A Post Just For Community

Considering how much I love "Community" [spoiler alert: it's a LOT] I'm kind of surprised I haven't written about it all that much. I'm not sure I can explain why, except that I know that very few people watch it, and that even fewer appreciate it on the same level I do. 

You see, "Community" appeals to me on a number of levels. Within the show itself, I relate to different aspects of different characters. Most strongly I relate to Jeff Winger, a vain, self-absorbed, emotionally-distant man who is very bright but even more lazy, preferring to charm or cheat than work. But, at the same time, he secretly cares about people and is only half as jaded as he pretends. In a different way, I relate to Abed, a nerdy guy somewhere on the Autism Spectrum who is awkward and overly invested in television. I appreciate his many, many references to assorted tropes and trivia, and understand the vast majority of them (which is more than I can say for most people, I believe). I can also see my fear of exclusion in Pierce, my judgmental nature in Shirley, and a fear of failure in Annie. How I reconcile that last with my association with Jeff is beyond me. 

On a more meta level, I appreciate parody/homage. Scratch that, I love it. Crave it. And that has become what "Community" is famous for. A claymation episode, an Apollo 13 episode, a Western, an Action Flick, a Zombie Movie, a Bottle Episode, a Conspiracy Thriller - all of these and so many more have been done. I think it's ambitious, and super impressive because these episodes are more than just fan-fiction or wish-fulfillment. They reveal things about the characters we might not find under "normal" circumstances. They put our characters in outrageous positions, push them to strange places, and allow us to see the results. What we get is a shockingly character-driven show, that highlights each of the group in turn. We may get paintball in a post-apocalyptic world, but we also get to see why everyone is playing - for family, for fun, to prove something to themselves or to others. We get moving speeches, beautiful relationships, dysfunctional family, bizarre plots, fun weirdness, and painful fights. The show is so diverse, so eclectic, so unpredictable... it's unique.

Tonight's episode was by far the best of the season - which isn't saying much at this point, but I'm convinced that when the season is over this will still be one I particularly remember. The plot (at first) is simple: Troy and Abed - TV's greatest bromance - invite the study group to their new apartment to celebrate living together. During their game of Yahtzee, the pizza arrives, and someone has to go down and get it. Obviously, they roll dice for to decide who will go. What follows are seven different timelines where each character in turn is chosen.

That may sound weird - and it is - but it is also BRILLIANT. Why? Because we get to see how the group reacts to the same things, but in different combinations. For example, with Shirley gone, we find out about her "Baking Problem," later revealed to be her attempt to be needed. Annie's absence reveals her gun (she lives in a bad neighborhood). Pierce leaving develops the relationship between Troy and Britta, AND Jeff and Annie. 

Honestly, I'm still freaking out about this. It goes to show just how fragile this group is - that they're one single move away from either making out or having a nervous breakdown. That they could either rise above their vindictive urges, or succumb to them in the worst ways. 

And where it blew my mind was the real universe. The one where Jeff - the leader and often glue of the group, leaves. What results is a group dance. No one's feelings are hurt. No revenge is enacted. No drugs are smoked. No feelings are prematurely acted upon. Everyone is happy. Which has all sorts of implications. Is Jeff necessary? Is Jeff in fact detrimental? Has he convinced himself that the group needs him, just to avoid having to realize that he needs them more? Has Jeff refused to change, and has everyone else's growth led to them outgrowing him? Apparently Jeff is going to be put through the ringer this season, and while I hate to see him hurt, I know it will benefit him in the long run. 

So, in conclusion, please watch this show. The first third or so of the first season is a little choppy. They were still figuring themselves out, JUST LIKE FRESHMEN REALLY DO, but when they hit their stride, YOU'LL KNOW, and thank me for it.

I'm Suffering from Playoff-Induced Hiatus Rage

Jinkies gang! It's a blog post!

Somehow every year I am completely blindsided by baseball playoffs sending some of my favorite shows into premature hiatus. This year, the main victim is Raising Hope, and to a lesser extent Glee and New Girl. All of which happen on Tuesday and have made for a Must See TV comedy night reminiscent of Friends-era NBC. "Luckily" for me, Fringe is in the Friday death-slot, meaning it isn't affected by friggin' baseball. Ugh.

ANYWAY, I figured I'd take this hiatus as a chance to catch up on some reviewing. I swear I wrote half of a follow-up to my last post, but it was just DAUNTING y'all, so I gave up. Anyway, let's talk about some shows, shall we?

Dexter
Very shows had me so excited about a new season as Dexter. I got caught up this summer after largely ignoring the series for several years. I have to say, it's pretty amazing. Michael C. Hall is an incredible actor, especially having now seen his performance in Six Feet Under. The shift is... dramatic. Anyway, Season 5 of Dexter was good. It didn't blow me away - not after spoiling me with Season 4 - but I thought it was solid. I think the Lumen/Dexter relationship revealed a lot about Dexter, and teased us with the possibility of him leading a happy life not completely based on lies. So that was nice.

The premiere (which is all I've seen so far, thanks to Showtime's hyper-vigilance against pirated online streaming sites) was quite good. I admit I had, and maybe still have, some reservations about the show/character exploring religion. I'm afraid all we'll see are the morbid, extreme, or plain crazy aspects of religion without seeing the positive impact it can have on a person. Who knows? That being said, Edward James Olmos is a welcome addition to the cast, and his villain is sufficiently creepy to keep me interested. I'm hoping Colin Hanks has a bigger role than he did in the premiere (and that he does more than his vaguely creepy priest in Mad Men).

Homeland
Out of all the many new shows I've checked out this season, none impressed me more than the first episode of Homeland. In case you don't know, here's the basic premise:

Claire Danes is an analyst for the CIA. This seems to be a demotion from active duty after a botched mission in Iraq. She also seems to blame herself for 9/11, and is on anti-psychotic medication. Damian Lewis plays a Marine who was held as a prisoner of war for several years and is suddenly recovered. Danes becomes convinced that he was turned by the enemy and is now working against the US. The series looks like it will be very "shades of grey." For instance, Danes taps phones, plants hidden cameras, and basically stalks Lewis - which is bad. But at the same time, she may not be wrong, so what are the moral implications of that? Also, just how crazy is she? This looks to be a very smart, unsettling, excellent story that forces us to examine ourselves, and I'm excited about it.

Ringer
If I'm not mistaken, last night marked the all-important fifth episode of Sarah Michelle Gellar Prinze, Jr.'s [Sorry, that's my own little joke] new CW drama. Why is it so important? Well, it's not, except that I told myself I'd wait five episodes of new shows before committing. So where are we now? Well.

Siobhan (pronounced Shivan, because screw you) faked her death and peaced out to Paris, where she has seduced a hot young employee of her husband's investment firm. She is working with person or persons unknown, presumably attempting to steal from the firm. Also she is pregabalin [another personal joke of mine]. This is one of my favorite plot lines.

Bridget has discovered that her sister is pregnant, and accidentally let it slip. Agent Machado knows she's lying about something. She and Andrew are growing much closer, and she is beginning to repair "her" relationship with his daughter Juliet. She's dumped Henry, Siobhan's lover and best friend's husband. Unfortunately her best friend Gemma found out about the affair. Bridget revealed herself, which led to Gemma blackmailing her.

Henry is handling neither the dumping by "Siobhan," nor by his publisher, well. When Bridget tells him Gemma is trying to blackmail her and divorce him, she also tells him to deal with it. The two seem to have different ideas what this means. In Bridget's naive little brain, it means live a lie and return to your wife. To Henry, it appears to mean brutally murder your wife. So we'll see where that goes.

Basically, I'm invested in the show by this point. Until this past episode, I thought Gemma was obnoxiously one-note, but now she's dead so yay? Henry was equally obnoxious, but now there's a lot more going on with his character, so I guess that's good too? I'm still not invested in Malcolm's story line at all, but since that seems to be the overarching plot of Bridget's past coming back to haunt her/ try to kill her, I guess I should suck it up. Honestly I care way more about Bridget's developing relationship with Andrew than just about anything else, and I hope this continues to be a/the major plot.

Glee
I'm gonna end this post with Glee, and I could really go on and on about this past episode, but I'm gonna keep it short(ish).

Basically, this was one of the strongest episodes Glee has ever had, and it was good by any standard. The song selection was generally good, despite that Beyonce song I find so effing offensive and bad. I mean, if I wrote a song about how men rule the world and are stronger and smarter and better than women, I would be crucified. So... DOUBLE STANDARD WOMEN.

Anyway, I liked the developing tension between Mercedes and Rachel. This was set up as A Thing early in the show, but was mostly ignored until now. I liked the growing jealousy of Blaine that Kurt is developing. I hope it explodes Real Soon Now, because I will quickly get tired of Kurt trying to hide it. I like Brittany running against Kurt, and I like that she has a legitimate reason (mostly). I liked that there was no Sue. And I liked Mike Chang's story, mostly.

