BN:  The Brandon Network

White Noise Book 2

11-05-07

Chapter 20 in which we explore how Cops came to be and brace ourselves for Who Wants to Screw my Sister?

It really is a coincidence that the Writers strike coincides with my putting down my laptop and picking up a few books, I swear.  But as your trusted source for news on the strike (I, personally, can't get enough), I thought I'd throw out a paragraph about what's going on.  The last writer's strike occurred in 1988 and lasted 5 months.  As an avid Star Trek fan even in 1988, I knew quite well how devastating a Writers strike would be on television creatively (jk...I mean, I was a Star Trek fan at 3 years old, but I wasn't aware of the strike until a few years later).  Star Trek: TNG's second season sucked for several reasons, one of which was the strike leading to a clip show as the season finale.  A clip show!  The strike was so damaging, 10% of viewers left television never to return, and reality television was prompted as filler, leading to the promotion of Cops.  Cops, you guys!  This is what we have awaiting us!  Fast forward to 2007, and the writers are striking because they are currently not afforded any residuals for creative content that they write that is sold over the internet (sold via ad revenue).  The actors and directors don't get compensated either, but their contracts expire (and inevitable strikes will occur) next summer.  Last Thursday, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert delivered some of my favorite moments (Colbert's was his unwavering dedication to South Carolina despite being snubbed by the Democratic executive council there), where Stewart signed off saying, in much funnier terms, that the show will be gone for the foreseeable future, because the writers want to be paid for what they wrote, but the producers don't want to pay them.  He then directed us to thedailyshow.com, which has every episode ever (online, and with advertisements, a perfect reference for the strike) if we miss him.  So the Writers Guild of America's contract with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended on Halloween, but they didn't declare the strike until Monday, November 5, when my respect for several of my television favorites grew further.  This was an ad placed in Variety signed by almost every showrunner on the networks enforcing the strikes.  Come Monday, writers who serve other purposes on shows (especially showrunners) like Tina Fey or Steve Carell (who wrote "Casino Night" and is accordingly in the Writers Guild) had to choose.  And they invariably chose to forgo their other duties in favor of solidarity.  In New York, Tina Fey, Seth Myers, John Oliver, Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), and the Brothers and Sisters guy all picketed with their writing staffs.  Over in Hollywood, Ronald D. Moore picketed Universal, Judd Apatow picketed Sony, Grey's/Private creator Shonda Rhimes walked out, Greg Daniels picketed with Carell and BJ Novak (and even better, the actors refused to cross the line, shutting down the Office immediately), Julia-Louis Dreyfuss walked out, Bryan Fuller and JJ Abrams (and their staffs) picketed together, and Tim Kring refused to work on a Heroes alternate ending for episode 11 that would serve as an effective season finale.  Meg Ryan showed up to visit friends, Vanessa Williams brought some writers a bowl of candy, and Rachel Griffiths and a castmate bought writers at one location coffee, sunscreen, and hats.  Several actors, including SNL cast members, Olivia Wilde, and America Ferrera picketed alongside their writers.  And the Teamsters, the people responsible for most of the heavy production work, have tacitly agreed to honor picket lines, halting many shows' productions immediately.  The Shield's creator is even sacrificing the opportunity to oversee the production of his show's series finale!  And just so you don't think they're being douches, all showrunning tasks are writer's tasks.  On most television series, writers oversee production of their episodes, including casting, editing, etc. so they decided not go in for casting sessions or overseeing a day's shoot because that would be in violation of the strike.  On the other hand, you have to bring in the government perspective:  how effective/necessary/capitalist is collective bargaining and striking?  I don't really care to answer those questions, because at the moment, I'm not convinced in the greatness of American government nor do I really care.  I think the drama is amazing, I think writers (and actors and directors...and what the heck, the guy holding the boom mike) deserve to get paid when their content is distributed (especially since, as Tina Fey told the Chicago Tribune, all television is heading toward internet distribution), and I think Hollywood is much too old-fashioned to recognize anything short of an industry-wide strike.  At any rate, the individual writers I mentioned above are merely carrying out their obligation to their industry--I support their goal, and I support them not being counterproductive to achieving that goal (by breaking the picket lines) even if I'm not entirely sold on the idea of striking.  So all daily shows (the talk shows) are already out of production, SNL is obviously out as well, and The Office (and Rules of Engagement...like we care) are also out.  The Office, and most other shows, have about three episodes in the can, but if the actors aren't willing to break the pickets, then there goes that.  As viewers, we should be okay until the new year, since most shows should have enough to take us to midseason.  The midseason shows (24, Lost, BSG) will then have to decide whether to start airing episodes as scheduled in midseason and hope the strike is over before they run out (they all have about half a season filmed if not more already) or whether they should hold off in order to run a continuous season, which was the whole impetus behind airing them midseason to begin with.  In place of our favorite shows, we will be inundated with reality and game shows, which means we will either stop watching or latch on to more Tila Tequila than we should be allowed.  Either way, I'm excited to see how things turn out. 

