#tanner 88

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Have you seen Tanner '88 (1988)?

Yes

Partially

No, but I've heard of it

Never heard of it

Voting ended onFeb 9

[cutiekittygirl6482]

2 Images of Harry Shirtless (Tanner 88 (Left) Dave’s World (Right) (1988 and 1995 or 1996?) 🫠🫠🫠

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[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

Catching up with the shorter stuff we’ve watched...

Tanner ‘88- Director Robert Altman and the guy behind the Doonesbury comic strip, Garry Trudeau spoofed politics in a vaguely mockumentary style. The story follows a candidate for president during the primary season, his team, the reporters following him, etc. Amazingly they not only filmed it during the ‘88 election, on location with the race, but a large number of people appeared as themselves. It’s funny but tinged with a sadness. The central figure runs for office with a certain well meaning naivety, and after the results of our last election that’s both refreshing and heart breaking. 

Stingray- It’s a series about a military service of sorts responsible for protecting the oceans, particularly when it involves the multitude of hither to under sea races that remarkably frequently wish to invade the miserably dry world. The title refers to the fancy sub the heroes use. Oh, and they are all puppets. The miniature work and puppets are wonderful and generally it’s a tremendously fun series. I do have a few grumbles...

One character, a woman that can breathe water thanks to belonging to an unusually human looking species from bellow, is the center of one of my problems, and not because she for some reason she swims about in an ankle length flowy dress. See, she can’t talk and a mute character in a puppet show is a problem. Her face is immobile, obviously, and now she has no voice. She can understand English, and even read, and yet she communicates solely through yes/no answers. She can read, yet never writes. She uses no sign language and rarely even points. So when they have a map and want to figure out where she lives do they say “Marina, show us on the map where you live?” Nope, it’s “Do you live north of this?” “Ok, is it east of that area”. She can read a map but not point? Heck, when they come up with a “code” it’s still a  “One knock for yes, two for no” thing. Which is better than her wobbly vague head nods I guess! LOL I totally get the practicalities of a puppet show making it tricky. But it does seem a mistake to introduce a character that can barely communicate or emote in the medium you are using.

The other problem was the love triangle. Love triangles aren’t my thing, but early on in the series it was particularly infurating. The male hero has been apparently been dating a female colleague, but in comes the amphibious mute girl and he’s totally into her. In fact the closing credits are an ode to her while we see the other girl looking at a mere photo of the fella. So what does the fella do? He proceeds to date both girls on the sly, and when the girls are unhappy to find he is secretly dating the other he actually grumbles about women being unreasonable! Look, dating two people is fine as long a THEY know! And if he broke up with the first girl to date the mystery girl, well it hurts, especially since he doesn’t really know the silent object of his affection, but still that’s fair enough. But secretly stringing both along? Ewww. Still, the series thankfully does keep cattiness between the girls dialed back to the point it becomes all but forgotten. Still, you can’t help but wish they would both dump him! LOL

Still, bonus points for having two female characters, both of which are too grown up to hate each other over a guy and are capable of doung their jobs well. Actually it’s less sexist than a lot of shows from the first half of the 1960s...

 Plus, you know, fish people. I do love fish people.....

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