What I didn't like: Mercedes only finding confidence she never didn't have because she has a boyfriend.  Great message there. Mike's parents are offensively stereotypical. PS how did Mike learn to dance if his dad hates it so much? And Ginger Supremacists. Really? REALLY!?! It was literally the dumbest thing I've ever seen on [scripted] television. It was so dumb you guys. Also the implication of Will singing Fix You to Emma. Ummm, not sure OCD works like that.

Anyway, the show is on really solid footing. We've got a number of ongoing plot threads: the student council race, the play, Kurt/Blaine, Finn's lack of ambition vs. Rachel's boundless ambition, the new Glee club, Quinn's Bitch Quest '11/'12, Will's Sexual Frustration, and many more. I like that each episode is no longer consequence-less and self-contained. I just hope the writers can effectively balance so many characters and plots.


Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Gotta shower for work. I guess? I mean it's fast food so who really cares? But still... dress/bathe for the job you want, not the job you have and all that.

My Ongoing Quest to Critique TV, Part 1

Dudes. Lady Dudes. It's been about a week since my last post, so I figured I'd review some of the shows I've been watching this season. So let's cut the chit-chat and just dive in, shall we?

How I Met Your Mother
I'm not sure what it is, but I'm just not enjoying this season as much as I should. Maybe it's that I caught up on the previous five seasons in the span of a couple weeks, and this whole "waiting for new episodes" thing goes down like broken glass. Actually that's probably it. But there's also the issue of feeling like the show is stalling. I know, I know, that could be true of any season of this show. But ever since they announced that the show will end after it's seventh season, it feels like things should really be happening. What things? I don't know. Part of me wants to say Ted should meet the mother now, so we have time to fall in love with her with him, to see their amazing synergy, etc etc. Another part of me thinks that's how the show should end, leaving the rest of their relationship to our imaginations (and what we've learned from Ted's narration). The risk with the first option is that the show pulls a Zooey, and that everyone hates her. I mean, how does an on-screen relationship compete with Future-Ted's rose-colored glasses? The problem with the second option is that nothing Ted does until the last episode will matter, so why bother? Of course, the hope is that we're invested enough in Barney, Robin, Lily and Marshall that we'll stick with it. And by-and-large I am.

Honestly, I enjoyed this week's episode. I loved the return of Kal Penn to television. I loved getting an episode mostly from Robin's perspective, and the gentle mocking of the show's very premise ["Robin. Serial killers have led me to shallow graves faster than you're telling this story."] Barney and Nora are precious. I had quite a few laughs.

But nothing feels consequential, and for me, that's a problem.

Community
So far there have only been two episodes of Community this season. And while they've both been good, neither has lived up to the absolutely stellar precedent set by season two. This latest episode was, however, substantially better than the largely underwhelming premiere. The show kept things simple, with just two plots: Annie vs. Asian Annie in a Model U.N. battle royale; and Britta vs. Chang. Basically, Our Annie has met her asian evil twin, who steals her idea for a Model U.N. at Greendale. She runs to Jeff, who rushes her defense. To settle the matter, both Annie's start their own Model U.N.s, who then race to solve world crises and achieve world peace. Unfortunately, when a real-world problem occurs (a fart), the group falls apart, Annie throws a tantrum, and storms off. This leads to the real pay-off for me, which was Jeff explaining to Annie that he feels strongly for her, but thinks it's creepy and wrong, so he treats her like a child. It was just nice to see Jeff actually vocalize the feelings that have only been hinted at for so long.

Britta's storyline was where the humor was. After learning that a former protester friend has been locked up in a foreign country - and worse, has her own Facebook page - Britta begins to wonder if she's sold out. Meanwhile, Chang discovers that being a security guard means virtually nothing. So when he tells Britta not to do something, she of course does it, badly. It's a match made in heaven, as evidenced by "Hello" by Lionel Richie playing every time they encounter each other. Britta's attempts at rebellion are pretty hilarious, and Gillian Jacobs really committed. It was great.

I'm looking forward to the apparently noir-style episode this week, and the Halloween episode later this month. I'm excited about the journey Jeff will be on this season. I'm just ready for this show to hit its stride again.

Revenge
Ok, I'm officially hooked on this show after only two episodes. Out of all the new shows I've seen this year, this is easily the one I'm enjoying most. Victoria continues to be an evil bitch. Collin continues to be smarmy and awkward. Emily/Amanda continues to be equally engaging as charming socialite and driven life-ruiner. I like that this latest episode broadened the focus, and began to develop some of the other characters - namely her childhood sweetheart and his family, as well as her future fiance. While I'm not entirely convinced the show can continue to be good after the first season, I'm pretty sure this season at least will be great. So hopefully it gets renewed, AND avoids pulling a Desperate Housewives or Heroes (excellent first seasons, intensely crappy all other seasons).

The Playboy Club
I like this show, despite myself. I still think Nick Dalton was chosen largely because he sounds so much like Jon Hamm, and that the show is trying to make him Don Draper. But I love Carol-Lynne. The whole ice-queen/aging beauty dynamic makes her alternately truly despicable and completely relatable. I like Bunny Maureen too, if only because I feel like there's more to her than we've seen so far. The other bunnies are varying degrees of interesting. Bunny Alice - the Lesbunny - annoys the hell out of me, but without her there'd be no Sean Maher, who is adorable and also FIREFLY. I love Bunny Brenda, the black bunny. I think Naturi Naughton is a good actress, and her character has a lot of sympathy. Bunny Janie doesn't really do it for me, despite her tragic past, but I don't actively dislike her.

Of course, none of this matters, since NBC canceled the show today. But still.

Supernatural
I enjoyed the premiere, I really did. I was conflicted how I felt about Castiel being the big bad, because he's my favorite character. But I liked Sam's ongoing insanity, and the Leviathans seemed like a cool villain that fit well in the Supernatural universe.

But then they killed Castiel. Again, my favorite character. So I'm upset about this. But at the same time, it pushes the characters to some cool new places. I mean, when was the last time the boys faced death. Not Death. And definitely not "death." I mean actual, final death, for someone they truly loved. Their dad? How many seasons ago was that? Four? Five? Cas was Dean's best friend, maybe even as much a brother to him as Sam, and now he's gone. Add to that Sam's insanity, and poor Dean is going to have a rough year. Which sucks for him but is good for us as the viewer. And there being so many Leviathans, in so many potential places, reinvigorates the story. So I'm excited.

Fringe
The fourth season premiere was good. Not amazing, but good. It was from Lincoln's perspective, which gave the show an excuse to re-cap the past three seasons - although in this case it was more just "capping" them, since the show's history changed. So we needed an outsider's view. But it left me wishing for more Olivia. Well this episode I got my wish.

Guys, I know none of you watch this show, but you really should. How many other shows on television get to explore two versions of the same man - one where he became a serial killer, and another where he met a woman who taught him to overcome the darkness?

How many shows parallel that with an incredible lead actress, playing two versions of herself - one where she was beaten by her step-father growing up, who was experimented on my mad scientists, who trusts no one and is somber; one where none of that happened, where she grew up to win an Olympic medal in sharp-shooting, where she is a highly decorated agent in an agency that saves the world, consistently, who is in a happy relationship? Come one guys. This is deep. This is nuance. This is fantastic story-telling and phenomenal acting. From everyone. This show is so well-done it breaks my heart that more people don't watch it.

Well guys, it's been fun. I have way more to talk about - the season six premiere of Dexter, the premiere of Homeland, Glee, Ringer, Raising Hope, New Girl, and Modern Family - but I have school in like two hours and still haven't done my homework. So I need to GTFOffline. But hopefully I'll be back tomorrow or Thursday!

Look, I know I'm behind, I'm sorry.

Seriously, I'm going to stop talking about schedules, upcoming posts, and generally making promises to ever post "regularly," because let's be honest, it's not gonna happen. And while I'm tempted to finish my commentary on premiere week by reviewing Fringe and Supernatural, I've decided that that isn't going to happen either.

You see, no one watches Fringe. I know it. You know. They know it. It's smart, it's touching, it's interesting, and it's basically one of the best shows on network television today. I love it. The premiere was interesting, but it's going to take a while to figure out where the show is going, and whether I approve of an a-Peter world ("a-" in this case meaning "without," like in "asexual"). This IS the perfect jumping on place for new watchers, so I highly recommend it.

As for Supernatural... come on. Like I'm really going to sit here and critique something that for me is basically popcorn? No. Supernatural is my "turn the brain off and focus on the good-looking people fighting monsters and demons and try to grasp that feeling I felt when Buffy was still on air" time.

So, I'm going to post really brief follow-ups to some of last week's premieres, and get onto what I really want to talk about: Glee (a part of me just died, admitting that).

How I Met Your Mother
If you don't already know, I wasn't the biggest fan of last week's premiere. I've never been a fan of Victoria, I don't like shows re-treading the same ground (Scrubs), and so few comedies need to be an hour long. However, I positively loved Monday's episode. Not so much the Ted and Victoria stuff - although I enjoyed the Klaus-close-class banter, and the fact that in Robin's head Ted is a silent-movie. IF ONLY SWEETHEART. I much preferred the ducky tie story, in which Barney - over the course of years - trained Marshall to respond to his sneezes like Pavlov's dog, took specialized cooking lessons, faked being drunk, and generally manipulated everyone into allowing him to either see or touch Lily's fantastic pregnancy boobs. [Points to Ted for saying it looked like she had a butt on her chest.] This was classic Barney, trying to win a bet. Strike that, it was classic HIMYM, and it was nice to see again. I also enjoyed Victoria's parting wisdom, that the whole Ted-Robin-Barney triangle needs to be addressed, and dealt with - soon.