And P.S.  Everyone in the industry thinks this thing could last as long as the last one, that's how dug in everyone's heels are.  For more info, check out Nikke Finke, or read the damn news. 

And P.P.S.  I will blindly support anything Tina Fey says or does until I shuffle off.  You can count on that.  

11-05-07

Chapter 19 in which Bryce Larkin advises not looking back in anger

Chuck just had its greatest episode yet, and Rachel Bilson arrives next week to start a love triangle, so I had to comment on it.  First of all, Chuck is my go-to Monday show, not Heroes, and Chuck isn't even that great.  Well, that's not fair, Chuck is pretty great, it just had a couple lulls so far that sort of mar my viewing.  But it keeps improving steadily, upping the humor, deepening the relationships, and evolving the backstory of the CIA crew.  This last episode is just another step on the road to Chuck figuring everything out, which is great, because I didn't even realize this show had a mystery to it.  It's like Veronica Mars' search for her mother:  it's a season-long arc that you don't really notice until the big surprise moments.  Anyway, we return to Stanford to help a CIA scientist in trouble, and Chuck's history with his roommate Bryce Larkin starts to unravel for us.  Even better, the theme for their relationship is Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger," and we got a quick sampling of "Chelsea Dagger" with Captain Awesome.  By the way, Captain Awesome could have been some random sidekick who they just make fun of all the time, but he's been helpful to both Chuck and Morgan separately, and he actually has a sweet side to him.  He may not be all there, but he's way more than a punchline, which I think is pretty cool.   On the other hand, I much enjoy that the Buy More plots are consistently the comedy relief.  In the latest one, when Anna offered to have Harry Tang knocked off, I about died laughing.  And then during the TV-off, we got shout-outs to Veronica Mars and a throwaway "O.C. Season 2...underrated" that I absolutely loved!  I do appreciate that the Nerd Herd and other Buy More employees are getting fleshed out as well.  We're developing a whole world of characters.  The best of which is Adam Baldwin, who today got to deliver the immortal, "Take a shower, hippie."  And then we have the inevitable action sequences, which in this episode, ruled.  The Stanford cavalry were amazing, and seeing Sarah and Casey's chemistry (they fight great together, and that moment just before their possible Butch Cassidy was beautiful) made me love them more.  All I can say is Josh Schwartz knows his music, Chuck keeps getting better, and I look forward to finding out more about the very attractive and brilliant Bryce Larkin. 

