An early Christmas gift from Scrubs

    They did it.  Yeah that’s right they did it.  After a shaky, uneven start they finally managed to put out  a show that didn’t make me cringe.  I know I couldn’t believe it myself.  i alomst choled on the tea I was drinking.  In fact  I had to pause the show just so I could get past my coughing fit.  True story, I wouldn’t lie.  Ok so maybe I would, but this time I am telling the truth, scout’s honor.  (If you haven’t seen the show and you want to see it I would suggest you stop reading now) (Nevermind keep reading it’s worth watching either way) 

Tonight’s episode started off typically enough, Lucy was rambling on about something, I wasn’t really paying attention.  But it had something to do with Dr. Cox yelling, again, and JD doing something off beat, again.  Now you see why I wasn’t paying attention.  No those aren’t the reason the show was good tonight.  Patience people, patience I’m getting to it.  As with every Scrubs episode we have come to expect a lesson to be learned and we were not disappointed.  Dr. Cox in all his wisdom decided that the Interns needed to start working as a team instead of the wild animals they had been behaving like by getting the Final Histories of patient’s who were about to die.  Our snarky little teaching assistant Denise quickly passed the buck along to her boy toy Drew.  Who looks quite snazzy in a dinosaur costume I don’t mind saying.  Of course Drew, Cole, and model chick whose name I don’t remember get theirs in record time, while poor little Lucy was stuck on the guys birthday.  Yeah I know she annoys me too.  I can’t help it she is just too sickly sweet. Now I know what you are thinking; “Hey there is nothing funny about this”  and you would be right it wasn’t all that funny.  In fact it was all pretty pedestrian.  Except for the dinosaur costume and the donut sprinkles.  Hey if you wanna know you have to watch. 

Meanwhile, we learn that everybody’s favorite whipping boy Ted is moving on to greener pastures.  I know it was sad for me too.  I am going to miss that guy, but it does warm the heart to know that everyone has their other half out there somewhere.  Ted and Gooch are too cute together.  And JD and Turk are ready for Bro-a-poolza seeing as how their respective spouses were out of town.  Ah to relive your golden years, everyone wants that from time to time.  Especially Perry who just knew he was in for an evening of fun, fun, fun.  ANd man oh man was he right.  There is something very disconcerting about seeing two grown men totally comfortable wearing  Cowboy and Indian outfits dancing the Cabbage Patch.  Disconcerting and funny as hell.  But the moment that made me choke on sweet tea, oh well that would be when JD kicked (wait a minute picturing it is making me giggle again….ok I’m better now) Turk in the face.  I swear I am not kidding right in the face.  It was literally the first laugh out loud moment I have experienced with this show all season.  The rest of the show could have been dumb as hell and it pretty much was, well except for saying goodbye to Ted that was sad, but that moment would have been worth it. 

   Special Mention:

Ted gets the goodbye he earned after years of emotional torture.

“I am so done my dude is dead”  “I would love to stay, but I just don’t want too”  “You’re like Shakespeare, yo” I may not like Cole, but Dave Franco throws his lines away like nobody’s business.  If anyone else had been saying them they would have just come off as cocky, but he has a way of making them both cocky and funny as hell.

Dr. Cox might as well start calling Drew Mini Me:  “Are you choosing to smile and ignore the insult because he called you hot stuff? Atta girl”  Oh it was like Michael Mosely was channeling John C. McGinley.  It was perfect.

A song for every state?  Oh yeah if they put that on Itunes I am so downloading it. 

 So class what did we learn tonight?  Get out your notebooks because there might be a quiz on this later.  Cole isn’t the narcistic tool he claims to be.  When you get older you need to stop wearing T-shirts with ironic sayings (I hope that doesn’t mean I am not allowed to wear my Return of the Jedi shirt, no they couldn’t be talking about that).  When you’re dying you would rather talk to strangers than answer questions on a form.  Lucy doesn’t shave and feels the need to tell people…ew.  The bromance is stronger and tighter than ever.  Yeah I know how that sounded. 

Class dismissed.

My heart sings for Glee

  On May 19, 2009 a show that has been dubbed as an “American Phenomenon” and I almost missed out.  Yeah that’s right I watched the first 10 minutes of the pilot episode and said “Nope this show isn’t for me.”  What a fool I would have been if I hadn’t decided on a whim to start recording the show (to this day I have no idea why I chose to).  After I had 4 episodes DVR’d I still hadn’t gotten around to watching it and was even contemplating deleting them all so I could have more room for other shows.  I mean there was so sense in keeping a show that I wasn’t ever planning on watching, was there?  But then I had what I like to call “My Lazy Day.”  Ok let me explain what my lazy day is.  It is a day that I do not leave my house unless an emergency arises or I am taken out in handcuffs.  On this very special and rare day I wake up relatively early, make breakfast, clean up the kitchen and the living room, and then sit on the couch folding clothes and watching either movies, shows I have recorded, or one of my favorite shows that I have on DVD.  It is so relaxing that by the end of the day I am ready to face my work week the next day.  And I have the satisfaction of knowing that even though I call it “My Lazy Day” I am doing laundry so I don’t consider myself to be a complete sloth watching TV all day. 

