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TV Slut Report
[Can't decide what is worse the period before the job interview or the period after? The interview itself isn't such a big deal, but before you worry if you've prepared enough and after you worry if you screwed up. Right now, I've just about convinced myself I didn't get the job and will have to go through the whole thing again soon. As a result, I find myself feeling quite bristly and depressed this morning - much like the weather outside my window. Hoping mood clears up by 4pm - have a concert that I'm going to at Lincoln Center. It's free and I'm seeing it with the NYC Movie Critics Group I recently joined.
As an aside - you ever feel as if you have been thrown into a play, you don't know the lines, you don't know what role you are supposed to play, and feel as if you are just fumbling about making a complete and utter fool of yourself?]
Warning much snark below, because this is TV and I refuse to take it seriously. Plus TV is a safe topic to snark about, right? It's not like religion or politics? Okay, yes, I realize this is a niave and stupid statement coming from an individual who started her online writing career posting television essays to fanboards.
Well, I've watched this week's premieres more or less, only one I missed was the pilot for Friday Night Lights and well anything that is on the pay cable channels, a la Showtime and HBO - because even I can't watch everything. After awhile it all starts to become one big blur anyways. Plus I do not own a DVR or Tivo, nor can I tape anything any longer. Somewhat limited here.
What I did watch:
1. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - already discussed in a prior post. I'm worried about it.
Only three people on correspondence list besides myself are devoted. That is not good, since currently correspondence list's reactions to new series and the Neilsen's reactions to new series appear to be in synch. Frex - everyone online that watched the show the previous week, with four exceptions (myself included) was disappointed. Half did not try it a second week. (While they all came back for Heroes). Damn. Studio 60 is the only show on tv that does not have sex or violence featured as a plot point. Which begs the question: Can we watch something that is propelled purely by dialogue and not by sex and violence? (That's meant to be a rhetorical question by the way.)
2. Heroes - seen the episode twice now - at 7pm tonight, because there was zip else on. All I'll say is: It is not an series that improves on a second viewing. But don't worry about it - according to the entertainment mags - it's the next big hit - or this year's "Lost". People adore it. And Hiro? He's apparently the break-out performance this year or "pop culture" trend. The poster child for Geekdom - at least according to the mags. Heroes according to TV Guide spoilers - is supposed to get even better as we move forward. There's even a possibility that the evil super-powered serial killer is not who I think it is, which would be cool. Heck anything with Adrian Psdar in it, I'm willing to watch. And yes, I like Hiro too. Is there anyone out there who doesn't? It would be like not liking a puppy dog or something?
4. Veronica Mars - I enjoyed it. But - it had problems and I worry about its longevity. Granted, Rob Thomas is not good at introductions or summary episodes, and the man clearly hates exposition and/or wrapping up loose ends. Because, the Keith Mars subplot that hung over from last season, you know the one with Kendall Casablancas and the suitcase? I needed the internet to explain it to me or rather numerous people sharing what they picked up. Not one person - but several different posters. The fact it took ten or fifteen people exchanging information in two discussion threads on two different lj's for me to figure out what actually did happen (and I still might have a few facts off), should tell you something right there.
Here's what I managed to get from the online crowd: ( specifically![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
coffeeandink, Masq, and herself_nyc's lj's, thanks guys, because I was as lost as you were) :
Kendall and Cormac Casablancas did a con/scam together. Kendall served time in lieu of acting as a witness against him. She got out earlier than he did. He was up for parole soon. Cormac was the brother of Liam Forsythe. The nasty Irish drug dealers who Thumper was working with last season. You remember Thumper? He got blown up in the stadium and Weevil was arrested for his disappearance? Thumper was responsible for framing Logan for Felix's murder. Felix had been dating the Sister of the Forsythe's. Thumper killed Felix and was in deep with the Forsythe's. At the end of last season, Keith and Veronica were investigating Kendall and the Forsythe's because they thought Kendall and Liam may have sent the bus over the cliff - Kendall had the opportunity and could collect on Beaver and Dick's life insurance. Except that Dick and Beaver weren't on the bus and someone clearly found a way to get them off before it crashed. Beaver and Kendall had gone into business together. Beaver for reasons I never understood, put the business in Kendall's name - so upon Beaver's death - she got all his money. About 8 million. At the end of last season, Kendall showed up at Keith's with a suitcase. Keith stood his daughter up at the airport for whatever was in the suitcase.