11-03-07

Chapter 18 in which Friday Night Lights got her groove back

I haven't been a huge supporter of this season.  I loved everything about the premiere except for the ending, but ever since, the only subplots I've gotten into are the ones with the adults; in particular Connie Britton and Brad Leland deserve tremendous accolades (on top of the obviously perfect Kyle Chandler--why is DILF not in the lexicon?).  Aside from that, let's take a nice, long look at the direction this season's been taking.  We'll start with Landry and Tyra's budding romance.  I loved them in season 1, but now, especially with manslaughter hanging over them, I'm not that into their relationship.  It doesn't help that season 1 seemed to establish Tyra as a senior (in her closeness with Tim and Smash) but now I have no idea what grades any of them are in, or even if Smash is the only senior.  If there's one thing that reeks of avoiding creativity, it's arbitrarily changing the ages of high school students (See The OC).  I was so looking forward to seeing Street, Lyla, Tim and Tyra all out of high school this year, and now that none of them were seniors, it casts a negative light on the realism of season 1.  What Texas town has a sophomore and two juniors as its three star players?  It only made sense that Saracen was the sophomore and that at least Tim and Jason were seniors.  I suppose Jason was a senior...did he graduate?  Obviously we skipped over Spring semester, but I'd like a bit more information.  Back to the Tyra/Landry relationship, it's okay, and the actors are incredible, but I'm not that into their stories.  I much prefer Landry ripping on the whole football culture of Dillon and Tyra depending only on herself (and Mrs. Taylor) to pull herself out of her hellhole of a town/life.  Relatedly, I hated the premiere's ret-con that Landry not only wants to be on the team but is trying out.  Besides, isn't there much more interesting (and relatable) story to be had by exploring the relationship between Landry and Tyra in their separate social strata?  Enough about them.  Smash and Saracen fighting, especially right after the game?  Annoying and implausible.  Saracen's new Latina nurse?  I love it, and though it may be obvious where the story's going, it doesn't make it any less interesting a situation.  Saracen's newfound cojones?  Even better, but I'll get to that later.  Julie's been a flaming bitch the whole season, but it's been so in character, so well-acted (Aimee Teegarden was just above Minka Kelly on my acting list last year, but she has been my favorite of the kids to watch this season), and explained just enough that we can extrapolate the entire psychology of Julie.  So kudos to her.  Riggins and Street are back to where they both were circa midseason last year, which is annoying.  Street knows he won't ever walk and found purpose in his relationships and coaching skill.  There was no need to continue exploring stupid stem cell plots.  And Riggins, well, he's a repeat screwup so it's not out of character for him to still be constantly in a drunken stupor.  Lyla's religious conversion I loved.  At least, the idea of it hinted at in the premiere I loved.  I thought it presented a great opportunity to explore a very Texas aspect that so far the series has kind of glossed over (sometimes I feel like the characters are way too liberal to be true-to-life, but it's only because we rarely see them at church or confronted with abortion and the like, and by "the like," I mean queers).  So I'm liking the scene at the megachurch, I really loved the river baptism, and I generally enjoy the idea of trying to proselytize inmates (although in reality, she would have been with a buddy and at a women's prison).  But I hate that every conversation with her prompts her to discuss God, and maybe it's just a sign of the character's immaturity, but it kind of feels like overbearing writerliness, especially in that scene where she was saying grace with her mom and her mom's boyfriend. 

