(no subject)
So I promised 
littlerhymes that there would be fannish content of some sort! And it is TV season after all...
The one that's just wrapped up its first season:
Suits
Gah, I'm so hooked right now - this is probably the fandom most in my head at the moment. It has so much potential character-wise (and such great characters) and it hits my competency kink like whoah - everyone's so boss in their own way. I keep thinking about Harvey and Mike's relationship (all permutations of this - working alongside each other, mentor/mentoree, friends, something more); how Donna owns everyone but particularly Harvey (how did they meet? did they get along from the very first moment or did Harvey have to work hard to win her over? what's with the can opener?!), how cute Mike and Rachel could be, the unfathomable amazingness that is Jessica (and what her interactions would've been like with baby!Harvey), how Louis is actually a character I like just the way he is, even when he's being terrible.
Poor Ro, last weekend she was subjected to my obsession with sorting all the Suits characters because I saw this great piece of fanart on tumblr - it looked great but all I could think was "Um, but they've sorted them all wrong!" I did see someone comment that Suits is all about a Hufflepuff (Mike) who stumbles on a nest of Slytherins (Pearson Hardman) but that doesn't quite work for me either... In my head, it goes like this:
Mike - Gryffindor
Harvey - Slytherin (but he's probably like Harry - could've gone either way and been a Gryffindor, and that's the part that Mike speaks to)
Donna - Gryffindor
Rachel - Ravenclaw (she's got the smarts but lacks the courage...so far)
Jenny - Hufflepuff
Trevor - Slytherin
Louis - Slytherin
I still can't quite work out what Jessica is; to me she's most like Dumbledore in a way - seems benevolent but holds her cards so close to her chest that it's ambiguous what her motives are and whose good she serves. But is still so totally the boss of you.
I do have a few misgivings at the end of season 1 - it's worrying they may have painted Mike (and the basic premise of the series) into the corner too soon, and the Rachel/Mike/Jenny/Trevor mess frustrates me though there's rich material in those relationships to. And there was an tendency to have damsels in distress for Mike to bleed all over, but they seemed to be getting away from that at the end of the season, phew.
Have some recs:
Level 37 by Closer (Mike, Harvey)
Really like this gen piece about Mike finding a temporary mentor from an unexpected person at Pearson Hardman. It's very satisfying as a coda to an unresolved situation from 1x11.
[vid]Stereo Hearts by Ayrotciv8 (Mike/Harvey)
Lovely, nicely put together vid - this made me smile so, at their happy faces, at their in-step movement.
Sweet Thang by MajaLi (Harvey/Mike)
Love this, with Harvey showing Mike the ropes of high living.
Toys by linaerys (Harvey/Mike)
PORN. Hot like burning, and it's not even a kink I'm completely into. But I love the way it frames their relationship - somewhere between mentoring and this side of dirtybadwrong - and the way it shows the way Harvey feels about Mike through the details.
Going the Distance by jumpfall (Donna, Harvey, Mike)
Another gen story, with great Donna. This is a lovely look at her awesomeness, her long-term comfortable friendship with Harvey and a growing fondness for Mike.
Or Down You Fall by sam_storyteller (Harvey/Mike)
Harvey's never been stoned. Cue shenanigans...and sex. Mmm...my drugs kink, let me show you it.
The one that's just returned:
The Vampire Diaries
Geez, I forgot how jam-packed an episode can be, how lean and efficient the storytelling is.
Almost every major cast member had a storyline moving forward, in parallel or twisted
with others, and it was beautiful.
But it means I don't really have my thoughts in order and I really need to watch it again!
There were so many moments that just killed me - like when Damon cared about Andie and you see that in the moment you hear the sickening thud as her head hits concrete. ;____;
Interesting that Klaus still thinks Elena is dead and Stefan's just protecting Damon. The menace and longing in his voice when he talks about family...And OMG, the whole Klaus and Stefan Show is delightfully terrifying - playing wolfsbane darts, that's just so playfully twisted. More please!
Caroline and Tyler continue to be adorable and I kinda wish we'd gotten a few more moments of them being BFFs ("Just because I tell you things doesn’t mean you’re allowed to know them!") but them manhandling each other - yeah, it was hot. :)
And gah why did I forget TVD is the best (the WORST) at cliffhangers that make me go "argh argh where's the next ep argh!"?! Carol Lockwood worked it out!!!
The one that's new:
2 Broke Girls
So I'd read the AV Club review and was warned about some really lame lines and the laugh track, but I still cringed through the first half. The Coldplay clunker, the clichéd intro of the whiny rich girl being precious about her clothes, the icky boyfriend that you can't quite believe a girl as smart as Max would keep.