Thomas - in typical Thomas fashion - does not show us what happened or what was in the suit-case.
He was a little less oblique and vague in S2's opener. Yes, I admire a writer who thinks his audience is smart and savvy, but there is such a thing as clarity of narrative. As you may or may not have guessed by now, I can figure out most convoluted storylines. This one had me confused. I needed help.
Anyhow - apparently it was Beaver's 8 mill in the suitcase - Kendall was offering Keith a percentage if he helped her with Cormac. She needed his help, so that she and Cormac could run off with the money - without Liam attempting to take a slice of the pie. Vinnie meanwhile comes to Keith's office about working on a case to hunt someone down. Keith says he's busy with his bail-jumper (which is a cover for the deal he has with Kendall). Vinnie sneaks his pen into Keith's possession. Keith picks up Cormac at the prison and takes him to Kendall out in the desert somewhere. Kendall and Cormac have a reunion. (And some people watched this episode enough times to actually notice that Charisma looked pudgy in the scene - we saw her for two seconds. Or I missed something.) Keith runs back to his car, discovers Vinnie's pen and his gun missing from its holster in the glove compartment. Keith mutters - "Vinnie, don't tell me you were working for Liam", he runs back to the house - sees Cormac shoot two rounds into the bedroom. Cormac sees Keith, fires at Keith, Keith ducks behind a few rocks, holding his arm or leg. And Cormac says he'll hunt his corspe tomorrow.
The problem with the subplot - which would have been clearer if it were the only mystery we had to figure out or was at least directly linked to whatever Veronica was doing - was this subplot was threaded or cut within the VM mystery and the Logan/Dick story. The Logan/Dick - VM stories actually coincide. Keith's seemed like we were watching another show or rather it reminded me of when I was attempting to flip between VM and Lost last year and got predictably confused. Last season Thomas struggled with the transistions between Keith and Veronica's mysteries a bit as well. It's why the pacing got so slow at times and the story got muddled. It worked fine when the two stories jivved. Not when they had zip to do with each other. The first season this was not a problem - since Keith's mystery and Veronica's were more or less one and the same.
I liked the rest of VM. Logan/Veronica doesn't bug me, we don't get enough of it to become boring and I really like the chemistry between the two characters. I also enjoy snarky banter. But I will be shocked if it lasts. Very few TV writers know how to write interesting long-lasting romantic relationships - they all fall into the trap of splitting the two leads up to ensure friction. It's a cheap trick, but they all do it. Whedon liked to call it the Sam/Diane dilemma. His solution was to keep the two characters apart by contriving some sort of insurmountable obstacle, which is the daytime soap opera tatic and the comic book one. Not sure what Thomas will do. Some people online apparently dislike the relationship - for reasons that don't make a lot of sense to me. But then I don't see Veronica as necessarily heroic or for that matter a better person than Logan - she's a bit of a noir heroine to me. Edgy. With sharp edges. And ambiguous motives. Somewhat opportunistic. Fallible. And very realistic. Far more so than most TV heroes. And I think Logan is her match - or counter-point. The only other guy I'd put her with is Weevil, who I adore, but I can't see that happening. And I really don't see VM with Piz, who just makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong - I find him interesting as a new character, but not as a romantic interest.
New characters? Too soon to tell. Jackie grew on me last year. Really liked her mid-season. Sort of miss her now. The teacher? Please ghod do not make him the bad guy - it would just be too cliche for words. Plus, obvious. I mean if you want to make this guy a villain, don't cast a guy who plays villians. Cast someone like Steve Guttenberg - who no one would expect.
Enjoyable, just confusing and slow in places. VM is an odd show - it tends to pick up steam for me later in the season, the first five episodes? I tend to be ambivalent about. This worries me, since VM only got 13 this year. This show needs more than 13. [Am wondering if VM may work better on DVD as a telenovela? People who've watched the DVD's seem to react differently than those of us who watch it as it is broadcast.]
4. Lost - Not sure how long I'm going to stick with Lost for numerous reasons - the main one being that most of the social groups I've joined like to do things on Wedensdays. The other - well, see behind the spoiler cut.
