NOTE: The following essay contains spoilers to my book The
Midknight. If you have NOT read the story, I suggest you read it first
before reading the following essay.
Part I: To Be or Not to Be ... A Vigilante?
When it came to the creation of The Midknight, I always knew the kind of story I wanted to tell. It's your
basic mythological, hero's journey-type of story that may sound like something
out of a comic book. It's a story of heavy emotions of love and hate; action;
revenge; corruption; redemption; and, ultimately, personal growth. Every
character is pulled to their limit in this story and many life lessons are
strewn throughout the book. For some of the stand-out scenes, I took many
aspects of classic philosophical motifs (from the likes of Stoicism,
Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Aristotle, Socrates, Hegel, and Augustine) as well as
classic myths and blended them together to tell a modern-day story. It is
through this technique that The Midknight basically illustrates how much
our emotions can control our lives -- if we let them.
We must first start with Jesse
Sands' main threat of his newfound powers through the serum. Because this is a
story with many mythological and comic book-like qualities, it can be said that
the serum featured in the story (Liquid Nocturnus) is a metaphor for everything
emotional. It is a symbol to represent someone's extremely powerful emotions as
well as their actions that are brought about because of ther serum/emotions.
THE question of Jesse's morality as a result of the serum's effects in The
Midknight is something that every person (whether granted with super-like
powers or not) faces.
"There is even another sort of
fear, less obvious, but perhaps just as important, that many superhero narratives
bring to our attention," comic writer Jeph Loeb once
stated. "Many of us fear what we may have to do to stand up to evil
in the world. Will we have to resort to force and violence in order to contain
or defeat the forces that threaten us and those we love? The superheroes often
do, but they know where to draw the line. Will we?
"Many great philosophers have
understood that we human beings are creatures of habit. Once we resort to
violence to solve a problem, we are a bit more likely to do the same thing
again on a future occasion -- whether that future occasion really requires it
or not. If we are sent to war in a foreign land, will we return as more violent
people? Will it ruin our lives? Will we be forever changed in detrimental ways?
That's a real fear for any good person living in the modern world.
"Good people rightly fear the
effects that a use of force or violence could have on their own souls. If it
comes to resisting evil, will I actually have allowed evil to win after all,
but in different form, in my own soul?"
To explore these questions even
further, we must first identify the situations that Jesse experiences in the
story that may lead him (or any individual) to violence and evil. Friedrich
Nietzsche once wrote, "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in
the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss,
the abyss also looks into you." This thought can be seen in many morality
stories -- whether novel, comic book, movie or play -- today.
Jesse does indeed become a vigilante
and finds himself turning into a monster in order to fight the monsters
(whether they are guilty or not). Most vigilantes break some of the laws in
order to pursue the real criminals who are violating more important laws, and
to protect law-abiding citizens from thugs and murderers. To the extent that
any laws on the books protect criminals and impede the pursuit of justice,
Jesse will be a lawbreaker.
Like most vigilantes, Jesse is
overwhelmed by the thought of: Why should well-meaning social structures be
allowed to stand in the way of what is objectively right? Near the end of The
Midknight, Jesse knows that the Russian mobster could not have the same
charges brought against him in a case where Jesse knows he's guilty and
that no court could convict him. He doesn't let this law stand in his way of
bringing justice to the criminal. And vigilantism would make sense IF the
vigilante is in fact doing good, but it would be far more troubling if
vigilantes lack a clear perception of right and wrong. But what happens if the
vigilante's views on guilty and not guilty, right and wrong, begin to blur?
