tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21711352582086572752024-03-13T10:56:19.433-04:00Rabbit Ear ReviewsReviews of and thoughts on network television shows.
television, reality tv, network tv, antenna tv, ABC tv reviews, NBC tv reviews, CBS tv reviews, CW tv reviewsShannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-77729145631457544442021-07-23T07:19:00.002-04:002021-07-23T07:19:55.285-04:00Crime Scene Kitchen was Too Flavorful<div>It’s the summertime, and that means it’s time for the broadcast networks to fill up their primetime slots with unscripted reality and game show content. It’s cheaper, and in these COVID times, easier to produce in a bubble. And because I’ve binged everything else, I found myself tuning in. </div><p style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77xF6VfWqeLjeRvdu4RjM60_o3dwoEWDvi_kyrpsmfh492BiHr0AHRpvoYhIjrLJSvNw78KZKXiawcYFzbq001xtNT2gRhetI3IJjHGZY8D2ryxQLtSiUesXPVzGg0v4067GSDEAawG6b/s1350/MV5BOGVjZmRlMTMtY2ZiOC00YThkLTlhNjktMTc0Y2M4ZjllMzg5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEwMTQ4MzU5._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crime Scene Kitchen promo poster" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77xF6VfWqeLjeRvdu4RjM60_o3dwoEWDvi_kyrpsmfh492BiHr0AHRpvoYhIjrLJSvNw78KZKXiawcYFzbq001xtNT2gRhetI3IJjHGZY8D2ryxQLtSiUesXPVzGg0v4067GSDEAawG6b/w256-h320/MV5BOGVjZmRlMTMtY2ZiOC00YThkLTlhNjktMTc0Y2M4ZjllMzg5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEwMTQ4MzU5._V1_.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This dessert does not appear in the show.<br />Source: <a href="http://imdb.com">imdb.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Joel McHale brought his signature sarcasm to a new FOX show, hosting (and executive producing) <i>Crime Scene Kitchen</i>. If that title sounds like the height of gimmick to you, you’d be right. Here's how it works: Two mystery desserts are baked in the titular <i>Kitchen</i> each week, and teams of two are charged with using the clues they find there to identify and recreate them.</p><p>Like crumbs showing through the cracks of a hastily draped fondant, the ingredients that went into the recipe for <i>Crime Scene Kitchen </i>are clearly visible. Its format, style, and humor are sampled from other baking shows. </p><p>The rounds are essentially a reinvention of the technical challenge from <i>The Great British Bake Off</i> (aka, <i>The Great British Baking Show</i>), wherein contestants are given ingredients and vague instructions and tasked to make the same dessert. The more glaring theft is <i>CSK</i>'s “Showpiece” round, a clear rip off of <i>Bake Off</i>’s “Showstopper.” </p><p>But not every dessert presented is a triumph. Because the teams occasionally get the clues very wrong, and also occasionally get it right, but do poorly, the show simultaneously tries to revel in the #fail like <i>Nailed It!</i>. </p><p>Perhaps the subtlest of all <i>CSK</i>’s inspirations is the way it is stylized like a YouTube show. The production aspects of the show are lampshaded, as if to tell the audience, “we know you know how TV is made by now, so we’re all in on the joke, right?” This is largely thanks to host Joel McHale, who takes far too many opportunities to call for lighting cues and talk about how cool the set is. His joke calling the stand where the mystery dessert is revealed the “Confectionator 3000” should have died after its first telling, but no - it gets repeated every week. The fact that one of the two judges, Yolanda Gampp, is (we’re repeatedly told) a Famous Youtube Pastry Chef is the frosting on this internet popularity cake.</p>The trouble is, none of these concepts complement each other. Every <i>Bake-Off</i> fan knows that the audience wants to see successes, not failures. And if we wanted to watch a YouTube show... well, we'd just watch YouTube. <p>Gampp and her fellow judge, Michelin-starred chef Curtis Stone, make subjective judgments about which bakers win each challenge. On this show, being “Star Bake…” er, I mean, “Top Dessert Detective” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the best baker, or even that you made the best dessert. It just means you got closest to the “mystery dessert.” And while many skills that reality competition contestants hone are not applicable in the real world, using clues in a meticulously staged kitchen to identify and reproduce a dessert seems particularly useless.</p><p>The final challenge of the finale episode threw the premise of the show in the trash, and let contestants build on a handful of ingredients to essentially make whatever sort of cake they wanted. Frustratingly, this new format quite obviously bent the competition in favor of the eventual winners. (The prize was $100,000, but also an engraved cake stand - <i>now, <a href="https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a805381/nadiya-hussain-great-british-bake-off-trophy-position/" target="_blank">where have I seen one of those?</a></i>)</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwKvbZuDn1r9s-gRIUMGOr75EDjEKKI51SQEvO8S0slIUX4-hWvT5tqmq1s5dttdt7XAy_3oGsqCxADbl1U2-I-_3CAGmkNBDPLQoYR4F8GFungUX98-JJfa5JDsFBjRtV3iOc5MHnQ2e/s1563/195418311_147416604101704_1562085308561486719_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Selfie of Judges Curtis Stone, Yolanda Gampp, guest judge Ken Jeong, and host Joel McHale" border="0" data-original-height="1563" data-original-width="1563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwKvbZuDn1r9s-gRIUMGOr75EDjEKKI51SQEvO8S0slIUX4-hWvT5tqmq1s5dttdt7XAy_3oGsqCxADbl1U2-I-_3CAGmkNBDPLQoYR4F8GFungUX98-JJfa5JDsFBjRtV3iOc5MHnQ2e/w320-h320/195418311_147416604101704_1562085308561486719_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curtis Stone, Yolanda Gampp, and Joel McHale<br />pose with guest judge Ken Jeong.<br />Source: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CrimeSceneKitchen/photos/147416600768371/">facebook.com</a> </td></tr></tbody></table>This wasn’t the only surprise format change. About half the episodes included a celebrity guest judge, for some reason. There was near constant reinvention what constitutes a “clue” in the kitchen. Mystery too hard in the first couple of episodes? Add something more obvious - a list of potluck items and a coordinating name on a coffee cup will make it simpler. The show failed to copy <i>Bake Off</i>'s trick of having the contestants and judges wear the same outfits on multiple days of filming, so exposition edited in after the fact was obvious. All of this made the whole show feel like somewhat of a work in progress. I wonder if any play testing occurred before the game began filming? I'd bet not.</p><p>Because the show is aimed at the casual summer viewer who happens to tune in, it spends precious time constantly reiterating the premise of the show. All this wasted time is probably why only two challenges fit in each episode, and why the slate of contestants had to be split into two groups for the first six episodes. Perhaps the makers of <i>Crime Scene Kitchen</i> will have perfected the recipe of the show before filming a second season? The trophy cake stand optimistically read: "Season 1 <i>Crime Scene Kitchen</i> Champions."</p>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-10652895990072290382021-05-16T21:30:00.001-04:002021-05-17T20:33:56.111-04:00Superman & Lois and Viewers Like Me<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i>The following will contain spoilers from the first 6 episodes of </i>Superman & Lois. </span></p><p>After only the first episode of the spring freshman show <i>Superman and Lois</i> had aired, The CW <a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/superman-lois-renewed-cw-season-2-1234919672/" target="_blank">announced the show was renewed</a> for a second season. Whether it was the high viewership ratings, what the producers had seen in the dailies, or just the network's historic success with DC franchise shows, I can't say. (The network has <a href="https://deadline.com/2016/03/the-cw-supernatural-vampire-diaries-renewed-flash-arrow-crazy-ex-girlfriend-legends-of-tomorrow-1201718699/" target="_blank">shown itself to be eager to renew</a>.) But what I can say is that the pilot episode of this show was good. Not great, not the best I've ever seen, but compelling. </p><p>I do not read or collect comic books, but Superman is my favorite superhero. I was a faithful viewer of two past television iterations of the character and his story: <i>Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman</i> (1993-1997), and <i>Smallville</i> (2001-2011). Plus, I'm one of what I'm sure is a relatively small subset of people who own a copy of the soundtrack to the short-lived Broadway musical <i>It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman. </i>So it was with this casual fandom and the memory of a handful of Superman movies as reference that I arrived at Superman & Lois. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3H2WaeAU_xE3C316EcspsnMdi3ERDbjjMe3tJV5PPhTwNjBuNDzon6gXeyQA5Rx_Dwui0MWq0u5coqk92ajxTMYKflPX9Q8VMzJ4O6hCaHyKAyMqkPeGP7Zpts5Huc0VASBO9hrG56mFf/s1200/superman-and-lois.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3H2WaeAU_xE3C316EcspsnMdi3ERDbjjMe3tJV5PPhTwNjBuNDzon6gXeyQA5Rx_Dwui0MWq0u5coqk92ajxTMYKflPX9Q8VMzJ4O6hCaHyKAyMqkPeGP7Zpts5Huc0VASBO9hrG56mFf/w400-h210/superman-and-lois.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Promotional poster for <i>Superman & Lois<br /></i>Source: <a href="https://www.cwtv.com/shows/superman-and-lois/pilot/https//images.cwtv.com/images/shows/og-image/superman-and-lois.png">cwtv.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">Like </span><i style="text-align: left;">Smallville</i><span style="text-align: left;">, </span><i style="text-align: left;">Superman & Lois</i><span style="text-align: left;"> is set in the town of Clark Kent’s childhood. But this is not the story of his adolescence; here, Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) have returned to his hometown following Martha Kent's death to tend the family farm and raise their twin teenage sons. It's an untried premise for the character, at least on television. A big question hanging over the pilot is whether his boys - Jonathan and Jordan - will inherit Clark's super-abilities. (One does.) Clark must also strive for that unreachable work-life balance, made more difficult since his work is, well, saving the world. The series finds Lois in her classic reporter job, but not at the Daily Planet. Clark was laid off and Lois unceremoniously quit after wealthy business tycoon Morgan Edge bought the paper. She soon finds herself at the Smallville Gazette, with Edge as the primary target of her investigative journalism. </span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D2dJSUGj_mbDiBLhYs49aXPn3cBtlr-BTbpM__zBkdqmKSz83M9RvLfyymlywAkUGvXNPEanwgT5NM3BR65XrBO1yA9OsC0mgvoVHytCFDi1X6eTxdvoNYXwrzvk763_9nWnQU6nMxOs/s1000/Kent_Farm_%252528Earth-Prime%252529.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Image of a desolate looking Kent Farm from Superman & Lois" border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="1000" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D2dJSUGj_mbDiBLhYs49aXPn3cBtlr-BTbpM__zBkdqmKSz83M9RvLfyymlywAkUGvXNPEanwgT5NM3BR65XrBO1yA9OsC0mgvoVHytCFDi1X6eTxdvoNYXwrzvk763_9nWnQU6nMxOs/w400-h181/Kent_Farm_%252528Earth-Prime%252529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kent Farm in <i>Superman and Lois</i><br />Source: <a href="https://arrow.fandom.com/wiki/Kent_Farm_(Earth-Prime)" target="_blank">Arrowverse Fandom</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The world of <i>Superman & Lois</i> is full of dark colors, muddy boots, and moody high schoolers. Even when the sun shines, the <a href="https://twitter.com/cwsupermanlois/status/1390804890151231490" target="_blank">landscape of Smallville</a> seems desolate. The single hallway we see at Smallville high is dimly lit. Even a scene set at the town's Harvest Festival is subdued; there is no blinking neon midway. The dark tone is also metaphorical. The town is economically depressed. Folks are out of work, we're told. And they've come to see wealthy business tycoon Morgan Edge and his plan to retrofit local mines as their way out. <p></p><p>Superhero stories have been getting progressively darker in tone throughout my lifetime. I like humor, and I prefer the bright colors and wisecracking villains of earlier shows about Superman. But the era of "camp" in superhero media is long gone, and dark, satirical takes like <i>The Boys</i> are the future. So it comes as no surprise that <i>Superman & Lois </i>would look for that angle. The show proffers itself even darker storyline options with the introduction of a villain from an alternate universe: one "Captain Luthor." He seems to come from a timeline where Superman is evil and vindictive, more like <i>The Boys</i>' "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelander" target="_blank">Homelander</a>." Consequently, this Luthor turns all his villainous energy toward our <a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Earth-Prime" target="_blank">Earth-Prime</a> Superman, building an armored suit and attacking power stations to lure the hero and learn how he operates. Between the otherworldly Luthor and earth-bound Edge, the foes of this show seem indomitable. Little room is left for quirky villains like a "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prankster_(comics)#Television" target="_blank">Prankster</a>" or a "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyman#Television" target="_blank">Toyman</a>." </p><p>Because I have not watched other DC shows in the current CW lineup (with the exception of a few early episodes of <i><a href="https://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2015/10/supergirl-pilot-review.html" target="_blank">Supergirl</a></i>), I don't have a frame of reference for the villains or lore of this series. After it became clear that alternate realities/universes will play a significant role in the story, I had to look up whether the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths_(Arrowverse)" target="_blank">Crisis on Infinite Earths</a>" crossover was something I needed to know to understand <i>Superman & Lois</i>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Edge" target="_blank">Morgan Edge</a> (who is a DC character, but not one with which I'm familiar) seemed at first to fill the Lex Luthor role in this series, but then the pilot ends with the reveal of Captain Luthor. </p><p>All this left me wondering who this show was made for, and indeed, was it made for a viewer like me? Can I watch this series independent of the rest of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowverse" target="_blank">Arrowverse</a>? Will I be constantly wondering what connections I might be missing? Superman is my favorite superhero because he is unreservedly good. He is not brooding or mercurial. He stands for truth and justice, and he always has. I think Hoechlin is actually very good casting, which is a stroke of luck since he was originally cast in the role in <i>Supergirl. </i>Hoechlin exudes the boy scout energy necessary for the character. Can I watch a dark take on my favorite bright superhero? Do I in actuality know too much, and not too little, about Superman to enjoy this show? </p><p>The CW would not have renewed <i>Superman & Lois</i> if the network didn't believe it would have an audience. And I have been captivated enough to be a part of that audience for half a dozen episodes. But will I stick around through Season 2? When it returns this week, I'll tune in, and I guess I'll find out. </p>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com2Kansas, USA39.011902 -98.484246510.701668163821154 -133.64049649999998 67.322135836178845 -63.3279965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-77873279999030263872021-02-28T11:35:00.053-05:002021-02-28T11:50:25.219-05:00Yes, Call her Kat, because she's NOT Miranda<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The farcical British comedy series <i>Miranda</i> aired between 2009 and 2015 on the BBC. It was semi-autobiographical, based upon the life and standup persona of comedian Miranda Hart. It is very funny, very British, and very specifically suited to its creator/star. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In January of 2021, the new sitcom <i>Call Me Kat</i>, a adaptation of <i>Miranda</i>, premiered on FOX starring Mayim Bialik. Both shows are about a single, business-owning woman in her thirties whose social awkwardness leads to the comedic situations of the genre. But while <i>Miranda</i> worked, <i>Call Me Kat </i>simply doesn't. I've analyzed two episodes of the American adaptation, comparing them to their source material, to try to figure out why.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In "Vacation" (<i>Call Me Kat</i>, S1E3) and "Holiday"(<i>Miranda</i>, S1E4), the titular character tells her friends and mother she's going overseas for a solo vacation, when in fact she's simply staying at a local hotel. Both "Therapy" (<i>Call Me Kat</i>, S1E4), and "Just Act Normal" (<i>Miranda</i>, S2E5), find Kat/Miranda and her mother at a psychiatrist's office. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Changes to the storyline in both of these adaptations highlight some of the structural and tonal problems with <i>Call Me Kat</i>. Consider the inciting incidents and ultimate resolutions of the stories:</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Miranda goes "on holiday" in her hometown because she has no desire or inclination to go anywhere else. "A night out for me is going into the garden, coming back, ahh, home at last!" Miranda tells the audience. She tells her friends she's going to Thailand to get them off her back. Kat checks into a hotel in her hometown because she chickens out of going on a free trip to Puerto Rico alone. “I got freaked out. It’s my mom’s fault," she tells her friend Max. The result is a Kat less self-possessed than Miranda, less confident in her own choices and the life she leads. Miranda brings awkwardness to situations because she's confidently strange, and that's presented to the audience through her little habits (e.g., singing or dancing in public for longer than anyone should, making socially inappropriate observations). Kat seems like a mostly normal person who occasionally does something odd like eat a massive plate of crab legs at a hotel buffet. She might declare that she is comfortable being herself, or that she is eccentric, but the story doesn't support it. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tCT7feki1_W8QDIc0hj206rSpOwpREs5y7aZB1GSKYx70xdVBfYbyMbIsutcGLN0-VCl8bA6CLDqqpCWJ3APud0VLYYGq7zULBkaQW6zk_l6CgPIDwsx8pb6tdfOkqmwExdLb0FflLP8/s640/callmekats1e4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tCT7feki1_W8QDIc0hj206rSpOwpREs5y7aZB1GSKYx70xdVBfYbyMbIsutcGLN0-VCl8bA6CLDqqpCWJ3APud0VLYYGq7zULBkaQW6zk_l6CgPIDwsx8pb6tdfOkqmwExdLb0FflLP8/s320/callmekats1e4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kat and Sheila. <br />Source: <a href="https://telltaletv.com/2021/01/call-me-kat-review-therapy-season-1-episode-4/">telltaletv.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The first 8 minutes of "Therapy" are spent in setup, with Kat fighting with and needling her mother (Swoosie Kurtz), who she then "jokes" she'd like to murder (!!!). It is this argument, and the suggestion of her friends, that lead Kat and her mother Sheila into therapy. The entirety of "Just Act Normal" takes place within the psychiatrist's office. We don't find out why Miranda and her mother Penny (Patricia Hodge), are in therapy until midway through the episode, when the two of them comically reveal the circumstances that led to this court-ordered appointment. The humorous back and forth between the two of them <i>is the joke, </i>in stark contrast to the bleak setup of <i>Call Me Kat.</i> In an even bleaker turn, the resolution to Kat and Sheila’s time on the couch is the discovery of their mutual depression over the death of Kat's father. (Where did this even come from? Miranda's father is very much alive, and his relationship with Penny is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MAsTVm-41o" target="_blank">the source of many laughs</a>!) <i>Call Me Kat</i> attempts to layer depth and sincerity atop a premise of absurdity. The show is so wrapped up in offering a Very Special Episode about therapy and antidepressants that the humor is lost altogether. And by the way, it is possible to make a defense of those things successfully in a comedy. <i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i> <a href="https://youtu.be/OG6HZMMDEYA" target="_blank">did</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/98Z_OoHajPo" target="_blank">it</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/H1DCoGCVUxY" target="_blank">repeatedly</a>. But <i>Call Me Kat</i> fails in both humor and message. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbiZFXAiCusVCqRfAuNFpKZJ8hYokeeJPfzV7aHfEWiSd3nXlNSkU433DoQToqwrU-35kfxCgmwtXJLzgSBZUPHrMPmhB_3ZouZo9hllvaXMJWsWIwIUvAVbFKdlgK6M1Sqa52gtEWaWv/s1200/CA22FDB5-679C-49AF-98F0-D04C7E7B278E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbiZFXAiCusVCqRfAuNFpKZJ8hYokeeJPfzV7aHfEWiSd3nXlNSkU433DoQToqwrU-35kfxCgmwtXJLzgSBZUPHrMPmhB_3ZouZo9hllvaXMJWsWIwIUvAVbFKdlgK6M1Sqa52gtEWaWv/s320/CA22FDB5-679C-49AF-98F0-D04C7E7B278E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miranda and Penny.<br />Source: <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wtw86">bbc.co.uk</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Miranda and Penny eventually bond not over a diagnosis, but their mutual annoyance with the psychiatrist. The dialogue doesn't need to tell us the two of them are alike because the episode has shown us that all the way through, via synchronous dancing and line delivery, and even in the recounting of the absurd ice cream van debacle that led them to the office in the first place. <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> mention the length of time spent on the setup because it affects a joke that is in both versions of the story. The psychiatrist in each episode remains silent at the start of the scene. In "Just Act Normal," he speaks for the first time nearly 10 minutes into the episode, startling Miranda, causing her to spill coffee on her trousers, and subsequently turn a tablecloth into a sarong. Kat and her mother don’t arrive at the psychiatrist’s office until the 8 minute mark, and the doctor speaks just 1 minute later. There is no comedic payoff to the joke, not only because the timing is truncated, but also because Kat’s mother simply says, “Oh, you can speak!” Not much of a punchline.