Well anyways it was on one of these days that I was looking through my collection of TV shows and movies and was throughly bored by thought of watching any of them.  Not by the selection mind you, because they are my favorites and I could watch any of them a thousand times, but still that day they didn’t hold my interest at all.  So I turned to my trusty DVR for some shows from the previous weeks that I could catch up on.  You see I have a tendency to record several episodes of a show and then after about 4, 5, or even 6 episodes I will watch them all in one sitting.  Those darn box sets have ruined me.  With them I do not have to worry about commercials and I don’t have to wait until next week to find out what happens.  Oh sorry got off track there for a minute.  Anyways it was on this day that I thought “What the hell, I might as well watch Glee.”  And I did for the next 4 hours.  I would like to tell you that by the end of that time that I was hooked, but I wasn’t.  Sure Ienjoyed it, but I wasn’t sure I liked it.  For me it was just this enjoyable little show that had some amazing vocal talent. 

  Most of the characters irritated me.  Ok that isn’t completely true, two characters irritated me: Rachel Berry and Emma Pillsbury to be exact.  Instead of thinking that it was sweet that Emma followed Will around like a lost puppy I thought it was sad and frankly annoying.  Luckily she has grown on me and last night when she had the bravery to walk away from Will despite having just found out that he had left his wife I silently cheered for her.  Which of course made the kiss that came shortly afterwards all the more endearing because finally Emma wasn’t chasing Will, he was chasing her.  Let me just say this, Lea Michele is an amazing talent.  A special thanks goes out to Ryan Murphy for introducing the vocal powerhouse to a world outside of Broadway.  When she is singing I forget that her character is a self obsessed, over achiever, who is in love with her own talent.  When the rest of the Glee Club commiserate on their mutual dislike for her I completely agree.  I know that we are supposed to believe that she is one of the underdogs, but in reality she feels as though she is better than the rest of them.  Which makes Rachel no better than the kids who throw slushies in the Glee kids faces.  The rest of the kids have managed to form a bond with each other and yet other than Finn, Rachel still holds herself away from the rest of the group.  She is always trying to jump to the front of the group leaving them to shiver in her shadow.  Out of the all the episodes it wasn’t until Sectionals that I finally saw Rachel concede the spotlight to another and was able to admit that someone other than herself was amazing.  Sure she had told Finn about Quinn and Puck and yes that might have been a shady move, but can we honestly say that the rest of the gang shouldn’t have stepped up and did the same thing?  Plus it was quite admirable of her to go to Quinn and admit that she had done it for purely selfish reasons which had nothing to do with Finn or Quinn for that matter.  I would like to believe that our little song bird is growing.

As I was reading some comments from other Gleeks on different boards I noticed that both Sue Slyvester and Terri Schuester have an equal amount of fans and detractors.  I for one am firmly in the fan club.  Oh don’t get me wrong it is not because I like the characters (ok I do in a way, but a very small way) but because of the way Jane Lynch and Jessalyn Gilsig go all out with their portrayal of them.  Just when we are starting to believe that there is absolutely no hope for redemption of either of them they throw a curve ball into the mix.  Whether or not it is Jane Lynch’s ability to soften her features just so on a particular line or moment when we the audience are not expected to be paying attention to Sue.  Or when Jessalyn puts her heart and soul into her eyes as Terri is fighting to save a life that she never thought she wanted.  These are two leading women who command every scene they are in yet they still know how to allow those around them to shine just as brightly.  When Sue lost the Cheerios and when Terri realized that she had lost Will my heart broke for them and I found myself thinking that I could not wait for the fight to get them back that is sure to come. 

  My one and only real complaint about Glee right now is the lack of use of the rest of the kids.  Which makes all that more powerful when they are given their chance to shine.  Whether it was Kurt in “Preggers” or Mercedes in “Acafellas” or Artie singing a soulful, melancholy version of  “Dancing with Myself” in the episode titled appropriately “Wheels.”  In each of these episodes we were privledged to see why each of these kids deserve the spotlight just as much as their leading contemporaries.  I find myself sitting up taller and paying attention more when the other Glee Clubbers are the focus of that weeks episode because I just know with out a doubt in my mind that I can expect shivers of the best kind.  Hopefully Mr. Murphy allows for these guys to shine even more brightly in the months and if Fox was smart years to come.  Yes I know that they are in high school and one day they have to graduate, but luckily for us the a Glee school year isn’t the same as a real one.  Plus they always have Glee camp.  Ok so that may be wishful thinking on my part, but if they have Band Camp (the line from American Pie is running through my head right now, it’s still funny all these years later) and Football Camp why not Glee Camp? 

So finally after 13 episodes I can truly and proudly say that I am officially a Gleek,  And thankfully so are millions of others.  I can’t wait for the 13 episode box set to come out because what an awesome Christmas present that would be to have.  I think I feel another lazy day coming up.  That day is going to be a good day.   

