Under the Influence

I have come to the realization that I can't read reviews. Whether it be of a book or a movie or a television show. I have always respected a critical review of the above mentioned subjects. Back in the day, I used to read any book that got a good review of Amazon, without realizing that a lot of the reviews were done by friends or family or fans of that author and ended up with crap.

That's when I found the review sites that would tell it like it is. I ended up finding a lot of good books that way. Plus, I got the chance to read a lot of bad reviews that made me laugh. Heck, even I snark on some of the Harlequin Presents books.

But then it all backfired on me. I'd go on Television without Pity to read a recap of a favorite show and find them tearing apart a scene that I really liked and it started clouding my judgment. Suddenly, I was looking at the show through someone else's eyes.

Then I'd start getting defensive. Defending why I liked it to myself and forgetting one important fact. These are all people's opinions. One person's opinion. Not mine.

The logical answer here is for me to just stop going to these sites. I should just form my own opinion, which makes sense, but I enjoy these sites. Like I mentioned above, I've found some good books from them. I don't want to go back to reading fangirl reviews on Amazon. And TWoP is funny when it's not making fun of a character or scene I liked.

Is there a middle ground? Maybe I should stop reading negative reviews. Or stop reading recaps of shows I like. Or just stop being wishy-washy. I like what I like. If I like Finn on Glee despite the fact a lot of people think he's a crap singer, I should just stand by that. If I like Meredith on Grey's despite the fact a lot of people think she's whiny, I should stick by that.

And maybe stay away from the internet and television for awhile and get a life. That might be a good idea too...