One of the reasons I was able to read so much last year was the dearth of Fall television. There were a few shows I watched, but not many. I found myself with a lot more time for reading simply because I wasn't spending every evening in front of the TV. It was an interesting change for me, as I'm usually following a lot of shows in real time. And it was nice while it lasted.
But then January started and with it came so many shows that I'm not sure where I'm going to find time to read. On the plus side, some of them are mini-series and will be ending soon.
I don't spend a lot of time talking about TV on this blog. It's a little weird. I actually spend as much time watching TV as I do reading (excepting this past Fall). But it's harder to talk about a story that you're in the middle of, so I write about it a lot less. Now seems like as good a time as any to take stock, though. Here's what's filling up my DVR this winter.
The Librarians. This actually started just before Christmas. I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it until I marathoned the episodes I'd missed while on vacation. It's exactly the sort of low-stakes, fun entertainment that's perfect at the beginning of the week. Plus I'll never get tired of looking at Christian Kane.
Galavant. Thankfully this one only last four weeks, so it won't be taking space up for long. But I'm already hoping that it gets picked up for a longer run. It's a hugely divisive show. People either love it or hate it. I'm in the camp that loves it. Cheesy, raunchy, ridiculous songs and plots. Galavant's lady-love is an inspired combination of tropes and I can't wait to see more from her. Plus I laughed for a solid minute at the joust scene, which is more than enough to convince me to stick with this show.
Gotham. I don't know what it is about Batman that keeps pulling me back. On the surface I don't like the idea of a rich vigilante doling out his own justice. And there aren't any actual super-powers, just a bunch of weirdos. But I can't seem to quit, and I'm really enjoying this take on Gotham and a young Jim Gordon. Probably more than I should be.
Sleepy Hollow. It's suffering the sophomore slump, but I still love this ridiculous show. You've probably already heard me rave about it and have written me off as crazy. I still think you should give it a fair chance.
Agent Carter. This mini-series is pushing back the return of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which is probably for the best. I am so excited to get more Peggy Carter, to watch a badass woman using men's assumptions against them in the 1940s, to enjoy spy hijinks and retro technology and everything else. It's a mini-series, but I can still hope that it becomes something more. It also has me excited for the other mini-series Marvel is planning.
Elementary. This airs on Thursday nights, but it has become a sort of grown-up stand in for Saturday morning cartoons. Kevin and I watch it over our eggs every week. It's a great, modern take on Sherlock Holmes, and Watson is finally carving out a life for herself outside of Holmes' influence. The addition of Kitty is my favorite thing about this season, which remains entertaining. Though I'm not sure they'll ever again recapture the magic that was the end of the first season.
Archer. I'd completely forgotten about this show until it showed up on our DVR. The last season wasn't great, but now that they've "unrebooted" who knows what will happen. It's easy enough to throw on after Elementary on Saturday mornings, so we'll probably keep watching it.
Parks and Rec. This is the final season, so I can't miss it. I'm excited and scared and I'll miss it terribly when it's gone. But then maybe I'll just make Kevin rewatch it from the beginning with me. I just hope everyone gets a happy ending, which seems like a pretty sure thing on a show like this.
Justified. Another show in it's final season, it seems like forever since I first started watching this. Timothy Olyphant is another man I could stare at forever (as long as he's wearing a cowboy hat). This season promises to be the final showdown between Raylan and Boyd, and I cannot wait to watch it play out. I just hope it's better than last season, which dragged a bit. But an end-goal and definite plot should solve those issues.
The Americans. This is slipping in, because it is coming back in January. Though probably not until after Galavant and The Librarians stop airing. Which will free up some time for me. Kevin thinks this show jumped the shark last season, but I still think it's going strong. I guess I'll be watching it by myself this year.
That's not even counting the return of Orphan Black and Game of Thrones later this Spring, Community at some point, and the premiere of Better Call Saul next month. But everything should thin out a little before then. In the meantime, I don't have high hopes for reading a ton this month. On the other hand, if I can get in the habit, this will give me tons of opportunity to spend some times on the exercise bike.
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, April 14, 2014
Let's Talk About Orphan Black
In preparation for the second season premiere next week, Kevin and I went back and re-watched the first season of Orphan Black. This may be my favorite show currently on the air, and I have high hopes that the second season maintains everything that was incredible about the first season. If you've never seen it, you should definitely remedy that (and you should not read the rest of this entry). There are only ten episodes, so there's plenty of time to catch up before the second season begins on Saturday.
The first and most obvious thing to praise about this show is the lead actress, Tatiana Maslaney. Maslaney does incredible work playing not one, but four main characters and three side characters. She's on the screen in almost every scene, interacts with the entire cast in various guises, and even interacts with herself in some incredible scenes that will make you wonder if she's actually a twin and not just a single actress.
The most amazing bits come when she plays one character pretending to be another. Whether it's uptight Allison pretending to be wild-child Sarah in front of Sarah's daughter, Kira, or damaged Helena barely putting up a front as Beth to cop to gain access to her computer, Maslaney knows these characters so well that it all seem effortless. She can even slip into different accents when a character feels pressure and make it seem like an accident.
What really made me fall in love with this show, though, is its unique examination of patriarchy and all the little ways the system has to keep women down and all the ways that can affect the women trying to live in this society. It's not the most intersectional examination of feminism - we're still focused on pretty, white women who have some privilege of their own. But it still does a good job of teasing out all sorts of aggresions, both micro and macro, and showing the importance of working together to achieve common goals and help with personal goals.
The clones in this story are all ultimately struggling for the same thing - agency. The two main antagonistic groups (both populated almost exclusively by men) are trying to take that from them. The church wants to simply kill all of the clones and be done with it, rid the world of what they view as an abomination. The neolutionists, who created the clones in the first place, monitor the clones closely. They claim it's for the clones own good, but their true intentions are almost certainly more nefarious. It's revealed in the finale that any freedom or privacy they offer is just a lie, a way to throw the clones off the scent so they can continue their work without interference.
This state of constant surveillance and fear affects all of our clones (women) if different ways. Helena was recruited by the church as a child where she was taught that she was special. She was told that she was the original and has internalized the message that she's not like the other clones (women). This allows the church to manipulate and use her for their own ends. It's only through her bond to Sarah that she begins to shake their influence, although she's ultimately too far gone to save. Going forward, I have to assume that Rachel is a variation on this same model. She's working with the neolutionists, and I can only assume that she has also internalized a sense of being different and, more importantly, better than the other clones.
The other three main clones are only just becoming aware of these structures that seek to control their lives. They all react to the news differently, and they all fight against the system in different ways. But it's important to note that they find strength in working together. That the Neolutionists ultimately achieve their victory at the end of the season by driving wedges in between these women and feeding on their more selfish motivations.
Cosima is arguably the most well-adjusted of the trio. She's a scientist, and she reacts to the knowledge that she's a clone by seeking more knowledge. She learns about Dr Leekie and the Neolutionists and looks for opportunities to learn more about them. Cosima is sure that if she can just arm herself with enough knowledge, she can find her way out of the maze. If she asks enough questions, she'll find the answer that sets her free. But that's not how it works. All she ultimately discovers is how thoroughly trapped she is, and how hopeless the entire situation is.
Allison, my personal favorite, reacts in almost the opposite way. When Allison's world gets turned upside down, she starts falling to pieces. She's all about control, and the sense that she's losing control, or worse, that she was never in control to begin with, she does not handle it well. Allison lashes out at everyone as she tries to figure out how to regain her sense of normalcy. She ultimately decides that privacy is more important than freedom and signs a deal with Dr Leekie to get her life back the way it was. Unbeknownst to her, her life is exactly as it was before, complete with monitored activities and secret, invasive medical exams. I almost can't wait for her to discover that she was duped. Her rage is already a force to be reckoned with, and when she finally figures out who to focus it on there should be some serious fireworks.
Finally we have Sarah, arguably the protagonist of the show. Sarah has trust issues, and learning that she was a science experiment does nothing to help this. She's just as angry as Allison, just as curious as Cosima, but she's got years of experience to help her stay a step ahead of the neolutionists. Unfortunately, she can't do it alone. While she still has her brother Felix, standing ever faithfully by her side, the loss of her daughter could very well send her into a self-destructive spiral she can't pull out of.
What I love is that none of these women can take down the bad guys by themselves. Their strengths and weaknesses balance each other out. Cosima's level headed rationalism helps Sarah and Allison stay grounded while their rage reminds her to get angry. Sarah's trust issues make Cosima properly wary of Delphine, and Allison's motherly instincts help Sarah see that she needs to do the best thing for her daughter, not just for herself. The three of them are going to need to figure out a way to work together again if they have any hope of breaking free from the shackles of the neolutionists. It'll be great to see them go head to head with Rachel and learn how she was recruited (or raised).
I'm really looking forward to the second season, which should build on these themes of teamwork, individual agency, and the oppression of patriarchal systems. And also more of Maslaney being jaw-droppingly amazing. Here's hoping for a second season that's even better than the first.
The first and most obvious thing to praise about this show is the lead actress, Tatiana Maslaney. Maslaney does incredible work playing not one, but four main characters and three side characters. She's on the screen in almost every scene, interacts with the entire cast in various guises, and even interacts with herself in some incredible scenes that will make you wonder if she's actually a twin and not just a single actress.
The most amazing bits come when she plays one character pretending to be another. Whether it's uptight Allison pretending to be wild-child Sarah in front of Sarah's daughter, Kira, or damaged Helena barely putting up a front as Beth to cop to gain access to her computer, Maslaney knows these characters so well that it all seem effortless. She can even slip into different accents when a character feels pressure and make it seem like an accident.
What really made me fall in love with this show, though, is its unique examination of patriarchy and all the little ways the system has to keep women down and all the ways that can affect the women trying to live in this society. It's not the most intersectional examination of feminism - we're still focused on pretty, white women who have some privilege of their own. But it still does a good job of teasing out all sorts of aggresions, both micro and macro, and showing the importance of working together to achieve common goals and help with personal goals.
The clones in this story are all ultimately struggling for the same thing - agency. The two main antagonistic groups (both populated almost exclusively by men) are trying to take that from them. The church wants to simply kill all of the clones and be done with it, rid the world of what they view as an abomination. The neolutionists, who created the clones in the first place, monitor the clones closely. They claim it's for the clones own good, but their true intentions are almost certainly more nefarious. It's revealed in the finale that any freedom or privacy they offer is just a lie, a way to throw the clones off the scent so they can continue their work without interference.
This state of constant surveillance and fear affects all of our clones (women) if different ways. Helena was recruited by the church as a child where she was taught that she was special. She was told that she was the original and has internalized the message that she's not like the other clones (women). This allows the church to manipulate and use her for their own ends. It's only through her bond to Sarah that she begins to shake their influence, although she's ultimately too far gone to save. Going forward, I have to assume that Rachel is a variation on this same model. She's working with the neolutionists, and I can only assume that she has also internalized a sense of being different and, more importantly, better than the other clones.
