(no subject)

[shadowkat]

Nice fall day...cool and crisp, and the downstairs neighbors finally cleaned up the moldy and now rotting pumpkin that was stinking up the curb. Thank you. One more day and I was going to do something about it. They tried to get the garbage people to pick it up as is, but the garbage people ignored it. No one wants poor moldy and now smashed and rotting pumpkin. But tis gone finally. Was making my allergies go crazy. So yay! No more moldy pumpkin.

Also managed to snag a 100 dollar shredder for 30 bucks at a stoop sale - four brownstones down from my apartment. Along with some new yarn from the knitting shop - tiny shop, but nice people. Yarn wickedly expensive though. I need a cheaper and more productive hobby - since all I've been able to make to date are scarves, hats and blankets. Mittens, gloves, socks and sweaters continue to elude me. Probably would help if I could read a pattern. Oh - according to the knitting shop? The penquins don't need sweaters any longer, apparently the climate is warm enough for them to live without sweaters. Shame, I think I could actually manage a penguin sweater.

Watched American Horror Story today, missed last week's episode and the show isn't nice enough to tell you what happened the previous weeks so you sort of have to guess. Or it did and the DVR didn't tape it. Very odd show, albeit not odd for Ryan Murphy or Ryan Murphy fans.

Police Detective (after playing tape by to Dylan McDermott's shrink): What do you have to say for yourself?
McDermott: Well you heard it, she did it to herself, I literally did nothing.
Police Detective: Yes, fortunately for you, it's not a crime to be an asshole.
Me: And fortunately for Ryan Murphy too, or he'd be in jail by now, along with 90% of Hollywood and the television industry.

It is a rather entertaining show even if the plot and dialogue often make no sense whatsoever, and the dramatic moments often feel like they come out of nowhere. There's one scene in which the girl, Dylan McDermott committed adultery with, pops up literally out of nowhere. She just shows up at his door one day, claiming she's pregnant and he has to be a father to her baby. [ETA: Apparently in the episode I missed, she'd called him and he rushed to Boston to hold her hand during her abortion, but then his wife called in a panic because deranged true crime fans invaded their house to kill his wife and daughter - so he rushed home, ignoring the pregnant girl.] I'm thinking...and this isn't a cliche? Also, whoa...you couldn't have worked up to this just a bit more? [you can't miss an episode with this thing]. He manages to calm her down and brush her off. But she pops up again towards the end of the show even more upset and insists on telling his wife and setting up house with him. And I'm thinking, this girl is so dead. Yep. Except not by Dylan McDermott, instead his friendly jogging partner the burned hobo man does it for him. [ETA: I don't know if this guy is alive or dead. Or what his agenda is. But apparently he doesn't want Dylan killing anyone. And according to people who saw the previous episode - the house or its co-horts saved the family. That's twice they've done that. First episode, the house and its co-horts saved Violet from the bully. And now they save Violet and Mom from the murderous invaders, murdering them and burying them in house. No wonder Violet doesn't want to leave.] Then they bury her in the same spot that his poor maid was buried. Shucks, says Jessica Lang's Constance, looks like you are stuck her for ever, as they watch McDermott cover the spot with concrete and build a gazebo on top of it. (Wait didn't they do the same thing in a Minette Walters Mystery?) I sort of feel sorry for the poor maid. [I think I've watched too many of these shows in my lifetime, I keep seeing all the references.]

