#I never really watched jane the virgin or crazy ex-girlfriend but those shows were there as 'something I'll prob like when i have time'

[thegirlwholied]

of course I would get invested in one more The CW show before the network became a shadow of its former self...

...a show I started watching in season 1... lost track of... have never fully caught up on...but here I am watching new episodes live & catching up on the network's app...

...which is incredibly reflective of my relationship with The WB/The CW shows over the years actually...

Nancy Drew season 4. A fitting swan song so far for the The CW itself, as it was:

Play me that cursed-lovers, slow-burn, long-live-the-friend-group, musical-chairs-of-who's-dating-who, hot-parents-with-backstory, small-town-with-personality, filmed-in-Vancouver, everybody's-beautiful all-of-the-angst-but-also-snarky-one-liners, tune once more, with feeling.

Nobody does it quite like you anymore

[laufire]

smallville was the only good cw show change my mind. (although i do love iris west, otherwise the flash is bleh)

I mean, I’ll always maintain that “good” can a matter of opinion. A lot of shows I love I’d classify as “mixed bag”: some absolutely gr10, fucking groundbreaking stuff paired with unimaginative and frustrating shit you wouldn’t believe, in different doses. And I’d agree the CW does have quite a few of those lol. I think I’d classify Supernatural here. Like, the amount of amazing side characters that show has, some of which fascinate me without meeting them and some of whom I remember vividly ten years later is off the charts and that’s actually really, really hard to pull off. I’d put The 100 here too because when it was good it was fucking amazing, actually xD. The Originals is in this list too. Reign, tragically, for that disappointing ending (to me. Because again, quality can be a matter of perspective).

But shows I’d straight up call good, as per looking at the Wikipedia page (there are a lot I haven’t watched like Burden of Truth or Swap Thing or or or. I haven’t seen a majority, actually. Maybe I should change that xD. I’ve heard good things about some of them but I can’t comment either way, so).

Black Lightning. The only DCCW show that’ll get that from me. I’ll add an asterisk because I’m going to wait to see what I hear about that last season lol.

Legacies. Some things about it frustrate me but I still enjoy it more than I’ve enjoyed most things in years, and that’s what is all about!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I never finished it, but what I saw of it was excellent.

Gilmore Girls. It captured mundanity in a way that somehow made it entertaining as shit, okay xD. And it GOT family dynamics. It just did. And idgaf what anyone says, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was great too xP

Jane the Virgin. It should go in the “mixed bag” list, but I’m granting it this space for its storylines about money alone, they were amazing.

NIKITA. Like, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. If nothing else, you have to respect Nikita, c’mon.

Smallville. Not arguing with you there!

Veronica Mars. Also should belong in “mixed bag”, but that first season. THAT FIRST SEASON.

You come into my house and disrespect the CW animated kid shows line?? With gems like The Batman? Teen Titans? The Spectacular Spider-Man? Iron Man: Armored Adventures (okay, so the art is shitty, so what xD)? Justice League Unlimited? I never finished Winx Club, but it had some good stuff going on there lol.

And hey, you all know me. You know how I feel about The Vampire Diaries. It has plenty that should grant it the “mixed bag” fucking throne, but no other show has marked me this much, and that’s my first criteria for quality. I couldn’t care less about shows who have less of the bad/frustrating stuff but that I forget all about within a couple years. I can say a lot of those were good shows because they offered something rare and enduring that I hardly if ever find anywhere else.

One thing about the CW is that their shows, as a general rule, are not forgettable. They will scar you for life xDD

[comradesummers]

3, 17, 27?

Hi, thank you for asking!

Top 5 underrated TV shows

Idk what really qualifies as underrated, but I’ll try my best.

1. Legends of Tomorrow

Like, outside of the cult following, people don’t give it credit for being one of the most creative and batshit crazy shows on TV. I think what really gets missed in the conversation about Legends, even when the show is brought up, is that it’s not just a weird, kooky show. I genuinely believe LoT is doing something that no other show on TV is doing rn. Like it may be silly, and not take itself too seriously, but it’s actually super creative, it tries new things, it takes risks that shows that take themselves more seriously don’t have the luxury of taking. It’s out there doing something genuinely different from the regular serialized drama format that’s overtaking television, and that’s unique and important and we should appreciate it more.  

2. Every show for or about women that’s ever been referred to as a “guilty pleasure” by men, including but not limited to: BtVS, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Jane the Virgin, Sex and the City (I haven’t even seen it, but I know that it changed television as we know it, and men still dismiss it as meaningless fluff), Gilmore Girls, and too many other shows to list here. All of them are underrated by assholes who think they’re too good for girl things.

3. Blackadder

Y’know, the concept of something being underrated is super weird, because like the question becomes: underrated by who? I mean, if you’re in the know about British comedies or whatever, then of course you know that Blackadder is one of the funniest and most innovative shows ever. But with everyone else I’ve talked to in real life, I’ve had to explain that Mr. Bean and Dr. House dress up in period costumes, and hang out with different important historical figures in British history, and it’s really funny and great (except for maybe the first season).  

4. Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23

And then on the other hand, I’m pretty sure a lot of people on Tumblr know what this show is, and know it’s hilarious, but I would still probably consider it underrated and pretty unknown outside of certain circles.

5. Sense8

Again, I’m not sure it’s underrated on Tumblr but more people need to see it, so I’m counting it. I like Sense8 for the same reason I like Legends: it took risks, and did things other shows weren’t doing, albeit on a much larger and more unruly budget, which is probably why it got cancelled. But it really was a great, if short lived show, and I wish it had gone on for longer.

Top 5 “deserved better” characters

1. Kendra Young

Yeah, so I think there are two reasons that Kendra’s death makes me so angry. The first being just how much potential was wasted with her death. Yeah, they made her do a goofy accent, but she was still a really interesting character. Her worldview was completely entrenched in that of the Council. She was raised by them, and had never rebelled like Giles had. She would have made an amazing contrast to Buffy and the gang, but I also think there’s a really great story there about her coming to terms with just how exploited by those assholes she had been. Also, her dynamic with Buffy was already fascinating, and I think they had really good chemistry (I ship it).

The other reason her death makes me so angry is that she is the most obvious example of the horrendous treatment of people of color on BtVS. It really is unacceptable how white that show is, and once the writers finally did create an interesting and powerful (if admittedly pretty stereotypical) woman of color, they killed her off after three episodes. Kendra deserved better just like every other non-white character on BtVS deserved better.

2. Meg Manning and Paker Lee

(Yeah, I’m cheating, it’s a tie.) So one of the main issues that I have with Veronica Mars is that there just aren’t that many women on the show. With the exception of Veronica herself, most of the main characters are men, and most of Veronica’s important relationships, be they romantic, familial, or platonic, are with men.

The female characters we do have either have very little screentime, in spite of their considerable awesomeness (Mac and Jackie). Or, in the case of Meg and Parker, are used and disposed of according to the needs of the plot, often to create drama in Veronica’s love life. Meg surviving the bus crash, only to be killed off once she’d given birth, basically because she was no longer relevant to the Duncan/Veronica story is super icky and gross. And Parker getting dismissed as nothing more than road bump in LoVe’s story by both the show and the fandom drives me a little crazy, especially considering how she was introduced to the show.

Also, while we’re at it, every single ‘feminist’ character in season 3 deserved better from Rob Thomas.

3. Tara Maclay

She deserved to live, and we the viewers deserved better than Bury Your Gays.

4. Martha Jones

I mean, Martha Jones deserved better from the fandom more than anything else. And I’m adding her to the list because I’m one of the many people who owes Martha and Freema Agyeman an apology. I was like 12 when I watched Doctor Who for the first time, and I totally bought into the racist sexist bullshit (she’s boring, why is she in love with the Doctor, etc.). To be fair, I also bought into a lot of sexist bullshit when it came to Rose, so I hated her too, but obviously Martha got the shorter end of the stick, because of racism, and she deserved so, so much better.

5. Donna Noble

Fuck the amnesia bullshit and erasing her character development. Why did they have to do this to her? What possible purpose did it serve? Why not just give her a reason to leave and go home like every other companion? Wtf was the point? Was it just so that the doctor would have manpain about it?

Nevermind, I think I just answered my own question.

Top 5 brotps

Ok, not including any relationships I view as purely familial (Dawn and Buffy, Giles and Buffy, Tara and Dawn, Holt and anybody, etc.). Friendships only.