Scrubs: Past Lessons

   As I sat on my couch watching the latest episode of Scrubs 2.0 I couldn’t help but to think that after 8 years JD should be a little less absorbed in what Dr. Cox thinks about him. I felt as though I was back watching the first couple of years of the show, except this time it made no sense that he was still so desperate for his “mentors” approval. It was a sad and pathetic throwback to days gone past. It would have been more interesting if JD would have taken Drew under his wing because he himself knew how hard it was going to be to keep on Dr. Cox’s good side. Here is a guy that had been through all of this before and yet I was left with the feeling that JD hasn’t grown at all. I sure hope he doesn’t pass his insecurities onto Sam or the one he and Elliott have on the way. It would be a damn shame if he never manages to grow up.

On the other hand Perry, going full out, put so much pressure on Drew that he caused the guy to have a minor break down in the middle of a code. It may just be me but I am pretty sure that is not the time you want your doctor breaking down, even if you are “circling the drain.” I find it strange that despite all the bullying Perry dished out over the years I never once felt as though he didn’t care about his students. That was until now. Oh sure we had the “A-ha” moment in the last 5 minutes, but the one thing I always loved about Scrubs is even though it is a 30 minute comedy it never felt that way. I wish I didn’t have to say this but the magic seems to be dwindling. Hopefully they will be able to get it back and soon.

 

The good news is that the med students seem to be coming along nicely. Lucy is settling into her role as the new voice of Scrubs and frankly she is down right creepy with her horse obsession. DId you see her room? If I were Cole I would have run screaming in terror. But seeing as I am not a guy I probably wouldn’t understand why he stayed with that freakshow. Yeah thank goodness for small favors. I gotta agree with Denise the sound of her voice does start go get annoying after a while. Memo to the writers: JD fantazing is strangly comforting. Lucy doing it is just weird. Stop it. Lucy is not JD so stop trying to make her that way and let her be her own character. It is going to be sad enough when Zach Braff leaves for good, we don’t need his fraternal twin walking around the place.

I wonder if I was the only one who noticed Dr. Beardface made a cameo in tonight’s episode? Oh sorry mind wandered there for a minute. I truly do not understand why Dr. Cox feels that Drew should be his protege when his female doppleganger is walking around the hospital committing vending machine rage. Honestly though I can not blame her for that one at all because there have been a couple of times I would like to take a baseball bat to the vending machines at my job. Stupid money stealing demon machines. Now I don’t know why Mahoney suddenly had a change of heart about seeing that kid through his mother dying. It darn sure wasn’t the pep talk Lucy gave her, if you could even call it a pep talk which I don’t. For some reason we weren’t priviledged enough to see her A-ha moment. Darn writers. The one character I am totally digging right now and I get nothing but a couple of snarky remarks. I guess it was better than nothing.

Ok I admit it, Cole is growing on me and I hope we get to see him do more than just spout Hipster Gibberish. By the way I am loving that term. It’s much better than Cole-speak, which is what I was toying around with. For a moment during the code I thought we were going to see that he was more than just a trust fund baby. Now I am not saying that I want Cole to go through some miraculous change of self and turn into the perfect gentleman. But I would like to see that he is there for more than just smarmy comic relief. Hell we even got to see The Todd act like a doctor some of the time. So it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to infuse him with some doctoring skills as well.

Just a quick thought: Has dodgeball always been that ruthless?

White Collar: It’s so good it’s criminal

  Ok it is confession time I didn’t begin to watch this show until USA had a marathon of all the past episodes leading up to the Fall Finale on Friday night.  Wow I just had a weird thought, since when did we start thinking of winter hiatus as Fall Finale’s?  Ok well anyways I had seen the first 2 episodes and yeah I thought it was enjoyable and interesting.  I thought the chemistry between Matthew Bomer and Tim DeKay was dead on.  Tiffani Thiessen didn’t make me want to gag and I could even see her as the FBI agents wife instead of the femme fatale I had mistakenly thought he was going to play when I heard she was going to be on the show.  But alas it came on during a very busy night in my household and truth be told I just didn’t think about making it appointment television.  Plus if I am to be completely honest the last show starring Matthew Bomer that I had made a point to watch and love was Traveller and well we all know how that turned out.  So you can see why I was reluctant to invite a new show into my home.  I admit now that I should have had more faith in USA.  Granted they are owned by NBC, but whoever is in charge of programming over NBC has not been taking notes from the guys over at USA.  Because not only has USA managed to amass a variety of engaging and unique programming, they have also managed to make a majority of them hits.  Oh sure some are less of a hit than others, but the ones that aren’t they allow the show the time to gain its foothold in the minds of the viewers.  So yes I should have had more faith, but I didn’t and it wasn’t until this past Sunday that I discovered just how good of show they have on their hands.