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In both "Therapy" and "Vacation," the momentum of Kat's story is continually interrupted by the B stories about the supporting cast. Secondary stories can be useful when they say, release or raise tension. But here they just interrupt the flow. It’s as if the show doesn’t trust the audience to live in the tension of a scene, wonder about anything, or wait longer than 60 seconds for an explanation. Or else the show distrusts its actors to hold the audience’s attention between planting and payoff. <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Further frustrating the use of the side characters is their poor connection to Kat herself. Two employees in her cafe can deliver a few one-liners, sure. But they are no replacement for <i>Miranda</i>'s Stevie (Sarah Hadland), who is best friend and foil to Miranda. They play off one another in both dialogue and physical comedy and clearly inhabit the same world. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">It pains me to say a bad word about Swoosie Kurtz, but she does not work here. Sheila is stiff, overbearing, not funny, and not <i>fun. </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Penny, by contrast, is "SUCH FUN." </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few other things do get lost in translation in the adaptation. One is the breaking of the fourth wall that <i>Miranda</i> featured heavily<i>. </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The asides to the audience work well in <i>Miranda</i> because of Hart's comedic timing and stand-up skills. She's speaking to the audience to entertain them. Kat is just kind of, providing exposition, maybe? The camera work and direction fail Bialik here, too. Miranda's asides are framed tight against her face; her acting alone doesn't need to distinguish these moments (though it could.) All Bialik does during these digressions is turn her head to face a camera (and her intonation and delivery doesn’t change.) <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maddeningly, the creators of <i>Call Me Kat</i> seem to have attempted to recreate Miranda's family's poshness by making Kat's mother... friends with the Governor of Kentucky? By putting her in a ball gown? This is a massive translation error. The UK social strata cannot be replicated in a US sitcom and TV writers need to <i>stop trying.<br /></i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></i></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Miranda</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> feels like a spiritual successor to </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">I Love Lucy</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, with Hart <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzZ4YJR4sy0" target="_blank">excelling as a physical comedian</a>. I'll say for Bialik that she actually holds her own with the physical comedy, but because </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Call Me Kat </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">lacks the absurdist tone and company of characters that </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Miranda</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> has, those pratfalls are out of place. Instead, <i>Call Me Kat</i> rests on the boring premises and basic delivery of every dull sitcom you’ve ever forgotten about. The only positive thing I’ve left to say for </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Call Me Kat</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is that it inspired me to rewatch </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Miranda.</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p id="docs-internal-guid-55efa79b-7fff-663a-c63f-3df1d8a8faea" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p id="docs-internal-guid-55efa79b-7fff-663a-c63f-3df1d8a8faea" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.7128918.780006163821156 -130.869141 65.400473836178847 -60.556641tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-37033140818646431362021-01-30T18:00:00.001-05:002021-01-30T18:00:24.916-05:00All Creatures Great and Small: "Andante"<p>After watching the first two episodes of the new Masterpiece series <i>All Creatures Great and Small</i>, you'd be forgiven for thinking that each episode will end happily for all the animals you encounter. The bucolic setting and guileless protagonist lend themselves to uplifting stories. But the life and work of a country veterinarian can be difficult and unpleasant, too. </p><p>The series is based upon the book of the same name, a memoir by James Herriot, chronicles of his early years as a vet in Yorkshire in the mid 20th century. In the book's fifth chapter, Herriot must euthanize a horse who is suffering great pain and a slow death as a result of a torsion of the bowel. The young vet must then await confirmation of his diagnosis via a postmortem conducted by his boss, Siegfried Farnon. It is this chapter that is adapted into the third episode of the PBS series. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xISpzQCuUVIu6hmL-OjPLgF_P1B5gVISP0tG7Y_IHbv3_VxTSqbgoccjuP25VJmtpQfoIo5ZywfVsoObvMLNSkWu9fqC0f7f3vqOMdJTZ_dFusRCy2kcsYW7Vic1OzwsbAy-fhXVYep1/s1536/all_creatures-first-look-02-1920x1080-1-1536x864.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1536" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xISpzQCuUVIu6hmL-OjPLgF_P1B5gVISP0tG7Y_IHbv3_VxTSqbgoccjuP25VJmtpQfoIo5ZywfVsoObvMLNSkWu9fqC0f7f3vqOMdJTZ_dFusRCy2kcsYW7Vic1OzwsbAy-fhXVYep1/w400-h225/all_creatures-first-look-02-1920x1080-1-1536x864.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) examines a patient.<br />Source: <a href="http://pbs.com">pbs.com</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The series's creators and writers deftly adapt the source material. The characters of Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley) and Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) are bought forward to expand the main cast, and a romantic rivalry between James and Hugh Hulton (Matthew Lewis) for the affections of Helen is added. Herriot's accounts of his patients are lifelike on the page, and the series pulls a few of the vignettes from in the book into each episode, creating a vivid picture of his work. In episode 3, writer Lisa Holdsworth builds the bulk of the story out of the seven short pages of Chapter 5, and only makes additions that either raise the stakes or enhance character development. </p><p>While the horse in the book is both beloved and valuable, tension is added in the episode by also making the stallion a racehorse. Unnamed in the book, the horse is called Andante here, and is the also the favorite to win the upcoming Darrowby Classic. Every local at the pub has put their money on it. Everyone, that is, except Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse). Seigfried's brother finds himself in a bit of a tight spot, having accidentally spent the payments he was supposed to have collected from the local farmers. Seizing rather questionably upon the not-yet-public news of Andante's death, Tristan puts what's left of his money on the second favorite, ultimately recouping his losses. By making Andante a racehorse, James and Tristan's storylines can be woven together. Plus, we get the chance to see another little scheme of Tristan's. While not drawn directly from the pages of the book, it's behavior consistent with the character the reader meets there. </p><p>The postmortem examination looms over Herriot for the second half of the episode. Confident as he was in his diagnosis, television James second guesses himself in the face of angry and litigious stable owner Hugh Hulton. Book James has no such reconsiderations; the postmortem is standard, expected, and comes and goes within a few paragraphs. By letting the viewer live in Herriot's fears for the night, awaiting confirmation of his decision, the stakes are raised. Strangely, we viewers find ourselves relieved to ultimately find out that the horse was, in fact, dying at the start of the episode.</p><p>The farmer at James's next appointment rather distressingly refers to him as "horse killer." This and other contemptuous reactions from the Darrowby locals are not found in the book, but are believable. In both book and adaptation, the young vet faces an uphill battle toward acceptance in the community. In "Andante," Herriot's newfound reputation gives Siegfried (Samuel West) an opportunity to defend his assistant. Here, Siegfried is offered the position of veterinarian at the Darrowby racetrack,<i> if</i> he fires James. But Siegfried defends James. Perhaps more importantly, he defends James's veterinary philosophy. "Yesterday, you agreed the welfare of the animal came first. Today, it seems that's not the case," he tells the racetrack manager. The reader comes to know Siegfried as a soft-hearted, if a bit irascible, man. The episode allows the viewer to see that as well. <br /></p><p>Turning the short chapters of a long book into one-hour episodes of television cannot be an easy task. This is not the first adaptation of <i>All Creatures Great and Small</i>, but it is a successful one. This is because the writers understand the source material; while the stories are embellished, the setting and characters are true to their inspirations. Furthermore, those embellishments only serve to enhance the stories, adding the tension necessitated by the medium. </p>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-68387520502189621962021-01-21T08:00:00.000-05:002021-01-21T16:55:54.702-05:00Superstore: "Hair Care Products"<p>When scripted TV returned to production in the midst of COVID-19, writers and showrunners had two choices: continue with their story as if the pandemic never happened, or incorporate it into the plot. I have preferred the former. If ever there was a time for escapist TV, this is it. To say nothing of the ever changing experience of the pandemic. <a href="https://ew.com/tv/too-soon-pandemic-tv-shows/" target="_blank">As EW's James Hibberd put it,</a> "Nobody can correctly make an authentic drama about this pandemic right now. It’s been noted many times before that you cannot make a great movie about a war until years after the war has ended.” Can the experience be accurately fictionalized when it has not yet been fully lived?</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CdOer-d6F7IBYWiwhP4_w2dNU7QJ7v6O9uoqDFTrbGgs69kCiulgrPgG5e12SqV3E5ocZ32rs-cy4kJfwsBuwZxxp6eohgabUDveh-y5vXkX4XVUtSncJpv799o9H4tOkv5Kb5EBS8dJ/s630/watching-the-procedure-superstore-s6e5.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="630" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CdOer-d6F7IBYWiwhP4_w2dNU7QJ7v6O9uoqDFTrbGgs69kCiulgrPgG5e12SqV3E5ocZ32rs-cy4kJfwsBuwZxxp6eohgabUDveh-y5vXkX4XVUtSncJpv799o9H4tOkv5Kb5EBS8dJ/w302-h201/watching-the-procedure-superstore-s6e5.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mateo and Cheyenne watch the ceremonial<br />unlocking of the hair care case. <br />Source: <a href="http://tvfanatic.com">tvfanatic.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Superstore</i> opted to try to find out. In the season 6 premiere, the titular Cloud 9 Superstore is facing the same pandemic the viewers are, and the episode drags as a result. The premiere also prolonged the exit of series lead America Ferrera, a departure which would have been tidier as the season 5 finale. By its title, the second episode of season 6 is actually the second half of the season 5 finale, but the COVID-themed opener "Essential" interrupted the two. In these first few episodes, there are jokes about mask wearing and about who might be contagious, but nothing about it feels unique to the show or even relatable to the viewer, despite the similarity to our own lives. Maybe it's because we've heard those jokes. We've <i>made</i> these jokes. The show is just slapping a mask on a cardboard cutout mascot. <p></p><p></p>So imagine my surprise when the fifth episode of the season, "Hair Care Products" finally delivers a snapshot of COVID that feels true to life with a punchline that's true to the show. The B plot of the episode sees Cheyenne (Nichole Sakura) and Mateo (Nico Santos), the break room's popular crowd, decide to do something "so nice" for the less popular Sandra (Kaliko Kauahi) and invite her to their upcoming movie night. <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSuperstore/status/1351575148651028481" target="_blank">Sandra politely declines</a>. When pressed, she reveals she's not comfortable with Mateo and Cheyenne's loose adherence to COVID guidelines. It feels like a real conversation. Heck, you've probably been on one side or the other of that same conversation. But unlike earlier jokes in the season where the punchline was just, "Oh no! He's contagious," the humor here is in watching Mateo and Cheyenne bend over backward to accommodate the one person they didn't intend to invite in the first place.<p></p><p>Earlier seasons of the show tackled timely and heavy topics like parental leave, PTSD, and even an ICE raid. It comes as no surprise that they'd try to tackle COVID. The pandemic isn't even the heaviest or timeliest topic in this episode. The A plot sees Garrett (Colton Dunn) begrudgingly lead the employees in developing anti-racist policy suggestions for corporate. And if that feels like way too big a task for a single retail store to handle, it's because it is. And fortunately, <i>Superstore</i> knows that. When corporate decides to reverse the policy on keeping Black hair care products in a locked cabinet, white characters' responses are mostly tone deaf. Meanwhile, Garrett is eager to point out the puniness of the change, but is frustrated when asked to speak and lead on behalf of all Black people. "It's not my job to call out every racist thing I come up against," he says. "It's my job to announce sales and pretend not to notice when people return used swimsuits." </p><p>I'm glad to see that <i>Superstore</i> is back to its solid formula of addressing real world issues in their own little big box store, with their signature character-based humor. If the rest of Season 6 proceeds like this, I'll keep tuning in.</p>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-11455063097159988902017-06-29T22:50:00.002-04:002021-01-20T22:01:31.179-05:00TV Songs for your Workout PlaylistI don't like working out. In fact, I'm lucky if I get to the gym once a week (ok, <i>fine!</i> - once a month.) But the unbearable pain of attaining your beach body is made a little bit easier if there's something good on TV, or a good song in your earbuds. Why not enjoy both? Here are five <i>television</i> songs from my workout playlist that just might keep you on that treadmill.<br />
<hr />
<b>"Let Me Be Your Star" - <i>Smash</i></b><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KQwmnn8oarg" width="560"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The past is on the cutting room floor; the future is here with me."</i></div>
<br />
<b>Perfect if</b>... your workout is a performance for the mirror on the wall at the gym.<br />
<b>Play it</b>... during your warmup.<br />
<br />
<b>Purchase it:</b> <a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/let-me-be-your-star-smash/id605442415?i=605442674&mt=1&app=music" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("//linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/assets/shared/badges/en-us/music-sm.svg") no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 15px; overflow: hidden; width: 70px;"></a><br />
<br />
<hr />
<b>"I Could If I Wanted To" - <i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GUuU99c_9mY" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Throwing a ball like it’s sooo important to know how to throw a ball. Whoopty-fricking-do."</i></div>
<br />
<b>Perfect if</b>... you hate working out.<br />
<b>Play it</b>... during that third set of angry, angsty crunches.<br />
<br />
<b>Purchase it: <a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-could-if-i-wanted-to-feat./id1115316950?i=1115317602&mt=1&app=music" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("//linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/assets/shared/badges/en-us/music-sm.svg") no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 15px; overflow: hidden; width: 70px;"></a></b><br />
<hr />
<br />
<b>
<b>"Don't Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet" - <i>Nashville</i></b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zp3tYO7mIUE" width="560"></iframe><b><b><b>
</b></b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"I got a whole lot more than a little bit left"</i></div>
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Perfect if</b>...</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>you wanna quit, but know you'll feel better if you don't.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Play it</b></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">... </span>during those last few miles before the cool down.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Purchase it:</b> </span><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/dont-put-dirt-on-my-grave/id858196574?i=858196594&mt=1&app=music" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/assets/shared/badges/en-us/music-sm.svg); background-repeat: no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 15px; overflow: hidden; width: 70px;"></a><br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
</div>
<hr />
<b style="font-weight: bold;">"</b><b style="font-weight: bold;">Aces High" - </b><i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Empire</b></i><br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K9gRcDoJRSM" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"No cameras please, I'm in my zone."</i></div>
<div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Perfect if</b>...</span> the gym is your zone.</div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Play it</b>...</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> during whatever part of your workout makes you feel amazing. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>
Purchase it:</b> </span><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/aces-high-feat.-serayah/id1178054877?i=1178054883&mt=1&app=music" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/assets/shared/badges/en-us/music-sm.svg); background-repeat: no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 15px; overflow: hidden; width: 70px;"></a>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<hr />
<b style="font-weight: bold;">"</b><b style="font-weight: bold;">Who Are You"<i> - CSI</i></b><br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PNbBDrceCy8" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"I remember throwing punches around and preaching from my chair"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Ok, so this isn't really a TV song. It's just been co-opted as a TV theme song. But every workout playlist needs some <i style="font-weight: bold;">Who</i>, so put this song on yours.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Purchase it</b></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>:</b> </span><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/who-are-you/id325627?i=325612&mt=1&app=music" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/assets/shared/badges/en-us/music-sm.svg); background-repeat: no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 15px; overflow: hidden; width: 70px;"></a>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-74575380169244307822017-03-09T17:44:00.002-05:002017-03-09T19:01:35.023-05:00Riverdale: "Chapter Six: Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!"It took me half a dozen episodes to realize I was completely hooked on <i>Riverdale</i>. Apparently, that's how many episodes it took a lot of people, because this week the series was <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/tv/riverdale-renewed-season-2-cw-210012089.html" target="_blank">officially renewed for a second season</a>.<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1N_gdIsvsYa4VU216tN7GtGtfM7A0DUgOGH-39SkGdvjT1CBaMDtDo2aVmh4sk3XIpGupLBtmO5KawClN8INxLYPO97uhHlHFZ68kmPRkxF7UQ_aZlMX8pLo0yvublTu-bMqbnfDlcBt7/s1600/MV5BOWU1Mzg3OGEtYmM0OS00MWZmLWE1MmUtYjhlYjMyZDMwMjZmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjEwNTM2Mzc%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jughead and Betty" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1N_gdIsvsYa4VU216tN7GtGtfM7A0DUgOGH-39SkGdvjT1CBaMDtDo2aVmh4sk3XIpGupLBtmO5KawClN8INxLYPO97uhHlHFZ68kmPRkxF7UQ_aZlMX8pLo0yvublTu-bMqbnfDlcBt7/s320/MV5BOWU1Mzg3OGEtYmM0OS00MWZmLWE1MmUtYjhlYjMyZDMwMjZmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjEwNTM2Mzc%2540._V1_.jpg" title="" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jughead and Betty are on the case.<br>
Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5728928/mediaviewer/rm1906389504" target="_blank">imdb.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This mid-season addition to the CW's lineup could have gone either way. It's got a relatively unknown cast who are, in the words of a friend of mine "really attractive, even by CW standards." They are also more than their pretty faces. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/entertainment/riverdale-review/" target="_blank">Early</a> <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/26/riverdale-writer-says-the-show-will-be-archie-meets-twin-peaks" target="_blank">press</a> claimed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Comics" target="_blank">Archie Comics</a> adaptation would be a dark <i>Twin Peaks </i>for the younger set. So far, the only resemblance to the Lynch creation is Mädchen Amick, who plays Betty's mother, and was a waitress at the <a href="http://twinpeaks.wikia.com/wiki/Double_R_Diner" target="_blank">Double R Diner</a>. No, if anything, <i>Riverdale </i>is reminiscent of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Mars" target="_blank">show</a> that originally aired on the network's predecessor, UPN. In "Chapter Six: Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!" we find Betty Cooper acting like Veronica - <i>Veronica Mars</i>, that is.<br>
<br>
