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TV slut report...January TV shows to date...
1. Back is better, doing rudimentary yoga, back exercises, and tai chi via DVDs. Also bought homedpedics lumbar support for home, office, and sent one to my father.
2. Downton Abbey S3 is slow. Good acting, sluggish and lame writing. I'm tuning in for the acting and characters, but the plot structure...
* Lady Mary - I actually thought did look good in red or rather I lusted after her red dress and hair pin, while her wedding dress made her look frumpy and was a bit...dull. I like her strength, but she's starting to remind me a bit too much of Scarlett O'Hara, which is not a good thing. (I despise Scarlett O'Hara.) Hon, your mum and grandmum are right, a big castle is not worth sweating over. Learn to swing with the times.
* Matthew....darling, Livia died of the Spainish Flu not from a broken heart. Ego much? Seriously dude, get over yourself. I know it is hard, considering her pappa left you money and you have Lady Mary and Lord Grantham falling over themselves, but still. Wish you would share more scenes with Branson. Yes, I'm rapidly becoming a Tom Bransen/Mathew shipper. Those two are great together. Julian Fellows like 85% of the rest of television writers does friendships, sibling relationships and familial relationships far better than romances. Maybe it's a guy thing? No there are guys who can write decent romantic relationships, just not that many apparently or they don't work in television?
* Shirly McLain - more please. I adored her character more than I expected. The woman can act and she can stand her ground with Viola, or the Dowager aka Maggie Smith. Both grand-dames. Watching them spare against each other was the highlight of the entire episode.
* Edith - poor Edith. I was rooting for her and her elderly suitor. And I don't see why not, after all James Marsters married a woman 24 years younger than him. Although as an aside, it is annoying that our society isn't more understanding of women who marry and date men who are 10-20 years younger. Double-standard that is reinforced by media, if you ask me, not that you did. And in Downton Abbey and that time period it would never have worked. I did rather love what Shirly McLain told the father - "why are you against him? HE has an estate. He has wealth. He has a title.He cares for her and loves her. She cares for him. If anything he's the best match of the three - not a chauffeur, distant cousin, etc." Bravo.
* Also Shirly has the best lines next to Maggie Smith. Loved her lines about Matthew taking off with the inheritance and how the hubbies locked up the funds. Yet the ladies outlived the poor sods.
* Bates storyline...I keep getting lost. Apparently the book that Anna has brought him can help him get off?? Also he threatened his cellmate, who I'm guessing was selling info against him?
* O'Brien and Thomas are fighting...shame. I liked their friendship. Although their fighting is making O'Brien more likable. I think she's fighting him partly because he was indirectly responsible for convincing her to hurt her kind mistress and she hasn't forgiven him for it.
Poor new footman, Matthew, and Lord Grantham get caught in the cross-fire. I found this rather amusing.
* Daisy has a thing for the new footman, who in turn is interested in the American Lady's Maid who bears a stricking resemblance to Rachel Weitz.
It wasn't bad. Still think it is over-rated. And bit silly in places. Acting sort of lifts up the lackluster writing.
3. Good Wife - lots of manipulating, but great twist.
* Diane and Will discover via their mediation with their irksome trustee, the never-better Nathan Lane, that their creditors have sold their debt to a consortium or new entity. Trustee who represents the creditors or now the consortium, wanted to merge the firm. And remove Will and Diane from management, so he could merge it. He's also been seeking help from Cary on the sly to pass the Chicago Bar Exam (note passing Illinois and NY bar exams are not easy. Bar exams are from hell. I refuse to take the NY Bar unless some one pays me a lot of money to do it. Because also expensive. It's expensive being a lawyer in the US, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, they are lying.) The Mediator agrees with Diane and Will and states that they can't be removed from managerial positions yet. And it is up to them to discuss with their new creditor whether they get an extension.
* Meanwhile Canning (Michael J. Fox is BACK! Along with his wife (real life actually - they met on Family Ties) - is making Alicia' life hell in Minnesota, while she is fighting him to get a CEO of a big company deposed. Enter Kalinda who finds the achilees heel and they manage to win the day...well a battle anyway...since at the very end, Alicia learns two important and somewhat troubling things:
*. Canning is not only a manipulative bastard who will do anything to trick her into connecting with him, he also thinks she's fantastic and wants her to work for him and can't stop talking about her to his wife.
*. Canning has bought Lockhardt Gardner's debt and is their new creditor. Dum, dum dum dee dum! We find this out, just as Diane and Will state, heads bowed, that they have to contact their new creditor and ask for an extension. Turns out Canning bought Lockhardt Gardner's debt. LOL! (Oh best plot twist EVER!)