The other three main clones are only just becoming aware of these structures that seek to control their lives. They all react to the news differently, and they all fight against the system in different ways. But it's important to note that they find strength in working together. That the Neolutionists ultimately achieve their victory at the end of the season by driving wedges in between these women and feeding on their more selfish motivations.
Cosima is arguably the most well-adjusted of the trio. She's a scientist, and she reacts to the knowledge that she's a clone by seeking more knowledge. She learns about Dr Leekie and the Neolutionists and looks for opportunities to learn more about them. Cosima is sure that if she can just arm herself with enough knowledge, she can find her way out of the maze. If she asks enough questions, she'll find the answer that sets her free. But that's not how it works. All she ultimately discovers is how thoroughly trapped she is, and how hopeless the entire situation is.
Allison, my personal favorite, reacts in almost the opposite way. When Allison's world gets turned upside down, she starts falling to pieces. She's all about control, and the sense that she's losing control, or worse, that she was never in control to begin with, she does not handle it well. Allison lashes out at everyone as she tries to figure out how to regain her sense of normalcy. She ultimately decides that privacy is more important than freedom and signs a deal with Dr Leekie to get her life back the way it was. Unbeknownst to her, her life is exactly as it was before, complete with monitored activities and secret, invasive medical exams. I almost can't wait for her to discover that she was duped. Her rage is already a force to be reckoned with, and when she finally figures out who to focus it on there should be some serious fireworks.
Finally we have Sarah, arguably the protagonist of the show. Sarah has trust issues, and learning that she was a science experiment does nothing to help this. She's just as angry as Allison, just as curious as Cosima, but she's got years of experience to help her stay a step ahead of the neolutionists. Unfortunately, she can't do it alone. While she still has her brother Felix, standing ever faithfully by her side, the loss of her daughter could very well send her into a self-destructive spiral she can't pull out of.
What I love is that none of these women can take down the bad guys by themselves. Their strengths and weaknesses balance each other out. Cosima's level headed rationalism helps Sarah and Allison stay grounded while their rage reminds her to get angry. Sarah's trust issues make Cosima properly wary of Delphine, and Allison's motherly instincts help Sarah see that she needs to do the best thing for her daughter, not just for herself. The three of them are going to need to figure out a way to work together again if they have any hope of breaking free from the shackles of the neolutionists. It'll be great to see them go head to head with Rachel and learn how she was recruited (or raised).
I'm really looking forward to the second season, which should build on these themes of teamwork, individual agency, and the oppression of patriarchal systems. And also more of Maslaney being jaw-droppingly amazing. Here's hoping for a second season that's even better than the first.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
SHIELD: Yes Men
See, this is what I was always hoping for from an episode of SHIELD. We've got minor characters from the cinematic universe who get to have expanded plots on the TV show. We've got clever foreshadowing of things to come, both in the show and in future movies. We've got humor and depth and shifting alliances. And we've got a bunch of awesome ladies kicking ass and taking names.
I loved that this episode brought the Lady Sif in and turned it's eyes back to what's going on in Asgard. There are fun hints at where the next movie might be heading, especially with Loki pretending to be Odin wanting Lorelai alive. I wonder if she'll have a big role in the next film. I wonder what Loki is up to. I wonder how mad Sif will be at herself for not letting Lorelai goad her into murder.
But beyond all that speculation, this was a fun adventure, too. It was nice to see Melinda go up against some Asgardians and hold her own. It was heartbreaking to see her flat-out reject Ward after everything was said and done. And it's intriguing to know that she's been spying on Coulson all along. I'm so glad her character is finally being given so much to do, and it looks like there will be even more in the future.
I don't really have a lot to say. This episode was just fun, with some nice hints of what's to come. It's all I really want out of this show, which finally appears to be delivering with some consistency.
I loved that this episode brought the Lady Sif in and turned it's eyes back to what's going on in Asgard. There are fun hints at where the next movie might be heading, especially with Loki pretending to be Odin wanting Lorelai alive. I wonder if she'll have a big role in the next film. I wonder what Loki is up to. I wonder how mad Sif will be at herself for not letting Lorelai goad her into murder.
But beyond all that speculation, this was a fun adventure, too. It was nice to see Melinda go up against some Asgardians and hold her own. It was heartbreaking to see her flat-out reject Ward after everything was said and done. And it's intriguing to know that she's been spying on Coulson all along. I'm so glad her character is finally being given so much to do, and it looks like there will be even more in the future.
I don't really have a lot to say. This episode was just fun, with some nice hints of what's to come. It's all I really want out of this show, which finally appears to be delivering with some consistency.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
SHIELD: T.A.H.I.T.I.
Man, SHIELD really likes their acronyms. But they don't seem to have any interest in ever explaining them.
So this episode. There was a serious lack of Skye, which is interesting because it's not like she's the most interesting character ever. And she's obviously not going to die. Not when there are still so many mysteries about her origins. Not when she hasn't even gotten her superpowers yet. She really needs to get some superpowers.
I also wish that Simmons' new love interest had been fleshed out at all. He got a name and some familiarity with Ward and then he just mooned over her for a couple of scenes. Is there any reason (beyond his good looks) that she would be interested in him? Or is this just because they can't actually set up Ward/Simmons, what with Ward sleeping with Mae and all.
There just doesn't seem to be a lot to talk about, even though there should be a ton to talk about. I'm actually at the point where I feel like my lack of comics knowledge is hurting my understanding of this show, which probably shouldn't be happening. I mean, it's always nice to have easter eggs for people in the know, but I should be able to follow along. Instead I'm wondering if I should know who that alien in the tube if. Does G.H. mean something? And should I know who this Lorelai is? Obviously a seductress, but just as obviously not from Stars Hollow, CT.
At least Mae continues to be awesome. And she finally gets to show some emotion, between her concern over Skye and her fury at Quinn.
And there's Sif to look forward to next week.
So this episode. There was a serious lack of Skye, which is interesting because it's not like she's the most interesting character ever. And she's obviously not going to die. Not when there are still so many mysteries about her origins. Not when she hasn't even gotten her superpowers yet. She really needs to get some superpowers.
I also wish that Simmons' new love interest had been fleshed out at all. He got a name and some familiarity with Ward and then he just mooned over her for a couple of scenes. Is there any reason (beyond his good looks) that she would be interested in him? Or is this just because they can't actually set up Ward/Simmons, what with Ward sleeping with Mae and all.
There just doesn't seem to be a lot to talk about, even though there should be a ton to talk about. I'm actually at the point where I feel like my lack of comics knowledge is hurting my understanding of this show, which probably shouldn't be happening. I mean, it's always nice to have easter eggs for people in the know, but I should be able to follow along. Instead I'm wondering if I should know who that alien in the tube if. Does G.H. mean something? And should I know who this Lorelai is? Obviously a seductress, but just as obviously not from Stars Hollow, CT.
At least Mae continues to be awesome. And she finally gets to show some emotion, between her concern over Skye and her fury at Quinn.
And there's Sif to look forward to next week.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
SHIELD: T.R.A.C.K.S.
Guys, this episode was funny! I laughed. I enjoyed all the different character interactions. I actually felt it in my gut when Skye got shot. And even though I know she'll survive (she has to survive, right?), I'm anxious for the next episode.
A flip got turned somewhere, and I finally care about this show. It's not perfect yet. It's not even really great television yet. But it's worth watching, worth caring about, finally worth writing about.
SHIELD did a lot of smart things this episode. For starters, they shook up the team and created some new pairings. This meant that we actually got to explore a couple of relationships. We got to see May and Coulson's deep friendship on display and Ward's jealousy of that bond. It clearly isn't just sex for him. We got to see Simmons go into over-prepare mode and Coulson be a little uncomfortable with it. (That scene did go on a little long.) We got to see Skye and Fitz work together and Skye completely take charge. It was so nice to see some actual character development in all these little moments that peppered the episode.
The structure was smart, too. At first I thought we were going to get a time-loop episode. Those are always fun, so I was only mildly disappointed when I realized we were heading into flashback territory to get a new side of the story. Breaking it up like this was smart. Seeing the story play out once character at a time built on both suspense and characterization. And having the plot advance a little farther each time kept it interesting.
There were a few things that were off. The holograph table scene was a little jarring, tonally. Coulson's distress over Skye seemed a tad overplayed, though that's mostly due to a lack in previous episodes than anything in this episode.
But those moments get balanced out by May's brilliant escape. By Fitz's concern over Simmons when she gets frozen and the beautiful shot of their hug at the end. By the look on Skye's face when Quinn shoots her for the second time. (Okay, my emotions in that scene may have been tied to my flashbacks to Kaylee's gut wound. This episode had more than a little in common with Firefly. But that appears to be a good thing).
I'm excited again.We have interesting relationships, serialized plot, a cohesive bad guy, promises of Sif. Now if the show can just keep on improving, it may be worth committing to a second season.
A flip got turned somewhere, and I finally care about this show. It's not perfect yet. It's not even really great television yet. But it's worth watching, worth caring about, finally worth writing about.
SHIELD did a lot of smart things this episode. For starters, they shook up the team and created some new pairings. This meant that we actually got to explore a couple of relationships. We got to see May and Coulson's deep friendship on display and Ward's jealousy of that bond. It clearly isn't just sex for him. We got to see Simmons go into over-prepare mode and Coulson be a little uncomfortable with it. (That scene did go on a little long.) We got to see Skye and Fitz work together and Skye completely take charge. It was so nice to see some actual character development in all these little moments that peppered the episode.
The structure was smart, too. At first I thought we were going to get a time-loop episode. Those are always fun, so I was only mildly disappointed when I realized we were heading into flashback territory to get a new side of the story. Breaking it up like this was smart. Seeing the story play out once character at a time built on both suspense and characterization. And having the plot advance a little farther each time kept it interesting.
There were a few things that were off. The holograph table scene was a little jarring, tonally. Coulson's distress over Skye seemed a tad overplayed, though that's mostly due to a lack in previous episodes than anything in this episode.
But those moments get balanced out by May's brilliant escape. By Fitz's concern over Simmons when she gets frozen and the beautiful shot of their hug at the end. By the look on Skye's face when Quinn shoots her for the second time. (Okay, my emotions in that scene may have been tied to my flashbacks to Kaylee's gut wound. This episode had more than a little in common with Firefly. But that appears to be a good thing).
I'm excited again.We have interesting relationships, serialized plot, a cohesive bad guy, promises of Sif. Now if the show can just keep on improving, it may be worth committing to a second season.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
SHIELD: Seeds
One of the first rules you learn about writing is "Show, Don't Tell". Don't say that a couple fell in love, show it happening. Don't say that someone learned a lesson, show the consequences of their actions and the steps they took in wake of them. Don't talk about a pivotal character moment, show the revelation happening.
