Funny, now that you mention it, I noticed that on some Law and Order: Criminal Intent re-runs (not Sundance) … the speedy version of the intro theme music has been long-standing, but this was odd, pre-commercial break … hmmm.

It used to mean a cast that included actors who didn't usually do television … and relatively complex plots … as distinct from Lifetime and other mini-series with your recurring familiar Tv actors and very safe happy-ending afterschool special morality plays.

That was largely true pre-Downton — Masterpiece usually had solid source material, classics or lesser works by famous authors.

Prestigious — expensive, cast of dozens, expensive costumes, multiple indoor sets and some outdoor filming — obviously a great deal of money and effort was invested in this program
In contrast, Upstairs/downstairs (original formula) is remarkably economical, even spartan in its production values and nonetheless very…

I may retry after some people who've seen it weigh in … I lasted about 15 minutes before the anachronism and the by-the-numbers qualities (and the gratuitous gore) made me turn away.
Made the usual mistake of giving us no reason to care about or even particularly like the central character — except she is a northern…

Truly, Madly, Deeply was a film I should have hated and before I knew it, it had burrowed deep under my skin and into my heart .. It is so funny and so tender and just wonderful.

That's the best news I've heard in ages … hated last season … ugh.

Eugene O'Neil and Dylan Thomas count ….

Actually for me that's part of it's charm … years later to remember "talking about things that matter" … is god dead? really? on the cover of Time Magazine … back when people bothered to think and talk about such things … non-meta, not ironically. I remember being not only "that young" but being young and believing…

I was thinking about Punchline a few days ago — Not a hate mongerer, a hate stylist … still works. surprisingly good movie — see also Sally Fields in Soap Dish with Kevin Kline …

I should mention that part of what I love about Rectify is that Daniel doesn't have superpowers, isn't a genius or savant and isn't the second coming of anyone …

Oh, I agree 100% Teddy is a whiny little boy — always carrying a grievance and a chip — with decidedly manipulative drama-queen aura. However, I have met people who wear their scars from their parents' divorce like battle ribbons … it's almost competitive, the war stories.
Being forced to reconsider his anger and…

Except Janet — who has become my favorite character (at least for the time being) — she's the only one shown to be willing to stand her ground and speak her mind .. she's not going anywhere, solidly "in it for the duration" ..

I don't see Tawny as "Stepford" — I see Tawny as someone — coming from low-rent foster care — who bought the Christmas card/Hallmark style picture of a "good life" — and part of that was being a "good Christian woman" — I think Daniel, in fact just a few minutes with Daniel and his deep attention, shook Tawney by…

""At times, he is depicted as a yoga-master type not too far removed from the Kwai Chang Caine character in the 1970s show, "Kung Fu"."" — and Yoga isn't usually considered (ever?) considered a martial art (though some people use yoga to stretch and center in preparation) … Frankly, I've not seen this yoga-master … I…

I kind of assumed that Daniel had been convicted on the testimony of more than one person … particularly in a death penalty case where there was an element of "diminished capacity" and personal interests of all present (even if utterly innocent, no one in theory wants to admit to smoking dope, or doing nothing when…

Sexual abuse of a child is not something that people talk about openly even inside the family (they usually never mention it, like abortions or infidelities). Outside the family, an unreported sexual assault — a felony — on a child, just no. An despicable man might brag to buddy about popping the cherry of a 13 year…

I think its significant that they don't have kids … and yet Teddy was overjoyed that she was pregnant (possibly for controlling reasons, but it didn't look like a contraceptive fail).
Tawny grew up on a large foster-family … how can she bear years of being home alone all day … ick. In my early 20's I relocated to my…

ummm …. how would Trey have known that … was he kin?

yes, it was George's father …