This comparison to the teen noir detective show <i>Veronica Mars</i> is apt because, like that series, <i>Riverdale</i> hinges on the murder of a high school student in a small town. (To be fair, so does <i>Twin Peaks, </i>but <i>Riverdale</i> lacks that show's absurdist elements.) The comics' Archie-Betty-Veronica love triangle rightfully gets put on the shelf in the series' first few episodes. Instead, the town and its teens are focused on solving the crime and regaining the innocence they lost. In "Faster, Pussycats," Betty (Lili Reinhart) is working for the Riverdale High School newspaper, and has begun to look for answers, not only to the question "Who Killed Jason Blossom?" but to the question of what happened to Betty's sister Polly. Polly had planned to run away with Jason on the day he was killed. In this episode, we learn that Polly is pregnant! I shouldn't have been surprised, but, like Betty, I was misdirected by Mr. and Mrs. Cooper's assurances that Polly was, well, crazy. Betty tracks down her sister at a "home for troubled youth" and, following Polly's tip, finds a hidden getaway car. The pace of this part of the story is steady. The colors are muted. The sky is gray. There's fog in the air. Everything indicates mystery. A dark, rainy trip in the woods is enhanced by the minor chords of the Pussycats' variety show performance.<br>
<br>
Betty has a partner in all this sleuthing. At the end of "Chapter Four: The Last Picture Show," when it was revealed that the show's narrator, Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), lives an essentially homeless life, I realized Archie's best pal was going to be the most interesting character in the series. His <a href="https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/03/05/cole-sprouse-weighs-jughead-sexuality-contoversy/" target="_blank">somewhat anti-canonical</a> yet completely natural romance with Betty Cooper, sealed with a kiss in the sixth episode, also sealed his place as a lead. (And if the episode 7 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj3MziVEqts" target="_blank">promos</a> are to be believed, his story is just beginning.) Though he began as a child actor, Sprouse's abilities shouldn't be underestimated. He fills the pauses as deftly as he delivers the lines.<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dmHF_XzRR4rzeOzzTAccqV9N_W7G7rYuaNhIR3FT0cXIrpcLjC9dQiGd-ZI1Dhju2jSAXf6wdthj3Qw86FhkrFajk8cSJEhY4lrJ4nD-U1X2klZZSgiOvYLLAYmgZw_UHUy-mqo2ZMxh/s1600/MV5BYzZjMjI5N2ItMjFkZi00ZjdmLTkzZWQtODQyZTJiZjI0OWEzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjEwNTM2Mzc%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Archie auditions for the variety show" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dmHF_XzRR4rzeOzzTAccqV9N_W7G7rYuaNhIR3FT0cXIrpcLjC9dQiGd-ZI1Dhju2jSAXf6wdthj3Qw86FhkrFajk8cSJEhY4lrJ4nD-U1X2klZZSgiOvYLLAYmgZw_UHUy-mqo2ZMxh/s320/MV5BYzZjMjI5N2ItMjFkZi00ZjdmLTkzZWQtODQyZTJiZjI0OWEzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjEwNTM2Mzc%2540._V1_.jpg" title="" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Archie just wants to play his music, Dad.<br>
Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5728928/mediaviewer/rm1755394560" target="_blank">imdb.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Riverdale</i> knows its audience and its network, employing well-worn teen drama tropes. As a <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SchoolNewspaperNewsHound" target="_blank">high school student newspaper reporter</a>, Betty sleuths out real life crime, reminiscent not only of <i>Veronica Mars, </i>but also of the early seasons of <i>Smallville</i>. Archie Andrews (K.J. Apa), on the other hand, is the typical angsty teenage boy who can't decide between writing guitar ballads and playing on the football team. Unfortunately, this trope is applied less convincingly, and all I can do is roll my eyes at the red-headed leading man. That said, Apa does have a lovely tenor voice. Earlier in the season, Archie's story was headed in a different direction. He was revealed to be intimately involved with his music teacher. At this point I must note that teacher/student relationships are real life crimes and tragedies that are too often, unfortunately, romanticized on the small screen. [See also: Dawson's Creek.]<br>
<br>
Meanwhile, the teens' parents are dramatically interconnected. High school drama seems to have followed them into adulthood. Thus, we find Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) devastated at the prospect of her mother cheating on her father with Fred Andrews. As Alice Cooper, Mädchen Amick masterfully depicts the madness of a mother bent on justice, or maybe just revenge. Then there's another whole plot with Josie's demanding father and politically corrupt mother. So is one of these crazy parents to blame for Jason's death? Betty certainly thinks so, and confronts her father with that accusation. But is it all a red herring? In <i>Veronica Mars</i>, it turned out that a parent <i>was </i>the villain. In <i>Riverdale</i>, I'm not so sure. I suspect the music teacher may come back to town just when we've almost forgotten her. I don't know! And it's precisely because the show keeps me guessing that I keep coming back to watch what happens next. And now, I'll get to see what happens all the way through Season 2.<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Riverdale </i>airs Thursday nights at 9 PM on The CW.</div>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-6471104187528562152017-02-04T17:55:00.000-05:002017-02-04T22:35:29.411-05:00Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: "Can Josh Take a Leap of Faith?"<i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i> suffered a sophomore slump, no doubt the result of Santino Fontana's <a href="http://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/crazy-ex-girlfriend-santino-fontana-shitshow-greg-1201745875/" target="_blank">untimely exit</a>. Greg was just gearing up to have the best character arc of the season. Then, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xHpxmAAlIc" target="_blank">without so much as choreography</a>, he left West Covina, and Rebecca, behind. The <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2016/11/santino-fontana-leaving-crazy-ex-girlfriend.html" target="_blank">official word</a> is that Fontana had only signed on for one season, and had never planned to stay, but his alcoholism storyline and setup to be the guy Rebecca's actually "<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/tv/crazy-ex-girlfriend-s2-review-171738487.html" target="_blank">meant for</a>" makes me think there may have been more going on behind the scenes.<br />
<br />
Here's my wild theory/the way I would have done it: I expect the final escalator goodbye was the planned Season 2 finale - the climax of incredible positive growth and change in Greg. He was, after all the character that didn't fit in with the rest, whose dreams were always bigger than that town <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw0Z7E1L6pE" target="_blank">three short hours from the beach</a>. His exit was inevitable, but it happened too soon. For me, Season 2 felt like two seasons smashed together - One where we see Greg grow and move on, finally acknowledging that Rebecca was no good for him; and one where Rebecca, in the wake of that heartache runs back to Josh <i>again</i>, only to be stymied by the hot new boss in the office. Neither of those storylines got the time they deserved.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxIk0qOJ5xyihj0EUZ0AGH3qyk-Q4xuI6xiltafnmvzpjNq-U9aaWiNxQTEh7CrEjwJoOt3g3f77jrHS9Ve4qdb0um1M6OkNOBFj4j29iFlp0-1_lb8xg8apk6b8RRMIgsgcV64F_pYWf/s1600/crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-2-finale-wedding-rebecca-josh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mirror reflections of Rebecca in her veil and Josh looking confused." border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxIk0qOJ5xyihj0EUZ0AGH3qyk-Q4xuI6xiltafnmvzpjNq-U9aaWiNxQTEh7CrEjwJoOt3g3f77jrHS9Ve4qdb0um1M6OkNOBFj4j29iFlp0-1_lb8xg8apk6b8RRMIgsgcV64F_pYWf/s320/crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-2-finale-wedding-rebecca-josh.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rebecca has a "dissociative episode." Josh has cold feet.<br />
Source: <a href="http://tvline.com/2017/02/03/crazy-ex-girlfriend-recap-season-2-finale-wedding-josh-priest/" target="_blank">tvline.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The fact that the show's reinvigoration coincided with the introduction of a new male love interest is not lost on me. Nor is the irony that a show that started out so <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkfSDSfxE4o" target="_blank">fiercely, satirically feminist</a> got its boost from a man. Nonetheless, Scott Michael Foster's Nathaniel has brought a rude, pretentious frat boy energy that the show hadn't seen yet (except perhaps from Audra Levine) and that made him a worthy match for Bloom's strong Rebecca. Then, at the end of the two final episodes of Season 2, he showed a softer side by finding, and subsequently lambasting, Rebecca's absent father. Speaking of her father, Rebecca's daddy issues culminated painfully in the finale, ensuring that every viewer knew precisely who damaged this now-crazy ex. I expect most of us were screaming at our TVs along with Dr. Akopian.<br />
<br />
The other important man in the finale was... Robert? Honestly, "who the dickens <i>is</i> Robert?" On the one hand, yes, there is a HUGE gap between the 16-year old drama camp Rebecca we're introduced to in the show's first scene and accomplished lawyer Rebecca who leaves New York on a whim. And sure, I guess it always was a little odd that Harvard obsessed Rebecca went to Yale Law. But this Robert thing came out of <i>nowhere </i>for me. (And for Heather, too.) I'm still not sure it works. Additional dim-lit flashbacks to college days and time spent in a sanitarium in episodes to come may help fill in the blanks. After all, the flashbacks shed a dark light on the delusional lyrics of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJe2Fkf5i5g" target="_blank">Season 2 opening theme</a>.<br />
<br />
The reintroduction of Trent was fun, and I can't get enough of his devious smile, but his "Top Secret" envelope was <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChekhovsGun" target="_blank">the gun that wasn't fired</a>. Even if Rebecca's past indiscretions aren't what sent Josh running to the priesthood, the grand reveal of those dark memories needs to make an appearance in a future episode (and not just a dissociative one.)<br />
<br />
Josh's new career choice? A brilliant turn. The character of Josh Chan has always been the perfect combination of idealistic, impetuous, and dim - three traits that in combination could make any groom join the priesthood on his wedding day.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_PgBGQ3QezAS6FjE4r1PTTn7rCkThOy4APqi_pFzIux6pwQfm5TSLdzQwUsS-htqLhbrAlNKJPA6gIcfmgn8r760LMcv4Tkg-xHBR0a2z_CG6Bj2Mtp_1mmmbfFU3yK-i4TopTLZvbKl/s1600/squad-goals-crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-2-episode-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Heather, Paula, Rebecca, and Valencia, cliffside, after Josh leaves Rebecca at the altar." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_PgBGQ3QezAS6FjE4r1PTTn7rCkThOy4APqi_pFzIux6pwQfm5TSLdzQwUsS-htqLhbrAlNKJPA6gIcfmgn8r760LMcv4Tkg-xHBR0a2z_CG6Bj2Mtp_1mmmbfFU3yK-i4TopTLZvbKl/s1600/squad-goals-crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-2-episode-13.png" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">#squadgoals<br />
Source:<a href="https://www.tvfanatic.com/gallery/squad-goals-crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-2-episode-13/" target="_blank"> tvfanatic.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The best thing Season 2 gave us (besides some great <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zShVwcSsM2I" target="_blank">new</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/KqOU6oY5-Ro?list=PL6abPzY300GUJQic25ynhTLup1YTqmvOX" target="_blank">songs</a>) is one heck of a girl squad. Their bond may have been forced at first, but now they are a force to be reckoned with. Valencia was totally in her element in all that hands-free-walkie-talkie wedding planner glory. Vella Lovell's impeccable comedic timing makes every one of Heather's one-liners a monotone mic drop. And you know who's always been a little crazy? Paula. Season 2 made her sensible, and that allowed Donna Lynne Champlin to show some incredible range, but I'm ready to see Paula's stalker side again in Season 3.<br />
<br />
So, we've seen the kind of crazy ex-girlfriend who moves across the country for a man who's dating someone else. We've seen the kind of girl-in-love who plans a wedding in two weeks so her man won't leave and she won't cheat. Next, I guess, we'll see new kind of crazy ex. The kind who sets things on fire. I'll watch that.Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-86369860923386726542017-01-20T06:31:00.001-05:002017-03-12T19:04:24.151-04:00What's with All these Time Travel Shows? <div>
Sometimes, one hit television show will set off a series of copycats (the way that the 1960s vibe of <i>Mad Men</i> was co-opted rather unsuccessfully by shows like <i>Pan Am </i>and <i>The Playboy Club</i>.) Other times, for whatever reason, multiple creators/showrunners seem to simultaneously have the same idea. It happened in 2005, when all three broadcast networks debuted shows centered around unidentified water-based monsters, all with forgettable one-word titles (<i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452718/" target="_blank">Surface</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460651" target="_blank">Invasion</a></i>, and <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460686" target="_blank">Threshold</a></i>). Right now, <i><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80025678" target="_blank">The Crown</a></i> is on everyone's Netflix binge list. Meanwhile, for those who want to hearken a little further back in British history, PBS premiered <i><a href="http://www.pbs.org/video/2365925930/" target="_blank">Victoria</a></i> this past weekend on Masterpiece. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The phenomenon is also currently happening with time travel - across the networks and on cable. Two such shows premiered this past fall - <i>Frequency </i>on the CW and <i>Timeless </i>on NBC. I watched the pilot episode of each, but neither made it to my weekly watch list. Here's why not:<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b><i>Timeless</i> - NBC</b></h2>
<i>Timeless</i> was up first on NBC. The episode was a composite of potential good ideas, but felt more like a first draft than a polished pilot. A band of heroes that we're supposed to believe are "unlikely" (though they seem pretty textbook to me) are tasked with traveling through time to save the past as we know it from a nefarious villain with unclear intentions.<br />
<br />
The first seven minutes offered the audience the start of three plot lines and no discernible foundation. Failing to establish their credibility, the show gave us no reason to trust the characters. The editing was odd, and the show leaned the action sequences to hold together a flimsy and incoherent plot.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZA9_cks8-pw" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
And speaking of incoherent, <i>Timeless</i> does little to address the philosophy of time travel to which it holds. Everyone seems to gloss over the massive shock that the existence of time travel ought to be. Usually at the prospect of time travel, people are incredulous. We're offered flimsy lines of protest: "Why would you be stupid enough to invent something so dangerous?" Damn good question. On the one hand, the show seems to hold to the "No Do-overs" rule. Yet, the whole plot is based on the proposition that the past can be altered and that it's the job of this band of heroes to protect the historic timeline as we know it.<br />
<br />
On the whole, the writing was simplistic, with lines like, "Oh, the humanity!" "Make your own future" Lucy's sister tells her. Ugh. To which I reply - "Oh, the <i>cliches</i>!"<br />
<br />
The highlight of this episode for me was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057217" target="_blank">Malcolm Barrett</a> - glad to see him again after his run in the short-lived <i>Better Off Ted</i>. His lines like, "The future is not on your side - boy!" were brilliantly delivered.<br />
<br />
I was not at all a fan of the show's use of "Wish You Were Here" at the conclusion of the episode. It was a weird cover, and if you're going to use a song by Pink Floyd, why not... "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwYX52BP2Sk" target="_blank">Time</a>?"<br />
<br />
<i>Timeless</i> is about the big picture - significant historic events. <i>Frequency</i> deals with a much smaller world with more personal consequences. And chose better music for its soundtrack.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b><i>Frequency</i> - The CW</b></h2>
<i>Frequency</i> won major points as soon as they selected <i>Wonderwall</i> as the song that would indicate we were "back in time." (Side note: "Wonderwall" came out in 1995?!) The show is a remake (I gather) of the movie of the same name. I haven't seen the film, so it was all new to me. Here's the gist: New York cop discovers that she can communicate across time with her long-dead father through his ham radio.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BL8Rl2n2C6Y" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
I was pleasantly surprised by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0514228/" target="_blank">Peyton List</a>, whom I'd only seen before as Jane in <i>Mad Men</i>, and Raimy is quite a change of pace from the one-time Mrs. Sterling. (Tough and Sincere instead of Fragile and Manipulative.)<br />
<br />
Raimy really plays it fast and loose with the standard rules of time travel - i.e., Don't Tell Someone the Day They Will Die. The show sometimes seems to subscribe to the "<a href="http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Course-correction" target="_blank">The universe corrects itself</a>" theory. In other ways, changing the future seems to be possible.<br />
<br />
I'm not confident Frequency will maintain a consistent mythology or rules of the time travel, or that the show has an endgame in mind. But I sure like its premise. If <i>Frequency</i> manages to get a second season (which it may - this is The CW after all), I might just make time to catch up before that fall premiere.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b><i>Time After Time</i> - ABC</b></h2>
</div>
ABC will be the third of the broadcast networks to the time travel TV show game this season, with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2238815/" target="_blank">Freddie Stroma</a> as a time traveling H.G. Wells.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rp6KWn48ufc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
So there you have it. Three new shows each with a new angle on an well-worn concept. The first was set up to be a Time-Traveling Action/Adventure, the second to be a Time-Traveling Police Procedural. Yet to air <i>Time After Time </i>is poised to be a Time-Traveling Action/Adventure Police Procedural...Historical Romance? Still, I doubt that magic combination will save it. (Although its premiere slot next to <i>Once Upon A Time</i> might.) It's my prediction that these three shows will go the way of <i>Surface</i>, <i>Invasion</i>, and <i>Threshold </i>- one season, and less than wonderful.Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-45966577883118645472016-12-25T09:23:00.001-05:002016-12-25T09:23:45.921-05:00Five Christmas TV Episodes You Should Stream Today <h3>
<b>The Office - "Dwight Christmas"</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFAMcPqGA1MgaJhUW5x0kFI839DyfxT4PMxMar2R_iuHus2cSpct-pthEBAHUeC3Y5Yf5xldl8Y19eCmDUxIq_qSyU6n6DBWRy8MT9iZ92JX0HdXPdRMmtB5XHxUJFNsOxBPZ0rptmg0d/s1600/MV5BMjA4MTc3MDE4OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTI4NDM4OA%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFAMcPqGA1MgaJhUW5x0kFI839DyfxT4PMxMar2R_iuHus2cSpct-pthEBAHUeC3Y5Yf5xldl8Y19eCmDUxIq_qSyU6n6DBWRy8MT9iZ92JX0HdXPdRMmtB5XHxUJFNsOxBPZ0rptmg0d/s400/MV5BMjA4MTc3MDE4OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTI4NDM4OA%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2514850/mediaviewer/rm3861359616">imdb.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm nearing the end of my latest watch-through of <i>The Office</i>, one of my all time favorite shows, and I've been reminded of just how phenomenal the final season is. Season 9's holiday episode, "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2514850/" target="_blank">Dwight Christmas</a>" brings that signature <i>Office</i> blend of painful comedy and heart. Plus, it teaches the viewer about German Christmas traditions. A winner all around.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<h3>
The West Wing - "In Excelsis Deo"</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCdxlBtBGLNEu1p5DFwHzlRdvvHnGXditYCwyUUDAgEVFLSJVSJ0jijj61R_JPayC-4zQoENh0h4QH3cxtphdZ03zVkm3-nVbNznEzoZT1uXGrQQ9vgjhGrVWVrHMyD10xhMBcE6Fauvb/s1600/enhanced-buzz-22311-1361237925-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCdxlBtBGLNEu1p5DFwHzlRdvvHnGXditYCwyUUDAgEVFLSJVSJ0jijj61R_JPayC-4zQoENh0h4QH3cxtphdZ03zVkm3-nVbNznEzoZT1uXGrQQ9vgjhGrVWVrHMyD10xhMBcE6Fauvb/s400/enhanced-buzz-22311-1361237925-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/whoiswillo/the-ten-best-west-wing-episodes-6o16?sub=2036455_901233" target="_blank">buzzfeed.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If a heavy and melancholy Christmas episode is more your speed this year, I recommend "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0745635/" target="_blank">In Excelsis Deo</a>," the tenth episode of Season 1 of <i>The West Wing. </i>Richard Schiff delivers a masterful performance in this episode in which Toby makes it his mission to secure a proper funeral for a homeless veteran. The episode is powerful and so meaningful to Schiff that <a href="http://thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/110" target="_blank">he got choked up</a> when discussing it on The <a href="http://thewestwingweekly.com/" target="_blank">West Wing Weekly</a> podcast. Oh, and it won two Emmys.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<h3>
Friends - "The One with the Inappropriate Sister"</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fvwoiDSitec" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
Sure, you could watch "The One with the Holiday Armadillo," but my pick for a <i>Friends</i> episode worthy of your time this year is "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0583617/" target="_blank">The One with the Inappropriate Sister</a>," solely for the holiday-themed Phoebe storyline. My love for Lisa Kudrow and her portrayal of Phoebe Buffay may cloud my judgement, but the character's devotion to her charity-bucket-bellringer duties cracks me up like nothing else. <br />
<br />
<hr />
<h3>