The beginning made me wonder if Jessica Lange's Constance was dead too - a ghost, or alive and just nuts? I can't decide.
She's actually the best thing in this next to Connie Britton. Britton made me laugh out loud...she's clipping her bushes in the front yard when she discovers that her house is on the True Crime Murder Bus tour. She drops the shears. Next scene, we see on the bus tour ...doing quite well, until they hit her house - which is apparently entitled the murder house. Where she suffers some bleeding and freaks, afraid it is a miscarriage. So she races off the bus. The driver shouts, M'am, you can't go in there! And she screams back - it's my house! Anyhow, no such luck on the miscarriage, just a normal bit of bleeding. Nothing to get concerned about. But stress is bad in her condition - no moving (high stress - which is why I avoid it), no divorce, and
no ...I can't remember, but I'm sure living in a house with a malicious intentions towards its occupants is probably not a good idea. Too bad they can't get out of their house. In debt (from the insane move across the country and a bad financial consultant or so I gather), and the house is a bit of a lemon - even if the real estate industry wasn't bottoming out. The sort of house that would drive a realter to drink in a jiffy. Felt a bit sorry for the realtor. "I'd kill to live in a house like this, my apartment is 350 square feet with rats" (which is actually pretty tiny). (Me: Lady, unfortunately people have killed to live in that house or while in it. That's the problem.) [ETA: On the other hand...apparently the house is protecting the new inhabitants? Wondering if Vivian's baby is the house's?]

Sort of wish I'd seen last week's episode, spent a good portion of this week's curious about what happened last week to drive Vivian into wanting to leave the house. Apparently it was nothing all that spooky - just a home invasion by a bunch of deranged fans of the house. ie. People not ghosts. Wait until the ghosts get a bit more forward, then you might be missing the deranged fans. At least you can kill deranged fans, ghosts not so much. [ETA: as noted above, I got more information from friends who'd seen last week's episode. Apparently the deranged murder fans who were trying to recreate a murder than happened years ago in the house - a "HOSTEL" style murder of two women who were staying in the house when it was a "hostel" way back in the 70s or 60s. The psycho patient of Dylan McDermott who has befriended Violet, killed the deranged fans with a bit of assistance from the house, and they are now buried in the basement. Which I guess means we'll be seeing them again at some point. This is a pure serial, you can't miss an episode and it doesn't have previouslies or if it did I missed them.]


I may end up watching the rest of this series...the curiousity factor alone, it always pulls me in when it comes to Ryan Murphy. I just want to see how far he goes. [ETA: Even if the over-the-top nature of Murphy often results in a complete emotional disconnect. It's really hard to care about or like Murphy's characters. And they tend to be a bit on the whiny side of the fence.] I agree with the network guy, it's still relatively tame in comparison to Nip/Tuck, actually everything is relatively tame when it comes to Nip/Tuck, even Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. Also let's face it - tv is predictably safe at the moment. Not enough people take risks or do new things. So much of the stuff on is well interchangable. That's my problem with it. Oh well at least Charlie's Angel's got canceled. No such luck with The New Girl - that tv show predictably appears to have the same popularity level as Two and a Half Men. What can I say? Americans love crass sexual comedies. Must be something in the water? I drink bottled water because I have lead in my pipes so wouldn't know. So much popularity, the EW reported that Fox got in trouble for putting The New Girl on hiatus, people threw a hissy fit because they didn't get their 30 minutes of Zooey Deschanel acting like a nitwit, albeit a really pretty one. I knew it would do well. Sitcoms like that, which I personally find intensely painful to watch and beyond offensive, always appear to do really really well in the ratings. American's taste in comedy never fails to bewilder me. I will most likely die bewildered by it. ;-)

Comments

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

I've only caught New Girl once but it was very strange - on the one hand I don't understand the premise. A group of men, that we're told are straight, are obsessed with criticizing Zooey D's clothing and behaviour? And that's the show? And yet - the way she acts is exactly like a former co-worker of mine, right down to inflections and movement. She's very pretty, someone who looks like Uma Thurman yet dresses like a thrift store explosion, acts completely goofy and despite that is one of the most focussed and driven people I've ever met. So it's very odd to see the show but I can't imagine them doing anything as interesting with Zooey's character as my friend's actual life.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

There was an article in something - I think Metro - about the writer of the New Girl - who basically is the Zooey Deschanel character in real life. The writer and Zooey hit it off like bandits according to the article. (shrugs)

A friend of mine saw the show and told me, that we weren't the target audience. "Of course, you don't like it - you're too old for it. It's about 20somethings, not 40somethings, acting like nitwits. Totally wrong demo group. Same thing about the rom-com's out now - we aren't the audience. They are targeting the 18-34 year olds not the 35-50 year olds."

