America’s near the end of its toughest yearly trial — the maw of sunless nothing that yawns between the end of fall “Survivor” and the onset of winter “Survivor.” Rupert‘s about to save us, though, if we can just wait till after Super Bowl XVIKPWOQ.
In the Jeff Probst-less meantime, high-minded Berkeley-ites residing beneath the dry-rot rafters on Holly Street have whiled away the empty hours by watching all six discs of the first season of “Law and Order” (“L&O,” as it’s known locally). Not sure how that happened. Kate hated the show when I’d land on it on A&E. But she, Tom, and I watched every episode together the last two or three weeks. Sure, everything’s a little bit too neat; and sure, the show relies too much on the unquestioned faith (as most of the cop shows do) that the system produces the right results (the ultimate refusal to kneel at the same altar was one of the chief reasons “Homicide” still stands out).
Now we’re done with “Law and Order” for awhile (the first season’s the only one on disc so far). And that has led us to another dimension of classic TV: the first season of “Green Acres” on DVD. Kate and I watched the first couple of 22-minute episodes this evening. Observations/confessions:
–The show really had a great ensemble cast, fine writing, and flawless comic timing.
–I never thought I’d think Eva Gabor was a looker, but now I do.
–She was a better comedienne than I remember, too.
–And the pig featured in the DVD picture looks more like Babe or a close cousin than the warty, hairy, ungainly pig from the show, Arnold.
What can I say? I’m easy to please. Sometimes.