Scrubs - "My Own Personal Jesus"</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDmW3OAtnjTvLE-0wvFTlIyoqvgfISggYD4PUv_YPxU2FkWDn9PcNILM_2OfExIodaJrto4GvkmaM8KwUJ6C819NrXwScHP1UnaXCRMv93-lPAB9Ym5cUOGA0j5FiK3isJrNok5QppJhd/s1600/1x11TurkChristmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDmW3OAtnjTvLE-0wvFTlIyoqvgfISggYD4PUv_YPxU2FkWDn9PcNILM_2OfExIodaJrto4GvkmaM8KwUJ6C819NrXwScHP1UnaXCRMv93-lPAB9Ym5cUOGA0j5FiK3isJrNok5QppJhd/s400/1x11TurkChristmas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://scrubs.wikia.com/wiki/My_Own_Personal_Jesus" target="_blank">scrubs.wikia.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Scrubs </i>is a show that manages to be utterly funny and unexpectedly heartwarming at the same time. In "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0696619/" target="_blank">My Own Personal Jesus</a>," Turk's devotion to hope and belief in miracles in what seem like the gloomiest circumstances make it the perfect episode if you need an emotional lift this Christmas.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<h3>
Miranda - "The Perfect Christmas"</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXVMwtnTRna2CWDtvaePNY3mATdEC5mXxXyFVC-xXrp8lUnqnQRLpliMTYfsKuDJer8XimVfQAzEmDdBEA6wOPnFLoKPnjYv8GmJxx6sUYvbgdX558gPdgze4a0K7Et3YDt-rsW-R2CpT/s1600/p01gz2t7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXVMwtnTRna2CWDtvaePNY3mATdEC5mXxXyFVC-xXrp8lUnqnQRLpliMTYfsKuDJer8XimVfQAzEmDdBEA6wOPnFLoKPnjYv8GmJxx6sUYvbgdX558gPdgze4a0K7Et3YDt-rsW-R2CpT/s400/p01gz2t7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x1sx9" target="_blank">bbc.co.uk</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After getting lost innumerable times in the YouTube black hole of British panel shows, I knew I needed more Miranda Hart in my life. So I binged my way through her self-titled and quasi-autobiographical show <i>Miranda</i> and can I just say - SUCH FUN! If you're a <i>Miranda</i> fan, today is the day to re-watch "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781468/" target="_blank">The Perfect Christmas</a>." If you haven't discovered this gem of a show yet, I think you'll still relate to Miranda's hatred of forced family Christmas traditions, instinct to hide from carol singers, and frustration with online purchases failing to arrive.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
</h3>
</div>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-15751604998419194592016-11-02T21:30:00.004-04:002016-11-02T21:39:07.009-04:00Survivor: "I Will Destroy You"I reject the idea that "generations" can be categorized, labeled, or otherwise divided and classified in any real way. I find the articles and studies that aim and claim to do so belabored and flimsy, even by the already squishy social science standards. To make matters worse, almost every article you read on the subject is laden with bias - usually either derision or defensiveness. So when I heard that the upcoming season of <i>Survivor</i> would pit "Millennials" against "Generation X," I was less than enthused. (Clearly, CBS thinks this premise is a real hit or they wouldn't have also premiered <i>The Great Indoors</i> this year.)<br />
<br />
As long as we're stereotyping, I guess these <i>are</i> the two generations to pit against one another, if you have to pick two. You have to have the millennials in there (for the buzzword), and millennials and boomers are really cut from the same cloth. I mean, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZesu8hwbyY" target="_blank">this song</a> could just as easily be our anthem as theirs. (Oh yeah, I'm a millennial. Did I mention that?)<br />
<br />
The generational splits in this game have proven to be far less important than CBS had no doubt hoped. In none of the tribal councils after the tribe swap did the majority generation stick together. Now, I haven't kept <i>Survivor</i> statistic spreadsheets, but as I remember it, that's unusual. And it means that these generational tribes were even less reliable an indicator of unity than tribes of random, unrelated strangers. Which brings me to my main point: This season of <i>Survivor</i>, meant to be an exciting cultural battle between the young and the slightly older (Or, as CBS liked to swing it, the lazy and the hardworking), has quite possibly achieved the opposite of its goal. Instead of proving how distinct these so-called generations are, the show has demonstrated how people are people. No matter their age, you'll find the same weaknesses (arrogance, overconfidence, anxiety) and the same strengths (empathy, loyalty, strategic smarts) within a tribe of five, eight or ten. Those traits will play out in the same unexpected, if predictable in hindsight, ways throughout a season of <i>Survivor</i>. Which makes Jeff Probst's attempts to highlight the generational differences adorably out of touch. (He thinks we still write "u" for "you" when texting! He's <i>such</i> a Gen-Xer!) <span style="font-size: x-small;">(←That's a joke, obviously.)</span><br />
<br />
So yeah, I balked at the premise of this season, but then something weird happened. This season became GREAT. There's this cast of interesting, strategic players, many of whom are exceedingly likable. There are interesting home stories, especially for the millennials. There was an ill-advised power coupling that went down in flames. Exciting challenges, fun twists, and oh-so-many hidden immunity idols.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tvKtGJJsC19_C9jYUuaxYZHgicGKhkWoR-YBJ843YYbh0f5yF9X2_OzKPnouUf-oqOCQzlde4cCCMjQZM2b2kUvWjpKxwlWjXmFUuS0kj1kXouMyBGYUmL2nCCIwI0gp588mhxOGaLiq/s1600/70eb090827b62e37_survivor_i_will_destroy_you_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Adam, Jessica, Taylor, and Ken arrive at a challenge. " border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tvKtGJJsC19_C9jYUuaxYZHgicGKhkWoR-YBJ843YYbh0f5yF9X2_OzKPnouUf-oqOCQzlde4cCCMjQZM2b2kUvWjpKxwlWjXmFUuS0kj1kXouMyBGYUmL2nCCIwI0gp588mhxOGaLiq/s400/70eb090827b62e37_survivor_i_will_destroy_you_11.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Takali tribe surprised the rest when they returned from Tribal Council sans Figgy.<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/photos/1007017/two-millennials-cool-off-while-a-gen-x-er-feels-the-heat-on-survivor/116340/adam-jessica-taylor-and-ken-stand-together-before-the-challenge-starts-/" target="_blank">cbs.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Take tonight's episode for example: Despite it's ominous title, "I Will Destroy You" was a lot of fun. Unexpected comebacks made both the Reward Challenge and the Immunity Challenge exciting. Michaela proved to be a challenge beast once again, which, combined with her football coach-esque plan for the remainder of the game which she all too readily shared with her tribemates, proved that she was entirely too strong to keep around.<br />
<br />
Hannah brought the social game, if only briefly, when she identified Bret's ridiculous and shady occupational lie. Identity lies are about as old as the game itself, and they almost never work. But they sure are fun to watch play out. It almost makes me glad that Bret is still in the game, because I want to see what happens when the truth about his lie is revealed.<br />
<br />
Jay made the most strategic move of the game so far. And OWNED it! Michaela was right - you <i>want</i> to go to Tribal Council. It <i>is </i>the way to get ahead in the game. You know who took that advice to heart? Jay. His move wasn't a paranoid one; it was a brilliant one that he made in the nick of time. By the next episode, the tribes will merge. Had Michaela been around, she would have dominated the individual game from that point forward. Jay smartly realized that he's got plenty of followers in the Millennial tribe. What he didn't need was another leader. Michaela was that leader that he <i>had </i>to take out. Plus, she knew about his idol. She was much too big a threat. Now, what Jay doesn't realize is that Adam has been making some big moves of his own <i>and</i> has been making ties with the Gen-Xers. See? So many moving pieces! So many clever players! I have no idea where this game will go next and <i>that's</i> what makes it great. CBS might think <i>Survivor</i> needs a gimmick to get us to watch, but all we need to keep us watching is the game itself.<br />
<br />Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-87547154604385378372016-10-10T20:01:00.002-04:002016-10-10T20:10:06.771-04:00No Tomorrow: "Pilot"<i>No Tomorrow</i> had me intrigued from first look. When <a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi599373337?ref_=ttvi_vi_imdb_1" target="_blank">ads began billing the show</a> as "From the network that brought you <i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i> and <i>Jane the Virgin"</i>, I knew I had to give it a try. Those are two of the best shows on network TV right now, and no matter what stereotypical prejudice you may have against the CW, you should check them out. (They're <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4elzje-N1Y" target="_blank">award</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgj0hq7NavY" target="_blank">winning</a>, guys.)<br />
<br />
When I sat down to watch the Pilot, the question was: would <i>No Tomorrow</i> deliver on its promise to be another CW show I'd enjoy? For me, the answer was a resounding: Maybe. Here's the premise: A Type-A type woman meets a uninhibited and possibly insane man who thinks the world is going to end in eight months and lives his life accordingly.
Naturally, I have a few questions.<br />
<hr />
<b>Are the characters likable?</b><br />
Like, <i>Crazy-Ex</i> and <i>Jane</i>, <i>No Tomorrow</i> banks on a relatively unknown cast. Ok, Joshua Sasse was <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2015/01/galavant-pilot-and-joust-friends.html" target="_blank">Galavant</a>, but with a shaved head and that beard, did you recognize him at first glance? Me either. Tori Anderson, who plays Evie, hails from Canada and, apparently, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4057844/?ref_=nm_knf_i1" target="_blank">teen nick</a>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRns8l80-_bN2w5hcb2XktLjDHIAG7ztwhl-W-UF3U75LciLK03tULNYxgU-q4OMu4uIuNMNrsXL9HMVZ7IGZbnvqLwn6oKfkILgiwMoqL66QN6nrbd43LNvwtxVgdtM03c97ePcTV4HF2/s1600/MV5BMTUyNTkxNzA0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzYyMDk5ODE%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRns8l80-_bN2w5hcb2XktLjDHIAG7ztwhl-W-UF3U75LciLK03tULNYxgU-q4OMu4uIuNMNrsXL9HMVZ7IGZbnvqLwn6oKfkILgiwMoqL66QN6nrbd43LNvwtxVgdtM03c97ePcTV4HF2/s400/MV5BMTUyNTkxNzA0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzYyMDk5ODE%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evie meets Xavier at the Farmers' Market. <br />
(Revealing the show's hipster/millennial target audience.)<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5595688/mediaviewer/rm337907712" target="_blank">imdb.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If we have any question about who Evie is, it's answered by Kareema: "Just don't be one of those women defined by the quest to find the guy." Ah, so she's a hopeless romantic. This is a step in the right direction. It gives the character a subtle sweetness that belies her model appearance. Each line and look makes her ever more the ingenue. Evie forgoes even the mildest profanity and instead says, "Oh my gosh" and "Holy smokes." Her apocalypse "list" contains mild ambitions like putting tinfoil in the microwave. Yes, I like Evie. But what about her leading man?<br />
<br />
It takes a little longer to figure Xavier out. Sure, he may look like a charming ladies-man-hipster-player, but it turns out he's a poser. This is revealed not only in the flashback of his former life sitting in a cubicle, but also his internet fame as "Doomsday Man." And more importantly, he's probably out of his mind. And a little stalker-ish there with his telescope.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, starting them out with infidelity (or whatever you call cheating when you're <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzGRCPyd-h0" target="_blank">on a break</a>) isn't the most likable move. But Evie redeems herself at least a little by confessing her indiscretion to potential fiancé Timothy. So while I like Evie, and can sympathize with her struggles, Xavier is going to have to work a little harder to win me over.<br />
<hr />
<b>Does this show know what it wants to be? Even if what it wants to be is weird?</b><br />
This is something I bring up a lot in my reviews, because I think it really matters: Good television shows are self-aware. Though made up of many characters, the world they inhabit must have a distinct sense of humor, or in the case of a drama, a distinct mood. Characters can be dynamic, but they cannot be unbelievable. That's not to say that shows can't surprise us; instead, such surprises must add depth to what we already know about a show - not <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2014/04/how-i-met-your-mother-last-forever.html" target="_blank">discredit the show's very premise</a>.<br />
<br />
Again, like its sister shows, <i>No Tomorrow</i> isn't a drama or a comedy. It's also not a comedy with heart or a funny drama. It's both and it's neither. It's weird. And some of its characters are <i>really</i> weird, particularly the side characters. Evie effectively plays the <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StraightMan" target="_blank">straight man</a> both to Xavier's unpredictability and her co-workers standard comedic odd-ball-ness. In fact, the side characters are so much fun, there is a chance they'll outshine Evie.<br />
<br />
The most difficult line that <i>No Tomorrow </i>will have to walk is balancing the quirk with the sincerity. Walking that line is possible. Other hour-long so-called "comedies" have done this successfully. <i>Pushing Daisies </i>used bright colors, sweeping camera entrances, and retro-like transitions between scenes to develop a distinctive "<a href="http://www.tvguide.com/news/pushing-daisies-secrets-40002/" target="_blank">storybook</a>" look. <i>Crazy-Ex</i> does it by pairing their stories with song. Toward the end of the pilot of <i>No Tomorrow</i>, when Evie is confronting her bad-breathed boss Deirdre, the camera pushes in on the two of them in incremental jerks as Deirdre breathes right in Evie's face. I thought this was clever, but it caught me off guard. Is the show aiming to make its camerawork distinctive? If so, I'm all for it. I think it matches the mood of the show - but, we'll need more of it. Otherwise, it will just seem out of place. <i>No Tomorrow </i>must embrace its own brand of weird.<br />
<hr />
<b>Is the premise sustainable?</b><br />
Should Xavier turn out to be correct, this show has only got an eight month shelf-life. (If they make it that far - <i><a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2014/10/a-to-z-is-for-acquaintances.html" target="_blank">A to Z</a></i> only made it to M.) The last show about the end of the world got us to doomsday just in time to break my heart. (I still get chills thinking about the <i>You, Me, and the Apocalypse</i> finale - and not good chills. Not getting a second season for that one hurts).<br />
<br />
Maybe it's more like <i>My Name is Earl</i> - each episode will send our heros on a wild quest to fulfil an item on their list. That show managed to eek out four seasons (although I didn't make it past Season 3 when I binged my way through on Netflix.) A procedural format might serve this show well, as long as the characters can grow and remain interesting throughout.<br />
<hr />
<i>No Tomorrow</i> debuted to less than great ratings. <a href="http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/more-tv-news/new-series-rundown-the-good-and-not-so-good-from-the-early-season/" target="_blank">Some critics</a> already list it among the doomed. I'm not so sure. The CW has a willingness to bet on weird shows that they know are good. In an unprecedented move last spring, <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/cw-says-screw-it-renews-everything-233649?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=Default:1:Default" target="_blank">they renewed </a><i><a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/cw-says-screw-it-renews-everything-233649?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=Default:1:Default" target="_blank">everything</a>.</i> I have a theory: the network knows that they can't compete with the other major broadcast networks for quantity of viewers. Where they can beat them is quality. The leading ladies of <i>Jane </i>and<i> Crazy-Ex </i>each have a Golden Globe to their name. Will Anderson follow? I don't know yet, but I'm willing to keep watching to find out.<br />Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-51932905333854069872016-10-07T18:27:00.001-04:002016-10-07T18:28:29.048-04:00Brooklyn Nine-Nine: "Coral Palms, Part 3"Since the beginning, <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i> has been a solid comedy. Last season, the show had a lot of work to do to keep its central will-they-or-won't-they couple Jake and Amy interesting after they, well, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnkufpobO24" target="_blank">did</a>. All while maintaining the show's slapstick wit <i>and</i> giving the rest of the ensemble cast enough to do.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayeqD9NEF8MF7FQ87bjdF5CpPAxYbqeaGGuctvz7O27z9ZjKye5gNFf9h2xyW5Otfbmxxlw87WTffFx47L1DSI69E7u_Ik-HyyvKfSwBvd0ZTkuwwQOiqjyxkz8uYayPrKFTEK2FWzau_/s1600/MV5BMjE4MjUwODgwNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODc5MTMyMDI%2540._V1_SY1000_SX1500_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Terry, Rosa, Boyle, Scully and Hitchcock join Jake and Holt in Coral Palms." border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayeqD9NEF8MF7FQ87bjdF5CpPAxYbqeaGGuctvz7O27z9ZjKye5gNFf9h2xyW5Otfbmxxlw87WTffFx47L1DSI69E7u_Ik-HyyvKfSwBvd0ZTkuwwQOiqjyxkz8uYayPrKFTEK2FWzau_/s320/MV5BMjE4MjUwODgwNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODc5MTMyMDI%2540._V1_SY1000_SX1500_AL_.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang is back together!<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6068160/mediaviewer/rm2474770944" target="_blank">imdb.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Throughout Season 3, creative obstacles were devised to sidetrack Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy's (Melissa Fumero) budding romance, but none so extreme as the finale - which landed both Jake and Andre Braugher's Captain Holt in witness protection in Florida. This is where Season 4 picked up, with a three-part episode titled "Coral Palms." Part 3 aired this week, and it was a doozy.<br />
<br />
A clever cold open spoofed a local news report (the sort of classic Michael Schur <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcszyb5d7nA" target="_blank">touch</a> <i>Parks and Rec</i> fans will spot.) The ensemble shines brightest when on a mission, and by Part 3, the squad was together again at last, and they were more than ready to take down the head of a crime syndicate. Jim O'Heir's guest appearance as a local sheriff was a welcome surprise in Part 2, and I was glad to see him again. Against the backdrop of an Arcade/Go-Kart Course, the members of the precinct successfully battle the bad guys, even if both Holt and Jake are rather seriously injured in the process.<br />
<br />
Clever writing is another of the show's strengths. <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </i>is seldom blatantly political. (It wouldn't want to alienate its audience in an election year.) But it does wink (or at least blink while staring blankly) at political issues. In "Coral Palms," nods to the ubiquity of guns, like Gina's line about where she got hers - "Vending machine at a rest stop" - are either subtle critiques of gun laws, or at least easy punchlines about Florida. Then there was Jake's great one-liner: "Something about lead being in the air and water and ground." Acerbically timely, no?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSlX9O_MHjF3Cy_UVoBuZB4WeKSRDak-rE2f_7eYkBAtHMTcZLiwVTBBmiIqk-n9-5tyms10D8AIZAxKbwvG_BA6L8LVoArhY6EIcSrwt-9Ay3oJEwG0M7677KKqBeo-KvtbO48HLlSmR/s1600/MV5BMTQ4NzMyMTY3NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTc5MTMyMDI%2540._V1_SY1000_SX1500_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jake and Amy's awkward reunion kiss is interrupted by Boyle." border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSlX9O_MHjF3Cy_UVoBuZB4WeKSRDak-rE2f_7eYkBAtHMTcZLiwVTBBmiIqk-n9-5tyms10D8AIZAxKbwvG_BA6L8LVoArhY6EIcSrwt-9Ay3oJEwG0M7677KKqBeo-KvtbO48HLlSmR/s320/MV5BMTQ4NzMyMTY3NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTc5MTMyMDI%2540._V1_SY1000_SX1500_AL_.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not exactly love at first reunion.<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6068160/mediaviewer/rm2441216512" target="_blank">imdb.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Part 3 also saw Jake and Amy struggling to get back into the swing of being together, and by the end of the episode, they claimed to be in sync again. Still, I can't help feeling that this episode would have worked better as a set up to a break up. Jake and Amy just aren't working. Lately, when Boyle interrupts them, it doesn't seem like he's interrupting <i>anything</i> at all. I can't pinpoint if it's the fault of the writing, the acting, or the directing, but I don't buy that the two of them are in love. The <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2016/09/tv-couple-stages-will-they-wont-they.html" target="_blank">cliche</a> of breaking them up to renew the romantic tension might be the show's best bet. This strategy seems to be working for <i>New Girl</i>'s Nick and Jess, another couple who didn't shine as brightly together as they do when you so desperately <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2016/09/new-girl-wedding-eve.html" target="_blank"><i>want</i> them to be together</a>. Alternatively, the writers could give Jake and Amy a <i>realistic</i> couple problem (other than a lumpy mattress or six months in witness protection.) That worked for Jim and Pam, who were great when they were doing well, but <a href="https://vine.co/v/OLgUEmXTHuT" target="_blank">even more heartwarming</a> when they overcame authentic relationship adversity. When Jake and Amy were pining for one another, the tension led to some of the show's greatest moments of <a href="http://brooklyn99fox.tumblr.com/post/118708610527/peraltiago-4-ever" target="_blank">sincerity</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i> needs that sincerity to sustain the workaday episodes of this workplace comedy. If not with Jake and Amy, perhaps another office romance? Speaking of which, whatever happened to the unrequited love Charles had for Rosa? That thread was still strong at the end of Season 2, when Charles designed a perfect birthday dinner for Rosa's then-boyfriend to present to her. If that's not selfless love, I don't know what is. But somewhere in Season 3, Charles went from being a bumbling buffoon with a heart of gold to being a bumbling buffoon utterly clueless to the ways of the heart. I'd like the old Charles back, especially if that meant Rosa would get him back, too. All in all, "Coral Palms" was good, but <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </i>can do better.<br />Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-45951849108291191362016-09-19T19:58:00.000-04:002016-09-20T20:32:23.994-04:00New Girl: "Wedding Eve"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