They could have gone the easy route with White Collar.  They could have made it like every other procedural cop show there is on right now.  They could have made it into a cliche.  They could have done alot of things.  They could have, but thankfully they didn’t.  And we are the luckier for it.  Whenever you have a show that is basically a buddy cop show you run the risk of one character over powering the other.  But with WC Neal Caffrey doesn’t work without Peter Burke and it is the same the other way around.  Instead of making Peter into a bumbling fall guy for Neal’s antics they have made him his equal in every way.  Granted I am not sure how many FBI agents are looking to try and partner up with a convicted fellon or how real (which I am sure is pure creative speculation) it is to get a criminal out of jail to help you solve crimes.  But come on do we really say we care about the validity of that little piece of storytelling?  Yeah I didn’t think so. 

As with every good show the supporting cast is just as important as the main players and although we have yet to learn more about Agent Jones and Agent Cruz they appear to be more than just background noise.  I loved it when Agent Cruz admitted to writing her theisis on him and instead of it being in homage to him and his greatness it was in hmage to her boss, the man who caught him twice.  What a nice little jab at the man who thinks all women just fall at his feet when he turns his charm on them.  Or when Agent Jones delibertly kept the ORB Agent from following his boss.  He had no idea what his boss was up too and he looked quite sure that Peter was going against FBI protocol but he put his faith and loyalty on the line no questions asked.  And come on people can we forget the formidable Willie Garson?  Not only does he manage to slip into the role of Mozzie like an old pair of jeans, he manages to do so while making us forget Stanford Blatch (SATC).  Not an easy feat I am sure, but he did it.  What could have been a cartoon character put there merely for the occasional laugh has turned out to be a guy Neal and White Collar wouldn’t be the same without. 

I have read some reports on the internet that some people had a problem with the shocking twist that came at the end of Friday’s episode and my only question is why?  Do they honestly believe that after seven episodes of building the relationship between these two characters just to blow it all to hell?  Come on people.  If they were to do that the show wouldn’t last much longer than a season and it would be a completely different show than the one they started building.  I seriously doubt they decided “oh wait, never mind the show that you have been watching isn’t the show you have been watching at all.”  I personnaly thought it was a great ending and it helps to allow for a much bigger season finale a few months from now.  But for all you naysayers out there who couldn’t see the brilliance of this ending well we only have to wait until January to find out what is really going on with Kate and Peter.  And if Neal will believe that Peter betrayed him.  I sure hope not.

FlashForward: Fall Finale Review

 

It wasn’t until the very end of Thursday’s episode that I even realized that I was watching the Fall Finale and that it wouldn’t be on again until March of 2010.  Really who was it that decided new shows like FlashForward and V needed to be kept off the air just because of the Olympics?  Come on guys the Olypimcs is only on for 2 weeks, not 2 months.  Regardless of this annoying fact FF got off to what boils down to a shaky start.  For the first 3 or 4 episodes they felt the need to remind us over and over again what happened that day and why it was so darn important.  We got it and eventually by the 5th episode they had started to realize that we got the point to the story and we didn’t need it being rammed down our throats.  Sure it was great seeing people’s FF but we could watch them without having it explained to us.  Truth be told for me the show didn’t begin to really come together until Episode 7 titled The Gift.  It was in this episode that for the first time the heart of the show became abundantly clear.  What came before seemed fake or forced if you will.  I guess you could say that I felt as though the emotions we were supposed to believe were there just weren’t. 

And then came The Gift and finally the true pieces of the puzzle started to come to light.  No I am not talking about the mystery of the FF, but the connection and heart of the show.  You can have the greatest mystery show on television, but if the audience doesn’t care about the characters the mystery doesn’t matter.  And FF was dangerously close to becoming uncareable.   Now I know you are porbably thinking I meant to say unwatchable and you would be wrong. I would have continued watching the show, but I wouldn’t have cared about what happened or why it happened and I probably would have allowed episode after episode stack up on my DVR until one day I had nothing left to watch and decided it was time to watch it again.  If you wondering why I would continue to watch a show that I didn’t care about well the answer is simple; My geek crush.  But since you guys don’t need for me to wax poetically about my various geek crushes I won’t indulge further on that particular subject. 

On the other hand one of my geek crushes, in my humble opinion, has helped the show tremendously.  And that is by intorducing a character that from the very beginning we aren’t able to deduce whether or not he is good or bad.  Oh sure the rest of the characters on the show have every bit the same potential to be just as shady and I am sure we will learn that some of those characters are in fact not good people.  But Simon has made it painfully obvious that if it is good for him than that is all that matters.  It doesn’t hurt that in a few short episodes Dominic Monaghan has managed to shed the Ghost of Charlie and helped the audience to embrace a whole new character.  Someone who couldn’t be farther from Charlie if you tried.  We have also been lucky enough to see that Suicidal Bryce Varley wasn’t the “hopped up on happy pills now that he has seen the future” guy he has appeared to be in past episodes.  He wasn’t just some poor schmuck that couldn’t take life.  He was a guy that had been told he was going to die and thought he was saving himself from months (possibly years I’m not too sure on the amount of time he had left) of pain and agony.  Only to see that at some point in the future he was going to fall in love.  After months of seeing these sad and sometimes horrific FF it was nice to see that some of them hadn’t seen the end of their world, but the beginning.

  Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case for Agent Noh.  Not only did his fiancee realize that she wasn’t at her wedding to Demetri, but instead at his memorial, does he get the startling news that his partner is the one who kills him.  Raise your hand if you didn’t see that one coming.  Yeah that is what I thought.  On the other hand I really don’t see the writers and producers of FF giving the character his final curtain any time soon.  So I am going out on a limb when I say this is one mystery that is going to end with the good ole agent alive and well by the season finale.  Oh sure he will probably be shot and probably with Mark’s gun.  Notice I said his gun and not Mark himself.  Key point here people.  There will be a quiz at the end of season to determine if any of my guess’s have turned out to be true.  I gotta say I loved it when Aaron told Mark to go to hell.  It was about damn time.  If there is one thing I can’t stand it is a character that is so wrapped up in his own bitchy whinyness that he can’t be bothered to notice any one else.  Yeah I get that he is under alot of pressure and that he is trying to solve one of the greatest mysteries of all time.  But come on does he really need to be a prick about it?

I might be the only one out there that feels this way, but I really do hope that Olivia does end up having an affair with Lloyd.  It would make her seem much more interesting.  Right now I honestly am not understanding the point to her being there. For some reason the only time she seems to even come to life when she is with him or worrying about being with him.  Although it does seem as though everytime I start to feel as though a character on this show is useless and a waste of time they manage to wrap an episode around that character and their whole world opens up.  Maybe they can do that with her character as well.  Here’s to hoping.

Is it just me or did Lloyd and Simon’s little revelation about being the cause of the FF seem a little too easy?  And what the hell was up with that woman who brought a gun to press conference. Are they trying to make us think that this lone woman knew what the surprise press conference was about or are we supposed to believe that she just always brings a gun with her to press conferences?  Come on people we aren’t stupid.  Drama for the sake of drama is most often constured as comedy and that is exactly what I felt when she started shooting.  I didn’t go WTF?!?!  Nope instead I thought “Are they frakking kidding me with this crap?”  About the only purpose I can think that scene’s purpose was to give the writers a reason to have Simon go to the FBI and offer his services and for Lloyd to be kidnapped.  Which I can undersand.  I just wish they had thought of a more probable way of that occurring instead of the “Lone Gun Woman.”  To me that just seem liked lazy story telling.   But luckily for us viewers they have until March smarten up their story.  And I sure hope that they do because I would hate to see a story that had so much promise flame out in the end.

***Correction The Lone Gun Woman stol ethe gun from a police officer***

Scrubs 2.0

  So the ninth season of Scrubs premiered tonight and I will admit I am skeptical of the validity of TPTB decision to keep this show going.  After years of it being shuffled around the NBC schedule like that gift you got from your mom and only bring it out when she comes to visit the gang from Sacred Heart (well some of them anyways) finally seem to have found a home that accepts them.  For now.  I wonder if ABC will be so Scrubs happy if the show doesn’t perform well.  Will they stand by it for a 10th season or will they watch it wither away and die a needless death?  Now don’t get me wrong I quite enjoyed Scrubs 2.0.  It was nice dipping back into the insanity pool with our gang of misfits.  But it just seemed too little too late.  It was as though you could feel their time had come and gone.  What mad it even sadder is that what should have been the finale was so fitting for one of mine and many other’s favorite comedies. 

Scrubs 2.0 brings us to Winston University which if we believe Dr. Cox is one of the more pathetic schools and all the doctors that come out of there are all murders.  That’s definitly something all young minds want to hear right before they begin learning how to save lives.  Apparently 2.0 Dr. Cox is an even bigger jerk now.  Not once during the whole hour did you get the impression that deep down he was a good guy.  Instead they made him into a person that med students brake their necks trying to hide from him.  The one thing I loved about Scrubs back from the very beginning is that they never made Dr. Cox out to be mean for the sake of being mean.  Sure his ways of teaching could be considered callous but it was only because he knew that there was a fine line between tough love and a pat on the back.  I get that they are trying to make it seem as though JD is now the teacher, but frankly seeing Dr. Cox as a one dimentional character was simply disheartning.

But Guy Love is flourshing and is stronger than ever.  Thankfully they didn’t try to retouch that golden treasure.  The chemistry between Zach and Donald is as good as ever.   You can really tell that these two are best friends on or off the show.  Albiet I can not stand it when JD schreeches “Eagle.”  It grates my ears, but oh well it is a small price to pay for a little bromance.  Is it weird that there was absolutely no mention of Carla?  I know she isn’t on the show any more but they could atleast have mentioned her and hell even Jordan in passing.  But nope, notta word was whispered.  But we did learn that poor Enid had passed and Dr. Kelso was doing his best to move on with his life.  Hell 2 days to get over a loved one seems like enough to me too.  How great was it to see Neil Flynn as the Janitor one more time?  Even though he has his own new show, The Middle, he still came back to do a cameo to say goodbye in such a fitting way.  It seemed a perfect ending for their Wile Coyote vs. Road Runner relationship.

