Monsters of Television

“It’s so primitive. I like it.“

What’s the difference between a giant robot tearing through the city and a souped up Cadillac? Answer: not a whole heck of a lot in the long run, but it makes a difference. I’m not a car guy, so racing stories don’t do a whole lot for me. And while my question above was largely rhetorical, it does speak to some very fine lines in what constitutes enjoyment. I mean, both the robot and the car are still mechanical objects that do quote-unquote cool things. I just happen to prefer those cool things performed by a robot.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to really respond to “Roar of the White Dragon” or not for that reason. But as the Titan finally appears at the end of the episode, I found myself extremely disappointed that it even showed up at all. Which shows how effective the story within the episode was. Read more »

“Dark hair. Bedroom eyes. Moody demeanor. I totally get it.“

When I reviewed the pilot episode of Sym-Bionic Titan, I figured that would be the only episode I covered, short of some really great episode on down the line. However, the review has garnered some really impressive numbers recently (for our site, anyway),  and even though we don’t generate revenue from the site, clearly there’s an interest in the show so I thought it might be a good idea to fill in some of the obvious gaps in the Web.

Now, page views aren’t the only things motivating me here. I quipped that Titan was the best new show of the fall if you liked giant robots. However, after having time to digest more of the offerings from the fall season, I can drop that qualifier a bit since Titan is still performing very well, with smart episodes so far (though I found the second episode a less than a fine follow-up). With Terriers, I think it’s probably my favorite new show.

That I like both Terriers and Titan probably says more about my tastes than anything else (I like giant robots and neo-noir (needless to say, I dig The Big O)), but I do think that Titan is a very very good show, one that appeals to all ages (though I think it’s a little less audience universal than Samurai Jack) and also has a clear sense of itself and what it wants to do, and on a base level, that’s a really a good sign for any series.

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