When Beauty Becomes Commonplace

A while back, there was a short lived series called Marco Polo that starred Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan.  At the time I remarked that Wong's Khan would have conquered the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and picked his teeth with the bones of the seven rulers he personally strangled after a feast of dragon and dire wolf stew.  Or something close to that anyway. 

The show only lasted 2 seasons and aside from Wong's dominant performance it was largely forgettable.

Except.

It had one of the most gorgeous opening sequences I had ever seen.  In a Chinese ink art style, horses, armies, lovers and more were painted across the screen in a truly lovely and masterful way.  I remember thinking that "Best Opening Sequence" should be added as a category at the Emmys. 

What's interesting is that in only 5 years, what was once a novelty is now the standard for pretty much every show on the specialty networks.  Most of us will be familiar with at least a few shows that feature one of these lush, artistic, beautifully crafted opening sequences but they're so common now that I find myself fast forwarding through them once I've seen them once or twice. 

What a statement that makes about me!  No patience to sit through a minute or so of beautiful imagery, crafted with love, skill and artistry.  And I bet I'm not the only one.

Do I have a point to share here?

Nope.  I just notice myself fast forwarding through the clever, lovely opening of the second episode of Carnival Row and realized what a shame that was.  I'm not really an impatient man, I love beautiful things and I appreciate the effort and skill it takes to create them.  And yet, I fast forward through pretty much every opening sequence on every show I watch.  Even a few times on Game of Thrones even though I loved that opening and the music that accompanied it.

So I don't have a point.  I just wonder what this habit says about me.  I guess I've found another flaw to add to the tally.

Someone could probably take all my flaws and turn them into a cool opening sequence.  I would definitely fast forward that.