DS on My Blog

Just thought I'd mention it... http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ 

I just made a couple of comments, but not on DS.   I don't care for re-imaginings or recastings or reboots.   Maybe I would if I'd seen any good ones.

One doesn't have to be any sort of a perv to prefer to see a more sexually explicit DS. It simply shows one has a healthy attitude towards sex. 

If DS had lasted even just a couple of years longer, there would at least have been more open talk about sex.  That's the way things were going, and it had already started, just a bit, with 1841PT.   I know that's not the explicitness being referred to... I'm sure fanfic has that handled...

vampire sex and werewolf sex.  Now there is a topic to explore  . . .

nancy

I should amend my post to say that sex scenes can certainly enhance a story when they're done right - but there are also times when they can go horribly wrong and are actually more of a turn off for many viewers than a turn on.    Check out tvguide.com's The 8 Unsexiest Sex Scenes - TV Sex Scenes We Don't Want to See for some good examples (one of which is from True Blood)...

I've got to say, the author of that "TV' Sex Scenes We Don't Want To See"  seems to be looking for reasons to be offended -- while failing to see any purpose to a sex scene other than titillation.

I agree that a love story between a werewolf and a vampire would be a fine basis for a story.  Methinks I've encountered the idea maybe three or four times ever -- including Underworld and the short story collection The Monster Club.

That column had me more relieved than ever that I don't watch TV any more.

On the other hand, yesterday I saw a trailer for the new Eastwick series and Paul Gross is looking mighty, mighty fine...

G.

I hate sex scenes.  They are awkward and an unnecessary waste of time.  I mean, you don't need to see everything to get the picture- you get the point if it's leading to that.  I don't think they need to show every single moment.   

I hate sex scenes.  They are awkward and an unnecessary waste of time.  I mean, you don't need to see everything to get the picture- you get the point if it's leading to that.  I don't think they need to show every single moment.   

My feelings exactly!!  Once they start, it's obvious what's happening.  The specific details of what they do don't really mean anything.  I always feel like, "all right, they're having sex, so let's get on with the story!"  One generally thinks of little boys seeing a kissing scene and thinking "yuck" - that's almost my feeling when they have rather explicit scenes, and again, I feel that we know what's happening and the rest is just delaying the story.

Well, I mean, they kind of just make the show seem tacky.  I think less is more.  It brings a more powerful feeling to the screen if less sex and less violence is shown.  Look at the Hitchcock film "Psycho"- never once is any violence shown, but it has such a psychological feeling to it.  It just isn't necessary.  Your mind fills in the blanks, and it's always better that way.  Plus, it saves more time for more important things like character development, and storyline.  I mean, personally I hate sitting through a two minute love scene.  It's so awkward and it loses track of the feel of the film for me.

You are of course entitled to your opinion, but my own view is that sex and nudity are like any other aspect of a story -- capable of being done well or poorly.  When done well, it adds a great deal to those scenes where appropriate.  I can easily think of several excellent films for example that would be absurd without nudity -- The Lover, Mishima and The Secretary to name just three -- and likewise the use of nudity or fairly explicit depictions of sex seem entirely appropriate, sometimes beautiful, in such shows as True Blood and Six Feet Under and Dexter and others.

Pointing to an example where nudity was successfully not used makes no difference at all.  One might as well point to Hamlet, which has no musical numbers, to "prove" A Little Night Music or Evita to be poor simply because they're musicals.

The same point can be made about violence.  In fact, I would maintain that in many instances "sugar-coating" violence instead of depicting its true horror does a severe disservice, especially to children.  Which should not be taken to mean I believe all depictions of violence need be grittily realistic.

But I am saying that sex, nudity and violence are totally appropriate subjects of story-telling and their depiction in detail likewise totally correct within the context of a specific work.  As stated on my blog, a cable version of Dark Shadows would be my preference precisely because the subject matter could be treated in a more adult manner.  I see nothing whatsoever wrong in seeing and understanding the passion between Barnabas/Angelique in terms of how quickly they ripped each others' clothes off, whether they left marks, what they tended to do in bed together, etc.  Is it necessary?  No.  Could it work?  Yes.  Will everyone like it?  Of course not -- find two people who agree on everything in the original series!  Is that a reason not to do it?  Absolutely not.

I imagine that the people who are OK with sex scenes are divided into two different types: those who think the sex is there to advance the plot, and those who think the plot is there to deliver the sex.  And unfortunately I figure that it's very easy for the latter to stifle the former.

As for Barnabas and Angelique, I think a lot is gained by the fact that we didn't see the sex between them.  She says they made a pledge (or something of the sort); he says they didn't.  I'm glad I don't know the exact truth of the matter, even though I do have a very strong opinion about it.

On the other hand, yesterday I saw a trailer for the new Eastwick series and Paul Gross is looking mighty, mighty fine...

I think Eastwick is superb!  This is the first year since Charmed ended that I have been into a lot of shows.  Tv is betta these days to me!  

I imagine that the people who are OK with sex scenes are divided into two different types: those who think the sex is there to advance the plot, and those who think the plot is there to deliver the sex.  And unfortunately I figure that it's very easy for the latter to stifle the former.

As for Barnabas and Angelique, I think a lot is gained by the fact that we didn't see the sex between them.  She says they made a pledge (or something of the sort); he says they didn't.  I'm glad I don't know the exact truth of the matter, even though I do have a very strong opinion about it.

Totally agree with the comment above.

 I understand where Zahir is coming from, but the movies that Zahir listed are absolutely appropriate for sex scenes, because that is what the plot is centered around. It is artistically appropriate because that is the mood for that particular movie.  Like Midnight Cowboy for one, is about a hustler, so it's only appropriate in that sense.

  Also, This sounds contradictory of me, but I would like to update the statement I made about violence because I wrote that post quickly and I didn't really explain my feelings on the subject... I agree with Zahir that sugar-coating violence isn't a good thing for a show that wants to leave you with the reality of a situation.
Some violence has a strong impact on the over-all feel of the show and I definitely wouldn't object to it. 

  I was actually referring to "gore" NOT violence and I didn't make that clear.  I apologize for that. 

Reason being is that, so many times, I see a show that tries to go all out with the dead bodies with the blood splurting out or the synthetics, and it just makes it feel a little corny to me. Especially in a horror film.  And vampire shows especially--they try to put the blood all over the place.  It's just silly and not at all realistic.  In artistic form again, setting the mood... What person do you know would stop and study every portion of a corpse?  It seems foolish in film sense to show the viewer every aspect of the dead person's mangled body, unless the movie centered around a police force where they are looking at the body objectively, well, that is what they do and again, it's appropriate.

 For Dark Shadows I would rather see a different take on the show and make it more dramatic than about a vampire eating people, or them throwing in a couple sex scenes to wake you up.  I think many shows rely on sex scenes to up the entertainment value, and when it is done in a way that doesn't supplement the plot line or really have much to do with the show, it's a waste of screen time.  Most shows like that have very little quality which is why they have to throw that content in there, because, sex sells.