Episode 79 — Favoritism (Our 2011 Besties)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow6.6–Favoritismour2011Besties/Sandf–Episode6.6–Favoritismour2011Besties.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSOur last non-interview, non-torture episode of the year is all about our favorite books, movies, TV shows, interviews, etc. for the 2011 year. You can see our lists below, but you’ll want to listen to hear our reasons. Plus: we spend a little time saying thank you to everyone who listened and appeared on the show. Why? Because we love you. Obviously. Show us a little love back by leaving a response to the following questions: What books, movies, and TV shows were your favorites for 2011 (whether published this year or not)? Which interviews, roundtables, and Torture Media episodes did you most enjoy? We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 79 — Download (MP3) Intro and Our Favorites (0:00 – 36:43) Jen’s List: Favorite Book: Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht (Episode 4.5) Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch Favorite TV Show: Eureka (Soft) and Fringe (Hard) Favorite Movie (2011 Releases): Super 8 Favorite Movie (Viewed in 2011): Ip Man Favorite SandF Guest: Jason Sanford (See Episodes 14, 4.0a, 4.0b, 5.6, and 6.2) Favorite Interview: Celine Kiernan (Episodes 28a and 28b) (Yes, Jen is a moron for selecting something from last year…) Favorite Roundtable Discussion: Eaton Editions (Part One and Part Two) Favorite Torture Media Episode: Modelland (Episode 6.3) Shaun’s List: Favorite Book: Osama by Lavie Tidhar (Episode 5.7) Favorite Non-Fiction Book: Walking with the Comrades by Arundhati Roy Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones (see my reviews starting here) Favorite Movie (2011 Releases): Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part Two) Favorite Movie (Viewed in 2011): Never Let Me Go Favorite SandF Guest: Jason Sanford (See Episodes 14, 4.0a, 4.0b, 5.6, and 6.2) Favorite Interview: Lauren Beukes (Episode 2.3) Favorite Roundtable Discussion: The Eaton Editions (Part One and Part Two) Favorite Torture Media Episode: Modelland (Episode 6.3) Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
The Alphas (Episode 2) of Warehouse 13 (Episode 3.2) in Eureka (Episode 412)
Thank you, SyFy, for making Mondays something to look forward to! My husband has completely stopped watching Warehouse 13 and hasn’t started watching Alphas, but it’s still a joy to share Eureka with him.. and we got to squee geekily together, which is always a great thing. However, this week’s episodes of all three were a bit on the serious side (though the Eureka version of serious is never actually THAT serious). Spoilers Ahead!
SFFTV: The Alphas (Pilot) of Warehouse 13 (Episode 3.1) in Eureka (Episode 411)
Yes, I realize I’m a week behind in giving you some spoilery reviews, so perhaps they’re not so spoilery anymore! Regardless, last Monday was the highlight of my Summer and tonight will be even more exciting in a super geeky way – Felicia Day makes her first appearance on Eureka!! Yay! I know you’re all super excited about that. Quick thoughts – Eureka made a strong showing for its first episode of their half season, Warehouse 13 is definitely improved for having brought in a new character, and Alphas is giving me renewed hope in the Superhero genre. Spoilers Ahead!
