You've got to dream awake.
Taking a break from my soul eating english research essay (and my God could my professor be any MORE of a bitch? Why is it that I always end up with the really bitchy mean english profs? Its no wonder I failed my first english requisite course 2 fucking times) to do an lj post. Wee!
Psych 406 - GREAT episode. Definitely the best so far this season and will go down as one of my series favorites. All the eps except the first two this season have been winners for me but I think this one managed to make me laugh louder and harder than any of the others so far. I just enjoyed it SO much. and I loved the bollywood dancing, theme song and throwbacks. I loved that we got to see more abigail, because while I wasnt totally sold on her at first it's nice to see shawn making her more of a part of his life. Her presence also allowed for alot of added humor, which is really the best way to put her into the show. in a way that she contributes rather than detracts from the awesome. The bit at the begininng with shawn thinking raj was a psycho killer had me cracking up so badly. and the bit with lassiter trying to one up shawn was super fun. and all the continuity! callbacks to the S2 finale, and the return of boneless shawn! The dinner scene was really the crowning glory of the whole episode though, the "I see dead people" was ten times funnier in context than it had been in the previews. Was surprised by the killer, i totally thought it would be the mom! basically I loved this one so much. It's definitely getting a rewatch!
Gossip Girl 301 - very meh episode. not much to comment on. I mean everyone is as beautiful as ever if not more so. not crazy about vanessa's hair atm though. I am interested to see how things devolop now I think they have set up some interesting plot lines. Well except for serena's plotline which is really uninspired and frail and made me wonder if the writers even really tried at all. chuck/blair at the end was cute but i feel like I should have cared more than I did. I dunno chuck being so openly sweet is a little weird. I need to adjust. Next week looks better though. Georgina returns!
Glee 01-03 - I recently started watching this show a week ago and I am enjoying it so much! This and Psych are the two shows that just fill me with pure joy everytime I watch them. I love the music aspect of Glee and I say this as someone who hates musicals normally, never cared for broadway productions, and never saw an episode of highschool musical in her life. Yet somehow I just love this show. It's quirky, it's hopeful, it''s funny, it's fresh, it's got GREAT musical numbers and most of all it has a really lovable cast of characters and some hilarious dialogue. I think 103 was the funniest episode so far. Sandy with his stalkerish love of Josh Groban and Keisha (her name is probably not keisha but she is the spitting image of my former classmate keisha) falling in love with the flamingly gay Kurt was especially hilarious.
Seriously this kid is so bright and shiny it's blinding, how anyone could not immediately realize he is gay just amuses me beyond words. While not!Keisha was dense, I felt with Kurt still having trouble saying he is gay even when it's so apparent. Admitting it is still hard even when your not really stealth about it. I remember in my english class from 2-3 years ago. We were discussing papers and alot of people ended up having this sharing confess all session and we heard all these stories. One girl used to be addicted to painkillers, one girl admitted to be a clown on weekends which just blew my mind cause she was so beautiful and normal looking. I was like "damn a clown? for reals?....does it pay well?" apparently it does. If I wasnt terrified of clowns, I'd be all over that job.
Anyway this one black guy who was so guy obviously gay, I mean he walked and talked like a cliche of what a gay man is so I was surprised when he got emotional talking about it to us like it should be a revelation but hey, it was a big thing to bring it out into the open like that. He did say that his mom and family accepted him though which was nice to hear. Anyway this is just my way of saying that Kurt's feelings were a nice mirror to real life. It's nice to know between all the crazy dance numbers that these are really human characters. Also props to the glee casting people for such a diverse cast. It's one of the most diverse on tv I think. Cant wait for ep 4!
Life S1: I heard alot of things about this show, by the time I considered watching it, it had been cancelled which is usually the point where I go FORGET IT because the last thing I want is an inconclusive ending. So I put it off for a while. I eventually stumbled unto an article that talked about the finale and it seemed like most of the bigger loose ends would be tied up. So since I was running low on tv to watch, I decided “oh hell why not”?
I am so so glad I checked this out because it is really good! It’s compelling, emotional, raw and just this is so much better than 98% of television right now I cannot believe this was cancelled. That is just heartbreaking to know, because this is an amazing powerful story and it has so much more depth to me than most crime dramas on tv Life is very REAL. That's the thing, it does not follow an episodic cookie cutter format for every episode nor is it infused with snappy dialogue, love triangles or sexual tension. If this sounds like I’m insulting the any show that ever has those things, I'm not. There are shows that can use those things in a good way. But Life to me functions on a whole other level. Life really managed to grab my heart, a notable feat indeed and part of that is the beautiful sincerity and optimism at the heart of the show. (something similiar is present in the Mentalist but we dont get to really see it as much, since we only look at the more serious undertones to everyone's lives in that show every few episodes as opposed to every episode and having it be at the forefront of some episodes.)
