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shadowkatBeen watching a lot of tv on and off today. The best and most memorable by far were Big Bang Theory (possibly the only situation comedy show that I've seen in the past ten years that consistently makes me laugh outside of Stephen Moffat's Coupling and As Time Goes By, most sitcoms make me cringe...with the possible exception of the Paintball episode of Community - which was an absurd tour de force, unfortunately the rest of the show hasn't quite lived up to it, although the pillow fort episode did result in quite a few giggles. I also miss it most of the time because it's opposite Vamp Diaries and Big Bang Theory which entertain me more. It should be noted that I have an admittedly odd sense of humor and most physical or humiliation comedy makes me want to switch channels. Situation comedies and criminal procedurals are the two genres that I appear to be extreemly picky about.) and Friday Night Lights (which made me cry, and I rarely cry at tv shows. Character X died on Vamp Dairies or Game of Thrones? Eh. But the scene between Vince Howard and his Dad...tears are silently streaming down my face.)
Friday Night Light's - a tv show that centers on a high school football couch and his wife (who is a guidance counselor) in West Texas is possibly the best scripted television drama series that is not violent and does not center on cops, lawyers, or doctors. Although I'd say it's actually better than most of those. Beautifully written, acted, directed and produced, with a beautiful and quiet musical score - it is perfection. Never quite drops into melodrama. The only season that went off kilter may have been the second. But the last two have been almost perfect. It is one of the few tv shows that realistically portrays high school, sexism, racism and classism in the US. If you have not seen this gem, rent it. Of course, once you do, you'll look at other tv series in the same genre with a bit more of a critical edge.
One of the few shows that depicts minorities well, there a lot of key roles for Persons of Color specifically African Americans in this series. The quarterback for the fourth and fifth season, Vince Howard is African American, as is his girlfriend, who struggles because she loves the game of football but can't quite find a way of being involved with it that isn't demeaning. Football unfortunately is male dominated sport - women can't play it. We don't have female football teams that I'm aware of. It's one of the reasons I despise it. At least there are female boxers.
Not that I'm a fan of boxing either. Friday Night Lights does a beautiful job of depicting the best and worst of the game, why it is important to small towns in Texas, across the South and in Middle America. How it can enrich lives. It shows both sides. The show is not black or white,
it doesn't preach. The cinematography may well be the best that I've seen on Broadcast TV, and
is within the same standard as HBO.
Big Bang Theory - was hilarious this week. It isn't always. It does have it's cringeworthy episodes. I adore three of the female characters - Penny, Amy (Sheldon's girlfriend), and
Pria - the Indian Lawyer. Pria was hilarious this week - with how she tore apart Sheldon's roomate contract with Leonard, her significant other. And Jim Parson's Sheldon is becoming attractive, which is odd. I feel I've met these people, a rarity with situation comedies, and their rapid fire dialogue full of geek pop culture references makes me chortle with glee. This week, I got the added bonus of contract lingo - clearly the writers know something about contract law and lawyers.
Pria - in the contract agreement it says if you have to go to the bathroom and it is emergency the other roommate must yeild, but it is not specific.
Sheldon: Why does it have to be specific? Having to pee is clearly an emergency.
Pria - Leonard having to trim his nose hairs could be considered an emergency.
Sheldon: Not necessarily, since Leonard never does it, he's so short he doesn't think anyone will able to look up there and see them.
Pria (looking at Leonard and clearly contemplating why she's in relationship with him): Still, Leonard wins here because it is not specified, you have to specify what the emergency is, it's too broad. (This is sooo true.)
Later...when they are eating Greek food on Pizza night.
Sheldon: The contract clearly states Pizza night.
Pria: No, it states that you will do Pizza from Franconis. Didn't Franconi's go out of business?
Sheldon: Yes, but then we switched to Corconzi's (can't remember the name).
Pria: But did you do a referendum? Take votes? The contract specifies this must be done before switching. Since you didn't...you can eat whatever you want on this night.
