I Hate Strega. An Essay by Sisabet, age 30.

[sisabet]

Will no one save me from myself? I ventured over to TwoP today during lunch. Why? I have no idea. I think it is because I really crave in depth Deadwood commentary and even though I still, even in the smoldering remains of my PMS meltdown the other day, maintain that Al Lowe misses the Big Picture that is right in front of her - at least this is episode commentary. Pages and pages of Deadwood. Yes, that is what I need.

Imagine my horror when I saw that Strega just posted a review of Farscape and "Crackers Don't Matter."

Just. No. Keep that bitch away from mah show! BTW, I still so totally hate her. I am gonna have to really work hard to not hate her and right now it is easier for me to work on not hating Bill Frist and Jordan Levin. And Levin cancelled Angel and Frist is the new Antichrist - appearing at your local megachurch soon. Apparently. And I can give them music waaaay before I can share it with Strega. Mainly because all Levin can do with the music I give him is turn it off and all Frist can do with the music I give him is tell it inaccurate scientific information and try to impede its civil liberties.

Strega would just criticize my music and miss the point even more than Al Lowe and possibly point and mock.

And while I can appreciate the healthiness of a good pointing and mocking session amongst friends, the damaging affects of the same when it is not the side affect of intense fondness and affection is absolutely horrible and you guys! I totally hate her.

And I am trying to not read her recap because she is sure to piss me off - but get this: She gives the ep a B. 91 users (so far) have given it an A. Why is that? Hmmm.

Well, let's see. Why would Strega be reviewing an episode of a television show that aired over 4 years ago. Let us not forget - this is the only episode of Farscape that TwoP has ever touched. Why start with a B episode that occurre in the second season?

Heh - methinks she went for a very popular fannish episode (I know it is a personal favorite of mine) because she knows only the fans of Farscape (and the casual, yet bored viewer) is gonna read her shit. And they are trying to get some more readers at that site, apparently.

But since she is Strega, this show and episode must not be as good as we all think it is and she is here to tell us why. Cause we are dumb like that. Hence the episode is graded a nice solid B.

That B is for bitch and that's good enough for me.

I don't even care that her review is mostly positive or what not. She starts the recap dissing Crichton's hair and that is just so... man, haven't we covered the schtick that is John's Season 2 hair into the ground? It is almost as if she opened with a question about who let the dogs out. Sigh.

ETA: And one only has to skim to page 10 of the recap to find Strega's obligatory Spike-bashing moment. Far be it from me to impede on someone's bitter good time - but man. She takes the whole Spike thing waaaay personal. Just sayin. She makes some bitter Buffy Bashers look reasonable.

Comments

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

I could have sworn that I read somewhere that FS fans donated to charity to get TWoP to do a review of the ep of their choice, and they went with Crackers.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

That is the saddest thing I have ever heard. Why - why would you want this? I live to protect the things I care about from that bitter cow. Not shove them in her general direction.

This is possibly why I am not a real 'Scaper or whatever it is they call themselves.

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

http://www.watchfarscape.com/stories/1113263583.php

*pats you*

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

I repeat - sad. I would pay to have her not touch the show.

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

Her Angel recaps made me so angry I couldn't finish them, and before that I'd read the entirety of the Season 7 Buffy recaps, so I can take a LOT of bitterness. But I just could put up with the unreasoning, endless hatred Strega had for Angel. It bummed me out.

And I'm using a Spike icon just out of spite.

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

Humans LJers are superior!

Strega has not evolved!

Ooops, slipped into the wrong episode.

And I never go to TwoP for the same reason I didn't watch Dubya last night.

Confused though. Spike? He was in Crackers Don't Matter?

I know, I know. But really, Strega only matters if you let her.

[luminosity]

I got three pages into it and closed the window. I hate her. Why do I even go over there? EVER anymore? She doesn't know WTF she's talking about, so she thinks that her tired, "ha-ha-aren't-I-so-clever" pseudo-prose is going to mask that fact.

Color me pissed off. At myself mostly, for even clicking on the link.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

It is almost a compulsion, isn't it?

