loyally stuck with this series through the vagaries of its quality over the last three months, hopeful that there would finally be some concrete answers to all the enigmatic questions which the drama posed. Some resolution perhaps. And what I got was any other programme in the series. We still don't know what's down the hatch, we still don't know what the monster is or where it comes from, all we know is that the 'Others' appear to have some kind of oil rig and refinery on a part of the island which enables them to pilot boats around the ocean. So, Walt was taken by the 'Others'. So what? He'll probably be back by the third programme of the next series. I mean, how frustrating. How much material have the writers got before they actually let us in on what the big mystery is? I'm afraid I can't devote an unspecified amount of time to watching something where I've got a sneaking supicion that they're all dead or something - or maybe Jack will wake up one morning and it will have 'all been a dream' - some crappy outcome that makes me want to self-mutilate for the amount of my life I've wasted. I also cannot stand any more shots of Kate staring pensively out to the sea. I officially give up.
CBB was excellent last night, as ever. This is turning out to be like a summer Big Brother - and what makes it so is the desperation of all the contestants. They're not just in it for the money or for the exposure - like the normal Big Brother contestants, they're in it to launch non-existent or relaunch dead-in-the-water careers and they will stamp all over any housemate who stands in their way. George came across as badly as JM last night, "You are a wicked person, and you have inveigled Chantelle under your magic spell" - alright, James I, no need to get the ducking-stool out. It was a bit extreme, wasn't it? And as a politician, you'd think he'd know that the legal voting age is 18, so if someone's still a child at 22, surely that invalidates at least part of his parliamentary seat. I love this series, I love Barrymore despite his paranoid tendencies. Can we leave them all in there forever, please, PLEASE??
And a quick word for Richard Fleeshman (is it?) on Soapstar Superstar. I only flick onto this programme but when I see him, I am blown away by his beautiful, mature, powerful singing voice. He's absolutely amazing. If you're a fan of the sing-off form of telly, try and catch him before he goes.