Lost Without "Lost"?

TV has gotten crafty. Lots of major shows now have two 'mini seasons' as part of their yearly 'season.' They give you ten to thirteen episodes, then leave you hanging for a few months. Instead of one cliffhanger to annoy, there are now two. It's enough to drive a fangirl batty.

So, after the holidays are over, and you're still twiddling your thumbs... what's a girl to do?

Of course the answer is, stick pins in voodoo dolls and do things to make the producers get restraining orders against you. Right?

Okay, maybe that was just me.

Once the nice officers stopped watching me like a hawk I retreated back into safer pastimes: DVDs.

Wild Palms:
Sure it's dated. Sure it's a little silly from a more modern viewpoint. It's sorta star-studded, though, and if you stop critiquing it's a conspiracy nut's dream. Harry Wyckoff is everyman sucked into a world of big business, religious cults, and mystical intrigue. Angie Dickenson's turn as his mother-in-law, Josie, is classic and the whole show is almost worth one of their exchanges alone.

Josie: The women in your life are gong to hell, Harry.
Harry: And you're driving the bus!

Okay, had to be there, but it's accompanied by a smack and it's just priceless. I really, truly wish that it had gotten expanded.

Firefly & Serenity:
Another example of brilliant but brief, and it's accompanying big screen attempt at revival. Joss Whedon (with some help from Ben Edlund-- the genius behind The Tick in it's many forms) hit the dialog nail on the head in this Post-Civil War reminiscent Science Fiction show. I know how odd that description sounds, but if you haven't seen Firefly yet, believe me it's accurate and it works. True to Fox Network form, they hid it and didn't allow the show to grow into itself. That is a damned shame.

It's no "Babylon 5" or "Star Trek" these are working stiffs who just want to be free, and maybe make a difference in spite of themselves. It's got your dash of conspiracy, too, in the form of one River Tam, a genius who has been monkeyed with by the official government in some way (I'm not telling!). Comedy, adventure, crime... and a man named Jayne.