2019 TV Wrap Up
Jan. 8th, 2020 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forestofgloryIn 2019, almost all the TV I watched fell into three categories: kids cartoons, Chinese drama and Star Trek. For the most part I watch TV pretty slowly, a couple of episodes a week. Though sometimes I get very into something and watch it faster. I thought it would be nice to look back at the year and what I’ve watched and what I’ve written about it. This year I’ve been doing regular media round ups as well as writing some longer reviews. So I’ve written a little bit about each show and linked to any earlier writings. These are in roughly chronological order of when I finished watching the show.
R and I watched this together -- we mostly watched this last year but we watched the second half of the last season in January 2019. I’m glad I watched it, but boy did the show under-use its female characters!
Writings: We Finished The Next Generation!
Another show I watched with R. We watched about 2.5 seasons before we got distracted by other things. We might get back to it at some point, but then again we might not. I generally enjoyed this, but I have concerns about how it valorises the military.
Writings: Mentioned in media wrap ups here and here
I’m glad I finally got around to watching this! Overall I think I liked Legend of Korra less than Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) but still found it worth watching. I liked Korra and her friends, even if I found some of their romance plots aggravating. And I enjoyed seeing how the world had developed since ATLA, and getting cameos of characters from that show.
Writings: Season 3, Season 4
This was the first Chinese Drama I watched! I loved it! It’s intensely slashy despite censorship, it has a lovely found family vibe, and great characters. In some ways the details of the show are a bit haphazard, the worldbuilding is not well thought out and the plot has some holes, but it's an absolute masterclass in using food to show character and relationships. As well as really enjoying watching this I got involved in the show’s transformative fandom, which is active on Dreamwidth. That’s been great! I’ve met many nice people and read a ton of great fic.
Writings: Mentioned in media round ups here and here And I also spent a lot of time staring at food in the show and wrote some food meta: All the Food and Drink in Guardian a chronological list, and Three Things About Food in Guardian. As well as two fics “Five Times Shen Wei Fed People and One Time Someone Fed Him” and “Cooking Arrangements”.
I loved this cartoon about a girl who loves to explore. I really enjoyed Hilda’s mum as well as her friends. It’s so nice to have a kids show where the mother is present and even gets to join some of the adventures. Plus the show’s take on nature and friendship is just lovely.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here and here
This continues to be cute and colorful! I love that there’s so many powerful female characters and really enjoy the focus on friendship.
Writings: She-Ra: and the Princesses of Power Season 3 and season two was mentioned in this media round up
I watched the second season of Discovery with R. Overall I enjoyed this though I had some problems and didn’t love the ending. But there are so many great older women characters!
Writings: “Moms, Space Dyslexia, and Explosions: Star Trek: Discovery Season 2”
I got really into this Chinese drama set in ancient fantasy China. It’s based on an m/m novel but due to censorship there’s no acknowedged queer relationships, just many many insense looks and such. But there are a lot of complex family relationships as well. This show gave me so many sibling feelings! There’s a really central relationship between siblings and I love it. In general I’m quite fond of the tangled web of characters and relationships in this drama thought I do wish the show did better by its female characters.
I’ve been calling this “The swooshy show” around the house. One of my friends who watched it told me that she didn’t realize it was literally as well as atmospherically swooshy. The characters all wear long flowing robes and jump around a lot. I’m deeply into the swooshy aesthetic.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here, here, here, and here. And I wrote a fic as well “One Time That Wen Qing Got Lost and Five Times She Was Found”. I also have a Twitter thread of recs for female centerted fanfic of the show and the book it's based on.
This a very cute anime about a dragon who decides to be a maid for the human woman who saved her life. It's very domestic with a focus on daily life. It's also pretty queer with the characters saying “I love you” to each other even if they don’t quite come out and say they are in a romantic relationship. There’s a bit too much focus on some of the characters’ large breasts, and a couple of drunk scenes that made me uncomfortable but mostly this is a very charming show.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here,and, here
After I enjoyed Guardian so much I wanted to watch another Chinese drama and I had heard many, many good things about this one. So I convinced R to watch it with me. It’s a very political show set in not quite historical China (there are some magic elements). The show is exceptionally well plotted, and has very pretty costumes. Also many wonderful characters. This was nice to watch with R because the plot was so twisty it was fun to have someone to discuss it with.
Writings: Mentioned in many many media rounds ups including here, here, here, here,here,here, here, and here. (Some media round ups skipped because I didn’t say anything substantial)
This is what I’m currently watching with R. I’ve very much enjoying it. It’s a nice amount of twisty puzzle, and moral dilemmas, with lot of found family stuff thrown in too. We are currently in season 3 and I’m looking forward to more.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here, here here, and here Also I posted and asked for episode recs please stop by and tell me your favorites even if you missed it the first time.
All in all, 2019 was a great TV year for me. While I know plenty of people who watch much more than I do, I really enjoyed what I watched this year. I discovered that I enjoy Chinese drama, I met some great characters, I had some great conversations with R about the things we watched together and I got more involved in transformative fandom than ever before.
In 2020, I expect that I’ll continue to watch more things along the same lines. I have several more Chinese dramas on my to-watch list and I’d like to get around to the 4th season of She-Ra and maybe The Dragon Prince. R and I are continuing to watch Voyager, which should keep us busy for a while.