Raising Hope
This week focused on the reveal that Sabrina is secretly wealthy, but chose to forge her own way rather than rely on her father, and have to deal with awful rich people. Of course, the real reveal isn't that Sabrina was the one good apple in the barrel, but that she felt insecure around them, and also believes that she is better than, well, everyone. Jimmy et al included. I'm not sure this really jives with the Sabrina we've gotten to know over the past year, but this is a comedy; it will probably never be mentioned again. The toilet plot was absurd to the point of being dumb, but it ended nicely enough with a lesson about putting others' needs above your own... I think.

Parenthood
I watched for about 15 minutes and then went to check my e-mail. My brother than changed the channel to That 70s Show on Nick-at-Night, and that my friends is where we stayed.

New Girl
I was legitimately upset that Damon Wayans Jr. was no longer on the show, as he was - at least in my household - the favorite character. I also briefly worried that the show was going to simply replace him with another black actor and hope we didn't notice. Don't worry, nothing so offensive happened. Instead, it acknowledged that the character was gone, and quickly filled his void with... another black character who is into sports... hmmm. I guess the writers liked the dynamic between a bartender, a douche, and a black fitness enthusiast that much? Anyway, the new character - or maybe it's the actor - is nowhere near as entertaining as Wayans, to the show's detriment. I mean, the side characters were caricature-esque enough, and now we have another new one to deal with? Boo. Honestly I'm not liking the series as much as I hoped. Zooey being weird is one thing, but she's like... aggressively weird on this. I find myself uncomfortable, rather than charmed. Maybe that's the point. I don't know. But I'm still on-board.

Ringer
I'm watching it now, but I have work soon, and I really want to get this up today, so I'll update with Ringer later.


Glee or, The Problem of Blaine
If you're a fan of C.S. Lewis, you're cracking up right now.
If you followed my old blog, then you know my issues with Glee. If you don't, allow me to summarize: Too many guest-stars. Too many themed episodes. Schuester and Rachel went from sad underdogs to unlikable divas. Sue never makes sense ever. Too. Much. Kurt. Feeling exploited for my love of showtunes and or nostalgia for an 80s I was barely part of. Et cetera. So I stopped watching. But they promised to fix (some of) those things, so. I'm back. And I hate to say it, but Glee's actually been pretty good lately. BY GLEE STANDARDS Y'ALL, don't get crazy.
Last night saw logical progression from last week's developments!! For the first time in years! Kurt and Rachel, having learned that they aren't such hot Schmidt (shout-out to New Girl), have decided to push themselves by pursuing musicals and student office. Only, hold on, Rachel now has to deal with her estranged bio-mom suddenly being back in the picture. [Sidebar: as ridiculous as it is that Sugar's Daddy (see what I did there?) paid the school to hire Shelby just so his daughter could feel special is, it got us Idina and actual drama, so I'm OK with it.] This also causes Quinn and Puck to confront Season 1 plots that were forgotten in the haze of Season 2. Puck immediately steps up to be part of his daughter's life. Quinn takes some nudging but ultimately decides to clean up her act so she can get to know her daughter. OR DOES SHE??? (Hint, she doesn't, she wants her baby BACK like Knives Chau wants Scott Pilgrim) I found this a little silly to be honest. But I like that the writers are able to clean up some shoddy character work over the last year or so by basically saying "Well she missed her baby but didn't know it so she got sad and angry and random."
What else... I like that Finn and Rachel had vague chemistry for pretty much the first time since the pilot. Sue's plot line is still stupid, and it seems to be really over-foreshadowing that Will is going to run for the same office. Dumb dumb dumb.

OK, so here's the part I really want to talk about. Season 2 Kurt was like... a saint. The writers took every flaw he'd ever had and tossed it out the window. They beatified him because they realized they'd written a hugely influential character that connected to thousands of gay kids across the world. They made all the other characters realize their prejudices. They created a magical bully-free prep school. They even revealed that the guy who terrorized him was just in love with him! And as a reward for being so wonderful, they gave him Darren Criss - a talented, good-looking, good-hearted guy with interests beyond clothes and musicals such as football. Yay Kurt.

Also, I'm 90% sure that when we met Blaine, he was a year older than Kurt. Now he's a year younger. Guess The Flash really did a number on continuity here too, huh?

Anyway, now Blaine has decided to transfer to McKinley - despite Dalton being better for him academically and probably artistically as well, despite having been a substantial financial burden for his family, despite having made friends - for Kurt. He decides to try out for West Side Story, but not for Tony, because Kurt wants to be Tony. Even though he would be perfect. In the end, the directors ask him to go for it anyway, and we're left not knowing his answer.

Now, this can go two ways. One, he does not go for it. In this scenario, he once again puts Kurt's delicate ego above his own, swallows his dreams, and remains the perfect boyfriend. AKA the perfect reward for Perfect Saint Kurt. Or two, he does go for it. I seriously hope this is the way the show chooses to go. You can't base your whole life around someone else. You can't dim your own star just so someone else will seem brighter (pardon the froufy metaphor; it's Glee). This will force Kurt to confront his own jealousy. Which will mean he has flaws! That he's in the wrong, not everyone else! This could reinvigorate a character I frankly can't stand.

[My main issue with Kurt is this: in Season 1, there was the boys vs. girls episode. Kurt was offended that he was put in with the guys, and betrayed them. He's one of the girls he says. One season later, he is offended when his dad wants to do guy things with Finn instead of him. "I'm a guy!" he tearfully exclaims. Sorry dude, you really can't have it both ways. Also, the total lack of flaws the writers want us to see in him. That stuff too.]

Anyway, I'm looking forward to Kurt vs. Brittany for office. And Mercedes vs. Rachel for Maria. And Kurt vs. Blaine for Tony. I'm actually looking forward to Glee. What. Has. Happened. To. Me.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, pt. 4

OK, so I know I promised a lot of content for today, but things came up, and I've only seen two shows. So... this is why we can't have nice things. So let's just get started.

Person of Interest
J.J. Abrams + Jonathan Nolan teaming up to make a show that stars Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson? Consider me sold before the show even starts.

Hold up. Flag on the play.

This show was HELLZ BORING. Just like every show on CBS, everything was colored blue. There were generic villains. Generic dialogue. Forced 9/11 references. Plot lines from The Dark Knight. Bo.Ring. Throw in that Jim Caviezel delivered half his lines like he was reading cue cards and I was downright displeased. Not even Michael Emerson could save it. There was not enough backstory. No one seemed to have a personality! The twists were underwhelming, because I didn't care about anyone. But basically it was just boring, minus Jim kicking all sorts of ass.

Final Verdict: Maybe this is just premiere season ennui. Maybe it's having expectations that were far too high. Maybe this is my adolescent rebellion against the producer I trust more than any other (J.J.). I don't know. But I legitimately don't want to see another episode. I probably will, because come on, it's J.J. But I will have to force myself to come back, and I may only give it three episodes.

Community
Oh Greendale, how I have missed you. You truly are my favorite show, and it was a long summer apart. Let's be friends again this year. OK, sweet.

To be honest, this was one of the weaker episodes of Community in some time. I loved the opening. It pretty much says everything you need to know about the show. People may want it to be less crazy, less weird, more grounded, more upbeat, more mainstream, more "normal." And it will respond with a musical dream sequence. Which was fantastic. Jim Rash and Yvette wearing the same dress? Jeff and Dream-Annie saying they would finally sleep together? An aerial ballet Human Being? Perfection. I also loved John Goodman as Vice Dean, being intimidating and also unintentionally dirty. I think he's going to be an excellent villain this season. I also like Chang's new status quo as security guard, or as creator Dan Harmon described it, getting to see "what happens when Gollum gets the Ring." I loved Cougarton Abbey and Inspector Spacetime.

But as someone who relates to Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) a little too much [basically he's a heartless douche who isn't really heartless and is learning not to be a douche], it was really hard for me to see him crazy and kind of evil last night. I mean, I get what the show was going for. Showing us, and him, what it's like on the outside of the group and how much he needs them? That was great. And revealing his fear of becoming Pierce was equally great. I just felt like the group was way too forgiving/accepting of Pierce after everything he did last season, and way too hard on Jeff - even going so far as to say they didn't even want to be friends with him anymore. I felt like it was inconsistent with what we know about them.

Final Verdict: Season premieres have never been Community's strongest suit. I get that, and hopefully so does most of the audience. I'm excited for everything this episode set into motion, and hope to see a season that can compete with last season's TRULY stellar year. Bring it on, junior year.