[debvel.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of curious how she could possibly work Spike-bashing into a recap of Farscape of all things (but not curious enough to actually go read it). The mind boggles.

[just-eunice.livejournal.com]

And one only has to skim to page 10 of the recap to find Strega's obligatory Spike-bashing moment.

And even worse, she uses it to bash Scorpius. As strongly as I disagree (and by disagree, I mean wish the early season Spike would eat her) with her opinions on Spike...to imply that latter season Scorpius was overused, and unecessary to the point of irritation because he got too popular? WTF? No, seriously...what the frelling fuck? What the hell show was she watching where Scorpy and Harvey weren't key elements? I...I...actually I'm currently on my knees thanking whatever higher beings that might exist TWoP never recapped the show for real.

She really, really, really, really just doesn't GET it. Never has. Never will. Hate. So much hate.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

I think TwoP fosters this hive mentality amongst its recappers as well. Ace and Strega decide that at *this* particular moment, whatever-show-they-are-discussing went downhill and then it just gets adopted as almighty gospel by all the rest.

I tried to come up with an example of when *we* (meaning our little fannish group) ever did that and no - we disagree all over the place about shows and character short-comings and in fact the only things we all do agree on is the Good Stuff and how much of the Good Stuff we really had. And man - that makes such a difference in just the level of joy one can get out of sharing an experience, you know?

And to me, TwoP is a joy-suck. Not because it points out flaws, but because it does so in that superior-than-thou all youse idiots better be thinking like me way.

And I hate it when people are idiots and are not called on being idiotic. It is a pet peeve left over from no one EVER calling out Julia Sugarbaker on Designing Women when she went too far.

Strega is Dixie Carter without the charm.

[just-eunice.livejournal.com]

Not because it points out flaws, but because it does so in that superior-than-thou all youse idiots better be thinking like me way.

*nod*..and I think so many of the recappers are spending so much energy only looking flaws with which to hang a "clever" schtick on that they just miss...everything. So there's nothing particularly insightful or interesting to be found in whatever litany of complaints they've come up with for a given show. Good satire or sarcasm plays on the broader context of what you're poking fun at. Even if it sucks. Even more so when it doesn't.

It's not even trees for the forest. It's the damn leaves they're focused on. With extra added snooty patting themselves on the back. Grrr.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

Yeah - like lately it seems Al Lowe is hung up on the transitions from scene to scene and how Merrick was just over at the Gem and now he is at EB's (or something like that) and how is that possible?

And I wonder if this is all she has? Like a recap wouldn't be complete without a bitch about something and she found this and now she is so proud she has found this tiny thing. But the deal is... this isn't 24. Whoever said Deadwood had to have real time plotting?

[elz.livejournal.com]

...to imply that latter season Scorpius was overused, and unecessary to the point of irritation because he got too popular? WTF?

HAHAHAHA- Seriously? Egads.

And I don't particularly hate Strega, but only because I stopped reading her Angel recaps in Season 3. She appeared to be watching an entirely different show than I was, and the extreme hate-on for Wesley always just confused me.

[thisisbone.livejournal.com]

Can I ask what big picture thing you think Al Lowe is missing about Deadwood? About Wolcott in particular? I'm afraid I tend to look across it like the surface of a lake, rather than peering down to see the fishies and weeds living below, and I'm wondering what I am missing!

I think Miss Alli and Omar spoiled me for most TWoP writers. I religiously read Miss Alli's TAR and Survivor recaps because (and this will sound strange) I often don't really know what I think until I read what she says. In contrast, I find Jacob's American Idol recaps to be dense, tangential, and self-referential to an extreme that bugs. OTOH, nobody rants like Jacob, and that has its moments (his rant on Scott Savol was downright cathartic to me as a reader, so I give him points for that).

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

I think Al Lowe examines each scene intensely and misses where they all connect. David Milch is all about the Big Picture and I got used to the people I interact with about this show seeing and getting that. It was strange to read these recaps and realize that catching these themes and interelatedness is not, apparently, as natural as one supposes.

