The Sentinel rewatch - Switchman

[agt_spooky]

With Richard Burgi's new movie Fatal Instinct having just come out I was feeling nostalgic and grabbed my Sentinel DVDs and popped in Switchman last night.





My GOD, I still love this show. It's been EIGHTEEN YEARS since it was first on and it feels like yesterday. I still know all the dialogue! LOL!

TS will always, always have a special place in my heart, for so many reasons. First, it was truly my very first fandom. I'd been involved in X-Files and that's where I got my start writing fanfic. But there wasn't ever a sense of…community there, on the newsgroups. But I have to thank X-Files because if it wasn't for that show I'd never have read my first piece of TS fanfic, which was a crossover with XF.

And then the heavens opened. LOL! I was so far down the rabbit hole with TS before I even blinked. To this day I've never been so heavily involved and invested in a fandom. Even Supernatural, that I've watched for the last 10 years. There was just something about Jim and Blair and their relationship that spoke to me. I've always been such a sucker for buddy-buddy shows and TS had it in spades. And the premise of the show itself was just so unique and different from anything else on.

I honestly spent the best four years of my life immersed in this show and the fandom. I wrote more fanfic than I ever had. I traveled to Canada for the very first time for a convention. I met friends in 1996 who are still my best friends to this day. I helped coordinate and raise over $15,000 for a fan campaign that brought TS back from cancelation. It doesn't get much better than that. :-)

I'm hoping to watch one ep a day and post a few thoughts on it.

So what was to love about Switchman? Well it's where it all began! Uptight Jim, goofy Blair, heightened senses, a zillion things blowing up, "Chief", a Sentinel finding his Guide, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. And more, if you're a die-hard Jim//Blair slasher like I am. ;-)

If you've never seen The Sentinel and you're a buddy-buddy fan you've no idea what you're missing. Go find season one on DVD (it's the only season they ever put out). Then if you like what you saw, come see me for the other three seasons. :-)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I wish they'd come out with DVDs for the whole show. This is where I first 'met' you too! This was also the show that really started me down the fanfic road - the quantity and quality of fanfic for this show was amazing. To be honest, I think this is one of the shows where the fanfic was better than the show itself.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it! With all the dreck they put out on DVD - shows that only have 8 episodes, etc. - and here’s Sentinel with four freaking seasons! I’ll never understand Paramount’s reasoning for abandoning this show.

Oh I so agree that the TS fic was simply fabulous. We had a lot of talented writers that put the “pro” writers to shame!

[unbelievable2.livejournal.com]

I like the way you sum this up - perfect! And being shallow, one of the things that hooks me about the Pilot is the sheer intensity of the photography - the blueness of the eyes! the close-ups! :))
It's really good start to the show, and a solid story, though in retrospect it's amazing how late into it you have to get before Blair shows up.... And it always astounds me how Carolyn can get kissed like that by Jim and still wander off in the rain by herself. That woman has a serious mental problem! :))

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Glad you’re enjoying my posts! Didn’t think anyone would be reading them. :-)

You’re absolutely right about the photography, something that’s usually overlooked. But yes, I completely agree. The director and DP did a great job. I can never get enough of Blair’s blue eyes in close up!

Hee, I remember being at the Return to Cascade convention where we did a Mystery Science Theater to Switchman. And there’s Garett sitting there and he keeps going, “I’m in this. Really, I swear I’m in this!” LOL! And compounding it was the fact that in the first run his name was mispelled in the credits!

Yes, seriously, what is wrong with Carolyn?? I’d have been dragging Jim home with me! LOL!

[alynt.livejournal.com]

I do a pretty regular TS re-watch so very happy to see this come up. What's not to love about Switchman? Both the guys look stunning, Jim shoving Blair up against the wall - that inspired a lot of fic - tough guy Jim, goofy Blair - "She said she thinks you're a dork." It all came together extremely well in introducing the primary characters. I need to write more TS. It's still my main fandom for writing and reading but I haven't had time for ages. Must make time!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Glad you’re enjoying my posts! Didn’t think anyone would be reading them. :-) And yep, you summed up Switchman perfectly. It was just such a well put together pilot episode, and that’s hard to do. But I was caught up by both the premise and the characters right off the bat.

Hmm....I wonder if I’ll be inspired to write some more TS fic after watching all these eps. That would be great! I miss Jim and Blair. They’ll always be my OTP.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

TS is my first fandom. I will always love what it did for my life. All the fantastic people I've met and the many years of pleasure Jim and Blair gave me.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Isn’t it amazing how “just a TV show” can really touch your life and impact it in so many positive ways? I, too, will be forever thankful for how TS changed my life for the better.