Back to the past...

[astri13]

Wow, I haven`t posted in a long time. Time just flies on by, even though nothing spectacular has been happening.

I was planning on using the TV summer hiatus to catch up on some shows but so far can`t bring myself to even start. Instead, I`m on a super-nostalgia trip where old DVDs come off the shelves again. Currently, I`m watching some "Scarecrow and Mrs.King" (Germans know it as "Agentin mit Herz"), a show I watched back in the 80s with my mom. I used to have such a crush on Lee Stetson back then and even today, I know why. He is totally the kind of guy I find attractive. Guess my tastes haven`t changed much from a ten-year-old to today. *g*

And if you think about it having a sweet. wholesome housewife as your female lead, incorporating her in the cloak-and-dagger-world of spies, having her stand on her own there while not completely changing who she is is pretty progressive. She didn`t turn into a kung-fu-fighting sharpshooter.

What`s hilarious about the show is that it is both ridiculously dated in the 80s - cold war spy plots, helmet hair, the clothing etc - and at the same time has aged rather well because the cutesy "will they, won`t they" couple dynamic is the same it has been in the 90s or 2000s or now. Take "Castle" which is probably the inverse of the dynamic of "civilian and professional team-up" and it has more or less the same formula for the romance.

Such shows always hinge on the depiction of the characters and the couple chemistry. If it works, it worked back then and it works now. As for the 80s, that`s the time-period I grew up on so I`ll always have a soft spot for it. Just imagine what generations twenty or so years down the line think when they watch shows from today. :)

What`s significant about Scarecrow & Mrs.King is that while it ran for 4 Seasons and it successfully ran in Germany as well, 18!!! whole episodes have never been shown here. Like, are you fucking kidding me? That is nearly a complete Season. And it`s not all random episodes either, it`s the Season 4 two-part Opener and stuff. It concentrates more on the romance aspect and leaving them out means you miss the couple getting together and the marriage proposal. Gee, that was not confusing at all for people who wondered why the main characters were suddenly married. I just can`t figure out why they were never shown here. And no, they don`t feature Nazi plots which is the premiere reason every US show from the 60s, 70s and 80s ever has at least ONE episode that has never made it onto German TV.

Comments

[scolaro]

Back in the day I used to watch that show as well and liked it a lot, however, for me it hasn't aged that well. Maybe if I went past the first couple of eps, but somehow I didn't feel like it. (Also, the quality of the eps I had wasn't so great, that may have added to it.)

But seriously, 18 episodes never aired here? That's weird indeed, I had a feeling the show was quite popular in Germany.

[astri13.livejournal.com]

I bought the DVDs as a gift for my Mom so the visual quality is as good as can be expected. It´s also the only reason I found out about the many episodes never aired because the DVDs were chock full of eps I couldn`t recall ever seeing and which didn`t have German synchro.

So, I looked it up and sure enough, they were eft out of original German airings for reasons noone will ever know. Like I said, no Nazi plot, nothing controversial, no raunchyness, no nothing I can see why it wouldn`t air.

I will say I mostly completely ignore the plots and cases of the week because, well, those were okay for my 10year old mind but nowadays, not so much. Fast forward all the way. What still works for me are the cutesy character interactions.

Stuff like when Amanda finally gets formal agent training at some training camp and of course is rather non-athletic, klutzy and all that, generall making her the worst recruit ever. But of course the Russian infiltrators think that is just a cover so brilliant, she has to be a mega-competent super-spy. It`s not even an original story trope but I just found it played really funny.

And, as I said, I like looking at young Bruce Boxleitner. *g*

[scolaro]

It's really interesting that they removed these eps from the schedule for no apparent reason.
I remember that agent training episode with the Russian infiltrator, lol!

Bruce Boxleitner lost a lot of points with me when he replaced Michael O'Hare as Commander of Babylon 5. Not his fault, of course, but whenever I look at him now I think about how much I disliked his character for YEARS after he came aboard just because they took out my favourite for him. Meep.
I can't help it. I'm sure he's a great guy, but my weird mind can't forgive that. ;)

[astri13.livejournal.com]

Heh, Sheridan was by far and large my favourite character on the show. But then, I only really got into Babylon 5 once the story picked up more in Season 2. A lot of Season 1 was set-up work for things to come and the pacing was often too slow for me. And none of the characters really clicked for me back then other than G`Kar and Londo.

I did enjoy Sinclair`s return in the time-travel episode. But Michael O`Hare was having mental health problems so he asked to leave the show and get help. I can always make a transition like that easier if it was the actor`s choice and not a question of the writer wanting to replace them.

[scolaro]

I heard about his mental health issues when the Producer(?) disclosed it at a convention a year or so ago, and it would have kept me from being angry at the show for a year if I'd known it back then. It's very sad that he had to leave under these kind of circumstances. Even then I didn't blame Boxleitner for it, but he DID take the role of the top dog on this station, so it took me about 2 seasons to warm up to the guy. (And yes, he's likeable, I grudgingly grant you that.) :P

G'Kar and Londo were comic/drama gold!

[astri13.livejournal.com]

I heard about his mental health issues when the Producer(?) disclosed it at a convention a year or so ago, and it would have kept me from being angry at the show for a year if I'd known it back then.

I can understand O`Hare maybe not wanting it made public at the time.

I mean, to come back to Scarecrow and Mrs.King, back in the 80s, noone except the producers knew Kate Jackson was diagnosed with breast cancer and that`s why her role in the final episodes of Season 4 was drastically reduced. Or why the show was subsequently cancelled. Even her castmates didn`t know so everyone thought she was being a diva or doing agreesive contract negotiations. Of course viewers didn`t knew either.

And why? All because back then it was considered career suicide to admit you had cancer. The mind, it boggles. Mental health issues carry a stigma even now so I can only imagine how that would look in Hollyweird.

And yes, he's likeable, I grudgingly grant you that.) :P

Awww, you big softie. *g*

G'Kar and Londo were comic/drama gold!

Completely agree, they were superb.

[scolaro]

I didn't know Kate Jackson had breast cancer...damn, what a nightmare. Glad to see she's still alive and kicking!
(OMG, she was on Criminal Minds and I totally didn't recognize her. I KNEW the face from somewhere, but forgot to look her up.)

Of course O'Hare had no wish to make his health situation public at the time. Even today I'm sure people would rather be known as divas or whatever than having mental problems.