TV Round-Up: Week 2
Happy Sunday, all. I'm at Starbucks, where I basically camp out for the day and do homework. I'm playing hooky for church so I can finish my French homework. Anyway, I'm taking a break from French to do some reaction posts for last week's TV shows. We had a couple premieres, a couple second episodes that were better than the premieres, a new British import YOU ALL HAVE TO SEE, and a viewing experience that made me love a show I normally hate.
Glee started off my week, and I gotta be honest. It's the company you watch this show with that makes it tolerable.
I enjoyed Glee! It was amazing! And it had nothing to do with the show itself! The best friend in Kentucky (who's a huge Gleek) watched it on her DVR while I simultaneously watched a download, and we texted each other throughout the whole thing, and it was fun! And enjoyable! And Will Schuster didn't bug me as much! And I got to enjoy the musical numbers while ignoring the insipid plot! Apparently Sue Sylvester is running for Congress, and her platform is reduce funding for the arts to get test scores up, or something similar that doesn't compute. Meanwhile, Mr. Schue and the Glee Club kids are trying to recruit new talent by placing purple pianos around the school, with the intent that whenever a Glee Clubber sees one, they're supposed to break into song. They do a huge Go-Go's number in the cafeteria which results in a food fight, so Will Schuster is still batting zero when it comes to good ideas.
Other highlights included the departure of "Trouty Lips" Sam, who was boring, a giant production number by a Rachel Berry doppelganger who apparently came in fourth place in the Glee Project, Blaine (Darren Criss) joining New Directions with a Tom Jones routine, and Quinn's badass, skanky new look. Trouble is brewing for Santana, who's always had divided loyalties between the Glee Club and the Cheerios, but this week she destroyed one of those purple pianos, and got herself kicked out of the Glee Club by Schuster. Santana and Brittany are my favorites, so this doesn't bode well for happiness for my two girls. Anyway, watching with a friend makes this show tolerable and almost enjoyable, and I hope to watch future episodes while texting the best friend in Kentucky.
Ringer was better this week, though it's by no means good TV yet.
During the press junket for Ringer, Sarah kept on saying how it's a show that's friendly to Charlotte and her role as a mommy (and that Ioan Gruffudd and someone else also have small children), and I think this was the driving force behind her taking this role. Because it certainly isn't the writing. That having been said, playing two characters must have had some allure, and on paper the plot is intriguing. In execution? So far, not gripping television.
This week saw Bridget juggling a dead body and the hostess duties expected of Siobhan. She connected with Juliet, Siobhan's troubled teenage step-daughter, and we saw Andrew soften towards Bridget/Siobhan, telling her she did a good job at the party. Predictions of future shippiness there. The major thing I have to stress is how much better this episode was compared to the pilot. Perhaps it's because we knew all of the pilot's twists going in, but this episode actually made you begin to care for Bridget and her plight. Plus, we got to see flashbacks of drunk SMG, which is always adorable.
Thursday night brought the Community premiere, and I was excited for this. We left off on a cliffhanger that wasn't quite as good as Jeff and Annie kissing, but the press for Community has been very shippy lately, so my Jeff and Annie flag has been flying high these past couple of weeks.
Well, we got a musical number with a cute spinny dance and the promise that they'll sleep together . . .
. . . and a big, Glee-mocking finish . . .
. . . but all the big Jeff/Annie is supposed to come in episode 2.
Anyway, Jeff gets himself kicked out of the group's biology class, which allows the waitlisted Pierce in on the study group studying, which enrages Jeff. Pierce saves the day by letting everyone think he's up to his old tricks, but really he's just saving Jeff's ass. Meanwhile, Abed deals with Cougartown's move to midseason by having Britta introduce him to not one . . .
. . . but two British shows that were blatant shout-outs to some of the best TV out there.
Everything bodes well for a good year at Greendale . . . except the ratings. Community only pulled in 1.7 million viewers, while The Big Bang Theory nabbed 14 million. Stupid CBS.
Parks and Recreation continues to be the funniest show on television, even at its most heartbreaking.
Leslie struggles with her decision to run for office, because following her dreams means giving up on the relationship with Ben. Tragic circumstances that somewhat reminded me of Angel and Buffy, except I didn't feel like vomiting in my mouth. Anyway, Leslie avoids the coming conversation by following Ron, running from Tammy One, to his cabin in the woods to avoid her problems, where she and Ron will survive on venison and s'mores. Tom Haverford's in for an adventure with his new company, and he's asked Andy to join him. April properly plays the supportive wife as Andy quibbles with his choices. Finally Leslie talks to Ben, and he already knew. The jewelry he's been pushing on her at all of their dates is really a "Leslie Knope 2012" button, and he's ready to support her. Break my heart. And I desperately want a Knope 2012 bumper sticker. Or a T-Shirt.
Best line of the night: "I'm Ron Swanson. And you're Leslie Fucking Knope."
The Vampire Diaries was SO GOOD this week! Except for one "WTF, show?" quibble, the whole entire episode was golden.