What TV did you enjoy in 2019? What do recommend that I watch?
Star Trek: The Next Generation
R and I watched this together -- we mostly watched this last year but we watched the second half of the last season in January 2019. I’m glad I watched it, but boy did the show under-use its female characters!
Writings: We Finished The Next Generation!
Stargate
Another show I watched with R. We watched about 2.5 seasons before we got distracted by other things. We might get back to it at some point, but then again we might not. I generally enjoyed this, but I have concerns about how it valorises the military.
Writings: Mentioned in media wrap ups here and here
Legend of Korra Seasons 3 and 4
I’m glad I finally got around to watching this! Overall I think I liked Legend of Korra less than Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) but still found it worth watching. I liked Korra and her friends, even if I found some of their romance plots aggravating. And I enjoyed seeing how the world had developed since ATLA, and getting cameos of characters from that show.
Writings: Season 3, Season 4
Guardian
This was the first Chinese Drama I watched! I loved it! It’s intensely slashy despite censorship, it has a lovely found family vibe, and great characters. In some ways the details of the show are a bit haphazard, the worldbuilding is not well thought out and the plot has some holes, but it's an absolute masterclass in using food to show character and relationships. As well as really enjoying watching this I got involved in the show’s transformative fandom, which is active on Dreamwidth. That’s been great! I’ve met many nice people and read a ton of great fic.
Writings: Mentioned in media round ups here and here And I also spent a lot of time staring at food in the show and wrote some food meta: All the Food and Drink in Guardian a chronological list, and Three Things About Food in Guardian. As well as two fics “Five Times Shen Wei Fed People and One Time Someone Fed Him” and “Cooking Arrangements”.
Hilda
I loved this cartoon about a girl who loves to explore. I really enjoyed Hilda’s mum as well as her friends. It’s so nice to have a kids show where the mother is present and even gets to join some of the adventures. Plus the show’s take on nature and friendship is just lovely.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here and here
She-Ra seasons 2 and 3
This continues to be cute and colorful! I love that there’s so many powerful female characters and really enjoy the focus on friendship.
Writings: She-Ra: and the Princesses of Power Season 3 and season two was mentioned in this media round up
Star Trek: Discovery Season 2
I watched the second season of Discovery with R. Overall I enjoyed this though I had some problems and didn’t love the ending. But there are so many great older women characters!
Writings: “Moms, Space Dyslexia, and Explosions: Star Trek: Discovery Season 2”
The Untamed
I got really into this Chinese drama set in ancient fantasy China. It’s based on an m/m novel but due to censorship there’s no acknowedged queer relationships, just many many insense looks and such. But there are a lot of complex family relationships as well. This show gave me so many sibling feelings! There’s a really central relationship between siblings and I love it. In general I’m quite fond of the tangled web of characters and relationships in this drama thought I do wish the show did better by its female characters.
I’ve been calling this “The swooshy show” around the house. One of my friends who watched it told me that she didn’t realize it was literally as well as atmospherically swooshy. The characters all wear long flowing robes and jump around a lot. I’m deeply into the swooshy aesthetic.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here, here, here, and here. And I wrote a fic as well “One Time That Wen Qing Got Lost and Five Times She Was Found”. I also have a Twitter thread of recs for female centerted fanfic of the show and the book it's based on.
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
This a very cute anime about a dragon who decides to be a maid for the human woman who saved her life. It's very domestic with a focus on daily life. It's also pretty queer with the characters saying “I love you” to each other even if they don’t quite come out and say they are in a romantic relationship. There’s a bit too much focus on some of the characters’ large breasts, and a couple of drunk scenes that made me uncomfortable but mostly this is a very charming show.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here,and, here
Nirvana in Fire
After I enjoyed Guardian so much I wanted to watch another Chinese drama and I had heard many, many good things about this one. So I convinced R to watch it with me. It’s a very political show set in not quite historical China (there are some magic elements). The show is exceptionally well plotted, and has very pretty costumes. Also many wonderful characters. This was nice to watch with R because the plot was so twisty it was fun to have someone to discuss it with.
Writings: Mentioned in many many media rounds ups including here, here, here, here,here,here, here, and here. (Some media round ups skipped because I didn’t say anything substantial)
Star Trek: Voyager
This is what I’m currently watching with R. I’ve very much enjoying it. It’s a nice amount of twisty puzzle, and moral dilemmas, with lot of found family stuff thrown in too. We are currently in season 3 and I’m looking forward to more.
Writings: Mentioned in media rounds ups here, here here, and here Also I posted and asked for episode recs please stop by and tell me your favorites even if you missed it the first time.
All in all, 2019 was a great TV year for me. While I know plenty of people who watch much more than I do, I really enjoyed what I watched this year. I discovered that I enjoy Chinese drama, I met some great characters, I had some great conversations with R about the things we watched together and I got more involved in transformative fandom than ever before.
In 2020, I expect that I’ll continue to watch more things along the same lines. I have several more Chinese dramas on my to-watch list and I’d like to get around to the 4th season of She-Ra and maybe The Dragon Prince. R and I are continuing to watch Voyager, which should keep us busy for a while.
What TV did you enjoy in 2019? What do recommend that I watch?
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