80s America was so beautiful. When I watch the X-Files, or Twin Peaks, I'm just enthralled by how awesome everyone's (curly) hair and dressing sense was. So ideal. People had classic lives back then. Coffee, pie, and a sandwich for 6 bucks? Insane.
Also, watching Twin Peaks really reminded me of The Killing, which has got to be one of the best crime TV series ever. The plot and theme are very similar; it almost feels as if The Killing was directly inspired and even copied from Twin Peaks. Which makes the two ideal for a comparison between the 80s and the 2010s. So what's changed?
1) Characters are more troubled now. Most characters in Twin Peaks live fairly happy average lives. They're scheming and cheating on their spouses, but somehow it feels like its not leading to much emotional turmoil. By contrast, Linden is a total sociopath. The Broadchurch lead, River, Luther---all broken lead characters. Shetland is an anomaly in this regard wherein the lead character is a truly average bloke. Also, most main characters don't have any sort of family to speak of in modern shows. Usually they are divorced, single, or pretending to be in their 20s when they're in their 50s. It all adds to the dreariness.
2) People were much more emotional back then. There was room for lines such as, "we need to give justice to xyz's life; she would've wanted us to do that; oooh Jimmy (woman saying)", etc. People also used to admit to being in love rather quickly/easily. Bikes were more popular. They were also called hogs. Piquant.
3) A lot more credence was given to spirits, mumbo-jumbo, Freudian dream sequences, and other gullible shit. People are far too calculating and clear-headed today. This is probably for the better? But it also means there's less room for creativity in script-writing.
4) Crime shows had a different pace. There were a lot more moments of respite from the gruesome details of the case. Humor was a big part of the typical crime thriller. Now it really isn't. I'm not sure where I stand with this. I think Twin Peaks does humor right. But The Killing makes a good case for the opposite.
5) The music was always cheery. There was jazz, swing, and "crime scene" jazz music which was still pretty upbeat. It was all kind of like Tom and Jerry; Jerry always got killed to some great jazz in the background. The music now is by rule dreary, trance/techno/edm shit.
6) Visuals are more gruesome now. In some sense, this again helps in the immersion, and I actually prefer this if its done properly. The American Horror Story is a counter-example where IMO it goes too far at times.
7) Young adults gave a little more respect to their parents, although not much more.
8) Feminism was not a thing. You can't have good crime shows today without a top female lead, who also happens to be very feminist. This typically involves them banging a subordinate male. Take Gilian Anderson in The Fall, for example, which is also a series up there with likes of The Killing. Men were also much more alpha.
What else, hmm?
Also, watching Twin Peaks really reminded me of The Killing, which has got to be one of the best crime TV series ever. The plot and theme are very similar; it almost feels as if The Killing was directly inspired and even copied from Twin Peaks. Which makes the two ideal for a comparison between the 80s and the 2010s. So what's changed?
1) Characters are more troubled now. Most characters in Twin Peaks live fairly happy average lives. They're scheming and cheating on their spouses, but somehow it feels like its not leading to much emotional turmoil. By contrast, Linden is a total sociopath. The Broadchurch lead, River, Luther---all broken lead characters. Shetland is an anomaly in this regard wherein the lead character is a truly average bloke. Also, most main characters don't have any sort of family to speak of in modern shows. Usually they are divorced, single, or pretending to be in their 20s when they're in their 50s. It all adds to the dreariness.
2) People were much more emotional back then. There was room for lines such as, "we need to give justice to xyz's life; she would've wanted us to do that; oooh Jimmy (woman saying)", etc. People also used to admit to being in love rather quickly/easily. Bikes were more popular. They were also called hogs. Piquant.
3) A lot more credence was given to spirits, mumbo-jumbo, Freudian dream sequences, and other gullible shit. People are far too calculating and clear-headed today. This is probably for the better? But it also means there's less room for creativity in script-writing.
4) Crime shows had a different pace. There were a lot more moments of respite from the gruesome details of the case. Humor was a big part of the typical crime thriller. Now it really isn't. I'm not sure where I stand with this. I think Twin Peaks does humor right. But The Killing makes a good case for the opposite.
5) The music was always cheery. There was jazz, swing, and "crime scene" jazz music which was still pretty upbeat. It was all kind of like Tom and Jerry; Jerry always got killed to some great jazz in the background. The music now is by rule dreary, trance/techno/edm shit.
6) Visuals are more gruesome now. In some sense, this again helps in the immersion, and I actually prefer this if its done properly. The American Horror Story is a counter-example where IMO it goes too far at times.
7) Young adults gave a little more respect to their parents, although not much more.
8) Feminism was not a thing. You can't have good crime shows today without a top female lead, who also happens to be very feminist. This typically involves them banging a subordinate male. Take Gilian Anderson in The Fall, for example, which is also a series up there with likes of The Killing. Men were also much more alpha.
What else, hmm?
No comments:
Post a Comment