But the lure of Kat Dennings being all surly and snarky kept me going and I found myself chuckling part way in, when Caroline brings up the cupcake scheme the first time. And then the show starts dropping those issues I mentioned above: Caroline turns out to be canny and lovely, the douchebag BF is dispensed with and the rift between Max and Caroline isn't drawn out.
I am on the fence about the supporting characters for now, who are all broadly drawn caricatures. But I liked Max and Caroline and their odd inchoate friendship by the end that I'll give a few more eps a go. Not uproariously funny, not particularly fresh, but there are just enough funny left field ideas to intrigue (the scene at the end was probably my favourite thing about the ep).
And the one that drives me nuts but I went and watched it anyway:
Glee
Ugh, why do I do this to myself? Everytime i watch this show I have to remind myself to just go with it and tamp down my irritation 80 percent of the time. But I did think this season 3 opener at least had a lot of fun numbers, some attempt to integrate the songs with the plotlines and a (very) slight decrease in pointless drama. Oh man that bar is so low.
My favourite plotline was Rachel and Kurt's friendship and their giddy showbiz dreams. You could see what was coming with the NYADA meet-up a mile away - but the Anything Goes/Anything You Can Do number was manic and hilarious and a great reality check at the same time.
Palate cleanser before we cross from the good things to the bad things about Glee, have you seen this fantastic Sesame Street parody? They have Rachel being Rachel down pat, Sue insulting Will's hair, and even the silent beardy omnipresent piano man! All while ably teaching kids about the letter G!
Anyway, back to the show itself. Blaine coming to McKinley was sweet but ridic. :p Kurt giving Blaine an 'ultimatum' and then worrying that it'll lead to bitterness *after* is just drama waiting to happen, sigh. And it demonstrated one of those irritating things about Glee - pointing out the issue doesn't solve the issue, writers! The interesting thing from Darren Criss joining the main cast was seeing the mad chemistry he and Naya Rivera have in the It's Not Unusual number.
I was bored within seconds of the 4092th round of Sue vs Will where neither of them will ever win or learn from. Will continues to be an inconsistent moron. I think Coach Bieste is the only adult I like on this show.
And then a whole other bunch of stuff happened that I didn't really care about. Except maybe the train wreck that continues to be Quinn's storyline.
Other shoes I will be/will try/am watching: Community, Revenge, H50 (did they just hit the reset button?)
When is Southland coming back?
littlerhymes that there would be fannish content of some sort! And it is TV season after all...
The one that's just wrapped up its first season:
Suits
Gah, I'm so hooked right now - this is probably the fandom most in my head at the moment. It has so much potential character-wise (and such great characters) and it hits my competency kink like whoah - everyone's so boss in their own way. I keep thinking about Harvey and Mike's relationship (all permutations of this - working alongside each other, mentor/mentoree, friends, something more); how Donna owns everyone but particularly Harvey (how did they meet? did they get along from the very first moment or did Harvey have to work hard to win her over? what's with the can opener?!), how cute Mike and Rachel could be, the unfathomable amazingness that is Jessica (and what her interactions would've been like with baby!Harvey), how Louis is actually a character I like just the way he is, even when he's being terrible.
Poor Ro, last weekend she was subjected to my obsession with sorting all the Suits characters because I saw this great piece of fanart on tumblr - it looked great but all I could think was "Um, but they've sorted them all wrong!" I did see someone comment that Suits is all about a Hufflepuff (Mike) who stumbles on a nest of Slytherins (Pearson Hardman) but that doesn't quite work for me either... In my head, it goes like this:
Mike - Gryffindor
Harvey - Slytherin (but he's probably like Harry - could've gone either way and been a Gryffindor, and that's the part that Mike speaks to)
Donna - Gryffindor
Rachel - Ravenclaw (she's got the smarts but lacks the courage...so far)
Jenny - Hufflepuff
Trevor - Slytherin
Louis - Slytherin
I still can't quite work out what Jessica is; to me she's most like Dumbledore in a way - seems benevolent but holds her cards so close to her chest that it's ambiguous what her motives are and whose good she serves. But is still so totally the boss of you.
I do have a few misgivings at the end of season 1 - it's worrying they may have painted Mike (and the basic premise of the series) into the corner too soon, and the Rachel/Mike/Jenny/Trevor mess frustrates me though there's rich material in those relationships to. And there was an tendency to have damsels in distress for Mike to bleed all over, but they seemed to be getting away from that at the end of the season, phew.
Have some recs:
Level 37 by Closer (Mike, Harvey)
Really like this gen piece about Mike finding a temporary mentor from an unexpected person at Pearson Hardman. It's very satisfying as a coda to an unresolved situation from 1x11.
