Anyone else interested in what CBS has to say about nuclear war on Sept. 20th?

Looks like it might turn out to be a decent drama. I'll watch if they keep the facts straight (even if they take a few liberties like CSI, et. al.) and the plots are good.

And so long as they don't get preachy the way some of thier series have. Or worse, angsty- apparently a lot of the key figures are going to high school and (traditional) college aged kids.

I plan on watching though I suspect I'll spend most of the time shouting, "No you idiots!" at the screen.

I can't help but wonder if someone in the government suggested the creation of this show as a venue for teaching people ways of being prepared for disasters (natural or man-made). If done right it could be a valuable source of information.

Of course, I was expecting similar skills to be taught on LOST. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

-Blast

The first episode is already available on some web sites.

I watched it. Not intently, as I was doing something else at the same time, but it was pretty interesting. The first episode gets into the "main event" (mushrooms on the horizon) fairly quickly but much it is character introduction, setting the scene, etc. It could go many different ways, but I think it's worth wading in a few episodes to see.

Ah...Lost. Great premise, absolutely horrible execution, but still...Television Crack.

My name is Bill, and I'm a LostAHolic....

**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS**


So I and my 3-yr old DD (Dear Daughter) watched Jericho tonight. First thoughts: good with potential to be facsinating. The "mysterious past" of lead character strikes me as silly and unnecessary in light of things, but I guess Hollywood was afraid nuclear devastastion wouldn't be gripping enough. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> And what is it with emergency tracheometries?

Normally I don't watch shows containing inappropriate behavior (sex/violence/smart-aleck kids, etc) with DD but I really wanted to watch Jericho and I was curious to see what DD thought. She understands the concepts of good guys, bad guys, heroes, sharing, arguing over limited supplies (toys) and so forth. Plus I figured the way things are going in the world maybe I could teach here a few useful things.

The first teaching moment came with the appearence of the mushroom cloud. She wanted to know why it made the boy cry and scared everyone. She already knows toadstools/mushrooms can hurt her if she touches them so I explained the mushroom cloud was like a giant toadstool that could make everyone sick or even "smush them" (how she views death). I explained that if she ever saw one she should immediately look away and tell me, DW (Dear Wife) or some other adult in charge.

The people hurt in the car crash and the bus crash were used to explain why it is so important to sit in her car seat properly and buckled up. If she isn't buckled up she could bang her head really bad but if she's buckled right a crash would be more like a big hug. She said she likes big hugs better than bloody, owie heads so I'm hoping that will help me out in the car.

People rioting at the store lead to a discussing the economics of supply and demand (I'm convinced DD is a genius <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />). At first she didn't understand why people were fighting but then we talked about how sometimes DD and her friends argue over a single toy. Well, that's what the adults were doing. They were afraid of the big mushroom and so it made them act inappropriately. Then the firemen (heroes!) showed up and stopped the fight, just like when mommy or I step in when DD and friend are arguing. She understood that and was a bit disappointed that none of the adults on tv were sent to a "naughty corner".

Some of the scenes were a bit intense for her and she started getting a bit frightened. At this point I explained none of this was really happening, they were just pretending. DD didn't quite understand this concept. I struggled a bit trying to explain this to her meanwhile she was sticking gloves on my and her feet so we could be monkeys. A-ha! I asked her if we were really monkeys and she said no, that was silly, we weren't really monkeys. Then I explained that the people on TV were doing the same thing. They were just pretending to be scared, hurt or fighting. She thought about that a bit then a big smile crossed her face, "Oh, they are just playing!" she said. Subconciously I always assumed that DD understood what she sees on TV was fake (parental pride/blinders!). I should have known better, but she's my perfect little girl. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Anyway, now she's starting to understand TV is fake. That's a good thing.

This show did remind us that if something like this did occur, not everything would be destroyed instantly. Many millions would be left alive and how they react will determine what happens next. The mayor gave a good speech at the end and I loved his line about "using their imagination to solve problems, not create them.". That was a line to remember.

The other thing this show did for me was confirm that I need to start talking to select neighbors about planning for such events. Hurricane Rita blew my cover as just another unprepared shlep. People now know I'm prepared for rough situations (note: they don't know everything). On the plus side, it earned me a lot of respect and good will. I figure at our next poker night I'll can bring the topic up without coming across like a paranoid freak. We'll see. I also really should print out this on-line book.

Sorry for the long, disjointed post but I had a lot of half-formed thoughts in my head. The choice was either dump them out to y'all or lose them.

Goodnight and may all this just remain idle speculation.

-Blast

I never kept track of the last series with the aircrash on the island. What happened to them? What were the monsters and the french woman? Did they get off, or discover Gilligan and Co. on the other side? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You know...I actually stopped watching Lost. Jericho wasn't too bad, all things considered (interesting choice of a pathological liar as the lead character <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm waiting for the new season of Battlestar Galactica!