All that was just to show how disappointed I am with this season--still good, just not transcendent.  Of course, last year's episode 5 (the one with the angry Mexican) was probably my least favorite, and because I zoomed through the first 10, I missed out on gradually developing my outlook on the overall story.  But the latest episode (#6) was the first one I really loved, and it seemed to mark a turning point.  I love that feeling where, after a few scenes, I start thinking that nothing so far has pissed me off, and better, it's all been really well-handled actually!  Let's start, as always, with the One Tree Hill murder.  I'm annoyed that it's still going on, but if just for the scenes at Landry's house, I was okay with it.  It seems obvious that at some point, they'll have to come clean and who knows what'll happen then, but I hope we can get to a point where the entire scenario is a thing of the past that I can pretend never happened.  That's a ret-con I'd be grateful for, Landry waking up and it was all a dream.  Anyway, Landry on the football team:  he gave that annoyingly supposed-to-be-inspiring halftime speech that I was okay with, and the crowd totally unrealistically chanted for him, but in general, the football game was one of the most exciting they've done, and just to see how proud Mr. Landry was filled me with joy.  Honestly, I wanted Dillon to lose, and I wish they hadn't had that final flag, because you know what?  They deserved to lose this game, especially the way they've been acting.  But I'm okay with the win because of how close it was and how it clearly affected Coach Taylor.  Moving on to the Y Tu Mama Tambien story, I loved it all.  First, I have to say the writers are losing their attention to detail, because it was clearly stated in the last episode that "tomorrow" is the day of Street's surgery, so Lyla shows up in the morning, and then they spend the day doing random Mexico things.  Whatever.  It all led up to Tim and Lyla's heartfelt intervention, the beautiful shots of Street's paralyzed swimming, and the final little dance of acceptance (and saliva) between the three of them.  It seems we can finally shed the Jason-looks-for-a-quick-fix storyline.  Tami is still incredible and adorable in the Eric-wants-sex subplot, and I assume Buddy is still devious and awesome at the car dealership.  And finally, Matt and Julie.  First of all, Julie has tickets to see the Decemberists!  That was totally a shout-out to me, I can feel it.  But man, Saracen has really grown more confident since "State," finally telling off everyone who deserves it.  I like the awkwardness between them, and as much as I eventually want them together, I hope they can stick to some time apart, maybe as friends even, for a while  Anyway, the latest episode really started to put us back on track, and I can try to move on from all the bad ideas (Eric at TMU, Street's stem cells, Saracen vs. Smash) and dedicate myself to the eradication of Landry's murder subplot. 

Now for a quick focus on the future.  I'd like to see the extras who inhabit Tyra's social circle, you know, those three chicks she always eats with at that hangout.  I'd also like to see women that Tami actually likes (not the book-club chicks, who are clearly only around for ridicule), so that it doesn't seem like Tami does nothing all day.  Glenn the substitute counselor was a good start, but I'd like at least one girl for her to hang out with too.  At some point, is it cool to reintroduce the dropped idea of Tami working on Lady Mayor's reelection campaign?  It occurs to me that that could solve the story problem of it seeming like she has no life outside of her job and her family.  Let's also get Lyla to tone down the evangelism and realistically depict her religious saturation for what it is:  a place she can avoid dealing with her real life (her parents' divorce, Riggins and Street moving on, her lack of friends).  For that matter, can't Lyla make a religious friend to use as a foil?  Make her friend a good Christian and make Lyla clearly a user.  And as for the Landry stories, I don't know what to say.  For me, there's no ideal, because that bridge has been murdered.  But can we at least have him confess to his father and move on?  And maybe quit the team out of guilt, and then return to being Matt's sidekick?  It's not that I don't love Landry in the spotlight, it's just that how they've gone about that annoys me so far.  And you know what?  Let's get Matt and Julie to become close friends, and make Matt fall for Latina Nurse.  That's good eatin'.  So to speak.  So I definitely think that FNL is starting to correct its course, but if it doesn't get renewed (which is likelier and likelier given the strike), I fear that second season will be a bust for me.  If it does get renewed, then we can all jump ahead 8 months and move on, and I can just look back on this season and remember the good, like Jason swimming or any of the Taylors. 

