Blogetary (Weblog + Commentary = Blogetary)

There has been a dearth of good television lately. It’s all been political conventions, awards shows, reality shows and only reruns, if that, of my favorites. The networks aren’t even running those when they’re supposed to and the schedules are all screwed up. And while television is not the end-all/be-all of my life, it is what helps keep my apartment clean. I know that sounds crazy, but housework bores me. I hate it. So I need something on to entertain me while I do it. I have two tvs — one in the kitchen and one in the main room. If I am going to do some housework then keep them on the same show so I can go back and forth, cleaning, doing dishes, vacuuming, etc, all while I’m watching Bones or CSI or whatever.

When there’s nothing on, I resort to DVDs I have already, but that means creating my own commercial breaks (which I don’t always think to do as I stand stupidly in the middle of the room watching the story with a mop in my hand), and not doing dishes or cleaning the kitchen (no dvd player in there).

Anyway — this last week, waiting for real tv to start up again, I decided to watch some Hercules and Xena eps to tide me over — and to see if I really am still attached to them or if I can sell them (I’m still attached). While watching those eps I realized the only thing Greek about any of them was the ethical/moral stance in regards to justice and family and revenge. I think the writers did a great job of keeping the Greek sensibilities in there. One of the reasons we have the justice system we have today is because the revenge creed in such cultures as the Greek was tearing civilization apart (just take a look at some of the mythology and plays). When you have people repeatedly taking revenge, generation after generation, there can be no growth in the family, the civilization, or anywhere (and that’s apparent in many cultures even now).

However, when it came to the costuming, it just hit me this week how it (and some of the other things) was closer to an imaginative mix of Middle Eastern, Medieval European, and Polynesian wear than that found in Ancient Greece. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, that’s a pretty cool mix. But I think the closest they got to Ancient Greek dress was probably in the warriors they portrayed.

Another thing I noticed whilst watching these eps was my POV in the story. When they first showed on television in the 90s and I watched them, I put myself in the place of the hero – Xena or Hercules. By the time I was rewatching them on DVD a few years later, I was putting myself in the place of the sidekicks — Gabrielle and Iolas. Now, watching them, I felt like I was more of a character bit part – like Salmoneus or Joxer.

It’s interesting how when rewatching, or rereading, a story over time where we situate ourselves in that story changes. As little boys and girls, we may see ourselves as the Princess or the Prince. As we grow older, however, we change and how we view the world changes. So does where we see ourselves in these stories. We may be, instead, the Giant, the Stepmother, the Fairy Godmother, or the Big Bad Wolf. Chances are that will change again next time we reread or rewatch that same story.

Interesting.

This has been a meandering interlude brought to you by Putt Putt Productions….