While I'm not surprised or really that disappointed by this week's reveal - more or less predicted it last season. It's a social psychology experiment gone bonkers. Or basically Jim Jones meets the social psychologists from hell in M N. Shyalaman's The Village by way of Lord of The Flies. Saw that coming for quite some time. Henry Gale more or less telegraphed that set-up last season with his psychiatric mind-games. And being somewhat fascinated by psychology, I sort of like that set-up. (I have a love/hate relationship with psychology). No, I'm just tired of watching people put in cages and boxes and being tortured with no end in sight. I find it frustrating to watch and want to kill the torturers. What is it about our society right now that we like to watch or create horror tales about what has recently been termed "claustrophobic cruelty" - a nice euphemism for torture? Is it the war in Iraq that is prompting this current trend? (ie. We know it is happening in reality and are trying to handle our quilt and fears regarding it through science fiction and horror films?)Video games? At any rate it's getting disturbing and I'm not sure I can watch much more of it.I'm frustrated enough as it is about the Iraq War and the torturing of suspected terrorists by my government. Actions I was not in support of, voted against, and have not condoned in any way. The idea of being locked in a room and tortured is in some ways my worst nightmare - and one of the reasons I worked in criminal defense while in law school.
Anyhow - Half-way through the episode, I wanted to drive a two-by-four through the blond shrink, Juliet's head almost as much as Jack did. And I'm not that crazy about Jack. The character lacks a sense of humor, he honestly needs to lighten up. So for that matter does Kate. I much preferred Ana Lucia, who actually did have a sense of humor. Swayer made me laugh - he's actually looking at the whole deal as somewhat amusing and of the three - he's been treated the worse. At least Kate and Jack got some food, not to mention a shower. Sawyer got an animal biscuit he shared with Kate. Jack's story? Boring. Somewhat cliche. And not all that revealing. While I find the social psychology experiment gone haywire storyline interesting, the psychoanalysis bit is getting on my nerves.
Will probably check out next week's - since it focuses on Lock and the rest of the islanders - the one's I'm actually interested in such as Jin, Sun, Sayhid, Desmond, Lock, Echo, and Hurly. The only one in this week's episode I cared about was Sawyer. Sure he's a jerk, but at least he's a funny jerk. The nice thing about Lost - is they usually get the Jack/Kate episodes out of the way early on.
5. The Nine - not bad. But not something that's going to keep me home or awake on Wed nights either. And next week - watching the Project Runway finale. I skipped the reunion. I don't need to watch tv to see people cut each other into ribbons. But am very curious to see who wins out of the finale four, especially now that I've seen everyone's runway shows. Personally? I'd pick either Laura or Uli, but I'm betting the judges pick Jeffrey - who of the four seems to have the most versatile look. Sorry, I should be talking about the Nine not PR here. Which may tell you something. The Nine was interesting. It reminded me a great deal of Spike Lee's The Inside Man. Except I liked the Inside Man a bit more.
Wasn't surprised about who got killed - was more or less telegraphed in the opening segment. I'm curious about what happened to the teenage girl (although can pretty much guess - there's a limited number of things that would cause her father to go into shock and the girl to pretend/or actually forget everything). The cop and DA have some interesting chemistry, but I find the DA more interesting and wish I'd gotten more of her story before she went into the bank. That's the problem with the Nine - they did not give us enough of these people's lives before they entered the bank - so we really have no clue how the heist changed them. We have an inkling. But not enough of one to care. Just a sketch.
That said, it is pretty suspenseful. The only lags were when they got together those two times - the funeral and the diner.
Don't know. Feels over-hyped to me. Making me wonder if the TV critics are out of touch with the audience? The critics applaud the Nine and Studio 60 as the best shows to watch and were ambivalent about Heroes. While Heroes feels more like a break-out hit.
6. Grey's Anatomy - remains my comfort show. Watching Grey's feels a bit like drinking a glass of ice cold water on a hot sweaty day or just snuggling up with coco in front of fire while it is snowing outside. It's refreshingly simple and comforting. And one of the few shows in which I like most if not all of the characters. Okay, I do like Derek, just not when he's being McDreamy or Meredith's love interest. The character is annoying as Meredith's love interest and I'm currently rooting for Finn in that love triangel, even though I know he won't win since he's not a main character. Question: Is it just me or do Finn, McDreamy, and McSteamy all look a bit alike? Also, if you had to choose which one to hop into bed with - who would you go for? Me? McSteamy or uhm Dr. Sloan - no contest. I'd rather watch McSteamy (sorry, Dr. Sloan) and Addison together than Derek and Meredith. I like Addison more than Meredith. Meredith is starting to get on my nerves. Actually maybe Derek and Meredith should end up together...