She's not wrong. These shows and the vast majority of people wandering around my neighborhood at the moment are beginning to make me feel old. Good thing most of my co-workers are 10-20 years older than me. Although it does present a bit of a culture shock.
No one at work watches anything but procedurals...and reality shows, everything is far too young for them.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I was catching up on American Horror Story this evening... and it is entertaining (I'm fast forwarding through the bits that seem too predictable to me)....
I'll probably continue watching it, just to see where they are going with this.

I found the ads for 'The New Girl' to be too shrill and ridiculous (unfunny from my POV), but as you say: I'm not the target audience. Of course I think that great comedies manage to be universal enough to attract everyone.... I think that Big Bang manages to his something more universal (or maybe I'm just enough of a nerd/geek to identify with it).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

My struggle with AHS is my does it keep me awake at night scare factor, if it keeps me awake, I'll stop watching. I'm weird with horror, some things bug me, some things don't. Stephen King rarely did. But Kubrick's Shining definitely did. Walking Dead doesn't bug me that much, nor does any of the gothic horror stuff or even Fringe's monster disease of the week - but I can't watch Criminal Minds and X-Files did bug me.

I found the ads for 'The New Girl' to be too shrill and ridiculous (unfunny from my POV), but as you say: I'm not the target audience.

It's not really written for us. Deschanel is 31 but she's playing 25. And the writer is either 28 or 31. So it's basically the people who are in their early 30s and late 20s. But then neither is Ringer or Secret Circle or Big Bang Theory - those are aimed at the 20-30 group...and I find all three entertaining, so there you go. Actually Buffy was targeted at tween girls and it was entertaining. So, I don't know.

I think it's just my sense of humor isn't exactly mainstream. Actually it's about as far from mainstream as you can get. I think Life of Brian, Avenue Que, and South Park are hilarious. And Louis had me in ribbons of laughter tonight. While New Girl - I couldn't delete fast enough. And you couldn't pay me to watch ratings darling Two and a Half Men.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

The more I see of American Horror story the better Ilike it. It's so over the top crazy that I'm totally willing to stick around to see where it leads.

The mistress did not come out of nowhere. the husband met with her last ep in the city to learn that shewas pregnant and to persuade her to have an abortion. Meanwhilen his wife and daughter were attacked by the manson girls who wanted to murder them. Instead the ghosts of the house (orassociates) murdered them gorily. It really makes sense for the wive that she does not want to live there anymore.

apparntly when he finally picks up his phone, the husband rushed back without a word to the mistress and no longer answers her calls.

The ghosts seem to want something of the family so they keep them from getting bloodily murdered or becoming murderers themselves.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

No way, you'd know this - but I got a private email from another friend who told me more or less the same thing. But thanks - it does explain a lot. Apparently the episode I missed had a lot of content in it. I haven't edited the post above...but I'm guessing I probably should, then again I did mention that I spent a good portion of the episode trying to figure out what I missed. (A previously would work really well here, assuming they care about picking up new viewers, I'm guessing not. It's a short series - will have it's finale in December, which explains the rapid fire pacing.)

The pacing still seems a bit off and more inclined towards shock value and piling in as much as he can into every frame - but that's Ryan Murphy. And this episode was a bit quieter and better paced than the pilot. And like I told embers, my difficulty with it has more to do with my own scare factor than anything else.

Have you watched Nip/Tuck?

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

I watched Nip/Tuck as well as Popular, I like his shows in general a lot. Nip/Tuck just got way to repetitive after a while. For three seasons or so it was great though. I love the humor and the deconstruction of the characters (allthough if you that you have to let them go at some point). And I like it those things about Horror Story too.

Also like the pacing. This is in the end cheap writing and it works best when it is fast paced. The show could never take the slow motion of BB or MM without becoming dull.