So we know how I feel about the professional Scrubbers, but the new ones?  Truthfully I am not sure.  After 2 episodes the only thing nice I can say about Lucy, oh who am I kidding she irritates the hell out of me.  Do we really need another voice over?  Was it pertinent to the tone of the show?  It was fine when JD was doing it, but a new person?  Um no.  I know they should just see if ZB would tape the voice over like Kristen Bell does on Gossip Girl.  Wait nevermind it would probably just make me miss JD more.   Hopefully in the coming episodes Lucy won’t grate me so much, but honestly I doubt it.  I wonder if I am the only who who thinks she looks alot like Leighton Meester.  Hey cool that was not only my second Gossip Girl reference, but even better it was my second Veronica Mars reference.  I am thinking about starting a 6 degrees of VM game. 

Slightly better, but not much, would be Cole Aaronson played by Dave Franco.  Oh yeah you know the last name.  And I did notice one thing about Mr. DF and that is he squints just like his not quite as famous brother (I kid, I kid).  Now fortunately for DF it isn’t him who makes me cringe.  It isn’t even his character, a young Todd in the making or possibly Bob Kelso considering his family money.  Nope what made me cringe was that horrible dialogue.  Do people really talk like that?  No really I want to know.  Luckily for DF he managed to pull off that crap, but I wonder how long he can keep it up.

My two favorites of the night were Drew Suffin, played by Michael Mosley, and Denise Mahoney (Images of Police Academy are playing on the TV set in my mind right now) played by Eliza Coupe.  I will say this to TPTB and that is good choice keeping Eliza on.  So far they seem the most three dimensional.  And I mean out of all of them.  In all fairness I don’t think I could ever get too much of The Todd though.  I have a feeling that these two are ging to be the go to people of the show now.  I realize that Lucy is supposed to be the heart of the show now but MM & EC stole the show out from under the rest of them. 

V: Fall Finale Review

  Wow never let me say that a show can’t pack a punch in four episodes, because man oh man did V ever pack a punch.  The only question is whether or not it was enough of a punch that it left an impression big enough to last until March.  I know the Olympics are coming up in Febuary, but I still don’t see why they could not have aired new episodes up until that point and then pulled it off for a month instead of 3 months.  I know that I will be tuning back in come March, but will other viewers do the same?  I sure hope so because (and forgive me Dominic) out of the 2 new science fiction shows abc has right now this one shows the most promise so far.  Dont get me wrong FlashForward fans I still like the show, but when it comes to pacing and forward (forgive the pun) momentum V is running circles around FF.  In four short episodes they have managed to establish the point of the series, a couple of WTF moments (RIP Dale), and they managed to set up storylines that could conceivably stretch for another couple of years. 

And even with all this not once during the fall run did I ever get the feeling as though the show was merely dragging along and trying to fill up space.  Oh sure there were some parts that I would rather have done without.  Namely killing off Dale, but that is strickly form a geek crush perspective, and even I have to admit that it was a masterful way to introduce the continued existence of the Fifth Column.  Long live the Fifth Column.  Ooh boy I can’t wait to see more of that particular storyline.  Hopefully the Blissing Anna put over her ship won’t cause too much a derailment.  I also could do without the angsty teen drama the show has going on, although again it did provide EM with what I can only describe as unnervingly funny reaction to seeing her teenage son with a half naked girl in his room.  I know I am probably going to get some boos for this one but I really donit like Joel Gretcsh’s character.  I’m sorry but he just seems so misplaced.  And frankly compared to the rest of the cast his character seems like a bit of a wimp.  Ass kicking V’s aside.  Ok go ahead boo away I know you want too.

Some Notable Moments:

The unhinging of Georgie – He is one to watch.  I have a feeling he isn’t done coming unglued.

You’re a Priest!

Anything with Scott Wolf – Keep your eye on Chad Decker there is definitly more going on underneath that ladder climbing exterior.

Skin Him – Nothing more need to be said on that one.

What do you mean you can’t cure the common cold?  What the hell good are you?

 Best engine room ever.

Damn it’s an invasion!

They killed Dale.

Score one for the resistence.

 What does a guy who is really an alien look like when he gets told his gf is going to have a baby?  Well the same way a human guy would look if he heard the same news.  Its nice to see that some things are universally scary as hell.

How did my DVR become both a curse and a chore?

