...of cabbages and kings...

Post 3

James Oliver Rigney, Jr., better known as the fantasy author Robert Jordan, passed away on Sunday. We knew it was coming, he hasn't been well for some time, but the world has still suffered a great loss. I know this blog is primarily focused on the world of scifi in television, but I wanted to take a few moments to remember Jordan. He has written several books but is perhaps best known for his series The Wheel of Time. So far, this series contains eleven books and a prequel--and the twelfth was to be the last in the series. I know that many in his fandom, while expressing condolences, are also left wondering what will happen to this world Jordan so lovingly created for us. What amazes me so much is that in the midst of his illness, Jordan never stopped taking the time out for his story. He spent his last weeks among us dictating everything that is left to happen and has entrusted his family to publish the final novel so that the world will know the fate of Rand al'Thor and his companions. That my friends is what it is to be a true writer--to have the drive and the dedication to tell the story, even if you won't be around to find out what people think of what you've had to say. I can think of no better memorial than the publication of that final piece of the story he's been telling for so long. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. If you haven't read him but find yourself looking for a new fantasy world to fall into, check out some of his work. As long as we keep reading, he'll be remembered.

Thank you for indulging me. Now, to dive into the world of television...

I had this whole rant prepared about how much I dislike the Sci Fi channel right now--mainly due to their scheduling tyranny and the fact that they air WRESTLING every Tuesday night (seriously--wrestling--what the frak is that about?), but I lost my steam somewhere between yesterday and today. You're probably better off. Just know that if they do officially announce to split Battlestar's fourth season to air half in January 2008 and half in January 2009 the rant will probably be back. Instead, I am going to talk about The 4400 season finale.

The big "event" in the episode was that a minor character had taken the Promicin shot and developed his new ability--which turned out to be exuding Promicin--meaning 50% of the people he came into contact with died while the other 50%--well...let's just say there are going to be a whole lot more abilities to explore next season. The final death toll mentioned at the end of the episode (because of course it acted as a plague until the character's ability was suppressed) was 9,000--meaning 9,000 new P-positives and 9,000 new abilities for the severely depleted NTAC and police of Seattle to deal with. Overall it was a pretty good episode, it had me going the whole time, there were a lot of loose ends to be tied up and I wondered where they were going with them, but the very best part was the end. NTAC headquarters was exposed to the Promicin outbreak, meaning everyone left standing (with the exceptions of Skouris, who is apparently immune to Promicin, and Baldwin, who wasn't there at the time) at NTAC now has an ability. Meghan, Marco, and Garrity (yay Kavan!). The end of the episode panned through NTAC (narrated by a speech being given by Jordan Collier) as each of our friends' new abilities began to manifest. I thought it was incredibly well done and a great way to leave people wanting more. It kind of reminded me of the final episode of Buffy--where we see girls all over the world with the potential actually become slayers. The two big differences here are 1) these were characters we already know and are invested in, and 2) we know there's going to be a next season (in theory, anyway) and that means we get to see what happens next. An absolute brilliant ending to an outstanding season. I really need to add this one to my collection.

So that's all I've got for now. It's movie night at Casa de Cori--we just got David Hewlett's film A Dog's Breakfast and I can't wait to watch. Dark humor + Hewlett siblings (I mean they're right up there with the Cusacks or the Deluises for me) + lots of Stargate peeps running around = great time. Plus...Atlantis starts back up next Friday and season three came today--so I've got to find some time to watch!

Enjoy your week!

Peace,
C

Recent acquisitions: Stargate Atlantis season three (sqee!), A Dog's Breakfast (huzzah!), and Smallville season 6 (not in my hands yet, but according to Amazon I should get it tomorrow).