The thing about Life is that while it is a crime drama, and the cases are important they are mostly there to round out the plot which is mainly about Charlie Crews and his partner Dani Reese. In most crime dramas, the episodes all focus on a specific case and while there is some character development sometimes it is not a big part of the plot and cases are rarely tied into the main character's lives. But that's how it happens in Life. Charlie goes by the motto "everything is connected" and that's exactly how it is. I love the whole zen thing going on with Charlie too. It’s fascinating and it’s nice to have a protaganist who is spirtual, it’s rare. He's a really an observant guy and a good detective but it's not played up as being a superpower or him being super special because of it, no what makes him special is his experiances and how they have shaped him now as a person. and How the zen is incorporated into Charlie's cases and his life, it's just really interesting.
What sets Charlie apart from the other characters and establishes him as the Dramatic Lead is the central premise of the show. He was wrongfully accused and sent to prison for TWELVE years for the brutal killing of a family who was in fact his friends. He was subjected to brutal beatings by inmates because he was a cop and to add insult to injury his wife ditched him and remarried. Everyone thought he was guilty, everyone. Crews was given Life in prison but a crusading lawyer found him and took his case and cleared his name. The name of the show comes from this and "Life is what they gave him and life is what he got back" is basically the central theme of the show. How Charlie lives his life from this point on, his choices.
It's hard to imagine the suffering Charlie went through and it's obvious that he's not totally over it but yet he used that horrible experiance to make him a better detective and a better person. He basically took on the principles of Zen Buddhism and watching him apply those principles to his life and work, and also struggle with living by those principles when he'd rather listen to his baser instincts is a fascinating part of the show.
But its not all about Charlie though, Dani his partner has a dark fascinating story of her own. The less I say about it the better though cause I dont wanna spoil people. But I will say you find out in the pilot that it has something to do with drugs. She originally looks at Crews and thinks he's a big idiot with his random spouting of existentalist ponderings and buddhist philosphy. But watching her learn to trust Crews and consider him a true partner while also internalizing some of his views (much to her chagrin) is also a lovely part of the show. Dani is one of those rarities on television, a well written, sympathetic, tough, capable, complex female character and often tragic without ever seeming a victim. She's even persian! That is so cool.
Life’s format is really unique I think, for one there is this really cool thing, where the writers used these documentary like interviews at the beginning of the show to introduce the character of Charlie crews and his story. These same clips (and some new ones) make appearances throughout the season. It's very effective and clever. Also effective is the use of music, very few shows can use music to greatly enhance a scene and Life is one of them. When I look at Life I think it was both too unconventional to last and also not unconventional enough.
On paper it sounds like any other crime drama that is clogging American airwaves lately, but in execution it is as different as can be. I keep thinking if Life had been on a premium cable or a cable channel it would have lasted longer. Still, I am enjoying what is out. This is really a beautiful, powerful, moving, brilliantly written, uplifting drama. and I recommend it to everybody! I havent started S2 yet but when I do I'll come back and post about it. Hopefully it can keep up this level of greatness.
Psych 406 - GREAT episode. Definitely the best so far this season and will go down as one of my series favorites. All the eps except the first two this season have been winners for me but I think this one managed to make me laugh louder and harder than any of the others so far. I just enjoyed it SO much. and I loved the bollywood dancing, theme song and throwbacks. I loved that we got to see more abigail, because while I wasnt totally sold on her at first it's nice to see shawn making her more of a part of his life. Her presence also allowed for alot of added humor, which is really the best way to put her into the show. in a way that she contributes rather than detracts from the awesome. The bit at the begininng with shawn thinking raj was a psycho killer had me cracking up so badly. and the bit with lassiter trying to one up shawn was super fun. and all the continuity! callbacks to the S2 finale, and the return of boneless shawn! The dinner scene was really the crowning glory of the whole episode though, the "I see dead people" was ten times funnier in context than it had been in the previews. Was surprised by the killer, i totally thought it would be the mom! basically I loved this one so much. It's definitely getting a rewatch!
Gossip Girl 301 - very meh episode. not much to comment on. I mean everyone is as beautiful as ever if not more so. not crazy about vanessa's hair atm though. I am interested to see how things devolop now I think they have set up some interesting plot lines. Well except for serena's plotline which is really uninspired and frail and made me wonder if the writers even really tried at all. chuck/blair at the end was cute but i feel like I should have cared more than I did. I dunno chuck being so openly sweet is a little weird. I need to adjust. Next week looks better though. Georgina returns!
Glee 01-03 - I recently started watching this show a week ago and I am enjoying it so much! This and Psych are the two shows that just fill me with pure joy everytime I watch them. I love the music aspect of Glee and I say this as someone who hates musicals normally, never cared for broadway productions, and never saw an episode of highschool musical in her life. Yet somehow I just love this show. It's quirky, it's hopeful, it''s funny, it's fresh, it's got GREAT musical numbers and most of all it has a really lovable cast of characters and some hilarious dialogue. I think 103 was the funniest episode so far. Sandy with his stalkerish love of Josh Groban and Keisha (her name is probably not keisha but she is the spitting image of my former classmate keisha) falling in love with the flamingly gay Kurt was especially hilarious.