1. Buffy and Willow

Buffy and Willow love each other so much, and they hurt each other a lot too. This relationship isn’t simple and sweet, it starts out that way, but it becomes difficult, and they both do things to one another that I don’t think either one of them ever fully forgives the other for. But even still, at their worst, they love each other so deeply and so completely. This relationship is at the core of the show, I think. It’s arguably the first relationship the show establishes, and the one it spends most time on. The ups and downs are painful, but they feel real (even when they involve things like bringing someone back from the dead without their consent or whatever). And through it all, they never stop loving each other. As flawed as it may be, I think it’s also one of the most complex, interesting, and important relationships between two women ever on television. And that’s worth celebrating.

2. Jane and Petra

So I’ve been on a bit of a Jane the Virgin kick lately, and I’ll be honest, I can’t decide if this is a brotp or an otp. But I love Petramos too, so let’s go with brotp.

In any case, these two were pretty much my endgame for the show. I really didn’t care who Jane ended up with (unless it was Petra, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen), and I got sick of her love triangle real quick (to be fair, I just really can’t stand love triangles, which is why I didn’t give the show a shot for a long time). As for Petra, I just really wanted her to have a healthy relationship with someone, and Jane seemed to be the only person who seemed interested in having a healthy relationship with her.

Plus their dynamic is just amazing and hilarious. My favorite scenes in the show are always when they’re on screen together. The way they grudgingly grow to care about and love each other is genuinely sweet and well developed. And I love how even when they do become friends, their basic moral divide never changes. They still disagree very strongly about certain things, but they love each other regardless. And btw, the scene where they say “I love you” to each other for the first time might be my favorite “I love you” scene ever, platonic or otherwise.

I just love them so much.

3. Gurl Group (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

This is another show about romance where I’m far more invested in the female friendship than I am in any of the romances, but to be fair, I think CxG kind of wants you to do that anyway.

Regardless, I love everyone in this Gurl Group, individually and together. And their individual relationships are already fascinating. Like, Rebecca and Valencia’s frienship is pure enemies to lovers friends bliss and I love it. Rebecca and Paula’s relationship is the heart of the show, and like Buffy and Willow, this relationship is often difficult and complicated, but the love is always there. And we never had enough scenes of Heather and Valencia interacting. Every scene where they were together was pure comedic gold. And the group together as a whole was just so powerful and amazing to behold.

4. Amy and Rosa

They do not have enough scenes together. This relationship deserves the same amount of care and development as Jake and Charles get. Melissa and Stephanie have great chemistry. And like, their characters are so different, so the contrast is always so funny. But they also love each other, and support each other, and it’s so much fun to watch. I need 10000% more Amy/Rosa content.

5. Buffy and Veronica

This one’s probably also cheating because it’s a crossover and all, but I’m just kind of obsessed with the idea of them meeting, sparks flying, enemies to lovers friends, the works. They would just have such a fantastic dynamic. Like, think of all the verbal sparring that we would be blessed with. Think of all the drama and angst of them coming to understand and respect each other. If there is one crossover that I would will into existence if I could, it would definitely be this one.

[postguiltypleasures]

JANE THE VIRGIN Finale Articles Links Round Up

Jane the Virgin, a show I never missed and affected my emotions on surprising ways wrapped up last week. It did well by plots that I feel like I’ve only ever seen done badly. The finale was pretty perfect in that it highlight what was special about the show and giving us the viewers a loving goodbye. I don’t know where the show will ultimately fit in with the direction in which television is moving, it kind of feels like an end of something and the beginning of something. Going through these fair wells might be a first step.

I’m actually starting with a couple of articles that really weren’t about the show’s finale. The first is technically a review of Emily Nussbaum’s I Like to Watch, as she has been a great champion of the show, as well as generally insisting that the what is considered “serious” vs “frivolous” be reconsidered. This response to Nussbaum’s book starts in particular about her essay “Jane the Virgin isn’t a Guilty Pleasure”. Nussbaum’s essay does a great job at praising what the show does well as connecting it to earlier television shows. (Interestingly she doesn’t associate Jane with camp the way she did with Ugly Betty, nor does she list that as one of Jane’s predecessors despite the fact that both are US primetime networks adapting Latin American telenovelas. I’ll get more into why I think that is interesting and probably for the best later.) The article about her book does more to talk about how it’s been frequently overlooked for shows that seem created for men. In a lot of her book tour Nussbaum has spoken about how the way Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Sopranos were discussed around the time that they debuted drove her into tv criticism. If I were to pick something to be The Sopranos to Jane’s Buffy I’d probably go with Breaking Bad, as it had a notoriously difficult time getting its fans to care about/not hate Walt’s home life. Walt’s home life was about the slow consequences of his drug dealing and gangster activity. There was always a fair amount of gangster activity on Jane, but from watching Breaking Bad could leave you with the impression that there’s no way to make caring for an infant as exciting as the chaos of organized crime. Jane proved that isn’t true.

Also before the finale, The Ringer published this article that is sort of half praise/ half interview with the creator. It gets into the ways it played with the crime drama story types but never really treated it like that’s what it was about. It also gets into the writer’s room, and I was happy to learn that some people there have worked on telenovela’s in the past. It also has some quote’s from Jaime Camil who plays Jane’s father Rogelio de la Vega, which I thought were an interesting contrast to an interview he gave earlier in the show’s run. The Ringer article misleadingly identifies Camil as having starred in the “Spanish language version of Ugly Betty.” There were three Spanish language versions of Ugly Betty, or rather there were three Spanish language versions of the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea which was the source material for Ugly Betty. Camil starred it the Mexican one, La Fea Más Bella, which debuted around the same time as Ugly Betty. (Fun fact, between LFMB and the later Por Ella Soy Eva, Camil has twice starred in Mexican remakes of Colombian telenovela’s in roles originated by Jorge Enrique Abello) I was at one point obsessed with the whole constant remaking of YSBLF phenomena and Ugly Betty in particular. It was taking on one of the most popular IPs of all time and had to do it in a very different format than the original. (Producing one episode a week for an indefinite number of years is very different than five episodes a week for approximately a year. For starters, there’s going to be a much smaller ensemble.) I never watched the original Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen. It wasn’t remade internationally with anything like the regularity as Betty, and ultimately that may have been in the American show’s favor. Part of me wants to say that Jane learned from some things Betty tried but didn’t necessarily execute so well. And another part of me thinks that not having the burden of massive international popularity allowed them to jettison some of the things that made it a harder to adapt for a different audience. In the original YSBLF, Betty’s family life and work life have this great tension where some of her more questionable decisions (specifically, choosing to help her boss commit fraud to the board of the company) are partially based in some disillusioning parts of her home life (namely, her father loosing his job due to the boss selling the company and never paying out his pension). Ugly Betty never played those two aspects of Betty’s life against her like that. In some ways it was much better to the character. (American Betty had professional ambition in a way that the original didn’t.) But in this not knowing how to connect her family and professional lives, it often felt like it was struggling to make the family life stories matter. Jane the Virgin never had this problem. Partially because it was much more interested in emotional reactions than plot twists, but also, because it didn’t need to follow an original’s example of making the work place drama the engine of the show. Between the different relationships they had with their source materials and how they mined the work/life balances of their character’s they were different shows, from different times. Too much comparison is just counterproductive.

Kathryn VanArendonk wrote beautifully about how the fantastical elements of the story made the more mundane plots like finding a good school for Mateo, and balancing child care and a burgeoning writing career, really work. VanArendonk doesn’t focus on how badly many other shows do on making the housekeeping side of life interesting. The fact that as a tv watcher you’ve been through so many examples of shows that feel like the drag or are just aimless when it comes to the personal life side of the work life divide does contribute towards the sort of miraculous feeling Jane sometimes created, but it’s probably for the best not to focus on the negative examples.

I also want to highlight this great personal essay about how the show dealt with both being an adult and having anxiety around sex, mostly because of cultural baggage. The show didn’t so much reject the things that we associate with the baggage (ie no one abandoned the Church. (Also not discussed was the fact that all three of the Villanueva women had anxiety about sex at some point in their stories, but as Xiomara’s was more about the aftermath of cancer and chemotherapy than culture created anxiety, so it doesn’t fit with Mariya Karimjee’s larger theme. Just bringing it up to say, I liked how Xiomara’s post-cancer story worked out.)

A final one from Vulture about the reveal that the narrator is the adult version of Jane’s son Mateo. I’m highlighting it because the Mateo has ADHD plot was one of the most moving stories the show did during the final season. ADHD is so misunderstood and there were so many ways that this could have gotten a too pat, wrong message of an ending. I’m glad voice over actor Anthony Mendez talks about how even as an adult it’s something with which he struggles.