Although Jesse gains a few
superhuman enhancements, this is not a legitimate reason for him to decide to
fight crime. Taking a stand and defending himself, as well as his family and
girlfriend Vanessa Strummer, is understandable because their lives are
threatened by a ruthless gang of killers. However, Jesse choosing to seek out
whatever criminals he can find and punish them with his own brand of vigilante
justice is open to discussion. Why? First, he's clearly not a police officer
and, second, his newfound powers certainly don't issue him a license to punish
anyone, let alone kill them. Is he right or wrong? That question is a major
focus for most vigilante plotlines appearing since the late 1970s. One of the
classic vigilantes is Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey from the Death Wish
movies. Another is Frank Miller's Batman in The Dark Knight Returns (in
which the moral examination greatly influenced The Midknight). It's no
startling fact that characters such as Paul Kersey, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Frank Castle/The Punisher, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Eric Draven/The Crow, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Elektra Natchios/Elektra, William Foster/D-Fens (Michael
Douglas' character in the movie Falling Down), Parker (from Richard
Stark's crime noir novels), and Creasy (from A.J. Quinnell's Man on Fire
novel) are all vigilantes (and they were all an extremely influential
inspiration for my creating The Midknight). However, mostly all of these
vigilantes (with the exception of William Foster) have a sensible reason for
taking justice into their own hands. Kersey's wife and daughter are brutally
attacked; Bruce Wayne's parents are killed in front of him by a mugger; Frank
Castle's family are killed by the Mob; Matt Murdock's father is killed by a
sloppy hitman; Eric Draven and his fiancee are murdered by a street gang; Peter
Parker's father-like Uncle Ben is killed by a thief who Peter could have
earlier stopped; Elektra Natchios' father is killed by an assassin right in
front of her; Parker is betrayed by his wife and the criminal outfit he works
for, and left for dead; and Creasy's friend, the little girl he was hired to
protect and the only person who showed him unconditional love, is murdered by
kidnappers.
So, what is Jesse's ultimate
motivation to "take the law into his own hands?" The paramount answer
is that he is fed up -- fed up of being bullied around, living in a world where
the criminals, bad guys and bullies get away without any consequences. Plus,
being a cop's son, Jesse knows how the justice system works and doesn't trust
it. This is where Jesse's views of right and wrong begin to blur. The effects
of the serum, as well as the haunting memories of his constant abuse from past
bullies, begin to overtake Jesse's logical thinking. His emotions soon overtake
his ability to logically think through a situation and soon they drive his
"eye for an eye" belief into overdrive.
This is showcased for the first time
in the story when Jesse seeks out and punishes the three young men who have yet
to stand trial for allegedly killing a young mother and her two children. After
Jesse's attack on the bus that is to escort them to their next prison, the last
young man standing pleads for his life and says, "I was just along for the
ride! I didn't do anything! I promise! I didn't know," Jesse coldly
replies with, "No. You just didn't care." Therefore, Jesse had
already made up in his mind whether this young man was guilty or not and kills him.
His emotions from seeing the innocent family's picture and relating it to his
own family are what drove him to seek out and murder the suspects.
Is this a good enough reason to be a
vigilante and take the law into your own hands? Is it enough to keep fighting
crime? Well, certainly it is for all of the other characters I've previously
mentioned. Even though most of their perpetrators were caught or killed, these
vigilantes (if still alive) continue their crime-fighting ways. Yet they all
continue to struggle with their inner demons and justly uphold the law, only
targeting those who do break the law. Although their sanity may be in question,
their morals are not. These are people who have the means of upholding justice
and do so risking their own lives. All of these vigilantes, including Jesse,
all receive some feeling of great accomplishment when saving a life or
delivering a bad guy to justice. This is called utilitarianism, which is a
philosophical view that the right action in any circumstance is the one that
produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. And if beating
one villain will save several potential innocents, these vigilantes can still
be seen as somewhat virtuous. It is only when they begin thinking and/or
feeling for themselves and placing other innocents in danger that their
morality can become twisted and wrong.
"Epic" is the word to best describe Christopher Nolan's latest -- and
last -- Batman installment. Here, there are two films in one, and Nolan
and his brother Jonathan (who was inspired by Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities as an underlying plot device; it is even quoted by
Commissioner Gordon at the end of the film) tie together all the
storylines introduced in the first film. And nearly every major
character from the trilogy makes an appearance -- whether via flashback
or simple photograph; all that is but Heath Ledger's Joker, who was sorely
missed and would have perfectly fit into the chaotic storyline of the
second half of the film. However, it is understandable; NO ONE could do
what Ledger did with that role so leaving him out completely was
probably the best move. I did like the little surprise of Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and his role in the anarchy introduced to Gotham.