I'm love Grey's for Christina (who makes me laugh), Alex, Izzy, George, Callie, the Chief, Dr. Sloan, Burke, Bailey, and Addison. That's why I watch it. And this episode was more enjoyable the last two partly because it focused more on these characters and less on Meredith.
7. BattleStar Galatica - still packs a punch. And watching the websoides did help.
I liked aspects of it. The Starbuck(kara Thrace)/Leoben storyline is going to get on my nerves soon.
I'm not sure I can handle an entire season of Starbuck/Leoben. Partly because it feels like they've and this will sound odd, emasculated the character - took away her chutzpah or that portion of her character that I adored. I'm not enjoying watching her play housewife with the fanatical cylon she tortured in the first season. I enjoy Kara best when she's fighting, nose to nose, pushing past the envelope. Here she feels somewhat subdued. The storyline also feels vaguely chauvinistic and patriarchial in character - not misogynistic, that's different. Just a feeling of putting the girl in her place - you are a mother, a breeder, a housewife, not a fighter pilot, not a strong woman. It annoys me. And since Starbuck was one of my favorite characters on the series - I may not be able to watch what the writers have decided to do with her. Not saying it was a bad choice, just not one I may want to bother watching. So we'll see. Plus - Friday's is the other night of the week several of the social groups I've joined want to do things. Let's face it - I can always catch up with BSG through netflix.
What I did like? Adama and Lee - that is an interesting storyline. Lee giving up. He doesn't want to be solider. He doesn't want to fight. So he gives up, becomes soft in the head and soft in the body, yet remains hard in the heart - unable to connect to the people he loves most in the world and settling for those he can get some comfort from. The fact that the show went so far as to make Jaime Bamber, an attractive thin actor, heavy-set in the show as a metaphor for his mental and emotional condition was an interesting move. Also liked Roslyn, Tigh, Ellen, Callie, Chief, and Gaius - their stories remain ambiguously interentsing. As does Sharon's. I could use less of the torturing people in boxes deal, but I already discussed my reasons for that in the Lost post. And I'll give BSG credit - not showing us the actual torture, just its aftermath was a wise move.
I am hoping Richard Hatch's character survives this week's episode. He was just starting to get interesting and I find his interaction with Roslyn at this stage ironic. Loved their exchange - "I hear you tried to steal the election, was that true?" Rosyln: "Yep. I did." Hatch:"Wish you'd gone through with it." Rosyln, "so do I." LOL!
Outside of the Starbuck story, not too many complaints. The show has gotten a tad grim though. It really needs some humor. The first season had humor. The last two...not so much.
[Updated: For a truly excellent analysis of this episode go here: http://coffeeandink.livejournal.com/636582.html?style=mine#cutid1.
Coffeeandink really points out how the episode works and why the writers chose to do what they did. Reading it changed my mind.]
8. I also watched Nip/Tuck - I enjoyed Rosie O'Donnell's storyline, who according to an interview more or less played herself in it. She said during the sex scene she was blown away by how attractive Julian McMahon was. Rosie's gay, just in case you're wondering.
She said, I had a tub top on and shorts and he showed up with nothing but a sock covering his penis and looked like he'd been carved from marble. I reportedly said something to the effect:"Oh my God, You're Superman!" Then feeling bad for him, I took off my top and let my boobs show. Go, Rosie.
Anyhow - the other bit that amused me was the Scientologists who beat up the Deprogrammers.
LOL! Such a shout-out to the anti-religious cult films of the late 70's/early 80's. Highly amusing.
Outside of that? Not really that thrilled. Find the storylines somewhat repetitive of what they'd done before. And yep, Christian is right, Matt is only doing the Scientology thing to get into Kimber's pants.
As an aside - you ever feel as if you have been thrown into a play, you don't know the lines, you don't know what role you are supposed to play, and feel as if you are just fumbling about making a complete and utter fool of yourself?]