I cheered for Petra for most of the series. However, due to things in my real life, I currently have a pretty low tolerance for stories about bad bosses. Petra’s worst quality was she was a terrible boss, mercurial and abusive. Inkoo Kang’s tribute to the character is good, and gets at why I’ve been interested in her, and her relationship with Jane, for so long. Despite finding Petra less likable in the final seasons than in earlier ones when she was more villainous, one of my favorite moments of hers did come this season. At one point she says that her “worst nightmare” is turning into her mother.  It could have been just a throwaway one, but then the narrator tells us it’s true and shows us what it looks like, and it manages to be hilarious, heartbreaking a you get why this would be Petra’s worst nightmare.

(The Toast once dedicated a “Femslash Friday” to the Jane and Petra dynamic. Here’s the link if interested.)

After the finale aired Slate also published an article about how the Michael is not dead plot didn’t work and was a disservice to the way love works. I mostly agree. I never really cared with whom Jane ended up.  The show was always more about figuring out haw to build and maintain relationships than proving who was more right for each other. And I did kind of like the “each in their own time” resolution to the love triangle. (I felt similarly to the one in Lost Girl.) I get why the show did it. I do agree it was why the final season dragged in some parts. I do think Michael coming back from the dead reinvigorated the Sin Rostro story just in time to climax on the penultimate episode. Whether or not that was worth it is up to you.

I do want to take this moment to point out that while watching Jane walk down the aisle in the final episode, I realized that there never really wasn’t a moment in the entire where I felt doubt that Jane was loved, or felt unlovable. The closest it ever got to that’s in its depictions of how growing up without a father affected her. But, as connecting with her biological father Rogelio and developing a very deep bond was such an important part of the show, that anxiety was never really felt for Jane. (Petra, on the other hand…) This makes her kind of an outlier of most of the series I watch, whether the was the point of the series (You’re the Worst, Crazy Ex Girlfriend) or kind of a side affect of the surreal and chaotic universe in which it’s set (Broad City, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). I’m not sure what to make of this. Is it part of why it would be more likely to be misidentified as a guilty pleasure? Is it a sign about changes in what makes a heroine “relatable”?

I’ve repeatedly said here that I’m thinking about tapering the amount of tv I watch until it’s none. In Margaret Lyons’s review, she talks about how Jane was in some ways the show that replaced Mad Men in her heart, which reminded me that when Jane started I wasn’t sure I wanted to start any new tv shows. Also both show’s care about episode structure in a way that feels undervalued these days.  I do kind of have to agree with Lyons that some of the final season felt like treading water. (Something that seemed to affect the more character than plot driven shows I’ve watched that have ended this year. This runs counter to most of my theory of what’s going on with tv these days.)

“Have you ever loved something so deeply it was almost impossible to talk about?” Jade Budowski wrote over at The Decider. And yes, for a while now, the things I like the most are the things I have the hardest time trying o talk about. It’s satisfying enough that you kind of want to just point and say “go, experience it for yourself.” Even though that runs the risk of letting it be taken as froth.

Over at Vox, Constance Grady wrote about how the finale worked, despite the fact that most of the conflict was resolved on the previous episode. It’s a loving tribute to how the show knew how to work and give us the happiest of endings without being too saccharine.

Finally, I want to day thanks for making Jane and Rafael’s wedding song Ximena Sariñana’s “Todo En Mi Vida”. Sure, I’ve been following Sariñana since her debut, Mediocre, so this is likely to appeal to me personally, but it’s also a beautiful song about learning to love the unexpected and build a new life around it.

[rustandruin]

Top 5 bisexual characters in anything? 😘😘

LOUISE. I nearly died laughing when I saw this hours ago, and now I’m laughing in delight all over again. What a perfect ask. (I recently made a list of shows with great bi rep for someone else, who didn’t really ask for it but I am that extra.) But I’m always game to celebrate all the wonderful bisexuals who exist in fiction. (BTW, limiting this list to only 5 proved harder than expected, because we’ve had such a wealth of representation in recent years, even if it’s not all perfect, or some characters may not quite use that label for themselves.)

In any case, here are my current faves:

5. Korra (Legend of Korra)

I loved Korra from the moment I met her and her tiny self confidently declared that she was the Avatar. But while I thought it would be nice for her to end up with Asami, because why would the Avatar, a soul that is not constrained by the bounds of gender, be limited in their sexual orientation, I didn’t actually expect it to happen. Because years of TV watching had taught me otherwise. But then something magical happened, and it actually became canon. Korra and Asami did have feelings for each other after all. And now I get to read a graphic novel trilogy where my favourite Avatar works out her sexual identity while I slowly figure out my own. 

4. Ianto Jones (Torchwood) 

Ianto was always my favourite character when I first watched this series when it first premiered all those many years ago, but it’s only upon a recent rewatch that I realised just how sexually fluid that entire cast of characters was. (Not that I’d expect anything less from a show where Jack Harkness is the lead. But still, this is insane for a show that premiered in the early 00′s.) Nevertheless, there’s something about Ianto Jones in particular that made him my firm favourite early on. I think it has something to do, with the reason why I love him so much now: he has a clear emotional journey from when he loses his girlfriend at the beginning of the series, to being attracted to, and later falling for, Jack. There’s something simple and quite nuanced about the way he explains to his sister that it isn’t all men he’s attracted to (or rather, loves), but rather, just Jack. 

3. Henry “Monty” Montague (Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue)

Monty is the teenage personification of a walking bisexual disaster, and I couldn’t love him more. He’s smart, but selfish, sensitive, but quite rude. Not to mention, privileged, entitled, and utterly insensitive to the plight of anyone else but himself. He’s a complete flirt, but also in love with his best friend. All of this combines to a fantastic journey of growth and self-discovery that sees him transcend his previous tendencies and grow to be a better person who is worthy of the boy he loves. Oh, and the most impressive part? He’s the bisexual protagonist of a historical YA novel, written by a bisexual author who took pains to ensure that everything was guided by modern sensibilities even though it is set at a time when attitudes toward the LGBTQIA community were less than friendly. (Also the sequel features Monty’s most likely asexual sister who might be romanced by a lady pirate captain, as she attempts to attend medical school like she so deserves. I don’t know how I’m supposed to just sit around and wait.)  

2. b) John Constantine (Legends of Tomorrow, Hellblazer) 

John is technically my first favourite bisexual character ever, because I loved him before I even knew what that label was, or that I identify as it. Instead, I just read the Hellblazer comics as they followed the adventures of my favourite smart-talking, hard-smoking, trenchcoat-wearing occult detective. (The only thing I love more than a detective is one that uses magic. See also: Harry Dresden, and Skulduggery Pleasant. I have a type.) But then as talk of the TV series came about, I saw somewhere that he was bi and lost my shit a little (In retrospect, it feels silly that it took me as long as I did to figure myself out). Of course, the NBC show did not honour that aspect of his identity, which makes me only gladder that he’s going to be a regular on Legends of Tomorrow next season because Matt Ryan was born to play him. 

2. a) Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

How do I love Rosa Diaz? Let me count the ways. She’s a fantastic friend and amazing co-worker who has her colleagues’ backs even when they’re at their most stubborn and uncooperative. Stephanie Beatriz’s performance over these last five seasons has imbued her with a growing sense of warmth under that tough demeanour that only emphasises how much she’s grown as a character. (And the journey we’ve gotten to see her go on.) But beyond being a hilarious character with many levels who constantly kicks ass and is also the most relatable, she got to have a coming out arc that has been sensitively crafted, after Beatriz herself requested her own real-life orientation be reflected on screen. It’s a perfect example of how a character’s sexual identity can inform and enrichen their relationships without detracting from who they are. And I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

1. Robert Sugden (Emmerdale)

Look, I love Robert, but I never actually expected him to top this list. But then I gave it some more thought watched Aaron’s reunion speech, and I realised that it actually makes sense that he would. He’s a smart, funny, at times self-serving and flawed character who’s been through a lot. But somewhere along the way, he’s managed to grow and go on a journey of self-acceptance and find love and happiness and a family. (In some ways he’s a grown up Monty.) Like many of the characters on this list, he’s also got layers. He’s schemed and lied and cheated his way in and out of trouble several times over, but that’s only made him a more fun character to watch. (At least for me.) This is of course in part to Ryan Hawley’s performances, which has had to sell various facets of Robert’s personality, while retaining all the things it is that we love about him. 

