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We were watching the first season of 24 last night, which is great because we can finally see why and how that show hooked so many people.
All we'd seen thus far were this season - awful! - and the 2nd season on DVD, which was better than this year's episodes but far from riveting. (We saw the second season on DVD before seeing the first season on DVD for reasons I will not go into on a blog, other than to say that the Chinese bootlegging industry seems to have a problem with labeling.)*
Anyway, as I say, we were watching the first season of 24 last night.
Midway through the episode, Dennis Haysbert & his wife are touring a Los Angeles school and the female principal says something like, "The problem with Los Angeles schools is the parents suck."
Haysbert nods sympathetically and the principal then whines -- I'm serious, she whines -- "What can the federal government do about parents?" at which point a bad guy appears and Haysbert seamlessly hands the principal off to his aide, Mike, who says he's been privileged to write the white paper on education for the Senator and is last heard muttering, "Parent involvement is very important."
Repeat after me.
There is nothing the federal government can do about the parents. Nothing that will matter, that is, unless the federal government plans to send all the parents back to school for remedial education (scroll down for CA Math Frameworks) so they can help with homework.
NCLB to the contrary.
meet the parents
Steve H on TIPS
what can the federal government do about parents?
Bong hits for bad parents
Bong hits for bad op ed writers
*We didn't buy a bootlegged DVD & wouldn't buy one. On the other hand, we would watch one if a friend just so happened to bring one back from China.
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18 comments:
Well, if season 1 is bothering you, get ready for seasons 2 and 3. They can get pretty preachy. I remember one presidential aide saying something along the lines of, "Sometimes it's better for our president to not make decisions," or something like that.
Yes, 'cause that's what we elect them for, to not make decisions. Indecision is a plus when you're president.
Season 1 was fun because we had never seen anything like it. The twists and turns. Oh, and the daughter. She is kind of like a running gag.
I completely missed the 'defective parents' comment. Of course, you probably already know my answer: school choice would effectively let schools & parents find each other.
My problem with the show is that, really, you can only go so far with the 'race against the clock to save the world' storyline. Each successive season is really about layering on more and more crises; you reach the point of diminishing returns pretty quickly. After a while, the weekly 'who are we going to kill off next?' drill devolved into almost self-parody.
At least they got rid of Kim this season.
Season 1 really is amazing.
Season 2 and Season 5 (6?) seem to be the same plotline only with worse music and no one ever dozes off or even looks tired after being up all night.
After a while, the weekly 'who are we going to kill off next?' drill devolved into almost self-parody.
What I can't stand about the show are the FOOTSTEPS.
They have INCREDIBLY LOUD footsteps, and ALL THE WOMEN HAVE LITTLE TINY CLIPPED FOOTSTEPS THAT SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME.
It's as if they spliced in that RCA barking-dog-in-the-distance every five seconds in every scene.
It makes a great drinking game. Jack has so many phrases that he's repeated over the years it would be easy to get sloshed.
I do miss Curtis setting up his perimeters.
I always get distracted wondering if in a 24 hour period they ever eat or have to use the WC. Do they?
No, they never eat 'cause it's a crisis and all.
Their cellphones are always charged up to the max. Otherwise, there'd be no show.
That was the thing with the X-Files, which was on when cel phones were relatively new - their cels ALWAYS WORKED.
I used to have a total break with willing suspension of disbelief every time one of them would pull out a cel phone and place a call WITHOUT MISHAP.
On the other hand, I've developed a major crush on Chloe ever since she tasered that guy in the hotel...
I used to have a total break with willing suspension of disbelief every time one of them would pull out a cel phone and place a call WITHOUT MISHAP.
Especially when they were out in the woods.
Although I will give them credit for a flashback episode where Mulder pulled a cellphone out of his coat that was the size of a brick.
Ugh. I mean, "...where Mulder pulled a cellphone the size of a brick out of his coat."
This has been a bad grammar day. I shouldn't be allowed to work.
time for a life-extending glass of read wine for you, I.G.
"time for a life-extending glass of read wine for you, I.G."
Read wine? I'm thinking you may need a glass as well. : )
I have no idea what any of you are talking about. The last TV show I watched on a regular basis was Northern Exposure.
read wine ..... good lord
Northern Exposure was a great show!
Here's the New Yorker article:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/19/070219fa_fact_mayer
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