Warning much snark below, because this is TV and I refuse to take it seriously. Plus TV is a safe topic to snark about, right? It's not like religion or politics? Okay, yes, I realize this is a niave and stupid statement coming from an individual who started her online writing career posting television essays to fanboards.
Well, I've watched this week's premieres more or less, only one I missed was the pilot for Friday Night Lights and well anything that is on the pay cable channels, a la Showtime and HBO - because even I can't watch everything. After awhile it all starts to become one big blur anyways. Plus I do not own a DVR or Tivo, nor can I tape anything any longer. Somewhat limited here.
What I did watch:
1. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - already discussed in a prior post. I'm worried about it.
Only three people on correspondence list besides myself are devoted. That is not good, since currently correspondence list's reactions to new series and the Neilsen's reactions to new series appear to be in synch. Frex - everyone online that watched the show the previous week, with four exceptions (myself included) was disappointed. Half did not try it a second week. (While they all came back for Heroes). Damn. Studio 60 is the only show on tv that does not have sex or violence featured as a plot point. Which begs the question: Can we watch something that is propelled purely by dialogue and not by sex and violence? (That's meant to be a rhetorical question by the way.)
2. Heroes - seen the episode twice now - at 7pm tonight, because there was zip else on. All I'll say is: It is not an series that improves on a second viewing. But don't worry about it - according to the entertainment mags - it's the next big hit - or this year's "Lost". People adore it. And Hiro? He's apparently the break-out performance this year or "pop culture" trend. The poster child for Geekdom - at least according to the mags. Heroes according to TV Guide spoilers - is supposed to get even better as we move forward. There's even a possibility that the evil super-powered serial killer is not who I think it is, which would be cool. Heck anything with Adrian Psdar in it, I'm willing to watch. And yes, I like Hiro too. Is there anyone out there who doesn't? It would be like not liking a puppy dog or something?
4. Veronica Mars - I enjoyed it. But - it had problems and I worry about its longevity. Granted, Rob Thomas is not good at introductions or summary episodes, and the man clearly hates exposition and/or wrapping up loose ends. Because, the Keith Mars subplot that hung over from last season, you know the one with Kendall Casablancas and the suitcase? I needed the internet to explain it to me or rather numerous people sharing what they picked up. Not one person - but several different posters. The fact it took ten or fifteen people exchanging information in two discussion threads on two different lj's for me to figure out what actually did happen (and I still might have a few facts off), should tell you something right there.
Here's what I managed to get from the online crowd: ( specifically
coffeeandink, Masq, and herself_nyc's lj's, thanks guys, because I was as lost as you were) : Kendall and Cormac Casablancas did a con/scam together. Kendall served time in lieu of acting as a witness against him. She got out earlier than he did. He was up for parole soon. Cormac was the brother of Liam Forsythe. The nasty Irish drug dealers who Thumper was working with last season. You remember Thumper? He got blown up in the stadium and Weevil was arrested for his disappearance? Thumper was responsible for framing Logan for Felix's murder. Felix had been dating the Sister of the Forsythe's. Thumper killed Felix and was in deep with the Forsythe's. At the end of last season, Keith and Veronica were investigating Kendall and the Forsythe's because they thought Kendall and Liam may have sent the bus over the cliff - Kendall had the opportunity and could collect on Beaver and Dick's life insurance. Except that Dick and Beaver weren't on the bus and someone clearly found a way to get them off before it crashed. Beaver and Kendall had gone into business together. Beaver for reasons I never understood, put the business in Kendall's name - so upon Beaver's death - she got all his money. About 8 million. At the end of last season, Kendall showed up at Keith's with a suitcase. Keith stood his daughter up at the airport for whatever was in the suitcase.
Thomas - in typical Thomas fashion - does not show us what happened or what was in the suit-case.
He was a little less oblique and vague in S2's opener. Yes, I admire a writer who thinks his audience is smart and savvy, but there is such a thing as clarity of narrative. As you may or may not have guessed by now, I can figure out most convoluted storylines. This one had me confused. I needed help.