At the end of this episode, Coulson gives a big speech about how to react when life hands you a shit sandwich. Thematically, it all works. It ties together his misgivings about his resurrection, Skye's reaction to learning about her past, and the birth of a new super villain. But parts of it would have worked so much better in Skye's voice. I don't want to hear that she looked past her revolving door experience of the foster care system to see the protection of SHIELD while she looks mournfully at a memorial. I wanted to see and hear her reach that conclusion. Her character arc would have worked so much better if it hadn't been delivered by a third party.
The show, is of course, trying to make this all about Coulson. But why couldn't that have been a conversation between the two of them?
The whole speech at the end reminded me strongly of the second season finale of Buffy. The episode handles these themes, the ultimate message, and even the cheesy voice over so much better. Because we aren't told that Buffy made the hard choice in the end. We get to see her whole journey and are able to understand fully both why she made that choice and how much it cost her. We barely get a glimpse of Skye after she gets handed a bag of lemons until we hear that she's decided to make lemonade.
I don't want this show to be a second-rate retread of a show I've already seen. A show that this one can't even hold a candle to in terms of character development, season-long arcs, and thematic tie-ins.
SHIELD is trying. It's getting better. But I still just barely care about these characters. And I need to care about them to stay invested in their journeys. To keep watching the show.
Earlier this week, the episode of Sleepy Hollow brought me to tears. It's cheesy and over the top, but it still manages to hit all the emotional beats that it needs to. Now I cry easily, especially at TV, movies, even commercials. And this episode should have brought me to tears. Happy tears, but tears none the less. Instead it made me groan and roll my eyes and wish that I was watching a show that aired 15 years ago.
Still, seeds have been planted, and some of them look interesting. Hopefully this show can still pull it together in the back half of the season. At least all the bad guys are starting to coalesce into one shady agency.
At the end of this episode, Coulson gives a big speech about how to react when life hands you a shit sandwich. Thematically, it all works. It ties together his misgivings about his resurrection, Skye's reaction to learning about her past, and the birth of a new super villain. But parts of it would have worked so much better in Skye's voice. I don't want to hear that she looked past her revolving door experience of the foster care system to see the protection of SHIELD while she looks mournfully at a memorial. I wanted to see and hear her reach that conclusion. Her character arc would have worked so much better if it hadn't been delivered by a third party.
The show, is of course, trying to make this all about Coulson. But why couldn't that have been a conversation between the two of them?
The whole speech at the end reminded me strongly of the second season finale of Buffy. The episode handles these themes, the ultimate message, and even the cheesy voice over so much better. Because we aren't told that Buffy made the hard choice in the end. We get to see her whole journey and are able to understand fully both why she made that choice and how much it cost her. We barely get a glimpse of Skye after she gets handed a bag of lemons until we hear that she's decided to make lemonade.
I don't want this show to be a second-rate retread of a show I've already seen. A show that this one can't even hold a candle to in terms of character development, season-long arcs, and thematic tie-ins.
SHIELD is trying. It's getting better. But I still just barely care about these characters. And I need to care about them to stay invested in their journeys. To keep watching the show.
Earlier this week, the episode of Sleepy Hollow brought me to tears. It's cheesy and over the top, but it still manages to hit all the emotional beats that it needs to. Now I cry easily, especially at TV, movies, even commercials. And this episode should have brought me to tears. Happy tears, but tears none the less. Instead it made me groan and roll my eyes and wish that I was watching a show that aired 15 years ago.
Still, seeds have been planted, and some of them look interesting. Hopefully this show can still pull it together in the back half of the season. At least all the bad guys are starting to coalesce into one shady agency.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
SHIELD: The Magical Place
I kind of stopped writing about SHIELD toward the end of last year. I mostly blame the holidays. Everything gets ridiculous and busy in December. But I'd be remiss if I didn't also say that there just didn't seem to be much to talk about. Instead of the deep, smart, layered show I was expecting last summer, I got something way more generic and it's hard to spit out words about that every week. And since I don't get paid to do so, there was really no motivation to keep going.
But it's a new year and I have a self-imposed quota to meet, so these are coming back. I'm trying to remind myself that Whedon's shows always take a while to get going The first five episodes of Dollhouse were bland and generic. Same with almost the entire first season of Angel. Buffy's first season is practically unwatchable, except from a nostalgia point of view. So there's precedent for things to get better. Even if Joss isn't nearly as involved in this show as he was in the first three. Regardless, I hope that SHIELD manages to pull itself together by the end of this season. If only because I can imagine, despite the lackluster "crossover" with Thor, a great setup for the next Captain America movie. Assuming that's what they're going for.
So. Tahiti. The Magical Place. Turns out this is a call and response that's been programmed into Coulson's brain, and he finally realized. The hint from a few episodes back that Coulson was a doll ("Did I fall asleep?") wasn't too far off the mark. We still don't know how they brought him back to life, but we know that they did some pretty serious messing with his brain. There's a Wolfram and Hart vibe going on with S.H.I.E.L.D. now, in that Coulson's contract appears to extend beyond his natural death. And Director Fury definitely looks like the bad guy.
But let's forget about that, since this episode raised more questions than it answered, and look at everything else. I really liked this episode. I don't know if it was actually better than the episodes from last year, or if the hiatus allowed me to adjust my expectations, but I had a bunch of fun. Seeing Skye off on her own and in her element being proactive and solving problems was great. Watching Coulson bounce off Raina, who really helped his doubts to flourish, was also fun. And the other characters were there, too.
I still groaned at some things (like when the plane turned around), but mostly I'm along for the ride now. The action scene at the beginning felt right, Mae's false betrayal to get Skye outside the system. And if the previews for next week are any indication, Coulson appears to be done keeping secrets. So more answers are on the way. I hope they end up being worth the wait.
This isn't even close to my favorite show on television right now (in fact, it's probably the most likely to get dropped if I find myself short on time), but it's entertaining. And I guess that's all I really need it be.
But it's a new year and I have a self-imposed quota to meet, so these are coming back. I'm trying to remind myself that Whedon's shows always take a while to get going The first five episodes of Dollhouse were bland and generic. Same with almost the entire first season of Angel. Buffy's first season is practically unwatchable, except from a nostalgia point of view. So there's precedent for things to get better. Even if Joss isn't nearly as involved in this show as he was in the first three. Regardless, I hope that SHIELD manages to pull itself together by the end of this season. If only because I can imagine, despite the lackluster "crossover" with Thor, a great setup for the next Captain America movie. Assuming that's what they're going for.
So. Tahiti. The Magical Place. Turns out this is a call and response that's been programmed into Coulson's brain, and he finally realized. The hint from a few episodes back that Coulson was a doll ("Did I fall asleep?") wasn't too far off the mark. We still don't know how they brought him back to life, but we know that they did some pretty serious messing with his brain. There's a Wolfram and Hart vibe going on with S.H.I.E.L.D. now, in that Coulson's contract appears to extend beyond his natural death. And Director Fury definitely looks like the bad guy.
But let's forget about that, since this episode raised more questions than it answered, and look at everything else. I really liked this episode. I don't know if it was actually better than the episodes from last year, or if the hiatus allowed me to adjust my expectations, but I had a bunch of fun. Seeing Skye off on her own and in her element being proactive and solving problems was great. Watching Coulson bounce off Raina, who really helped his doubts to flourish, was also fun. And the other characters were there, too.
I still groaned at some things (like when the plane turned around), but mostly I'm along for the ride now. The action scene at the beginning felt right, Mae's false betrayal to get Skye outside the system. And if the previews for next week are any indication, Coulson appears to be done keeping secrets. So more answers are on the way. I hope they end up being worth the wait.
This isn't even close to my favorite show on television right now (in fact, it's probably the most likely to get dropped if I find myself short on time), but it's entertaining. And I guess that's all I really need it be.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
SHIELD: The Well
So I missed writing about last week's episode. We watched it in fits and starts around phone calls from Kevin's office, so the whole thing is a bit disjointed in my mind. Then I never had the time or inclination to go back and watch it again. So I never really gathered my thoughts enough to write anything. Suffice to say that I liked seeing different partnerships. Simmons was adorable when proclaiming that following the rules made her feel nice and Fitz got to be both smart (breaking and fixing the fuse box) and stupid (eating a prosciutto sandwich) out in the field with Ward.
This week we get some more fun relationship stuff and a look at Ward's childhood. I've stopped caring about whatever the case of the week is. It's never really that good, and I don't know that the bad guys even had a reasonable motivation this week. But there were some good character beats mixed in between the show's attempt at a case-of-the-week plot.
The most interesting interaction was, of course, Melinda inviting Ward into her room at the end. I like that, for all of Skye's earnestness, Mae was the one who understood what Ward needed. Mae tends to understand what everyone needs in general. She's by far the most perceptive member of the team, and I like how down-played that is.
Strangely, the relationship I'm finding myself most invested in is that of Ward and Simmons. Their scenes together are adorable, and I find myself wanting them to spend more time together.
Despite the lackluster cases of the week, the reliance on action sequences instead of character beats, and the complete lack of any superheroes, I've managed to become invested in this ragtag group of characters. So I guess I'm in it for the long haul now. Let's just hope that the Captain America tie-in in the spring is more meaningful than this throw-away Thor tie-in.
This week we get some more fun relationship stuff and a look at Ward's childhood. I've stopped caring about whatever the case of the week is. It's never really that good, and I don't know that the bad guys even had a reasonable motivation this week. But there were some good character beats mixed in between the show's attempt at a case-of-the-week plot.
The most interesting interaction was, of course, Melinda inviting Ward into her room at the end. I like that, for all of Skye's earnestness, Mae was the one who understood what Ward needed. Mae tends to understand what everyone needs in general. She's by far the most perceptive member of the team, and I like how down-played that is.
Strangely, the relationship I'm finding myself most invested in is that of Ward and Simmons. Their scenes together are adorable, and I find myself wanting them to spend more time together.
Despite the lackluster cases of the week, the reliance on action sequences instead of character beats, and the complete lack of any superheroes, I've managed to become invested in this ragtag group of characters. So I guess I'm in it for the long haul now. Let's just hope that the Captain America tie-in in the spring is more meaningful than this throw-away Thor tie-in.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
SHIELD: F.Z.Z.T.
We got an episode about Simmons! I was so excited to learn more about her character and watch her interact with more than just Fitz. Although it was also nice to see more definition in her relationship with Fitz.
Anyway, this was an exciting episode that kept me guessing. I liked that the monster of the week wrapped up so quickly and we were able to spend a bit more time with the team. I suppose that was an extension of the MotW, being the same virus and all, but it nice to see it contained to the main cast. After the third firefighter died, I fully expected the episode to turn to Coulson's resurrection, it being November sweeps and all. So I was surprised when it was revealed that Simmons was infected.