Nonetheless, the new characters of this story make mighty impressions
and do not disappoint! I admit that I did not like Anne Hathaway's
casting as Catwoman/Selina Kyle when I first heard about it; I'm not a big fan of hers at all. But
she did pull off the role and I especially liked her introduction in the
film -- it was a true homage to the chemistry that she and Batman have in the comics. Some critics are saying that she wasn't used enough in the film
but I beg to differ. Most times, when Kyle/Catwoman appears in the
Batman comics, she pops up here and there. What is important is that the
film perfectly captures Kyle's warring internal conflict of being good
or evil; she often wants to do the right thing but her bitterness and
anger keeps her in looking out for herself. I did like that the film
threw fans a little Easter egg by including the character of Holly Robinson (Juno Temple), Kyle's friend and "sidekick."
Tom Hardy's Bane was the first iteration of a character that was merely
created for physically imposing purposes -- plainly said, to "break the
bat." My only criticism of the film version is that, opposed to what
filmmakers say -- he was difficult to understand half the time. And when
he did talk with his devil-may-care, proper British accent, I could not
help but think, "They've turned him into a Bond villain!" Don't get me
wrong, though, he is a formidable foe and proper villain for the likes
of this film. Continuing on the theme of the Nolans throwing in little
nods to the fans, it was also cool that he was in the League of Shadows,
which is in the comic. Now onto Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake
character. I've been a big fan of Gordon-Levitt's for a long time now
and he continues not to disappoint as the devoted, honest cop. I knew
where the Nolans were going with his character but it -- like the
perfect ending -- was a welcomed predictability. Marion Cotillard's
Miranda Tate is a pivotal character to the plot, and while I was not
surprised with her big reveal, it was a welcome one. Cotillard, like
with all of her performances, dazzles to the point that you can't take
your eyes off her; it's not just her beauty but she has a certain
charisma that is subtle and unspoken and it demands your attention. Gary
Oldman (as Commissioner Gordon), Gordon-Levitt, and Michael Caine (as
Alfred) all gave amazing performances and helped make this movie the
powerhouse that it is!
Bane and Batman perfectly showcase what would happen if an immovable object were confronted with an unstoppable force.
As I said, the ending was a bit predictable but in a good way. I did
have one slight problem with the conclusion, but cannot mention it
without writing any spoilers. There was a very short lull in the film which took place for me. Even though it was crucial to the plot, the part where Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Bruce Wayne and Miranda Tate are talking about the clean energy project designed to harness fusion power; a bit slow, but like I said, crucial. When the action really takes off in the second half of the film (movie #2), the story
slightly follows the same storyline of the Batman comics' "No Man's
Land," except instead of an earthquake, it's Bane's sinister army that
cripples Gotham. Batman and his stories have never necessarily been all about the wam-bam action -- for that, go see The Avengers (which I also really enjoyed but in a different way); there is not only good suspenseful action but also a good story with heavy philosophical meaning. The underlying themes here are powerful and deep stuff
-- rising above physical restraints can be likened to looking beyond our
earthly forms and learning not to be afraid of the unknown, of death.
Also, what is the true nature of a hero? Is he or she someone who always
wins, always rides off into the sunset, is always honest? What does it mean to leave a legacy to simply be a better human being? The fact that
such moral questions and philosophical ideas are in a Batman story will
be no surprise to the avid Batman comic reader, but to filmgoers who
have had to survive Joel Schumacher's horrible two films (1995's Batman Forever and 1997's Batman & Robin), it's an amazing feat that
should not go unnoticed nor unrewarded.
Now is the time of spring/early summer that I really hate: the end of the TV season. This past year, my schedule for shows has not been as plentiful as in past years, but there were a few this past season that kept my attention and – despite having two young kids – kept me tuning in week to week. However, now that those shows’ season finales have aired, and with the seasons of Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones ending, I turn to my favorite TV viewing medium. TV on DVD.