Sheldon to Leonard: But don't you hate Greek food?
Leonard: Not as much as you do.
I also watched Grey's Anatomy - which isn't working for me at the moment, the story lines feel a bit contrived and over the top. More so than usual. I admittedly have a high tolerance for this sort of thing...but it's going through a slump. Let's face it - I watch the show primarily for Cristina Yang and she's been on back-burner status for far too long, so has Alex Kerev and
Chandra Wilson's Bailey. I love Callie and Arizona, don't get me wrong, but their story-line is a bit too melodramatic even for my taste. And don't get me started on what Kim Raver's character is doing. Granted, it probably doesn't help that I watched Friday Night Light's after it.
The Killing - I've given up on. Too bleak and noirish even for me. It's a show that just makes me incredibly tired. No idea what the Danish version was like, although from what my flist states - I'm guessing it at least had a sense of humor in clothing choices. This one is very understated and very bleak.
Upstairs/Downstairs Take 2 was not well done. The third episode did not work at all. Bad casting for King George - he looked exactly like the protagonist, and didn't have a stutter, resembled the head of the household/protagonist so closely in fact that I couldn't tell them apart at first. The sister, Lady Percy, made no sense. The storyline about the protagonist's sister was right out of a penny dreadful. Just didn't hold together and the only interesting characters were given short shrift. After watching Downton Abbey - I found Upstairs/Downstairs to be a bit of a mess.
Nikita - did this get renewed? Because it feels like they are trying to wrap up the entire series in one season. They are moving that fast. The first television version of La Femme Nikita, it took at least two seasons for Nikita and Michael to get together. Here it happens mid-season. Is it just me or have tv shows suddenly sped up their plot threads? Resolving threads that used to take forever in the space of five episodes? Remember how long it took for Buffy and Angel to get together? If that show was on now, I'm guessing we'd have had the whole Angelus arc in the first season. What is going here? Do they think the audience has attention deficit disorder? They may be right about that actually - considering how quickly people flip between things if they get bored.
At any rate - Nikita has to be the fastest moving version of the Nikita trope that I've seen to date. It makes Alias look rather plodding in comparison.
It's fun. Hard to take too seriously. But fun. Also I'm beginning to wonder if Shane West has tattooed eye liner on or has the same eyeliner artist as Spike did in S5. West's Michael seems to have one or two expressions and that's it. Granted he's more emotive than the other versions, but.
Still love Maggie Q and she has great chemistry with West. (It's worth noting that even though I watch a lot of tv shows on the CW - five at the moment - I don't and can't take any of them seriously, they are clearly targeting a young, 18-20 something demo, and as a result are fast paced, lacking in build-up, cast with incredibly pretty twenty and thirty-somethings who all look alike, and into sexual chemistry. If you're looking for depth - it ain't here. I consider the CW shows my guilty pleasure tv shows or cotton candy.)
Breaking In - a show that should be funny and isn't. It's Christian Slater's latest outting, proving once again that Slater like so many others of that generation can't quite cut it as an older actor. He was great in his early twenties and teens. Want to see some good Slater pics? Watch Heathers and Pump up the Volumn. I fell in love with him in Pump Up the Volumn. The show's about a bunch of theives hired by a crazy security guy portrayed by Slater - who has them test various company and government security systems by Breaking in. It's sort of a comedic version of Leverage, except Leverage is funnier and considering it is not a comedy that is saying something. Granted, I don't laugh at most situation comedies - so...it may be a subjective thing. But I found this thing to be silly in comparison to Big Bang. Probably shouldn't have watched Big Bang first.
