China Beach S4, First Half
Sep. 27th, 2014 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icepixieYou know, I go back and forth on whether it would be better to watch these episodes unspoiled or not, but I have to say I'm glad I knew what was coming in "The Big Bang" when Boonie asked for Dr. Richard and Jake said, "Dr. Dick Richard or Dr. Colleen Richard?" Because I would've been FLAILING AND SHOUTING, and then when the other Colleen came into the frame I would've continued FLAILING AND SHOUTING, but I would've been shouting a lot of four-letter words.
On the other hand, I was unspoiled for the events of 1966 depicted in that episode. As McMurphy and Richard were pulling each others' clothes off, I was thinking that damn, that line about the sex being great in "The Gift" last season was incredibly deft. And then they stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief for the characterization of their relationship in the rest of the show, which was built in part on the fact that, as Robert Picardo says in one of the interviews somewhere on these DVDs, "they're lovers in every sense but the sexual."
KC's baby was...less deft. It was pretty obvious that they wrote it in to account for Marg Helgenberger's RL pregnancy, which I get, not many options (although she was in two episodes before she had the baby, so...there kind of were?). They did a good job with it, but you can tell from all the previous seasons that it was a new development for this one; McMurphy, Boonie, or Richard would've made some reference, however veiled, to it at some point.
I'm iffy on all this prequel stuff in general, actually. It was fun to see them all getting to know each other for an episode last season, but four episodes pushes it a bit. That said, I did very much enjoy watching incredibly sassy new arrival Beckett begin to turn into the man he became in "Escape."
And on the other hand, apparently everyone gets (more) bitter and depressed in 1969, at least according to "One Giant Leap." Dude. Sad to see Boonie getting like that, but good to see him back to himself by the end of "One Small Step."
I'm going to refrain from commenting on "Fever" and "Juice," because I used up the last of my kleenex on them and I don't have any more. I'm not allowed to write anything about these episodes because I'll just start weeping again.
MCMURPHY :( :( :(
On the other hand, I was unspoiled for the events of 1966 depicted in that episode. As McMurphy and Richard were pulling each others' clothes off, I was thinking that damn, that line about the sex being great in "The Gift" last season was incredibly deft. And then they stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief for the characterization of their relationship in the rest of the show, which was built in part on the fact that, as Robert Picardo says in one of the interviews somewhere on these DVDs, "they're lovers in every sense but the sexual."
KC's baby was...less deft. It was pretty obvious that they wrote it in to account for Marg Helgenberger's RL pregnancy, which I get, not many options (although she was in two episodes before she had the baby, so...there kind of were?). They did a good job with it, but you can tell from all the previous seasons that it was a new development for this one; McMurphy, Boonie, or Richard would've made some reference, however veiled, to it at some point.
I'm iffy on all this prequel stuff in general, actually. It was fun to see them all getting to know each other for an episode last season, but four episodes pushes it a bit. That said, I did very much enjoy watching incredibly sassy new arrival Beckett begin to turn into the man he became in "Escape."
And on the other hand, apparently everyone gets (more) bitter and depressed in 1969, at least according to "One Giant Leap." Dude. Sad to see Boonie getting like that, but good to see him back to himself by the end of "One Small Step."
I'm going to refrain from commenting on "Fever" and "Juice," because I used up the last of my kleenex on them and I don't have any more. I'm not allowed to write anything about these episodes because I'll just start weeping again.
MCMURPHY :( :( :(