The one beautiful thing about not discovering a really good TV show while it’s on the air is discovering it on DVD. That way you don’t have to worry about the often torturous week-to-week airing of the next episode or, especially, having to wait even longer during the summer hiatus. Just a few of my past TV on DVD finds that I was grateful to be able to skip commercial breaks and summer/holiday hiatuses were 24, Alias, and House. So, now that this summer season has begun and you find yourself either stuck inside due to injury or are simply looking for something really entertaining to watch and that you can view from start to finish, here are a few of my picks for wonderful TV on DVD … in alphabetical order. Please note that I have only included TV shows that have ended their run on TV and can be rented/bought/downloaded by their full run. Again, these are in alphabetical order:
1.24 (2001-2010)
Be prepared to get majorly addicted this one! For any action/drama/suspense fan, this is essential. CounterTerrorism Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer (the amazing Kiefer Sutherland) is a simple husband, father and patriot who loves his family and will do anything to protect them and his country. Sounds simple enough. That is … until presidential nominee Maryland senator, wish-he-was-really-our-president David Palmer (the wonderful Dennis Haysbert) is threatened with assassination, there is a traitor discovered in CTU, and Bauer’s daughter is kidnapped, as well as other major plot twists – all in the span of 24 hours real-time. And that’s just the first season one! This is one show that kept me up late at night as I just couldn’t stop watching. Each ending of every episode is a cliffhanger. This show – along with Alias and Smallville -- is an example of coming along at just the right time. It premiered in November 2001, right after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, and the country was searching for a hero who could bring justice to terrorist acts. The show tackles every issue and moral concern regarding fighting terrorism and ultimately brings the famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche quote to mind: "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
2.Alias (2001-2006)
Another post-9/11 show that came out at the right time. The radiant Jennifer Garner kicks major butt as college-student-turned-CIA-agent Sydney Bristow, who has a good life until she tells her boyfriend of her new secret job. When he is murdered and she finds out that the secret agency she thought was CIA is actually a rogue, evil agency called SD-6, she starts work for the real CIA and makes it her mission to bring down SD-6. Spying has never looked so cool since James Bond. And never has it been sexier than in the opening for the season two episode “Phase One.” Many surprising twists and turns abound as Sydney gets help from her spy father (Victor Garber) and friends, both spies and civilians. Garner’s portrayal of Bristow is one of the most strong, smart, vulnerable women on TV – next to Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer – a challenge in of itself. The writing is phenomenal, the performances are heartfelt, and the action is plentiful.
3.Angel (1999-2004)
Before sparkling vampires there was this vampire who came as a spinoff of Buffy the VampireSlayer. Buffy and Angel had a strong love but when Angel (David Boreanaz), a vampire with a soul, realized that he could not remain with Buffy because of his pesky little immortality – as well as his gypsy curse which states that if he ever experienced “true happiness” (which includes making amore), his demonic self known as Angelus would take over. Like Buffy, this show uses many metaphors through horror genre to pose philosophical questions and moral issues. Joined by part-demon Doyle (the late Glenn Quinn), and Buffy alums former queen-bee cheerleader Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) and former watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof), Angel opens his own private investigation agency, and uses his vampiric powers to “help the hopeless” all while battling the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart, which represents some of the most dark, evil forces in the universe, and has a particular interest in Angel. As opposed to Buffy, Angel is a much darker television show and the themes are more adult. Yes, there are weird-looking creatures but the performances by the actors and the talented writing make this show too good to pass up. Creator Joss Whedon’s take on the vampire is my definitive view of how a vampire would exist, and this show has everything from action to love to drama to laughs. The end of the series left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans but I really enjoyed it and thought it fit well to the overall message of the show.
4.Arrested Development (2003-2006, 2013)
For a bit of the funny, there’s nowhere else you have to look but right here. The show may not sound funny – it starts out with the wealthy land-developing dysfunctional Bluth family losing their patriarch, George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), as he is arrested for fraud and money laundering – but the zany characters will leave you in tears … from laughing so hard. After George Sr. is imprisoned, straight man (the only close-to-normal person on the show) Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) brings his son George Michael (Michael Cera) back into their family’s lives and run the Bluth Company. I’ve always loved TV shows with an ensemble cast, especially comedies and this show is the best evidence as to why. The show would not be as funny or as memorable if it weren’t for the crazy characters and the talented comedic actors that portray them. With narration by director Ron Howard, and zany storylines that you must watch from beginning to ending in order to get what’s going on and catch on to the hilarious jokes, this sick show will deliver plenty of loud laughs. Plus, never have I realized how dangerous word play can be with terms like “Lucille!”/“Loose seal!”
5.Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
When most fans of the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica found out that their beloved science-fiction show was being remade and that showrunner Ronald D. Moore was making heroic space jockey hunk Starbuck into a woman, they were up in arms and already skeptical that this show would not stink. However, Moore and crew (particularly Katee Sackhoff who was cast as Starbuck) made them eat crow by converting them all into diehard fans. And after watching the first few episodes of this show, it’s easy to see why. Moore took a simple sci-fi show created by Mormon Glen A. Larson and transformed it into a show with so many different religious, philosophical, political and wealth class references. What’s most interesting is that the good humans are polytheistic and the “evil” Cylons (part human, part robot or entirely robot) are monotheistic. Sure, there’s action in this show but much more drama. This show had some of the best storylines and performances in recent years of television and it’s a crime that this show was never nominated for an Emmy for best dramatic TV show.
