Binge Snacks

In the past 70 years a vast archive of television content has been built up, and much of it is now available on DVD or online sites. Even the most dedicated couch potato would be unable to watch more than a small fraction of it in a lifetime. Nor would anyone want to. The 80/20 rule of thumb that applies to so much of life should warn us that 80% of past (and current) content is garbage. The remaining 20% (which ranges from “not bad” to “excellent”) is still a lot of content for those sleepless nights when we are too tired to read but not satisfied by staring at the ceiling. There is little correlation between a show’s quality and longevity. Some very promising shows failed to build an audience and lasted one or two seasons. A few examples:

Werewolf (1987–1988): a surprisingly good show tripped by a writer’s strike before it could get a solid footing.

Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000): better than average teen dramedy.

Twin Peaks (1990–1991): notoriously weird but intriguing mystery crime drama from David Lynch.

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993–1994): high concept sci-fi Western set in the 1890s starring Bruce Campbell.

Dark Skies (1996–1997): sci-fi show about an extraterrestrial conspiracy in the 1950s and 1960s.
Tru Calling (2003-2005): Eliza Dushku as a morgue attendant able to re-live days and sometimes prevent a death.

This past week I sampled two others that I neglected to watch (aside from a snippet here or there) when they first aired. The limited number of episodes make for binge-watching snacks rather than the full course banquets of more commercially successful shows. For dessert (even snacks sometimes are enhanced by dessert) I picked up a series-related comic.

Painkiller Jane (aka Jane Vasco) is a comic book heroine created for Event Comics in 1995. The adaptation of the comics for the Syfy channel (still called the Sci Fi channel at the time) aired in 2007 and starred Kristanna Loken, best known for her role as a terminator in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. I met Kristanna at a Chiller Theater convention several years ago. While sifting through photos I indiscreetly mumbled to myself, “That was a weird show” when I recognized one picture as being from Painkiller Jane. “Why?” she asked quizzically. The question was natural enough but caught me off guard since I hadn’t intended to voice my remark. I didn’t make things better by answering truthfully, “A bit SM.” (I ended up selecting a Terminator 3 photo.)

A revisit to the single season series (actually the first extended visit: I’d only seen the pilot in ‘07) confirmed that my answer was, if impolite, on target. The character Jane Vasco discovers the hard way that she is able to recover from any injury. This makes her a superb crime fighter and secret agent since she can expose herself to any risk including gunfire. But the key word is “recover.” She does get injured and does suffer pain; she just regenerates quickly – not instantaneously but quickly. So, every week this beautiful woman accepts horrible injuries in order to prevail in the end. Sadomasochistic is a term that barely covers it. The series has some interesting concepts and writing, but some viewers might find it unsettling. In ‘07 apparently too many did.

The terminator connection of the Painkiller Jane actress prompted through stream of consciousness a look at Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, which ran 2007-2008. This was critically a well-regarded show at the time, as I well knew, but it didn’t fit my schedule back then. My belated opinion is that the critics were right. It is a well-written and entertaining show. The events take place after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The series ignores subsequent films in the franchise, which is probably wise. Sarah Connor is played by Lena Heady, and John by Thomas Dekker. Summer Glau is superb as the terminator reprogrammed by future John and sent back in time to protect them.

Summer Glau in turn brought to mind her earlier role in the exceptionally good one season sci-fi series Firefly (2002–2003). Joss Whedon, creator of the series, was as unhappy with the early cancellation as the fans were, and tied up most of the loose ends with the theatrically released movie Serenity. Most. For the remainder of the dangling strands, he turned to comic books. Originally published by Dark Horse but presently by Boom, the collected tales in Firefly Legacy Edition Book One provide us with more backstory for the characters: notably of the mysterious Shephard Book. They add details of events between the last Firefly episode and the movie Serenity. There are also post-Serenity stories. Joss and Zack Whedon wrote most of the entries, but one was written by actor/comedian Patton Oswalt of all people. Oswalt at the time had a role in Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse – which, by the way, is another excellent short-lived (two season) TV series. The comic is for Firefly fans only – anyone unfamiliar with the series would be lost – but for those fans, Thumbs Up.

When in the mood for a late night visual snack, one could do worse than these two shows and the Firefly comic collection.

Painkiller Jane trailer