A little over a year ago my viewing habits changed in a very dramatic way.  I joined millions of others and when I subscribed to Satelite television and along with 250 channels, 20 of which I watch, a silver, glowing DVR came with it.  Oh I had heard about these new wonder machines.  They are changing the way America watches television was what the headlines read.  Hell they have even changed the way ratings are forecast.   In the beginning I started out slowly and would only record the shows that I absolutely wasn’t going to be able to see when it was on.  Because in those days I had a very set schedule of shows that I watched.  Rarely did I change channels.  I was dedicated to one particular network for the night.  No matter what was on.  But then DVR came into my life and changed all that.  I could record a show on ABC and watch CBS.  Which is really strange because I used to never watch CBS unless they were airing older shows on TNT.   Oh sure when How I Met Your Mother started airing I watched it more and on Friday’s if I was home I would tune into Numbers (although I usually drifted off during it), but for the most part CBS and I weren’t that close.  I spent most of my time with either NBC or ABC.

But soon, very soon, afterwards I felt myself being lured in by its power.  Every day the urge to record more and more shows grew.  Nothing could satisfying my hunger.  I even found myself recording 2 shows at one time while I watched another show.  I became obsessed with the line at the bottom of the screen that shows you how much free space you have left.  I just knew that if it went below 50% that I was going to have to delete something.  Because come on let’s get real here there was no way I was going to be able to watch over 50 hours worth of television.  I barely watched 10 hours a week.  But I couldn’t stop myself from recording.  Everything looked so tasty.  I even recorded stuff that I had already seen a million times already.  I needed help and I knew it.  I needed someone or something to come along and delete some of my recordings.  I knew I wasn’t going to be powerful enough to do it on my own.  Everytime I went to delete something I would convince myself that I would eventually find the time to watch it.  And then it would sit there for another 2 weeks mocking me. 

I remember the first time I went on a deleting binge.  The DVR was sitting pecariously at 25% free space and I knew the time had come.  Although to be honest the real reason I knew it was time to delete some stuff is because it no longer a matter of finding the time to watch a show, but the desire to watch it in the first place.  My new toy had now become a chore.  Every time I would look at the menu I reminded again that there was one more thing on my ever expanding list of things I needed to get done.   Instead of finding time at the end of the day to watch something I began to just skip it completely.  Oh sure I watched the shows that I normally never missed; Lost, BSG, Deadliest Catch, & FNL, but the rest I just let pile up with no interest what so ever in actually watching any of them.  So one day I deleted everything.  3 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, 5 episodes of Heroes, American Gangster (which sat unwatched for over 5 months), and a myriad of other recordings.  Deleted them all and although I felt guilty at first I admit that everytime I saw the amount of free space grow bigger I felt relief.  It was as though I releasing an invisible hold that I had been trapped in.  Hopefully I don’t find myself trapped in the DVR quicksand again.

NCIS: A strange thing happened…

I admit it I am a television snob.  I find reality shows to be full of people who have no talent other than they fit some stereotypical idea of what is pretty or sexy.  I have never understood the desire to watch a bunch of back-stabbing lying people fight in some seemingly remote place over a million dollars and an Immunity Statue.  To this day I have only seen one Season of American Idol and frankly that was enough.  Although if they ever had a band like Flogging Molly or The Toasters on Idol Gives Back I may stop in for a visit, but since I have not heard any reports of hell freezing over I can’t see that happening, ever.  But, and I am about to piss off even more people with this little bit of info, I am really not a fan of Procedurals.  CSI?  Could care less.  The Mentalist?  Nope sorry.  Trauma?  The only thing that could have made me watch that train wreck was Kevin Rankin and that was only because he was on Friday Night Lights.  And then we have NCIS.  In the beginning I tuned in more for some back ground noise at the end of the day as I went through my nightly ritual of ending the day.  I have been a fan of Mark Harmon’s since I first saw him in the little known classic (ok probably not a classic, but who cares?) Summer School.  If you haven’t seen I highly recommend it. 

I have never been an avid fan of NCIS.  It didn’t bother me if I missed an episode or hell even a whole season.  But gradually over time I have found myself tuning in more and more over the years.  And as it would seem I am not the only one who has noticed this gradual shift, because the ratings for a show that in all intent and purposes should be going down are doing just the opposite.  Most shows begin to show their wear and tear after the first 5 seasons.  Just look at CSI, sure it is still a ratings monster, but a smaller less formidable one.  But not NCIS, it  just keeps getting bigger.  So why is that?  Why is a show that seemed as an after thought to all the rest of the procedural shows on the air is suddenly becoming the BMOC?  Have they changed their format?  Not as far as I can tell.  Have they bowed down to the ratings gods and offered up cheap gimmicks to get the people to watch?  Again I have to say, not as far as I can tell.  Is it smarter, darker, and all around more complex?  Um, once again I have to go with no on this one too.  So why?  Well here are a few of my theories behind the new found success.

Cases:

Yes the cases on NCIS could probably fit in well with the hundred and one other procedural shows on right now.  But with no very disctinct difference.  Behind every crime there is a personal story.  In the course of the hour we learn that like in life crime is very rarely black and white.  Sometimes there are no bad guys, just bad choices.  When you are watching the NCIS gang put together the clues you honestly feel as though they are searching for the truth no matter what the outcome.  Plus for the most part the story is easy to follow and you don’t feel as though you need a degree in Crimenology in order to understand what the hell is going on.  I also have to admit that for all the technology that is branded about on other shows that Ducky still performs autopsies in a plain room with little to no extras.  Because honestly they just aren’t needed and they have a tendency to take away from the drama that is going on instead of adding to it.  Seeing a projection of a dead body in thin air just makes solving a crime seem to easy as though any fool who takes a course over the internet could do it.

