Kevin Nauta (prydonia@accn.org)
Mon, 26 Jan 1998 15:03:39 -0800
brider wrote:
> (of the ten best list)
>
> No real objections to what *is* there, but how can you have a list of
> top PG stories and miss out "Love and War," which is probably the
> best ever half hour (or whatever) of television anywhere, ever? I
> still cry whenever I watch it - the scene where Linda reads the note
> from Spike is the killer moment.
Good question. Good answer. I find Colin really annoying here, and
that knocks the episode down a bit in my book. I think I'd put it in my
top 15, but not in the top ten for that reason alone.
>
> Also, what about "Bad News" - okay, it's the other end of the scale,
> but it's got some of the series' best humour - especially the
> gorgeous in-jokes ("Don't worry, we'll get a genuine American to play
> Spike...")
Sorry, didn't like the Crazy Stuff guy and his pet cat. Top 15, not top
10.>
> I'm probably more likely to disagree with the individual choices in
> this list - my own opinion is that poor PG is still miles better than
> good other programmes.
Amen to that!
I guess "received wisdom" (courtesy of the> episode guide book) is that
"Picking up the Pieces" and "She's Got it> Taped" are the absolute
stinkers...I think I'd agree about the> former, but my tendency is to be
lenient towards the latter. I'm> just a terminally nice guy. Of the
entire list, I think "Yesterday's> News" is the one I disagree with most
strongly - sure, much of the> episode is a bit dumb, but that's more than
made up for the scene in> the newsroom at the end - real tearjerk stuff.
> Gosh, it was hard to pick ten BAD episodes, but continuity requires if
you have ten best, you have to have ten worst.
> One of my least favourite episodes (let's get a debate going) which
> Kevin overlooked is "Shouldn't I Be Taller?" - the whole scenario of
> an election to decide who should be Lynda's replacement was so stupid
> - wouldn't Kerr and Sullivan have insisted on making the decision,
> seeing as they appointed Lynda to the post in the first place, or at
> least wouldn't they have come down hard on Colin after seeing "The
> Gaz"? After all, if the paper enters the realm of scurilous
> tabloidery (Look! I think I just made up a new word...), it's
> *their* reputations that suffer. Also, after the wonderful "Monday -
> Tuesday" it's such a major letdown.
> Maybe, but Kerr was big on allowing the Gazette freedom in its day to day operations, and that included the freedom to fail, as they did in
PHOTO FINISH and ONE EASY LESSON. Kerr could have easily stepped in
before the editions went to print and stopped the stories in question
from going forward. He didn't. Frankly, I think Kerr and Sullivan were
shocked at the outcome of the election. I assume they thought Kenny
would win. I wouldn't have been surprised if Kerr intervened after the
first issue of the Gaz, but Spike's recall of Lynda made the change
unnecessary.
Here's another dirty secret. For all the supposed control Kerr and
Sullivan have of the paper, they get the Junior Gazette stolen out from
under their noses by Lynda and Kenny in THE BIG FINISH. They never
assumed Lynda would not give up her editor's chair willingly upon
graduation. (Though you should have cited this story for your theory, as
they do seem to have picked Brian as the new assistant editor.)
Still standing (because I can't get up if I lie down),
Kevin
--
T H E P R E S S G A N G M A I L I N G L I S T
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