And that's it for now. I may update this post later if some of my friends have reviews of any other shows from last night, but who knows? In any event, I'll see you tomorrow with reviews of Supernatural and Fringe, two of my favorite shows currently on!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, pt. 3

Guys. I'm loving TV this year. I had heard there would be not a lot of anything great, but nothing truly awful either. Just a year of mediocrity. So far, I disagree. Few things have truly grabbed me by the hair, dipped me, and taken my breath away, it's true, but I see a lot of potential, and that is truly exciting. In fact, I've watched more TV this week than the past several weeks combined.

That being said, I am fairly relieved that last night was pretty light on things I actually wanted to watch. In fact, Modern Family and Revenge were about the only things I watched. So let's get started, shall we?

Modern Family
I so desperately wish I could say I've been watching this series since the beginning, but last night's episodes were only the third and fourth I've seen live. Fact is, I had resisted Modern Family for almost two whole seasons, because for some reason I saw it as a competitor to my one true love, Community. I don't know why, because they aren't on at the same time, or even the same night, and to be totally honest it's not like I expect Community to be winning Emmys (even if I think it could/should). But I finally saw the light (which is code for "ran out of things to watch on Netflix"), and got caught up in around four days. Because I LOVE it. It's more or less the perfect sitcom. And last night was no difference. The first episode saw the extended Pritchett family on a dude ranch in Wyoming. Dylan proposed, Claire freaked out, Phil had enough of trying to win Jay's approval, Alex got kissed by some Brooklyn bozo, and Mitchell freaked out about not being masculine enough to raise a son. Overall, this episode was hilarious. It was nice to see Phil (my favorite character) grow up a little and take charge. It is Jay's problem that he hasn't accepted Phil, because he is a great husband and father. The second episode centered mostly on Cam and Mitch trying to set up a dinner to tell the family about adopting a new baby. But Lily has started making comments about killing babies and shoving anyone who touches Cam, so that's... problematic. The B plot follows Claire's quest to prove that Phil shoved her in a grocery store, and Jay's similar quest to find out if Manny and Gloria told him a lie. My one complaint with these episodes, is that everyone seemed so hostile. Haley was so mad at Claire, Claire was mad at Phil, Phil was mad at Jay, Jay was sort of mad at Gloria, Alex was angry at that boy, Lily was mad at everyone. So much anger, Dunpy-Pritchetts! I like that things aren't all peaches and gravy, but where was the love??? Hopefully things aren't so stressful all season.

Final Verdict: I don't know that Modern Family could keep me away if it tried at this point.

Revenge
Honestly I only watched this because I wanted to review more than Modern Family, and everything else was either reality TV or a crime procedural. Blech. So, I tuned in for cute Everwood girl. And I wasn't disappointed. I was, however, confused. To be fair, I wasn't paying 100% attention as I was, ironically, blogging. So I'm actually rewatching it on hulu as I am... yes... blogging. But it makes more sense, maybe because it's the second time, maybe because I'm only blogging during commercials. So, here's the run-down for y'all. Apparently, X years ago, Amanda Clarke's dad was arrested for - I think - acts of terrorism. I think a plane crashed, and he was blamed when everyone at the company he co-founded testified against him. He was arrested in front of Amanda, who took it badly. She apparently went to juvie for a while, and upon release found out that her father was dead, and that she owns 49% of said company and is exceedingly wealthy. Her father's journals and letters urge her to forgive, but that is beyond her. So she moves to the Hamptons under the name of Emily Thorne, and sets into motion numerous tricky schemes to ruin the lives of everyone who lied about her father. So far, this has meant exposing an affair, through the use of some sort of poison and disguise. Jump forward 5 months, and she's apparently engaged, though her fiance is killed. No one knows who killed him. It could be her, we don't know. What I do know, is I'm intrigued. I like the villain, Queen Victoria, aka Cora from Last of the Mohicans. She's a bitch. My brother and I nicknamed her Skin, because she's kind of pale. Everwood girl is beautiful as ever, and equally believable as plotting, revenge-driven Femme Fatale, and charming, philanthropist Girl Next Door. All the wealth and parties remind me of The O.C., without feeling derivative.

Final Verdict: To be honest, I was expecting an epic cheese-fest. So I was pleasantly surprised by how complex the plot (and multiple timelines) were. I was also surprised at how dark it all was. Again, pleasantly. Like most shows, five episode commitment, but I'm fully expecting to be in for the season.

And that's actually it for Wednesday. Thursday is a magical day! We've got COMMUNITY!!! We've got a new J.J. Abrams show - Person of Interest! And my friend Trace will be back to review Parks and Recreation and Grey's Anatomy! And maybe some other things. I don't know. It'll be a surprise to all of us! So see you then!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, pt. 2

Guys, I hope you're enjoying premiere season as much as I am. And, in the event you're not, I hope you're enjoying reading my blog as much as I am enjoying writing it. I'm just going to assume you are, for all of our sakes.

Well, today's post covers the premieres of last night, specifically: Glee, New Girl, Raising Hope, Parenthood, and Ringer. Yes, I know Ringer technically premiered last Tuesday, but I forgot, so it was still new to me, OK. So let's get started, shall we?

New Girl

When I found out Zooey Deschanel was going to have her own television show, I may have fainted. By which I mean, I did NOT faint, but probably squealed like a girl. What is there not to love about her? I mean, she somehow manages to be quirky and off-beat without being the least bit pretentious or hipster! I don't know how she does it, but I dig it. She sings, she wears vintage clothing, she's super nice, and she tweets adorably to Ben Gibbard! I'm. Ob. Sessed. That being said, "New Girl" didn't quite blow me away. Zooey was Zooey, and that was nice. She was a nice stable core, around which rest of the show is clearly built. This is great, but quirky girl being quirky isn't going to sustain a weekly television show forever, if you know what I mean. There have to be solid supporting roles - which I think we have, or at least, will have. I'm hoping the guys in particular begin to differentiate themselves, and gain a couple extra dimensions. Because at this point they are just The Douche, The Chump, and The Black Guy Coach. The Douche takes off his shirt and says fratty things, The Chump cries about being dumped, and The Coach yells. Cool. 

Final Verdict: Zooey alone has me signed on for a five-episode commitment. Throw in the son of Damon Wayans, and Leo from Veronica Mars, and I'm optimistic. Add the model friend Cecelia telling the boys that if they hurt Jess, she "will crazy murder" them, and I legitimately expect to be hooked. I'm just not quite there yet. 

Raising Hope

Easily my favorite new show from last season, Raising Hope seems to be one of those shows not a lot of people watch, or even know about. Fewer make it past finding out that the baby's mother was a serial killer who was electrocuted. But I LOVE it. It blends shockingly irreverent with oddly sentimental in a way that The Office still wishes it could. Martha Plimpton was robbed at the Emmys, because her portrayal of Virginia is nothing short of brilliant. How Garret Dillahunt wasn't even nominated (especially if you've seen his totally opposite character in The 4400) is beyond me. I even enjoy Lucas Neff - who is in some respects the male counterpart to Egg, Bland, Plant, Yam, Ann "Hog" Veal, in that he seems to make no impression whatsoever on most people - and Cloris Leachman, whose character MawMaw is a little too crazy. Anyway, the premiere revealed that Jimmy was once a musical prodigy, who had the power to make girls swoon with his voice and piano skills. Everything was set for him to become a star, until he was struck in the head by a rogue putter. Upon waking, Jimmy had lost all musical talent. Throughout the episode, Jimmy tries to get it back in various ways, before everyone realizes he sounds amazing drunk. What I appreciated about this episode was the numerous ways it subverted expectations, from the drinking, the truth about the putter. Plus, it ended on a somewhat hopeful note that has me excited about the future for Jimmy/Sabrina.

Final Verdict: This show had me hooked about ten minutes into its pilot, and it hasn't done anything to jeopardize that so far. It has avoided two of the biggest sophomore mistakes - suddenly introducing new/irrelevant/unpopular characters (LOST, The OC, One Tree Hill), and going for bigger, crazier spectacle (Glee). All it needs to do now is stick to formula, but introduce just enough advancement to make sure this isn't just a rehash of Season 1.

Parenthood

Ok, so I don't watch Parenthood too often. My reasons are as follows: Lauren Graham will forever be a Gilmore Girl in my head, and to be perfectly honest I heard enough of any of them talking to last me a lifetime. TOO. MUCH. BANTER. Dax Shepard infuriates me a) because he reminds me WAY too much of Zach Braff (who sends me into rage blackouts. I mean, we get it, being a neurotic Jew is hard. This is hardly New Information. But do we really have to suffer through every inconsequential thought you ever have? [This is ironic in a post-Twitter age]) and b) stole Kristen Bell from me. Come on dude, you're eight feet tall. Do you really have to get with one of the seven who are shorter than me? Also, I thought it was a total copy clone of Modern Family, what with the grumpy grandpa and the whole "we are a unique modern family" feel. So when I watched the season finale a few months ago, I was shocked because it was SUPER dramatic and I was expecting comedy or at least a little levity. NOPE. It was all crying. Sorry TV, enough of that going on in my own life [at the time; medication has been sought, no one worry]. But I tuned in for the premiere out of sheer curiosity/I was high on TV and needed more. What did I think? Well, +100 for Peter Krause, because Six Feet Under was Phenomenal. +50 for Mae Whitman (25 because she was Ann in Arrested Development, 25 because she is the voice of Katara in Airbender). But -100 because she didn't appear until 45 minutes in and then only for ten seconds. -25 for Jason Ritter because The Event was JUST SO EFFING AWFUL. So I guess we're vaguely ahead in this game where the rules are made up and the points don't matter. But I don't know if I'll be coming back. You see, I work nights, so I'm never going to see it live again, and I just didn't feel that spark to keep me coming back for more, let alone having to hulu it.

Final Verdict: A show this (melo)dramatic just doesn't have a place in my heart - not at this time in my life. Maybe if I felt it could compete with any of the amazing cable dramas in my life, but honestly I just don't find it interesting. Bring in some meth dealers, some cowboy justice, or some prohibition, and I'll give you another shot.

Ringer

If at all possible, the return of Sarah Michelle "Buffy" Gellar Prinze, Jr. to network TV had me even more excited than Zooey Deschanel. I mean come on people, this is BUFFY. You already should know how much that means to me. It's a lot. In case you were still wondering. Anyway, Ringer, is the story of Bridget, a recovering addict/former stripper, who saw a murder and was supposed to testify. However, she broke out of protective custody to see her identical twin sister Siobhan (pronounced "Shivan" apparently) who is living all Great Gatsby up in here. But things take a dark turn when Siobhan seemingly kills herself while out on the ocean. In a moment of panic, Bridget assumes her sister's life. Only things are much more complicated than they appeared. Siobhan's marriage (to Ioan [pronounced Owen] Gruffold) seems to be totally devoid of love. His daughter hates everything. She has a best friend! But oh guess what she's sleeping with her husband. Oops. So yeah. Frying pan. Fire. You get it. To top things off, there's apparently a hit out of Siobhan for some reason, and Shiv is in France or something being mysterious. Also she's pregnant, but probably doesn't know it. Anyway, I really like it. There's just enough intrigue to keep me coming back. Is Shiv a spy? Is she a villain? Will the FBI figure everything out? Will the murder guy? How's Bridget supposed to fake a pregnancy? Will she fall for "her husband," who is apparently falling back in love with "his wife"? Will the affair be revealed? SO MUCH COULD HAPPEN! 

Final Verdict: I'm pretty well hooked guys. Look. I know this isn't the best show on TV. I know it's in all reality nothing special. But I'm interested. So unless it gets really bad, I'm probably in for the long haul. 

Glee

Guys. I thought this moment would never come. I successfully put Glee behind me after last season. After that Atrocious Rocky Horror episode, I was just done. I was offended on a writer's level, as a fan of Rocky Horror, and as a human being. It was literally the worst thing I have ever seen in my whole life, television-wise. I mean, I stayed a few more episodes to review, because bashing Glee is 10x more fun than loving it, I PROMISE you. But I was done by Christmas. And then they went and promised only two theme episodes this year! And to tone it down on the guest stars! Well, I was intrigued. And last night's episode has not changed that. Trouty mouth is gone. Good, he was useless. I'm sad that really really fat girl is gone, but if it means back to basics, bring it on. Apparently Sue is coach again? Why? Because screw continuity and logical repercussions, that's why. Quinn is angry, and no one knows what to do with her character. Santana is a bitch. Brittany is dumb. Artie is pretty much forgotten. So basically, nothing has really changed. Inconsistent show is still inconsistent. But... I don't know, I still enjoyed it. A) Darren Criss is there. I have to confess that I'm kind of obsessed with him. I mean, he's probably the best singer there. GQ loves his style, and I love GQ. He made the Harry Potter Musical. And his character breaks all kinds of gay stereotypes, unlike Kurt who reinforces ALL OF THEM. So that's nice. B) No more stupid emphasis on being current. Bring on the 80s. C) There seemed to be a renewed sense of purpose. I say "seemed" because it wasn't totally apparent. There was a LOT going on last night. Way too much in fact. But I'm vaguely excited despite myself. As long as the show doesn't try to do all of them every episode.  

Final Verdict: Glee, you're still on probation. Five episodes. If you aren't legitimately GOOD, we're DONE. And I mean it. I can't keep being angry that you have never lived up to that first few episodes forever. My suggestion: abandon the Sue for office plot while you can. It's beyond stupid, and she's past redemption as either a character or a villain. Less Matthew Morrisson being sad about being sexless. More Leah Michelle and Kurt realizing they aren't awesome. And Darren Criss singing everything. OK thanks. 

So, that does it for Tuesday. Holy crap, what a night of TV. I can't handle that much every week. Seriously. Luckily, it looks like Wednesday is just going to be Modern Family, maybe Happy Endings when it comes back, and I might try to review Revenge and see what happens. It's the Everwood Girl, so... who knows. Cheesy ABC is so cheesy sometimes. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

No, I'm not talking about Christmas! My feelings toward that season are extremely well documented. I'm talking about PREMIERE SEASON! And for a TV addict like me, this is pretty much the same thing. 

Now, I was going to post about the Emmys, but realized this would be better. And then I realized reviewing the week's premieres would be a lengthy undertaking. So, I propose this: one post a day, reviewing the previous day's premieres. I watch, so you don't have to! You're welcome!

Alright first up we have "The Playboy Club." So let's get this out of the way: IT WANTS TO BE MAD MEN. It's not. But that doesn't mean it can't be good in its own way. Let's face it, Mad Men would never make it on network TV. It's slow, introspective, cerebral. TPC takes the nostalgic appeal of a time when women wore pearls and men wore fedoras, when you could still smoke wherever the hell you wanted, when change seemed possible, when music was real, and repackages it for a network audience. That means Bunnies, the Mob, and - apparently - Tina Turner. The series seems to focus on three characters: Don Draper Nick Dalton, Bunny Maureen, and Bunny Mother Carol-Lynne. Not-Don-Draper has the whole silky voiced air of mystery thing going on [SideBar: I kind of suspect homeboy was chosen solely because he sounds so much like Jon Hamm]. He apparently used to work for the mafia, but is now looking at becoming District Attorney or some such. Carol-Lynne apparently was the First Bunny, which she only now seems to realize is a bad thing in this business. She has Issues with that. Maureen apparently has some sort of seedy past that is never elaborated on, and may or may not accidentally kill the head of the mafia. Oops. So that's all going on. The directing is great, as is the music. I found myself drawn in by the leads, almost against my will. After all, I went in pretty biased against the show. The acting seemed pretty good, and there's just enough going on with the side-plots to keep things interesting.

Final Verdict: You've got me interested, weird "Chicago" vibe not-withstanding. I'll commit to a five-episode... commitment. It has that long to get me truly on-board, or I jump ship. I only have so much bandwidth to hulu with.

This next review comes from my dear friend, Trace.

When I heard the premise of the new CBS sitcom “2 Broke Girls,” my immediate thought was, “wasn’t The Simple Life cancelled in like ’07?” The show is centered on two hot girls who don’t get along but are totes bffz and like, can’t BELIEVE they have to work in such an icky diner. Immediately I pushed it to the part of my brain I like to call, “Things that Make Me Want to Move to Europe,” and never gave it a second thought. That is, until I heard the creds signed on to the show. Created by producers Michael Patrick King (sugar daddy of the Sex and the City glamazons) and comedienne Whitney Cummings (who I happen to find very witty and Chelsea Handler-ish), the two girls announced to be playing the Paris/Nicole pair were Kat Dennings (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist; Thor) and newcomer Beth Behrs. I almost always enjoy anything Dennings is in, as I am a sucker for girls with a biting tongue and deadpanned mug, and I was actually vaguely familiar with Behrs through various theatre connections, so I decided I would tune in and see if this has anything going for it at all. The verdict: not much. The show opened with Dennings spitting out a cornucopia of extremely forced and unfunny one-liners, with a few sexual innuendos to keep it kosher. Also: canned laughter. If there is any better way to get me to turn off the television, it’s to use canned laughter in a sitcom. I was very upset. The show introduced zany caricatures of diner-folk, and altogether felt lumpy and rough. Things got a little better once Behrs arrived on-scene; she managed to combine believability and cartoonish arrogance into her performance, making it the single thing I like about the show. Though she breathed nuance and intelligence into a role we have seen a million times before, I don’t know if it will be enough to save this show from the dregs of Two and a Half Men Hell.

Final Verdict: Will I be watching next week? Possibly, if only to see what else Behrs can do, but I’m not making any promises.