A little lightness if you please:

So what is the first thing you say when you are standing over a dead body?  Why you crack a joke of course.  Heartless you say?  Maybe, but sometimes in the face of undeniable tragedy a little levity is required.  It helps to keep things in perspective.  The gang take their job seriously but with just a smattering of comedy thrown in.  It’s refreshing and in a way it reminds you that at the end of the hour it is just a television show and it’s job is to entertain you and nothing more.  They aren’t trying to force their ideals and morals down your throat.  They are simply trying to tell a good story.  Plus I love the head slap. 

The Gang:

When Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, Tony, Abby, & Ducky get together in one room they bicker, they laugh, and most importantly they love like family.  They may work together and go home to separate places but in their core they belong together.  When one is hurting the rest drop everything to come to their rescue.  They break rules and go against authority to protect their own.  Like family they can say whatever they want about each other but they had better not hear anyone else say something bad because then it is on.  Gibbs being the old school father figure that he is provides his kids with a stern look when it is needed, quiet words of encouragement, and a gentle hug when it is required.  And in turn they look to him for guidance and acceptance.  They all compete to be the guy that rides shotgun.  While some shows build on the idea that in order to have a good show a couple is needed to cement viewers NCIS hints at the possibilty of something peeking out from behind but never lets it over power the show.  It isn’t a show that lives or dies on romantic entanglements.  If Ziva & Tony never get together it’s ok with us.  If McGee & Abby never look across the lab and give into their geek attraction that’s cool too.  NCIS is about all of them and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Whether these are the reasons NCIS has turned into a show that no one can stop watching or not I don’t really know.  But they are my reasons and they keep me watching so in the end I guess it really doesn’t matter why we are watching just that we are. 

Ode to Buddy Garraty

  Ok so this isn’t really an Ode to buddy Garraty, but that would only be because I am not sure how to write an Ode.  However after last night’s episode featuring our favorite booster I felt he deserved some FNL love.   When I first began watching FNL I didn’t much like the loud, brash man who felt he had every right to bug Coach about anything and everything surrounding the Panthers.  I mean hell it was his fault Coach had that trouble back in Season 1 regarding whether or not the Panthers were going to have to forfeit a game because of illegally recruiting Ray “Voodoo” Tatum.  Between Buddy and Voodoo it was looking like Coach Taylor and the Panthers might not even get the chance to go to state.  Plus if it weren’t for his meddling Matt would never have had to go back to being second string.  Oh yeah to say I didn’t like him would be an understatement.  Loathed would be a much better word.  And let’s not forget that he cheated on his wife, tried to bribe the women he was sleeping with, and basically told his one time golden boy, Jason Street, that because he could no longer walk he wasn’t good enough for his precious little girl, Lyla.  Does any of this not scream dirtbag?  I didn’t think so.

Before the show even began to air I was predestined not to like Buddy and oh I could repeat the excuses I used in the beginning, but the truth of the matter is that I just didn’t understand guys like him.  Or hell anyone like him.  To me they were just trying to relive a time that was no longer relevant.  I thought that their life must have really sucked to be tied so closely to their past glory days.  I couldn’t even bring myself to be interested in my own high school football team so someone whose entire self worth is wrapped up in a game he longer plays was alien to me.   But then something strange began to happen, I began to like Buddy, no scratch that I began to love Buddy.  Perhaps it started when during the last couple of episodes of Season 1 we really got to see how much he had come to respect and like the coach.  Some where over the first season Buddy became more than just a cheating, lying dirtbag.  He became a friend. 

No longer could I imagine a team that didn’t have Buddy standing on the sidelines cheering the boys on.  And when I saw the new coach in Season 2 (according to Imdb he didn’t have an actual name) push Buddy off the field and regulated him to spectator my heart broke for the guy.  He had lost everything; his family, his friend, and now his team.  But our Buddy isn’t one to take things lying down and spent the next couple of weeks do anything he could to bring his friend and the rightful Panther coach back to the field.  In the 3rd season Buddy faced what was probably his biggest challenge and that was saying goodbye to Lyla.  But once again Buddy proved what a stand up guy he truly is.  He is a man that makes mistakes and rather than run from them he meets them head on. 

But it wasn’t until Wednesday’s episode that I actually found myself cheering for him.  Here was a man that could no longer stand by and watch Joe McCoy and Wade Aikmen destroy the team that he had loved all those years.  He could no longer stand by and watch as people he had always called friends turn into people he just couldn’t understand.  And when he stood in front of his fellow Boosters and declared “I’m not a Panther any more!” my heart leapt for the courage and strength that must have taken.  Well Mr. Garraty I too am not a Panther any more.  Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose.