Oldies but Goodies; A-Team Squee

[kriadydragon]

It seems a lot of people are finding new fannish love in older shows, and I seem to be no exception. I'm currently on a major A-Team kick, watched all of season one, just started watching season two and keep wanting to watch the movie over and over.

Technically speaking, it was my first show, even though I was around four or five at the time and only remembered that there was a van, Mr. T, a white-haired guy named Hannibal and a crazy guy. Truth be told, I don't even remember if I had actually liked it at the time. But I definitely like it now. So much cheese, but so much fun cheese :D Saturday I watched the movie. Today I watched the ep where the team goes to South Africa, which amused me greatly because the actor who plays Murdock in the movie is from South Africa (and is also in District 9 so now I totally want to see District 9 just because he's in it).

And I'm contemplating writing fic for it, because I would really like to tackle Murdock (er... figuratively speaking *whistles innocently*). TV-verse, movie-verse - either way I think he would be so much fun to write. Plus it would be an interesting challenge.

Yes, I'm geeking out on A-Team that much.

Comments

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

squeaaaa! a-team!

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

*Squees back!*

Now I just need to get off the net and watch another episode, already.

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

hehe i was always a big fan of face and murdock :)

[drufan.livejournal.com]

murdock squeeeeeeeee! Love Dwight Schulzt (sp?)!!!!!

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

He's so funny and adorable. He must have had a blast playing Murdock.

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

Loved the show, LOVED the movie. And if you haven't seen District 9, get it! Great flick. He is incredible in it.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Both show and movie I love with perfect equality. I really wish they would make a sequel.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I tried very hard to watch the new A Team film and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
out about 40 minutes into it
What made me wonder is in the opener, he is taking a serious beating and
walks out with a few bruises on his face etc.
I mean COME ON...........his jaw would have been broken or dislocated the way they beat on him and both eyes swollen shut......
Just too ridiculous and never mind Jessica's part.........
That was annoying too......for numerous reasons.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I loved it. A lot. I mean, it is the A-Team so, really, it's easy to excuse a lot. Plus I've seen a lot of movies and shows that never show cuts or bruises at all. I think A-Team did a lot better than those shows (they showed the bruises on Face's neck from the rope, and later on the cuts and scrapes when the team was nearly blown up. I know shows and movies that don't even do that much).

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I don't why it did not work for me.........it might have been distractions
or something else working that night.......
BTW, I waited FOREVER for that DVD
:D

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

It's probably just a matter of what is and isn't your cup of tea. I loved the movie like crazy - got antsy when it took forever to come out on DVD - but my older sister who also grew up with the A-Team didn't care for it. It's very fast-paced, loud and kind-of out there, so I can totally see how for some it comes across as annoying and difficult to watch.

Jessica's character definitely wasn't popular. I didn't like her at first as well, though for me it worked because the team's antics annoying her balanced it out.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

Maybe that night 'loud, noisy' was not working for me
Sometimes it is fine........but not always.
I suppose I should have just kept it for the weeks and retried.
:D
I never watched it when it was a series because of work which
usually featured legislative sessions late into the night at the California State capitol....I would work all day
then go home for dinner and then back to the capitol by 7PM when the
sessions were in full swing when they were in session, with the exception of holiday breaks.
That schedule almost killed me..........
I often did not get home till after 11PM and then next day more of same
save for weekends.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I grew up watching the A-Team. I've probably seen every episode about five or six times and have some of the whumpy ones memorized. Yep, when I was a kid, I was into h/c, just didn't know it.

It had everything. Humor. Action. TEAM. Loved the chemistry between the cast and my favorite was Murdock. I have not seen the re-boot and am curious, but at the same time, I'm sooo partial to the original cast.

The Murdock is the most fascinating one I think. Under all that funny humor is I think the most interesting character

I have a couple meta questions for you, but I don't want to spoil you. Have you seen the whole series? Are you avoiding meta type spoiler discussion?

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I was iffy about the reboot as well but ended up loving it so much it got me rewatching the series. The actors they got to play the team in the movie, in my opinion, were perfect (most especially the guy who played Murdock, as well as the guy you played BA) and I love both the series and the movie equally (whenever I watch the series I want to watch the movie, then I watch the movie and want to watch the series. It's quite the never-ending cycle ;))

I'm up to season two right now, but I don't mind spoilers since I'm kind of watching the eps out of order. Plus I caved and searched out fic, which spoiled me as well. So discuss away, I love meta discussions (in fact I'm planning on doing an opinion meta on Murdock's mental issues).

