October 31, 2005
Letter from the editorHalloween! Not Just For Pagan Rites Anymore!
The 31st kinda snuck up on us here at SMRT-TV SuperHQ. Maybe it's the late onset of Daylight Savings Time, or the lack of adorable trick-or-treaters. Or maybe it's the fact that it's a Monday. Fact is, I barely had time to throw together our Starbuck costume (it's all in the tank tops) — and of all of us, only Adam Lipkin remembered the date.
Perhaps SMRT-TV could be more Halloween-thematic, given today's date. But we've still got some scary stuff in store. I mean, what's scarier than Hell? The sins that get you there. D. Roberts Keenan begins his series on the Seven Deadly Sins of Television, starting with Desperate Housewives and the sin of Pride. How could this get better? Well, it's a podcast commentary on the episode "Suspicious Minds"! Subscribe via Feedburner — if you dare.
(Bwahahaha.)
No matter what your political affiliation, the Valerie Plame affair is a bit blood-chilling: Republicans worry that the investigation might bring down the Bush administration, while Democrats fear that it won't quite manage. Either way, truth is scarier than fiction, which is probably why the writers of The West Wing have found inspiration in the leak and its cover-up. But how has Toby Ziegler's fate differed from Scooter Libby's? Consuela Clabby has the low-down.
Lost has been pretty creepy this season — at least, to me (I find Danish utopian industrialists pretty disturbing). A good way to combat the fear? Internet spoilers. New staff member Elizabeth Martin details her own descent into that sinkhole, and provides you, dear reader, with a handy guide to discovering the world of Lost online, official and unofficial sites alike.
And I'm sleeping a lot easier at night knowing that C.J. Quinn is back with London Calling, especially since she's returned with some Rupert Murdoch/Tony Blair pillow talk. But there's nothing more terrifying than being reminded of who's in power these days (I'm referring, of course, to the crazed Australian broadcaster).
It seems like it's been a long time since Halloween meant good scares and ghost stories. These days, most of us seem to just use this as an opportunity to put "sexy" in front of a noun and wear coordinating hot pants. To play pretend.
Are you dressing up as your TV-related favorite this year? Be sure to drop by the forums, then. If enough people describe their costumes (or post pictures!), I'll show off my own Starbuck ensemble. And believe you me, I really nailed those tank tops. You'd almost believe I could fly a Viper in them.
Have a happy Halloween, and a delightful fortnight until Episode 5!
Return to Season 2, Episode 4.
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