This summer as always, in addition to the second-rate series that aren't worth our time (<a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2016/06/braindead-insanity-principle.html" target="_blank">and a few great ones</a> that totally are), the networks have been airing reruns of last season to prep us for the fall premieres. That means over the last few Tuesdays I've been reminded of how quietly phenomenal Season 5 of <i>New Girl </i>was.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFJHzpNq3A21MlkpAEN8lsn3oPCgGBfyAvtAXP2RO_DdCUz6leKz8x4zbFTS_4fAA8F_wINDz7SF08HQt14PjbZFUPw92X19EYfo83jcWMCubRwCN1OFSvo3wxA3AiZ13nbtWO35U81Zc/s1600/MV5BNzM5MjYwODI2NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTQ3MzI2NzE%2540._V1_SY1000_CR0%252C0%252C1502%252C1000_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFJHzpNq3A21MlkpAEN8lsn3oPCgGBfyAvtAXP2RO_DdCUz6leKz8x4zbFTS_4fAA8F_wINDz7SF08HQt14PjbZFUPw92X19EYfo83jcWMCubRwCN1OFSvo3wxA3AiZ13nbtWO35U81Zc/s320/MV5BNzM5MjYwODI2NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTQ3MzI2NzE%2540._V1_SY1000_CR0%252C0%252C1502%252C1000_AL_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jess in the Jury Box.<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4586310/mediaviewer/rm879486464" target="_blank">imdb.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For a half dozen episodes, the show was without its lead; Zooey Deschanel was on maternity leave, which meant Jessica Day was a sequestered juror. Couple Deschanel's temporary exit with Megan Fox's entrance as a recurring guest star and it's easy to imagine this season going very, very badly. <a href="https://mic.com/articles/134895/is-megan-fox-replacing-zooey-deschanel-on-new-girl-here-s-what-we-know-about-season-5#.KOPojEgYY" target="_blank">Clickbait headlines</a> even suggested that Fox was replacing Deschanel (as if anyone could). But that didn't happen, and the season didn't tank. Instead, Season 5 was kind of fantastic. Fox's Reagan was a skillfully crafted character, distinct enough from Jess that a comparison isn't fair. Sure, she lived in Jess's room and Nick fell head over feet for her, but she endeared herself to us in her own cold, distant way.<br />
<br />
When Jess returned, the hijinks amped up again. While following her ex-boyfriend Sam, Jess found herself in the bed of his truck - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9hJxmcWPDk" target="_blank">as it went through a car wash</a>. After a series of <a href="http://i.imgur.com/2VXmMeQ.gif" target="_blank">escalating dares</a>, er, pranks, Winston got married. (!!) With "A Chill Day In" and "Road Trip," we got two of the most <i>fun</i> episodes of the season, which cover the same period of time as the group celebrates Cece's bachelorette and Schmidt's bachelor parties.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g3gpdrBRp41wicm5YwTyFmuqPwpfqNcK6nGTpPdVpDs7VHPKGCgQx_s2jP9JDpgazgA5sclSpogE83P6pIsjBKkU705vbT7GdSgk07OD-T3sHBa5ZC0CAiFDjTRprXy2cwoUoapGzpow/s1600/tumblr_inline_o74o30Y2NE1qi7xxz_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The gang takes a shot in their loft to kick off a game of "True American." " border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g3gpdrBRp41wicm5YwTyFmuqPwpfqNcK6nGTpPdVpDs7VHPKGCgQx_s2jP9JDpgazgA5sclSpogE83P6pIsjBKkU705vbT7GdSgk07OD-T3sHBa5ZC0CAiFDjTRprXy2cwoUoapGzpow/s320/tumblr_inline_o74o30Y2NE1qi7xxz_1280.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang commences a game of True American.<br />
Source: <a href="http://newgirl.wikia.com/wiki/File:True_american_wedding_eve.jpg" target="_blank">newgirl.wikia.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This brings us to "Wedding Eve," Season 5's penultimate episode, and a brilliant encapsulation of everything <i>New Girl</i> does best: physical comedy, classic sitcom misunderstandings, and love. Also, of course, True American - the show's invented drinking game. True American allows the small ensemble to stretch their physical comedy muscles. It's also generally used as a device to get two characters in the same space - under a table, on top of a single chair, or "behind the iron curtain." In this episode, the game got Jess together with Sam, whom she'd been avoiding since she found a diamond ring in his jacket and feared he would propose. He wasn't going to, of course. Tell me you didn't realize as soon as I did that <i>Sam</i> was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_and_Diane" target="_blank">meant to be</a> with <i>Diane</i>?<br />
<br />
But between the pratfalls and wordplay, <i>New Girl</i> is a love story. This season, it was mostly Schmidt and Cece's love story, and as the credits rolled on "Wedding Eve," Schmidt left in the dark of night, not as a runaway groom, but in a grand gesture of love. Season 5 also gave us a delightful love storyline for Winston. Lamorne Morris is the unsung hero of the show when it comes to comic timing, and despite the wacky marriage sidetrack, he and his cop partner/new girlfriend Aly shared a sweet "I love you" in this episode. (Which was immediately followed by some food poisoning induced retching because this is still a comedy after all.)<br />
<br />
Mostly, though, I think <i>New Girl</i> is the long, slow, beautiful love story of the title character. And just in case we forgot who else's love story it is, Sam was there to give Jess this reminder:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zNoYF4niFiSSgvpOXpFiQALvnf2Eqp3lSfABSu8mO1OG7Q_CGkspOT43ja04QMFc1f0IjlIWiXrKl3UhPhlvy6CdH5NQEi6eJdBbEvIp1cVens_aiPH8sWNf_ysIzEMbPI8o42dH-ZV7/s1600/new-girls-sam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zNoYF4niFiSSgvpOXpFiQALvnf2Eqp3lSfABSu8mO1OG7Q_CGkspOT43ja04QMFc1f0IjlIWiXrKl3UhPhlvy6CdH5NQEi6eJdBbEvIp1cVens_aiPH8sWNf_ysIzEMbPI8o42dH-ZV7/s400/new-girls-sam.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>New Girl </i>returns tomorrow night, September 20, at 8:30 on FOX.</div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 576px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 576px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 810px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 810px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 810px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 810px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 810px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 810px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 828px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 828px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 846px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 846px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-54489663579008721632016-06-21T21:36:00.001-04:002016-07-15T16:44:13.593-04:00BrainDead: "The Insanity Principle"I thoroughly appreciated the perfectly unsettling finale of <i>The Good Wife</i>, so I was ready for another series by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455207/?ref_=tt_ov_wr" target="_blank">Robert</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455080/?ref_=tt_ov_wr" target="_blank">Michelle</a> King. The duo is back with a summer series that moves their brand of dark political wit from Chicago to Washington.<br />
<br />
<i>BrainDead</i> is a political... no, wait, science fiction! No, actually, it's a thriller? A comedy? Ok, I'm not sure what it is. My dad described it as "a cross between <i>The West Wing </i>and <i><a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2016/01/rabbit-ear-reviews-xfiles-guide.html" target="_blank">The X-Files</a>.</i>" Whatever it is, it's up my alley. And it's also relevant, or at least it's striving to be. Interspersed throughout the pilot episode, "The Insanity Principle," are clips from Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, and the latter in particular serves to illustrate the intractable mess that is the current American political system.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-DOi0xy7Vtgycc2_kTpkvopq4QyH0dYhKSARZH9BjrezKGB8yKy7JD3tsGygb9UoGvREPRa1EilZvlMVEaPfNX5l5VtJF9uIrB0xrJN1lexhJD5wLlqQmRKIf1whlxXb8zTZjxvjdH5z/s1600/108213_briandead02411b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mary Elizabeth Winstead, pictured in a promo photo, in front of the American Flag, double fisting aerosol bug spray." border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-DOi0xy7Vtgycc2_kTpkvopq4QyH0dYhKSARZH9BjrezKGB8yKy7JD3tsGygb9UoGvREPRa1EilZvlMVEaPfNX5l5VtJF9uIrB0xrJN1lexhJD5wLlqQmRKIf1whlxXb8zTZjxvjdH5z/s320/108213_briandead02411b.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Elizabeth Winstead<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/braindead/photos/1006488/sneak-peek-photos-of-the-braindead-cast/" target="_blank">cbs.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>BrainDead</i> attempts to make sense of political madness by blaming it on... extraterrestrial insects.<br />
<br />
Populating this bizarre tale are television veterans (Tony Shalhoub) as well as veterans of <i>The Good Wife</i> (Megan Hilty, Zach Grenier). Star-on-the-rise Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who is stellar as well as <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2016/01/mercy-street-new-nurse.html" target="_blank">versatile</a>) is Laurel Healy, a relative outsider to DC. Literally relative, as Laurel has agreed to a six-month job in the office of her brother, Sen. Luke Healy (D) (Danny Pino). Here, she is not surprised by the dirty underbelly of politics, a world she says she hates, but she also seems to be the only one who notices that things are a little off-kilter. "The Insanity Principle" has Laurel navigating her new job as constituent caseworker in the midst of a government shutdown. What begins as an effort to help a constituent becomes Laurel's personal "investigation" into the shipping container which brought the alien ants to US shores to begin with. She doesn't know that yet. Just how long it will take for Laurel to figure this mess out remains to be seen. I'll give her six months.<br />
<br />
At least in the first episode, the politics of the show are not partisan. The madness, and the bugs, infect both sides of the aisle. In fact, if there's a second protagonist, it's Republican congressional aide Gareth Ritter (Aaron Tveit). So what's next? By virtue of her position as heroine, Laurel will have to remain uninfected, or somehow immune, to the brain eating bugs. I expect we'll see Laurel and Gareth explore this mystery together. The two have been specifically (if a bit obviously) positioned as the only characters with a conscience.<br />
<br />
To watch this show not only do you have to get past bugs crawling into ears and brains falling out of ears and heads exploding, you also have to be able to stomach politics. That is difficult to do in this age in which, to quote one of <i>BrainDead'</i>s fictional pundits, "Bipartisanship is dead."If you can bear all that, you might be in for a fun summer ride. The acting surrounding Winstead's well-played sanity is delightfully absurd. The tone and color, uniquely muddy.<br />
<br />
"But what is a Democrat, these days? What is a Republican? A <i>brand</i>." That's how Shalhoub's character, Sen. Red Wheatus (R), describes Congressional gridlock. So, ants from outer space? Surely as good an explanation as any.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
You can watch <i>BrainDead </i>on Monday nights on CBS, or Fridays on Amazon.<br />
<br />
<i>*Update: Beginning July 24, BrainDead will air on Sunday nights.</i></div>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-73635545334654411802016-02-23T20:39:00.000-05:002016-02-24T09:14:29.932-05:00Superstore: "Labor" - The Exodus is Here<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-qJaZLQswyBW9_B0ETRSr9unzNNcZ885QJz5822P1eY5_ZN8aKyIE_4nBfjXPoSi8Mti-QZdpPVXJKPiCIG5CaQXGg4X1XFLjPR2RPAzAKn8KKwNL0oH_KWk-yrgSa5XEoJ_D0ore4jK/s1600/Glenn+and+Cheyenne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-qJaZLQswyBW9_B0ETRSr9unzNNcZ885QJz5822P1eY5_ZN8aKyIE_4nBfjXPoSi8Mti-QZdpPVXJKPiCIG5CaQXGg4X1XFLjPR2RPAzAKn8KKwNL0oH_KWk-yrgSa5XEoJ_D0ore4jK/s320/Glenn+and+Cheyenne.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Store Manager Glenn (Mark McKinney) and Cloud 9 <br>
Employee Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom). Source: <a href="http://www.nbc.com/superstore/photos/labor/2621871" target="_blank">nbc.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><a href="https://www.nbc.com/superstore" target="_blank">Superstore</a> </i>is the new NBC comedy you really should be watching. In just 11 half-hour episodes, the show<i> </i>has proven that it knows exactly what kind of comedy it wants to be. Set in a big-box department store called Cloud 9, <i>Superstore</i> shows us the personalities behind the blue vests - employees who get their backs into their living. From sarcastic Garrett (Colton Dunn) to brash Dina (Lauren Ash), <i>Superstore </i>is stocked with comedic talent. The show manages to highlight each character's wackiest traits without making fun, a skill series Creator Justin Spitzer exercised as a writer for <i>The Office.</i><br>
<br>
The customers of Cloud 9 are not given much dialogue, but each episode is interspersed with cutaway gags featuring customers doing ridiculous things in the aisles of the store. (My favorite is the one where a pageant mom is applying spray tan to the arms of her fully-made up, already-in-her-sequins toddler daughter.) These scenes neatly subvert the easy punchline of bad customer service by showing us bad <i>customers</i>.<br>
<br>
In this week's cleverly titled episode, pregnant cosmetics counter clerk Cheyenne nearly gives birth to her baby in the store. This inspires her co-workers to approach corporate about paid maternity leave. Corporate hears "union" and sends in a "labor relations consultant."<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYBwGM6RCmc0AnDxY3lGvkSWM7KYivvIijrqpQy7qv70LPHX0CheD3cbppsDbu-Z4wZGw2acuUk2kBWkO5H1a4F_MnfkE0SD2X0RYu9FxKA3tY7NM63GlE5-TRVlbFr-_k5fPndBuTw02/s1600/Jonah+and+Amy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYBwGM6RCmc0AnDxY3lGvkSWM7KYivvIijrqpQy7qv70LPHX0CheD3cbppsDbu-Z4wZGw2acuUk2kBWkO5H1a4F_MnfkE0SD2X0RYu9FxKA3tY7NM63GlE5-TRVlbFr-_k5fPndBuTw02/s320/Jonah+and+Amy.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonah and Amy make a fateful phone call. <br>
Source: <a href="http://www.nbc.com/superstore/photos/labor/2621871" target="_blank">nbc.com</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"Labor" was the culmination of character development for the series. Jonah (Ben Feldman) and Amy (America Ferrera) are written to be the smartest, or perhaps just the least wacky characters of the show. But the two of them (and their alter egos idealism and pragmatism) get so caught up in an argument, they're almost oblivious to the fact that Cheyenne is in labor just a few yards away. For all their intellect, these two can be dense. But "Labor" also gave both Jonah and Amy a chance to become what the show has set them up to be. Jonah becomes the hero he's imagined himself to be, and Amy becomes the leader she was going to have to be eventually. Similarly, Dina becomes the inevitable villain. <i>Of course </i>Dina deserts her fellow employees and takes a deal from corporate to manage the store. It's not like we can even be mad at her - she's had a lust for power since the first episode. We should have seen it coming. These moments managed to be unexpected and yet grounded in everything we've been shown about them until now.<br>
<br>
In the episode's final scene, the Cloud 9 employees stage a walkout and emerge from the store in their royal blue vests and a cloud of victory. The moment, perfectly punctuated by a remix of The Who's "Baba O'Riley," was, frankly, moving. <br>
<br>
Like nearly every <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2016/01/crazy-ex-girlfriend-how-quirky.html" target="_blank">other show worth watching</a> right now, <i>Superstore </i>airs on Monday nights. Even though NBC's <a href="http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/23/monday-final-ratings-feb-22-2016/" target="_blank">viewership</a> was lower than the other three major networks for the 8 o'clock time slot last night, considering <i>Superstore</i> was up against <i>The X-Files </i>finale and <i>The Bachelor</i>, 4.68 million viewers is not a bad haul. Today, TV Line <a href="http://tvline.com/2016/02/23/superstore-renewed-season-2-nbc-america-ferrera/" target="_blank">reported</a> that the show will get a second season. All the more reason for you to catch up now!<br>
<br>
So, what kind of comedy does <i>Superstore</i> want to be? A clever one. One with heart. One that will surprise you. It's the kind of NBC comedy I wasn't sure we'd ever see again. But it's here. Get together with <i>Superstore</i> before you get much older.<br>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-9ZBfvdAAVWg%2FVszr2PkYuSI%2FAAAAAAAAAgg%2F1sHjTnbsE8Y%2Fs320%2FJonah%252Band%252BAmy.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 474px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-9ZBfvdAAVWg%2FVszr2PkYuSI%2FAAAAAAAAAgg%2F1sHjTnbsE8Y%2Fs320%2FJonah%252Band%252BAmy.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 474px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-9ZBfvdAAVWg%2FVszr2PkYuSI%2FAAAAAAAAAgg%2F1sHjTnbsE8Y%2Fs320%2FJonah%252Band%252BAmy.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 474px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-9ZBfvdAAVWg%2FVszr2PkYuSI%2FAAAAAAAAAgg%2F1sHjTnbsE8Y%2Fs320%2FJonah%252Band%252BAmy.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 474px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-7485674675602627822016-01-24T18:03:00.000-05:002016-01-24T18:03:54.140-05:00Mercy Street: "The New Nurse"<i><a href="http://www.pbs.org/show/mercy-street/" target="_blank">Mercy Street</a></i>, a new scripted drama on PBS, sets out to tell an untold story of the Civil War. In a makeshift hospital in the Union occupied Southern city of Alexandria, Virginia, doctors and nurses tend to the wounded soldiers - from both sides - at a time when and in a place where efficiency was prized over quality of care. Around every corner we see an amputee, and morphine is still "experimental."<br />
<br />
Here, doctors and nurses, rather than soldiers, are the war's voice. But the series uses cinematography, as much as its characters, to tell the story. This is especially evident in the deliberate use of color and light to enhance the mood. In one scene, young Southern belle Emma (Hannah James) glides through a filthy brown alley in a billowing white gown, matching parasol extended above her. Her clean dress symbolically shows us her innocence. As you might expect from a PBS drama, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/mercy-street/extras/behind-scenes-costumes-sets-props/costumes/" target="_blank">the costumes and sets</a> are exquisite, and they serve to show the audience what the characters see.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1uhT3M8E8vRaWE5bxga5PsZpk678eQvCEVDZNM0tRB2G679U7b4H2oceg6sMmPl7ByAqGpjofr0CL8wMcKHZnjFAcRWloxHy-x4-_N2nB1URV5kWQmM0df8S_ZpLkI5gmrSkq93yHq06/s1600/20151221_205621_502501ms_101_5.jpg.1280x720_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1uhT3M8E8vRaWE5bxga5PsZpk678eQvCEVDZNM0tRB2G679U7b4H2oceg6sMmPl7ByAqGpjofr0CL8wMcKHZnjFAcRWloxHy-x4-_N2nB1URV5kWQmM0df8S_ZpLkI5gmrSkq93yHq06/s320/20151221_205621_502501ms_101_5.jpg.1280x720_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern Belle Emma Green (Hannah James).<br />Source: pbs.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Similarly, the script endeavors to tell the audience what the characters believe. We are offered pithy explanations of the social mores of the time: "Men fight and women pray." And arguments surrounding complex questions about what lies at the root of the war: "Pardon me, but aren't we fighting to free men of color? Isn't that what this war is about?" asks one character. "No, it's about preserving the Republic. Even Lincoln says so," responds another.<br />
<br />
Of course, history is written by the victors, and no 21st century retelling of the War Between the States can escape the knowledge of a Northern victory, nor the moral rightness of the abolitionists. But from its first episode, <i>Mercy Street</i> takes pains to present sympathetic characters from both the North and South. Likewise, there are villains on both sides. For example, smarmy Dr. Byron Hale (Norbert Leo Butz) may be a Union man, but he's not a man who's side you'd otherwise take. The series presents Nurse Mary Phinney (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the titular "new nurse," as de-facto heroine, and our eyes through the episode. She fancies herself an enlightened abolitionist, but even she is hesitant to allow the free black man Samuel Diggs (McKinley Belcher III) to tend to a dying Union soldier, despite the fact that Diggs has the expertise to save the man's life.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8qv909ga6sm228-TAnUyZZRD-Ab0QqFgsGgj02hXhEPLkLew5RKSidWCQeWovNBhxhy3DpnMnhQaW36m2iV2gYTxGPpUC4QByeXHQKweCv_05PWLPhDUtDlToWt8lN6v7498anq2XJMb/s1600/20151221_205622_138531ms_101_2.jpg.1280x720_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8qv909ga6sm228-TAnUyZZRD-Ab0QqFgsGgj02hXhEPLkLew5RKSidWCQeWovNBhxhy3DpnMnhQaW36m2iV2gYTxGPpUC4QByeXHQKweCv_05PWLPhDUtDlToWt8lN6v7498anq2XJMb/s320/20151221_205622_138531ms_101_2.jpg.1280x720_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Foster (Radnor) confronts Nurse Mary (Winstead).<br />Source: pbs.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is through Mary, then, that we as an audience are pre-emptively chastised for our preconceptions of right and wrong. Mary is loath to treat the Confederate soldiers, who she sees only as adversary. "Are there no sinning Yankees in these beds?" Emma asks her, "Atrocities are only ever committed by the enemy?" Mary tells Dr. Jedediah Foster that she finds his views on race "unenlightened." But this Union doctor, who grew up on a slave-holding plantation, finds her treatment of the Confederate soldiers equally offensive. "Blood is not gray or blue, madam. It is all one color." "The New Nurse" makes it clear that <i>Mercy Street</i> will not shy away from issues of race, but I expect it will address them within the complex socio-political context of the 1860s.<br />