10-12-07

Flashback:  Chapter 17 in which The Office transforms the telly

I've finally caught up on the original version of The Office, and I am mightily impressed.  I found the show more grounded (and accordingly more tragic), but less well-rounded (only the main 4 characters get any shading) than The (US) Office.  But I mostly wanted to talk about the final few episodes and the Christmas special, because that's when things start to go downhill and the show became phenomenal.  The fifth episode of second season, "Charity," features the show's greatest two kisses:  first Tim kisses Gareth as one of his best ways to "wind him up" (I'm so British), and then he pays for a kiss from Dawn's kissing booth that is incredibly romantic until they break out of anxiety.  And later, hot Neil and Jennifer let David know that they will be letting him go.  Ricky Gervais, and indeed all four of the main actors (Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis, and especially Martin Freeman) are incredibly realistic, and therefore that much more heart-breaking.  It's like seeing someone you know getting fired, albeit deservedly, or seeing a close friend unfortunately rejected by his love, not to mention living an unfulfilling life.  Which brings me to episode 6, "Interviews," wherein I experienced television nirvana.  First, and mainly, Tim finds out that Dawn is leaving for America, and he talks to the documentary crew about how it would be different under different circumstances.  But his discussion leads him to act for once, so he asks Dawn to speak with him in the conference room, and the brilliance lies in the documentary format.  When Tim leaves his confessional to go talk to Dawn, the cameraman points the camera every which way, obviously trying to make room for Tim to leave, then it follows him all the way to outside the conference room, where even better, Tim turns off his microphone.  In silence and vision obscured by the blinds, we watch Dawn give Tim a big hug, and then Tim leaves the room with a combination of emotions in his face.  It is still unnervingly silent.  He sits for a second, looks at the cameras, turns his microphone on and says, "She said "no" by the way."  It was the best scene of the entire show.  Not to be outdone, Ricky Gervais finally drops his feigned arrogance at his final meeting with Neil and Jennifer and begs for his job, and as much as he deserves to be fired, I felt so bad for him because he is such a pathetic man.  I'm not being high and mighty, he is factually a horrible but generally well-meaning boss, and I could not believe how strongly I felt during his firing.  Of course Ricky Gervais ends the show with a line about Dolly Parton's tits in presumably his final confessional, and of course we get one last shot of Tim and Dawn at their desks staring into nothingness, but watching the first two series of The Office together made me feel sad as strongly as watching the first two seasons of The American Office in two days did.  And by the way, Mackenzie Crook is fantastic as the UK Dwight, both realistic and actually kind of sweet.  The Christmas special takes us three years later, after the characters have seen their documentary series aired, and David Brent is as sad as ever, spending all his time at faux-celebrity gigs and visiting the office from which he was fired and where everybody likes him far less than he imagines.  But most importantly, Dawn and her hot fiance (making it a six-year engagement) Lee return to Tim's life for just a few hours.  Martin Freeman's talking head about why The Office is even a show--because you spend more time with the people at work than with your friends/family, but all you have in common is walking around on the same carpet--is incredible (have I mentioned Martin Freeman is amazing?) as it highlights that there is a point to this show and discusses the idea of "happy endings," mere minutes from the end of The Office.  He makes it painfully clear that as he watched Lee and Dawn leave the party, he believed she was out of his life for good.  When she came back in, I was staring at the background already because I couldn't stand to think about that pit in his stomach, so I immediately saw her and prepared for bliss.  I was also pleased that, despite David's seriously pathetic nature, he got to go on a pleasant date and he got to tell Finch to "fuck off."  The three who were not allowed a happy ending in the series were granted pardons for the Christmas special, and I am very pleased to have spent 8 hours in Slough. 