I really liked watching her try not to fall apart as she frantically searched for a cure for herself. It sure was lucky that she had three lab rats and it took her three tries to get the antiserum right. But I did like the breakthrough moment and Fitz rushing in to help her.
The whole skydiving bit was seriously thrilling, too. An excellent use of the huge budget this show has.
As for relationships, it seems the Fitz has a crush on Skye, though I doubt she reciprocates it. Simmons may or may not have a crush on Fitz (setting up a handy mirror of Buffy-Xander-Willow that I'm not sure needs to be repeated). But mostly I'm interested in Skye and Simmons' friendship. Skye clearly cares more about her (and probably all of them) than she's let on, and I want more of that.
This show definitely has the action scenes down. The witty dialogue is coming along. And now we need to work on all of the relationships. That's what tends to make a Whedon show special, so I'm glad that we're starting to deepen them.
It's also worth noting that the November 19th episode will apparently deal with aftermath of the Thor movie, which is an interesting ploy. I doubt there's anyone watching this show who wasn't planning on seeing that movie, so I don't think this is an attempt to boost box-office sales. As for getting more people to watch the show, well we'll have to wait and see if that ploy works. It better be an excellent episode, though, if that's what they're going for. Otherwise this will backfire horribly.
PS Does anyone know what F.Z.Z.T stands for?
Anyway, this was an exciting episode that kept me guessing. I liked that the monster of the week wrapped up so quickly and we were able to spend a bit more time with the team. I suppose that was an extension of the MotW, being the same virus and all, but it nice to see it contained to the main cast. After the third firefighter died, I fully expected the episode to turn to Coulson's resurrection, it being November sweeps and all. So I was surprised when it was revealed that Simmons was infected.
I really liked watching her try not to fall apart as she frantically searched for a cure for herself. It sure was lucky that she had three lab rats and it took her three tries to get the antiserum right. But I did like the breakthrough moment and Fitz rushing in to help her.
The whole skydiving bit was seriously thrilling, too. An excellent use of the huge budget this show has.
As for relationships, it seems the Fitz has a crush on Skye, though I doubt she reciprocates it. Simmons may or may not have a crush on Fitz (setting up a handy mirror of Buffy-Xander-Willow that I'm not sure needs to be repeated). But mostly I'm interested in Skye and Simmons' friendship. Skye clearly cares more about her (and probably all of them) than she's let on, and I want more of that.
This show definitely has the action scenes down. The witty dialogue is coming along. And now we need to work on all of the relationships. That's what tends to make a Whedon show special, so I'm glad that we're starting to deepen them.
It's also worth noting that the November 19th episode will apparently deal with aftermath of the Thor movie, which is an interesting ploy. I doubt there's anyone watching this show who wasn't planning on seeing that movie, so I don't think this is an attempt to boost box-office sales. As for getting more people to watch the show, well we'll have to wait and see if that ploy works. It better be an excellent episode, though, if that's what they're going for. Otherwise this will backfire horribly.
PS Does anyone know what F.Z.Z.T stands for?
Monday, October 28, 2013
SHIELD: The Girl in the Flower Dress
Every now and then work explodes and makes it difficult for me to watch (and then write about) tv. So I was late getting to this episode and even later to write anything about it. Frankly I was just too tired last week to really engage with this show.
Surprisingly, that made the show rather more enjoyable. Or maybe not surprisingly. Maybe the word I'm looking for is disappointingly. I want this to be a show that makes me think and that sparks interesting conversations. But it remains a collection of really cool action sequences strung together by a bunch of witty one-liners. And there's nothing exactly wrong with that. It's certainly a show that I will continue watching until it gets canceled. Or at least until the end of the season. I just wanted and, perhaps foolishly, expected more.
Then again, we're still only five episodes in. There's still time for it to be great.
In the meantime we're circling around to yet another shadowy organization. That puts the count at four, which is a lot to be juggling. Unless there's some nefarious connection between everything, which seems both likely and easy.
At least Skye has a more interesting motivation now that doesn't force her to constantly be a double-agent. Her loyalties are more clear now, and they're mostly to herself. She isn't in direct opposition with her team, though.
Here's hoping this show gets better. Or at least gives me more to talk about
Surprisingly, that made the show rather more enjoyable. Or maybe not surprisingly. Maybe the word I'm looking for is disappointingly. I want this to be a show that makes me think and that sparks interesting conversations. But it remains a collection of really cool action sequences strung together by a bunch of witty one-liners. And there's nothing exactly wrong with that. It's certainly a show that I will continue watching until it gets canceled. Or at least until the end of the season. I just wanted and, perhaps foolishly, expected more.
Then again, we're still only five episodes in. There's still time for it to be great.
In the meantime we're circling around to yet another shadowy organization. That puts the count at four, which is a lot to be juggling. Unless there's some nefarious connection between everything, which seems both likely and easy.
At least Skye has a more interesting motivation now that doesn't force her to constantly be a double-agent. Her loyalties are more clear now, and they're mostly to herself. She isn't in direct opposition with her team, though.
Here's hoping this show gets better. Or at least gives me more to talk about
Thursday, October 17, 2013
SHIELD: Eye Spy
SHIELD just keeps getting better, which is definitely a good sign. Elements of serialization are starting to leak in, and I'm sure they'll become important soon. The dialogue is getting better, and, in my opinion, the actors are getting better at delivering it. Unlike many others, I have no issues with Chloe Bennet. I think she's doing a pretty good job in this role, and she usually gets the most laughs out of me. Of course, she reminds me of no one so much as Eliza Dushku, and I always had more of a soft spot for Dushku than many others. Maybe I'm just more forgiving or more in tune with their acting choices or something.
This episode opened with a scene that was familiar to me. A bunch of people, dressed identically and wearing red masks and carrying briefcases all enter a subway station and board a train. This happened to a train I was on in London, except that they were wearing Guy Fawkes masks. It had the same sort of surreal feeling that this scene evokes. Of course, the people on my train were merely protesting the Church of Scientology not carrying diamonds. And there was no blackout during which they were all killed. So maybe not so similar.
The story of Akela unfolds really nicely, and I liked the mystery that surrounded her. Both exactly what her powers were (I was going with telekinesis while Kevin guessed super-hearing) and what her goal was. That she was ultimately a pawn who Coulson was able to set free was a really nice resolution.
Of course we now have another shadowy organization when what I really want is to learn more about Rising Tide. I don't think these two are connected, since they have polar opposite mission statements. Then again, you never know. At any rate, the previews for next week promise that we'll get back to Skye's divided loyalties soon.
All of the relationships on this show are also coming along nicely, and that's where Whedon shows always ultimately shine. We have Coulson mentoring Skye, Skye starting to establish herself as a partner for Ward, Mae's respect for Coulson while she's also willing to disobey him, and the sibling-like closeness of FitzSimmons. There's a lot to play with here, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone grow over the course of the season.
There were also a lot of cute little moments, which are really what make the show for me. Chloe not knowing the difference between the safety release and the magazine release was great, as was her meek "bang" right before Akela knocked their van over. Simmons needing to pee and Ward recommending the water bottle. And, of course, Akela wondering what happened to Coulson. I maintain that we should take the phrase "Tahiti is a magical place" at face value, but I'll be interested to learn the specifics of Coulson's resurrection.
This episode opened with a scene that was familiar to me. A bunch of people, dressed identically and wearing red masks and carrying briefcases all enter a subway station and board a train. This happened to a train I was on in London, except that they were wearing Guy Fawkes masks. It had the same sort of surreal feeling that this scene evokes. Of course, the people on my train were merely protesting the Church of Scientology not carrying diamonds. And there was no blackout during which they were all killed. So maybe not so similar.
The story of Akela unfolds really nicely, and I liked the mystery that surrounded her. Both exactly what her powers were (I was going with telekinesis while Kevin guessed super-hearing) and what her goal was. That she was ultimately a pawn who Coulson was able to set free was a really nice resolution.
Of course we now have another shadowy organization when what I really want is to learn more about Rising Tide. I don't think these two are connected, since they have polar opposite mission statements. Then again, you never know. At any rate, the previews for next week promise that we'll get back to Skye's divided loyalties soon.
All of the relationships on this show are also coming along nicely, and that's where Whedon shows always ultimately shine. We have Coulson mentoring Skye, Skye starting to establish herself as a partner for Ward, Mae's respect for Coulson while she's also willing to disobey him, and the sibling-like closeness of FitzSimmons. There's a lot to play with here, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone grow over the course of the season.
There were also a lot of cute little moments, which are really what make the show for me. Chloe not knowing the difference between the safety release and the magazine release was great, as was her meek "bang" right before Akela knocked their van over. Simmons needing to pee and Ward recommending the water bottle. And, of course, Akela wondering what happened to Coulson. I maintain that we should take the phrase "Tahiti is a magical place" at face value, but I'll be interested to learn the specifics of Coulson's resurrection.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
SHIELD: The Asset
As we get farther from the pilot, we're starting to get into the meat of what this show is capable of without the scaffolding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And so far the results are promising. This was easy my favorite episode of the show so far.
The reasons for that are, I think, two-fold. The characters are starting to get more fleshed-out, which was bound to happen over time. I have reasons to care about Agent Ward now, and I can see the common ground he might share with Skye. Skye's conflict is becoming better-defined (though it seems to boil down to which bad guys are the worst in any given situation). We still haven't learned much about Agent May's past, but since Ming-Na Wen may be the best actor on the show we don't really need to in order to care about her character. The fact the she's changed her mind about going into combat has me hopeful that we'll get her backstory soon. (Please, don't pull a Shepherd Book on us...)
I also like that the show seems to be getting more confidence. The advertising is absolutely abysmal (I cringe every time I hear a radio ad), but the plots are coming along. I liked that this one toyed with the idea of a super-villain who wasn't entirely evil. He did some bad things, but he also made some points that Skye agreed with. The titular asset is the one who's on the path to becoming a super-villain, trapped in the gravitonium and locked in an unmarked vault. If he's not just ignored for the rest of the show's run (which, given Whedon's track record he probably will be) he could pop up as a really great bad guy in a future episode.
There isn't a ton to say about this episode. It was fun. The banter between the characters is improving. Coulson's immediate past remains a mystery, and probably will until the season finale. At the end of the day, the show is entertaining and holds my attention. That's enough for now.
The reasons for that are, I think, two-fold. The characters are starting to get more fleshed-out, which was bound to happen over time. I have reasons to care about Agent Ward now, and I can see the common ground he might share with Skye. Skye's conflict is becoming better-defined (though it seems to boil down to which bad guys are the worst in any given situation). We still haven't learned much about Agent May's past, but since Ming-Na Wen may be the best actor on the show we don't really need to in order to care about her character. The fact the she's changed her mind about going into combat has me hopeful that we'll get her backstory soon. (Please, don't pull a Shepherd Book on us...)