Also, for me personally, as someone who regularly writes fic about this character, and from this character’s point of view, I feel a bit more of a personal connection to him. I’ve used his feelings and in-show experiences as a launching pad for my own writing and as an outlet to explore whatever it is I might be feeling or headcanoning in the moment. It’s helped me grow as a writer and a person, and sometimes what’s what you need your favourite characters to do for you. No matter which stage of your life you may be in. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:  Jesper Fahey (Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom), Loki (Marvel), River Song (Doctor Who), Waverly Earp (Wynonna Earp), Petra Solano (Jane the Virgin), Dutch (Killjoys), Darryl Whitefeather (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Margo Hansen (The Magicians), Charity Dingle (Emmerdale), Clara Oswald (Doctor Who), Callie Torres (Grey’s Anatomy), H.G. Wells (Warehouse 13), Bob Belcher (Bob’s Burgers, not confirmed, but would be amazing), Gomez and Morticia Addams (The Addams Family - not confirmed, but come on), Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch - again, not confirmed, but come on) 

[donheisenberg]

Top 20 TV Shows of 2017:

So this is the bit where I talk about how difficult it is to write a top 20 list because of peak TV, yada, yada, yada. If you are into TV criticism you have read it all before several over the last few years, the thing is while it might feel like a cliche it is totally true and with every year it become more true. Trying to watch everything out there is impossible and trying to then narrow down what you have watched to a list of 20 is almost as difficult. Every show on this list had an outstanding year as shown by some of the shows I left off of the list. In any other year the likes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Americans would be givens even if they just had middling seasons but not this year. It was truly a great year for TV and here are my top 20 shows of 2017.

Shows I Did Not Get Around to Watching/Completing That May Have Made My List: The Deuce The Handmaid’s Tail (to watch) Legion (to watch) Better Things Search Party Difficult People

Honorable Mention: Rick and Morty (season 3): Shout out to Review as well, which was excellent but just had to few episodes for me to really count it. In terms of Rick and Morty it was often in the news (or at least the twitter news) for the wrong reasons this year as a group of its fans decided to act like complete dickheads for a period of time. All of which deflected from the fact it had its best season ever. I’ve always had issues with the show and basically how pro-Rick and his asshole behavior Harmon and co seem to be and this year didn’t necessarily dissuade me of that but on a week to week basis it was crafting, ambitious and well thought out stories, at a rate the show had never before.

No 20: Fargo (season 3): As many observed this was not Fargo’s finest year and it maybe took a while to get going. It is also the case that 3 seasons in it is tougher for a show as idiosyncratic as this one to surprise us. When a seemingly major character dies in episode 1 it is less of a shock than it should be because that is what happened in season 1. Yet at the same time I so enjoyed this season and the performances by the likes of Carrie Coon (more on her later), Ewan MacGregor and David Thewlis and you still had episodes as excellent as The Law of Non-Contradiction.

No 19) Veep (season 6): Similar to Fargo this was a just slightly below average year for Veep, but even then the quality of the ensemble is so far above any other comedy out there and the quality of the writing/jokes/insults is again just of the highest order. There are few shows I enjoy more than Veep.

No 18) Master of None (Season 2): In my review I did write about how aspects of MON did frustrate me. For it’s social awareness, it is a show that wants me to desperately feel sorry for the man with seemingly the nicest/most privileged life in the world. The extent to which the show is essentially lifestyle porn at times can be a problem and the extent to which the show never questions Dev’s actions can also be a little off-putting. Yet having said that the good outweighs the bad and then some. The show crafts so many beautiful fully realized episodes and months after watching it is episodes like Thanksgiving that stick with me, more than the show’s flaws.

No 17) The Young Pope (Season 1): I’m not sure I get The Young Pope. I love it but I’m not sure I get it. Even in this age of weird TV there is something truly odd about this show. So difficult to write about because it does not conform to any conventions or labels and that’s why it makes this list. Having said all of this I’m not quite sure the show ever hit the heights of its pilot (even if it remained excellent throughout) and that’s why it is not a little bit higher.

No 16) Brockmire (Season 1): Brockmire is exactly the sort of gem that can get lost in this golden age, but for those few of us who did see it we know that it was one of the most raucous, hilarious and endearing comedies out there. I don’t know or care about baseball at all but I do love Brockmire and can’t wait til it comes back.

No 15) Brooklyn Nine Nine (season 4/5): Just as Brockmire can get lost in a sea of amazing shows, B99 is the sort of show that you can take for granted so easily but 5 seasons in and it is still full of heart and brilliant gags. More than that though this year on a couple of occasions we saw the show break-out of its comfort zone with episodes about Terry being racially profiled and more recently Rosa coming out to her less than progressive parents. Those episodes showcased a different side of the show and demonstrated how B99 is not just a great sitcom but an important one. Nine Nine!

No 14) Preacher (Season 2): Parts of season 2 of Preacher were as good as anything on TV. The opening scenes of the first two episodes, as well as standout episode Sokosha plus a whole host of other moments, showed how Preacher could execute some of the most ambitious TV out there to near perfection. It was not all perfect and the season might have benefited from being 10 episode long rather than 12 but nonetheless I love this show and it seems to only go in one direction. Bring on season 3.

No 13) GLOW (Season 1): GLOW was sort of the perfect summer show. It was funny and likable and so binge-able. Netflix makes a lot of deeply serialized shows, designed to be consumed in one sitting so as you find out what happens next. Glow was not that. What GLOW was, was a show that quickly established an ensemble of distinct and interesting characters who you wanted to spend time with and for that it was a standout show.

No 12) Better Call Saul (Season 3): It pains me to put BCS at number 12, in any other year this could be a contender for my number 1 spot but here it does quite make the top ten. Part of the reason why it is a little lower than you might have excepted is that at this stage I don’t have to tell anyone how good this show is. Into it’s third season and BCS was possibly better than ever. Certainly episodes like the chilling Lantern and in particular Chicanery mark series high points and some of the finest TV I’ve seen all year.

No 11) American Vandal (Season 1): American Vandal is a curious show. It is ostensibly a parody, yet by the time you finish it you look back and think that was funny but not funny enough to be making this list necessarily. What it was though was the most engrossing show of the year. And it all centred on the question “who drew the dicks?” Yet for the silliness of the premise I could not have been more intrigued. AV found new ground for the most tired of sub-genres, the mockumentary and in the process delivered an absurd but in many ways tragic story of a stupid but well meaning kid in high school whose life goes array for reasons that have little to do with him. Defining the pleasures of the show may not be straight, but boy was it insanely watchable-the Netflix model at its best.

No 10 )Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Season 3): Similar to B99, UKS is the sort of consistent joke machine that you can take for granted, and that many have, but for me this year there were few shows enjoyed nearly as much as it. I thought the show delivered its best season. The work of Ellie Kemper and in particular Titus Burgess can match any comedic performers on TV. Again though amidst all the laughs is a very human character study piece of an abuse victim and maybe where the show’s genius thoroughly lies  is in the way the show balances these two sides of itself.

No 9) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Seasons 2/3): Rachel Bloom’s musical comedy/drama goes from strength to strength. Like many shows of this list it perfectly balances cartoonish sensibilities with discussions on mental health and never more so than in the first half of season 3. In addition to that though are the musical numbers. At times I’m just in awe of how spot on and clever their parodies, my favorite this year being “Let’s Generalize About Men” and for that it had to make my top ten.

No 8) Bojack Horseman (Season 4): In its 2nd and particularly 3rd seasons Bojack became a show that delivered some of the most outstanding individual episodes of television, possibly ever. Escape From LA, Fish Under Water and That’s Too Much Man are just incomparable half hours of TV. Season 4 did not deliver a single episode of quite that standard. What season 4 did do though is deliver quite possibly the show’s most consistent, revealing and hopefully season. Something we all needed at the end of the show’s previous season.

No 7) Catastrophe (Season 3): Okay it was only 6 episodes along, but I ask this question every year, is there a better written show on TV? There might be snappier dialogue out there, there might be more profound existential musings on some other show, but there is no show with more wonderfully naturalistic dialogue on now or possibly ever. Also there is not really a couple of TV I root for quite as much as Sharon and Rob and I really just want to watch the two of them on screen together as much as possible.Plus the final episode of season 3 was just the perfect send-off for Carrie Fisher and for that alone it deserves it place on my list.

No 6) Jane The Virgin (Season 3/4): Now four seasons in Jane the Virgin still has the power to surprise and hit me emotionally as much as just about any show on this list. I would go as far as to stay no episode of television this year hit me as hard as (spoilers) Michael’s death which was absolutely devestating. But when it comes to Jane the Virgin it is not just the big gut-punches that count, it is the smaller moments as well. The other scene that sticks with me most from its episodes this year is when Rogelio (often the show’s most comic presence) opens up to Xo about how he hasn’t been able to grieve properly for Michael, who was his best friend, because he knew he had to be strong for Jane while she was grieving. It is a comparatively small moment but every bit as resonant. I can take or leave all the intrigue concerning the Marbella but week after week the show delivers moments that really effect me, which even in this golden age can’t be said of too many show.