New Content: SFFTV
Jen here and I’m just going to come out and admit it: I’m a TV whore! In my defense, the vast majority of what I do watch is science fiction and fantasy genre television, but that doesn’t really lessen the fact that I watch way too much television. To that end, we’ve decided that I should just run with this sad little obsession of mine and share it with all of you. This means I’ll be sacrificing my summer for hours and hours in front of the boob tube, but I think I’ll manage (as long as someone is willing to bring me margaritas). So check back with the Skiffy and Fanty show for reviews, news, and probably some ranting, about all things Science Fiction and Fantasy TV. Summer SF/F TV True Blood HBOs True Blood is entering its fourth season, which will loosely follow the story of the fourth book of Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries, Dead to the World. This means we’ll get more werewolves, were-panthers, witches, fairies, and sex with Eric Northman (guess what I’m most excited about). HBO has done an amazing job taking what is a solid summer reading urban fantasy series and turning it into a dark, well-crafted television show with enough variation from the original books that readers are still left guessing what is going to happen next. I was blown away by the first season, less enamored of the second, and am still catching up with the third, but I have yet to be disappointed. Teen Wolf Teen Wolf premieried on MTV on June 5, 2011. That means it should be easy to catch up on, but at an hour in length and the fact that it’s MTV programming and targetted at people half my age – this is going to be torture. Those of us who remember the original Teen Wolf movie will be sorely dissappointed by this “reboot.” The only things that have stayed the same are apparently the name of the main character and the fact that he’s in High School. Gone is basketball, fuzzy dad, and Michael J. Fox; in is Lacrosse, a werewolf bite, and some kid named Tyler Posey. I’m just hoping I don’t get completely sucked into it, because the only thing redeeming about it might just be the fact that the werewolf teenager falls in love with a girl from a family of werewolf hunters. Haven When Haven debuted last year it took me a few episodes to get into it, but once the show had me in its claws… Well, let’s just say I’m looking forward to Season 2. Haven is loosely based on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid, which I haven’t actually read, but I imagine that was enough to give the show some street cred to draw viewers in initially. The show was intriguing enough, with low enough production costs, that it’s back for a second season. It centers around an FBI agent, Audrey Parker, who traveled to the small town of Haven to hunt down an escaped criminal. She stays after discovering that the town is beset with supernatural emergencies and that her mother may have a connection with it. I’ve enjoyed the dynamics between the characters of Haven, but I’m hoping that in Season 2 we’ll see that the rest of the town is actually beset with “The Troubles,” as opposed to the few highlighted in each episode. Haven has just enough mystery to keep me coming back for more, but I have a feeling there are only so many tricks up their sleeves. That said – the cliffhanger last season was REALLY weird and left me with my jaw dropped, so we’ll see what happens! Warehouse 13 A series about a couple of Secret Service Agent screw ups who are relegated to a super secret Warehouse full of supernatural artifacts? What’s not to like! It’s like watching the Raiders of the Lost Ark, MacGuyver, X-Files, and Moonlighting all at the same time. Warehouse 13 is quirky, humorous, and exciting, with just enough darkness and dramatic tension to keep it from becoming completely ridiculous. Unfortunately, at the end of Season 2, Myka – one half of the dastardly duo – left Warehouse 13. The relationship between Myka and Pete was such a large part of the charm of this series, that the show may suffer for this decision. That said, they did struggle with finding a balance between Pete and Myka as a romantic possibility, and Pete and Myka’s familial comaraderie. However, the testorone quotient jumps up with Myka’s replacement and SyFy risks alienating their 50% female viewership. Eureka Ahh, Eureka, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… Eureka has been going strong for four seasons, and based on the twists presented in Season 4 I don’t see it losing steam anytime soon. There were some nearly show-killing plot decisions in Season 2 and 3, but the veritable reboot at the beginning of Season 4 has almost erased that, leaving a world of possibilities open for the quirky little town of Eureka. Throw in some Felicia Day and more WIl Wheaton and we should have a good summer on our hands. SyFy had some issues (I honestly don’t know what they were) releasing Season 4.5 (usually they have a winter season), but those episodes have presumably become the Summer session episodes. Hopefully the exceedingly long gap, with only 10 episodes in the previous season, won’t kill the viewing numbers, because Eureka is the only thing in Summer television that I actually look forward to. Falling Skies Six months after a devastating Alien invasion, the few survivors of Earth have banded together to fight back. Falling Skies stars Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, and Will Patton, so we’re at least assured of a great cast and solid acting. TNT has aired some excellent programming and with Steven Spielberg as Executive Producer, it’s hard to come out and say that this show is going to fail, but it