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

My question is how the movie approaches Murdock's mental illness and its possible origins? I was in the A-Team fandom for a while and many speculated that Murdock cracked when the team were POW's, considering the camp they were kept in, the leader was pretty ruthless.

There's also speculation that H.M flew for the CIA and between that and his possible knowledge/guilt over the team's captured pushed him over the edge.

Then there's the question if he's really mentally ill. If he prefers living in the V.A and enjoyed being the the team's outside man (even though he's committed) or he really does have some mental issues that he either exaggerates or is truly there.

I remember a lot of searches regarding the type of meds he might have been on during the series.

So maybe there was only one question in that and me just rambling since I'm tired. Hee.

Did you find any decent fic at that archive?

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Well, it depends on how you interpret what the movie gives us. Though, really, it doesn't give us any more than the show did.

Movie spoiler alert! Don't read if you plan on watching the movie!

In the movie, the team first meets Murdock in a psyche ward at a hospital, so he's already been committed long before joining the team. Later on in the movie there is a hint (and you kind of have to watch for it) that Murdock is being medicated but slips his meds. At least that's how I interpreted it and, personally, it's what makes the most sense to me.

end of spoilers

I have a lot of theories as to Murdock's mental instability. I used to think that Murdock staying at the VA was a matter of convenience for him. Free food, free room and board plus he's in a position to help his team on the outside if he can break out (and, considering the show, that was probably the case). But a comment I read recently kind of refuted that for me (logically speaking. I still don't think the writers had put a lot of thought into it). For one, the VA would be an incredibly depressing place for someone like Murdock. For another, the hospital could decide to drug him via a needle rather than a pill, or put him in a straight jacket, or something else all together, at the worst possible time.

So I think Murdock is mostly eccentric but with underlying issues that make staying at the VA necessary. The eccentricity is how he copes. It could also be a matter of keeping Murdock safe, both from prison and (should he get caught) from being interrogated. But that, too, I think, points to Murdock having some issues. He's functional, but fragile enough that if he were imprisoned or interrogated it would do him harm. As for him being in a position to help the team, I still agree on that front since it's pretty much canon. There have been eps where the team is caught and it's up to Murdock to save them.


I've come across a few decent fic at various places. I love the ones that take a deeper look at Murdock. My favorite, and the one that got me rethinking Murodck's eccentricities, is this one:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/34451

some others I've come across that I found interesting:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5409806/1/Underneath_the_Dying_Rambutan - incomplete but an interesting take on what happened when they were in the POW camp.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6668700/1/Rules_Murdock_Must_Follow - this one is hilarious.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6304719/1/Happy_Birthday_To_Me - this one is adorable.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6221702/1/Named - interesting and heart-rending take on why Murdock is only called Murdock and not "Howling Mad."

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6221702/1/Named - Murdock and Face's time in a POW camp.

And apologies for the multiple deletes. I kept having multiple issues :/

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I'm about to go to bed and will reply tomorrow, but I must get a clarification on this:

In the movie, the team first meets Murdock in a psyche ward at a hospital, so he's already been committed long before joining the team.

He's been committed before he ever met the team? He wasn't their pilot???

Seriously? Please tell me that they didn't do that! That they took away years of friendship bonded during war and had them meet after the fact?

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Oh no no, nothing like that. Even though the movie takes place in modern times it's pretty much a prequel to the series. It starts off with how the team as a whole meets, then jumps to eight years later to their time in Iraq and the mission that made them fugitives, then goes from there. So the years of friendship are still intact.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I want to reiterate, that I'm heading to bed, but I am excited to see your squee for the show. (sorry if my first reply was made more in 'on noes'.)

As I said, it was a favorite :D

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Perfectly understandable :D As I said I was pretty iffy about the movie as well. We all know how Hollywood likes to twist things to their own "interpretations."

Really, though, I think the only big difference between the movie and the series (besides the different actors, of course;)) is that it's set in the present and is more violent - in other words, people get shot. A lot. And there's cussing. But it still contains much of the over-the-top-verging-on unrealistic-zaniness and cleverness of the series, and bad guys getting their comeuppance. :D

But take that with a grain of salt since it all comes down to the eye of the beholder, and I'm usually pretty easy to please.

Now I want to watch the movie again. The cycle continues.

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

And did you see the movie credits? The original Face and Murdoch had cameos! :)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

They did? That's funny because I was wondering if they would give the original actors a guest spot since they often do that with shows-turned-movies. Do you know who they were in the movie?

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

I found the end credits if you want to see them. I think they are the youtube equivalent of a pirated movie :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD1XnwR4VYg

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Hee-hee! Awesome :D Thanks.