By far the most fascinating new genre show this season is American Horror Story. I’m still not sure exactly what’s happening all the time, or what the rules of the world are here, but in terms of keeping me tense as hell week to week, it’s certainly doing its job. Besides, a big part of the fun of the show is slowly peeling back the layers of what’s really going on while perching on the edge of your seat because at this point literally anything could happen or so it seems.
When VD (that’s right, I went there) premiered back in 2009, my husband and I watched the pilot. We weren’t exactly enthralled, but as lovers of genre, we gave it another shot the following week.
We didn’t watch the third episode.
I’m not even sure exactly what it was that made us stop. The story wasn’t moving forward in what seemed like an interesting way? The characters were flat, and the dialogue felt like it was trying too hard? Whatever the reason, we gave up on the show, despite friends telling us how great it was.
When people found out that Sarah Michelle Gellar was doing a new TV pilot for the first time since Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, the excitement was tremendous. Judging from the reaction at San Diego Comic Con, television—and her fans—had been sorely missing her. The premise of this new show, Ringer, was seemingly simple, but decidedly intriguing: Bridget, a woman on the run, turns to her rich and perfect twin sister Siobhan for help, then takes over her sister’s identity after she kills herself, learning that she’s not so perfect after all. The questions were fast and furious. Would she be able to step out of the shadow of Buffy? How would she handle playing dual roles?
“They managed to successfully sum up in 10 minutes what took me 1200 pages to write,” said George R.R. Martin after a clip show that summed up the entire first season. His light attitude was indicative of the entire Game of Thrones television panel, making it clear that everyone involved really loved being a part of the show, especially Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo), who joked that he was furious when he found out his character died, and spent part of the panel trying to convince GRRM and the showrunners to bring him back.
For an event that has over 100,000 attendees, Comic-Con is largely an individual experience. To some, it is a cosplay mecca, where they can find appreciation whether they dress up as a mainstream superhero or the most obscure anime character. My husband enjoys getting a first look at TV pilots and sneak previews of upcoming seasons. My artist friend Michael spends the majority of his time on the convention floor, intent on covering every square inch of it and discovering new artists along the way. Last year, I discovered a whole new Comic-Con world: Magic the Gathering. There are tournaments and panels and basically people playing all Con-long. For many of my friends, it’s an opportunity to market whatever project they’re working on and network with people they think can help their careers. For others, it’s just a gigantic Tweet-up where they can meet and greet their virtual friends IRL. Some even go down to San Diego for the four days but skip the Con entirely. With an event this large, it’s just impossible to experience all that there is to offer, so everyone goes with their own unique idea of what it will be for them.
What Comic-Con means to me can be summed up in two words: Joss Whedon.
Perhaps what’s most surprising when looking at vampire TV shows over the past few decades is how much they have in common. Yes, the tone of the show, the powers of the vamps, and most certainly the quality of the acting varies widely, but at the core, the narrative is often the same.
Quick, tell me what children’s book series main character fits this description: a young boy who learns that he has superpowers and is destined to be a hero enters a new school where he makes fast friends with a brainy girl and a geeky boy, makes fast enemies with an entire section of the school, and excels at their unique sport.
No, I’m not talking about Harry Potter. The hero in question is Percy Jackson, who may not have a lightning scar, but does set out on a quest to return a lightning bolt in the first book of the series.
