The new Knight Rider...why they "keep getting it wrong".

[CJaguar442]

one THE FBI agent wasnt gAY. you have not been out lately have you she could be a tom boy and tomboys are not gay and all female fbi agents are like that, without emotion. she is most likely a nerd too. i bet you watch too much baywatch and expect every women to be hot and atractive

[Victor Kros]

(I disagree with victor kros they weren't prostitutes - weather the script says so or not it clearly plays as
Mike being a player).

- In the script they were written as prostitutes, and I cited them in the script as being so. Whatever changes to the shooting script that were made during production and their purpose for being there were handled by the people involved. So my reference to them being prostitutes in the original script are accurate.

I already covered the reason those women needed to be there in the first place and it is very well covered later in the gas station refuel scene. The fact Carrie Rivai is a lesbian (this has been confirmed and advertised by Sydney and the entire cast and crew) is tacky and used to snag another demographic of ratings and nothing more. It added absolutely nothing to her character or the plot, it was as you said pure window dressing.

In my opinion the fact they can expand on her need to be portrayed as a lesbian further along in the series is a copout just like saying they will fix everything that people found wrong with their initial pilot. Sure they can fix it now because they're more then likely to go to series with their ratings alone but it is both irresponsible and unprofessional to claim you would have the opportunity to do so when you're not given a guarantee of a series in the first place. With a pilot you're supposed to put all your eggs in one basket and see what happens. This is what Glen Larson did with Knight of the Pheonix and it worked well from both a story and design standpoint.

=VK=

[Michael Pajaro]

I'm willing to buy into the argument that it was tacky that Carrie had a one night stand. If we already have Mike having a threesome, we didn't need to have a second hero also having casual sex. But I have absolutely no issue whatsoever with Carrie being a lesbian. In fact, I hope they don't cop out and make her bi and only show her dating men in the series. But if she IS going to have relations with a woman, then show her being nervous before the date, show her fighting back tears when she gets dumped. Emotions are universal, regardless of the genders involved. We didn't have time for that in the pilot, but they can expand upon it in the series.

[Kram061-1]

if she IS going to have relations with a woman, then show her being nervous before the date, show her fighting back tears when she gets dumped

I'd rather see Turbo Boost

[knightofthephoenix]

if she IS going to have relations with a woman, then show her being nervous before the date, show her fighting back tears when she gets dumped

I'd rather see Turbo Boost

Same here

[Michael Pajaro]

Yes. We'd all like to see turbo boost. But that's a separate issue entirely. It's not like they sat around the table debating "hmmm... what should we do? Should we have KITT turbo boost, or should we make Carrie a lesbian? Let's go with lesbian."

One of Patricia McPherson's complaints was that they didn't explore her character enough. And she's absolutely right. Didn't we all enjoy getting a small taste of Bonnie's personal life in Halloween Knight or Deadly Knightshade? We needed more of that. With this new series, they want to make sure the secondary characters are more than just window dressing. And yes, that will probably involve romance. It's 2008; if she's a lesbian, more power to her.

[SadArticle]

With this new series, they want to make sure the secondary characters are more than just window dressing. And yes, that will probably involve romance. It's 2008; if she's a lesbian, more power to her.

This is what gets me about 'modernising' old concepts - it seems to be about proving the original wrong in every way, as if anything new has to be an improvement and '2008' won't be dated in another twenty years. I think Knight Rider got the balance right, the first time around - it wasn't a soap opera about the lives and loves of the Foundation staff, it was an action/adventure series about a talking car. Michael was the focus more than Bonnie or Devon because he was the driver; changes in his life, like the return of an old flame, could have affected the whole 'one man can make a difference' set-up of FLAG. I'm sure Patricia McPherson did want more storylines for Bonnie, because that was her character, but as you mention, Mike, she did have episodes like Knight of the Drones, Halloween Knight, and Deadly Knightshade. Even April had Race for Life, and she was little more than eye candy! Anything extra - angst, emotions, background - can be covered in fan fiction.

[jup]

All in all, character development and depth is a sign of the times. Notice that in other television series and movies? It's just the modern trend. Back in the '80s, it was OK if The A-Team's cast consisted of characters banded together by a war with one paragraph personalities and tons of action. These days, that's not deemed 'good enough.'