10-08-07

Chapter 16 in which Chuck comes into his own

Tonight's Chuck, episode 3, is my favorite so far and a hopeful indicator for the direction of the show.  I enjoyed the pilot well enough, but it had to set up the characters and relationships so there was less time for the comedy.  Episode 2 was a rehash of the pilot in my opinion, with further ambiguous loyalties of Sarah and John and a bit too much melodrama.  But tonight, the show built up the humor and still had time for plenty of spy-action.  By now we're sure we can trust both Sarah and John, so there is no more mother vs. father angst, thankfully.  I laughed more in the first fifteen minutes of "Chuck vs. the Tango" than in the first two episodes combined, which is welcome considering my main criticism of the pilot was that it needed even more comedy.  The soundtrack is on par with, though less emphasized than, that of Josh Schwartz's other great series, The OC.  And of course, the characters are all even more loveable, especially Captain Awesome who, while still the most ridiculous character, is actually well-meaning.  Adam Baldwin is my favorite, which is both surprising and great, and I look forward to everything he says.  I also appreciate the brilliance of having Sarah perform complex fights while wearing her Wiener Haus get-up, and best friend Morgan is not yet as annoying as I feared.  While Chuck's sister could use some depth, she's fine so far, and Chuck is, of course, hilarious and less whiny than he started.  I see a lot of this as a natural progression--of course Chuck is less whiny as he becomes further entrenched in the spy biz, of course there's no more story behind the "can we trust Sarah and/or John?"--so I'm guessing/hoping it continues and Chuck grows even better.  And of course, I'm looking forward to the creation of the new computer that will make Chuck's brain obsolete for the NSA and what impact that will have on John Casey's relationship with Chuck.  My unspoiled brain is guessing that by then, John will have taken a liking to Chuck and will have to pretend to take him out while really secretly protecting him.  In sum, Adam Baldwin rules. 

9-27-07

Chapter 15 in which I support the rabid

Like Veronica Mars (2005) and Battlestar Galactica (2006) before it, The Office was my most anticipated returning show this year.  Almost exclusively because of the immortal words, "Then it's a date."  While the hourlong episode (which felt like two half-hour shows, one about the curse, the other about the Fun Run) was not perfect, it certainly marks a great start to the season.  Jan remains one of the funniest supporting characters in both her scenes, one of which is simply her sprawled across the entire bed in Michael's condo.  But I especially liked her jealous streak while talking with Pam, one of my favorite moments of the episode.  And speaking of Pam, the writers of this show really proved their commitment to her Season 3 arc.  She's more confident now, from wearing her hair down and losing the cardigans to not backing down with Angela about the party-planning.  The PB&J reveal, while obvious, was wonderful, and both Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski were outstanding, especially in the scene where they reveal that they are dating and about twenty different emotions circle through their faces.  Even in Jim's first talking head, you can tell that he's lying about being single, but it's not an obvious lie, but rather far more realistic, which this show has a habit of doing.  Two more thoughts about PB&J:  1) I miss Karen and was sad to see her in less than a scene, but maybe she can guest star or something and 2) I have faith that the writers will keep Jim and Pam together, likeable, and interesting without giving them constant drama.  But I will say that the Office season finales have a history of being relationship markers, so we're either headed toward a breakup or a proposal.  Of course, there are other characters on this show, and Kevin, one of my least favorites, was amazing.  Kelly not knowing for sure if she worships Buddha was hilarious, as was her scene at the end of the 5K.  Probably the funniest moment remains Meredith plopping up on Michael's hood, and I'm so happy she's not gone.  Dwangela's on the rocks now, but I bet Dwight makes it up to her.  Ryan has outwardly become the asshole I've always said he is, which is both gratifying and very funny.  And mostly, I appreciate that Season 4 has gotten away from the mean-spiritedness of much of Season 3, despite the occasional darkness (like Dwight euthanizing Sprinkles and attempting to follow suit on Meredith).  I think Jim, Pam, Ryan, and Michael were all very unhappy last year and it led to a lot of bad attitudes, but Fun Run had us back to Jim and Pam playing along with Michael (even though he was being an idiot) and inspiring him to finish the run.  Okay, I'm off to work on my flaws, one of which is that I spend too much time volunteering. 