I also like that the show seems to be getting more confidence. The advertising is absolutely abysmal (I cringe every time I hear a radio ad), but the plots are coming along. I liked that this one toyed with the idea of a super-villain who wasn't entirely evil. He did some bad things, but he also made some points that Skye agreed with. The titular asset is the one who's on the path to becoming a super-villain, trapped in the gravitonium and locked in an unmarked vault. If he's not just ignored for the rest of the show's run (which, given Whedon's track record he probably will be) he could pop up as a really great bad guy in a future episode.
There isn't a ton to say about this episode. It was fun. The banter between the characters is improving. Coulson's immediate past remains a mystery, and probably will until the season finale. At the end of the day, the show is entertaining and holds my attention. That's enough for now.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
SHIELD: 0-8-4
It's hard to talk about a show this new. Things aren't quite where I want them to be yet, but they're moving in the right direction. You need to be patient with new shows, especially new Whedon shows, while they find their footing. You also need to be patient while everyone else gains confidence and backs off so the people in charge of the show have some room to try new things.
So what we have is a second pilot, with a touch more character development, a ton of action scenes, and a reference to nearly every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Did you know that Stark is officially a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant, not an agent? Or that the last 0-8-4 was Thor's Hammer? Or that Hydra used Tesseract technology and Gamma Radiation to make weapons of mass destruction? Fury even made an appearance in this episode!
Eventually we'll movie away from the movies as SHIELD learns to stand on its own legs. For now they're doing their best to remind everyone why they started watching this show in the first place.
But on to the characters, because that's what I'm here for. At least, it's what I should be here for.
I know it isn't the popular opinion, but Simmons continues to grow on me. I like that she and Fitz are starting to get some definition. They're beginning to become individuals instead of a single character split in two. So far, Simmons is far more gung-ho about being in the field. She's the one who dragged Fitz out of his comfort zone so they could go in the field. And she's the one teasing him about snakes and Dengue fever.
Ward remains my least favorite of the group. The actor can't quite pull off some of the dialogue, but I hope he gets better with time. For now he's basically Riley 2.0, the new and not-improved version. (Or maybe he's Riley 2.5, since Ballard was Riley 2.0? I don't know.) If he was just a little less serious, he'd work so much better. There are hints of it, like in his scene with May at the end. Actually, both of his scenes with May. I really like the two of them on screen together, so here's hoping they build on that relationship.
Ward and Skye on the other hand. I don't really know what to make of them, because their conflict did not go where I thought it would go. Instead of an argument about the good S.H.I.E.L.D. does versus the people it steps on, we got an individual vs team conflict. Maybe the other conflict is just being saved for later, though, when Skye's double-agent status is revealed.
Speaking of which, Coulson knows, right? He has to know. He's not that stupid. I can't figure out if he genuinely wants her on his team or if he's just using her to find Rising Tide, but there's no way he thinks it's this easy to get her on their side.
So what we have is a second pilot, with a touch more character development, a ton of action scenes, and a reference to nearly every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Did you know that Stark is officially a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant, not an agent? Or that the last 0-8-4 was Thor's Hammer? Or that Hydra used Tesseract technology and Gamma Radiation to make weapons of mass destruction? Fury even made an appearance in this episode!
Eventually we'll movie away from the movies as SHIELD learns to stand on its own legs. For now they're doing their best to remind everyone why they started watching this show in the first place.
But on to the characters, because that's what I'm here for. At least, it's what I should be here for.
I know it isn't the popular opinion, but Simmons continues to grow on me. I like that she and Fitz are starting to get some definition. They're beginning to become individuals instead of a single character split in two. So far, Simmons is far more gung-ho about being in the field. She's the one who dragged Fitz out of his comfort zone so they could go in the field. And she's the one teasing him about snakes and Dengue fever.
Ward remains my least favorite of the group. The actor can't quite pull off some of the dialogue, but I hope he gets better with time. For now he's basically Riley 2.0, the new and not-improved version. (Or maybe he's Riley 2.5, since Ballard was Riley 2.0? I don't know.) If he was just a little less serious, he'd work so much better. There are hints of it, like in his scene with May at the end. Actually, both of his scenes with May. I really like the two of them on screen together, so here's hoping they build on that relationship.
Ward and Skye on the other hand. I don't really know what to make of them, because their conflict did not go where I thought it would go. Instead of an argument about the good S.H.I.E.L.D. does versus the people it steps on, we got an individual vs team conflict. Maybe the other conflict is just being saved for later, though, when Skye's double-agent status is revealed.
Speaking of which, Coulson knows, right? He has to know. He's not that stupid. I can't figure out if he genuinely wants her on his team or if he's just using her to find Rising Tide, but there's no way he thinks it's this easy to get her on their side.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
SHIELD: Pilot
You can't really tell from this blog, but I watch a lot of TV. Some might say a scary amount. I love the long form story-telling and character growth that you get to experience watching a TV show grow and evolve over years. I like the anticipation of waiting until the next week to find out what happened. And I like seeing how different shows comment on or fail to comment on a variety of social issues.
My television tastes are wide and varied. I loved silly, escapist TV, like last year's The Carrie Diaries (which I still think has one of the more nuanced and thoughtful depictions of a teenager coming to terms with his sexual orientation), True Blood (vampires and cliffhangers!) or the new show Sleepy Hollow (time-traveling Ichabod Crane! Also one of the most racially diverse casts currently on television). I like happy comedies like How I Met Your Mother (which has a lot of fun playing with structure and time) and Parks and Recreation (honestly, one of the happiest, feel-good TV shows around). I also enjoy some harder-hitting dramas, like Justified and The Americans which deal with, respectively, trying to break free from your parents' legacy and what it takes to make a marriage work.
But I'll always have a soft spot for Joss Whedon's shows. I grew up watching Buffy (and then Angel) every Tuesday night, and made it a point to catch both Firefly and Dollhouse when they were originally airing. I'm beyond excited to have a Whedon show to look forward to on Tuesday night's again, even though Joss' brother and sister-in-law will be more in charge of the day-to-day running of the show. But since that team was responsible for most of my favorite episodes of Dollhouse, I have every confidence in them with this new show.
All of this brings us to the point. I've sort of been wanting to talk about TV on this blog like I do with books. I watch way too much to comment on everything (that would be a full time job). But I figure I can handle a single series pretty easily. And what better series than Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (hereafter, SHIELD)? I'm sure there will be some cool things to talk about as the series progresses.
But for now we just have the pilot. I've gotten the impression that I'm more pleased with this show than a lot of people. I think disappointment was to be expected, though. There was so much hype since this was announced, that there was just no way it could live up to those expectations. Add in to that the fact that Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Marvel, Disney, ABC, and probably countless other people all had a vested interest in their vision for this show and you end with something that was perhaps a little too broad. When you also consider the fact that Whedon is historically pretty bad at pilots (Firefly being the exception), and the show can only get better. (Hopefully.)
So yeah, I'm pretty optimistic. There are some strong characters here and hints about backstories that will help flesh out the walking stereotypes we saw in the pilot. Agent Ward has some serious family issues. Something happened to drive Melinda May away from fieldwork. It was heavily implied that Skye erased her own identity for some reason. And there's the central mystery of how Coulson was resurrected (maybe Tahiti really is a magical place). When the show gets a little room to breathe and finds its focus, I bet we'll end up with something excellent.
Of course, I genuinely enjoyed the pilot, too. Sure, J August Richard's character had some pretty awful dialogue. His speech at the train station was too broad and obvious, likewise his scene at the factory. Neither had that Whedon flavor that I've become so enamored of over the years. But his line about living out his origin story made me laugh. And Skye's insistence that "With great power comes...a lot of weird stuff" was a nice call to the fact that the Avengers legally have to separate themselves from Spiderman.
The thing I'm most interested in seeing developed is the antagonism between Skye and Ward, which will, of course stand, in for the transparency vs security debate. Whedon is aware that with the recent trial of Private Chelsea Manning and the whole Edward Snowden debacle, this is very much in the forefront of a lot of people's minds. And he has the perfect vehicle with which to explore it. Then again, this is also the part of the show that I can see falling completely apart.
Whedon is anti-establishment. This has been a theme in his work as early as Buffy (with Buffy fighting against big bads like The Mayor and Adam/The Initiative, and ultimately rejecting The Watcher's Council). Mal Reynolds was fighting against The Alliance (Big Government) while Echo and her friends were taking a stand against Rossum (Big Corporation). Even in The Avengers, there are hints that S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't the altruistic organization it claims to be.
The show, however, has to do its best to make S.H.I.E.L.D. the goods guys. Or at least, Coulson and his team. They're the protagonists that we need to be rooting for, and I want to see lots of coll superheroes and superhero-related shenanigans. Whedon is going to have to find some middle ground between the individual and the establishment. He's going to need to get better about articulating Ward's and Coulson's sides in this debate, so that Skye can reasonably justify working with them.
Ultimately, I worry that this will become a rehash of Angel's fifth season. Don't get me wrong; I love Angel's fifth season. In my opinion it's the best season of that show. But I want to see something different from SHIELD, something more nuanced than good guys vs bad guys. S.H.I.E.L.D. may be shady, but it's no Wolfram and Hart, and I'd hate to see it become that over the course of this show. So here's hoping we get some interesting morally grey area and good debate about the need for secrecy in some cases versus the right to knowledge in others. Where should that line be drawn and who ought to decide that? That's what I'm hoping to be able to talk about with this show.
That and the adorableness of Simmons. Did you see her face when she welcomed Ward to the team? Or when the alien tech actually started dripping? I can already tell she's going to be my favorite, even if I have trouble understanding half of what she says. That's what subtitles are for, though, right?
My television tastes are wide and varied. I loved silly, escapist TV, like last year's The Carrie Diaries (which I still think has one of the more nuanced and thoughtful depictions of a teenager coming to terms with his sexual orientation), True Blood (vampires and cliffhangers!) or the new show Sleepy Hollow (time-traveling Ichabod Crane! Also one of the most racially diverse casts currently on television). I like happy comedies like How I Met Your Mother (which has a lot of fun playing with structure and time) and Parks and Recreation (honestly, one of the happiest, feel-good TV shows around). I also enjoy some harder-hitting dramas, like Justified and The Americans which deal with, respectively, trying to break free from your parents' legacy and what it takes to make a marriage work.
But I'll always have a soft spot for Joss Whedon's shows. I grew up watching Buffy (and then Angel) every Tuesday night, and made it a point to catch both Firefly and Dollhouse when they were originally airing. I'm beyond excited to have a Whedon show to look forward to on Tuesday night's again, even though Joss' brother and sister-in-law will be more in charge of the day-to-day running of the show. But since that team was responsible for most of my favorite episodes of Dollhouse, I have every confidence in them with this new show.