After a quick line about Andie being Damon's "fake girlfriend," (WTF??? PLEASE TAKE ANDIE SERIOUSLY, SHOW!) the show quickly goes into adventure mode, with Elena dragging Alaric out of bed (he hears banging on the door and automatically thinks it's Damon! BroTP!) on a hike in the Smokey Mountains to find a werewolf pack that might lead them to Klaus and Stefan. Damon shows up by shoving Elena into a lake/river thing. GOLDEN. Alaric called Damon for backup, and Damon says a poignant "thank you, brother" to Ric, showing the bromance is alive. Klaus and Stefan have been experimenting on the werewolf pack, trying to create more hybrids like Klaus, rather unsuccessfully. Alaric, Elena and Damon come across one of his less successful attempts, and when it almost kills Damon, Stefan comes and saves him. Like Elena, Damon is now convinced Stefan can be saved, but he wants Elena to know everything she feels for Damon while Stefan's gone. Oh, and Ric has come back to be Step-Daddy to the Gilberts. GOLDEN.
I have a bad habit of half-watching television shows, where I need to be doing something with my hands while watching or I'll get bored. I didn't have that problem with this episode of TVD at all. It was gripping television from the word go, and the best friend in Kentucky had to text me in the middle of the night she was so excited by the episode. It was tight storytelling with plenty of character moments, and the most important storytelling element was the relationships between Alaric/Elena, Alaric/Damon, Damon/Elena, Stefan/Damon and Stefan/Klaus. These relationships were the building blocks for the episode.
Meanwhile, in Mystic Falls, Tyler shows his mother who the real monster is, but it's too late. She's already called Bill, a vampire hunter, to deal with Caroline. And as we discover in the last scene, Caroline usually calls Bill "Daddy."
The Fades is currently only airing in the UK, but I expect it to be the next big British import we get that convinces us that British TV is the best.
I can't really explain The Fades, except that it's a supernatural thriller starring Natalie Dormer. I haven't quite gotten my head around the premise, but it's something to do with dead people whose souls are stuck on earth. VERY GOOD AND VERY CREEPY. Be sure to check it out.
Doctor Who was delightful as always, mostly because we got the Doctor with a baby
The Doctor visits Craig, his old flatmate from "The Lodger," who now has a baby named Alfie. The Doctor gets Craig and Alfie into his usual shenanigans, this time thwarting a cybermen threat and working at a shop. It didn't leave a big impression on me, because the last few minutes, setting up "The Wedding of River Song," were the real kicker.
Here's the prequil to "The Wedding of River Song," where the craziness of series 6 gets explained:
So that's TV for this week. Next week we'll have more Downton Abbey and the premiere of Pan Am, and hopefully I'll do these posts more frequently so I'm not reviewing/recapping ten things at once. We'll see. Me and best laid plans.
Glee started off my week, and I gotta be honest. It's the company you watch this show with that makes it tolerable.
I enjoyed Glee! It was amazing! And it had nothing to do with the show itself! The best friend in Kentucky (who's a huge Gleek) watched it on her DVR while I simultaneously watched a download, and we texted each other throughout the whole thing, and it was fun! And enjoyable! And Will Schuster didn't bug me as much! And I got to enjoy the musical numbers while ignoring the insipid plot! Apparently Sue Sylvester is running for Congress, and her platform is reduce funding for the arts to get test scores up, or something similar that doesn't compute. Meanwhile, Mr. Schue and the Glee Club kids are trying to recruit new talent by placing purple pianos around the school, with the intent that whenever a Glee Clubber sees one, they're supposed to break into song. They do a huge Go-Go's number in the cafeteria which results in a food fight, so Will Schuster is still batting zero when it comes to good ideas.
Other highlights included the departure of "Trouty Lips" Sam, who was boring, a giant production number by a Rachel Berry doppelganger who apparently came in fourth place in the Glee Project, Blaine (Darren Criss) joining New Directions with a Tom Jones routine, and Quinn's badass, skanky new look. Trouble is brewing for Santana, who's always had divided loyalties between the Glee Club and the Cheerios, but this week she destroyed one of those purple pianos, and got herself kicked out of the Glee Club by Schuster. Santana and Brittany are my favorites, so this doesn't bode well for happiness for my two girls. Anyway, watching with a friend makes this show tolerable and almost enjoyable, and I hope to watch future episodes while texting the best friend in Kentucky.
Ringer was better this week, though it's by no means good TV yet.
During the press junket for Ringer, Sarah kept on saying how it's a show that's friendly to Charlotte and her role as a mommy (and that Ioan Gruffudd and someone else also have small children), and I think this was the driving force behind her taking this role. Because it certainly isn't the writing. That having been said, playing two characters must have had some allure, and on paper the plot is intriguing. In execution? So far, not gripping television.
This week saw Bridget juggling a dead body and the hostess duties expected of Siobhan. She connected with Juliet, Siobhan's troubled teenage step-daughter, and we saw Andrew soften towards Bridget/Siobhan, telling her she did a good job at the party. Predictions of future shippiness there. The major thing I have to stress is how much better this episode was compared to the pilot. Perhaps it's because we knew all of the pilot's twists going in, but this episode actually made you begin to care for Bridget and her plight. Plus, we got to see flashbacks of drunk SMG, which is always adorable.
