The Return

Wow it's been a long time since I've been here. I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this thing since May, but life has been very, very busy. I still am busy, but I'm going to try to make an effort to get some new posts up. Sadly for the Rome fans out there, I think I'm going to put that project on hold for now. I may need to rewatch it before I post. Instead, I'm going to move on to two very different shows.

First up, I'll delve into another HBO show, The Wire, which is seen by many as the greatest television show ever made. I wouldn't call it my favorite, but it is definitely one of the smartest, highest quality shows I've ever seen. I will look at how it portrayed the city of Baltimore and how it examined the current state of our nation through the people and institutions of a "broke-ass city."

After that, I will do a run on Avatar: The Last Airbender. I recently watched this in the wake of the new live-action movie, which was universally panned by critics. However, one of the main points in all the reviews was that it was based upon a superb animated series. Eventually I gave it a chance and fell absolutely in love with characters and the world.

Although at first glance it seems like these two shows couldn't be more different, there are more similarities than you'd think. Both are very novelistic in nature; each season tells a story, but the totality of all the seasons make up a greater, overarching story. (I've often described Avatar: The Last Airbender as "the Harry Potter of television" to people in order to pique their interest; in addition to the structure, the character development and themes are very mature for a "kids' show.") They also both deal with very mature ideas, although The Wire does it in a much more real way.

Up next: When you walk through the garden...