Anyhow - apparently it was Beaver's 8 mill in the suitcase - Kendall was offering Keith a percentage if he helped her with Cormac. She needed his help, so that she and Cormac could run off with the money - without Liam attempting to take a slice of the pie. Vinnie meanwhile comes to Keith's office about working on a case to hunt someone down. Keith says he's busy with his bail-jumper (which is a cover for the deal he has with Kendall). Vinnie sneaks his pen into Keith's possession. Keith picks up Cormac at the prison and takes him to Kendall out in the desert somewhere. Kendall and Cormac have a reunion. (And some people watched this episode enough times to actually notice that Charisma looked pudgy in the scene - we saw her for two seconds. Or I missed something.) Keith runs back to his car, discovers Vinnie's pen and his gun missing from its holster in the glove compartment. Keith mutters - "Vinnie, don't tell me you were working for Liam", he runs back to the house - sees Cormac shoot two rounds into the bedroom. Cormac sees Keith, fires at Keith, Keith ducks behind a few rocks, holding his arm or leg. And Cormac says he'll hunt his corspe tomorrow.
The problem with the subplot - which would have been clearer if it were the only mystery we had to figure out or was at least directly linked to whatever Veronica was doing - was this subplot was threaded or cut within the VM mystery and the Logan/Dick story. The Logan/Dick - VM stories actually coincide. Keith's seemed like we were watching another show or rather it reminded me of when I was attempting to flip between VM and Lost last year and got predictably confused. Last season Thomas struggled with the transistions between Keith and Veronica's mysteries a bit as well. It's why the pacing got so slow at times and the story got muddled. It worked fine when the two stories jivved. Not when they had zip to do with each other. The first season this was not a problem - since Keith's mystery and Veronica's were more or less one and the same.
I liked the rest of VM. Logan/Veronica doesn't bug me, we don't get enough of it to become boring and I really like the chemistry between the two characters. I also enjoy snarky banter. But I will be shocked if it lasts. Very few TV writers know how to write interesting long-lasting romantic relationships - they all fall into the trap of splitting the two leads up to ensure friction. It's a cheap trick, but they all do it. Whedon liked to call it the Sam/Diane dilemma. His solution was to keep the two characters apart by contriving some sort of insurmountable obstacle, which is the daytime soap opera tatic and the comic book one. Not sure what Thomas will do. Some people online apparently dislike the relationship - for reasons that don't make a lot of sense to me. But then I don't see Veronica as necessarily heroic or for that matter a better person than Logan - she's a bit of a noir heroine to me. Edgy. With sharp edges. And ambiguous motives. Somewhat opportunistic. Fallible. And very realistic. Far more so than most TV heroes. And I think Logan is her match - or counter-point. The only other guy I'd put her with is Weevil, who I adore, but I can't see that happening. And I really don't see VM with Piz, who just makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong - I find him interesting as a new character, but not as a romantic interest.
New characters? Too soon to tell. Jackie grew on me last year. Really liked her mid-season. Sort of miss her now. The teacher? Please ghod do not make him the bad guy - it would just be too cliche for words. Plus, obvious. I mean if you want to make this guy a villain, don't cast a guy who plays villians. Cast someone like Steve Guttenberg - who no one would expect.
Enjoyable, just confusing and slow in places. VM is an odd show - it tends to pick up steam for me later in the season, the first five episodes? I tend to be ambivalent about. This worries me, since VM only got 13 this year. This show needs more than 13. [Am wondering if VM may work better on DVD as a telenovela? People who've watched the DVD's seem to react differently than those of us who watch it as it is broadcast.]
4. Lost - Not sure how long I'm going to stick with Lost for numerous reasons - the main one being that most of the social groups I've joined like to do things on Wedensdays. The other - well, see behind the spoiler cut.
While I'm not surprised or really that disappointed by this week's reveal - more or less predicted it last season. It's a social psychology experiment gone bonkers. Or basically Jim Jones meets the social psychologists from hell in M N. Shyalaman's The Village by way of Lord of The Flies. Saw that coming for quite some time. Henry Gale more or less telegraphed that set-up last season with his psychiatric mind-games. And being somewhat fascinated by psychology, I sort of like that set-up. (I have a love/hate relationship with psychology). No, I'm just tired of watching people put in cages and boxes and being tortured with no end in sight. I find it frustrating to watch and want to kill the torturers. What is it about our society right now that we like to watch or create horror tales about what has recently been termed "claustrophobic cruelty" - a nice euphemism for torture? Is it the war in Iraq that is prompting this current trend? (ie. We know it is happening in reality and are trying to handle our quilt and fears regarding it through science fiction and horror films?)Video games? At any rate it's getting disturbing and I'm not sure I can watch much more of it.I'm frustrated enough as it is about the Iraq War and the torturing of suspected terrorists by my government. Actions I was not in support of, voted against, and have not condoned in any way. The idea of being locked in a room and tortured is in some ways my worst nightmare - and one of the reasons I worked in criminal defense while in law school.