No 5) Twin Peaks (Season 3): It seems to me that Twin Peaks has either been number 1 or completely absent from every critics list. And I can understand both positions. Twin Peaks was fascinating in a way that television and art more generally rarely is. It was also incredibly and deliberately frustrating at times. I’m almost reluctant to point out how obviously frustrating parts of the revival were because I feel like I might be missing something. On the other hand because its Lynch and because he is a widely and rightly acknowledge genius I think some critics have been too forgiving of some pretty blatant narrative issues, that on another show they would have lambasted. Ultimately though it was the TV event of the year and nothing quite engaged me on a week to week basis like it did. More than anything though there were certain moments, particularly toward the end of the season, that were greater than anything else on TV this year. Moments I completely lost myself in, in ways that are quite difficult to explain and for that I won’t be forgetting the revival for a very long time.

No 4) Mr Robot (Season 3): If season 1 was clinically perfect, in a way no show since Breaking Bad has been, season 2 was an over-ambitious, definitely fascinating, mess. I was a bit of an apologist for the largely disliked second season-but even I was somewhat disappointed after the heights of season 1. Season 3 not only got the show back on track but it found a balance in the ensemble that neither season 1 (which was almost all Elliot) or season 2 (which felt like very little Elliot) had. It also starting making sense again and the show successfully battled the urge to be overly opaque or to have unnecessary twists. All of which meant that we got some of the show’s finest hours yet specifically the thrilling fifth and sixth episodes as well as the surprising and heart-warming eight hour, not to mention the finale which had a bit of everything. And for all its pessimism few shows made me happier this year, because I was so delighted to see this great show prove all the doubters wrong.

No 3) The Good Place (season 1/2): Michael Schur has secured himself a place in TV history with The Office, B99 and in particular Parks and Rec, already but with The Good Place he has gone one further. We all knew he could craft wonderfully funny and likable sitcoms, but here he has delivered a show as twisty and as engaged in huge philosophical issues as any prestige serialized drama. The Good Place is not necessarily a sad-com like many of the show’s on this list but it is possibly the most plot driven network sitcom ever. The thing is the plot has real stakes and is completely unpredictable as well. The huge twist at the end of season 1 showed that even in the age of Reddit you could pull out the rug from underneath your audience and I did not think that was possible. I don’t know how much longer they can continue it but as of now The Good Place is just about a perfect piece of television. 

No 2) Halt and Catch Fire (Season 4): Without spoiling what is number 1 on my list, when it aired I thought nothing would come near it but Halt and Catch Fire came very very close. Back in its much derided first season Halt was a jukebox spitting one antihero cliche after another. In some ways it never strayed too far from the conventions of the antihero drama but what made it different was that at a certain point it just wasn’t about antiheroes. Sure all the characters were deeply flawed, none more so than Joe, but their constant strive for something more, for some kind of connection felt so human you could not help but love them. The final four episodes were TV drama at its best and when it ended I really struggled with the notion that I would not be spending more time with these characters, but if anything made it okay it was how well they stuck the landing. Speaking of which..

No 1) The Leftovers (Season 3): No show has ever made quite the impact in such a short space of time. The Leftovers conclude its mere 28 episode run this year, just 28 episodes yet about half of them are nothing short of masterpieces. That includes just about every episode in this final run. It’s tough in just a paragraph to breakdown what made The Leftovers such a transcendent piece of television-so to be glib I’ll say it took the ambition and phantasmagoria of Twin Peaks and combined it with the heart and focus on character of Halt and Catch Fire. LOST-one of my absolute favorite shows of all time-will define Lindelof’s career but The Leftovers is ultimately a more complete and mature piece of work. The writing, performances and direction coalesced to give us something often hilarious and surprising and always deeply powerful. There may never be a show like The Leftovers again and for those reasons it was always going to be my number 1. 

[harrisonchute]

What’s Harison been Watching?!

9/8/2018 Edition

“Perfect Blue”

I haven’t encountered one of those “Perfect Blue EXPLAINED” videos on YouTube, though I did look for it, and any online writing about Perfect Blue is gonna be marred by very standard Satoshi Kon commentary, that he’s very influential, one of the best known in the west, he do dreams and reality. I just wanted to know what people made of this movie, what their interpretations are. I saw it for the first time Thursday night, and this is what I think: the main character’s mental breakdown caused by the existential transformation pop idol to actress, the Internet, and other celebrity life-inconveniences is then exacerbated by her manager’s serial killing. Rumi just wants to protect her, protecting her past self from exploitation, and because that murder violence is so similar to the exploitation, the main character sees herself in it -- she has to, in order to immerse herself in the new roles and grow as an actress. Ultimately, I feel like Perfect Blue is a more interesting film than it is a strictly entertaining one, like that one half of Serial Experiments Lain I’ve seen. Kon identifying all these different stressors facing popular public (and female) figures is fascinating. However, most of Perfect Blue is that space in movies that isn’t dialogue or action or exposition, it’s like mood-setting or suspense setup, like a Wong Kar Wai revision of The Strangers. I would not see that movie, but I’m glad I finally saw this one.

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

I was halfway through an episode of this show when I had to go see Perfect Blue. Not surprising -- I get this way with TV shows, and it’s obviously hardly uncommon for modern media consumers. Every now and again I’ll find a show that disrupts my life, and it’s all I can think about. I was grateful for short shows earlier this year that I loved, like Fleabag and one anime show whose name I can’t remember, swearsies. And yet, I was even more grateful that Kimmy Schmidt is like four seasons -- though it’s ONLY gonna be four seasons. Regardless, it’s really surprising, and it’s especially interesting in the context of other women-led womeny shows of its day.

Upon the infamous episode where Titus is criticized for doing yellowface, I’m watching the Internet outragists shout things like “I don’t want to know the context of anything!” and was left with the startling yet embarrassing conclusion: “My God, Tina Fey is soooo white.” Like, this is what gets to her? Embarrassing because I feel like that sentiment’s been on the Internet wall for ages, with every “Tina Fey did a bad thing” headline I’ve witnessed and ignored over the years. “White people” in media usually just means this is a person whose instincts were manufactured by a system demarcated by stratification: exclusive and hostile. Revising those instincts requires some listening skills, so I was put off by the backlash to the backlash here than anything anyone was lashing against initially.

I feel like Kimmy Schmidt is the absurd comedy version of Cloud Atlas, and the word “absurd” is really the key. So much of racial representation is reliant on “realism,” it seems, threading that needle where a world needs to convincingly contain the token black friend or whoever, and “realism” comes right down to tone. I get a little put-off by absurd comedies, like the short-lived Ghosted, much as I enjoyed it, and I think that comes from my time with Futurama: as that show went on, I started to appreciate the characters more than the jokes -- always a mistake. With that one, the integrity of strict character continuity was often sacrificed for the sake of a joke. Like, Leela is not that insensitive, but she has to be kind of a blowhard in this scene for the punchline to work. Sometimes, Kimmy seems to suddenly know more about the world than I’d expect, but they make it work, because who knows where she picks up these things? The comedy/drama balance isn’t as embedded into the show’s core like You’re the Worst or the above-mentioned Fleabag; it’s got its own logic, like magical realism with abandon, more Arrested Development than Jane the Virgin.

This logic allows -- to me -- navigation through a lot of the show’s spiky territory. For example, it’s hugely problematic that Lillian shot her black husband, because he was a black man in her house at night, but it didn’t bother me (last week). The subject of criticism in the first season leading to the outrage response in the second, Jane Krakowski’s American Indian heritage, didn’t bother me because under the surface there’s that blackened but beating white people heart of “the joke is that I’m soooo white.” Lines like, “The litter in New York makes me cry” got a genuine laugh out of me, and it felt like the best possible version of “Pardon my whiteness, I’m writing a Native American caricature.” I know we’ve had 17 seasons of Modern Family for that kind of humor, but here, it didn’t bother me.

Didn’t bother me. Love that line from minorities. That means it didn’t bother anyone, right? Of course, I’m neither a black man or American Indian, so what about the Dong story line? Issues facing Asian-American men are very different from most social issues, because they all hinge on his penis and where it goes. Satiating AsAm men’s desire to be represented by anybody but Ken Jeong is a one-step process, which is why my desire no longer exists (because Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does, and Selfie before it). So it was a pleasant surprise that Dong became an actual love interest, but it didn’t change my world, and a love story is not handled with the same gravity as shows with different logic -- are we meant to take any of this seriously? Is Kimmy meant to grow as a character? Is anyone? Jane Krakoswki does, but does it matter? My brain is different watching this show, where true pathos comes from moments reached upon layers of irony and cynicism and an almost exhausting one-person race to stay ahead of the cultural conversation. For example, Titus’s romance in the two and a half seasons I’ve seen has been touching, but because it involves Titus, it’s expressed with a much more interesting vocabulary than other gay romances I’ve seen. (Though it’s probably relatively traditional and I still just think Brokeback Mountain is the raddest shit ever).

