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Re: Legend Blog

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 6:57 pm
by themacgyverproject
I didn't realize it was the anniversary of Legend first airing! And that little Legend doll is fantastic!

Re: Legend Blog

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 11:54 pm
by PamK1950
themacgyverproject wrote:I didn't realize it was the anniversary of Legend first airing! And that little Legend doll is fantastic!
Thanks, my friend (who is a member on this forum) made him for me It's a long story, but he is suppose to be Jack O'Neill after he was turned into a 2 year old (along with the rest of SG1). "Dak" is pretending to be his favorite character "Nikwodeemus Wedgend".

She also made an "Ernie" doll for another friend.

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(I know Ernest didn't wear a hat like Ernie's, but hey, they're little boys playing pretend. They have to take what they can get.)

BTW. I've enjoyed your (and Kate's) analysis of the series. I agree with most of your comments. I just wonder what they would have/could have done if the series ran longer.

Re: Legend Blog

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:09 pm
by Cindy61
PamK1950 wrote:
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This photo is so cute! Thanks Pam!!

Re: Legend Blog

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 4:33 pm
by KateR
themacgyverproject wrote:The final episode of Legend!
http://themacgyverproject.blogspot.com/ ... loset.html
The weeks got away from me!

I did manage to post my last episode on the Lexicon a week or so ago, but I didn't make it back here to continue the conversation. So here goes...
The guy who plays the condescending sheriff does a great job -- it's only too bad he didn't get more screen time.
I thought he did a good job, too. Just reprehensible enough without becoming a stereotype. On the whole, though, the episode was far too preachy for me. The social message about racism seemed to overshadow the story of the murder mystery. MacGyver did that often, but it just felt a little heavy handed for a medium like Legend.
The scene in the beginning where Legend has a near-death experience and Lara Flynn Boyle (a former girlfriend of RDA) appears as an angel who has come to take him to the other side. It's not a bad scene on its own, but it has no relevance to the rest of episode and is way out of place.
I agree again. It felt like it was probably not even a part of the original script and was simply the result of RDA saying, "Let's write in a little scene for my girlfriend while she's here on the set." It felt uncomfortable then, and became even more uncomfortable when that particular relationship ended badly.
1:17 mark - kind of ironic for Legend to be accusing someone (Skeeter) of overacting.
Deliberate, perhaps? ;) Looking back, RDA acknowledges it now, but I suspect that even then he recognized he was often going over the top. He has said since, "Somebody should have stopped me!" :lol:
I like the Ramos character and am glad that he got an episode in the spotlight before the series ended.
Yes, I liked seeing him spotlighted. I just wish he hadn't been spotlighted as a victim. Throughout the series, I loved the running jokes about all the academic areas Ramos had studied in college. I wish they could have spotlighted one of those more often.
Whoa, it's John Vernon! You may remember him as Dave Ryerson, the white panama hat wearing criminal from the greatest episode of MacGyver ever. If I hadn't seen his name in the opening credits, I don't think I would have recognized him initially since his face looks somewhat different to me than it did in 1985. Maybe it's the eyebrows that are throwing me off.
Those were some serious eyebrows! :lol:
The female servant's dialogue with Ramos oddly alternates line by line between friendliness and abrasiveness: "Where are you from? Hand me that pot! He scolded you for touching his art, didn't he. You speak to me in English, only English! You're different, you are different!"
I suppose they were trying to emphasize the delicate position of a recent immigrant in a racist town, but it almost seemed as if they weren't quite sure what her role in the episode was to be.
Fun piece of dialogue at 36:19:
"And Ernest, no late night frolics, please." ~Bartok.
"Not to worry. The Frolic sisters are out of town, visiting an aunt in Minneapolis I believe." ~Legend
That was the kind of one-liner we'd come to expect from Legend, but this episode had very few funny lines by comparison.
After Legend rescues Ramos on the stagecoach, the next scene is the denouement where it is revealed that the stolen artifacts have been returned to Mexico. It's an abrupt transition that leaves out a lot of details like how they got the artifacts back and how they were able to prove Calhoun (Vernon's character) was responsible for the murder. Maybe they got the female servant to testify to the sheriff about what she overheard (this was suggested by Ramos in an earlier scene), but the sheriff wasn't exactly sympathetic to their cause.
I agree again. It felt like they spent so much time focusing on social commentary and the stolen artifacts that they ran out of time to thoroughly investigate the murder mystery. I also found myself getting confused among the various locations. They were at the Bartok compound in Sheridan, they were in the little nearby town of Bell, and then they were in Mexico. I can accept that they can get back and forth to Bell easily in the quadrovelocipede, but dang, that balloon makes good time - to Mexico and back in hardly a day! :shock:
This episode was ok but didn't do much for me (I'm ranking it 7 out of 12).
I would probably rank it lower. I think this one is still my least favorite of the series.
In many ways that same sentiment is how I feel about the series as a whole (which I have now officially finished watching). On the plus side, the series was generally well filmed, well acted, and had likable lead characters. The overall concept was unique and creative, and the "science fiction" element of the show was minimal (which was a positive for me in that it wasn't too weird).
I can understand that. I know RDA was having fun with the series, and he considers it his favorite because it was enjoyable to do. And I think many fans will consider it a favorite because RDA does. But I think in a side-by-side analysis, even RDA would agree that it's not necessarily the "best" of the series he did.