Anyhow - Half-way through the episode, I wanted to drive a two-by-four through the blond shrink, Juliet's head almost as much as Jack did. And I'm not that crazy about Jack. The character lacks a sense of humor, he honestly needs to lighten up. So for that matter does Kate. I much preferred Ana Lucia, who actually did have a sense of humor. Swayer made me laugh - he's actually looking at the whole deal as somewhat amusing and of the three - he's been treated the worse. At least Kate and Jack got some food, not to mention a shower. Sawyer got an animal biscuit he shared with Kate. Jack's story? Boring. Somewhat cliche. And not all that revealing. While I find the social psychology experiment gone haywire storyline interesting, the psychoanalysis bit is getting on my nerves.
Will probably check out next week's - since it focuses on Lock and the rest of the islanders - the one's I'm actually interested in such as Jin, Sun, Sayhid, Desmond, Lock, Echo, and Hurly. The only one in this week's episode I cared about was Sawyer. Sure he's a jerk, but at least he's a funny jerk. The nice thing about Lost - is they usually get the Jack/Kate episodes out of the way early on.
5. The Nine - not bad. But not something that's going to keep me home or awake on Wed nights either. And next week - watching the Project Runway finale. I skipped the reunion. I don't need to watch tv to see people cut each other into ribbons. But am very curious to see who wins out of the finale four, especially now that I've seen everyone's runway shows. Personally? I'd pick either Laura or Uli, but I'm betting the judges pick Jeffrey - who of the four seems to have the most versatile look. Sorry, I should be talking about the Nine not PR here. Which may tell you something. The Nine was interesting. It reminded me a great deal of Spike Lee's The Inside Man. Except I liked the Inside Man a bit more.
Wasn't surprised about who got killed - was more or less telegraphed in the opening segment. I'm curious about what happened to the teenage girl (although can pretty much guess - there's a limited number of things that would cause her father to go into shock and the girl to pretend/or actually forget everything). The cop and DA have some interesting chemistry, but I find the DA more interesting and wish I'd gotten more of her story before she went into the bank. That's the problem with the Nine - they did not give us enough of these people's lives before they entered the bank - so we really have no clue how the heist changed them. We have an inkling. But not enough of one to care. Just a sketch.
That said, it is pretty suspenseful. The only lags were when they got together those two times - the funeral and the diner.
Don't know. Feels over-hyped to me. Making me wonder if the TV critics are out of touch with the audience? The critics applaud the Nine and Studio 60 as the best shows to watch and were ambivalent about Heroes. While Heroes feels more like a break-out hit.
6. Grey's Anatomy - remains my comfort show. Watching Grey's feels a bit like drinking a glass of ice cold water on a hot sweaty day or just snuggling up with coco in front of fire while it is snowing outside. It's refreshingly simple and comforting. And one of the few shows in which I like most if not all of the characters. Okay, I do like Derek, just not when he's being McDreamy or Meredith's love interest. The character is annoying as Meredith's love interest and I'm currently rooting for Finn in that love triangel, even though I know he won't win since he's not a main character. Question: Is it just me or do Finn, McDreamy, and McSteamy all look a bit alike? Also, if you had to choose which one to hop into bed with - who would you go for? Me? McSteamy or uhm Dr. Sloan - no contest. I'd rather watch McSteamy (sorry, Dr. Sloan) and Addison together than Derek and Meredith. I like Addison more than Meredith. Meredith is starting to get on my nerves. Actually maybe Derek and Meredith should end up together...
I'm love Grey's for Christina (who makes me laugh), Alex, Izzy, George, Callie, the Chief, Dr. Sloan, Burke, Bailey, and Addison. That's why I watch it. And this episode was more enjoyable the last two partly because it focused more on these characters and less on Meredith.
7. BattleStar Galatica - still packs a punch. And watching the websoides did help.
I liked aspects of it. The Starbuck(kara Thrace)/Leoben storyline is going to get on my nerves soon.