[vid]Stereo Hearts by Ayrotciv8 (Mike/Harvey)
Lovely, nicely put together vid - this made me smile so, at their happy faces, at their in-step movement.
Sweet Thang by MajaLi (Harvey/Mike)
Love this, with Harvey showing Mike the ropes of high living.
Toys by linaerys (Harvey/Mike)
PORN. Hot like burning, and it's not even a kink I'm completely into. But I love the way it frames their relationship - somewhere between mentoring and this side of dirtybadwrong - and the way it shows the way Harvey feels about Mike through the details.
Going the Distance by jumpfall (Donna, Harvey, Mike)
Another gen story, with great Donna. This is a lovely look at her awesomeness, her long-term comfortable friendship with Harvey and a growing fondness for Mike.
Or Down You Fall by sam_storyteller (Harvey/Mike)
Harvey's never been stoned. Cue shenanigans...and sex. Mmm...my drugs kink, let me show you it.
The one that's just returned:
The Vampire Diaries
Geez, I forgot how jam-packed an episode can be, how lean and efficient the storytelling is.
Almost every major cast member had a storyline moving forward, in parallel or twisted
with others, and it was beautiful.
But it means I don't really have my thoughts in order and I really need to watch it again!
There were so many moments that just killed me - like when Damon cared about Andie and you see that in the moment you hear the sickening thud as her head hits concrete. ;____;
Interesting that Klaus still thinks Elena is dead and Stefan's just protecting Damon. The menace and longing in his voice when he talks about family...And OMG, the whole Klaus and Stefan Show is delightfully terrifying - playing wolfsbane darts, that's just so playfully twisted. More please!
Caroline and Tyler continue to be adorable and I kinda wish we'd gotten a few more moments of them being BFFs ("Just because I tell you things doesn’t mean you’re allowed to know them!") but them manhandling each other - yeah, it was hot. :)
And gah why did I forget TVD is the best (the WORST) at cliffhangers that make me go "argh argh where's the next ep argh!"?! Carol Lockwood worked it out!!!
The one that's new:
2 Broke Girls
So I'd read the AV Club review and was warned about some really lame lines and the laugh track, but I still cringed through the first half. The Coldplay clunker, the clichéd intro of the whiny rich girl being precious about her clothes, the icky boyfriend that you can't quite believe a girl as smart as Max would keep.
But the lure of Kat Dennings being all surly and snarky kept me going and I found myself chuckling part way in, when Caroline brings up the cupcake scheme the first time. And then the show starts dropping those issues I mentioned above: Caroline turns out to be canny and lovely, the douchebag BF is dispensed with and the rift between Max and Caroline isn't drawn out.
I am on the fence about the supporting characters for now, who are all broadly drawn caricatures. But I liked Max and Caroline and their odd inchoate friendship by the end that I'll give a few more eps a go. Not uproariously funny, not particularly fresh, but there are just enough funny left field ideas to intrigue (the scene at the end was probably my favourite thing about the ep).
And the one that drives me nuts but I went and watched it anyway:
Glee
Ugh, why do I do this to myself? Everytime i watch this show I have to remind myself to just go with it and tamp down my irritation 80 percent of the time. But I did think this season 3 opener at least had a lot of fun numbers, some attempt to integrate the songs with the plotlines and a (very) slight decrease in pointless drama. Oh man that bar is so low.
My favourite plotline was Rachel and Kurt's friendship and their giddy showbiz dreams. You could see what was coming with the NYADA meet-up a mile away - but the Anything Goes/Anything You Can Do number was manic and hilarious and a great reality check at the same time.
Palate cleanser before we cross from the good things to the bad things about Glee, have you seen this fantastic Sesame Street parody? They have Rachel being Rachel down pat, Sue insulting Will's hair, and even the silent beardy omnipresent piano man! All while ably teaching kids about the letter G!
Anyway, back to the show itself. Blaine coming to McKinley was sweet but ridic. :p Kurt giving Blaine an 'ultimatum' and then worrying that it'll lead to bitterness *after* is just drama waiting to happen, sigh. And it demonstrated one of those irritating things about Glee - pointing out the issue doesn't solve the issue, writers! The interesting thing from Darren Criss joining the main cast was seeing the mad chemistry he and Naya Rivera have in the It's Not Unusual number.
I was bored within seconds of the 4092th round of Sue vs Will where neither of them will ever win or learn from. Will continues to be an inconsistent moron. I think Coach Bieste is the only adult I like on this show.
And then a whole other bunch of stuff happened that I didn't really care about. Except maybe the train wreck that continues to be Quinn's storyline.
Other shoes I will be/will try/am watching: Community, Revenge, H50 (did they just hit the reset button?)
When is Southland coming back?