6.Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Creator Joss Whedon was so appalled by the cinematic version of his blonde vampire-butt-kicking creation that, fortunately, a new TV network gave him the chance to adapt it for television. Then his true vision of a girl-power character story came to fruition. The TV series picks up right where the end of the film left off, with Buffy having to leave L.A. on account of having burnt down her last school's gymnasiusm ... to destroy a bunch of vampires. The concept of Buffy sounds very tongue-in-cheek – and it is – with one chosen girl who is blessed/cursed with special abilities to rid the world of vampires, demons and all bad things that go bump in the night, but the issues and storylines that the show raises -- as well as the performances -- are simply wonderful. Whedon takes real-life life experiences and turns them into modern-day horror stories (i.e., Buffy losing her virginity to her vampire boyfriend Angel, causing him to turn into an evil, manipulative, killing demon; which was a metaphor for how some guys treat girls with disrespect after they’ve had sex with them). Of course, the characters of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, and others are all so complex and well-played that when the series ends after 7 seasons, you feel like you’re losing best friends. Nevertheless, they’re all there to watch on repeat. And of all my collections, Buffy has probably gotten the most wear!
7.Chuck (2007-2012)
As you can probably tell by now, I’m a big fan of genre-based television. The reason for that is that all of the police procedurals (CSI, Law & Order, etc.) and hospital or courtroom dramas all blend into one after a while with me; it seems like they all recycle the same stories over and over. One of the shows that did not do that was NBC’s Chuck. Created by The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, Chuck is a comedy action that starts basically with a computer whiz named Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) working at the Best Buy-like Buy More in the Nerd Herd (Geek Squad), fixing computers. Then, one day, his old college roommate (and the man responsible for lying and getting him expelled from Stanford University) Bryce Larkin visits him and hands Chuck a special, top secret government program, which inadvertently gets downloaded into Chuck’s mind. From there, spies and evil assassins all stop at nothing to get what Chuck has in his brain, the Intersect – an encyclopedia of all of the U.S. government’s top secrets and knowledge. With help from his friends, co-workers, family and two secret agents (Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin), Chuck must survive the attempts at his life and find a way to discover what the Intersect truly does and how to get it out of his head.
8.Family Ties (1982-1989)
The 1980s were full of sitcoms (situation comedies) about families, but the best of them all was this show about two liberal, former hippy parents (Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter-Birney) with three kids: young Republican, overachiever Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox), the superficial but loving Mallory (Justine Bateman), and the tomboy Jennifer (Tina Yothers). This show was landmark not just because of its laughs alone. The show’s writers also dealt with major issues like alcohol and drug abuse, politics, welfare, sex, racism, feminism, and death. It also contains one of the best episodes of a series I’ve ever seen, a season five episode entitled “A, My Name is Alex” in which Alex deals with the death of his best friend by seeing a psychologist (who is never seen onscreen) as Alex flashes back (via stage changes) through different parts of his childhood; it’s a testament to that moment as a young adult when you realize your own mortality as well as of those you love. That’s not your normal sitcom fare. With dozens of special guest stars before they became famous (i.e., Tom Hanks, River Phoenix, Geena Davis, Courteney Cox, etc.), the show had major talent in its cast but the most memorable are the stories. Like The Wonder Years, all of the episodes seeing as a kid have a different but still profound meaning to me now as an adult and parent. GREAT TV!
9.Firefly (2002)
Fox Broadcasting Company has a long history of making crucial mistakes when it comes to its fictional programming and it all noticeably started with the cancelling of this show. The characters are a slightly dysfunctional family of sorts as the ship of ragtag misfits skirts the ‘verse (with most planets mixing the Old Wild West with sci-fi, and the English and Chinese languages) trying to make money by illegal smuggling, all the while keeping a very (unknowingly) important guest (Summer Glau) safe from the controlling, governing Alliance (think Star Wars’ Galactic Empire), as well as avoiding the evil, cannibalistic Reavers. Only lasting 14 episodes, Firefly became such a hit on DVD, reaching cult status, that many fans demanded that the show be picked up again. While producing company 20th Century Fox didn’t abide to that particular demand, they did give creator/director/writer Joss Whedon the opportunity to shoot a feature film that might best sum up the series as opposed to the abrupt way the series was ended. Thus, the film Serenity was made and was just the hit that fans needed. And while the end of the movie was still open-ended (any Joss Whedon fan knows that he doesn’t do full “closure”), it left the universe of Firefly open for comics (a medium Whedon loves, has written and has done with Buffy) to continue the story of our favorite outcast heroes.
