Dr. "M." has answered the call! She's back with a brand new "TV Korner," including some thoughts on supernatural TV shows, peppered with enough movie references to have me updating the recent "blog"trospective for the rest of the afternoon. There's a lot on her mind, so we'll turn it over right away to the elusive and allusive Dr. "M.": "Remember Jason Bateman in TEEN WOLF TOO, fresh from his stint on The Hogan Family?" she begins auspiciously. "There seem to have been several werewolf flix in the late 80s. Then there was that Jack Nicholson movie--was it called WOLF? And was he supposed to be a werewolf in THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK? [No. - ed.] Of course I imagine all of that started with that werewolf in London movie. I wonder if McNeil's daughter might be referring to Harry Potter and the characters of Remus Lupin and Fenrir Greyback (is that the evil werewolf's name?). As for vampires, the 80s also witnessed the explosion of vampire camp-/comedy--including one of my all-time favorites, ONCE BITTEN, and another favorite, SATURDAY THE 14th. I think the newest phase of vampires and werewolves involves a rewriting of the stereotypically ravenous, selfish beasts as selfless, conscientious do-gooders who keep their personal pain to themselves and manage it, like others in the world, by self-medicating, whether that is through imbibing a special potion created by Dumbledore or finding blood through other means than neck-biting. Similarly, those [current television] protagonists with supernatural powers, like the Ghost Whisperer or Hiro Nakamura or Journeyman, first learn to accept their powers, then use the powers for good. The powers in turn come to signal an abundance of innate goodness which is meant to give us hope during a time of war (and a bad housing market and all the other **** that George Bush has caused in the last 8 years). [We didn't say it! - ed.] The answer to why so much supernatural stuff right now... Simply put, it's a sign of the times. We are not doomed; the future is not set; there is always hope that individuals will use their powers to make a difference; evil will always exist but it can be contained and suppressed. Optimism, people, optimism. And that is Dr. M's Monday report... Seacrest out."
