So Lunchy McBoxerton, Esq., has discovered Season 4. Reading about his "heedless euphoria" (awesome) made me wish I could see the season premiere again for the first time. I mean the first hour's so MEH, but the second? There are very few moments, even on this show, that still give me chills years after, no matter how many repeated viewings I allow myself. Conventional wisdom holds that Seasons 1 & 2 are the Genius Seasons, 3 & 4 a little less so (though even in their shade-less-than-transcendency they effortlessly surpass all subsequent seasons and anything else on TV, ever), and while that's mostly true, I will stack the two minutes of '20 Hours in America (Part II)' that are backed by "I Don't Like Mondays" against anything in the first four seasons not named 'Two Cathedrals' or 'In the Shadow of Two Gunmen'. ANYTHING.
Sadly, after that, it falls off for a bit, but the dials turn back up to Inimitable for 'Debate Camp' through 'Process Stories' (except for the Stupid Subplot of Stupid Christian Slater). That's the good news. The bad news is that the episode right after that is 'Swiss Diplomacy' ("The One Sorkin Didn't Write"), which is the low point of the first four years, bar none. Don't let that stop you, however...you have to slog through a lot of meh-ness (though again, half-assed teevee from Sorkin & Schlamme is still better than anything else on teevee) to get to 'Evidence of Things Not Seen', the last killer ep before S & S decided to go out in a blaze of contrivance and Republicans, but it's worth the wait. (I do have to confess that the white title cards still give the shivers.)
'Box, I wish I could immerse myself in the experience you're having. Not that they don't get better with repeat viewing, but there's a special tang (The Drink Of Astronauts!) that comes with the surprise of beholding genius in every frame for the first time that I don't get to savor anymore. I haven't watched the show in over two years. I hear tell it finally got good again, and I did see one episode in Season 5 with Glenn Close that would seem to support that argument, but...it's Just Not The Same, and I don't feel like pretending otherwise. I wish I still cared about the show's continuing run, but why bother? With the arrival of Season 4 on DVD and the advent of Studio 7, these few years that saw us denied our Brain Candy will soon be nothing but an unpleasant memory.
Enjoy the hell out of those 25 hours, Jesse. Roll in them. Marinate in them. Genius is tasty.
...Guys?
Yeah, I agree that Season 4 suffers ever so slightly from, well, I guess I'll call it Senioritis for lack of a better term. And I haven't seen the non-sorkin episode yet. Hrm. Still what I've seen of it so far is somehow, in a way I can't describe, a slam dunk above the rest (Save, of course, the one's you mention). It may be that I love Josh Malina. I love Richard Schiff. It's a great, great season for Toby, and they introduce Will. Can't resist it. I'm spent now.
Posted by: Jesse at November 23, 2005 12:20 PMGotta strenuously disagree with the 'slam-dunk' there, cupcake. Season 2 has NO weak episodes; Season 4 has at least ten.
(And before you jump, yes, weak is a relative term with this show, and any one of those ten is still better than any other teevee.)
I don't want us to get all Aintitcool-talkback here, so I'll just say that so far, though Season 2 rocks my face off and stands up (as I recently learned) to extensive repeated viewings, I have to say, I haven't seen anything in Season 4 that didn't leave me riveted, though I can see some flaws (some episodes just aren't as clearly laid out as others, in places), but I suppose this is sort of like arguing over how much better one decadence is over another. We shouldn't argue about which intellectualy affluence is better, dear. Now, if you could pass me that leather glove from off the ancient Byzantine armor collection, next to the bas reliefs we use as coat hangers, I have to pour some 600 year old wine into it. I thirsty.
Posted by: Jesse at November 23, 2005 07:22 PMThere's something about typos involving the word "intellect" that makes me giggle.
Anyway, I believe we are at an impasse.
(Or is it detente? I can never remember.)
Let's be thankful, on the eve of that hateful day, for the four years of cathode gravitas Herr Smartypants bequeathed our way.
Posted by: Holly at November 23, 2005 07:26 PMOh, God, trochaic tetrameter. H, send me that away message.
Posted by: Jesse at November 23, 2005 11:12 PMNooOOoo!! I can't believe I rhymed. In my own comment window. The SHAME.
Posted by: Holly at November 24, 2005 11:03 AMit's because, my dear, your wit is stunning.
and we've been waiting, you've had it coming.
peanuts... yadda yadda yadda.
fin.
Posted by: rhys at November 24, 2005 01:00 PM*slow clap*
Posted by: Holly at November 24, 2005 01:48 PMWhoo! CJ post-fuck scene! Ugh ugh ugh! Take it off, baby! YEAHHH!!!!
Posted by: Chuck at November 25, 2005 11:04 AM