The difference between the American Indian and Dong plot lines is that I theoretically got a strand of representation out of the Asian-American element in the show, where I doubt an American Indian did from Krakowski’s plot line (though you never know until you ask). But I wasn’t asking for representation (this time), and no one else was asking to be alienated by stereotypes. So I can understand the frustration on both sides -- sometimes, it doesn’t matter how steeped in irony racism is. And as someone who’s created things for an audience once before, I know you can’t please everyone, and it’s the negative voices that resound the loudest, because they’re only echoing what’s already in one’s heart as a fragile left-brain writer variety.

My ability to excuse or at least compartmentalize the problematic in Kimmy Schmidt seems to be part of a concerted effort to appreciate a sitcom’s unique sheen. I like that a show doesn’t need to say important things to be important, that one can draw meaning from near-total meaninglessness. The joys I’ve had watching this show have mostly come from Ellie Kemper’s facial expressions and halting, intense deliveries, and I think we only get those with all the other ingredients -- contrarian satire which sometimes crosses that line from centrism to taking a side, like wow you’re so too cool for school you... went to school.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the show I’m most familiar with in this burgeoning televisual fempire, and the creators of that one are constantly listening to fan feedback, almost to a fault. They seem determined to get everything right, understanding that any one individual, no matter how much a quadruple or quintuple-threat, represents the outlook of an individual, and so they’ve built a dimensional writers room and the show reflects that with its characters and their stories. But they did all that because their show is specifically about inclusion -- off the show’s title, this is the journey of a woman from rejected by society to creating her own. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has less of a clear thesis, and its moral lessons often feel networky and only there for some kind of conscience quota. But unlike CXG, it exists in the here and now, with dated references to The Jinx, to Marcia Clark and Chris Darden pre-American Crime Story, and now hugely insensitive jokes about shooting black men in that specific circumstance. The morality feels like a work-in-progress during an era in American society where the conversation changes every day, like the ever-shifting substance of crackling television noise.

Before CXG, I used to think it was some herculean task to listen to feedback. And on occasion, I’ll hear a video game player talk at length about how “the studio listened to its fans!” and cringe, because I know how those fans speak, at what decibel, and with what, frankly, terribly foul language. Maybe the Internet outrage episode in Kimmy Schmidt wouldn’t have stung as much had I not seen it in the context of Apu on The Simpsons. Now, there’s an example of creators who don’t give a shit. I have a lot more faith in Fey and co., with an understanding that her brand of comedy is always poking and prodding. Comedy is observation, and so much of the observation under men’s watch was “other people are different.” Kimmy Schmidt is tackling that head on, with interesting results I ultimately am not interested in, because it’s too joyous and weird.

I never regularly watched 30 Rock, but now revisiting that one via YouTube clips and compounded with a new love for Kimmy Schimidt, I’m noticing just how lyrical Tina Fey (and co.)’s dialogue is. They say there’s zero improv on that set, and I understand why -- the often tongue-twisting wordplay has a perfect cadence that’s fun to listen to and must be fun to perform. Since I’m now trying to understand rhythm in writing, this is one I’m gonna study.

Spent too much time on this, dammit. Little over two hours, I think.

PS: Anna Camp had a few guest appearances and she should’ve won an Emmy for that role if she didn’t. Or, they don’t need to make Big Little Lies season 2, because that sort of upper crust mommy wars was so perfectly satirized by that arc with Jane Krakowski. 

[inonesingleline]

Ooh, yes, I have a lot to do today before I can do any celebrating, so naturally let’s procrastinate with the end-of-year fandom meme! THIS GOT REALLY LONG I’M SORRY.

1. Your main fandom of the year: The Good Fight, which is a madness while it’s on, always a dull aching hum in the back of my mind while it’s off, and still makes me feel instantly sick to my stomach every time I see a bit of news about it. Fun! But yeah I guess this is the only thing I participated in fandom for anyway; I wrote a little fic, I made some gifs, I tried to offer comfort to my fellow sufferers. (The show is great and most of you won’t feel sick about it, lol)

2. Your favorite film this year: Another year of not being much of a movie person--and to think 5 years ago it was everything! But favorite film in cinemas was Lady Bird; at home, I’m glad my recent Lesley problem has given me a chance to watch some great Mike Leigh films--I loved High Hopes, Another Year, and All or Nothing. 

3. Your favorite book this year: A slightly better year for books; after years of shamefully managing, like, five, I read 26 this year and, more importantly, really got back into the habit in the last few months so I think 2018 will be even better. I read many mysteries, which is always a go-to genre when I’m in a reading funk. But the very best book I read, far and away, was Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker. Shout outs to Still She Wished for Company by Margaret Irwin, Alias Grace and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (hmm wonder why I read those), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (how had I never read it before???) and Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. Of the mysteries, there is a reason why And Then There Were None is revered; holy shit. The rest were just comfort food. If any of this sounds like your thang, we should stalk each other on goodreads, hmu

4. Your favorite album or song this year: Yeah if I’m embarrassed about my engagement with film and literature this year, let’s not even talk about music. I don’t think I listened to a single new (or new-to-me) thing this year. The only music I listened to at all was a playlist of old favorites I can sing along to on longer drives. And this a year with new St Vincent! Shameful. I did listen to a fuckton of podcasts. All my music time has gone to podcasts.

5. Your favorite TV show this year: Honestly, The Good Fight. And if you want a ridiculous list of honorable mentions, here are all of the currently-airing shows I adored this year in approximate descending order of my love for them: The Good Place, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Harlots, Grace and Frankie, Catastrophe, Feud, Big Little Lies, American Vandal, One Mississippi, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Search Party, Insecure, Alias Grace, The Handmaid’s Tale, Transparent, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Orphan Black, Broad City, GLOW, Better Things, Stranger Things, I Love Dick, Veep, The Bold Type, Younger, One Day at a Time, Schitt’s Creek, Jane the Virgin, The Americans, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Speechless, Colony, The Worst Witch. Among older shows, I discovered To the Manor Born and watched it like seven times in a brief but heady love affair this summer, and The Good Life, too. I rewatched Ugly Betty and As Time Goes By. Oh, and while I guess it doesn’t count for 2017 shows, I honestly adored Mum. And had a weird week where I snarfed down a whole season of Strictly Come Dancing. OK that’s probably enough about television. Clearly, television is what keeps me from engaging with any other form of media. :|

6. Your favorite Tumblr this year: I LOVE ALL MY MUTUALS EQUALLY AND ARDENTLY, even if I’m pretty bad at keeping up conversations with you all xo

7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year: Can I use this space to talk about my year in situations? Obviously in these last weeks I’ve been losing my fucking mind over Lesley Manville, who is a sleeper situation, but clearly a Code Red Level One now. I also had some delightful times with Penelope Keith and Raquel Cassidy, who occupy that delicious but not all-consuming space in my mind that Lesley once did. I almost had a thing with Ashley Jensen, but I guess Penelope stole me away before that got off the ground. And Christine Baranski is clearly my forever girl. I didn’t think my fickle ass could ever love anyone so deeply for so long, but here we are. 

8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year: Ummm...? I can’t really think of any, although I will say it was frustrating when all I wanted was a good mystery book series to lose myself in and I had to toss aside many half-read or after the first book. (If I’d finished all the books I started this year, I would have finished my reading challenge and then some.) But of those the biggest frustration was, despite enjoying the Agatha Raisin tv series because Ashley Jensen, and enjoying the Agatha Raisin audiobooks on a different level because Penelope Keith, how honestly terrible I found the Agatha Raisin books. So instead I read summaries of them all because I was weirdly invested in that ship for a hot minute, lol. Not worth it. Please come back, tv show.

9. Your TV boyfriend of the year: NONE but ugh I still have embarrassing Gary Cole feelings, and also Peter Mullan’s character on Mum is allowed to date my girlfriend, yeah. 

10. Your TV girlfriend of the year: So many??? AUDREY FFORBES-HAMILTON is all goals, Diane Lockhart forever and always, yeah I want to softly cuddle and bathe in the luminous glow of Cathy on Mum, Hecate Hardbroom, both Grace and Frankie, and I had a dream about awkwardly trying to date Tig Notaro, so.

