Alice

[--Pete]

Hi,

Finished watching the two part show, Alice, on the SyFy channel last night. Being a mild admirer of all things Dodgson, I really could not pass it up. Overall, pretty entertaining, though I thought that the first part was the better of the two.

While many elements of Through the Looking Glass were used in this production, the story was totally different. Indeed, the very fact that there was a story (or, rather, a plot) completely changed the character from nonsense to fantasy. Enjoyable, but definitely different.

I may have missed some things, especially in part two, but while I saw many surface level references to the original, I did not see anything in this show that touched upon the underlying levels of the original. It was almost as if someone took a collection of memes from the original and pasted them into a fantasy adventure. I feel that someone could have done a better job of capturing the Carrollian spirit, but I'm at a lack to say just how.

Anyone who watched this show, chime in -- maybe together we can understand it. Anyone who hasn't, I'd recommend it over much of what passes for entertainment. Well worth the four hours.

--Pete

[Rhydderch Hael]

When you mentioned the subject, I first thought we were going to talk about this waitress at a roadside diner in Arizona.

I need to get TV again.

[--Pete]

Hi,

When you mentioned the subject, I first thought we were going to talk about this waitress at a roadside diner in Arizona.

You can get anything you want . . .

You're dating yourself.:)

EDIT: Wow -- Alice's restaurant was in Massachusetts. My bad, wrong Alice. And I guess I dated *myself* -- also proved that I did not watch TV for a looooong time.

I need to get TV again.

Or not. When I was mobile, I was happy without it.;)

--Pete

[Vandiablo]

I've never really gotten into Through the Looking Glass, so I can't reply to that.

But since this is now an "Alice" thread, I wanted to share something I've noticed..

I've seen a lot of Cialis ads on TV. It's pronounced "see Alice", and it occurred to me that there's the Jefferson Airship song that has "Go ask Alice" in it.

That song, "White Rabbit", starts out with "One pill makes you larger". The pharmers are being cute, eh?

Of course, it continues with "one pill makes you small" -- that's probably steroids -- and then with "the ones Mother gives you don't do anything at all" -- the doc prolly gave her a placebo, as opposed to what the other mother got in the Stones' "Mother's Little Helper" (probably Valium).

----

As for Alice of Arizona, she worked at Mel's Diner, IIRC. Her son was Tommy. Suzanne Vega has a song, "Tom's Diner", perhaps Tommy got the diner?

The show's theme song had Alice coming from a different place ("if things work out, I'm gonna stay a while"). So maybe she came from Massachusetts. She did have a bit of an accent tho' when I was a pup I wouldn't have known if it was a Boston voice or not.

----

And while I'm doing mindless TV references... Some of you may remember Vandelay Industries from a different, more recent show. I have sometimes signed off as being a member of it. A couple days ago, I actually saw the corporate vehicle -- a car that had the plate VANDLAY. I didn't get to see who was driving it.

----

Don't worry Pete (I know you won't) but some of us do indeed recognize "Walk right in, it's around the back..."

-V

[--Pete]

Hi,

Don't worry Pete (I know you won't) but some of us do indeed recognize "Walk right in, it's around the back..."

I was indeed infinitely worried, but only for an infinitesimal time. It was probably just a vacuous fluctuation.

--Pete

[--Pete]

Hi,

Just continuing the hi-jack:)

In the 'small world' category: Magi (Sue) reminded me that one of her friends from her dorm at WAZZU had a connection to the Arlo story. Apparently that friend's father had run over the judge's seeing eye dog.

Six degrees strikes again.;)

--Pete

[Vandiablo]

It was probably just a vacuous fluctuation.

<span style="color:#330000">Eh, what's that? a flatuous evacuation? Ya, durn effects of age!

edit: Still suffer from things being funnier at night than in the daytime.