10.Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
This dramedy (drama-comedy) about the “freaky” and “geeky” students of a Michigan high school in the 1980-1981 school year was barely noticeable when it first aired in the fall of 1999. Even though the show was cut down prematurely before the writers and producers could resolve what happens to the cast, there is still no shortage of greatness in the overall sense. Unfortunately, the show only lasted 18 episodes but it has gone on to cult status on DVD and is well worth the price to buy. This show helped jumpstart the careers of producer/director Judd Apatow and actors Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, and John Francis Daley. All I ask is that you watch the first two episodes (“Pilot” and “Beers and Weirs”), and if you don’t laugh hysterically at Bill’s (Martin Starr) “special” viewing of Dallas, then there might be something wrong with you.
11.Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
I was SO happy to discover this show on DVD as I couldn’t imagine having to wait week to week, season to season to see what happens next! Do not think that this show is just about football; it’s so much more than that. The show is inspired by the 2004 film but know that you do not have to see this movie to start watching the series; the characters are all different and have no tie to the series. While the pilot episode borrows some storyline from the 1999 film Varsity Blues (the only exception being the coach character), this show has some great football sequences in it, but what really shines are the characters – particularly Coach Eric Taylor (the always awesome everyman Kyle Chandler) and his wife Tami Taylor (the wonderful Connie Britton), whose chemistry is honest, fun and inspiring, which is what makes the show that way. The show does focus on high school students but it also focuses on the community of fictional Dillon, Texas. And therein lays the brilliance of this show. Some shows every so often have episodes that I call "filler" episodes where not much happens and you could do without it to the overall arc to the show. But this show has no "fillers." Every episode is so fantastically written and performed! What I also enjoy about the show is that even though I love the characters, I love the way the show handles the realism of characters graduating and moving on -- rather than keeping all of them around in the same area for the entire series (a la Beverly Hills 90210). There’s just not enough great things I can say about this series! One of the best TV shows EVER! Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose!
12.Lost (2004-2010)
By far the best show on television in a very long time – OK, Friday Night Lights comes VERY close! The main reason I think this show ranks so highly for me is because I’ve always been into mythology. After all, mythology – whether it’s classic Greek or comic book – is the use of metaphor to tell life lessons and human drama, the reminder of our frailty, our strength, our ugliness, our beauty and our hope. Most of the shows – if not all – on this list have a mythology. But the show that best displays this kind of mythology is Lost. Yes, the storylines are a bit “out there” and the show brings up even more questions with every one question that gets answered. Some diehard fans did not like nor appreciate the final season or series finale and they have a right to feel that way, but I believe the final season when put together with the entire series as a whole is exquisite entertainment. The stories of the lives of these characters are TOO good to be missed – and the mythology is a masterpiece. For more on my take on the series – especially the series finale – check out this.
13.M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
It’s not correct to call this show a sitcom (situation comedy), because M*A*S*H was much more than that. Sure, it has lots of laughs, but the show delved into some serious, thought-provoking, disturbing storylines and images. Based on the 1970 film (from the 1968 novel), this television show -- which centers around a military medical unit during the Korean War -- was a paramount, innovative show. Stand-out, revolutionary episodes like season three’s “Abyssinia, Henry” or season four’s “The Interview” or season seven’s “Point of View” – just to name a few – not only paved the way for outstanding storytelling and acting in television but also helped show the public the true ugliness and emotional toll of war; it gave a true face to war and its soldiers on both sides. Every episode is brilliant – especially as the seasons went on. I believe M*A*S*H ended not because the public had tired of it but because the creative driving force behind the show had done all they could, tackled all they could. The cast all shine and to have a show where you could laugh hysterically one minute then cry your eyes out the next is nothing short of stellar!
