(no subject)

[shadowkat]

Times Square has turned itself into a marketing and advertising mecca. First a flash mob dance routine from West Side Story to sell the 50th Anniversary DVD, now an Nintendo Mario Brothers Playground - advertising the release of the new DVD. And it is littered with bizarre stores like Hersheys, Pop Tarts (looks like a giant Pop Tart), M&M's (yes a store dedicated to nothing but M&Ms), amongst others. Damn place is wall to wall marketing and ads. It's like being blasted with media from all directions. Wasn't always like this - this is a new phenomena.

Finished watching the last few episodes of American Horror Story, Covert Affairs and
Secret Circle. Oddly, I enjoyed Secret Circle the most - it intrigued me the most at any rate.

American Horror Story - feels a bit too over-the-top. At one point, I was basically ticking off on my fingers all the horror tales that Murphy and Falchuck were referencing: 1) Sometimes They Come Back (about the kids who get killed, come back and hunt down the guy who kills them for revenge - a Stephen King short story and I may be wrong about that summary) meets The Breakfast Club meets Columbine...and Sixth Sense thrown into a blender. 2)Urban legends, Rosemary's Baby, the Omen, all in one episode. Add to that Eating Raol and various other tales about women being pregnant with a monster and wanting to eat raw meat. You feel a bit overwhelmed by the stories and sort of lose track of the characters or any reason to care. This is my difficulty with Murphy - he has no limits or ability to edit. This actually wouldn't be a bad show and quite scary in places - if someone would only edit him a little and get him to focus on one thing instead of throw every thing into the works.

Secret Circle - reminds me of something...that I've seen before but can't remember. I like the mystery at the center of it.
John Blackwell who is Cassie's father, and I'm guessing Faye's as well. Faye is the only who makes sense. I was disappointed by the plot twist. Was sort of hoping the head witch-hunter was actually Blackwell and Cassie's Dad. But I guess that would be pushing logic a bit, since the others saw Blackwell die. Instead it is that Cassie has a sister. And we're told who it is - in two clues: 1) Cassie was able to see what Faye did - the ghost of her younger self. And 2) Jean, Cassie's grandmother who thinks she's back in time and Cassie is really Emilia, looks at Dawn and says she has a thing for bad-boy John Blackwell as well. Which perks up Gale Harrold's interest.

Jake meanwhile helps Cassie decipher the document Calvin gave her - this document provides her with her family tree - and the name of her father Blackwell - so it is his family tree and he's descended from a family of black magic practioners, their magic is very dark.

The Witch Hunter's don't want to kill Cassie but take her away from Chance Harbor before it is too late, yet this isn't totally clear. And since they knock out Jake..
Jake believes their motives are a bit more nefarious after all. He has developed feelings for the pert blond.

Lots going on under the surface. Doesn't quite have the same pacing as Vamp Diaries yet, but does have potential. Sticking with it for now.



Covert Affairs was fun. The characters and actors in this are likable.
And the plots interesting and fairly realistic. One of the better procedurals on at the moment.

Comments

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Hm, I kind of like the insane mix of AHS. It really gives you what the title promises and it's the wild blend that makes it interesting to me.

The stories are not original and if you only steal one or two per episode you get early season's Supernatural (where there were usually 5 to 10 min interesting interaction between the boys and the rest a plot that was best ignored).

Here there are so many of those stories on top of it that the ghoststories are starting to become completely normal (like when Violet runs into the cellar and right away meets like 7 different ghosts that live there). The underlying story of the house is still lurking in the shadows though.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

The difficulty I have with Ryan/Brad team (this excludes Popular which was only Ryan Murphy) is that once you pull back from the insane mix, there isn't really anything underneath. I've noticed this in Glee as well - the decorations (ie. the musical numbers in Glee, the ghosts and haunted house in AHS) are more interesting than
the characters or story, which as you state..are neither that original nor very interesting. Also..Falchuck/Murphy seem to be obsessed with sexual infidelity.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Hm, I think Murphy is a bit Brechty in the sense that he does not at all write likeable characters. His main statement is that humans are ugly. Like Brecht (erst kommt das fressen und dann die moral, first comes the food, then the morals) he writes about the pretty ugly traits that are inside everybody and in his rather hopeless worlds one horrible trait can only be overcome to satisfy another.

It is nothing that is exactly fun to watch if it were not for the cynic humor covering everything else up. That was there in popular, pretty much dominant in Nip/Tuck and it is there in a toned down version in Glee (where some characters are superficially likeable).

I'd not say there's nothing underneath exactly, it's just nothing pretty.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

That may well be my problem with it. ;-)

There's an underlying "rage" in Falchuck/Murphy's works...which you are correct is similar to Brecht, who I have equal issues with.
George Bernard Shaw also has that underlying rage in his works, although not quite as pronounced. I find them a little...preachy at times, even if I sort of agree? Other times...I think, you know, life is tough enough, I don't need to be thrust into your fury on top of my own. I'm trying to let go of my anger, not reinforce it. While others...I'm oddly amused.

It's satire. But is it good satire? I don't know. It's far from subtle, but a lot of satire isn't subtle. Sasha Baron's isn't.
And Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal certainly wasn't subtle.
While Guillver's Travels was in some respects and Ronald Dahl and JK Rowling's satirical wit is quite subtle at times. There's admittedly a range.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

John Blackwell who is Cassie's father, and I'm guessing Faye's as well. Faye is the only who makes sense. I was disappointed by the plot twist.

I read an article over at TV Guide the other day where the writers said it's not Faye and the whole speech about Faye's Mom being fascinated with John Blackwell was a red herring.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Okay that is interesting. So...that leaves three possibilities, Adam (can't imagine them going there), Nickie (possible - we know nothing about her parents), Diana (hmmm....choice between creepy Gale Harrold and creepy John Blackwell.). Adam is in some respects the most interesting choice and would explain his father, it also explains why they backed off of that relationship.
Nikki the most logical next to Faye. Diana the good girl - the most fun but least believable.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Or they could be totally evil and make it Jake, the one person she's attracted to.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Possible. They do look like siblings. And that would definitely be a cool twist. But no - the Witch Hunter appeared to know which one it was and indicated that it was not Jake. Also Jake is too old..about two or three years older.