Next up, we have a personal favorite show of mine: "How I Met Your Mother." Last season's finale pulled the rug out from under us - the wedding they had been teasing all season, the wedding at which Ted meets his future wife, was not in fact some random guy's wedding, but was actually BARNEY STINSON's wedding. But! Who was the bride?! Nora? Robin? Surely it has to be one of these! But... this premiere totally ignored all that. Surprise! Instead, it focused on... Marshall getting a streaking video off the internet, Barney sleeping in a diner, and Ted going to an architecture conference. Don't worry, there was Martin Short. Making the worst puns I've ever heard with the worst green screen I've ever seen. (In case you haven't noticed, I was not a big fan of this episode) It's just... we only have two seasons left! I wanted to see some acknowledgment of last season! An awkward gyno visit with Lily! Another glimpse of the wedding! A freaking yellow umbrella moment. Instead we got a weird guy with 40s taped to his hand, a Lenny Kravitz fake-out, and - oh yeah, the return of Victoria. As in, the most boring of all Ted's girlfriends. We're in the fourth quarter, guys, we don't have time for bullcrap like this. I would rather Ted do something crazy like maybe be single for once, than see the return of Lametoria. 

Final Verdict: Of course I'm going to watch. I mean it's the sixth season. Come on. But things better change because this was dumb.

Aaaaaand that's actually it for today. Because I'm not reviewing Reality/Variety shows, I refuse to watch Two and a Half Men, I don't watch Hawaii 5-0 OR Castle, and the rest of the season hasn't premiered yet. BUT, check back tomorrow when I post an unprecedented second time in a row! I should be reviewing New Girl, Raising Hope, Ringer, and due to popular demand, the return of Glee coverage! 

Also! If you watch Cougar Town, TALK TO ME. I could use a reviewer of Abed's favorite show!

Best Non-2010 Pop Culture I Found in 2010

Hola amigos! Welcome to another edition of A Main Nerd Tellurian Things, your favorite source for potentially-polarizing and largely ramblicious opinions on all things pop culture!  Originally I was going to do a post on my top five movies of the past year, but I have decided to wait until I see True Grit.  From what I’ve heard, it has the potential to rank highly on that list.  So for now, I’ve decided to comment on the best pop culture I found out about this year – sometimes years behind the curve.

Movies

I saw a lot of movies this year.  So there were a lot of contenders for this category.  Donnie Darko very nearly took this spot, but I’m gonna have to give it to Kill Bill.

Now, I don’t claim that this movie (I’m considering the two of them to be a single unit) is perfect.  I definitely think Volume 1 is the stronger, more entertaining of the two.  That being said, Volume 2 had the training scenes with Master Pai Mei, the fight with Elle, and the confrontation with Bill.  I certainly understand when people say the end is anti-climactic – and compared to the House of Blue Leaves sequence, it kind of is – but I think it’s perfect because emotionally it is both more satisfying and more necessary.  Anyway, I think this movie is smart, funny, bad-ass, and somehow also has an emotional core that allows you to relate to and care about most of the characters – even the villains.  I can’t believe I waited so long to see this.

Television

As many movies as I saw this past year, I saw infinitely more television.  Like, for each movie I watched, I watched at least one season of TV.  I am unashamedly addicted to television, and I hope that never changes.  So with this much TV being watched, narrowing down a top pick was… daunting to say the least.  I mean, this was the year I started watching Community, True Blood, Psych, possibly Mad Men (I don’t remember if it was late ’09 or early ’10), and Airbender, among others.  So, for the sake of my sanity, I’ve decided to break up this category into two subsets: Live Action, and Animated.

Live Action: Arrested Development

I saw part of this show when it was on.  Like, half of the episode where Charlize Theron leaves.  And I totally didn’t get the appeal.  I – like the rest of the world – simply wasn’t ready for the unadulterated brilliance of this show.  I love the running gags (especially “Mista Eff,” “FOR BRITISH EYES ONLY!!” and when the Charlie Brown music plays every time George Michael is sad.  Not to mention the chicken impressions.), I love the completely moronic and immoral characters, I love the meta references, and I love Ron Howard.  It’s pure gold, and I’m so glad I got to finally experience it for myself.

Animated: Cowboy Bebop

I’ve already blogged about how much I love this series.  I love the western-in-space premise.  I love the noir elements.  I love the “big plot” (which only consists of about five episodes), and I love the stand-alone episodes.  Which is not normal for an arc-heavy guy like me.  I love the characters.  Ironically, though animated they are more fleshed out than most live-action characters.  They’re flawed, but they’re real.  They’re heroic, but they make big mistakes.  They rarely get along but they’re family.  This show is virtually perfect in my eyes, and I do not regret buying the whole series with my Christmas money.

Music

I love music – a lot – but I’m not really one of those people that “can’t live without it.”  I certainly was, especially during my angsty teenage years, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve really learned the value of silence.  And of becoming more selective of the music I do listen to.  In theory anyway.

I guess my point is that I don’t have a lot of music.  I’ve never filled up my 20 GB iPod, I’m shamed to say.  And I’ve made even less of an effort to hunt for new music – at least until I started this blog.  So there were fewer candidates in this section.  The winner?  Without a doubt, the award goes to Janelle Monae.  I’m obsessed with her.

I love that she is so weird.  Her albums are one long story about an android in the future who falls in love with a human, is hunted by bounty hunters, and who becomes the prophesied savior of robotic kind.  Seriously.  I love her crazy hair, her tuxedo, and her sweet dance moves.  I love that she really truly believes that music can save a life.  And I love her music.  Do yourself a favor and listen to her.

Books

I wish I read more.  So much more.  I recently found a list of speculative fiction, and I think I’m going to make it my mission to read them all.  That being said, I read quite a bit this year, especially this summer.  I started the Sword of Truth series (then bailed six books in because it was pretentious, preachy, and lacking in subtlety).  I read some great Christian literature, including some by CS Lewis and John Piper.  I read some silly zombie books and started the Interview With a Vampire series.  But ultimately my favorite book I read this year was The Hunger Games. A story of a future America devastated by war and transformed into twelve districts run by a wealthy and cruel capital, 24 teenagers from across the districts are chosen to compete in a reality TV fight to the death, designed to remind the districts that the capital is boss.  The protagonist is a strong, resourceful, jaded and deeply scarred girl named Katniss, who is among the most BAMF main characters I’ve ever read.  I love the idea and the execution, so much that I read the first book in about 5 hours.  I will probably go read number two after I post this.

Comics

It was a solid year in comics.  Some decent events, some great new properties blowing up, and just generally solid direction for most of what I’m reading.  Without a doubt my favorite new comic has been Morning Glories, but this year I also discovered The Unwritten.  I’ve already written a fairly incoherent post about it, so I won’t go into too much detail, but allow me to say this: it has me intrigued.  Like a lot.  It has managed to creep me out, keep me guessing, and vastly entertain me.  An essay on the nature of story, and so much more, I highly recommend this series for any fan of great classic fiction (and/or comics).

Aaaaaand that’s it for that.  I’m looking forward to this year in pop culture, pretty much across the board.  Hopefully I’ll be here to vomit my opinions of it into the aether.

Coming soon: My top five movies of 2010, and – I’m really excited about this – a series of posts by guest authors.  I haven’t gotten all the details ironed out, but expect to see some of my good friends sharing their thoughts here, and maybe,maybe, seeing mine on some other blogs.  I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

Archer: "Just The Tip" Of The Top

Once upon a time, there was a show. This show was called Arrested Development. “The story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.” To say that this family was dysfunctional is to say that water is wet. There was the pathologically duplicitous father, the alcoholic mother, the socially-crippled brother, and so many more weird, wonderful characters. Tragically this show was canceled after three seasons.

Once upon a time, there was a show. This show was called Sealab 2021. It took footage from the old cartoon Sealab 2020, dubbed over it, added new animation, and made a crazy new show. Every episode the sea lab blew up. Eric Estrata was in it. There were amazing episodes where a character’s biological clock suddenly went off, and began interviewing potential fathers. There was an episode where the crew’s parallel universe counterparts invaded looking for diamonds beans a laser beam. And one where a character manufactured Stimutacs – highly addictive pills that gave the crew super strength, enlightenment, and a strong desire to be filled with Marduk – slayer of Tiamat.

Flash forward to now, and the creators of Sealab – unabashed fans of Arrested Development – have created Acher. Described as Arrested Development meets Bond, this show has quickly become the highlight of my week. Centered around Sterling Archer, the vain, selfish, and cruel top spy at ISIS, “Archer” features action, romance (well… mostly just sex), dysfunctional family humor, and workplace humor/hijinks. Other characters include Lana Kane, a smart, strong woman who is just as good a spy as Sterling, and infinitely better at everything else; Mallory Archer, the drunken, sadistic head of ISIS who obviously crippled her son with the world’s worst parenting; as well as Caryl/Cheryl the ditzy secretary, Cyril the accountant, and Pam the slutty-but-lonely HR rep.

Honestly there’s pretty much nothing I dislike about this show, but there are some things I particularly enjoy. For one, it features a heavy dose of running gags – just like Arrested. These include phrases like “This is why we can’t have nice things,” “this is how we get ants,” and “Oh this is just classic him/her.” For another, the dialogue is always crisp, witty, biting, and generally well-done. This is helped by the fact that the creator writes or co-writes every episode.

Also, Mallory is voiced by Jessica Walter – Lucille from Arrested. She is playing almost the exact same character, which is a great joy to any fan of Arrested Development. There are occasionally call-backs to that role, which makes it even better. For example, a love-interest of hers is voiced by Jeffrey Tambor. Further, her ditzy secretary is voiced by Judy Greer – the ditzy secretary from Arrested. And – finally – Cyril is voiced by Chris Parnell, who plays his wimpy, pathetic character to perfection.