With Wolcott she misses that he is a total and accurate portrait of a real live breathing sociopath. He has no conscience and he knows and feels the difference but cannot appreciate it in any thing other than an academic way. It is fascinating and disturbing and what is ultimately so great about his presence in Deadwood (other than the fact that this is the actor's SECOND fabulous performance) is how he juxtaposes against these other cutthroat (no pun intended) types such as Al and Cy.

See, at first glance it is easy to dismiss the ruthlessness that both Al and Cy possess as coming from an anti-social personality. But the fact is, they do have a conscience (well, kinda) and Al has a very workable morality -- and they still operate in these hard, murderous ways.

The comparison then to Wolcott is chilling and disturbing and fascinating and SHE JUST DOES NOT GET IT!!

I often don't really know what I think until I read what she says.

What does this mean? Do you not have an opinion about the show until she tells you it is good or not? Or you just can't verbalize it?

I've tried to muddle thru the AI recaps and it is just so freaking self-aware it needs to be parodied. It is almost embarrassing.

[thisisbone.livejournal.com]

See, at first glance it is easy to dismiss the ruthlessness that both Al and Cy possess as coming from an anti-social personality. But the fact is, they do have a conscience (well, kinda) and Al has a very workable morality -- and they still operate in these hard, murderous ways. The comparison then to Wolcott is chilling and disturbing and fascinating and SHE JUST DOES NOT GET IT!!

Okay. I got that from watching. In fact, Mr. Bone said just the other night that Wolcott seems to have been introduced to make CY look good, the way Cy makes AL look like a choir boy. ;) There are definite degrees of good and evil, and until someone worse than Mr. W shows up, he's the current nether end of the spectrum.

When I watch Deadwood, I'm constantly reminded of the Corinthians I 12 chapter the reverend references at Hickok's funeral about the hand and the eye needing each other. The people of Deadwood make up parts of one body, and none can exist with the others. As you say, there's an interconnectedness that overarches the whole.

What does this mean? Do you not have an opinion about the show until she tells you it is good or not? Or you just can't verbalize it?

It's the verbalizing thing. I find myself reading her recaps with my head in perpetual nod, going, "Yeah, sing it, sister!" as she's able to articulate my vague and formless feelings into something pithy and sensical. It's a rare day that I disagree with Miss Alli on anything.

[kimera.livejournal.com]

Admittedly mostly I am posting so I can use this icon.

TWoP makes me mad, for the most part. Sobell's CSI recaps are the only thing I can actually read all the way through without giving up in disgust.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I think I stopped reading TWOP when The X Files and therefore Jessica's recaps ended. Because her recaps of XF were great. She mocked--and boy, was there plenty to mock--but she clearly mocked with love. And she was willing to be won over by any good thing present, no matter how rare it was.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

And she had action figures!!! I loved Jessica's recaps.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

And the action figures were in love!!!

[grapefruitzzz.livejournal.com]

I hate that cow after needing to read recaps for my gaps in S5 "Angel", and me an old BAPSter and Wesleyfan... blaarf.

I read her gracious charity review this morning and it was kind of stale and pseudo-enthusiastic. Like she wanted to care as much as the cool kids but could turn off the sneer properly. Also noticed the SpikeHate (TM).

Have you seen this (http://www.journalfen.net/community/twop_crit/) group?

[sexybee.livejournal.com]

Oh God. Strega. I mean--don't get me wrong. I love Miss Alli. Her love for the Amazing Race is pure and strong, and even during an episode when she's at her most disgusted with the show (and that's not much), you can tell she still really loves the show, loves the racers, is able to point out the good *and* the bad, loves the idea of it all. It totally spoiled me for all other recaps--and then I read Daniel's (mark II) Lost recaps and Strega's Angel recaps. Why bother to spend that much time on a show they obviously hate? I mean, I understand that not everybody's going to like the same characters I do (Wes), but with the amount of viciousness that Strega spewed it sounded more like the results of an extremely bitter breakup, and I just couldn't handle that.