All of this brings us to the point. I've sort of been wanting to talk about TV on this blog like I do with books. I watch way too much to comment on everything (that would be a full time job). But I figure I can handle a single series pretty easily. And what better series than Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (hereafter, SHIELD)? I'm sure there will be some cool things to talk about as the series progresses.
But for now we just have the pilot. I've gotten the impression that I'm more pleased with this show than a lot of people. I think disappointment was to be expected, though. There was so much hype since this was announced, that there was just no way it could live up to those expectations. Add in to that the fact that Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Marvel, Disney, ABC, and probably countless other people all had a vested interest in their vision for this show and you end with something that was perhaps a little too broad. When you also consider the fact that Whedon is historically pretty bad at pilots (Firefly being the exception), and the show can only get better. (Hopefully.)
So yeah, I'm pretty optimistic. There are some strong characters here and hints about backstories that will help flesh out the walking stereotypes we saw in the pilot. Agent Ward has some serious family issues. Something happened to drive Melinda May away from fieldwork. It was heavily implied that Skye erased her own identity for some reason. And there's the central mystery of how Coulson was resurrected (maybe Tahiti really is a magical place). When the show gets a little room to breathe and finds its focus, I bet we'll end up with something excellent.
Of course, I genuinely enjoyed the pilot, too. Sure, J August Richard's character had some pretty awful dialogue. His speech at the train station was too broad and obvious, likewise his scene at the factory. Neither had that Whedon flavor that I've become so enamored of over the years. But his line about living out his origin story made me laugh. And Skye's insistence that "With great power comes...a lot of weird stuff" was a nice call to the fact that the Avengers legally have to separate themselves from Spiderman.
The thing I'm most interested in seeing developed is the antagonism between Skye and Ward, which will, of course stand, in for the transparency vs security debate. Whedon is aware that with the recent trial of Private Chelsea Manning and the whole Edward Snowden debacle, this is very much in the forefront of a lot of people's minds. And he has the perfect vehicle with which to explore it. Then again, this is also the part of the show that I can see falling completely apart.
Whedon is anti-establishment. This has been a theme in his work as early as Buffy (with Buffy fighting against big bads like The Mayor and Adam/The Initiative, and ultimately rejecting The Watcher's Council). Mal Reynolds was fighting against The Alliance (Big Government) while Echo and her friends were taking a stand against Rossum (Big Corporation). Even in The Avengers, there are hints that S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't the altruistic organization it claims to be.
The show, however, has to do its best to make S.H.I.E.L.D. the goods guys. Or at least, Coulson and his team. They're the protagonists that we need to be rooting for, and I want to see lots of coll superheroes and superhero-related shenanigans. Whedon is going to have to find some middle ground between the individual and the establishment. He's going to need to get better about articulating Ward's and Coulson's sides in this debate, so that Skye can reasonably justify working with them.
Ultimately, I worry that this will become a rehash of Angel's fifth season. Don't get me wrong; I love Angel's fifth season. In my opinion it's the best season of that show. But I want to see something different from SHIELD, something more nuanced than good guys vs bad guys. S.H.I.E.L.D. may be shady, but it's no Wolfram and Hart, and I'd hate to see it become that over the course of this show. So here's hoping we get some interesting morally grey area and good debate about the need for secrecy in some cases versus the right to knowledge in others. Where should that line be drawn and who ought to decide that? That's what I'm hoping to be able to talk about with this show.
That and the adorableness of Simmons. Did you see her face when she welcomed Ward to the team? Or when the alien tech actually started dripping? I can already tell she's going to be my favorite, even if I have trouble understanding half of what she says. That's what subtitles are for, though, right?
Thursday, August 30, 2012
August
So...August kind of got away from me
I attended the wedding of my best friends and had an epic weekend
I went camping in Arizona with my dad's side of the family and played a ton of pinochle and won three games of Scrabble (it's nice to be able to beat someone at that game).
I re-read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear and have a ton of speculation about what's going on.
I worked a lot and got put in charge of a proposal which is terrifying, but in a good way.
I basically failed to go to the gym. Between vacations, work, metro break downs, and a general sense of laziness, I think I managed to make it four times this month. There's always next month...
I figured out how OnDemand and HBOGo work on the TV (thanks Jen!) and spent a lot of time catching up on TV and movies. I fell in love with Political Animals and had fun watching Bunheads. I was pleasantly surprised by Crazy Stupid Love (though I could have done without the babysitter's uncomfortable love triangle) and a bit let down by Bridesmaids. I think my expectations were just too high on the last one.
And now I'm gearing up for Labor Day Weekend, during which my brother and cousin are coming to visit. But I'm hoping to get back to this blog and actually post some things in the near-ish future. Especially some of my thoughts on Rothfuss' books. I have a lot of thoughts about those books.
In the meantime, I'm glad the weather is finally cooling down. I'm ready for summer to be over and autumn to be here. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is walking the dog after the sun has set. I think I'll have to switch from walks in the (not lit) park to walks around the (better lit) neighborhood.
Anyway, this has been a post to let you know that I haven't abandoned the blog. Life just got in the way. And I needed some comfort, so I started re-reading books instead of seeking out new books. Sometimes you just need a familiar story to keep you grounded when everything else in life seems to be going crazy.
I attended the wedding of my best friends and had an epic weekend
I went camping in Arizona with my dad's side of the family and played a ton of pinochle and won three games of Scrabble (it's nice to be able to beat someone at that game).
I re-read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear and have a ton of speculation about what's going on.
I worked a lot and got put in charge of a proposal which is terrifying, but in a good way.
I basically failed to go to the gym. Between vacations, work, metro break downs, and a general sense of laziness, I think I managed to make it four times this month. There's always next month...
I figured out how OnDemand and HBOGo work on the TV (thanks Jen!) and spent a lot of time catching up on TV and movies. I fell in love with Political Animals and had fun watching Bunheads. I was pleasantly surprised by Crazy Stupid Love (though I could have done without the babysitter's uncomfortable love triangle) and a bit let down by Bridesmaids. I think my expectations were just too high on the last one.
And now I'm gearing up for Labor Day Weekend, during which my brother and cousin are coming to visit. But I'm hoping to get back to this blog and actually post some things in the near-ish future. Especially some of my thoughts on Rothfuss' books. I have a lot of thoughts about those books.
In the meantime, I'm glad the weather is finally cooling down. I'm ready for summer to be over and autumn to be here. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is walking the dog after the sun has set. I think I'll have to switch from walks in the (not lit) park to walks around the (better lit) neighborhood.
Anyway, this has been a post to let you know that I haven't abandoned the blog. Life just got in the way. And I needed some comfort, so I started re-reading books instead of seeking out new books. Sometimes you just need a familiar story to keep you grounded when everything else in life seems to be going crazy.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Damn It, Glee
I have a love/hate relationship with Glee. Or maybe it's more like an addiction I can't seem to kick and don't quite want to. I loved this show back in the first season. I still like most of the musical numbers. And I've been enjoying this year's plot that concerns what all the kids are planning on doing after graduating. But this show just gets so frustrating sometimes.
There are plots that are simply stupid, like Puck seducing his teacher and the adoptive mother of his child. Some are just handled abominable, like Santana's coming out. But there are little things I still like, such as Kurt's relationship with his dad and Quinn's "over it" attitude towards high school. She's reminding me a lot of Cordy from the third season of Buffy lately.
Still, I find myself getting angrier with each passing episode. Little things piss me off. Big things piss me off. I find myself swearing that this is the last episode I watch. That I won't give Glee another chance.
And then they go and cast Jeff Glodblum as one of Rachel's fathers and hint that Ricky Martin is going to come in and prove that Schuester is completely unqualified to teach Spanish and the show ropes me right back in. I can't believe I care about this so much.
Maybe Glee will finally get something right. Or maybe they'll finally screw something up so much that no amount of special guest stars or intriguing new plots will pull me back in. My only reaction lately seems to be "Damn it". Anger and resignation all rolled into one.
There are plots that are simply stupid, like Puck seducing his teacher and the adoptive mother of his child. Some are just handled abominable, like Santana's coming out. But there are little things I still like, such as Kurt's relationship with his dad and Quinn's "over it" attitude towards high school. She's reminding me a lot of Cordy from the third season of Buffy lately.
Still, I find myself getting angrier with each passing episode. Little things piss me off. Big things piss me off. I find myself swearing that this is the last episode I watch. That I won't give Glee another chance.
And then they go and cast Jeff Glodblum as one of Rachel's fathers and hint that Ricky Martin is going to come in and prove that Schuester is completely unqualified to teach Spanish and the show ropes me right back in. I can't believe I care about this so much.
Maybe Glee will finally get something right. Or maybe they'll finally screw something up so much that no amount of special guest stars or intriguing new plots will pull me back in. My only reaction lately seems to be "Damn it". Anger and resignation all rolled into one.
Monday, September 26, 2011
TV roundup
It's officially Fall, which means that television shows are starting or starting back up. I already watch too much TV, but with Boyfriend out of town, I have even more time to waste in front of the idiot box this year (or at least this month). This means that I watched a ton of TV last week. I'll have to figure out how to narrow it down before Boyfriend comes back. Thankfully I have a few weeks to weed things out. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on my massive TV binge
How I Met Your Mother - I love this show. So much. I mean, I'd probably be okay if we never met the mother at all (though I bet we do either this year or next year). But we know that Barney's getting married eventually (possibly at the end of this season, though maybe not until next season, hopefully to Robin). Lily and Marshall are pregnant. Marshall got his dream job at an environmental law firm. And Victoria's back! So excited for Victoria! I predict an interesting season. As long as Nora doesn't hang around too long.
2 Broke Girls - This was fun and has a bunch of potential. I like the concept - two girls trying to raise enough money to open their own cupcake store. They work at a diner together, and one of them also nannies for a family on the upper west side. I can see all sorts of get rich quick schemes and various financial setbacks as they work towards their goal of $250,000 (currently they have ~$350). There's a bit of an odd couple dynamic between Max and Caroline. Max currently works two jobs just to get by and seems to have been doing this her entire life. Caroline grew up rich, but recently lost everything, a la Cordelia Chase. The fact that this comes on right after How I Met Your Mother greatly increases the odds that I'll stick with it throughout the season.
Castle - I just can't stop watching this show. It's really nothing special, just another goofy cop procedural. But it has Nathan Fillion and I've fallen a bit in love with Beckett. This could get booted if I get too busy, but as long as I have time I'll probably continue to tune in. The pilot was a bit heavy, since they had to deal with the aftermath of Beckett getting shot and Castle admitting that he loved her. I'm hoping the rest of the season is more lighthearted, like it has been in the past.
