Dude Run! Don't Walk, Down Westeria Lane

"Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have, ever believed in, can hope to escape."

-William S. Burroughs

I watched the season finale of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," tonight, and I while I found it an enjoyable enough episode, I had to wonder a bit about what could have happened to this show? When it first premiered in September of 2004, I thought is was a smart, sassy, snazzy breath of fresh air. I was, and still am, tired of the obsession of "Reality TV." Some of those shows are so silly in premise, some are sick, while others are just plain insulting. I get that it's fun to have someone to root for, I guess I just prefer to do my rooting for ficticous characters. You have to remember, I was a young adult in the days of Dynasty and Knots Landing. Of course it was also during the greed of the 80's, but you also have to remember that the summer of "Who Shot J.R.?" was popular for a reason. Through those fictional characters we could, for at least an hour a week, pretend we could live a little through them. Feel glamorous, feel strong and self-assured. Sometimes even feel good about wanting a better life. Ahhh...is there anything like pop culture to make you forget your woes? LOL.

I loved the character of Cigi Dunne on Knot's Landing. I loved the way she dressed, the way she wore her hair, the way she interacted with the other characters. Lisa Hartman played Cigi perfectly. Who would have figured that by the time the season finale would come around, she would be killed off in a cliffhanger? I thought it was done very well. All kinds of hostility and desperate circumstances had been following poor Cigi for weeks. She was a classically misunderstood herorine. Then in the last episode of the season, everything came to a shocking conclusion, when the camera pans across a dark, lonely, beach, where Cigi's body lay lifeless in the surf. Shocking! LOL. Of course it had me hooked all summer...I was sooo there when Knot's Landing came back the following season. Did Gary do it? Abby or Chip? Ginger or Richard? Who, who, who? LOL.

I don't feel any particular need to be there when "Desperate Housewives" comes back next season. There was a cliffhanger of sorts in tonight's season finale, but the thing is...I don't know if I care enough to watch it next season. I suppose it might depend on what it will be playing opposite. NBC and CBS haven't done much for me in recent years. I will miss the West Wing, but I am looking forward to the new show, "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip," mostly because it will star Bradley Whitford, who played Josh Lymon, on West Wing. It will also star Matthew Perry, and it comes from Aaron Sorkin, who created The West Wing. With that combination, I believe it could be a hit. Good cast, good writing. Fingers crossed.

I haven't checked the fall schedules yet, to see what will be competing with what. I don't know...maybe I want to be surprised, maybe I just don't really care. I am hoping I haven't turned into a hopeless old coot. I'm, only 43. LOL. In the last few years I find myself watching more documentaries and science shows on Biography, A&E and the History Channel, then I do big network shows. As you know I am a big fan of Ghost Hunters,which is considered a "reality show." It airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, every Wednesday at 9:00 PM Eastern time. I mostly watch it because I enjoy the personal interactions between the members of TAPS, but of course once in a while they do provide a genuine, "what the heck was that?" moment.

It's a bit like a soap opera of sorts, only without the glamorous clothes, although they do have all new official TAPS T-Shirts and other gear available for around $20.00. You know...for any ghost hunting you might have planned in your real life. LOL. Hey, I love a good ghost hunt, don't you? My favorite quote of that show comes by way of Brian, the Taps team member who might be considered by some to be the weakest link. Whenever he thinks he is over his head, he accepts it, and bellows a simple, "Dude Run!" Sounds reasonable to me. LOL. Now THAT is good "reality" TV! Maybe there is something to be said for keeping it real. :)

Tell me, do you have a favorite "TV MOMENT?" Is there a show you are looking forward to either coming back next fall or one that will be premiering? Share with me what you think.

-OndineMonet
"A Walk On Westeria Land"
Castro Valley, California
Spring, 2006
Mid-Morning