11. Your biggest squee moment of the year: DIANE TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WENT BACK WITH HIM!!! God damn it, I am still so fucking embarrassing about this ship. Also, so many Audrey/Richard moments. I keep thinking I cannot fall in love with another het ship, but if you make mah girl all googly-eyed, I’m probably gonna be there for it. 

12.  Your most missed old fandom: Nothing buuuut if it counts I did really feel sorry about the Major Crimes fandom after they fucking fucked Mary/Sharon over, and kind of gleefully monitored the carnage from a safe remove. Honestly so terrible, glad I got out of that mess years ago.

13. Your fandom you haven’t tried yet, but want to? Hmmmm I don’t know? I feel like if there were anything major I would be on it already. I know what I like and I do not delay gratification. But if anything, I think I should probably watch Janet King very soon? Also I’m hovering on the point of diving into The Crown; I did try the first episode for Harriet reasons, but could nooooot get into it. But a number of friends/culture bloggers I admire love it. So I may give it another go. If only in anticipation of Olivia Colman!queen yas!

14. Your biggest anticipation of the New Year: P H A N T O M T H R E A D and seeing Lesley on stage doing Long Day’s Journey :3 and the return most especially of The Good Fight and Grace and Frankie. I also do very seriously intend to diversify my fandom interests in 2018: read more, watch more films, listen to more new music. If I have one concrete resolution, it’s that I will see every movie directed by a woman that comes through town--I mean, of course, through the good indie theater, anyway. I’m setting a reading challenge at an ambitious-by-recent-standards 50 books and intend to meet it. And I want to get better at focusing? If I’m watching a show or a movie, I should really watch the show or movie, not play on my phone half the time. Maybe get better at documenting my experiences and reactions. And continue enjoying this Lesley thing until she wears me out. 

Everybody do this, I’m really interested in everyone’s fandom year!

[mal-loup2]

Stop glorifying getting back together

I’m in the middle of a divorce. A divorce from a man I’ve loved for 3 years. I still love him, with my whole heart. I will never wish anything bad to happen to him, and I will likely miss him every day for the rest of my life. My husband and I were on our second go around of trying to make things work. We struggled for many years. We were two different people, with two very different upbringings, two different dreams, and two different goals. We loved deeply, but that love wasn’t enough to fix the fact that our lives were constantly moving apart.

I started watching rom-coms during the initial breakup. I wanted to believe love was really enough, that it exists and is attainable, that it doesn’t require ripping my soul in two to sustain it. My problem came when I realized that popular culture idolizes getting back together. What do I mean?

- Jane The Virgin: The main character is part of a love triangle, and gets back together with both of her exes MULTIPLE times. They ignore the deep mistrust and abandonment, and piggy back on this idea that love can conquer anything.

- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: This show not only allows the main character to get back together with ALL THREE OF HER EXES, and also MULTIPLE times, but also perpetuates the idea that you can convince someone to love you if you’re creative enough

- New Girl: I literally do not even want to get started on this. 

- Friends: You get the idea

Don’t get me wrong, I think love can conquer so much. However, you can outgrow your partner. You can hit a wall. You can lose sight of each other. You can unintentionally hurt one another. Second chances are hard to give. Third, fourth, and fifth changes are masochism. Every chance rips at the foundation in a big way. It’s the hardest thing to reopen old wounds in hope of actually healing them, especially when the risk or further damaging those wounds is so high.

All I ask is that we stop glorifying the idea that your ex will come back or your love will fix all of your issues or that people who make an explicit decision to split will always come back to one another. Most cases, that is not the case. We need to start showing mainstream show that the heart is not some unbreakable rubber band. Splits happen and they hurt. It’s a sad fact of life, but it’s true.

[femtvpodcast-blog]

Would ‘Girls’ Still Make an Impact if Released Today?

Tonight marks the series finale of Girls on HBO, and as I look back on six seasons, I find myself asking if this series debuted in 2017 rather than 2012, would it have the same impact?

I have to admit that when Girls first premiered, it sparked my curiosity. Millennials, while not much younger than me, were a bit difficult to understand. I was intrigued by a tale of young women living in NYC while navigating careers, relationships, and life.

What I found in Girls was a portrayal of women unlike anything I’d seen on TV. These women felt real. They didn’t always make the best decisions. There was self-doubt, a sense of feeling trapped by circumstance, and a longing to hit the reset button on life. There wasn’t always a happy resolution. Sometimes, one of the characters would get exactly what they wanted, but once they had it, it didn’t live up to their expectations. They were sexual, flawed, and never ever completely satisfied with life.

Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna weren’t likeable all of the time, but is any human likeable every minute of every day? I could see something of myself and my friends at that age in each of them. I recalled a time in my life when pleasing a partner, a colleague, or a friend was more important than doing what made me happy, and how those people reacted when I put myself first. I recognized something in the show’s examination of what women accept as their role based on societal norms. Hannah’s relationship with Adam resonated. I knew many girls, especially in college, who romanticized unhealthy relationships as a way to justify poor treatment. In hindsight, and seeing it through these characters, I understand how truly disturbing these relationships were.

One of its most honest assertions in the final season was that your closest friends, the people you rely on the most in your twenties, may not always be a part of your life. Friendships are taken for granted, but the fact is that growing up can mean growing apart. Seeing this foursome disintegrate before our eyes in the midst of what is arguably a happy occasion was painful to watch. At the same time, it was cathartic and reassuring. For years, I believed that some friendships were no longer around because of something I did wrong. I can now see that those relationships were simply victims to the passing of time and the shifting of priorities.

I really believe that Girls was one of the first times that women were human on the small screen, and not confined to a neat little box, category or definition. It portrayed women with all of their flaws rather than as perfect beings that should be put on a pedestal and worshipped. It opened a door, and blazed a path for the realistic portrayals of women like we see today on shows like Jessica Jones, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, You’re the Worst, Jane the Virgin, and Playing House. If Girls didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have Jessica and Trish, Rebecca and Paula, Gretchen and Lindsay, Jane and Xiomara, or Maggie and Emma on our screens.

If Girls premiered today, I don’t think it would make as big of a splash, but that would be more a result of Peak TV. I do believe, that Girls paved the way for more honest portrayals of women on TV.

(Photos courtesy of HBO)

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/01/13/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-11317/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 1/13/17

In movie news, we got a trailer for CHiPs, starring Dax Shepard and Michael Peña. That’s right, the California Highway Patrol are gonna get their own film. And I couldn’t give two shits. I’ve probably seen 3 episodes of that show in my lifetime, so there’s no nostalgia factor for me there. I’m going into this the same way I went into Starsky & Hutch – another show I’ve never seen. I thought the trailer, however, was kinda funny. I’ve heard a lot of folks ragging on it, as they see it as the “21 Jump Street Model” being applied to the CHiPs franchise. I feel like, without it being a comedy, there’s not really much you can do with that concept. It’s cops on motorcycles. How do you add drama to that? One of them gets a flat tire? I like the fact that it’s a comedy, though the trailer is far from the funniest thing I’ve seen. There’s no way I’m setting foot in a theater to see it, but I’m totally gonna watch it, either via Redbox or “Other”. I mean, Peña is a national treasure. He’s great in everything he does, and I feel like the only reason he doesn’t get more accolades is due to his alleged ties to Scientology. Anyway, a CHiPs movie is coming. Tell your grandpa!

During the Television Critics Association winter press tour, The CW surprised everyone by announcing the early renewal of 7 shows, including Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, The Flash, Supernatural, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Jane the Virgin. This is a major win for Ex-Girlfriend, seeing as how it’s the lowest rated show on broadcast television. This will also be whopping season 13 for Supernatural, which I can’t even believe. I joked on Twitter that star Jensen Ackles must’ve made some kind of Faustian deal around season 5 that he can’t figure out how to get out of. Like, those dudes are completely typecast at this point, where they have nothing to look forward to other than a life on the convention circuit. But it’s good work if you can get it!

Anyway, the most surprising news was that The CW was resurrecting Constantine, starring Matt Ryan…as an animated series. Yes, Constantine will join Vixen as a CW Seed original webseries. Ugh. I’ve expressed my disdain for webseries in the past, but it’s not like I was gonna watch it anyway. I only liked Constantine in his cameo on Arrow, but never watched his series. And the Vixen CW Seed show was so forgettable that I can’t even remember if I finished both seasons. But who knows? Maybe this will be good? I’ll wait til someone I trust recommends it.