Glee - Oh Glee, why can't I quit you? I honestly wasn't planning to come back to Glee this season. It's still a fun show, but incredibly uneven. Character development doesn't seem to matter and nothing really sticks from week to week, except for the storylines concerning gay characters. But then they brought Marti Noxon on board. Noxon is responsible for some of my favorite and least favorite Buffy episodes. She wrote the What's My Line? arc, I Only Have Eyes For You, The Wish, The Prom, and Doomed, which are all excellent. Of course she's also responsible for Bad Eggs, Beauty and the Beasts, and Living Conditions.I suppose it's still early in the season, but so far things don't look all that different from last season. But the musical numbers are fun and I'm excited about the rumored lack of theme episodes. Because those got old. I like having more of a mix and not knowing what to expect until they break into song.
Ringer - This show appears to be heading into silly soap opera territory. I guess it's just a matter of how long SMG can hold my interest and whether or not any other characters become interesting. Bridgett is bonding with Juliet over the whole drug thing. I think she's still pretending to be pregnant so she'll have a valid excuse not to drink, but that seems like the worst idea ever.
New Girl - I watched the pilot. It was alright. Not really funny or anything. And I don't really care about the characters. The main girl, Jess, is more annoying than cute. The guys she lives with are kind of awful, but at least they have a "douchebag jar" that they must contribute to whenever they do something really douchey. It just didn't catch my interest, so I'll probably be avoiding this show. Which is actually a relief.
The Big Bang Theory - This one may not last too much longer. The early seasons were fun, but it seems to have stagnated. There's never any real progress in any way. I like the introduction of Amy Farrah-Fowler, and she's still a really interesting character. But the show itself just isn't holding my interest the way it used to. The seem completely unwilling to maintain a storyline for multiple episodes. For example, in the season premiere, Penny is lamenting the fact that she hasn't been able to get an acting gig and is considering moving home to Nebraska. Then, right at the end of the episode, she gets a callback for a commercial. And I got really excited, because it looked like we might go back to dealing with Penny as a struggling actress, or maybe see some of what she goes through filming the commercial. But nope, the episode ends with a screening of her completed commercial and by the next episode it's like it never even happened. It gets frustrating.
Parks and Rec - I marathoned all three seasons of this show over the summer and kind of fell in love with everything about it. The premiere was good, if predictable. The big question at the end of last season was whether Leslie would give up her dreams of running for office in order to pursue her relationship with Ben, dump Ben so she could run for office, or try to have her cake and eat it too. But she's Leslie, which means there was only ever one thing she could do. Though it will be interesting to see if she and Ben can actually stay broken up through her campaign. And I'm really excited to see more of Tammy 1.
Community - As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best shows on television right now. But I can't watch it yet. Boyfriend and I always watch NBC's Thursday night block together, so these will just pile up on the DVR for a few weeks.
The Office - I guess James Spader is joining the cast. But not as the new Michael Scott. I guess we'll see. This is another show that I have to wait on until I can watch it with Boyfriend.
Pan Am - This looks like it could be fun. This show follows four fairly different stewardesses back in the 1960s. Maggie was grounded for refusing to wear her girdle and will probably be the feminist voice of the show. She joins the crew as a last minute replacement for a stewardess who didn't show up (Bridgett). Kate is an international spy, working with the CIA and MI-6 and doing spy things. Her younger sister, Laura, is a runaway bride looking for adventure. And Colette was sleeping with a man who turned out to be married. We'll see how long the show holds my interest.
How I Met Your Mother - I love this show. So much. I mean, I'd probably be okay if we never met the mother at all (though I bet we do either this year or next year). But we know that Barney's getting married eventually (possibly at the end of this season, though maybe not until next season, hopefully to Robin). Lily and Marshall are pregnant. Marshall got his dream job at an environmental law firm. And Victoria's back! So excited for Victoria! I predict an interesting season. As long as Nora doesn't hang around too long.
2 Broke Girls - This was fun and has a bunch of potential. I like the concept - two girls trying to raise enough money to open their own cupcake store. They work at a diner together, and one of them also nannies for a family on the upper west side. I can see all sorts of get rich quick schemes and various financial setbacks as they work towards their goal of $250,000 (currently they have ~$350). There's a bit of an odd couple dynamic between Max and Caroline. Max currently works two jobs just to get by and seems to have been doing this her entire life. Caroline grew up rich, but recently lost everything, a la Cordelia Chase. The fact that this comes on right after How I Met Your Mother greatly increases the odds that I'll stick with it throughout the season.
Castle - I just can't stop watching this show. It's really nothing special, just another goofy cop procedural. But it has Nathan Fillion and I've fallen a bit in love with Beckett. This could get booted if I get too busy, but as long as I have time I'll probably continue to tune in. The pilot was a bit heavy, since they had to deal with the aftermath of Beckett getting shot and Castle admitting that he loved her. I'm hoping the rest of the season is more lighthearted, like it has been in the past.
Glee - Oh Glee, why can't I quit you? I honestly wasn't planning to come back to Glee this season. It's still a fun show, but incredibly uneven. Character development doesn't seem to matter and nothing really sticks from week to week, except for the storylines concerning gay characters. But then they brought Marti Noxon on board. Noxon is responsible for some of my favorite and least favorite Buffy episodes. She wrote the What's My Line? arc, I Only Have Eyes For You, The Wish, The Prom, and Doomed, which are all excellent. Of course she's also responsible for Bad Eggs, Beauty and the Beasts, and Living Conditions.I suppose it's still early in the season, but so far things don't look all that different from last season. But the musical numbers are fun and I'm excited about the rumored lack of theme episodes. Because those got old. I like having more of a mix and not knowing what to expect until they break into song.
Ringer - This show appears to be heading into silly soap opera territory. I guess it's just a matter of how long SMG can hold my interest and whether or not any other characters become interesting. Bridgett is bonding with Juliet over the whole drug thing. I think she's still pretending to be pregnant so she'll have a valid excuse not to drink, but that seems like the worst idea ever.
New Girl - I watched the pilot. It was alright. Not really funny or anything. And I don't really care about the characters. The main girl, Jess, is more annoying than cute. The guys she lives with are kind of awful, but at least they have a "douchebag jar" that they must contribute to whenever they do something really douchey. It just didn't catch my interest, so I'll probably be avoiding this show. Which is actually a relief.
The Big Bang Theory - This one may not last too much longer. The early seasons were fun, but it seems to have stagnated. There's never any real progress in any way. I like the introduction of Amy Farrah-Fowler, and she's still a really interesting character. But the show itself just isn't holding my interest the way it used to. The seem completely unwilling to maintain a storyline for multiple episodes. For example, in the season premiere, Penny is lamenting the fact that she hasn't been able to get an acting gig and is considering moving home to Nebraska. Then, right at the end of the episode, she gets a callback for a commercial. And I got really excited, because it looked like we might go back to dealing with Penny as a struggling actress, or maybe see some of what she goes through filming the commercial. But nope, the episode ends with a screening of her completed commercial and by the next episode it's like it never even happened. It gets frustrating.
Parks and Rec - I marathoned all three seasons of this show over the summer and kind of fell in love with everything about it. The premiere was good, if predictable. The big question at the end of last season was whether Leslie would give up her dreams of running for office in order to pursue her relationship with Ben, dump Ben so she could run for office, or try to have her cake and eat it too. But she's Leslie, which means there was only ever one thing she could do. Though it will be interesting to see if she and Ben can actually stay broken up through her campaign. And I'm really excited to see more of Tammy 1.
Community - As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best shows on television right now. But I can't watch it yet. Boyfriend and I always watch NBC's Thursday night block together, so these will just pile up on the DVR for a few weeks.
The Office - I guess James Spader is joining the cast. But not as the new Michael Scott. I guess we'll see. This is another show that I have to wait on until I can watch it with Boyfriend.
Pan Am - This looks like it could be fun. This show follows four fairly different stewardesses back in the 1960s. Maggie was grounded for refusing to wear her girdle and will probably be the feminist voice of the show. She joins the crew as a last minute replacement for a stewardess who didn't show up (Bridgett). Kate is an international spy, working with the CIA and MI-6 and doing spy things. Her younger sister, Laura, is a runaway bride looking for adventure. And Colette was sleeping with a man who turned out to be married. We'll see how long the show holds my interest.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Ringer Pilot
Spoilers for the pilot episode of Ringer follow. Massive spoilers.
Let's be honest. I'm a total sucker for Sarah Michelle Gellar. I mean, I grew up on Buffy*. So of course I tuned into tonight's season premiere of Ringer. It's probably a good thing that I didn't exactly have high hopes.
First things first, Ringer is not Buffy. Despite an ad campaign that focused almost exclusively on the fact that SMG would be returning to the CW** on Tuesday nights, the show makes it clear right off the bat that this is not Buffy in an opening scene that has SMG on the losing end of a fight with a masked man.
From there, the show proceeds to throw a dozen balls into the air. And I guess we'll spend the rest of the season either witnessing an impressive juggling act or a complete disaster. So what happened in the pilot? I believe we need a list.
*Probably the best role she's ever had
**Though Buffy actually switched to UPN before the WB became the CW
***Apparently they're remaking The Transporter with Ryan Gosling as Jason Statham.
Let's be honest. I'm a total sucker for Sarah Michelle Gellar. I mean, I grew up on Buffy*. So of course I tuned into tonight's season premiere of Ringer. It's probably a good thing that I didn't exactly have high hopes.
First things first, Ringer is not Buffy. Despite an ad campaign that focused almost exclusively on the fact that SMG would be returning to the CW** on Tuesday nights, the show makes it clear right off the bat that this is not Buffy in an opening scene that has SMG on the losing end of a fight with a masked man.
From there, the show proceeds to throw a dozen balls into the air. And I guess we'll spend the rest of the season either witnessing an impressive juggling act or a complete disaster. So what happened in the pilot? I believe we need a list.
- Bridget (played by SMG) is a former stripper and recovering addict. They never specify what her drug of choice was, but she's been sober for six months
- Bridget is the key witness in a murder trial for some big bad guy. Possibly with ties to the mob? If I heard correctly, he killed her fellow stripper by dismemberment.
- Bridget has a crush on her sponsor (I believe that's against the rules). Her sponsor seems to reciprocate those feelings
- Bridget is so terrified of the big bad that she breaks out of protective custody, assaults a cop, steals his gun, and runs to New York
- In New York we meet Siobhan, Bridget's estranged twin sister. They haven't spoken for six years. What better way to reunite than a boat ride?
- Siobhan conveniently hasn't told anyone that she has a sister
- The boat had some of the worst green screen/CGI I've seen in a long time.
- Bridget takes a nap, like you do, and when she wakes up Siobhan is gone, along with all her prescription drugs
- Naturally, Bridget assumes that Siobhan killed herself. The next logical step is to assume her identity
- Bridget calls her sponsor to tell him all of this.
- There's an FBI agent looking for Bridget because of that whole key witness thing. Also the assault of the police officer thing.
- Siobhan's husband, Andrew, is distant. They don't seem to have any sort of relationship anymore. He doesn't trust Bridget's attempts to mend this relationship.