*. Eli has been forced to take TR Knight's Boy Wonder Political Campaign Manager on as an asssistant. Turns out the guy has an ego almost as big as Eli's and isn't used to not working alone. (This should be interesting off-set for Knight, since both Alan Cumming and Knight are gay and out of the closet. No back-stage drama here though. Good Wife doesn't have any - it has a very professional, top of the line cast. Most have done movies and stage. We're not going to get the soap opera shenagians of Grey's Anatomy.) Rather like this development. Although the DOJ going after Eli makes no sense whatsoever and doesn't quite work for me.
*. Case of the week is interesting to the extent it affects the other characters. Loved Carey's interactions. I still think we may end up with a Carey/Alicia/Canning firm at the end.
* Kalinda's ex - Nick is safely gone. Thank god. And we do get an interesting Kalinda/Alicia scene. Kalinda seems to be more into Alicia than Alicia is into Kalinda. Alicia fascinates me - she's a self-reliant character, who keeps everyone at arms length. And does not trust easily. Which makes Kalinda and Carey interesting foils...since neither trust either. In a game of sharks - it does not pay to trust.
4. Once Upon a Time - The Cricket Game - damn, I like this show's ideas or story concepts better than its execution. Its execution is 9 times out of 10 disappointing. This was a great idea but so poorly executed. I wish it had a better writing staff. Jane's not bad. But everyone else...sigh. While Whedon had his issues, I sort of wish he was writing some of the dialogue for this.
Also like some of the characters and what they are doing with them, just want better execution and direction. Jennifer Morrison's Emma Swan looks bewildered 95% of the time, granted she has reason to look bewildered. But it would be nice to have a different expression.
And yes, Henry still grates on my nerves.
Do like Regina, Cora, Hook, Rumple, and Snow quite a bit though.
* So Jiminey Cricket - Doc Hopper (get it? Cricket's Hop) - isn't dead. Someone else was killed and Cora disquised him as Doc Hopper. And poor Pogo can't convey it to anyone. Where's Crusella De Ville when you need her? Or Poppy for that matter? He did manage to convey that he saw Regina (someone who looked like her) do it. But did not convey that he didn't think it was Regina. Dogs make lousey witnesses.
* I rather like Barbara Hershey's Cora...who is diabolical and yet complicated. So is Hook. Wonder who she killed, probably a dwarf or one of the various unknown storybook characters. I keep waiting for Peter Pan to show up - since I'm half convinced that Neil Cassaday may be Peter Pan and Baelfire....(not completely, I want it too much, which means...it's a 50/50 gambit. But there's no one else that would be half as interesting.)
* Poor Emma - she has to deal with young parents, who are Prince Charming and Snow White, and their sexual excapades. It is time to put up a wall between the guest bedroom and the kitchen, particularly if your parents are staying in it. They managed to traumatize daughter and grandson in one fell swoop. Although Henry is dense so maybe not both.
* Poor Regina....her own Mom does her in yet again. Seems to be a constant theme about the problematic nature of power.
Not much else going on. Next episode may be more interesting. Oh and according to spoilers, Neal Cassiday is reappearing soon and is supposed to be in the last ten episodes. Very happy about this - I rather like Michael Raymond-James.
Will state that the story is easier to follow now that it's just split between Story-brook and "PAST" Fairytale Land.
5. Revenge - convoluted but entertaining. Got a bit lost on the Marco/Nolan subplot. I apparently missed the bit when Marco began to realize that Nolan isn't a fiend, and Marco is an idiot. My favorite character is Nolan. Could care less about Declan and Jack, the bar storyline is grating and cliche.
Watched it On-Demand. Too many bloody tv shows on Sundays. We have Once, Dowtown Abbey, The Good Wife, and Revenge. Why do all the networks put their best stuff on Sundays???
Emily Thorne has more chemistry with Daniel than Aiden, not sure why. Conrad is growing on me - he's entertaining.
6. Bunheads - Gilmore Girls this isn't. I miss Laura Graham, she did that snarky talking and never stopping nervous chatter better than anyone on the planet. Sutton Foster comes across as too abrasive, you just want to slap her. While you wanted to hug Lauren Graham. It's the self-deprecating tone. Snark only works with self-deprecation.
Also bizarre situations that made no sense. The writing is still off...I'm still waiting for it to find it's rhythm.
Haven't seen Justified yet or Merlin or anything else. Trying to sparse out the tv watching along with the posting. New Year's resolutions and all that.
7. Book report? Still reading The Blind Assassin, which is actually interesting. And am lusting after the latest entry in the Rachel Morgan series - the long-anticipated "EVER AFTER". In some respects the Rachel Morgan series is better plotted than Butchers, and also has better developed supporting players. In some respects I like it better, less conventional, with a bit more spark.
