Webisodes Part 2: The Guild

A show I synced with is The Guild, featuring up and coming actress Felicia Day (WB: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bring it on Again and June). The show touches on a subject that has gotten little attention but is very real, internet addiction. The Guild surrounds the escapades of a group of friends addicted to an online fantasy game where the only human interaction the group has successfully is inside the game. It clicks because it puts a face to something that many people forget about on the internet, behind every avatar or screen name is a real person. Even though the show is driven by a concept many might not identify with, massive online role playing games (MMORPG), it pushes beyond that and gives us a humorous look into what happens when people get too wrapped up in the surreal to realize that behind it all is something all to real. The show touches base with a lot of people because not only does she write about online gaming but she is also a self proclaimed gamer, how sexy is that? (Trust me for men that's sexy.) One of the the things that makes this show work is that it takes average people and gives them a voice and face. The acting all around in this show is top notch with solid laughs and a story that, even though absurd, engrosses the viewer into the life of a internet addict.

Check it out at http://watchtheguild.com then you'll want to pick up the Season 1 & 2 DVD available now, the link will have information on purchasing both seasons. I promise you will laugh and shake your head in wonder. Keep in mind that Felicia Day is also the script writer, and the producer for this show. Check out the actor bios for the show as well, I’m sure you’ll see them all in the mainstream soon enough.

The First Blog is Always the Hardest

I have always felt that, no matter how many differences people have, television always gives people something in common. Certain programs draw people together no matter what differences they may have. If you have nothing to talk about, television is that icebreaker that lets people connect. You may not vote for the same politician, you might not practice the same religion, but you can always watch the same television show. It's something that everyone can find in common. Television expands horizons and introduces people to new things, it transcends borders and cultural barriers, because television at it's heart contains that human quotient that brings people together. Although a lot of times television, like most everything, is subjective to the viewer, an excellent program will have many layers that appeals to a mass audience.

Television critics have a hard task before them, because they've chosen that awful task of finding both the good and bad in something that often appeals to the masses. Critics often forget that their opinion is not golden, we all are entitled to one, and I believe we must all respect the criticism of others. So in choosing to critique something that is both popular and personal they must do so with respect. To say something is just awful or just beautiful does little to express ones point. Critiquing television is like describing the different flavors in a dish, you must be able to explain the difference in taste, but also have an understanding of why it tastes the way it does, it goes beyond just chewing and swallowing, beyond the simple act of of saying it is good or bad. It delves into that land that many of us forget, the artistic component that binds what we love together, whether that be food, sports, television or literature.

We also must remember that television is there to entertain, and whether the shows we choose are dramas, comedies, documentaries or reality television, they must always do so by being provocative. We are all able to decide what is good and what is bad and seldom do we sit and try to quantify the traits that make a good program. Yet its those traits that decide whether a show will survive the season to start a new, or be shelved and cast aside with little regard to the viewers own judgment on it's worth. To be honest critics have little control over whether a show succeeds or not, many shows that have gotten bad reviews by critics have survived by appealing to their audiences. That is where the true power of television lays, in the audience, in your choices not the critics.

I hope you continue to check in and read this blog, some days it might be me writing other days it might be someone else. I think you will find whats written here to be fair but most importantly entertaining.