<br />
Speaking of Dr. Foster, I will admit that it was the screenshot of a bearded Josh Radnor that drew me to this show. How would this <i>How I Met Your Mother </i>alum <a href="http://articles.philly.com/2016-01-18/news/69844231_1_pbs-downton-abbey-masterpiece" target="_blank">fare in an historical drama</a>, I wondered? Turns out, he fares quite well. Perhaps not at first, but with a second viewing of the episode, I realized with some amount of surprise that thoughts of <i>HIMYM</i> had left my head. Dr. Foster has all the sincerity but none of the naïveté of Ted Mosby. Moreover, if <i>Mercy Street</i> makes time for romance, Radnor is a ready made leading man.<br />
<br />
The show's pace is steady and deliberate. It gives both the viewer and the characters a chance to reflect on what's happening inside the hospital walls. It is at once tender, as in the scene where Mary takes down a letter dictated by a 15-year-old soldier to his mother and sisters, and tragic, as in the scene where that same soldier dies, still clinging to the flag he promised his father he'd not let touch the ground. As if to emphasize the futility of war, a bugle plays the young boy a funeral dirge while soldiers outside the window celebrate a victory on the battlefield.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
The six-part series <i>Mercy Street</i> airs Sunday nights at 10 PM on PBS.</div>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-87563517580152007112016-01-23T15:05:00.002-05:002017-03-12T19:05:32.514-04:00Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: How a quirky, irreverent, musical comedy became my favorite new show of the yearBack when the new fall shows were premiering, I wrote about <i>Supergirl</i>. Since that first episode, though, I've had to catch Kara online later in the week. That's because on Monday nights at 8, my rabbit ears have been tuned to the CW, to take a trip to West Covina, California with a crazy character named Rebecca Bunch.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JM9K3R3xkVaOsJy_2V3AR1_WlrXRJjzgipdMC6tYi7gLdiZPjNpmJR7G_hPjxo0lIDeBiR5wB0N1gbRbByqay9r1Gs7R0Qd7S5L4grnWc2-ORNoMcZWFhmwC-fXXaUC6DOX3kU3SEXjm/s1600/CrazyExGirlfriend-101-JoshJustHappensToLiveHere-CW-Stereo_aa86fa1c_CWtv_720x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) sings the praises of West Covina, California on the CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JM9K3R3xkVaOsJy_2V3AR1_WlrXRJjzgipdMC6tYi7gLdiZPjNpmJR7G_hPjxo0lIDeBiR5wB0N1gbRbByqay9r1Gs7R0Qd7S5L4grnWc2-ORNoMcZWFhmwC-fXXaUC6DOX3kU3SEXjm/s400/CrazyExGirlfriend-101-JoshJustHappensToLiveHere-CW-Stereo_aa86fa1c_CWtv_720x400.jpg" title="Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) sings the praises of West Covina, California on the CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://media.cwtv.com/cwtv/digital-smiths/thumbs/2015/10/10/CrazyExGirlfriend-101-JoshJustHappensToLiveHere-CW-Stereo_aa86fa1c_CWtv_720x400.jpg" target="_blank">cwtv.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><a href="http://www.cwtv.com/shows/crazy-ex-girlfriend/" target="_blank">Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</a></i> is a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/tv/crazy-ex-girlfriend-preview-it-1281515065966646.html" target="_blank">critically</a> <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/diversity-authenticity-dinuguan-how-crazy-ex-girlfriend-changing-tv-n501486" target="_blank">acclaimed</a> little gem, but it hasn't gained the ratings it deserves. The first episode left me wondering where Rachel Bloom has been hiding. (Apparently, the answer is <a href="http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20972047_20979128,00.html" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.) Bloom has created one of the most original shows to hit network TV in a long time. It's unfair to simplify this show to a one sentence summary, but here goes: Successful lawyer Rebecca Bunch gives up her career in New York City to move to West Covina, California, the hometown of her one-time summer-camp-boyfriend, for, she will assure you, completely <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKnWw7ou4ik" target="_blank">unrelated reasons</a>.<br />
<br />
If you haven't seen the show, and you hear that it's a network TV musical, you probably have an idea in your head. Throw that idea out. This show is not <i>Glee</i>. It's not <i>Smash. </i>It's not <i>Nashville</i>. Particularly in its musical numbers, <i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i> delivers perfectly timed - and timely - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkfSDSfxE4o" target="_blank">satire</a>. Yes, it's irreverent and explicit. But it's also colorful and weird. Even better though, it's smart. And it expects its viewer to be smart, too. The show doesn't explain its jokes, and it won't give you extra time to get them before it's on to the next bit. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In an few <a href="http://www.tvinsider.com/article/59205/crazy-ex-girlfriends-rachel-bloom-on-her-golden-globe-nomination/" target="_blank">interviews</a>, Bloom has said that the theme of the first season is "The lies we tell ourselves." Yes, the characters are a little delusional. Perhaps that's why there's not really a villain. There doesn't need to be. After all, we are our own worst enemy. There's a moment in the pilot where you think that Paula is out to get Rebecca; turns out she's just a really stalkerish sidekick, brilliantly portrayed by Donna Lynne Champlin.<br />
<br />
But of course, that doesn't mean the characters are shallow. Quite the opposite. With the exception of Rebecca's ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend Valencia, West Covina is populated with multi-dimensional people who are, sadly, <a href="http://img2.tvtome.com/i/u/6661093fab924449c4a9e4e3094c1a49.gif" target="_blank">relatable</a>. These characters may be lying to themselves, but if we're being unreservedly honest, their flaws are just exaggerations of ours. They make all the worst mistakes we've ever entertained.<br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Greg is as close as this show gets to a comedic <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StraightMan" target="_blank">straight man</a>. He's played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2949014/?ref_=tt_cl_t3" target="_blank">Santino Fontana</a>, who voiced Hans in Disney's <i>Frozen</i>, which isn't often publicized, I imagine, because there isn't a demographic crossover in viewership. (Give it a couple years, though.) Anyway, Greg's musical numbers have been my favorite so far, and the season's best moment was undoubtedly his song and dance duet with Rebecca, "Settle for Me."<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wmbLB4OIuao" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I first started watching the show, I told friends that even if <i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i> gets cancelled, I'd rather have a few episodes of this gem of a show than none at all. After a spring episode order, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgj0hq7NavY" target="_blank">a win for Bloom</a> at the Golden Globes, it looks like I have little to worry about. Mark Pedowitz, president of the network, recently <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/tv/cw-president-preaches-patience-crazy-ex-girlfriend-support-181354843.html" target="_blank">heaped praise</a> upon <i>Crazy Ex</i>, and suggested it might be one of those shows that defies the odds. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, with the knowledge that the Cancel Bear <a href="http://galavant.wikia.com/wiki/A_New_Season_aka_Suck_It_Cancellation_Bear" target="_blank">isn't always right</a>, and that there was once <a href="http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/09/cw-predictions-jane-the-virgin-ratings-are-low-and-its-just-a-rookie-how-can-it-escape-being-canceled/" target="_blank">another oddball show</a> that the CW gave a shot, and because of that, two comedy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veftkYtLVBM" target="_blank">actresses</a> from the network earned Globes. <i>Jane the Virgin</i> and <i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend </i>have started a trend that I can only hope continues: smart, innovative shows being given a chance on the only channel that seems to value quality over popularity: The CW.<br />
<br />
<i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i> is BACK this Monday night at 8 PM. </div>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-45838317287502509102016-01-04T22:19:00.000-05:002016-01-04T22:19:22.009-05:00The Rabbit Ear Reviews Guide to Can't-Miss Episodes of The X-Files<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
In previous <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2014/08/summer-vacation.html" target="_blank">posts</a>, I've written about my appreciation for <i>The X-Files </i>and <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2015/09/summer-binge-x-files.html" target="_blank">passed my <i>X-Files</i> binging tips on to you</a>. Now, with <a href="http://www.fox.com/the-x-files/article/the-next-mind-bending-chapter-is-coming" target="_blank">new episodes</a> of the show airing later this month, you're probably thinking it's too late to get in the game, right? Wrong! Ok, there may not be enough waking hours to watch every episode before January 24. But lucky for you, I've prepared this list of the dozen or so episodes that will get you in the spirit and leave you wanting to believe the truth is still out there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 1 - Episode 1: "Pilot"</span></b></h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIc_6hFFOuJbxSyFKUhVbqybbxdoWV4pA7Ad8YaDudmVclcEvFA0MzxuD2EepmjGqfR_unKslJyI3uiKO7DsO_-nZf5ZGu2CwR3I5OgEZx7BnJE3eBrTtEzSj1gZeI_Fl5gQYVQMAEgfus/s1600/Mulder_and_Scully_raining_pilot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIc_6hFFOuJbxSyFKUhVbqybbxdoWV4pA7Ad8YaDudmVclcEvFA0MzxuD2EepmjGqfR_unKslJyI3uiKO7DsO_-nZf5ZGu2CwR3I5OgEZx7BnJE3eBrTtEzSj1gZeI_Fl5gQYVQMAEgfus/s320/Mulder_and_Scully_raining_pilot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mulder and Scully in the Pilot episode. <br />
Source: <a href="http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Pilot_(The_X-Files)?file=Mulder_and_Scully_raining_pilot.jpg" target="_blank">x-files.wikia.com</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Agent Dana Scully, a medical doctor, is tasked with "debunking" the work of FBI Agent Fox Mulder. The two meet and travel to Oregon to investigate a series of deaths that Mulder attributes to alien abduction.<br />
<br />
<b>Why it's awesome</b>: As pilots go, this is a great one. The characters and universe are immediately established, and viewers even get a glimpse of Mulder's all important family history. Plus, oh my goodness. There is so much 90s fashion and technology.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters</b>: Foundation. The first episode sets the stage for all that is to come: the relationship between the two agents, the nature of their investigations, and what will become the ongoing alien mythology arc. <br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 1 - Episode 2: "Deep Throat"</span></b></h3>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwoGR2LvS-2gQwTlHEjU4oDn0rLEyv8AP9L6whW7UNMDlAHAkoR0XoUeey9RqXZepYlwRU5tPY32hOL8zRQWd6e5m5gN24ZAYkIaT5Xrbw6i0nPBbojHXcV-9f5q_lMC8A3MqADiilW6p/s1600/Deep_Throat_and_Fox_Mulder_meet_on_a_sports_track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwoGR2LvS-2gQwTlHEjU4oDn0rLEyv8AP9L6whW7UNMDlAHAkoR0XoUeey9RqXZepYlwRU5tPY32hOL8zRQWd6e5m5gN24ZAYkIaT5Xrbw6i0nPBbojHXcV-9f5q_lMC8A3MqADiilW6p/s320/Deep_Throat_and_Fox_Mulder_meet_on_a_sports_track.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep Throat confronts Agent Mulder.<br />
Source: <a href="http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Deep_Throat?file=Deep_Throat_and_Fox_Mulder_meet_on_a_sports_track.jpg" target="_blank">x-files.wikia.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The agents investigate missing Air Force test pilots, and Mulder is contacted by an anonymous source advising him to drop the case.<br />
<br />
<b>Why it's awesome</b>: In what has to be one of the most chilling scenes ever filmed in broad daylight, "Deep Throat" confronts Mulder to offer another word of warning in the final scene of the episode.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters</b>: Plot. It develops the government conspiracy thread of the story and introduces Deep Throat, who will become a vital secondary character.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 1 - Episode 8: "Ice"</span></b></h3>
<br />
In this "Monster of the Week" <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BottleEpisode" target="_blank">bottle episode</a>, Mulder and Scully visit an arctic research station to investigate the mysterious deaths of scientists working there.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Why it's awesome:</b> Paranoia. A parasite begins to infect the crew at the station, and it leaves the characters and even the viewer wondering who's got the virus, who can be trusted, and who's about to fly into a fit of rage. Plus, there's an infected dog. It's very Cujo.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters: </b>Guest stars! You'll see a 1993 Felicity Huffman and Steve Hytner (<i>Seinfeld's</i> Bania). Over the years, <i>The X-Files</i> featured an amazing collection of "before they were famous" guest stars, from Jack Black to Lucy Liu to Bryan Cranston. More impressive than the slate of actors who appear, though, is the way <i>The X-Files </i>utilizes auxiliary characters in a meaningful way. "Ice" is a great example of that.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 1 - Episode 20: "The Erlenmeyer Flask"</span></b></h3>
<br />
In the Season 1 finale, the agents encounter a scientist working on the mapping of the human genome.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it's awesome:</b> Dana Scully is our resident skeptic. But in this episode, her cynicism begins to break down. This episode turned a skeptic into a believer.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters: </b>Establishment. By the end of the first season, <i>The X-Files</i> had secured its spot in the zeitgeist of the 1990s. "The Erlenmeyer Flask" was the most watched episode of Season 1, received an Edgar Award nomination, and scored a Neilson rating of 8.8 (according to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Erlenmeyer_Flask" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>). The first season of the show as a whole, and this episode in particular proved that <i>The X-Files</i> wasn't a one-season wonder. This episode turned viewers into fans.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 3 - Episode 20: "Jose Chung's <i>From Outer Space"</i></span></b></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLIJS41UeUAaTUkmfOqdaCL-P34GL53J9uPjQZ9fwsa-BC_dX5ObnGg7ste8nYUuAdk0bssviUBCnOnMMG5pgCU21MeXDvkQVyIG91nm5T9L6-iZa9s2ky-5pVv5Dmw36iHwc64yaRhiv/s1600/Jose_Chung%2527s_%2527From_Outer_Space%2527-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLIJS41UeUAaTUkmfOqdaCL-P34GL53J9uPjQZ9fwsa-BC_dX5ObnGg7ste8nYUuAdk0bssviUBCnOnMMG5pgCU21MeXDvkQVyIG91nm5T9L6-iZa9s2ky-5pVv5Dmw36iHwc64yaRhiv/s320/Jose_Chung%2527s_%2527From_Outer_Space%2527-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scully, looking characteristically skeptical.<br />
Source: <a href="http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Chung%27s_From_Outer_Space?file=Jose_Chung%27s_%27From_Outer_Space%27.jpg" target="_blank">x-files.wikia.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Scully sits down with science fiction writer Jose Chung to recount the story of an X-file investigation he's using as inspiration for his next book. Their conversation, interspersed with other interviews Chung conducted, unpacks the tale of one abduction.<br />
<br />
<b>Why it's awesome</b>: Humor! And a cameo appearance by Alex Trebek.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters</b>: Perspective. This episode is less about the story than it is about the nature of storytelling. An episode about the sheer lunacy of abduction stories could discredit the show's entire premise. Instead, this episode uses that lunacy to enhance the importance of seeking truth in a world of uncertainty.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 4 - Episode 2: "Home"</span></b></h3>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
The agents investigate a reclusive small-town family of in-bred brothers. The result is akin to a horror film the likes of which I've never seen.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it's awesome: </b>It isn't. It will give you nightmares. You should watch it anyway.<br />
<div>
</div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters: </b>Controversy. The episode is so unsettling that after its first airing, Fox <a href="http://uproxx.com/tv/10-fascinating-facts-disturbing-episode-tv-broadcast-television-history/" target="_blank">reportedly</a> chose not to air the episode in reruns. It'll also ruin the song "Wonderful, Wonderful" for you.<br />
<b><span style="color: #183dda;"><br /></span></b>
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 5 - Episode 5: "The </span></b><span style="color: #183dda;">Post-Modern Prometheus"</span></h3>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtjzqFuEh0WHta4AN-OLMqw2eaCL3oKnBU_iALBY2HGeJGY9MeLq3ZQT_VCMFhhIGE1BbNiKOhETEaCkdp3G2VYlBT-b4Cl6uRHnJEe4Fu3bslIR0qfnSaPwGScaSzt_hcAs43hMehvWv/s1600/The_Post-Modern_Prometheus_End.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtjzqFuEh0WHta4AN-OLMqw2eaCL3oKnBU_iALBY2HGeJGY9MeLq3ZQT_VCMFhhIGE1BbNiKOhETEaCkdp3G2VYlBT-b4Cl6uRHnJEe4Fu3bslIR0qfnSaPwGScaSzt_hcAs43hMehvWv/s320/The_Post-Modern_Prometheus_End.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scully and Mulder share a dance.<br />
Source: <a href="http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/The_Post-Modern_Prometheus" target="_blank">x-files.wikia.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is the 'Frankenstein' episode of the show. It's got a monster, a mad scientist, perfectly timed lightning strikes, and townspeople with torches and everything. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Why it's awesome</b>: The episode was filmed in black and white. Your response to the episode will be similar - You will love it or hate it. But the most interesting (and best) part is that the music of Cher serves as soundtrack.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters</b>: Beauty. The episode <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106179/awards?ref_=tt_awd" target="_blank">won</a> an Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction. Personally, I love the way the episode combines classic storytelling tropes from film, television, and comic books.<br />
<b><span style="color: #183dda;"><br /></span></b>
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 5 - Episode 12: "Bad Blood"</span></b></h3>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Mulder and Scully offer hilariously disparate accounts of an investigation into "vampiric activity" in a small Texas town.<br />
<br />
<b>Why it's awesome:</b> Where do I start? The hilarious juxtaposition of Mulder and Scully's recollections of the investigation? The cameo appearance by a young Luke Wilson? <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/350999364681862538/" target="_blank">This moment</a> that so perfectly encapsulates Scully and Mulder's relationship? There is nothing wrong and everything right with this episode. It's also the episode I've rewatched the most times.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters: </b>Popularity. It's the <a href="http://graphtv.kevinformatics.com/tt0106179" target="_blank">highest rated</a> episode in the show, according to IMDb users, and that's a distinction it well deserves. It is also probably the best example of the comedic capabilities of the cast and crew.<br />
<b><span style="color: #183dda;"><br /></span></b>
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 6 - Episode 3: "Triangle"</span></b></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJiX1zj9CW6b2oMNa_yQfwdlsewRb2qV1c5f62xMgyk4kMVUXoDPIqxQ14uKoFjBRT3jbNx_cuJQUr_6xSOi3x27H4KDsoM5kF8_ESCCyJ6YI_zqYjHvtoaiKGt2pAyIuj_y6ABGjXoPe/s1600/triangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJiX1zj9CW6b2oMNa_yQfwdlsewRb2qV1c5f62xMgyk4kMVUXoDPIqxQ14uKoFjBRT3jbNx_cuJQUr_6xSOi3x27H4KDsoM5kF8_ESCCyJ6YI_zqYjHvtoaiKGt2pAyIuj_y6ABGjXoPe/s320/triangle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This split screen of Scully and her parallel was supposedly<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_(The_X-Files)#Directing_style" target="_blank">inspired</a> by the music video for the song "Closing Time."<br />
Image source: <a href="http://www.avclub.com/review/the-x-filesmillennium-triangleteotwawki-81163" target="_blank">avclub.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While investigating the mysterious appearance of an ocean liner on the edge of the Bermuda Triangle, Mulder stumbles back in time to WWII. He and a parallel-universe-Agent-Scully-lookalike take on Nazis. It's not as weird as it sounds.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it's awesome:</b> Time travel, obviously! Or, space-time-continuum travel. Whatever. And a fantastic closing line. Also, Skinner got there first (<a href="http://www.xfiles.news/index.php/blogs/top-ten/829-top-ten-tuesdays-skinner-moments" target="_blank">spoiler here</a>).<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it matters:</b> Originality. Both in the way it was filmed, and in its content. The A.V. Club's Todd VanDerWerff <a href="http://www.avclub.com/review/the-x-filesmillennium-triangleteotwawki-81163" target="_blank">writes</a>, "The episode is a triumph of production values and sheer technical craft." He goes on to praise the episode for being unlike anything else the show had ever done saying, "this is an excuse to abandon the show’s usual formula and take it into another genre altogether."<br />
<b><span style="color: #183dda;"><br /></span></b>