2. Downton Abbey S3 is slow. Good acting, sluggish and lame writing. I'm tuning in for the acting and characters, but the plot structure...
* Lady Mary - I actually thought did look good in red or rather I lusted after her red dress and hair pin, while her wedding dress made her look frumpy and was a bit...dull. I like her strength, but she's starting to remind me a bit too much of Scarlett O'Hara, which is not a good thing. (I despise Scarlett O'Hara.) Hon, your mum and grandmum are right, a big castle is not worth sweating over. Learn to swing with the times.
* Matthew....darling, Livia died of the Spainish Flu not from a broken heart. Ego much? Seriously dude, get over yourself. I know it is hard, considering her pappa left you money and you have Lady Mary and Lord Grantham falling over themselves, but still. Wish you would share more scenes with Branson. Yes, I'm rapidly becoming a Tom Bransen/Mathew shipper. Those two are great together. Julian Fellows like 85% of the rest of television writers does friendships, sibling relationships and familial relationships far better than romances. Maybe it's a guy thing? No there are guys who can write decent romantic relationships, just not that many apparently or they don't work in television?
* Shirly McLain - more please. I adored her character more than I expected. The woman can act and she can stand her ground with Viola, or the Dowager aka Maggie Smith. Both grand-dames. Watching them spare against each other was the highlight of the entire episode.
* Edith - poor Edith. I was rooting for her and her elderly suitor. And I don't see why not, after all James Marsters married a woman 24 years younger than him. Although as an aside, it is annoying that our society isn't more understanding of women who marry and date men who are 10-20 years younger. Double-standard that is reinforced by media, if you ask me, not that you did. And in Downton Abbey and that time period it would never have worked. I did rather love what Shirly McLain told the father - "why are you against him? HE has an estate. He has wealth. He has a title.He cares for her and loves her. She cares for him. If anything he's the best match of the three - not a chauffeur, distant cousin, etc." Bravo.
* Also Shirly has the best lines next to Maggie Smith. Loved her lines about Matthew taking off with the inheritance and how the hubbies locked up the funds. Yet the ladies outlived the poor sods.
* Bates storyline...I keep getting lost. Apparently the book that Anna has brought him can help him get off?? Also he threatened his cellmate, who I'm guessing was selling info against him?
* O'Brien and Thomas are fighting...shame. I liked their friendship. Although their fighting is making O'Brien more likable. I think she's fighting him partly because he was indirectly responsible for convincing her to hurt her kind mistress and she hasn't forgiven him for it.
Poor new footman, Matthew, and Lord Grantham get caught in the cross-fire. I found this rather amusing.
* Daisy has a thing for the new footman, who in turn is interested in the American Lady's Maid who bears a stricking resemblance to Rachel Weitz.
It wasn't bad. Still think it is over-rated. And bit silly in places. Acting sort of lifts up the lackluster writing.
3. Good Wife - lots of manipulating, but great twist.
* Diane and Will discover via their mediation with their irksome trustee, the never-better Nathan Lane, that their creditors have sold their debt to a consortium or new entity. Trustee who represents the creditors or now the consortium, wanted to merge the firm. And remove Will and Diane from management, so he could merge it. He's also been seeking help from Cary on the sly to pass the Chicago Bar Exam (note passing Illinois and NY bar exams are not easy. Bar exams are from hell. I refuse to take the NY Bar unless some one pays me a lot of money to do it. Because also expensive. It's expensive being a lawyer in the US, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, they are lying.) The Mediator agrees with Diane and Will and states that they can't be removed from managerial positions yet. And it is up to them to discuss with their new creditor whether they get an extension.
* Meanwhile Canning (Michael J. Fox is BACK! Along with his wife (real life actually - they met on Family Ties) - is making Alicia' life hell in Minnesota, while she is fighting him to get a CEO of a big company deposed. Enter Kalinda who finds the achilees heel and they manage to win the day...well a battle anyway...since at the very end, Alicia learns two important and somewhat troubling things:
*. Canning is not only a manipulative bastard who will do anything to trick her into connecting with him, he also thinks she's fantastic and wants her to work for him and can't stop talking about her to his wife.
*. Canning has bought Lockhardt Gardner's debt and is their new creditor. Dum, dum dum dee dum! We find this out, just as Diane and Will state, heads bowed, that they have to contact their new creditor and ask for an extension. Turns out Canning bought Lockhardt Gardner's debt. LOL! (Oh best plot twist EVER!)