Seriously this kid is so bright and shiny it's blinding, how anyone could not immediately realize he is gay just amuses me beyond words. While not!Keisha was dense, I felt with Kurt still having trouble saying he is gay even when it's so apparent. Admitting it is still hard even when your not really stealth about it. I remember in my english class from 2-3 years ago. We were discussing papers and alot of people ended up having this sharing confess all session and we heard all these stories. One girl used to be addicted to painkillers, one girl admitted to be a clown on weekends which just blew my mind cause she was so beautiful and normal looking. I was like "damn a clown? for reals?....does it pay well?" apparently it does. If I wasnt terrified of clowns, I'd be all over that job.
Anyway this one black guy who was so guy obviously gay, I mean he walked and talked like a cliche of what a gay man is so I was surprised when he got emotional talking about it to us like it should be a revelation but hey, it was a big thing to bring it out into the open like that. He did say that his mom and family accepted him though which was nice to hear. Anyway this is just my way of saying that Kurt's feelings were a nice mirror to real life. It's nice to know between all the crazy dance numbers that these are really human characters. Also props to the glee casting people for such a diverse cast. It's one of the most diverse on tv I think. Cant wait for ep 4!
Life S1: I heard alot of things about this show, by the time I considered watching it, it had been cancelled which is usually the point where I go FORGET IT because the last thing I want is an inconclusive ending. So I put it off for a while. I eventually stumbled unto an article that talked about the finale and it seemed like most of the bigger loose ends would be tied up. So since I was running low on tv to watch, I decided “oh hell why not”?
I am so so glad I checked this out because it is really good! It’s compelling, emotional, raw and just this is so much better than 98% of television right now I cannot believe this was cancelled. That is just heartbreaking to know, because this is an amazing powerful story and it has so much more depth to me than most crime dramas on tv Life is very REAL. That's the thing, it does not follow an episodic cookie cutter format for every episode nor is it infused with snappy dialogue, love triangles or sexual tension. If this sounds like I’m insulting the any show that ever has those things, I'm not. There are shows that can use those things in a good way. But Life to me functions on a whole other level. Life really managed to grab my heart, a notable feat indeed and part of that is the beautiful sincerity and optimism at the heart of the show. (something similiar is present in the Mentalist but we dont get to really see it as much, since we only look at the more serious undertones to everyone's lives in that show every few episodes as opposed to every episode and having it be at the forefront of some episodes.)
The thing about Life is that while it is a crime drama, and the cases are important they are mostly there to round out the plot which is mainly about Charlie Crews and his partner Dani Reese. In most crime dramas, the episodes all focus on a specific case and while there is some character development sometimes it is not a big part of the plot and cases are rarely tied into the main character's lives. But that's how it happens in Life. Charlie goes by the motto "everything is connected" and that's exactly how it is. I love the whole zen thing going on with Charlie too. It’s fascinating and it’s nice to have a protaganist who is spirtual, it’s rare. He's a really an observant guy and a good detective but it's not played up as being a superpower or him being super special because of it, no what makes him special is his experiances and how they have shaped him now as a person. and How the zen is incorporated into Charlie's cases and his life, it's just really interesting.
What sets Charlie apart from the other characters and establishes him as the Dramatic Lead is the central premise of the show. He was wrongfully accused and sent to prison for TWELVE years for the brutal killing of a family who was in fact his friends. He was subjected to brutal beatings by inmates because he was a cop and to add insult to injury his wife ditched him and remarried. Everyone thought he was guilty, everyone. Crews was given Life in prison but a crusading lawyer found him and took his case and cleared his name. The name of the show comes from this and "Life is what they gave him and life is what he got back" is basically the central theme of the show. How Charlie lives his life from this point on, his choices.
It's hard to imagine the suffering Charlie went through and it's obvious that he's not totally over it but yet he used that horrible experiance to make him a better detective and a better person. He basically took on the principles of Zen Buddhism and watching him apply those principles to his life and work, and also struggle with living by those principles when he'd rather listen to his baser instincts is a fascinating part of the show.
But its not all about Charlie though, Dani his partner has a dark fascinating story of her own. The less I say about it the better though cause I dont wanna spoil people. But I will say you find out in the pilot that it has something to do with drugs. She originally looks at Crews and thinks he's a big idiot with his random spouting of existentalist ponderings and buddhist philosphy. But watching her learn to trust Crews and consider him a true partner while also internalizing some of his views (much to her chagrin) is also a lovely part of the show. Dani is one of those rarities on television, a well written, sympathetic, tough, capable, complex female character and often tragic without ever seeming a victim. She's even persian! That is so cool.
Life’s format is really unique I think, for one there is this really cool thing, where the writers used these documentary like interviews at the beginning of the show to introduce the character of Charlie crews and his story. These same clips (and some new ones) make appearances throughout the season. It's very effective and clever. Also effective is the use of music, very few shows can use music to greatly enhance a scene and Life is one of them. When I look at Life I think it was both too unconventional to last and also not unconventional enough.
On paper it sounds like any other crime drama that is clogging American airwaves lately, but in execution it is as different as can be. I keep thinking if Life had been on a premium cable or a cable channel it would have lasted longer. Still, I am enjoying what is out. This is really a beautiful, powerful, moving, brilliantly written, uplifting drama. and I recommend it to everybody! I havent started S2 yet but when I do I'll come back and post about it. Hopefully it can keep up this level of greatness.