- Siobhan had a big orange book that she wrote down all of her appointments in to keep track of her busy life. This would be pretty handy for Bridget to flip through, but she seems to forget about it the moment she discovers it
- Siobhan's best friend Gemma is renovating a penthouse apartment for Siobhan and Andrew
- Gemma thinks her husband, Henry, is cheating on her
- Henry is cheating on Gemma. With Siobhan
- In 2005 Siobhan had a son named Sean (quite the tongue twister). She does not have said son any longer. Bridget may have had something to do with this.
- The FBI agent visits Bridget-as-Siobhan to ask her about Bridget's whereabouts. Bridget lies and says they haven't spoken in years. (Technically it was true a week ago)
- Siobhan has a teenage stepdaughter, Juliet. Their relationship rivals the one I have with my own stepmother. But Bridget doesn't know this and is trying to play nice, despite having walked in on Juliet having sex with some random dude.
- Juliet just got kicked out of boarding school.
- Apparently it was for possession of the same drug that Bridget used to be addicted to
- So Bridget tries to kick Juliet out of the house
- A doctor calls to inform Bridget that Siobhan was pregnant. Bridget missed the appointment because she didn't bother to read her sister's incredibly handy appointment book.
- The baby is probably Henry's but there's a slim chance it could be Andrew's. Clearly Bridget herself isn't pregnant, though. But she seems to think this could repair her relationship with Andrew. Glee already did this, and it didn't work out so well.
- The FBI agent finds the letter that Bridget sent Siobhan (she stowed it in a bike locker in the Hamptons. Of course he found it.) He deduces that Bridget-as-Siobhan lied to him. But he still thinks she's Siobhan.
- Gemma calls Bridgett and asks to meet her because she knows who her husband's having an affair with.
- A masked man attacks Bridget (this is where the episode opened, before flashing back to "nine days earlier")
- Bridget shoots the masked man with the gun she stole from the cop
- The masked man was actually looking for Siobhan (if you consider that he accosted her in the very place Gemma asked to meet, this doesn't seem quite as suspenseful as the show wants you to believe it is)
- Siobhan is still alive. And apparently trying to kill Bridget. There must be an easier way to fake your own death.
- Somewhere in there the man that Bridget was supposed to testify against kidnapped her sponsor.
- There are mirrors everywhere. I guess for the symbolism. Nobody owns that many mirrors though. Someone will walk out of the frame, and then you'll see them again crossing the right side of the screen in a mirror. Then they'll appear in a mirror on the left side of the screen. Then they'll finally have exited the scene. It's ridiculous.
So all of that happened in the hour-long pilot. Which is really only 42 minutes when you account for all of the commercials***. Some of these plots seem unnecessary (do we really need a pregnancy?). Some of them probably could have been held off for a few weeks (Juliet's drug possession and expulsion). Some things could have been utilized better (Oh my God, Bridget, read your sister's appointment book). But it will be interesting to see where the show goes from here. I predict disaster. Hopefully it will be an entertaining disaster.
*Probably the best role she's ever had
**Though Buffy actually switched to UPN before the WB became the CW
***Apparently they're remaking The Transporter with Ryan Gosling as Jason Statham.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Catching Up
It's been a while.
On the one hand, nothing terribly interesting has happened. On the other, I've been really busy. And on the third hand I haven't really felt like writing or stumbled across a topic I want to write about.
Or maybe it's just that I haven't been able to find the words. My brother's being deployed to Afghanistan in December. I'm still working on processing that. In the meantime, life goes on.
We moved. And then I spent a lot of time not unpacking and instead watching lots of TV. I re-watched Wonderfalls and the first season of Battlestar Galactica. I also watched a few episodes of Pushing Daisies because Wonderfalls left me wanting more Lee Pace in my life.
I had my one-year anniversary with my company and a performance review. The review went well. They told me to keep doing what I'm doing and gave me a small raise.
I've been reading a lot, but not terribly quickly. I'm making my way through George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series which is incredibly long and dense. I've found that I'm liking reading at a slower pace, roughly 2-3 chapters a day. I've been filling up the rest of my time with other books. The upshot is that I'm currently halfway through four books, and all of them are going very slowly.
When Boyfriend got back from Alabama, there was a bit of a whirlwind of catching up and spending time together. This got combined with lots of furniture shopping and unpacking. We've bought a new couch, a guest bed, nightstands, a shelf to function as an entry-table, a patio set, and a grill. We finally got around to my birthday dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, during which I managed to completely undo a couple week's worth of dieting. Then we had a bunch of company to test out the new grill. My aunt, a friend from high school, and a friend from college were all in town last weekend, which of course led to more food and socializing instead of exercising (and then being hungover instead of exercising).
About the dieting thing. It turns out I actually have to get serious about this now. It's not something I've ever been overly concerned with. In fact dieting and the idea that I need to lose weight is something I actively resist most of the time. I'm fine with the way I look. Boyfriend is fine with the way I look. No one else's opinion matters. And since I'm all about instant gratification, a cheeseburger is more appealing than the thought of squeezing into a size 4.
I was a size 4 at one point. It was when I hurt my jaw and spent six months on a liquid diet. I'd rather avoid that method again, if at all possible.
The thing is, I don't have a lot of intrinsic desire to go on a diet or lose weight. Doing it for myself simply isn't enough motivation. But doing it for someone else? Well, that leaves me very little choice.
My bridesmaid dress arrived recently. It doesn't fit. I can't zip it up. It's not a huge thing. I probably need to drop a dress size. I think that's ten pounds? I don't know. I don't own a scale and I have only the vaguest notion of what I currently weigh and how that equates to dress sizes. The wedding is in mid-November, which gives me plenty of time to fit into the dress. Of course, I need to balance it with the bridesmaid's dress for the wedding over Labor Day, which does fit. Perfectly. And if I lose too much weight that will be its own disaster since the dress is strapless.
All in all I'm in a weird head space. I can certainly lose the weight in time. I'm going slow now. I'm eating a bit less and really making a point to ride my bike every day. This is actually much easier, now that my commute is slightly shorter and we live next to a park with bike trails. Biking in the woods is way better than biking along a busy street.
We're also going on vacation next week, which should be a huge help. There will be lots of hiking and kayaking and generally being more active than I am in my day-to-day life. It should be wonderful and relaxing and exactly what I need. I'm hoping that when I get back I'll be in more of a blogging mood.
On the one hand, nothing terribly interesting has happened. On the other, I've been really busy. And on the third hand I haven't really felt like writing or stumbled across a topic I want to write about.
Or maybe it's just that I haven't been able to find the words. My brother's being deployed to Afghanistan in December. I'm still working on processing that. In the meantime, life goes on.
We moved. And then I spent a lot of time not unpacking and instead watching lots of TV. I re-watched Wonderfalls and the first season of Battlestar Galactica. I also watched a few episodes of Pushing Daisies because Wonderfalls left me wanting more Lee Pace in my life.
I had my one-year anniversary with my company and a performance review. The review went well. They told me to keep doing what I'm doing and gave me a small raise.
I've been reading a lot, but not terribly quickly. I'm making my way through George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series which is incredibly long and dense. I've found that I'm liking reading at a slower pace, roughly 2-3 chapters a day. I've been filling up the rest of my time with other books. The upshot is that I'm currently halfway through four books, and all of them are going very slowly.
When Boyfriend got back from Alabama, there was a bit of a whirlwind of catching up and spending time together. This got combined with lots of furniture shopping and unpacking. We've bought a new couch, a guest bed, nightstands, a shelf to function as an entry-table, a patio set, and a grill. We finally got around to my birthday dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, during which I managed to completely undo a couple week's worth of dieting. Then we had a bunch of company to test out the new grill. My aunt, a friend from high school, and a friend from college were all in town last weekend, which of course led to more food and socializing instead of exercising (and then being hungover instead of exercising).
About the dieting thing. It turns out I actually have to get serious about this now. It's not something I've ever been overly concerned with. In fact dieting and the idea that I need to lose weight is something I actively resist most of the time. I'm fine with the way I look. Boyfriend is fine with the way I look. No one else's opinion matters. And since I'm all about instant gratification, a cheeseburger is more appealing than the thought of squeezing into a size 4.
I was a size 4 at one point. It was when I hurt my jaw and spent six months on a liquid diet. I'd rather avoid that method again, if at all possible.
The thing is, I don't have a lot of intrinsic desire to go on a diet or lose weight. Doing it for myself simply isn't enough motivation. But doing it for someone else? Well, that leaves me very little choice.
My bridesmaid dress arrived recently. It doesn't fit. I can't zip it up. It's not a huge thing. I probably need to drop a dress size. I think that's ten pounds? I don't know. I don't own a scale and I have only the vaguest notion of what I currently weigh and how that equates to dress sizes. The wedding is in mid-November, which gives me plenty of time to fit into the dress. Of course, I need to balance it with the bridesmaid's dress for the wedding over Labor Day, which does fit. Perfectly. And if I lose too much weight that will be its own disaster since the dress is strapless.
All in all I'm in a weird head space. I can certainly lose the weight in time. I'm going slow now. I'm eating a bit less and really making a point to ride my bike every day. This is actually much easier, now that my commute is slightly shorter and we live next to a park with bike trails. Biking in the woods is way better than biking along a busy street.
We're also going on vacation next week, which should be a huge help. There will be lots of hiking and kayaking and generally being more active than I am in my day-to-day life. It should be wonderful and relaxing and exactly what I need. I'm hoping that when I get back I'll be in more of a blogging mood.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Random Geek Stuff
First there's this video. Except insert Eliza Dushku for S Michelle Gellar.
Apparently American Gods got picked up for SIX seasons on HBO. Tom Hanks' production company is funding this with a huge amount of money. But I'm not sure how they're going to turn one novel into six seasons of television, 10-12 hour-long episodes each. Unless this is true
It's a trap door in your floor that leads to a mini wine cellar. Someday when I'm rich...
She's such a dork. It's adorable.
Apparently American Gods got picked up for SIX seasons on HBO. Tom Hanks' production company is funding this with a huge amount of money. But I'm not sure how they're going to turn one novel into six seasons of television, 10-12 hour-long episodes each. Unless this is true
I really hope this is true. And maybe one season will be dedicated to Anansi Boys as well.
I've been watching a whole lot of Supernatural lately. Like, a lot. It's basically two hot guys driving around the country slaying demons. It's very fun and kind of addicting. The guys are really hot. And it's a surprisingly smart show when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of the genre. It's less smart about women, but that's okay. It's mostly about the guys and the demons.
I've been re-reading the Sookie Stackhouse books in preparation for the True Blood premiere. It's in two weeks; I can't wait! I'm also planning on picking up the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series as soon as Game of Thrones ends (finale next week). I thought there was a nice bit of symmetry to that.
Finally, I saw this and kind of want one:
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