Unknown Persons: Terrible show, fantastic ending

So I don’t really have a “random” review to provide you with this week. This past week has been full of packing, moving, unpacking, moving around, and working a lot of hours to cover my co-jewelry worker’s vacation, so I haven’t had a lot of free time to whip up any funny reviews. And I do not want to review my moving abilities because I think it goes without saying that they are lacking. Also, my room is far from being unpacked so thinking about it is also extremely depressing to me. So, instead of forcing something, I am going to cheat a little and review some television this week (because I always have enough time for that in my life).

I just recently decided to splurge on myself and opened up a Netflix membership. Now, I shamelessly watch a lot of bad televisions and movies that it keeps recommending to me. (As a side note, whoever came up with the algorithm for that site needs to find a new vocation.) My latest series that I just finished yesterday morning was a mini-series that played on NBC last summer, Persons Unknown.

What initially drew me into watching the series was that the description made it seem strikingly similar to one of the Saw movies, which I will admit is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Here’s what it’s about: a group of seven individuals wake up in a mysterious town with no idea how they got there, or where the town is located, and are trying to figure out a way to escape while solving the mysteries of the town. And it was similar to Saw (in some ways). Much, much, much less graphic, but it maintained the ideal of: how far would you go to survive?

The series was far from perfect. A lot of what happened was downright stupid and unnecessary. Out of the seven main characters, I could only stand to watch four of them, and I only enjoyed to watch two of them (only one of them by the finale), and all the other characters really annoyed me. I hated the guest stars that popped in and out, only there to serve one purpose or another. And I didn’t really care whether they escaped the town or not.

But I loved the final episode. I really loved it. Because, for once, the makers of the show did what they promised they were going to: they answered all the questions about the town, and showed you the people who were running it. Of course, if I were to sit down and analyze the show, I would probably be able to come up with a million questions they didn’t answer by the finale, but I felt satisfied that by the end credits, I knew what I needed to know about that town. I certainly knew enough to know with certainty that I didn’t want to end up there.

Beyond the answering of questions, I thought the final two or three scenes of the show were two or three of the best final scenes I’ve seen of any show. It was one of those times when you feel pity for the characters, but you can’t help but to smile at the intelligence of the people running the show (both on and off screen).

If it were possible to understand the show by only watching the final episode, I would recommend only that one, but since it’s not, I would say this is the type of show that a viewer should proceed to watch with caution. And it’s not for the type of viewer who wants to be instantly entertained or gratified. This show requires perseverance, for sure.

Let The Right One In

*WARNING: may contain spoilers *( I don't normally do this, but it's fine if you skip the last paragraph!)

I haven't gotten the chance to read a lot in the past few months. Well, not do the type of reading that I want to do, anyway. Sure, I could tell you all about what the experts are saying about the biological effects of drug addiction on the body and mind, but as far as reading for pure entertainment goes, my life has been kind of lacking. Which is why is my first priority upon graduation was to sit down and sink my teeth into a good novel. Maybe it was that particular desire that lead me to pick up John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let The Right One In.

In the age of Twilight, vampires have lost a lot of their luster for me. They've gotten soft, and I've missed the days of the Anne Ricean vampire running around taking innocent victims and seducing hapless humans. The best part of LTROI is that it effectively combines that down-and-dirt parts of vampirism while humanizing Eli, the story's main "vampire" (although she adamantly denies being a vampire and simply refers to her ailment as an "illness").

I guess I should backtrack and say what it's about a little. Meet Oskar, a twelve-year-old boy whose life is marked by the torture he faces from his classmates. That is until he meets Eli, the girl who moves in next door. Being around Eli gives Oskar not so much courage as a detachment from his own fate, and allows him to stand up for himself. Meanwhile, Eli and the older gentlemen she moves in with are wreaking havoc on the town and its inhabitants, generally creating a mess that they don't seem to have any concern about picking up.

I hate synopsizing books or movies because they always seem flat. They always make the work seem less interesting (or possibly more interesting depending on what it is) than they really are. They are, at their root, false advertising. Also, they can never describe the best parts (without giving away too much about the plot). In order to experience the best parts, you have to experience it for yourself. LTROI is the type of book that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I can't quite think of why. Sure, the characters were great and the dialogue was phenomenal, especially considering it's been translated. But I could say that about a lot of books I didn't enjoy. So what sets this one apart?

For me, I think it could mostly be attributed to the way in which the relationship between Oskar and Eli plays out. They discover each other as we discover them, and because of how strongly Oskar feels drawn to Eli, and vice versa, I felt drawn to both characters, and I felt a really investment in their safety. Because this a horror novel and Eli is a typically villainized character, every page leaves you on the edge of your seat. I expected Eli to hurt Oskar just as equally as I felt like she was going to protect him. And because it wasn't clear what exactly she wanted from him, I never lost interest in their exchanges. I wanted more, and I think that's the biggest compliment you could pay to a book.

I haven't wanted to strongly recommend a book to anyone as much as I do this one in a very long time. I read a lot of books, and this is the best horror/vampire novel I have ever read. If horror and vampires are your thing, and you haven't read this for whatever reason, go out to nearest bookstore and do so now. You will not regret it.

All that being said, I feel no desire to see the film. I have heard from everyone I know that's seen it that it was one of the best films of 2008 (and not just for being a horror film), but I just don't think I could watch it. Especially not by myself. Reading about someone who pours acid on their face is a very different thing from seeing it on the big screen, and it's not something that I particularly want to see, either.  But go ahead and try to convince me. Everyone knows horror movies are my weakness.