Due South

[jack]

I rented the first disk of Due South, and it really is very good. (That's the series about a Canadian Mountie in Chicago.) I remember watching a couple of episodes on TV, but felt obscurely guilty about it, not being able to quantify why it might be the sort of thing I would like to watch. But, starting from the beginning, it's really, really funny.

What is so good is:

(1) Benton Fraser. He's so NICE. The positive effect is somewhat exaggerated, but as much as Bond is suave in all situations, and Miles Vorkosigan is optimistic, and Jocelyn honourable, and Carrot naive, and Arnie relentless, Fraser is unfailingly nice and polite. And sincerely so, and not in contrast to being friendly or determined, but as well. I can't keep it up, but being nicer than we are would certainly, on the whole, be positive.

(2) Benton and Ray are so different, but get on so well.

(3) The slight sense of the ridiculous. Which, once, bothered me. (His father's ghost? What?) But now I really love that eclectic approach. I feel like the people who nod sagaciously when a surprise Mountie runs across their roof, hurdling paint tins and small streets, in pursuit of a wisecracking orphan, could have come right out of my life :)

ETA: (4) Uh, I think I did this wrong. This was going to be the first one, But I forgot, and then made up (3). Anyway, the characters. This is one of the shows people write fanfic about, which are often where a show makes a character that transcends the show, being so simply conceived, yet so winning.

Comments

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

I love this show to bits (see icon :)), and I can lend you the first two seasons on DVD if you want more.

truepenny has been rewatching the whole show from the start, and has some really interesting things to say about the realism of the show and how it approaches the various surreal and fantastic aspects of the show. Although, if you haven't seen a lot then it might be best to leave those until you've seen some more of the show (in particular, if you don't know the big changes at the start of the third season).

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh cool. What's scary is how much he reminds me of John Barrowman in that picture.

And of course, something else I forgot to say was "And I definitely wanted to watch some more, possibly buying, or else borrowing the box set. I'd rather have it and be able to watch at my own pace, however quick or slow, than getting it through rental (I rarely watch whole series, so have stuck with a 4/month account). Does anyone happen to have the box set?" so thank you very much, I might take you up on that, if I can? I seem to recall some logistical issues cropping up before, but I think that was that I wanted to read Alastair Reynolds, but you only had Crap Reynolds in this country, so that's probably not a problem here? Although if Reynolds DID create any episodes of Due South, I DEFINITELY want to see those! :)

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

Oh cool. What's scary is how much he reminds me of John Barrowman in that picture.

Now I am disturbed by my own default icon.

The logistical issues with Reynolds is that I think you should start with one of two or his earlier books, neither of which are currently in my flat but are at my parent's up north (not a different country, but almost...) and requires me to take up a large bag and remember to get them. Due South is on my shelf, so that's fine. I have realised it's region 1, so you need to be multi-region-enabled, but if that's fine then I can bring them round whenever you like.

Replying to comment below, if you've seen Kowalski you are probably fine - there's a few times when it's Vecchio approaches something in episode X which contrasts with something Kowalski does in episode Y. There might also be spoilers for the end of S1, or mabye just allusions and hints to what's going to happen.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Reynolds: Yes, that's what I remembered.
Region 1: That's fine. I think I unlocked it once, or at any rate, it plays multiple region DVDs now, so SOMEONE did :)

Kowalski: The first couple of eps I saw were from season 1. I was interested to see truepenny's description, the fanfiction I beta'd was based on Benton and Kowalsi's relationship, which I think might make sense (but didn't realise at first, him just being called 'Ray').

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

DVDs: Thank you! Though I feel if I'm borrowing them I should do the cycling. You're not in any hurry for them back, are you, if not shall we arrange something? I'm often out, but could come by one evening, or am usually in at work if you ever come past the science park. (Or, I suppose, I have a letter box.)

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'll lend you a season and you can keep it till you've watched it, then I'll swap it for the next. You live less that half a mile from me - I can pop them round whenever is easiest, or if you like you can come round and we can watch them together? Depending on crazy social schedules :)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks. It'd be good to have a DVD night with you, if schedules permit, but I don't think we'd be able to get through *all* of it. How about watching some if we happen to be free?

I'm probably in, um, weds night this week, or maybe fri and probably sat or sun afternoon.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Now I am disturbed by my own default icon.