That said, I think the series was starting to find its way. I enjoyed the steam punk aspect, especially the wry nods to historical events and what the future would become. I also enjoyed the quirky semi-regular characters, like Mayor Brown, and especially Skeeter. I liked the humor and wit of the character, and I actually found it refreshing when RDA dropped the overacting and we saw a glimpse of what Pratt really was without the public persona he tried to project. Perhaps that's just a commentary on celebrity in general.

Although the original time slot wasn't bad, the ratings were dismal, and when the new management came in and wiped out the entire network lineup of the fledgling network (except for Voyager), the writing was on the wall. But given time and more favorable circumstances, I think Legend could have found its footing and its audience. I don't know how often I will be rewatching the episodes, but I'm very glad that they are available on DVD and not lost forever. :)
Up next, I'm going to take a little break and then decide what my next project will be.
Thanks for doing these, Nick, (and for motivating me to get started on the Lexicon)! Good luck in your next project!

As for me, I'd like to finish the "Entry" pages for the Lexicon and really make it complete, but I should also be finishing up the Photo Gallery and Video Gallery. So it may be a little bit of each for me!

(I'd love to do the same thing for MacGyver, but 139 episodes is still daunting - I need someone like Nick to keep me focused on a deadline!)

Kate

Re: Legend Blog

Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 10:02 pm
by frenchwriter
Thank you Nick and Kate for your very interesting work.
I followed your discussions, because it was useful for my understanding.

I don't watch all episodes yet, because of the English language (of course :( ) and I must to watch with maximum concentration, and it isn't possible every time. So I'm very slowly.

I love the main characters and the atmosphere, and I can understand why Richard loves to do Legend ! But, I agree with you Kate, when you write: "But I think in a side-by-side analysis, even RDA would agree that it's not necessarily the "best" of the series he did".
But we know his favourite reason he likes to play when "to play with fun" :D
And we feel his fun in this serie. I love seeing the fun in his eyes...

Thank you Nick and I'm waiting your next project.

Thank you Kate and i'm waiting your Photo Gallery... and perhaps MacGyver Lexicon (with Nick and us, if we can help you both... ;) )

Re: Legend Blog

Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 10:05 pm
by frenchwriter
PamK1950 wrote:
Image
Thank Pam for sharing this beautiful picture.
I love Legend's doll, with his favourite suit...
I would like to buy one ... ;)

Re: Legend Blog

Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 5:24 am
by themacgyverproject
Thanks for your work on the Lexicon, Kate! It was fun discussing the episodes here with you and all the other Legend/RDA fans!