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #183dda;">Season 8 - Episode 14: "This is Not Happening"</span></b></h3>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
The episode title seems to be an allusion to a recurring line from "Jose Chung's <i>From Outer Space,</i>" and it is also the closing line of the episode. In it, Scully and her new partner John Doggett continue the search into the disappearance of Agent Mulder after other abductees mysteriously return.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why it's awesome</b>: Gillian Anderson gives an honest, emotive performance. Through seven and a half seasons, the actress has skillfully maintained the same authentic character, all the while growing from skeptic to reluctant believer in extraterrestrial phenomena. There are few better examples of that growth than this episode.<br />
<br />
<b>Why it matters:</b> Mulder. Ok, let's be honest. The show goes suffered with the departure of David Duchovny in Season 8. His appearance in the 14th episode is significant. <a href="http://s550.photobucket.com/user/maurisap/media/xfiles%20forum/146muldersearchends.jpg.html" target="_blank">Viewers noticed</a>. With a Neilson rating of 9.7, it was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Not_Happening#Reception" target="_blank">most-watched episode</a> of Season 8.<br />
<b><span style="color: #183dda;"><br /></span></b>
<h3>
<span style="color: #183dda;"><b>Season 9 - Episodes 19 and 20: "The Truth" </b></span></h3>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPesqybz5G2l6rzwaFj4pnii4uOxmlJY_N6Ebx4vIhmOuV5BlHHEtDUy4frSUkTcJUBDaAXUXH7tJNIaUh8VKNZy8hHhRPEZ9aXG1qiLfhBM1c34ZLqcc3R_KfpFfdpkg5kIrPLS35KNTN/s1600/Fox_Mulder_on_trial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPesqybz5G2l6rzwaFj4pnii4uOxmlJY_N6Ebx4vIhmOuV5BlHHEtDUy4frSUkTcJUBDaAXUXH7tJNIaUh8VKNZy8hHhRPEZ9aXG1qiLfhBM1c34ZLqcc3R_KfpFfdpkg5kIrPLS35KNTN/s320/Fox_Mulder_on_trial.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mulder, looking pensive.<br />
Source: <a href="http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/The_Truth?file=Fox_Mulder_on_trial.jpg" target="_blank">x-files.wikia.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the series finale, Mulder returns again (Duchovny was absent for much of the final season as well.) The episode centers on a military tribunal in which Mulder is put on trial for murder, and Mulder "puts the truth on trial."<br />
<br />
<b>Why it's awesome</b>: Watch this episode when you are in the mood for a lot of explanation and when you're not itching for a happy ending, because exposition and explosions are this episode's strengths. Duchovny is the champion of the episode, because he's a phenomenal actor, but also because all the best lines are his.<br />
<br />
<b>Why it matters</b>: Conclusion. As finales go, this is not the most highly regarded. The A.V. Club <a href="http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/x-files-truth-203108" target="_blank">gave the episode</a> a C-, and at 8.5/10 stars, it's the lowest rated of all the series' season finales <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408347/" target="_blank">on IMDb</a>. Nonetheless, this was to be the show's final curtain, and for that reason alone, it's worth watching.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<div>
<br /></div>
<i><b>This list is markedly incomplete. </b>There are <u>so</u> many other great episodes that could or should be on this or any other list of highlights. (Notable also-rans: "EVE," "Paper Clip," "One Breath," "Requiem," "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man," "Small Potatoes"... I have to stop!) Have a favorite episode you'd like to add to my list? Tell me in the comments!</i><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4583831728750250910%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-HCRFRnAsz50%2FVobQ1v4jPVI%2FAAAAAAAAAds%2F1IzSAMsHVbk%2Fs320%2FDeep_Throat_and_Fox_Mulder_meet_on_a_sports_track.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 353px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 652px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4583831728750250910%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-HCRFRnAsz50%2FVobQ1v4jPVI%2FAAAAAAAAAds%2F1IzSAMsHVbk%2Fs320%2FDeep_Throat_and_Fox_Mulder_meet_on_a_sports_track.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 353px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 652px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4583831728750250910%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-doFGBWAvXtw%2FVobdqRuB_KI%2FAAAAAAAAAeo%2FH6kBnYWQwQ0%2Fs320%2Ftriangle.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2719px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4583831728750250910%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-doFGBWAvXtw%2FVobdqRuB_KI%2FAAAAAAAAAeo%2FH6kBnYWQwQ0%2Fs320%2Ftriangle.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2719px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2171135258208657275" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2171135258208657275" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4583831728750250910%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-KkhQVV6CHE8%2FVomVtJBoF0I%2FAAAAAAAAAfI%2FhFYUYO1qxT0%2Fs320%2FFox_Mulder_on_trial.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 353px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 3378px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2171135258208657275%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4583831728750250910%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-KkhQVV6CHE8%2FVomVtJBoF0I%2FAAAAAAAAAfI%2FhFYUYO1qxT0%2Fs320%2FFox_Mulder_on_trial.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sV0gdyaqHPdd&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 353px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 3378px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-50825643599863697882015-10-26T23:29:00.004-04:002015-10-26T23:31:03.769-04:00Supergirl: "Pilot"CBS's new DC Comics adaptation <i><a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/supergirl/" target="_blank">Supergirl</a></i> aired tonight and all I can say is WOW. I was more impressed with the show than I expected I would be, and <a href="http://www.rabbitearreviews.com/2015/09/2015-fall-tv-cbs.html" target="_blank">my expectations were high</a>. What made this show so great? Classic comic elements, positivity, and subtle relevance.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9ShbcgeaUkqPomAAuq36PZ8CA0Cz0_d3WRrk8tFRWdCwMzmdJA4eHKAjdN1nuDo1AFy1g8hmBZI5nquuM7vpniqy1CjkTbC6m1qJdnhIJSOeBPF3L2t7t2-4qRdsAAT742lYuvsufSgS/s1600/sg_explosions_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9ShbcgeaUkqPomAAuq36PZ8CA0Cz0_d3WRrk8tFRWdCwMzmdJA4eHKAjdN1nuDo1AFy1g8hmBZI5nquuM7vpniqy1CjkTbC6m1qJdnhIJSOeBPF3L2t7t2-4qRdsAAT742lYuvsufSgS/s400/sg_explosions_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/supergirl/photos/1005045/what-fans-and-critics-are-saying-about-supergirl-/94961/melissa-benoist-puts-the-super-in-supergirl-/" target="_blank">cbs.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Probably assuming that most viewers would have a basic knowledge of Superman mythology, the writers kept the exposition at the start of the show brief. (Even briefer was the Dean Cain cameo. It doesn't matter though - even a voiceless five seconds warmed my <a href="http://www.kryptonsite.com/loisclark/" target="_blank">90's L&C</a> fangirl heart.) Before the show jumped too deep into the comic book archives, we got to see Kara as she has been pre-this pilot episode - a normal young woman looking to find her way in the professional world. In other words, the writers found a way to make her relatable before she started beating up evil aliens escaped from the Phantom Zone. (And speaking of villains, I was hoping that the General they spoke of would be Zod, but I'll take "Astra" if it means we get to see more of the incredible Laura Benanti.) It seems <i>Supergirl</i> won't shy away from mixing DC canon with new creativity. There you have it - a little mythology, relatable heroes, and a prison full of villains. Add to that better CGI and special effects than I've seen on TV in a<i> while</i>, and you've got yourself a superhero show.<br />
<br />
Melissa Benoist, the somewhat unknown star of the show, got the majority of the screen time, but Kara was surrounded by as many friends as foes, including a supportive sister. A little love triangle between our hero, James Olsen, and IT guy Winn may be forming, but if the pilot is any indication, romantic love won't be the center of the show. Instead, the center of the show will be well, Supergirl! A hero whose debut filled her with a radiating joy. I was thrilled to see that <i>Supergirl</i> is a hopeful, positive show with a hopeful, positive leading lady. Someone who seeks to do right, and be true to herself, but also be the person the world needs her to be. Does that sound cheesy? I don't care. This is a feel good show. And that's what TV's audience needs it to be.<br />
<br />
While this <i>Supergirl </i>might also be "<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/tv/supergirl-review-premiere-135128386.html" target="_blank">The Feminist Superhero TV Needs</a>," the show didn't hit us over the head to make a statement. Rather, it let a host of characters make all kinds of points. From the diner waitress who simply said she was glad her daughter would have a female hero to look up to, to Cat Grant's unexpectedly legitimate defense of the word "girl," <i>Supergirl</i> isn't out there to make a statement, but to tell a story. If that story makes a statement along the way, great! But I'm guessing it will be a nuanced, honest statement about what it means to be real and strong, <i>and</i> a woman. Similarly, the show didn't hit us over the head with its modern relevance. The cultural touchstones that made the show stick to our day and age - downsizing of print media, online dating, the ubiquity of smart phone cameras - were subtle, and natural enough to set the story and its characters in what seemed like a real (albeit science fictional) world. <i>Supergirl</i>, who wikipedia tells me first appeared in comics in 1958, is placed neatly and believably in 2015.<br />
<br />
The marketing for the show ramped up as the "<a href="http://www.tvguide.com/news/watchlist-new-fall-shows/" target="_blank">most anticipated premiere of the season</a>" approached. A <a href="http://www.mysupergirlis.com/" target="_blank">"Who's Your Supergirl?"</a> campaign invited potential viewers to shout out to the women in their lives with a personalized image to share on social media. CBS crafted a sweet and <a href="http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/video?watch=5sbk9uhi3d" target="_blank">inspirational video</a> of mothers and daughters previewing the show. Benoist has been doing the rounds on morning shows, and appeared tonight on <i>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert</i>. The show was even strategically aired - immediately following the ever popular <i>Big Bang Theory</i>, whose Tuesdays at 8 PM slot <i>Supergirl </i>will now take over. And the odd 8:30 start time and the omission of the new comedy <i>Life in Pieces</i> were surely meant to keep the <i>TBBT</i> audience from channel flipping and failing to return by 9 PM. In some clever cross-channel marketing, an ad for <i>The Flash </i>on CBS's sister network The CW aired before the final <i>Supergirl</i> credits. In short, <i>Supergirl</i> is a show CBS is banking on to be a hit in their new fall lineup. Tonight's premiere tells me this is a show worthy of their investment - and yours.Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-16195099134944434572015-10-04T18:41:00.000-04:002016-01-23T21:50:51.621-05:00Summer TV Binge Part II: The Good WifeAlthough the central conceit of this blog is and always has been broadcast (non-cable) network TV that I watch through my rabbit ear antenna, I could not be a bigger fan of streaming internet platforms. Not only because they let me binge on yes, even cable shows (I adore <i>Mad Men</i>), but also because they allow me to catch up on broadcast shows that are still airing in time for the new season's premiere. <!--3--><br />
<br />
Such is the case with CBS's <i><a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_good_wife/" target="_blank">The Good Wife</a>. </i>When I tell one of my friends (a young adult like myself) that I started binging on this show, I inevitably get the same response: a slight smirk and the statement, "My mom loves that show." It's uncanny. Happens every time. But just because I may not be the show's target demographic doesn't mean I don't find this show fantastic.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's why I love the show your mom loves: </div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<h3>
<b>The <i>Good Wife</i> Universe</b></h3>
</div>
<div>
The show masterfully weaves character development and all kinds of conflict - interpersonal, intrapersonal, romantic, professional, political, familial - through its overarching storyline.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUz4KK_6ypmI8fpdOvaos-5OyR6Mv-mnmU0wcXi19Hc_adaTdk4oc8XZXraw28bzGJglY0OOX4KzzI3UZFkZXmbKPYSdiprgzmsh5jQqHHDJLL5Ry31EDE2fL1F84JjDIy6xI9tDkumQT/s1600/keeps_peter_in_place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth on The Good Wife" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUz4KK_6ypmI8fpdOvaos-5OyR6Mv-mnmU0wcXi19Hc_adaTdk4oc8XZXraw28bzGJglY0OOX4KzzI3UZFkZXmbKPYSdiprgzmsh5jQqHHDJLL5Ry31EDE2fL1F84JjDIy6xI9tDkumQT/s400/keeps_peter_in_place.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth on <i>The Good Wife</i><br />
Source: <a href="http://wwwimage.cbsstatic.com/base/files/styles/596xh/public/keeps_peter_in_place.jpg" target="_blank">cbs.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The title of the show is transparently tongue in cheek. Alicia is no more a "good" wife than the cheating Peter is a "good" husband. Instead, what draws the audience in is the authenticity of her choices. Not in the sense that they are choices I - or most viewers - will ever have to make, but because they are the choices we <i>might</i> make were we in her position. There is a distinction between relatable and <i>realistic</i>. This show is not one where you see yourself in the characters, but it is nonetheless believable. This is due in large part to the political nature of the show and its setting in Chicago, a city with <a href="http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150528/BLOGS02/150529813/chicago-is-still-no-1-for-public-corruption" target="_blank">real-life political scandals</a> that make the Florrick's problems seem tame. The corruption, the infidelity, and the lies are nothing new to any American viewer who even passively follows politics. More than that, the show is realistic because the heroes are flawed, and they don't always win. (And when they do win, there's a cost.)<br />
<br />
The writers of this show understand that believability is in the details; the lawyers, judges, and politicians whom the viewers meet on the show return again and again, just as they would in reality. There is a limited supply of judges in Chicago, after all. And these recurrences allow the faithful (or binging) viewer to get a more complete picture of the universe in which Alicia Florrick lives and practices law.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
<b>The Overarching Plot <i>and </i>the Stand Alone Episodes</b> </h3>
</div>
<div>
My one (peer) friend who <i>does</i> watch this show doesn't watch it consistently, and yet still really loves it. She's a fan of the <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/691765/grey-s-anatomy-scandal-and-how-to-get-away-with-murder-casts-unite-for-epic-wine-filled-tgit-promo" target="_blank">TGIT ABC</a> dramas, so I'd guess that some of the soapier, relationship aspects of <i>The Good Wife</i> are what appeal to her. And yet <i>The Good Wife</i> is not overwhelmingly soapy. The characters' relationship arcs feel poignant and significant - not unnecessarily dramatic. They give us enough to go on that we can '<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Shipping" target="_blank">ship</a> one couple and hate another, but those relationships don't overwhelm the episodes. And when a relationship is worn out, the writers know how to kill it. (Yes, sometimes by <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/03/28/295742261/the-good-wife-delivers-a-game-changing-stunner" target="_blank">killing off a character</a>.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_NjZPxNygH1TylgwSo9sjzAAjtamYlHcf0lgBgX9pyCdx_FC2PvTEphLfMHneExbvzNPP5amNi16yk0TjtkZZeeCxmw1saYzM7KHLgT4vg84B5QQ_BM_-spNgK3Y6JJ_6ysMf1Xdsd3h/s1600/105120_0150b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Matt Chzuchry plays Cary Agos on The Good Wife." border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_NjZPxNygH1TylgwSo9sjzAAjtamYlHcf0lgBgX9pyCdx_FC2PvTEphLfMHneExbvzNPP5amNi16yk0TjtkZZeeCxmw1saYzM7KHLgT4vg84B5QQ_BM_-spNgK3Y6JJ_6ysMf1Xdsd3h/s320/105120_0150b.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt Czuchry plays Cary Agos on <i>The Good Wife.</i><br />
Source: <a href="http://wwwimage.cbsstatic.com/base/files/styles/596xh/public/105120_0150b.jpg" target="_blank">cbs.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All this to say, you can watch a single episode of the show and still follow along. That's because, in the great tradition of American legal/crime dramas, the writers are not afraid to craft episodes "ripped from the headlines." The cases that the main cast of lawyers face and settle and try each episode are intriguing in and of themselves, independent of the larger story. <i>And </i>each case is new and different, with its own legal complexities. That keeps the show interesting.<br />
<br />
It's that larger story, too, that kept me watching. (I binged on <i>six</i> seasons of the show in about three months...) That wouldn't have happened if this were a run-of-the-mill procedural. Each season had its own fascinating campaign, business deal, scandal, affair, or legal battle storyline running through it. The arrest and imprisonment of Cary Agos in Season 6 had me on the edge of my seat episode after episode. That plot line was inspired. So was the dramatic irony of the Season 5 NSA wiretap plot. <i>The Good Wife </i>does so many things well, one of which is giving the audience just enough information that we feel knowledgable, but utterly powerless. (Which, of course, we are - but that powerlessness means we feel like we're a part of the characters' universe. <i>That</i> is good storytelling.)<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<h3>
<b>The Guest Stars </b></h3>
</div>
<div>
A lot can be said about the cast of this show, who deserve the accolades they've received. Julianna Margulies, who plays the titular character, has two Emmy wins and another two nominations for the show. Archie Panjabi scored an Emmy and two additional nominations for her role as Kalinda. Alan Cumming has three nominations for his portrayal of Eli Gold. These three have stood out to me as the most impressive in a cast full of very impressive actors who bring the universe of <i>The Good Wife</i> to life.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDUUikGbKKssHyvbXdNPLbzARNsjBTlEMTWq6j0ZRzlUZWm3uc3B1B9Ez7rBmGQZLacjiOut5KX6YbwAUpsjQXrZzBNw9QsMaohYxdu3z1SK5aiy2N4CqtW2MoLGsG0DpdOVStasWVkok/s1600/103552_d0907b_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jeffrey Tambor guest stars on The Good Wife" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDUUikGbKKssHyvbXdNPLbzARNsjBTlEMTWq6j0ZRzlUZWm3uc3B1B9Ez7rBmGQZLacjiOut5KX6YbwAUpsjQXrZzBNw9QsMaohYxdu3z1SK5aiy2N4CqtW2MoLGsG0DpdOVStasWVkok/s320/103552_d0907b_0.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeffrey Tambor guest stars on <i>The Good Wife</i><br />
Source: <a href="http://wwwimage.cbsstatic.com/base/files/styles/596xh/public/103552_d0907b_0.jpg" target="_blank">cbs.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What's been more striking to me as a binge viewer though, is the seemingly impossibly long list of <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_good_wife/photos/1001963/32-exciting-guest-stars-of-the-good-wife/" target="_blank">guest stars</a> - huge names from the stage and screen who fit so seamlessly into the Chicago <i>The Good Wife</i> has designed. Names like Matthew Perry, Audra McDonald, America Ferrera, Martha Plimpton, Kristin Chenoweth, Wallace Shawn, Ana Gasteyer, Jeffrey Tambor, Anika Noni Rose, Stockard Channing, David Hyde Pierce, Nathan Lane, and Michael J. Fox. And those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head! The show is stacked with these stars - many of whom have had recurring roles. The best part is that these stars aren't being used as bait to draw in viewers. This show doesn't need bait. Rather they are being utilized to make a good show consistently <i>great</i> by surrounding a stellar main cast with equally stellar guest actors to work with.<br />
<br />
The writing, the acting, the direction - <i>The Good Wife</i> is a triumph. It's original, captivating, quality television, airing in an era when it's easy for broadcast network TV to be anything but. It's been my favorite summer binge, and I can only hope it will be one of my favorite shows to watch this fall.<br />
<br />
<i>The Good Wife</i> returns tonight at 9 PM on CBS.</div>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-56959687382566633832015-09-29T20:05:00.000-04:002015-09-29T20:05:14.268-04:00Fall TV Premieres: NBCFor the past few posts, I've been writing about the returning and new shows I'm excited about for fall. You may have noticed a glaring omission in these broadcast network roundups - NBC.<br />
<br />