I'm not sure I can handle an entire season of Starbuck/Leoben. Partly because it feels like they've and this will sound odd, emasculated the character - took away her chutzpah or that portion of her character that I adored. I'm not enjoying watching her play housewife with the fanatical cylon she tortured in the first season. I enjoy Kara best when she's fighting, nose to nose, pushing past the envelope. Here she feels somewhat subdued. The storyline also feels vaguely chauvinistic and patriarchial in character - not misogynistic, that's different. Just a feeling of putting the girl in her place - you are a mother, a breeder, a housewife, not a fighter pilot, not a strong woman. It annoys me. And since Starbuck was one of my favorite characters on the series - I may not be able to watch what the writers have decided to do with her. Not saying it was a bad choice, just not one I may want to bother watching. So we'll see. Plus - Friday's is the other night of the week several of the social groups I've joined want to do things. Let's face it - I can always catch up with BSG through netflix.
What I did like? Adama and Lee - that is an interesting storyline. Lee giving up. He doesn't want to be solider. He doesn't want to fight. So he gives up, becomes soft in the head and soft in the body, yet remains hard in the heart - unable to connect to the people he loves most in the world and settling for those he can get some comfort from. The fact that the show went so far as to make Jaime Bamber, an attractive thin actor, heavy-set in the show as a metaphor for his mental and emotional condition was an interesting move. Also liked Roslyn, Tigh, Ellen, Callie, Chief, and Gaius - their stories remain ambiguously interentsing. As does Sharon's. I could use less of the torturing people in boxes deal, but I already discussed my reasons for that in the Lost post. And I'll give BSG credit - not showing us the actual torture, just its aftermath was a wise move.
I am hoping Richard Hatch's character survives this week's episode. He was just starting to get interesting and I find his interaction with Roslyn at this stage ironic. Loved their exchange - "I hear you tried to steal the election, was that true?" Rosyln: "Yep. I did." Hatch:"Wish you'd gone through with it." Rosyln, "so do I." LOL!
Outside of the Starbuck story, not too many complaints. The show has gotten a tad grim though. It really needs some humor. The first season had humor. The last two...not so much.
[Updated: For a truly excellent analysis of this episode go here: http://coffeeandink.livejournal.com/636582.html?style=mine#cutid1.
Coffeeandink really points out how the episode works and why the writers chose to do what they did. Reading it changed my mind.]
8. I also watched Nip/Tuck - I enjoyed Rosie O'Donnell's storyline, who according to an interview more or less played herself in it. She said during the sex scene she was blown away by how attractive Julian McMahon was. Rosie's gay, just in case you're wondering.
She said, I had a tub top on and shorts and he showed up with nothing but a sock covering his penis and looked like he'd been carved from marble. I reportedly said something to the effect:"Oh my God, You're Superman!" Then feeling bad for him, I took off my top and let my boobs show. Go, Rosie.
Anyhow - the other bit that amused me was the Scientologists who beat up the Deprogrammers.
LOL! Such a shout-out to the anti-religious cult films of the late 70's/early 80's. Highly amusing.
Outside of that? Not really that thrilled. Find the storylines somewhat repetitive of what they'd done before. And yep, Christian is right, Matt is only doing the Scientology thing to get into Kimber's pants.
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Yes, only the family name is Fitzpatrick. They're nicknamed the Fighting Fitzpatricks. The girl Felix had been secretly dating was Molly Fitzpatrick.
Kendall and Cormac Casablancas did a con/scam together. Kendall served time in lieu of acting as a witness against him.
I think you meant Cormac Fitzpatrick. Richard Casablancas was Kendall's husband.
Beaver for reasons I never understood, put the business in Kendall's name - so upon Beaver's death - she got all his money.
Beaver put the company under Kendall's name because Beaver wasn't 18 yet; as a minor, he couldn't own a company.
*crossing fingers* I hope Studio 60 and VMars do okay!
no subject
Love your Studio 60 icon, by the way!
And yep, am also praying they survive, they are unlike anything on tv at the moment.
BSG
Rufus
Re: BSG
Re: BSG
I figured her spirit wasn't broken, I thought she was just 'playing along' waiting for her chance....(I'm sure the sounds of the insurgents helps her to not lose hope).