9-19-07

Chapter 14 in which The OC moves to NY

So I started watching Gossip Girl tonight in order to have Kristen Bell back in my life, but the fact that it was on the CW among other things forced me to change the channel after about five minutes.  So I downloaded it, like any true Veronica Mars fan seeking revenge on the CW and all its properties, and after watching the pilot, I was completely surprised as to how good it was.  I mean, it's no Veronica Mars, but if I had reviewed it for my Pilot Preview, I'd have given it a solid B+.  It's Josh Schwartz's other new show, and it certainly echoes The OC.  While it wasn't as funny as either The OC or Chuck, it garnered occasional laughs, and I'm hoping in future episodes that don't need to establish all the characters and relationships that the humor will take the forefront.  Speaking of the relationships, there's already a romance to follow in the footsteps of Seth/Summer...well, there's a Seth protege anyway--the object of his desire seems like she may turn out to be a bitch.  But for now, it's sweet and fun, and for those who have seen it, I'm talking about Dan and Serena.  The story is basically about some chick returning to her Upper East Side prep school after a year away (she left without saying goodbye to anyone) and how that shakes up her ex-BFF and her social circle.  Meanwhile, Dan and his freshman sister Jenny enter the mix (the only non-rich kids) and chaos ensues.  More importantly, the adults (so far anyway) have storylines too, just like The OC, and frankly, I think it's a great idea, as long as they keep it up.  Dan and Jenny's dad is awesome, an art gallery rocker named Rufus who was in the ninth best forgotten band of the '90s according to Rolling Stone.  Even better, when Serena's mother learns of her date with Dan, she visits Rufus and hints at a former relationship between the two of them!  I'm way too excited, because the show had a couple logical problems and should have aimed for more comedy, but overall I was blown away due to my extremely low expectations.  Add to that Kristen Bell's narration (and presumably a guest appearance in the series finale when people finally find out who Gossip Girl is--she's narrating everything, btw, because she runs a gossip site, and the show is basically about her revealing all the tawdriness she's uncovered) and I've found a show that has earned at least a second shot.  Here's hoping episode 2 is even better!

9-17-07

Chapter 13 in which Weeds is too good for the Emmys anyway

Tonight's Weeds is almost certainly my favorite of the season.  It kicked off with the Shins' version of "Little Boxes," which I thought was amazing but had to wait till the credits to know who was singing.  And from there on out, we got a half hour of perfection.  Even before the Nancy-Conrad and Nancy-Celia reunions, I knew that this episode was special.  The boxing-ring scene was phenomenal, and the whole thing felt like it was shot by the crew of Friday Night Lights.  I especially liked the quick pan to their boxing gloves supporting each other just before U-Turn's "No, I'm left" joke.  And speaking of U-Turn, way before the ending, I was ready to say that this episode showed that he is multi-faceted.  He's always been scary, and lest you think he get too multi-faceted, he certainly gets scarier later on to remind us all that he's got too much testosterone.  But his strange affection for Nancy as a drug dealer--he's clearly not interested in her sexually, and even if he is, he thinks of his drug-dealing skills way too highly to let that get in the way of grooming the right person for the job--and his interactions with Martin, Conrad, Vaneeta (with the line of the night--"Next time you in my face, gargle."), and mostly Heylia showed so many more dimensions than I thought they'd explore.  And man is Heylia back on her game.  When Conrad and Nancy first saw each other again, both reacted as you'd expect--Conrad choked up, Nancy got awkward--and it was incredible.  And then Nancy's reunion with Celia:  it seemed like Nancy's speeding up their reconciliation was not completely to get them out of the heroin room; I feel like Nancy actually wasn't and didn't want to be mad at Celia any more.  Even more interesting, Celia, who would never claim to be dependent on anyone, needed so desperately for her only friend to return to her.  Can't wait to see what Nancy/Sullivan's relationship does to Celia.  On to Mary-Kate Olsen, I found her pretty good.  I like the character a lot--time will tell if I like Mary-Kate too.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Andy's scenes, both with Nancy in the beginning and then as parent to Shane.  Both were great, and Shane was better than ever.  I really felt like this entire episode was an A+, which is great because I wasn't feeling last week's as much as the season 3 openers. 