Off to watch Doctor Who, I think. Not sure yet. Am taping it, and True Blood S3...although I think I missed the first couple of episodes. My first episode is the one where Sookie tries to shoot a werewolf and shoots Eric instead, insisting on going to find Bill - Eric sends Alicide with Sookie to protect her. My difficulty with True Blood is it is almost too over the top - ie. it suffers from the same problem as Glee - more interested in being satirical than in well grabbing my emotional interest. This is in part the fault of the source material - you can't take Sookie Stackhouse that seriously even in the novels...she makes Elena in Vamp Diaries seem like a genius in comparison. That said, there are things I enjoy about True Blood - even liked in the books, but I finally gave up on the books because the writing grated on my nerves. Harris sucks at dialogue, and we'll leave it at that.
Friday Night Light's - a tv show that centers on a high school football couch and his wife (who is a guidance counselor) in West Texas is possibly the best scripted television drama series that is not violent and does not center on cops, lawyers, or doctors. Although I'd say it's actually better than most of those. Beautifully written, acted, directed and produced, with a beautiful and quiet musical score - it is perfection. Never quite drops into melodrama. The only season that went off kilter may have been the second. But the last two have been almost perfect. It is one of the few tv shows that realistically portrays high school, sexism, racism and classism in the US. If you have not seen this gem, rent it. Of course, once you do, you'll look at other tv series in the same genre with a bit more of a critical edge.
One of the few shows that depicts minorities well, there a lot of key roles for Persons of Color specifically African Americans in this series. The quarterback for the fourth and fifth season, Vince Howard is African American, as is his girlfriend, who struggles because she loves the game of football but can't quite find a way of being involved with it that isn't demeaning. Football unfortunately is male dominated sport - women can't play it. We don't have female football teams that I'm aware of. It's one of the reasons I despise it. At least there are female boxers.
Not that I'm a fan of boxing either. Friday Night Lights does a beautiful job of depicting the best and worst of the game, why it is important to small towns in Texas, across the South and in Middle America. How it can enrich lives. It shows both sides. The show is not black or white,
it doesn't preach. The cinematography may well be the best that I've seen on Broadcast TV, and
is within the same standard as HBO.
Big Bang Theory - was hilarious this week. It isn't always. It does have it's cringeworthy episodes. I adore three of the female characters - Penny, Amy (Sheldon's girlfriend), and
Pria - the Indian Lawyer. Pria was hilarious this week - with how she tore apart Sheldon's roomate contract with Leonard, her significant other. And Jim Parson's Sheldon is becoming attractive, which is odd. I feel I've met these people, a rarity with situation comedies, and their rapid fire dialogue full of geek pop culture references makes me chortle with glee. This week, I got the added bonus of contract lingo - clearly the writers know something about contract law and lawyers.
Pria - in the contract agreement it says if you have to go to the bathroom and it is emergency the other roommate must yeild, but it is not specific.
Sheldon: Why does it have to be specific? Having to pee is clearly an emergency.
Pria - Leonard having to trim his nose hairs could be considered an emergency.
Sheldon: Not necessarily, since Leonard never does it, he's so short he doesn't think anyone will able to look up there and see them.
Pria (looking at Leonard and clearly contemplating why she's in relationship with him): Still, Leonard wins here because it is not specified, you have to specify what the emergency is, it's too broad. (This is sooo true.)
Later...when they are eating Greek food on Pizza night.
Sheldon: The contract clearly states Pizza night.
Pria: No, it states that you will do Pizza from Franconis. Didn't Franconi's go out of business?
Sheldon: Yes, but then we switched to Corconzi's (can't remember the name).
Pria: But did you do a referendum? Take votes? The contract specifies this must be done before switching. Since you didn't...you can eat whatever you want on this night.
Sheldon to Leonard: But don't you hate Greek food?
Leonard: Not as much as you do.
I also watched Grey's Anatomy - which isn't working for me at the moment, the story lines feel a bit contrived and over the top. More so than usual. I admittedly have a high tolerance for this sort of thing...but it's going through a slump. Let's face it - I watch the show primarily for Cristina Yang and she's been on back-burner status for far too long, so has Alex Kerev and
Chandra Wilson's Bailey. I love Callie and Arizona, don't get me wrong, but their story-line is a bit too melodramatic even for my taste. And don't get me started on what Kim Raver's character is doing. Granted, it probably doesn't help that I watched Friday Night Light's after it.
The Killing - I've given up on. Too bleak and noirish even for me. It's a show that just makes me incredibly tired. No idea what the Danish version was like, although from what my flist states - I'm guessing it at least had a sense of humor in clothing choices. This one is very understated and very bleak.
Upstairs/Downstairs Take 2 was not well done. The third episode did not work at all. Bad casting for King George - he looked exactly like the protagonist, and didn't have a stutter, resembled the head of the household/protagonist so closely in fact that I couldn't tell them apart at first. The sister, Lady Percy, made no sense. The storyline about the protagonist's sister was right out of a penny dreadful. Just didn't hold together and the only interesting characters were given short shrift. After watching Downton Abbey - I found Upstairs/Downstairs to be a bit of a mess.
Nikita - did this get renewed? Because it feels like they are trying to wrap up the entire series in one season. They are moving that fast. The first television version of La Femme Nikita, it took at least two seasons for Nikita and Michael to get together. Here it happens mid-season. Is it just me or have tv shows suddenly sped up their plot threads? Resolving threads that used to take forever in the space of five episodes? Remember how long it took for Buffy and Angel to get together? If that show was on now, I'm guessing we'd have had the whole Angelus arc in the first season. What is going here? Do they think the audience has attention deficit disorder? They may be right about that actually - considering how quickly people flip between things if they get bored.
At any rate - Nikita has to be the fastest moving version of the Nikita trope that I've seen to date. It makes Alias look rather plodding in comparison.
It's fun. Hard to take too seriously. But fun. Also I'm beginning to wonder if Shane West has tattooed eye liner on or has the same eyeliner artist as Spike did in S5. West's Michael seems to have one or two expressions and that's it. Granted he's more emotive than the other versions, but.
Still love Maggie Q and she has great chemistry with West. (It's worth noting that even though I watch a lot of tv shows on the CW - five at the moment - I don't and can't take any of them seriously, they are clearly targeting a young, 18-20 something demo, and as a result are fast paced, lacking in build-up, cast with incredibly pretty twenty and thirty-somethings who all look alike, and into sexual chemistry. If you're looking for depth - it ain't here. I consider the CW shows my guilty pleasure tv shows or cotton candy.)
Breaking In - a show that should be funny and isn't. It's Christian Slater's latest outting, proving once again that Slater like so many others of that generation can't quite cut it as an older actor. He was great in his early twenties and teens. Want to see some good Slater pics? Watch Heathers and Pump up the Volumn. I fell in love with him in Pump Up the Volumn. The show's about a bunch of theives hired by a crazy security guy portrayed by Slater - who has them test various company and government security systems by Breaking in. It's sort of a comedic version of Leverage, except Leverage is funnier and considering it is not a comedy that is saying something. Granted, I don't laugh at most situation comedies - so...it may be a subjective thing. But I found this thing to be silly in comparison to Big Bang. Probably shouldn't have watched Big Bang first.
Off to watch Doctor Who, I think. Not sure yet. Am taping it, and True Blood S3...although I think I missed the first couple of episodes. My first episode is the one where Sookie tries to shoot a werewolf and shoots Eric instead, insisting on going to find Bill - Eric sends Alicide with Sookie to protect her. My difficulty with True Blood is it is almost too over the top - ie. it suffers from the same problem as Glee - more interested in being satirical than in well grabbing my emotional interest. This is in part the fault of the source material - you can't take Sookie Stackhouse that seriously even in the novels...she makes Elena in Vamp Diaries seem like a genius in comparison. That said, there are things I enjoy about True Blood - even liked in the books, but I finally gave up on the books because the writing grated on my nerves. Harris sucks at dialogue, and we'll leave it at that.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 09:53 am (UTC)