The Great Music Collection, part four: The Aftermath

It's now been months since I first imported my collection into iTunes and really embraced the ecosystem. After months of use, the import has proven successful: the data is clean, the albums are organized and it is an actually joy to work with. Never did I believe you would hear that from me in regards to iTunes. That's not to say the software isn't without it's problems, as the software can be slow, sluggish and a pest with it's need to update all the time. But the initial setup and planning has paid off: I have the Core playlist which syncs with my iPod, and podcast episodes are individually chosen. Subscriptions to podcasts are all setup and download automatically all the time (although iTunes seems to forget the odd one).

One of the goals I had was to have the entire music library available through Subsonic, which runs off my server/HTPC that is always powered on (the desktop housing iTunes is not always on). The previous folder structure I had was good for Subsonic, but iTunes' structure is even better. Folders for artists, then folders for each album inside. I simply copied the entire iTunes music folder onto the server and pointed Subsonic at it: everything worked as expected, and as a bonus I get a simple mirror backup of my music. Now, that was good for a while, but I rarely use Subsonic anymore, as work and life don't really permit me to do so. I don't have a big need for it, so the service has been turned off (as has the server most days).

The other program that requires access to music is XBMC, which I do use regularly. The good news is that XBMC is pretty flexible but benefits greatly from the Artist - Album folder structure that iTunes utilizes. Once the collection was copied over it was very easy to start listening to music, but I noticed something: album art. iTunes stores the album art in it's database, and XBMC (as well as Subsonic) look for local images. The classic "folder.jpg" is widely accepted and used by those these two programs. Previously, I had this setup and all my albums had nice cover art displayed, so it meant that I had to re-insert those files into the appropriate iTunes folder. The major danger here being that iTunes could do anything to that folder and erase any files its not responsible for. But I figure that won't happen often enough to worry about, as each album is imported and tagged with care: further modifications should not be necessary.

I actually found a script somebody wrote that did exactly what I needed automatically. The script would go through the iTunes database and extract the album art and place it in the right folder with the proper naming. This worked for the most part, but I wanted to ensure every album was done properly, so I double-checked and downloaded new art as appropriate. Anytime a new album has been imported, I just download the art (Google Image search of course) and place in the folder. Importing an album or two at a time is a painless operation now.

What happens now though in XBMC is the absence of thumbnails while you are browsing artists. This is harder to resolve than the album art although it's tackled in much the same way, by placing a folder.jpg of the artist in the folder. Album art is fairly standardized: they're squares. Photos of artists are not, and when you search for one you will get a variety of results in different resolutions and dimensions. The secret may be to actually modify images and make them as square as possible. XBMC does like portrait style though, although Subsonic does not. I probably got through 20% of my collection before giving up on this little project; I've just simply neglected it in the past few months but keep meaning to return to it.

The other issue centers on new albums to the collection. While my iTunes workflow is solid, and process of getting that new album onto the server for XBMC is lacking. At first, I thought I would simply just copy the new folder over, but I keep forgetting. What results is fragmentation and just simply a lack of music. Every few months I could copy the entire folder over but that's inefficient. I know where the problem is, and it's me. The only solution is to make copying that folder over a part of the iTunes process. The other solution (and really the better one) would be to keep the iTunes library on the server itself. I'm not sure if I went into any detail before regarding my computer setup, but it has proven to be less than ideal for this.

It is weird to think - for me - that this solution is still working. It's working nearly exactly as planned, and I'll say it again: proper planning pays off in the long run. The next step will be to import the rest of the collection: many of the albums from "Albums B" that I rarely, if ever, listen to. With proper tagging, and use of playlists, they can sit in the main library and simply be accessible. I've already setup smart playlists to make music from different years and genre's readily available, as well as newly imported music. I may dabble in ratings again, and see what else is available for me to further organize this "great" music collection.