9-16-07

Chapter 12 in which Judd Apatow clearly watches good television

So far this year, I have had so much fun at the movies.  I know, that makes this no different from other years, except, so far, everything seems to be fulfilling expectations.  Of course we already had our Spiderman 3 debacle, but aside from that, all the big Oscar-type Fall movies have gotten some great reviews.  How does this relate to television?  Well some of my favorite ex-TV stars are finally making a name for themselves.  Alan Tudyk is probably the guy who's seen the most career improvement post-Firefly.  Nathan Fillion should be bigger but isn't, Adam Baldwin is arguably less famous now (although Chuck will bring him back), and Gina Torres is taking it slow and steady.  But Alan Tudyk has been in two of my then-favorite films of the year so far, first as the E! exec in Knocked Up and then as the flashbacks-to-Serenity doctor in 3:10 to Yuma.  He was probably my favorite part of that film, which is saying something because there was no weak link.  "Give you a disease you'll never forget," is probably the biggest crowd-pleaser of the movie.  And then we have Michael Cera, arguably my favorite of the Arrested Development cast (but then I remember Lucille) and without a doubt the cast member who's seen the most career improvement post-AD.  Superbad has become a phenomenon, and it's no surprise to learn that Cera was the first person cast in that movie, considering his incredibly authentic performance.  And come December, we'll see him again in Juno, a hit at Toronto and the winner of the second-place prize.  It's directed by the guy who did Thank You for Smoking, but by a brand-new screenwriter (who is supposedly Knocked Up-good), and even better, stars Jason Bateman as well!  Someone really needs to cast Alia Shawkat, preferably opposite Melinda Clarke and preferably in a movie about whores.  And in conclusion, why is the cast of Six Feet Under not owning Hollywood yet?  (Note for those who don't understand the word "conclusion":  Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Lauren Ambrose, Rachel Griffiths, and Freddy Rodriguez are all on television series this year, in Dirty Sexy Money, Dexter, The Return of Jezebel James, Brothers and Sisters, and Ugly Betty.  But seriously, why no movies?). 

9-14-07

Chapter 11 in which I am watching the 5 best shows on television

Now that Rescue Me whimpered its way off the air, I have no doubt that the five shows on my watch list are the best shows on television.  I've raved ad nauseam about Mad Men to anyone who will listen, but unfortunately, it looks like only Ryan and my grandma (who lived during that time) care.  Can't wait for it to get loads of BTA noms, and hopefully Matthew Weiner can ride the Sopranos nostalgia at the Emmys, especially now that Broken Trail has proven AMC can win them.  Can I just mention some more how much I am in love with Don Draper and Saffron?  And I like each of them for shallow reasons (Draper being hot and Saffron being sassy) and for real reasons (each is tremendous in their role).  Moving on, we have my longtime love Weeds.  I wasn't totally in love with the most recent episode (the first one I had to wait until it aired to watch), but the rest of the season has been amazing, and I can only hope that Ashley Olsen's arrival next week means she's going to murder U-Turn.  I don't hate U-Turn, he's got some funny things to say (and even funnier associates--Clinique, Marvin), but I'd like to get Nancy back in scenes with Heylia and Conrad (even though I still have not forgiven his bitch-ass).  Regardless, it vastly outshines the self-important Californication and is the show I most look forward to--I have the most history with it.  Then we have the triumphantish return of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  I loved the Myspace episode ("Mac is a Serial Killer") as much as my other favorites, but the two that opened the season ("The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby" and "The Gang Gets Invincible") weren't as laugh-out-loud hilarious.  There were certainly some moments, and I still crack up thinking about the scene at the tanning salon--"You want to put your baby in a tanning bed?" "Just to get a base."  Generally one of the funniest shows on television, I highly anticipate the rest of the supposedly 22-episode season.  Oh, two more things:  1) Dennis is quite hot and 2) Dee is rapidly becoming my favorite.  And lastly, the shows that I believe are both the most important shows on television and also two of the best overall shows of all time:  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.  It's got that SNL syndrome, where regardless of how much eh there is, there is always so much greatness that it doesn't matter.  No doubt in my mind that these are the 5 best shows on TV right now.