Kingdom Hospital

[gategrrl]

I'm about half-way through the series now (watched three episodes yesterday, and am watching through to the sixth episode).

Wow, I'm impressed. The style of the show gels together, and although the story is slowly unfolding, the very beginning of the series gave me just enough background of the site the hospital rests on that it's okay if I wait a while more to find out exactly what the earthquakes are about, or where that evil ghost boy Paul comes from. I do wonder where Mary, the little girl ghost with the bell who is looking for her doll, got those two wounds above her eyes.

And the cool thing is, I didn't realize that HRG (Noah) from Heroes is a central character in this. Well, sort of central. He's spending most of his time helpless in his hospital bed.

All the descriptions that I've read of KH don't do it justice. I mean, c'mon, if you read that there was an invisible talking toothy anteater ghost-god? wandering around the halls of a hospital, wouldn't you wonder what the heck was going on? I really like the characters, and Peter Davidson, who plays a incompetent doctor, does a terrific job with the role. Of course, I love Stephen King's novels, even when they're flawed, and I'm enjoying the references to Castle Rock, Nozz-a-la and other things that the production staff sprinkled through the series.

I really like it, but I can see how there are folks who couldn't get into it for the weirdness. I only cringe a little when the doctors and nurses break out into spontaneous song in the ER when they get someone's heart beating again. Oh, and the surgery scenes with the blood? FF right through them. Hmm. Maybe if I can take this show, I can handle Supernatural; but that's actually a harder edged horror type of show. Maybe I'll tackle that next.

Comments

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

It wasn't a bad series. I thought it has some problems and that something just didn't click about it, but it still was enjoyable. I don't understand that hard crit of the show.

I kind of loved the baseball episode ;)

The series gets stronger as it goes on and the finale was very very good television, imo.

And yes, Supernatural. That is next! I command it!

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

Really, about the clicking? I thought it was a lot of fun. But, like many of King's books, the ending lacked a little. At least it was foreshadowed, but it was resolved awfully quickly.

The baseball episode-yeah-very much an alternate reality. Everything I've read about the show goes "Buh? Wha? Why does that Nozz-a-la dispenser turn into a Pepsi one at the very end when the characters are walking down the hall?!"

Simple explanation: with the rescue of Mary (in particular) and the children in the mill (generally) the entire timeline was changed and corrected.

I liked it, but then, I also like Rose Red, even with all of its logic holes in the plot.

Supernatural...we'll see.

[affinity8.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the first two episodes when I saw them, and I didn't like King's complaint in Entertainment Weekly that audiences "just didn't get it." But I am a fan of King in general, and an enormous fan of The Stand, The Talisman and Bag of Bones

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen or read the Entertainment Weekly article, so I don't know how whiny he got about it. It did take a bit to sink into the world of Kingdom Hospital, and keep track of all the characters. Jeez, I felt like I was back in High School, taking notes of who was who in Pride and Prejudice because there were so many characters, and it was bewildering (at least at first).

I can understand why an audience wouldn't "get it". King can be very quirky with a weird sense of humor.

The Stand and The Talisman are two of my all-time favorites, along with The Shining and Dolores Claiborne. I appreciate the Dark Tower books, but man, they're a slog at times.

Peter Straub; now *he* is a complex writer. Sometimes I'm not sure if he's purposely being obtuse and erudite, or what, but I like his books that star Tim Underhill.