Total Recall (2012)

Never did I think that we would have to slap a tacky looking (year) onto one of the greatest sci-fi/action movies of all time. But a couple of years ago the announcement was made; fast forward to now and here we are, with a brand new shiny remake of Arnold's romp through his mind and Mars. After the announcement, would come a trailer, and this is where the true resistence was felt. For hours (or perhaps just minutes) my friends and I spoke about the merits of a remake, and about how old we were getting (that Total Recall really is that old). My friends were dubious about a remake: the film would be sacrilegious and an atrocity affronted to all humankind, but I took a slightly different approach. Perhaps it's fueled by indifference, but I can appreciate re imaginings, reinterpretations and modern updates. I appreciate that what I have loved is loved enough that they want to modernize it for today's youth, and I'm fascinated to see the results. The existence of a remake - good or bad - doesn't sully the original for me; if anything, it will just enhance it further.

As I said before, I'm typically indifferent. While I watched the trailer for the new Total Recall I felt a twinge of excitement, and I can tell you the exact scene: it's when he (Quaid) steps out on the balcony and the camera pans around to show the city around him in all its sci-fi glory. It was a thing of beauty, as you could tell (from these few short seconds) that some time and effort went into its creation. I was excited for modern special effects to deliver me a stunning view of the future, something which I feel has been lacking in other science fiction movies. Indeed, most other sci-fi films are sent on other worlds, in space or otherwise unrecognizable areas. The original Total Recall used the concrete backdrop of Mexico City to give us a glimpse into a "modern" and futuristic version of America. Move forward to this remake, and the cityscape is (completely rendered and) very detailed, but strikes more than a passing similarity to the world of Blade Runner. Indeed, I felt like we could see Deckard running after some replicants in the background. When the film moves into the second act we're transported to The Fifth Element, complete with flying cars and vertically staggering cities.

In this future, there are only two countries left, one of which is the United Federation of Britain. What I love about this one (and this is the one that looks like The Fifth Element) is that it builds upon the original city. They've effectively built a floating city on top of the old one, where cars still drive with rubber tires to the road. The other country is The Colony - in Australia - and effectively takes the place of Mars from the original movie. I guess they just didn't have time to fit a planet into the plot here, and I must say it's not necessarily for the worst action-wise. It is kind of confusing for the motivations of the characters though.

And that's where things fall apart - if you let it get to you. I just don't know why Cohaagen is allowed to be so evil here: when he was out to screw Mars it made sense: it's another planet akin to the wild west, where corporations do as they please. On Earth, things are just a bit too close to home. But that's where the complaints (generally) end: the rest of the movie was fun, full of action and attractive women, and even a third breast for all us fans of the original.

I walked out of the theatre asking myself why they just don't make a shot for shot remake like they did for Psycho. Why bother messing with things that were fine to begin with? And this is really a remake more than anything else - you can't get away with calling it a reboot (like The Amazing Spider-Man). This is all perfectly good; the movie surpassed expectations. Admittedly they weren't that high to begin with, and I'm certainly aware that I'll never see this version ever again. I'll always go back to Arnold for my Total Recall fix and I hope that people who are being introduced to the world now can look back and see that version - and appreciate it. And oddly enough, the older version was the more cerebral of the two, who knew?

Tiny Tower: Completed

In no way could I tell you when I actually started playing this game: my first post is dated September 14, 2011, so I'll just say it's been a year. It's been an addicting run, and where my friends "failed" I built on, surpassing 100 floors in a relative short period of time. The floors just kept piling up, and the time it took to build them increased exponentially. Earlier this year my playtime would decrease, stall to a near halt. I don't know how the citizens of my tower put up with me, but they were glad they did, as I attacked the game aggressively and built into the heavens as no man should.

When you are building so high, so many floors it takes millions of dollars per floor and days to create it. What really frustrated me was building a retail store - for instance - then not being able to staff it because the apartment floor would take me days to build (days to collect the money then days to wait for it to build). So I took out a new approach: save up enough money to build all eight floors at once. The idea was so sound and innovative that architects around the world gasped with joy. So I begin saving money, and it took weeks to get enough for eight floors. But boy, when I did build them all, it was heaven.

