Comments | musesfool: the same city where I go when I sleep

musesfool

the same city where I go when I sleep

Jul 03, 2012 10:09

Last night, I went to bed at 9pm. It was GLORIOUS. I also think I figured out 1. how to structure this story that has been sort of limping along in my head, and 2. what the title should be. Now I have to actually write it. Sigh.

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I finished watching The Unusuals over the weekend and I really liked it. It's not that it was all that groundbreaking ( Read more... )

tv: the unusuals, oh aaron sorkin no, books, tv: political animals

Comments 14

girl_wonder July 3 2012, 15:27:32 UTC

Yeah, the criticism of Newsroom has made me super leery as well. Especially since the criticism is stuff that I had issues with in later seasons of WW and in all of S60.

musesfool July 3 2012, 15:51:44 UTC

*nod nod*

Exactly. Sorkin's woman issues are well-known, and I don't want to set myself up for being angry every time I watch.

girl_wonder July 3 2012, 16:03:32 UTC

The thing is I liked Dana so much and I liked Natalie so much because it was like pre- his ability to write women only as extensions of their men. Dana actually acknowledges that what Casey is doing to her is fucked up and both she and Natalie are shown as scary-competent at their jobs.

musesfool July 10 2012, 14:40:42 UTC

Yes. And CJ and Abbey and even Donna had some great moments on West Wing (and I loved Ainsley, though I know a lot of people didn't), but they also had some seriously weird things, where you were like, "wait, what?" and only some of that was attributable to Sorkin's disregard for character continuity in service of whatever story he wanted to tell any given week; a lot of it was just his inability to write women who weren't somehow wrapped up in a man.

taraljc July 3 2012, 15:37:25 UTC

Walsh and Beaumont are OMG THE SEX. The tequila scene makes me GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

musesfool July 3 2012, 15:52:06 UTC

They do have really nice chemistry. That was a great scene.

taraljc July 3 2012, 15:56:55 UTC

It's the "Let's go" that makes me melt. There's a LOT of Walsh in the Clint in "Simple, Not Easy".

I will say that had the show gone on, I'd have liked to have seen Walsh's saint status tarnished a bit. He is just a little too perfect, if that makes sense. But it was SO NICE to see Renner playing a truly decent guy who doesn't get set on fire, or shot in the face, blown up, on death row, etc.

musesfool July 10 2012, 14:41:27 UTC

I thought there were hints about him being a little shady sometimes, though yes, it would have been nice to have him be wrong occasionally. But he was just really... wonderful.

Thread 8

alethialia July 3 2012, 22:45:39 UTC

I just recently rewatched The Unusuals and I totally agree with everything you said here. Renner is lovely. And my girl Amber Tamblyn!!! ::loves:: I loved Casey, so SO much. She wanted to join the Israeli Army! Because they let women fight!

And so agree about not sexualizing her, even after introducing her dressed as a prostitute. I was so pleased by that.

that first arc about Detective Cole's background. Every time that annoying guy said "Navan" I wanted to shoot myself. Or him. or my television.

That was insanely annoying. And oddly unbelievable. I mean, yes, the show was quirky, but for pretty much everyone else it took realistic quirks and exaggerated them a bit. But I didn't buy Cole's situation at all, especially not when Frank was such a caricature. You're probably right that that hurt them, having it upfront as it did, sadly.

I even ended up liking Alvarez. Shocked myself with that one. But that was the strength of the show - it made you buy these outlandish characters. Shame it didn't last.

musesfool July 10 2012, 14:45:51 UTC

Yeah, Casey was fantastic. She definitely had the makings of a Kay Howard, without being weirdly neutered or sexualized.

But I didn't buy Cole's situation at all, especially not when Frank was such a caricature. You're probably right that that hurt them, having it upfront as it did, sadly.

Yeah, that struck me as an "it's season four and we're out of ideas" storyline, not something you lead with right out of the gate. Plus Frank was just SO ANNOYING. I wanted to claw my face off every time he was on screen, and not in a good way.

I even ended up liking Alvarez. Shocked myself with that one. But that was the strength of the show - it made you buy these outlandish characters. Shame it didn't last.

Yes. He was eventually humanized and fleshed out just like the others - I thought he was just going to be the Frank Burns, but he could have been the Charles Winchester if the show had gone on.