Thursday night brought the Community premiere, and I was excited for this. We left off on a cliffhanger that wasn't quite as good as Jeff and Annie kissing, but the press for Community has been very shippy lately, so my Jeff and Annie flag has been flying high these past couple of weeks.
Well, we got a musical number with a cute spinny dance and the promise that they'll sleep together . . .
. . . and a big, Glee-mocking finish . . .
. . . but all the big Jeff/Annie is supposed to come in episode 2.
Anyway, Jeff gets himself kicked out of the group's biology class, which allows the waitlisted Pierce in on the study group studying, which enrages Jeff. Pierce saves the day by letting everyone think he's up to his old tricks, but really he's just saving Jeff's ass. Meanwhile, Abed deals with Cougartown's move to midseason by having Britta introduce him to not one . . .
. . . but two British shows that were blatant shout-outs to some of the best TV out there.
Everything bodes well for a good year at Greendale . . . except the ratings. Community only pulled in 1.7 million viewers, while The Big Bang Theory nabbed 14 million. Stupid CBS.
Parks and Recreation continues to be the funniest show on television, even at its most heartbreaking.
Leslie struggles with her decision to run for office, because following her dreams means giving up on the relationship with Ben. Tragic circumstances that somewhat reminded me of Angel and Buffy, except I didn't feel like vomiting in my mouth. Anyway, Leslie avoids the coming conversation by following Ron, running from Tammy One, to his cabin in the woods to avoid her problems, where she and Ron will survive on venison and s'mores. Tom Haverford's in for an adventure with his new company, and he's asked Andy to join him. April properly plays the supportive wife as Andy quibbles with his choices. Finally Leslie talks to Ben, and he already knew. The jewelry he's been pushing on her at all of their dates is really a "Leslie Knope 2012" button, and he's ready to support her. Break my heart. And I desperately want a Knope 2012 bumper sticker. Or a T-Shirt.
Best line of the night: "I'm Ron Swanson. And you're Leslie Fucking Knope."
The Vampire Diaries was SO GOOD this week! Except for one "WTF, show?" quibble, the whole entire episode was golden.
After a quick line about Andie being Damon's "fake girlfriend," (WTF??? PLEASE TAKE ANDIE SERIOUSLY, SHOW!) the show quickly goes into adventure mode, with Elena dragging Alaric out of bed (he hears banging on the door and automatically thinks it's Damon! BroTP!) on a hike in the Smokey Mountains to find a werewolf pack that might lead them to Klaus and Stefan. Damon shows up by shoving Elena into a lake/river thing. GOLDEN. Alaric called Damon for backup, and Damon says a poignant "thank you, brother" to Ric, showing the bromance is alive. Klaus and Stefan have been experimenting on the werewolf pack, trying to create more hybrids like Klaus, rather unsuccessfully. Alaric, Elena and Damon come across one of his less successful attempts, and when it almost kills Damon, Stefan comes and saves him. Like Elena, Damon is now convinced Stefan can be saved, but he wants Elena to know everything she feels for Damon while Stefan's gone. Oh, and Ric has come back to be Step-Daddy to the Gilberts. GOLDEN.
I have a bad habit of half-watching television shows, where I need to be doing something with my hands while watching or I'll get bored. I didn't have that problem with this episode of TVD at all. It was gripping television from the word go, and the best friend in Kentucky had to text me in the middle of the night she was so excited by the episode. It was tight storytelling with plenty of character moments, and the most important storytelling element was the relationships between Alaric/Elena, Alaric/Damon, Damon/Elena, Stefan/Damon and Stefan/Klaus. These relationships were the building blocks for the episode.
Meanwhile, in Mystic Falls, Tyler shows his mother who the real monster is, but it's too late. She's already called Bill, a vampire hunter, to deal with Caroline. And as we discover in the last scene, Caroline usually calls Bill "Daddy."
The Fades is currently only airing in the UK, but I expect it to be the next big British import we get that convinces us that British TV is the best.
I can't really explain The Fades, except that it's a supernatural thriller starring Natalie Dormer. I haven't quite gotten my head around the premise, but it's something to do with dead people whose souls are stuck on earth. VERY GOOD AND VERY CREEPY. Be sure to check it out.
Doctor Who was delightful as always, mostly because we got the Doctor with a baby
The Doctor visits Craig, his old flatmate from "The Lodger," who now has a baby named Alfie. The Doctor gets Craig and Alfie into his usual shenanigans, this time thwarting a cybermen threat and working at a shop. It didn't leave a big impression on me, because the last few minutes, setting up "The Wedding of River Song," were the real kicker.
Here's the prequil to "The Wedding of River Song," where the craziness of series 6 gets explained:
Click to viewSo that's TV for this week. Next week we'll have more Downton Abbey and the premiere of Pan Am, and hopefully I'll do these posts more frequently so I'm not reviewing/recapping ten things at once. We'll see. Me and best laid plans.