I also became loose with bux (in game super-money) to fill slots in the apartments, so that I could place people in the new stores immediately. I would evaluate citizens and freely eject them from the tower if they did not perform well. It took quite a bit of time but it was very fulfilling: spending the effort to do things properly. I chose eight because it works perfectly: three apartments give you fifteen people. Each store staffs three people, so five stores requires fifteen employees. So eight floors is perfect. I did this for a short time (ie months) until I hit the limit.

Not my mental limit, but the height limit on the tower. I didn't think it was possible. But let me explain: you can continue to build floors, but they will remain empty. There are only so many apartments you can build, or so many retail stores available. Once they are all gone, your tower is as good as done - but you can keep going skyward all you like (as far as I know).

And the game was over. With no reason to play anymore, I went looking for others to fill the void, but I know now that will never come to pass. It's been a solid year with this Tiny Tower that has become oh-so-big. There was a blip of hope as well in the form of a software update advertising more floors. But they only added eight: one for each type. I built those quickly and easily, then let the game die again.

Sure, there are other goals that I could come back for, like making sure every person is in their dream job, or completing the missions, but those tasks feel somewhat empty. This game, this way of life as it were - will be fondly remembered.

Here are a few stats on my tower at time of completion.

• 169 floors: 106 retail and 63 residential
• 315 bitizens
• 271 dream jobs (that's 86% dream job rate)
• 46 missions completed
• Retail floors are in descending alphabetical order (as are apartments, which are all on the upper floors)
• 419 tower bux
• 4,267 unread Bitbook messages

The Avengers

Well look at this, a few weeks go by and I totally forgot about seeing The Avengers in theatres. That is not to mean though, that the movie was bad. It was actually quite good. If anything, it shows that Marvel has really hit the perfect formula that was shown earlier with Iron Man. They've had a good run since, as well, with decent turnouts for Thor and Captain America, each of which has been hinting and leading up to the inevitable Avengers film, which landed just a month or so ago. And it landed huge. This movie is blowing apart box office records and just bringing in tons of cash - Avatar style. All of this, plus the incredible ratings - 93% on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment - confirm that the formula is sound and worth repeating. I expect that all characters in the film have their respective sequels in the works, along with new franchises starting for Hawkeye and Black Widow, among others.

So in the same way that I enjoyed Iron Man, I enjoyed The Avengers and then some. It strikes a good balance of action, story, humour and whatever else is necessary for saying the movie is good. It doesn't matter: the movie is fun. While I struck out against the movie earlier, my predictions weren't entirely inaccurate: the movie is somewhat predictable, but that's not a problem. We get quick back stories for some of the heroes, with the Hulk getting by far the most - it's been noted he's the real star of the film and yeah, he's definitely a fan favourite for good reason. We don't get much on the others simply because we've just been inundated with their movies recently. It's alright though: the previous movies met their goal of bringing these characters (arguably back) into the public consciousnesses admirably.

Poor Captain America wanders around lost most of the movie, and it becomes quite clear he's the "weakest" of the bunch. This has always been a problem though; it's like Batman when he's with the Justice League. If you can't fly you're kind of a hindrance, and ol' Cap shows his leadership on the streets and his hard ethics when he spars with the like of man-boys Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Everybody else gets equal screen time, an admiral feat upon itself for so many stars. Then we get in the villains, which serve their purpose, although those giant flying worm things were entirely way too close to Transformers. 


So really, I can't say much else about the movie. It's not for lack of disliking it. I just can't quite put my finger on it: the movie runs the line perfectly, not really standing out in either direction. Like I said before, they really hit the formula here and put the right people on the job. There is nothing about this movie that is offensive, or even worth complaining about. On the other end, there is nothing that really made me sit forward in my seat and shake my legs with excitement. Just an all round, really solid film that was a lot of fun. I would say you should go see it, but judging by the box office, you've already done it a couple of times already. 

Television Shows of Late

I figured I would mix things up a bit and let you know what I've been watching lately. And provide some short, uninsightful thoughts on them.

Fringe

Every time a season of Fringe airs, I don't watch it. I have them all queued up and about halfway through the airing, I'll begin watching. I'm not sure where the hesitation stems from, because the show is fantastic. I'm really digging the current season (or the last, I guess), where [spoilers] Peter is vanquished from reality (and everyone's memories) and comes back mysteriously. Lots of guest spots from Observers, cool monsters and sci-fi mysteries. There was concern the show was being cancelled, but we have another (final) season in the pipe. Plenty of time for the writers to wrap things up.

Breaking Bad

I should watch season four before the new season starts, so I'm a few episodes in now. Really brilliant stuff, although again, I'm hesitant to start watching. This show stresses me out a bit, and I think that's the goal. They've done a really great job here, and I'm eager to see what mess Walter and Jesse can get themselves into by the end of the season.

The Office

After the last season ended (and it was not a good season) I was in the mood for a short, light comedy. I burned through some other shows and came back to The Office again, and yeah, it was really great back then. The Jim and Pam dynamic is fantastic, ending the second season. I'm sure it will get bad and I'll lose interest, but for now it's a great show to just pop on.

Happy Endings

This is a really great show; I just started the second season. The characters are well acted and sharply written, and I haven't come across an episode that is unbearable. Plus, Elisha Cuthbert.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

You would think that with so much free time, I would really tackle this show in the same way I went through The Next Generation. Evidently, this is not the case. I watch perhaps one, two episodes per week now. Each episode is worse than the previous, and I can't pay attention to save my life. Just...terrible. I'm halfway through the second season. I'm told it gets better, but I'm not sure I can make it that far.

Dark Shadows

Listen, I'm a fan of Tim Burton. There was a time when I would gobble up any movie he brought out. That's perhaps a lie: I didn't eagerly go see his remake of Planet of the Apes. In fact, I'm not sure how many I've gone to see in the theatre: they seem to be consumed at home more often than not. Alright, that being said, I'm still a big fan of his movies, or at least, the older ones: 1988 through 1999 were very good years for him.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teaming up is not exactly news, as they've done quite a few films together, so I'm not entirely sure why I was excited for Dark Shadows. It's based on an old soap opera - seriously? - from the '70's that I've never heard of and have no interest in. The previews looked decent enough though, and Burton does gothic pretty well. Perhaps I was excited as well because there wasn't much else in theatres - this was a week or so before The Avengers came out and the torrent of summer movies were being released. The preview showed some promise though, which made watching the movie so unbearable.

The core of the issue with Dark Shadows is that it's disjointed, and perhaps for the first time I've used that word, it couldn't be any more true. This film doesn't know what it wants to be. It starts out really well, as the movie is giving us some background information on Barnabas and how he becomes a vampire, back in the 1700's. This is where Burton is at his finest: the mood, atmosphere, acting and all that are great. It reminds me of Sleepy Hollow (one of my favourites). Then we fast forward to the 1970s where the film "begins" so to speak. We're introduced to some people who don't get fully developed, and multiple story lines and themes that jump jarringly from one to another.

For instance, Barnabas comes back, and he's a fish out of water: you get the standard jokes as we experience Barnabas dealing with technology and culture. He comes out of the woods and onto a paved road, and mistakes a car's headlights for a demon or something, and it's funny. I get it. Then things get serious as the witch (Eva Green - beautiful as always) who turned Barnabas into a vampire, turns out to be running a competing fishing company - the business that gave Barnabas his fortune and whatnot. So he wants to fight back and regain the town, so to speak. And we're treating to this montage of him fixing up the old family business, and all of a sudden I have no idea what I'm watching. What about his reincarnated love from hundreds of years ago? No, she takes a backseat and barely makes an appearance again, even though she was based prominently before.

I read a review after seeing the movie that had an excellent point: for most viewers, the '70s were long ago: for me, they didn't even exist. The 1700's are also long ago. So you have Barnabas, who travels forward in time, and the audience, who is travelling back in time. It's jarring for both parties. You - the viewer - are being forced to see through Barnabas' point of view: it's fine to adjust with one time warp, but to have two is too much, and nobody else except the audience is being forced to travel twice. It takes you out of the movie at all times, and even that much harder to relate to Barnabas.

It's a comedy, then it's a horror. Then it's something else that doesn't make any sense. We get romantic story lines that are confusing, backwards characters and a finale so full of action and nonsense that it just doesn't fit with the rest of the film. It was quite bad - and disappointing.

Men in Black 3

In a daring double feature, we walked briskly into the theatre and took our seats. My friend was telling me how he had rewatched the first two films. I think this act was to help refresh his memory, and to introduce the series to his wife. And it hits me that you need to be refreshed on the series since the sequel came out ten years ago, and the first MIB was five years before that. You would think that with the coin these movies bring in, we would have five or six MIB movies by now. But, Will Smith seems to have veered off course from his July blockbuster routine and has in fact taken a few years off from film - something I didn't notice until everyone kept mentioning how MIB3 was his return. Regardless, I didn't want to refresh myself, and the reasoning is still not clear. Perhaps I wanted to leave those memories alone, perhaps the movies had not stood the test of time.

It turns out that I just didn't want to sit through MIB2 again: the movie is completely lost in the open sewer system of my brain. That's not to say it's bad, but it's just the way things have to be. The first movie remains classic, and if memory serves properly it was a very enjoyable theatre experience (I believe I went on a date to see the movie, where I ran into a couple of friends who were also going - we all sat together and the awkwardness was not lost on me). In any event, the first MIB was fun and light, with the emphasis on fun - again. The score was memorable (Danny Elfman had a distinctive, fresh sound back then), the effects were top notch and most importantly, the characters were interesting and had a great dynamic.

Tommy Lee Jones is old. Although he's been in movies recently (including Captain America and The Company Men), it looks like he's struggling to be on screen. I feel as though he's been trying to get out of the MIB series since the sequel, and he definitely takes a back seat in this film, only appearing at the beginning and end. Perhaps he's doing this as a favour, or a quick fat paycheck. But the story is developed and works perfectly: Jay has to go back in time to save his partner, Kay (Jones), where he works with a younger Kay (played by Brolin). In fact, the movie is practically an homage to Jones, as Brolin looks the part and plays the part fantastic: the mannerisms and speech are spot-on. And in the end, Jones is the hero, and you realize you just watched a tribute to the guy.

All that being said, MIB3 was lacking in the fun category that we enjoyed in the first one. That's not to say it's bad: quite the opposite in fact. But this movie was more serious, and my friend summed it up perfectly in one word: somber. I mean, the movie circles around death as a central theme, so it's inevitable. But I feel like since the fifteen years that passed since, movies have changed. We get dark everything, and MIB3 is an attempt at breaking out from that, back into the light. And does so as best it can, and had me leaving the theatre happy with what I just watched. There wasn't much time to screw around - you almost get the impression there's a slightly longer cut in here somewhere - and is quite driven from scene to scene. The effects were there but took a far backseat to everything else: I didn't see it in 3D for better or worse, and I think it's a statement that the effects were just like everything else. They were more impressive back in1997 but just standard now for movies these days. Again, not really a complaint but an observation. If anything, the effects don't detract and let you (and the artists creating the movie) to focus on the film itself.

Definitely worth checking out, and no previous MIB experience required.

Chernobyl Diaries

We drove up the winding path towards a twenty foot tall, secure fence. Within the boundaries of the fence stood three large structures, clad in red brick. We equipped flash lights - even though it was daylight - and began circling the property. We had been told that there were openings; small cutaways big enough to crawl through, and what we got were even larger. It was trespassing, to a degree: there were no signs. The legality is grey, but we needed to explore. Hearts were pounding, as we looked in all directions for anyone who may be watching. We entered the grounds, and found another entrance into the first building. It was full of machinery, tools, parts and debris. Birds made nests in the larger areas, and it was evident that nature had been slowly reclaiming this abandoned facility for nearly ten years. This was urban exploration.

It could be considered one of the holy grails of urban exploration: Prypyiat. An entire city that once housed fifty thousand people, evacuated within a day or two. Entire apartment buildings abandoned and family possessions left behind. There is one catch: there is radiation. And there could be even more for those brave enough to adventure in. That's the premise of Chernobyl Diaries, at least. A group of young adults are looking for adventure in their European trip, and are convinced to take a tour of Prypiat, with the cooling towards of Chernobyl in the distance. Like anyone, they're hesitant, but like anyone, they find it extremely interesting. The history of it is fascinating and well worth investigating. The movie is interesting too, although it stops being so near the end.

It's a short movie and it doesn't waste much time in getting going. We're treated to a standard montage of our characters, then their decision to make the journey. Our group is led to checkpoints, where they are denied access - a strange occurence, but our tour guide knows another way in. Aside from the impending radiation, it's out first sign of danger. We're treated to glory shots of Prypiat and it's abandoned treasures, including the famous ferris wheel. We're also treated to a high level of tension as you, the audience, knows that something is not right. After all, it's why you're watching this movie. Although honestly, I would sit through a multiple hour documentary about the city and the Chernobyl disaster itself. The previews led me to believe that there was something supernatural happening, and I wasn't eager to try and presume what the horror would be.

You may be under the impression that this is a "lost footage" film, but it's not, much to my pleasure. The camera is a character, certainly, but is not at the same time. It's hand held footage the entire time, following and running with the others, but it's never addressed directly. I'm glad they went this route: it would feel tired and clichéd if they didn't. 

The end result was a bit disappointing though. The movie closes in a way that I don't approve of, and I look forward to alternate endings (this is coming from the director of Paranormal Activity, after all, so it should be inevitable). We never really get a solid glimpse at the creatures, which is great, but we do get an explanation, in what feels like a tacked on and half-hearted attempt at putting an end on a movie that doesn't really need one. I very much got a sense of I Am Legend here (the latest Will Smith version). I half expected the monsters to be radioactive vampires.But they aren't. In fact, it's inconsistent: these monsters are able to flip a care and are intelligent enough to cut appropriate cabling, but exist in such numbers that what we're told doesn't entirely line up with what we've just seen.

As a fan of urban exploration it was impossible to pass a movie like this up. There are real tours that go into the city, and I have an appreciation for how ill-prepared these people were for their journey. When you're familiar with some of the rules and guidelines for exploration, it's no wonder that this group runs into such disaster. Just as you walk away from 127 Hours with the message that you should always tell somebody where you're going, you should walk away from Chernobyl Diaries with the message to do the same thing, and to at least bring flash lights on a tour of dark, abandoned buildings.

John Carter

I'm really not understanding the extreme hatred that this movie pulls out of people. When I visit the odd forum (specifically: IMDB) people are just lit up, spouting off about what a wretched pile this movie is. It's like the gum that you step on and that sticky heap never comes off, picking up further dirt and terribleness with every step. You try and wipe it from your shoe on some soft grass, but you end up with grass stuck to your show. It goes on, as you can imagine. John Carter is nothing like this piece of gum. John Carter is more like a brand new, wrapped piece of gum you find in your drawer after lunch: exactly what the doctor ordered.

While the movie was tanking at the box office there were a few bloggers and movie reviewers of note that disagreed with the masses: they implored people to give Carter a chance, and enjoy the movie for what it is. And what is it? An epic movie of grand proportions, saddling a small frame of a storyline. You get big, exaggerating characters. You get dazzling special effects sequences. You get aliens. Even a bit of cowboy action. Yes, that's right: the movie starts off in the 1800's as Carter - a civil war veteran - is continuously escaping, where he stumbles upon a transport to Mars, where the bulk of the movie and story take place. This simple combination puts the entire Cowboys & Aliens movie to shame.