[SadArticle]

All in all, character development and depth is a sign of the times. Notice that in other television series and movies? It's just the modern trend. Back in the '80s, it was OK if The A-Team's cast consisted of characters banded together by a war with one paragraph personalities and tons of action. These days, that's not deemed 'good enough.'

I can understand the theory, but I've yet to witness character 'depth' in practice on a television series. And ironically enough, making the FBI agent a lesbian does not achieve this; it's merely window dressing, as VK said, or a superficial gesture of political correctness. Those 'one paragraph personalities', or sketched bios, in the 80s were suported by little quirks brought to the characters by the actors, and padded out with relevant storylines - Michael and Stevie, to return to topic, or Elizabeth Knight and her relationship with Devon. If the characters had brought all their baggage with them in the first episode, the series would never have got off the ground!

Sorry, I know I'm ranting, and it's not directed against Mike or Jup, I'm just in the club that thinks TV hasn't necessarily improved with the special effects!

[CJaguar442]

i agree the special effects have gotten better but the tv shows has gotten worse thanks to six sigma no creativity thanks GE for destroying tv as we know it

[Kram061-1]

if they don't make the car jump, the show won't last long enough to find out if she is a lesbian, bi or tomboy

[Michael Pajaro]

And ironically enough, making the FBI agent a lesbian does not achieve this; it's merely window dressing, as VK said, or a superficial gesture of political correctness.

I don't think it's political correctness. I'd actually go more along the lines of them intentionally trying to push boundaries on TV. Which is fine. For my money, I think the addition of RC3 screamed political correctness. And again, that's fine, but I want to make sure we're comparing the two series fairly.

[SadArticle]

I don't think it's political correctness. I'd actually go more along the lines of them intentionally trying to push boundaries on TV. Which is fine. For my money, I think the addition of RC3 screamed political correctness. And again, that's fine, but I want to make sure we're comparing the two series fairly.

I would say that's an excellent comparison TV doesn't push boundaries, because that doesn't sell series; TV pushes cheap thrills, that aren't actually very thrilling, because most of the 'controversy' is years old. You were right in your previous post - it's 2008. I don't object to a lesbian character, so long as her private life has some bearing on the plot. The FBI agent's sexuality did not contribute one jot to the storyline, so why include that scene?

[Michael Pajaro]

I'd argue that her being a lesbian DID come up again. Remember the other annoying FBI agent who was obviously hitting on Carrie? Without the earlier bedroom scene, he's just a dork. But knowing what we know as an audience, his scene actually plays out more comically because "it's like dude... you have NO idea how much you have absolutely NO chance with her."

[snafu]

I'd argue that her being a lesbian DID come up again. Remember the other annoying FBI agent who was obviously hitting on Carrie? Without the earlier bedroom scene, he's just a dork. But knowing what we know as an audience, his scene actually plays out more comically because "it's like dude... you have NO idea how much you have absolutely NO chance with her."

That's what I thought. I was waiting for her to tell him off but it didn't come... hope the guy is a good actor to appear very deflated when she drops the bomb.

[SadArticle]

I'd argue that her being a lesbian DID come up again. Remember the other annoying FBI agent who was obviously hitting on Carrie? Without the earlier bedroom scene, he's just a dork. But knowing what we know as an audience, his scene actually plays out more comically because "it's like dude... you have NO idea how much you have absolutely NO chance with her."

Aha, comic relief!

And going back to the original series, before RCD3 in season four, were there ever any black characters central to the story? I don't mean in the main cast, but more than just bit parts - security guards, car thieves, etc? I'm just wondering if the PC shake-up that introduced Token Black Guy was what it took to also include a variety of Foundation cases for Michael. I'm in denial about season four - there were three series and a Christmas special about KITT being reprogrammed, wasn't there? - but I remember the boxer who needed protection in 'Redemption of a Champion', and the kids (some 80s one-hit wonder pop group?) in 'Knight of the Juggernaut'.

[PHOENIXZERO]

Well there was the secretary in Goliath Returns.... *Shrugs*