That's because the new fall crop of NBC shows is even more disappointing than ABC. The likely very soapy but possibly interesting medical drama <i><a href="http://deadline.com/2015/06/heartbreaker-pushed-melissa-george-pregnant-chicago-med-fall-launch-nbc-1201438347/" target="_blank">Heartbreaker</a></i> (starring Melissa George), has been pushed to mid-season and replaced by the what's sure to be an unimaginative crowd-pleaser from Dick Wolf - <i>Chicago Med</i>. There's <i>Blindspot</i>, a drama (reminiscent of <i>John Doe</i> or <i>Dark Angel</i>) which may compete for the <i>Quantico </i>audience, though it airs on a different night, and has the benefit of following <i>The Voice</i>. Add to this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBctvcSOdwI" target="_blank">one very stupid looking</a> multi-camera sitcom, and you've got a network that's nearly unrecognizable when you consider the glory days of the <i>30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Rec </i>trifecta. (As I noted <a href="http://rabbitearreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/201-fall-tv-fox.html" target="_blank">in an earlier post</a>, FOX now carries the great single-cam sitcoms.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXScoV_fd8cTSgj5GCvm6GBOj-nnj7tnQq8ibWkm-qoBaZSTLP738c48cccwVzc68CtvPIUqIa34ou8JFPQLU55euW5uNyem1HnlbGI1FMCPIgBf1hGntHFXEv8UXCiM1KrkMUEHNEuRzy/s1600/Heroes-Reborn-Poster-768x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXScoV_fd8cTSgj5GCvm6GBOj-nnj7tnQq8ibWkm-qoBaZSTLP738c48cccwVzc68CtvPIUqIa34ou8JFPQLU55euW5uNyem1HnlbGI1FMCPIgBf1hGntHFXEv8UXCiM1KrkMUEHNEuRzy/s320/Heroes-Reborn-Poster-768x1024.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.finalreel.co.uk/heroes-reborn-poster-new-team-assembles/" target="_blank">finalreel.co.uk</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is also, of course, the reboot of <i>Heroes - </i><i>Heroes Reborn</i> (one in <a href="http://rabbitearreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/summer-binge-x-files.html" target="_blank">a trend of TV revivals.</a>) I never got into the original, so my interest level was low, but I gave the "next generation" resurrection of the show a try. From the first moments of the premiere, it was clear that new viewers had a lot of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/25/arts/television/heroes-reborn-6-characters-to-remember-before-watching.html?_r=0" target="_blank">catching up</a> to do if they wanted to fully understand this sci-fi drama. Getting dropped in the middle of this very bizarre story was tricky, and my confusion only intensified through the quick series of blink-and-you-miss-it flashbacks that began the episode. Only the introduction of Zachary Levi kept this <i>Chuck</i> fan watching. (Did anyone else catch the "stay in the car" line? Loved that reference to my old NBC fave.)<i> </i>I also loved the mysterious penny-toting benefactor. Is he from the original series?<br />
<br />
I made it through the two hour premiere, but how much longer can this <i>Heroes</i> newbie stick with <i>Reborn</i>? Will I always be left wondering if a twisting plot point is meant to build suspense <i>or</i> if it references something I'm supposed to know from the original series? And while I'm a big fan of the ensemble cast, the idea of an ensemble <i>setting</i> is making it hard to keep track of all the players. All this leaves me wondering how many new viewers the show will capture. And believe it or not, popularity is a valid concern. I mean, why should I get all into a show if an <a href="https://taholtorf.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/curseyoursuddenbutinevitablebetrayal.gif" target="_blank">inevitable cancellation</a> is only going to break my heart? Here's the good news: <i>Reborn </i>is being billed as mini-series. Which probably means that even if the reboot isn't met with resounding praise, we're still going to get a neat wrap-up of the story before the show fades into television oblivion... with the rest of NBC's new fall premieres.Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-89406463844454836602015-09-20T11:30:00.002-04:002015-09-20T11:36:58.623-04:00Fall TV Premieres: FOXTonight, the <a href="http://www.emmys.com/awards" target="_blank">Emmy</a> Awards will air on FOX, hosted this year by Andy Samberg. Samberg also happens to star in the FOX show I've selected as my pick for favorite returning show on the network. Here's my take on the comedy coming to FOX this fall:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Returning: <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i></h3>
<div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </i>is the show that arrived in time to fill the void left in my heart after <i>The Office </i>and <i>Parks and Rec</i> went off the air. It's another hilarious single-camera workplace comedy from writer-producer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1321658/" target="_blank">Michael Schur</a>. (<i>Office</i> fans, you also know Schur as "Mose.")<br />
<br />
It's a brighter, more cartoonish workplace comedy than <i>The Office</i>, which, for its first few seasons thrived on jokes about boredom and was set in a room so beige you could practically hear the hum of the overhead lights. By comparison, <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </i>is flashy, filled with a cast of stand-up comics and improv masters who light up the screen and lighten the mood individually and collectively. Of course, this isn't to say the show doesn't also have heart. The romantic tension between Andy Samberg's Jake Peralta and Melissa Fumero's Amy Santiago culminated with two "cover" kisses and one actual one in the final moments of last season's finale. Just how that relationship will shake out (or fallout) is yet to be seen. (You may recall that <i>The Office</i> Season 2 also ended with a long-awaited kiss - and a third season which left the tension unresolved.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-HSkM6lkTCFkWxd0iIvwplOd5Etw0cM-jDMSaoqPr6M1hoUQopfA9d0SmGGeaMTfUvzmIyS97_e7mSHz-xVWd7k_jo0BfjIeTVQu5rU23TsgBdBp7V5FbYJjhyulcxYiTzhMU_yIaYsw/s1600/ajlrrpx7i2msvuyl4y6z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-HSkM6lkTCFkWxd0iIvwplOd5Etw0cM-jDMSaoqPr6M1hoUQopfA9d0SmGGeaMTfUvzmIyS97_e7mSHz-xVWd7k_jo0BfjIeTVQu5rU23TsgBdBp7V5FbYJjhyulcxYiTzhMU_yIaYsw/s400/ajlrrpx7i2msvuyl4y6z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cast of <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i><br />
Source: <a href="http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/09/17/the-brooklyn-nine-nine-season-3-promos-are-here-first-look-at-bill-hader-s-captain-dozerman-3548600?lt_source=external,manual" target="_blank">moviepilot.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Season 3 also promises to bring some personnel changes to the precinct. The departure of Andre Braugher's dry but lovable Captain Holt was the final cliffhanger of the Season 2 finale. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=10&v=3BnAl-sZK8U" target="_blank">Promos</a> have revealed the new boss will be played by none other than <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hader" target="_blank">Bill Hader</a> - <i>SNL </i>alum and all around hilarious guy. Hader is on a roll lately, having hit the big screen this summer with Amy Schumer in <i>Trainwreck</i>. Braugher isn't going anywhere, though; he has his own storylines in premiere promos. So what's <a href="http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/09/17/the-brooklyn-nine-nine-season-3-promos-are-here-first-look-at-bill-hader-s-captain-dozerman-3548600?lt_source=external,manual" target="_blank">currently listed as a "guest star" role for Hader</a> may last only an episode or two. Of course, this hearkens me back to the revolving door of Dunder Mifflin managers following the departure of Steve Carrell on <i>The Office.</i> Some of those who walked in were hits (Hello, Idris Elba!) and some were misses (cough...Will Farrell). I can't imagine Hader's stint at the <i>Nine-Nine</i> - however long it may last - will be anything but a hit. </div>
<br />
By the way, don't mistake these plot connections for unoriginality. <i>Brooklyn</i> is a great show in its own right, and that distinctive feel just proves that Schur, co-creator Daniel Goor, and the writing team know how to set up and tell good stories. What you can be sure of, though, is that if you liked <i>The Office</i>, you'll enjoy <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </i>returns Sunday, September 27 at 8:30 PM.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
New: <i>The Grinder</i></h3>
</div>
<div>
<br />
I'll admit it. This show interested me for one reason: Rob Lowe. I loved him as Sam Seaborne, <i>literally </i>adored him as Chris Treager, and the former Brat Pack heartthrob is back to TV again, this time playing an actor who played a lawyer, who's decided an actual career in law is for him. In addition to Lowe, the show stars Fred Savage. (I'm hoping these big names don't lead to an early flop.) If the trailer is any indication, they won't. Unlike the ABC trailers I blogged about last week, this one doesn't try so hard. Take a look:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9mybEO-Hb0Y" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
The comedy here is clearly not in one-liner jokes, but in the characters, in the acting, and in the overarching setup of the plot. And that setup is an interesting one. It's a spin on a family comedy and a legal comedy and a comedy about the tv business. (<i>So</i> meta.) The show's success may hinge on the chemistry between the brothers played by Lowe and Savage. If they can manage that, and the writing and directing continues on the path laid out in the trailer, it'll be a hit.<br />
<br />
<i>The Grinder </i>premieres Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 8:30.<br />
<br />
And with that, I'll say it. NBC has passed the comedy baton to FOX. FOX grabbed Schur, and (until recently) another <i>Office</i> alum in <i>The Mindy Project. </i>With <i>The Grinder</i>, FOX got <i>Parks and Rec</i>'s Lowe, for a comedy created by the brains behind that network's successful <i>New Girl. </i>Bottom line: everything NBC was doing right when it came to single camera sitcoms has been nabbed by FOX, including all the right people.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Check out what I'm watching this fall on ABC <a href="http://rabbitearreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/2015-fall-tv-abc.html" target="_blank">here</a> and on CBS <a href="http://rabbitearreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/2015-fall-tv-cbs.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
</div>
Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-1388923952503528562015-09-14T14:00:00.000-04:002016-01-01T10:52:08.029-05:00Fall TV Premieres: ABCLately, I'm deciding which returning shows I'll have time for this fall, and which new ones I want to give a chance. Let's see what there is to see on ABC:<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Returning Show: <i>The Middle</i></h3>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdBXjxE2phl-Eb15EewMYddjlT1guQDchxxv2NOVzgxdCmYIi5Ej2FPIRhuGZi3TR0oxTEBl9bJP0Txx9Ten-xkuEsKe6TvlLkjtzZ3LrpRIxEFgquxC7C8xAADdkAHrl_hiS03cT4sO-/s1600/middle-700x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdBXjxE2phl-Eb15EewMYddjlT1guQDchxxv2NOVzgxdCmYIi5Ej2FPIRhuGZi3TR0oxTEBl9bJP0Txx9Ten-xkuEsKe6TvlLkjtzZ3LrpRIxEFgquxC7C8xAADdkAHrl_hiS03cT4sO-/s400/middle-700x400.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://cdn.renewcanceltv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/middle-700x400.jpg" target="_blank">renewcanceltv.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i></i>Oh, Heck. I love this show so much it made me use a pun. And I hate puns! <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Middle_(season_6)" target="_blank">Last season</a> we saw a lot of growth and change for our favorite family from Orson. Axl got a girlfriend and got to have a beer with his dad. Brick started a podcast and went to the Planet Nowhere convention. Sue didn't get engaged, didn't go to Prom, didn't win the attendance award, and, in the sweetest graduation-themed episode ever, didn't lose her yearbook after all. Meanwhile, Mike and Frankie kept on being the most well-meaning, not to mention the most realistic, parents on TV. How does anyone not love this show?<br />
<br />
In Season 7, Sue will head off to college, and Brick might be headed to high school. We're apparently also in for a <a href="http://tvline.com/2015/08/22/the-middle-season-7-twlight-zone-halloween-episode/" target="_blank">Halloween episode</a> that can't be missed. Overall, I'm looking forward to more madcap adventures with household appliances, classic sitcom misunderstandings, and heartfelt endings that give us the warm fuzzies to the tune of the show's jaunty theme song that makes the viewer feel like Orson is home.<br />
<br />
<i>The Middle</i> premieres Wednesday, September 23, at 8 PM.
<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
New Show: <i>Quantico</i> (And mid-season expectations)</h3>
<br />
Unless you love <i>The Muppets</i>, you might not be that excited by the new shows in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDe0CguuqcMA7F06VO63qmZLicS-j1GFt" target="_blank">ABC's fall lineup</a>. Two of the leading men from <i>Gossip Girl</i> got their own gig on the network this season, with Chase Crawford starring in the somewhat promising drama <i>Blood and Oil</i>, set in the North Dakota oil fields, and Ed Westwick exercising that American accent in the horrifically creepy looking <i>Wicked City. </i>(Seriously, the trailer will give you nightmares and possibly prevent you from ever going on a first date again.) As a fan of <i>Community</i>, I'm interested to see what comes of <i><a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/dr-ken/video/most-recent/VDKA0_d0u2ahgo" target="_blank">Dr. Ken</a></i>, starring Ken Jeong. Of all the shows debuting this fall on ABC, the trailer that captured me the most is <i>Quantico.</i> It starts out looking a bit like <i>NCIS </i>but ends up with a twist that I found to be not exactly believable, but nonetheless intriguing. See for yourself: <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ujgrgGXlrzM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
<br />
If this show has anything going against it, it might be the use of a single actress as the star vehicle in a TV world that's currently embracing the ensemble cast. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priyanka_Chopra" target="_blank">Priyanka Chopra</a> is relatively unknown here in the states; but she's a Bollywood actress and singer, and a former pageant winner (Miss World 2000). Taking on this big role could make or break her, no? Her co-star <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1715189/" target="_blank">Johanna Braddy</a> is a talent I'm familiar with. This summer, I binged on <i><a href="http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/unreal" target="_blank">UnREAL</a></i>, a scripted drama that aired on Lifetime (but <u>please</u> don't judge it by that!) and is well worth your time if you are interested in a piercing satire (commentary?) of <i>The Bachelor</i>. (Unfortunately, you can't watch it on Lifetime's website anymore without a subscription, so if you have an antenna like me, you missed your chance.) Johanna was absolutely brilliant on <i>UnREAL</i>, and I have little doubt she'll make a similar splash on <i>Quantico </i>if she's given the screen time.<br />
<br />
<i>Quantico</i> premieres Sunday, September 27 at 10 PM.<br />
<br />
For whatever it's worth, the shows slated for mid-season premiere look far more interesting. There's <i><a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/of-kings-and-prophets" target="_blank">Of Kings and Prophets</a></i>, an epic that appears to be only very loosely based on the Biblical account of Saul and David, <i><a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/the-family" target="_blank">The Family</a></i>, a thriller that seems to combine the political intrigue of <i>The Good Wife </i>and the sinister content of a classic episode of <i>Dateline</i>, and the quirky comedy <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FDEW9qoZ6A" target="_blank">The Real O'Neals</a>, a</i> show that has the advantage of being headlined by Emmy winner Martha Plimpton and <i>Mad Men</i> alum Jay Ferguson. But since we'll have to wait at least until January for those, in the meantime, I'll be excited to see what's new with the Hecks in Orson, and I'm at least curious to see what happens to Alex on <i>Quantico.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Check out what I'll be watching on CBS <a href="http://rabbitearreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/2015-fall-tv-cbs.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2171135258208657275.post-71953083988846016932015-09-10T06:53:00.002-04:002015-09-20T07:22:53.535-04:00Fall TV Premieres: CBS<a href="http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview/calendar/" target="_blank">Fall TV premiere</a> season is upon us! And while in the cable TV world, seasons have become more fluid and half-seasons can be separated by months, the calendar still seems to hold true in the broadcast network world. So what am I looking forward to this fall? There are some great returning shows as well as some new ones that look promising. In this and some upcoming posts, I'll clue you in on one of each from a few of the networks I tune to with my rabbit ear antenna. First up: CBS<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h3>
<b>Returning Show: <i>Survivor </i></b></h3>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcCcPi7vBGVJXitZMHyEnQdAdqy2r0mICZ7xwArUBWf3oBY9nm014NJd8lW0gRSrmfKvcx3C4oDy9wRf_THL-3A1nrEUkqhOtegqEFF8rceOaGJLHjXjDEe91G71VyQlT5kAuWLjOouqU/s1600/0106606_d00184b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcCcPi7vBGVJXitZMHyEnQdAdqy2r0mICZ7xwArUBWf3oBY9nm014NJd8lW0gRSrmfKvcx3C4oDy9wRf_THL-3A1nrEUkqhOtegqEFF8rceOaGJLHjXjDEe91G71VyQlT5kAuWLjOouqU/s320/0106606_d00184b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cast of <i>Survivor: Second Chance</i><br />
Source: <a href="http://wwwimage.cbsstatic.com/base/files/styles/596xh/public/0106606_d00184b.jpg" target="_blank">cbs.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anyone who's visited Rabbit Ear Reviews before knows that I am a fan of one and only one reality TV show: <i><a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/news/1004640/survivor-second-chance-castaways-get-divvied-up-into-tribes/" target="_blank">Survivor</a>. </i>And this season - I think - is shaping up to be its best yet! Season 31 is titled "Second Chance," and each cast member is a returning player who has only <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/F3B6D0E4-2901-7807-5605-9ACB927B82E1/survivor-what-makes-survivor-so-addicting-/" target="_blank">attempted the game once before</a>. PLUS, the players this season were voted in by fans like yours truly.<br />
<br />
If we're lucky, that means these players <i>know </i>the game, and will play it strategically. Smart players make the game interesting to watch. This way, instead of each castaway voting to eliminate whoever ticked them off that day, we get to watch shrewd people make calculated decisions with an endgame in mind. And if we're really lucky, we as the fans have picked not only real game players, but folks who won't incite a lot of useless drama. Then there's the added piece that some of these players have played the game <i>together </i>before. Will they stick together? Hold a grudge? I can't wait to find out!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Some of the castaways from recent seasons are my favorites to win. Probably because their gameplay is fresh in my mind, but also because I suspect the games nuances are fresh in theirs. Two of the "Brains" from Season 28 are favorites of mine. <a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerBGM" target="_blank">Spencer</a>, because he reminds me of <a href="http://rabbitearreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/john-cochran-caramoans-sole-survivor.html" target="_blank">one of my favorite <i>Survivor </i>winners</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/missfoxytasha" target="_blank">Tasha</a>, because she definitely wasn't given a fair shake at the game her first time around. And then there's <a href="https://twitter.com/theshirin" target="_blank">Shirin</a>, from Season 30, who had <a href="http://rabbitearreviews.blogspot.com/2015/04/survivor-bring-popcorn.html" target="_blank">the most amazing character arc</a> - unlike anything you'd expect to see on any reality show, let alone <i>Survivor. </i>Kelly Wigglesworth, from all the way back in Season 1 (!!) is a wild card. Then there's good ol' <a href="https://twitter.com/stephenfishbach" target="_blank">Stephen Fishbach</a>, arguably more of a student of the game than any of the rest, and a guy who may have won, had his opposition been less likable.<br />
<br />
<i>Survivor </i>premieres Wednesday, September 23 at 8 PM.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h3>
<b>New Show: <i>Supergirl</i></b></h3>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
</div>
I haven't really gotten into a superhero show since the days of <i>Smallville</i>. And before that, <i>Lois and Clark. </i>So it's fair to say that there's really only one superhero for me, and that's Superman<i>. </i>But I'm thinking <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/supergirl/" target="_blank">his cousin</a> will make for a great show, too.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lm46-envrHo" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
I found this "first look" preview to be a little too expository, but keeping in mind that CBS is not the usual venue for the comic book adaptation, it's a fair guess that the network's viewers aren't the <i>typical</i> Comic-Con set either. So I guess it makes sense that the preview for this new show be filled with explanations re: Krytonian history and mythology. The inclusion of staple characters Jimmy Olsen and Cat Grant makes for an interesting twist on the old tale of the Man of Steel.<br />
<br />
I harbor some concerns that this show doesn't have the star power to keep it alive past one season. Sure, you've got Calista Flockhart, but she hasn't been back in a <i>big</i> way since Ally McBeal. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2921091/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t6" target="_blank">Jeremy Jordan</a> is known mostly to the musical theater loving set and fans of <i>Smash.</i> But, then again, CBS seems a little <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/will-fear-tv-cancelations-become-thing-past-203790" target="_blank">less predictable</a> when it comes to cancellations, so maybe they've found something great here that another network couldn't have made work. From the preview video, they seem to have found something great in Melissa Benoist, who apparently was in the cast of <i>Glee</i> after I stopped watching.<br />
<br />
It may not have star power, but it has girl power, and if the show plays its cards right, it could make some interesting statements about culture, gender stereotypes, and heroes. I'm hopeful.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Supergirl</i> premieres Monday, October 26 at 8:30 PM<br />
<i><br /></i>Shannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107488567992417155noreply@blogger.com1