14.The OC (2003-2007)
When I first saw the trailer for this nighttime teen soap opera (“Welcome to the O.C., bitch.”), I rolled my eyes and could not believe that this show could ever become a success. But after hearing from a few friends how good the show was, I decided to give it a try. I got hooked pretty easily and my wife got hooked as well. What saves the show are two things: first, the main protagonist, down-to-earth Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) and the comic book obsessed dork Seth Cohen (Adam Brody); and the second, making the adults (Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Melinda Clarke, Tate Donovan, Alan Dale) interesting and not being written as oblivious dolts. Show creator Josh Schwartz (who went on to create NBC’s Chuck) really has a way with dialogue (much like Joss Whedon) and his touch on this show makes what most would call a soap opera very watchable! Besides, any show with a cameo by Star Wars creator George Lucas couldn’t be that bad, right?
15.Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
This show made a huge impact on me, growing up. The show is a testament to a show being more than violence and ridiculousness. The overall message of doing good for others permeates the show and the beginning introduction to every episode is permanently emblazoned in my brain: “Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al (Dean Stockwell), an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so, Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.” It should also be noted that the series finale came along way before shows like Lostbrought us mind-bending, thinking-outside-of-the-box episodes. It’s a finale that exemplifies the heart of the show even though that heart is what makes up every episode.
16.Roswell (1999-2002)
Friday Night Lights and Parenthood showrunner Jason Katims got his first major hit with this teenage sci-fi drama. This show also kickstarted Katherine Heigl’s (Grey’s Anatomy) career. The show revolves around three aliens who are disguised as human teenagers (think Escape to Witch Mountain) but when one of them has a close encounter with a local Roswellian teenage girl named Liz Parker (Shiri Appleby), their lives all turn upside down – having to dodge government agents, the town sheriff, other fellow aliens and curious humans. Sounds simple and clunky but the aliens each have a special power and keeping their secret identities secret becomes essential to their survival. Throw that in with the fact that all of the performances and writing is spot on, and you’ll be hooked!
I have to admit that the first two episodes of this HBO series were a bit slow for me. I think I fell asleep during episode 2. But, I had heard for a long time how I just had to watch this show. So I did, and it became very addictive. Created by former police reporter David Simon (Homicide: Life on the Street), The Wire takes place in the ghettos of Baltimore, Maryland (yes, there are plenty!), centering around on three different aspects: the police force, the drug dealing organization of the Barksdale family, and the District Attorney’s office. As the show progresses, the news media, school system, the Greek Mafia, and city government officials come into focus as well. Standouts of the series are Michael K. Williams as badass drug-dealer Omar Little, Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon, Idris Elba as Russell “Stringer” Bell, Lance Reddick as Cedric Daniels, and Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty.
19.Wonderfalls (2004)
This is but another show axed much too early by Fox. The concept is a bit zany but in a good way! After graduating from Brown University, underachiever Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas) is going through somewhat of a quarter-life crisis, living in a trailer, getting drunk every night, working a dead-end job. Then, one day, a melted plastic toy lion starts talking to her, telling her to do or say certain things in order to help a particular person. And each week, there is a different inanimate object that speaks to Jaye so that she may help others in unexpected ways. And during this, she has to deal with her ambitious older lawyer sister, her easygoing brother, her disappointed, conservative but caring parents, her sarcastic best friend, and a love interest who balances Jaye’s abrasiveness. This comedy, which only lasted 13 episodes, had plenty of laughs and some nice moments for those looking for a lighthearted viewing.
20.The Wonder Years (1988-1993)
Yes, I know this show is not (officially) available on DVD yet (thanks to the distributors inability to obtain licensing rights to all the famous hit music on the show), but with either a few video searches on YouTube/the internet or buying a few bootleg versions, you can view this masterpiece of television. I remember this show when it was originally on the air mostly because I was the same age as main protagonist Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), and I remember how those life moments impacted him and how I viewed them as someone his age. Recently, I was lucky enough to view this show again. Only now, I’m a father of two and could see the parents’ – particularly dad Jack Arnold (the wonderful Dan Lauria) – side of things. And that is just one side of the beauty of this show! I have no shame in admitting that this show has brought me to tears more than once. Narrator Daniel Stern (Home Alone) is one of the most important characters of the show as his voice is not only Kevin’s inner thoughts, feelings and reflections, but also the audience’s.
