The Empirical Manifesto

I don’t watch much television. I really don’t have the time, and am usually buried with hundreds of other things to accomplish. It’s not that I don’t like watching television; rather I have difficulty finding anything really worth watching. I despise sitcoms, and my intolerance for ‘reality shows’ has been well documented since 1992 (as has my frustration with the cattle who watch them).

This leaves very little prime-time network viewing. Saddled further by the fact that I’m not what one would call an ‘early adopter’ I usually dismiss even great shows initially based on nothing more than the fact that they’re new shows. Narrow minded perhaps, but you people who don’t live in the real world might be surprised at how often that philosophy has saved my ass.

Understanding that pilots are usually painfully dull as the exposition of any new series, I’m not quick to judge those – quite the opposite rather, I behave quite unlike myself in an irrational manner to promote to myself and others the possibilities of a new show. Unfortunately, most of what I’ve seen during first run and even those shows I’ve waited until second season has been quite disappointing to me and short-lived on my Tivo. I simply cannot abide mediocrity.

Except Bones. And this is quite unlike me, but so far, just catching parts of a couple of episodes, I find this show quite endearing. And this surprises me, because one of the things I abhor about a series is the mixed-bag-of-characters-with-a-provided-commonality formula. I think it’s the fact that the ‘differences’ shown here, aren’t large, but minor ideological ones. They’re all still geeks, just geeks in different ways. But that’s still not what endears me to the show. You even have the standard ‘fish out of water’ scenario that audiences love…the FBI agent doesn’t fit in with the geeks and the geeks are socially inept outside of their lab – its what the original CSI seemed to strive for, but these guys actually manage to pull it off. Despite these obvious ploys, I’ve fallen for it. And it’s a good think I like characters, not actors, because if I based this show solely off of David Boreanaz’s Angel I’d have likely missed a really good thing.

Of course the whole hot-chick-made-to-look-geeky (aka Linda Cardellini cast as Velma in Scooby-Doo) never hurts…and I’m a sucker for the dichotomy of the strength and vulnerability Dr. Brennan displays and a huge fan of the sarcasm-to-lighten-the-horrific Hodgins gives to the ordinary.

But I’m pretty sure the reason I enjoy this show is because it hits close to home. No, I’m not a super-genius introvert with a lack of social skills, but most of my close friends are, and I love them for it. These guys on the show share a rare camaraderie that is reminiscent of the time I’ve spent working in my field of expertise. And because my friends and co-workers are operating on a plane of existence far above my own, I’ve always had to work harder than they do just to keep up. You wouldn’t believe the amount of energy I expend trying to appear as if I’m not working extra hard all the while actually doing it…which is why I think I enjoy this show so much – everyone working together, albeit at a different pace and using their own methodologies, to solve a problem. It’s what I do every day.

* The Season One DVD Box-Set is being released November 28th.

Snatched from swashbuckler332:

You've Experienced 72% of Life

You have all of the life experience that most adults will ever get. And unless you're already in your 40s, you're probably wise beyond your years.