*. Eli has been forced to take TR Knight's Boy Wonder Political Campaign Manager on as an asssistant. Turns out the guy has an ego almost as big as Eli's and isn't used to not working alone. (This should be interesting off-set for Knight, since both Alan Cumming and Knight are gay and out of the closet. No back-stage drama here though. Good Wife doesn't have any - it has a very professional, top of the line cast. Most have done movies and stage. We're not going to get the soap opera shenagians of Grey's Anatomy.) Rather like this development. Although the DOJ going after Eli makes no sense whatsoever and doesn't quite work for me.
*. Case of the week is interesting to the extent it affects the other characters. Loved Carey's interactions. I still think we may end up with a Carey/Alicia/Canning firm at the end.
* Kalinda's ex - Nick is safely gone. Thank god. And we do get an interesting Kalinda/Alicia scene. Kalinda seems to be more into Alicia than Alicia is into Kalinda. Alicia fascinates me - she's a self-reliant character, who keeps everyone at arms length. And does not trust easily. Which makes Kalinda and Carey interesting foils...since neither trust either. In a game of sharks - it does not pay to trust.
4. Once Upon a Time - The Cricket Game - damn, I like this show's ideas or story concepts better than its execution. Its execution is 9 times out of 10 disappointing. This was a great idea but so poorly executed. I wish it had a better writing staff. Jane's not bad. But everyone else...sigh. While Whedon had his issues, I sort of wish he was writing some of the dialogue for this.
Also like some of the characters and what they are doing with them, just want better execution and direction. Jennifer Morrison's Emma Swan looks bewildered 95% of the time, granted she has reason to look bewildered. But it would be nice to have a different expression.
And yes, Henry still grates on my nerves.
Do like Regina, Cora, Hook, Rumple, and Snow quite a bit though.
* So Jiminey Cricket - Doc Hopper (get it? Cricket's Hop) - isn't dead. Someone else was killed and Cora disquised him as Doc Hopper. And poor Pogo can't convey it to anyone. Where's Crusella De Ville when you need her? Or Poppy for that matter? He did manage to convey that he saw Regina (someone who looked like her) do it. But did not convey that he didn't think it was Regina. Dogs make lousey witnesses.
* I rather like Barbara Hershey's Cora...who is diabolical and yet complicated. So is Hook. Wonder who she killed, probably a dwarf or one of the various unknown storybook characters. I keep waiting for Peter Pan to show up - since I'm half convinced that Neil Cassaday may be Peter Pan and Baelfire....(not completely, I want it too much, which means...it's a 50/50 gambit. But there's no one else that would be half as interesting.)
* Poor Emma - she has to deal with young parents, who are Prince Charming and Snow White, and their sexual excapades. It is time to put up a wall between the guest bedroom and the kitchen, particularly if your parents are staying in it. They managed to traumatize daughter and grandson in one fell swoop. Although Henry is dense so maybe not both.
* Poor Regina....her own Mom does her in yet again. Seems to be a constant theme about the problematic nature of power.
Not much else going on. Next episode may be more interesting. Oh and according to spoilers, Neal Cassiday is reappearing soon and is supposed to be in the last ten episodes. Very happy about this - I rather like Michael Raymond-James.
Will state that the story is easier to follow now that it's just split between Story-brook and "PAST" Fairytale Land.
5. Revenge - convoluted but entertaining. Got a bit lost on the Marco/Nolan subplot. I apparently missed the bit when Marco began to realize that Nolan isn't a fiend, and Marco is an idiot. My favorite character is Nolan. Could care less about Declan and Jack, the bar storyline is grating and cliche.
Watched it On-Demand. Too many bloody tv shows on Sundays. We have Once, Dowtown Abbey, The Good Wife, and Revenge. Why do all the networks put their best stuff on Sundays???
Emily Thorne has more chemistry with Daniel than Aiden, not sure why. Conrad is growing on me - he's entertaining.
6. Bunheads - Gilmore Girls this isn't. I miss Laura Graham, she did that snarky talking and never stopping nervous chatter better than anyone on the planet. Sutton Foster comes across as too abrasive, you just want to slap her. While you wanted to hug Lauren Graham. It's the self-deprecating tone. Snark only works with self-deprecation.
Also bizarre situations that made no sense. The writing is still off...I'm still waiting for it to find it's rhythm.
Haven't seen Justified yet or Merlin or anything else. Trying to sparse out the tv watching along with the posting. New Year's resolutions and all that.
7. Book report? Still reading The Blind Assassin, which is actually interesting. And am lusting after the latest entry in the Rachel Morgan series - the long-anticipated "EVER AFTER". In some respects the Rachel Morgan series is better plotted than Butchers, and also has better developed supporting players. In some respects I like it better, less conventional, with a bit more spark.