Lower Decks

This is the third in our three-part “Reflections on 2008″ series. We asked all of our writers, both those on staff and our wonderful contributors a look back at the past year in comics, movies and television. In this edition, four of our writers reflect on the television shows they watched and enjoyed (or detested) during 2008.

Waterloo – Contributing Writer

2008 was the year that confirmed genre television since Lost has changed for me. Eli Stone had a lawyer finding justice with the help of visions, and while most of it was certainly about solving cases the elements that saw Eli deal with what he quickly realized had afflicted his father were a worthy successor to Joan of Arcadia; Heroes continued to view crimefighters out of costume, and while a good portion of the audience grew more skeptical, I’ve only grown more fascinated, perhaps because I’m more of a DVD watcher than a first-run fan of this particular show, where the flow can be better felt; Fringe redefined the unknown elements of our world, emerging first as a new child of J.J. Abrams but quietly building its own, shall we say, massive dynamics; Life on Mars dumped a cop into the 1970s, working the same kind of mojo as Eli Stone with a cast of actors known for other roles or other screens but led boldly by Jason O’Mara, who has finally found a starring role; and of course, Lost became cool again. I personally couldn’t ask for more.

Quinn – Contributing Writer

Even after all the plot twists and turns, all the deaths, all the revelations, and all of the new questions, I still believe Lost is the best show on television. There isn’t a show in which I’m more excited for it to come and more depressed to see end. Season four might be the show’s best, as the writers expanded the premise to include flash-forwards and cut the fat by reducing the episode count. This removed the “filler” episodes that we’d seen in the past and allowed the narrative to move at an amazing pace. From start to finish, Lost Season Four was incredible and kept me glued to my seat.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a show that I couldn’t imagine would succeed. The Terminator franchise had grown a bit stale (I didn’t care for the third movie), and I just didn’t see how a Terminator show could succeed. But they did it. The show is exciting and epic, while still maintaining some calm and quiet charm. Lena Headley does a fantastic job as Sarah Connor (no matter what people say), and I think Thomas Dekker is a very believeable John. But the star of the show is Summer Glau, and she has the character (a female Terminator) nailed to a T. She’s able to go back and forth from an emotionless machine to a perfect emotion-filled faux-human. I’m not sure who else could pull off the role, and I’ve absolutely fell in love with her. Another bright spot is Brian Austin Green (yes, the same one) as Derek Reese; every episode he’s in seems to be better than those where he’s gone.

Smallville hit a rough patch in season 7. The addition of Supergirl didn’t seem to work, and the entire “Veritas” storyline seemed to fall a bit flat. The season ended with the departure of two major characters (Lex and Lana), but the show continued nonetheless. But I’ve found season eight to be a breath of fresh air into the series. Gone are the days of Clark and Lana drama, and the Boy of Steel is finally moving towards being the hero he’s supposed to be. Clark moving to the Daily Planet and his pairing with Lois has created great chemistry between the two, and there seems to be an actual direction for the show. I’m finally back on board, and I actually watched the Fall Finale live (instead of DVRing it) – something I haven’t done in quite some time.

Fringe, a newcomer, has some promise. Even nine episodes in, though, I can’t say I’m hooked. I even have an episode left to watch, and I still haven’t gotten around to watching it. I’ve been entertained so far, but this is definitely a J.J.Abrams show….showing you as little of the main story as possible. Except, unlike Lost, this one doesn’t grab you immediately. And while I enjoy all the characters individually, I’m not sure the chemistry is quite there. It’s a show I’ll keep watching, though.

As for Heroes, what can I say? The show has gotten stale really quickly, and I really don’t know what can be done to fix it. Sylar has long-since worn out his welcome, and he needs to go. But I think the main problem is that the story simply isn’t advancing. People are coming and going, but none of the characters are progressing or even learning from their mistakes. The problems the characters faced in season one are popping back up in seasons two and three, and there don’t seem to be any consequences anymore. Deaths seem empty and alliances seem ridiculous. And I’m afraid the show’s base for Volume Four seems to be built on a ridiculous “plot twist” that I just don’t buy. The show might need a major overhaul with a mostly-new cast and a completely new direction…because I’m tired of most of the characters and don’t care about them at all. And that’s never a good sign.

forst – Staff Writer

I wasn’t highly anticipating the premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles but was pleasantly surprised by the first, shortened season. The show seems bogged down now, though, and I worry it won’t make it to Season Three. Flash Gordon actually grew on me as its first and only season came to a close. The fourth season of Lost blew me away and now stands just behind the first season in terms of quality. Smallville ended its seventh season on a mediocre note but currently is showing a lot of promise. Supernatural’s fourth season has been a joy to watch thus far. Doctor Who (on SCI FI Channel) continued to delight. The return of Heroes underwhelmed.

Torchwood (on BBC America) managed to weave drama and camp together in a wonderful way. Moonlight returned after the writer’s strike in top form and then disappeared. Jericho’s second season should have been much, much longer but I enjoyed each and every episode. I’ve unfortunately forgotten just about everything about Reaper aside from the fact that I loved watching it. The second half of the fifth and final season of Stargate: Atlantis has been as disappointing as the first. And after eagerly awaiting the return of Battlestar Galactica, I gave up after the just the first three episodes of the fourth season.

Diesel Micky Dolenz – Contributing Writer

2008 wasn’t a banner year for me where genre television was concerned. Starting with the good and working my way backwards, Lost was it’s usual brilliant self, despite the writers’ strike. For me, the addition of the flash-forward just added another level of enjoyment to the show. In addition to figuring out what the frak was going on, we had to figure out when it was going on. Questions still come more easily than answers, but there were answers to be had, and the journey back to the island promises to be an intriguing one. Unfortunately, Lost was the lone truly bright spot unless you consider Chuck to be sci-fi, which I don’t.

It was a mediocre first-half of the final season of Battlestar Galactica. The whole Baltar-as-messiah storyline grew increasingly annoying as the series progressed. The interaction of the ‘four of the Final Five’ Cylons was interesting at least, and the cliff-hanger of finding Earth and it being a nuclear wasteland was one of the better moments of the series, so it wasn’t all bad. Hopefully there’s something special in store for the final episodes. Fringe is showing some promise, but I fear that Walter’s quirkiness will get too tiresome.

Stargate Atlantis is ending, and I’m not all that torn up over it, nor am I particularly looking forward to Stargate Universe. Most of the Atlantis episodes aren’t awful, they just aren’t that good, either. Woolsey grew on me, and he at least seems to work better on the show than Carter did. I didn’t care much for Dr. Keller at first, but she’s grown on me and I appreciate the interaction between Keller and McKay. Still, there’s just nothing fresh about the show any more. The jury is still out for me with Sanctuary.

The rest of the series I watch just didn’t cut it. Smallville should have ended already. There were some decent episodes towards the end of the year, so maybe it’s on an upswing, but the season started out dismally. Heroes is turning out to be a one-hit wonder. The first season was outstanding, but it’s been all downhill from there. Maybe the “Fugitives” storyline and the return of Brian Fuller can revive that show, but I’m not hopeful. Speaking of Brian Fuller, it’s not sci-fi, but I’ll mourn the cancellation of Pushing Daises… and Boston Legal.

What show did I simply stop watching? Knight Rider. The two-hour pilot was awful, and bringing in a new executive producer for the series didn’t fix anything. Bad acting. Insipid plot lines. Blech.

And that is 2008 in a nutshell.