1978
« on: September 02, 2013, 03:52:19 PM »
Even though original cast members have done some of the audio dramas, the first one which is the only one I have heard in entirety just did not work for me as a "continuation" of the original series. I found the dialogue and characterizations too different from how the characters/personalities were established in the OS. I'm particularly remembering a scene between Maggie and Willie at the Blue Whale and a couple of later ones with Quentin and Angelique. The dialogue just felt really off key and jarring to me.
I am a writer (of sorts) and very sensitive (maybe overly so) to the textures of words and the nuances of characterizations. Why I consider DS my all time favorite show is because the characterizations were so exquisitely nuanced and theatrically presented in the unfolding story. Granted, even the OS had its speed bumps--I mentioned in the episode discussion a couple of episodes where I felt Julia was behaving and speaking completely out of character. It was Grayson Hall in a show produced in 1968 or whenever but I just felt as if something wasn't right there. Not to belabor but I guess it stuck out because by and large, the OS writing, even when it had severe continuity problems, DID have consistent writing for the characters.
This kind of thing is very subjective. But at one point in time, the definition of canon for TV shows was really simple. Anything that was aired, original broadcast content, was canon. Period. Fanfic, novelizations, tie-ins etc. have a relationship but aren't canon. Film versions are their own canon. I definitely think this about Serenity, the film that spun off from the Joss Whedon FIREFLY series (just to give a more recent example).
cheers, G.