On Mars, Carter is basically a Superman: enhanced strength, agility and of course, Hulk-like jumping ability. He first comes across a race of green aliens with four arms, who are trying to avoid the war going on between the two human-esque tribes (they are somewhat red, after all). All he wants is to go home, but he gets caught up between the love of a woman and the war raging on the entire planet. I don't need to get into the rest of the film: it's fairly basic, you feel like you've seen some of it before and to that degree, I'm not complaining. I see a lot of comparisons between John Carter and Avatar, and yes, there are similarities. But here's the thing: John Carter pulls it off without the pretentiousness. Carter isn't about the effects and grandeur first, it's about being a movie itself. Whereas with Avatar, you get the distinct impression that it was more of a technical show of 3D and CGI then a forced-fed message of environmentalism.

Thinking that there is life on Mars is exciting; we, as a people have certainly been obsessed with it for quite some time. This movie really transported me back to a time when the book was coming out - A Princess of Mars, by the way - and filled me with the fantasy that science has since disproved. A hundred years ago, it was possible that these beings existed, that they had cities and were looking back at this pale blue dot through their own telescopes. Now we have rovers analyzing samples of dirt, and satellites taking images of every inch of the surface: the possibility of life diminished on Mars, we extend our dreams to faraway systems and planets. It's a dream we won't let go of, and I'm happy to have sparked again while watching this film. I really do hope that they continue them - although that seems unlikely at this point.

House

It's been a long time in the "making" but House is finally over. It's practically a relief, although I did enjoy the series...for the most part.

The year was 2005, I had just recently moved into my friend's basement and I had taken in a couple episodes of the show. Without much interest in any television during this time (except the mandatory, like Lost) it was pretty easy to watch an episode every so often. It didn't even matter if they were in order, they could have been repeats for all I knew. The basis of enjoyment was derived explicitly from the fundamental complaint about the show: how repetitive it was. Indeed, every episode followed the same formula: opening scene someone becomes expectantly sick, House et team spend 37 minutes diagnosing and experimenting, then in the last few minutes House as a eureka moment and the patient is saved.

While many people have the complaint, many people are secure in the formula. Of course, things are changed up occassionally, and the dynamic between House and his cohort becomes the main entertainment. House is a perennial jerk, always acting selfishly with little regard to his coworkers. In the later seasons he would have to pay for his actions, but not really: going to jail was a joke, and pulled out conveniently in the final two episodes of the series as a threat. You knew what you were getting into with every episode, and felt secure in what you were going to watch. A security show, really: the formula made it light and easy to consume. The drama wasn't too heavy and the medical cases were interesting, so it was a perfect show to decompress to. Personally, it was a great show to have on while I was making dinner.

So there it was, and as I started downloading some shows to get "caught up" I proceeded to sit and watch the entire first season in (proper) sequential order. It was grueling, and I would skip the second (and perhaps third) seasons altogether. There were some story arcs I missed out on, but wouldn't say I missed them. When I moved again later in 2006, I would begin watching the show week to week with regularity. For one of the first times I was in a state of mind where I looked forward to it, and the formula. Tuesday's were House, and I eagerly awaited the next episode and having a three minute conversation with coworkers and friends. Nobody really "loved" the show but we all watched anyway, and thinking that all it amounted to was three minutes of conversation seems kind of sad: my friends and I would discuss Lost and other such show for hours.

When House goes off the air - as it has now - it's not that big of a loss. Those three minutes won't be missed; it won't leave a void like Lost did (I bring up Lost often because the shows started about the same time). The final episode was exactly as it needed to be: it wasn't spectacular and it wasn't a letdown. A fitting end to a consistent show.