I’m trying to keep this short and sweet. This is really a show you have to try out for yourself. Might I recommend the latest episode, in which Mallory has a breast cancer scare? It was one of the best episodes of the series in my opinion, and this isn’t really the kind of show that requires previous viewing. Just jump on and enjoy the wit, the violence, the sex, and the hilarious workplace humor that really speaks to a business major like me.

Farscape: The Bridge Between Trek and Galactica

Not gonna lie. Six months ago, I had never heard of Farscape. But then, during an episode of Community, Abed spent over an hour talking about the show. I didn’t understand anything he said, but I filed it away.

Fast-forward to about a month ago, and I am out of television to watch. I re-watched Veronica Mars. Then re-watched it again. I tried starting Babylon 5 (for the umpteenth time; I swear I will watch it some day), tried reconnecting with my youth by watching Robotech, and watched a lot of Supernatural and House. But I wanted something I hadn’t seen before. Something science fiction. Something different. Then I remembered Farscape. And the blitz began.

At first, Farscape seems like a pretty typical – maybe even generic – sci-fi show. John Crichton, Earth’s leading astronaut, is flying a new module – the Farscape (name drop!) – and attempting to use Earth’s gravity to sling-shot faster than any human before. But as luck (or fate) would have it, a random spike in radiation leads to a wormhole opening and sucking John through. He is then thrust in the midst of a battle, inadvertently taking out the brother of a military leader, and joining forces with escaped prisoners.

Over the course of the four seasons, John is pursued by one crazy military commander after the next, each increasingly evil. Gradually the show shifts from “John and his kookie alien pals encountering space phenomena while on the run” to a smart, funny show about a bizarre makeshift family that’s on the run, that gets roped up into intergalactic conflicts that could literally impact trillions of lives, while balancing personal issues, inter-personal conflicts/relationships/crises, and competing motivations and constantly shifting alliances.

The strongest thing Farscape has going for it is its characters. In a lot of sci-fi shows – which either happen in the distant future, or feature races FAR older/wiser than ours – the characters are enlightened to a state of near-perfection. And while this fills me with hope for the future of humanity, it is rarely compelling television. At the other end of the spectrum you’ve got the Christopher Nolan Batman Begins School of Gritty Realism. Which basically means characters are deeply (perhaps even irredeemably) flawed, that things constantly go wrong, that motivations are murky, and in general things often suck. Farscape manages to really bridge that gap. Characters are certainly flawed, and nuanced, and things often suck. But no one feels irredeemable, and it’s pretty rare for one of the good guys to do something truly reprehensible.

In fact, Farscape bridges the gap between those two kinds of shows (henceforth referred to as “Star Trek” and “Battlestar Galactica”) in several ways. Star Trek has often been known for its very episodic nature. Every week the Enterprise comes upon a new planet with a strange society, or a weird new space entity, or a cosmic cloud floating through space, or something. Every week, they deal with the issues satisfactorily. Every week, things return to normal, and are never mentioned again. BSG, on the other hand, was more arc-heavy. The Cylons pursued the Galactica for years. The relationships often took years to develop, and often back-slid. It was really difficult to just jump into the show if you hadn’t seen all previous episodes (or so I’ve heard). Farscape however, encountered many strange planets and phenomena, but also had several epic three-part episodes. Crais pursued them for a season. Scorpius pursued them for years, as did Grayza. The relationships between Crichton and Aeryn took years. It was a great balance.

Another thing the show did well was take risks. I haven’t finished the miniseries that wraps up everything, but multiple main characters die. Others are written out completely. There is a love triangle that I find completely unique in television and that really challenged my ability to root for one party or the other. Furthermore, large segments of the show take place in parallel realities, artificially-constructed environments, or inside characters’ minds. There are scenes from classic movies bizarrely recreated. There are mentally-induced tortures designed to drive people crazy. There’s even a dream sequence that takes up most of an episode that is a completely animated homage to the old Roadrunner cartoons.

Let’s see… what else… oh! The CGI was really impressive, especially for a show that took place from 1999-2004. I think what allowed this was how sparingly it was used. It’s almost never used for creatures, instead being used for ships and other space things. Which brings us to something I was initially very suspicious of: Farscape was produced by the Jim Henson Company. Yes, that Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets. This meant that two of the main characters were not men or women in suits or elaborate makeup, but actually puppets. At first this threw me. I mean come on. Muppets? Really? But I very quickly began to see the advantages of this. Think about it. It’s an entire universe. Do you really think every sentient species would be roughly human-sized? Do you think they’d all walk on two legs? Or have two arms? Or be mammal (or occasionally reptilian)? No! It makes sense that there’d be a species of small amphibian creatures. And a race of four-armed, four-legged, crustaceans. Or whatever. Besides, these ain’t your momma’s puppets. This isn’t a fuzzy sock with a hand up its ass. Nor is it controlled by two thinly-veiled wires. These are complicated puppets and animatronics. They move their eyes, eyelids, ears, arms, legs, and everything else.

Besides, the alternative would be to use CGI for the characters – a feat way more complicated and expensive than making explosions and space ships. This would probably make the characters look WAY more fake. Plus it’s nice for the other actors to have something physical to look at and interact with.

Another great part of this show is that it is consistent. It’s pretty typical for TV shows to get worse over time. In fact, it probably happens to the vast majority of them. Farscape is probably the only show I can think of (except maybe Fringe – depending on how this season ends) that actually keeps getting better. This is immensely rewarding as a viewer. I’m not sure exactly what it is that allowed the show to do this, but I suspect it was the five year contract it was under. This allows the creator and writers to have a plan from the beginning, and to stay focused the whole time. There’s no stunt-pulling (like useless guest stars [I'm talking to you, CHUCK!]) to try to boost ratings. There’s no second season that really goes nowhere and introduces obnoxious characters (LOST), and there’s no taking useless diversions that extend the plot for no reason and lose sight of the elements that made it great early on (BSG!). Farscape told the stories it wanted to tell, from the beginning, and built towards some truly epic stuff at the end. Even though Sci-Fi totally shafted it and cancelled the fifth season without warning. UGH. (It’s ok there was a miniseries to wrap it up)

Anyway, this has probably gone on long enough. So if you’re looking for a show with complex and epic story lines, with witty dialogue and pop-culture references, with interesting concepts, impressive makeup and graphics, with endearing, strong, complicated, nuanced characters, with fantastic acting, and sexual tension out the wazoo… this is your show. Don’t prejudge it based on the fact that it’s science fiction, or that it has puppets, because it’s truly amazing.

P.S. Aeryn Sun is one of my favorite TV women of all time, and her chemistry with Crichton smolders. There is no better word for it.

Veronica Mars Can Have My Babies

When I started this blog just five months ago, I ranked my top five television shows. In order, they were Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, Firefly, and Alias. Since then, my respect for Firefly decreased a bit when I learned how similar the premise was to Cowboy Bebop – which promptly joined the ranks of Top Five. And even though I had seen Veronica Mars by that point, I only considered it Top Ten quality. This past month (OK, it’s really been the past two weeks), I re-watched the whole series and fell in love with it anew. So, sorry Alias, Veronica Mars has become my new Number Four show.

So, I’ve already briefly blogged about this show, and how it was sadly canceled. But I felt the need to do it justice and really give you a full rundown.

Veronica Mars was just an average teenage girl living in Southern California. She wasn’t wealthy, but her dad was the sheriff, and she was dating the richest and most popular boy in school – Duncan Kane. His sister Lilly is Veronica’s best friend, and is dating Logan Echolls, son of actor Aaron. Her life is pretty ideal, until Lilly is murdered.

As sheriff, Mr. Mars investigates the murder, and becomes convinced that Mr. Kane killed his daughter. The town is so outraged that they hold a special election to remove him from office. The fall from power (presumably) causes Mrs. Mars to start drinking heavily, and eventually she flees town. Veronica meanwhile is going through hard times. Duncan inexplicably breaks up with her, she is drugged and raped at a party, and the popular crowd forces her to choose between supporting her father and popularity. Like a good daughter, she sticks by her dad, loses all her friends, cuts off most of her hair, and joins her father’s private investigator office.

All that is before the show starts. Throughout the first season, Veronica investigates Lilly’s murder for herself, while solving crimes and tracking down crap for schoolmates on a weekly basis. She makes a few new friends, and tons of new enemies. She dates a few boys, and continues to grow closer to her father. In short, she kicks ass and takes names. And steals my heart.

One thing I particularly love about the series is how well it balanced the ongoing arc and the mystery of the week. Unlike most arc-heavy shows I’ve watched, Veronica Mars didn’t alternate between a few stand-alones, and then an episode that is 100% focused on the arc. Instead, the majority of each episode was the stand-alone, with maybe five minutes per episode given to the ongoing mystery. In my opinion, that is a great balance between remaining accessible to new viewers while rewarding the long-term audience.  It’s similar to the approach Fringe took early on, which I think was reasonably effective (especially for a “niche” show).

