So far, so good

Just a little update on my viewing and reading habits. Just starting to watch the third and last season of the BBC series 'Survivors' and still finding it a quite unsettling and, in places, a moving experience. The total lack of a soundtrack is something that you don't notice at first and then you realize how stark and unforgiving each episode is without it. Either it was a brilliant move not to have any music during the episodes or it was just the BBC being cheap (probably). What also makes this series hard to watch sometimes is the way in which main characters will vanish just when you get used to them or feel a connection to them. The loss of these people due to accidents, fire or disease is something that may not work in newer programs. Often this only happens in programs where an actor leaves under a cloud or (unfortunately) dies. Denise Crosby leaving Star Trek is one good example. In US daytime soaps, many characters will be replaced with other actors playing the same role and thus insulting their viewers who they think won't notice or care (which they don't). I understand that a early screening of the pilot episode of the new 'Survivors' got rave reviews and is set for release very soon - I can't wait. The US version of 'Life on Mars'...hmmm! I don't know. If I had never seen the original, I may be more excited. It is well produced and fairly well scripted and acted, but it seems to be lacking a certain oooph!The sense of alienation that we saw in the original and the subtle hints throughout seem to be muted, making this just an ordinary cops-and-robbers story with a minor 'twist'. I'll stick with it though, as I think it will become better - I hope. The 'Sarah Jane Adventures' just keeps getting better and better. No longer is it feeling like Doctor Who Lite. After my latest bargain hunt at Chapters, I have a couple of new books to wade though. I'll report on these as soon as I can. One is a sci-fi tale and the other is part of an established alternative history timeline.