:) I don't think they're even so different. I think they genuinely share a superhero like quality, and a smile, and Jack is even somewhat nice, just sleazy instead of hounorable and polite :)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool. It's always fascinating to read along with reviews. And to interpret the philosophical implications of fantastic elements of things.

Unfortunately, I can't remember what I *have* seen. I've seen where Kowalski appears, and an episode with his Father chasing down some old friend/nemesis? Or another ghost? Or something? But can't remember the details.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah! I read truepenny's first two posts, and they're really interesting I like giving names to the para-reality etc concepts. I think I'll try to read along as I go.

However, something did bother me. She was describing the pilot episode, and talking about Benton's taking charge of a conversation. And he does. With the captain dressing him down about the two tonnes of fish, it feels like he's just being straightforward and honest, but knowing he's in the right, so has the moral victory and is happy to play straight man to the captain :) But when he's introducing himself to Ray, it seems mean to spring his relationship with his father on Ray -- I assumed he was just being polite and diffident, but if he planned that, it would have been much more polite to bring it up first, and Ray might well have helped knowing.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

I have only seen the first season of this, but one of these years I shall be obtaining it all on DVD, because I love the level at which it is pitched. The thing that makes the slight ridiculousness work, to my mind, is that people basically all get to keep their dignity, there's nothing mean-spirited to it; and Fraser is an amazing character for having real steel and real heart co-exist with that degree of niceness.

I have difficulty thinking of the more fantastical elements of it now without the back of my head trying to cast it in the same universe as the dresden Files. (The books; have not seen the TV series of that, and I gether it's not an unmixed success.)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

people basically all get to keep their dignity, there's nothing mean-spirited to it;

Yes, a great description.

I have difficulty thinking of the more fantastical elements of it now without the back of my head trying to cast it in the same universe as the dresden Files.

Oh, right. I've only seen some of Due South. (And like you, read some Dresden books only, though had gathered a similar impression of the series.) Somehow Due South fantasy always seemed on the cusp of reality. Most of the time, it could just be a metaphor or hallucination, only sometimes does it step into reality.

Which used to bother my rationalistic side (is this set in this universe or what?) but imagining it set in the universe many would LIKE to live in, where supernatural is occasional, real, and not a big deal is enjoyable to me. Whereas Dresden files always seemed a lot more modern fantasy: magic follows some set of rules, if mutable ones, and it's definitely a defining part of people's lives.

But I've only seen some Due South, I may be missing a lot of background.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

Benton Fraser is one of my role models (although as you can probably tell I'm not following him all that well!)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

:) He's well worth it. Somehow he manages to pull off polite without being ostentatious or fake.

[megamole.livejournal.com]

A lot of Discworld fans cast Benton Fraser as Carrot.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh, hm. That obviously makes a lot of sense, they have a lot similar.

But somehow it disturbs me. I haven't seen enough Due South. And I like Carrot a lot. They're both honest and honourable, and brave and successful. But somehow, while Carrot is always polite, he seems to be less nice when he's more scheming. When it comes down to doing the right thing, however suicidal, he just will, but when he actually sets out to do something, it often seems funny because then he can be quite ruthless, a surprise from his usual character, whereas Benton seems to be nice and successful at the same time, most of the time, but occasionally fail at both.

[sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com]

ARRRRGH! I adore Due South, need a fix every so often, and now I'm not there any more to share it!

I love the characters (btw pterry was not amused when someone suggested he'd based Carrot on Fraser), but the best part for me is the stuff-round-the-edges - the odd things happening in the background, or which are just briefly noticed by a main character with a slight headshake of disbelief and no comment.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*cuddle* Don't worry, you introduced me to QI, you can't fix everything in my TV watching all at once. Although I'll hopefully be watching some more this week, have you gone now?

Carrot: Indeed! Did he even predate him? They seem to offer a similar archetype, but they grew in different ways. I don't think it's sufficiently similar, or unique, to assume that one had to be copied. (And wouldn't be *bad* if it had been instead. But people often do assume things like that, sometimes reasonably, sometimes wrongly, and authors are obviously often going to deny it, but I like to give the benefit of the doubt.)

odd things happening in the background, or which are just briefly noticed by a main character with a slight headshake of disbelief and no comment.

Oh yes, I so know what you mean :)

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

Did he even predate him?

Guards, Guards was 1989, DS is 1994, so no.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, well, that settles that then :)