Another thing I appreciate about VM is the character of Veronica herself. She’s really smart – but not in a really brainy way. She’s really sassy – which is mandatory in girls I’m going to give my heart. Let’s face it – she’s smoking hot (and like 5’2″ – which is really really attractive when you’re 5’5″). But she’s also deeply flawed. She’s incredibly jaded, as you would expect from a girl with a dead best friend, an alcoholic mother who abandoned her, a very public fall from grace, and a job investigating adulteries and murders. She definitely has trust issues – especially in season three – and is a big believer in revenge. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that if you mess with the bulls, you get the horns – to your love life, your car, and everything else you love.

But one solid character can’t carry a show in my opinion. It’s why I can’t watch 30 Rock. I mean, I love Tina Fey but hate pretty much everyone else on that show. So let’s look at the other characters. At the top of my list would have to be Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni of Just Shoot Me!), Veronica’s father. He is every bit as street smart as his daughter, and just as witty. They have the same dry sense of humor that randomly turns into awful puns and strange vaudevillian numbers. He’s an odd combination of fiercely protective and refreshingly easy-going. If you’ve seen Easy A, Olive’s relationship with her dad (Stanley Tucci) has a lot of the same elements as Keith and Veronica’s. And ultimately, it is my favorite parental relationship of all time. Possibly favorite relationship period. Wallace – V’s best friend – is also fantastic. He is optimistic where Veronica is pessimistic, social where she is anti-social, merciful where she is merciless, and in general a good guy and loyal friend.

Moving on to love interests, this is another strong spot for the series. Personally, I think the third season focused a little too much on love relationships and not enough on friendships – but it’s college. The first two seasons however did a much better job with it. Veronica doesn’t spend her time pining away after Duncan, she just occasionally wonders why he broke up with her with no warning for no reason, and tries to figure out if he’s a killer. She dates a cop for a while. And then she – spoiler alert – dates Logan. I’m not gonna lie, when she first kissed him, I was appalled. It seemed like it came out of nowhere, and besides she was meant to be with Duncan! But then the more I thought about it, the more I loved it. I mean, when Logan tells everyone that Veronica is his girlfriend, and if they don’t like it they’re dead to him? One of my favorite scenes. His incredible devotion to Veronica and willingness to do everything for her shows that he is so much more than just a tortured bad boy. And I mean tortured fairly literally. Besides, Duncan was kind of boring.

The show also had a great tongue-in-cheekiness that I really appreciated. From various mythological themes (last I checked, Veronica MARS lived in NEPTUNE, drove a SATURN, met an OLYMPIA and an APOLLO, investigated the TRITONS, infiltrated PAN High School, and watched Clash of the Titans), to comments like “Rob Thomas is a whore” (in-show referring to the lead singer of Matchbox 20, but really a reference to the series creator of the same name), the show acknowledges that it is a tad ridiculous, and enjoys it. You’d be amazed how many episode titles are just awful puns.

Also, in a lot of ways, this show was the spiritual successor to Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. Both feature a tough and sassy blonde cheerleader type girl fighting crime (demonic or otherwise) in Southern California. Both were noted for sharp, witty banter, pop culture references, and great character development. Veronica Mars even seemed to acknowledge this fact in casting Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter, and even Joss Whedon himself in guest starring roles.

Other things I loved: the music. From Postal Service to Bloc Party, some of my favorite bands are heard over the course of these three seasons. And while trendy music doesn’t make or break a show, it certainly helps (just look at The O.C. and early One Tree Hill). Also, I love noir. I love the intricate plots, the flashbacks, the strange lighting, the narration, and the emphasis on crime. I also love that it takes place in high school, in always-sunny California, and the main character is a teenaged girl who used to be on the dance team. It’s a pretty unique take on the genre.

All in all, this was a phenomenal show. I seriously wish I’d taken my friends’ advice and watched it when it was on. But I’ve watched it now, and I am so glad I did. I love every second of it. Even the third season, which is universally accepted as the weakest of the three. [Sidebar: I know it gets flack for abandoning the season-long arc structure, but I support it. It would have gotten really tired having some cataclysmic disaster happen every August and get resolved every May. Better to have more manageable mysteries. I wish there had been the full 22 episodes instead of only 20, so there could have been a final arc, but the finale is so fantastic, it makes up for it completely.] It has amazing characters who interact phenomenally well. There’s mystery, there’s drama, there’s action, there’s humor. It’s got something for everyone, and it’s all on Netflix.

Why Don't You Watch Fringe?

Over the past three seasons, Fringe has steadily progressed from a show I only watched because it was made by JJ Abrams, to perhaps my favorite show currently on TV. It has everything you need from a TV Drama: attractive leads, sexual tension, an intriguing overall plot line, self-contained mysteries, comic relief, character chemistry, great acting, better writing, and realistic characters. And yet only a couple people I know watch it. So I’m going to break down the main reasons I hear not to watch Fringe, and counter them with logic and venom.

1. It’s Sci-Fi, and that is for nerds. I am a Cool Cat and therefore only watch trashy dramas and reality TV.

This is probably the number one reason I can think of for why people don’t watch this show. There is certainly a stigma against Sci-Fi that I’ve never been able to understand. I mean – don’t get me wrong – there is some BAD Sci-Fi. Some of my fellow science fiction enthusiasts might balk to hear this, but it’s true. Star Trek can be cheesy as hell, inconsistent, boring, ridiculous, poorly written, poorly acted, or any combination thereof. You can probably say the same for Doctor Who, The X-Files, the original Battlestar Galactica, the current V, or any number of shows. But I’m not sure that the percentage of bad Sci-Fi is any higher than the percentage of bad crime procedurals, sitcoms, medical dramas, or any other genre of television.

And besides, this ain’t your momma’s Sci-Fi. It’s called “Fringe,” not “Ridiculously Out There.” A lot of the “science” they deal with are just extrapolations of current scientific trends, and perhaps mere decades away from fruition. More importantly, the more outlandish elements are grounded by incredibly realistic characters. Walter isn’t just a “mad scientist.” He’s a man who would do anything for his son. He’s a man who ran his marriage into the ground with his actions. He is a man who is reckless at times, but also loyal and surprisingly compassionate. He’s funny, but also tragic. Peter is completely believable as a man who is too smart for his own good, who has used his intellect to cheat and scam his way through life. He’s a guy who is charming, street-savvy, and more down-to-earth than his father, but who is also afraid of commitment, occasionally amoral, and incredibly guarded. Olivia is a strong woman. She is definitely guarded and very reserved. She’s also driven and tough as nails. But she’s also capable of showing a maternal side towards her niece, and of being in a functional relationships. These characters are real, so when the plot gets crazy, we can take shelter in them.

2. It has an elaborate mythology. I don’t like to think and want my TV predictable and formulaic like Scooby Doo.

True, there is an elaborate mythology, but I fail to see why that is a bad thing. It’s also very slow-building, so if you’ve missed some episodes, it’s really not too big a problem.

Which brings me to a major point of contention I have with Media Muckety-Mucks. They seem to think that TV (or comic books) need to be accessible. I disagree.

Now, don’t get me wrong, TV should be accessible – in the sense that it should be… “inviting.” I don’t think a show should use a lot of techno-babble (I’m talking to you Star Trek, with your photon torpedos and your dilithium crystals and your dark matter and your phasers and your warp speed and your alien languages). I don’t think a show should be so devoted to an arc that it neglects characters and other plot lines. At the same time, I don’t believe that having arcs and continuity between episodes necessarily scares away new viewers (or readers as the case may be). For example, I watched Serenity without having seen any Firefly. I just went with the flow, and then bought the whole series because I was so impressed. Or Battlestar Galactica. I watched a random episode, liked what I saw, and then bought the first season. Compelling television should inspire people to get caught up, not confuse them so much that they leave. And Fringe is compelling television. The summaries before each episode – and the dialogue in the episode – do a decent job of recapping important information. And in this age of Hulu and Netflix, it’s really incredibly easy to get caught up with any series.

3. There’s no romance. I am emotionally barren and need to live vicariously through TV relationships to not feel so alone.

To this I can only reply, “SHUT UP.” I literally have no reply to this, other than that you either need to come to grips with your own singleness, or get off your butt and find someone to love. Just because the characters on this show are independent, self-sufficient people who are not defined by a significant other is no reason to hate them. And them choosing to show a modicum of discretion in their respective love lives doesn’t make them boring. Besides, there is a romance, between Peter and Olivia, and I have to say it is probably the most realistic relationship I’ve ever seen on TV. There was no “love at first sight.” There wasn’t even lust at first sight. There was no stupid “constant bickering that turns out to be twu wuv” plot line. There were colleagues who became friends, who over the course of years began to slowly want something more. There’s trepidation without angst, there’s attraction without flirtation, and there’s love without drama. It’s refreshing and wonderful to watch.

Those are the main reasons I can think people don’t give this show a chance. And that’s really all I’m asking. Get the first disc on Netflix. Find the first episode online. If you don’t like it, fine, but don’t ignore a show because of your preconceived notions about its genre or some crap like that.