Surprising no one, it’s being reported that Girl Meets World is being shopped around to other platforms. In recent interviews, it was revealed that Disney Channel wouldn’t let the show explore some themes that the writers wanted, but I still think it got pretty heavy for Disney fare. Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up at Freeform or Netflix. It seems like everyone would be on board, and maybe it could last as long as its predecessor.

In the world of comics, it was announced that Brian Michael Bendis would be writing a Defenders comic, to be released around the time of the Netflix series of the same name. The series will feature Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. I feel this is bad news for writer David Walker, however, who happens to be writing the current Power Man and Iron Fist comic. Sure, there are multiple Spider books and multiple Iron Man books, but I just don’t see those guys carrying multiple books, especially considering the low sales on PM & IF. I don’t know if I’m looking forward to this or not. On the one hand, I love Jessica Jones and, besides Miles Morales, think she’s the greatest Bendis contribution to comics. I also love how he writes Luke Cage. He got his chops writing Daredevil, so he should be good there, too. At the same time, he’s not the writer he used to be, so I’m not sure if he’s got “It” right now. Still, I’m a dumb fanboy, so I’ll be checking it out when it hits stands.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

The cast of Downton Abbey has been told to clear their schedules for a possible film. I still need to get past season 4, so I don’t even know what a movie would be about at this point.

Love Connection is returning to the airwaves, courtesy of Fox. Chuck Woolery, however, will be replaced by Bravo’s Andy Cohen.

Speaking of Fox, primetime soap Empire was renewed for season 4. I finally gave up on it this year, so good luck with that!

Breaking Baddie Gus Fring is rumored to be showing up on Better Call Saul next season.

American Horror Story has been renewed by FX for seasons 8 and 9. I’ve never seen any of them, but I know some of y’all liked the early seasons at least.

David Goyer and Justin Rhodes have been hired to write a Green Lantern Corps film, which will star Hal Jordan and John Stewart

This adorable 4-year old, Daliyah Marie Arana, has already read over 1,000 books and visited the Library of Congress as Librarian for the Day

Sky TV in the UK was going to air a special about Michael Jackson, but the episode has been cancelled after fan backlash when a photo of White actor Joseph Fiennes as Jackson was released

The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards were held last Sunday, celebrating the best in television and film. Surprising everyone, freshman show (and former West Week Ever recipient) Atlanta won the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy in Television. To top things off, though, its creator and star, Donald Glover, won Best Actor in a Comedy. It was well deserved, as the show was nearly perfect, and Glover was behind all of it. Well, Glover’s week got even better a few days later, as he inked an exclusive development deal with FX Productions. The only bad news was that FX announced season 2 of Atlanta will be delayed until 2018 because Glover’s so damn busy. After all, he’s got to film his Lando Calrissian scenes for the upcoming Han Solo film. So, I think it’s safe to say this was Donald Glover’s week, which is why he had the West Week Ever.

Programming Note: I’m skipping next Friday because it’s the inauguration, and I’m sure this post will be the last thing on your minds. BUT tune in next Wednesday for West YEAR Ever!

[danwritestuff]

tagged by @sparkiewrites​​ 

rules: answer these 85 statements and tag 20 people. ...you’d think i know 20 people here buuuut @viirgowrites @rjwrites @allywritestuff @amywriteswords @darklingsea @yonduuude @ashlaaaywrites @proserpinewrites​ 

the last

1. drink: water, i think

2. phone call: with my boyfriend about how my drunken family at a farewell dinner thing is insufferable.

3. text message: think i sent a msg to my friend to have fun at his rp game session?

4. song you listened to: future friends by superfruit

5. time you cried: I cried when I was drunk af and I thought about leaving my bf behind and then how drunk I am.

6. dated someone twice: you mean the same person two times or like was in a relationship with them, broke up and then started dating again? this is very confusing.

7. kissed someone and regretted it: ehhh not really.

8. been cheated on: never? 

9. lost someone special: thankfully not, i’d like to think. but i really fucked up one time and ruined a friendship with someone. 

10. been depressed: um. every single second of existence?

11. gotten drunk and thrown up: i went to get drinks with my high school friends and we had four different kinds of drinks and i died.

3 favourite colours

12. grey

13. skyblue

14. green

in the last year have you

15. made new friends: surprisingly yes

16. fallen out of love: kinda?

17. laughed until you cried: i rarely do that so no

18. found out someone was talking about you: not really cuz i don’t pay attention to shits like that

19. met someone who changed you: yep.

20. found out who your friends are: idek what that means. like who’s your “real” friends? perhaps?

21. kissed someone on your Facebook list:  technically two of them, i think?

general

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: except like one or two, most of them. but there are random guy from mexico who added me.

23. do you have any pets: my family lives with two cats, one of whom is sleeping next to me rn.

24. do you want to change your name: eh?? not really?

25. what did you do for your last birthday: went to a meeting with my competition team and then had a breakfast for dinner with my boyfriend.

26. what time did you wake up: 6:30 am today... and then after brief nap in the car, around 5 pm i think?

27. what were you doing at midnight last night: playing mobile game and talking to bf.

28. name something you can’t wait for: sweet release of death? being financially independent?

29. when was the last time you saw your mom: like, an hour ago, at living room.

31. what are you listening to right now:  future friends by superfruit

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: uhh......... i don’t think so.

33. something that is getting on your nerves: virtually everything... but if i have to pick, bigotry, arrogance, myself, little noises when i try to sleep.

34. most visited website: tumblr and youtube, prob. 

35. hair colour: black, mostly, but in some lights it looks dark brown i think?

36. long or short hair: short. can’t stand long hair.

37. do you have a crush on someone: does my bf count?

38. what do you like about yourself: i’m a cat person.

39. piercings: nah dude

40. blood type: AB?

41. nickname: Dan (technically a nickname cuz it’s an English name i picked), Danny boy (obviously) Danio, Dan the man, DanDan, DJ... stuff like that.

42. relationship status: taken... not for long tho?

43. zodiac: aquarius

44. pronouns: he/him

45. favourite tv show: can’t really list it all here but rn i’m watching Killjoys, Archer and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Also love Friends, Scrubs, Justified, Elementary, Jane the Virgin

46. tattoos: I WANT ONE OR TEN

47. right or left handed: right, but for some stuff i prefer left for some weird reason. i can also write on my left hand, kinda

48. surgery: a lot

50. sport: i don’t understand the question. is video game a sport?

51. vacation: i went to a fancy camp stuff (the tent had an A/C) with my lgbt group folks last week.

52. pair of trainers: uh........ idt you mean two gym trainers or like... pokemon, so i’m just gonna skip.

53. eating: what does this question even mean? i eat when i’m hungry, but i think it can be annoying

54. drinking: coffee?

55. I’m about to: probably should sleep.

56. waiting for: death

57. want: financial independence, master’s (and hopefully doctor’s) degree

58. get married: sure? don’t think how that’s gonna be possible but

59. career: i’m trying to be a human rights law scholar/activist. maybe a professor too?

This or That

60. hugs or kisses: ew hugs. kiss if we’re gonna have sex?

61. lips or eyes: eyes

62. shorter or taller: taller

63. older or younger: i don’t mind age

64. nice arms or nice stomach: i... honestly don’t know. what does “nice stomach” even mean cuz like, you mean good digestive system? 

65. hookup or relationship: both

66. troublemaker or hesitant: idt those two are mutually exclusive... but hesitant i guess

HAVE YOU EVER:

67. kissed a stranger: well... are they strangers if you hook up with them

68. drank hard liquor: sadly i have

69. lost glasses/contact lenses: um. once a year or so. last time it was cuz my bf ate it.

70. turned someone down: i don’t have a standard but like... sometimes it’s just weird.

71. sex on the first date: most of the time, actually.

73. had your heart broken: you mean living?

74. been arrested: nah i’m a law abiding citizen

75. cried when someone died: i’ve never had someone closed to me passing away.

76. fallen for a friend: sadly, yeah.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

77. yourself: nah.

78. miracles: i don’t like to rely on them, so no.

79. love at first sight: nah, but you can be attracted to someone at first sight.

80. santa claus: nah. not since like 10?

81. kiss on the first date: um... it happens so i guess i believe in its existence?

82. angels: nah.

OTHER:

84. eye colour: dark brown. it looks like black i think.

85. favourite movie: not much of a movie person... i enjoyed Freier Fall.

[theconservativebrief]

Just when you thought it was safe to relax, for no further new TV shows were coming to humbly request your eyeballs, The CW decided to start premiering most of its shows this week.

The tiny network — home to some of TV’s best shows, like Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend — traditionally waits for October to debut its series, where they can premiere slightly outside of the biggest crush of fall TV season. But with the network expanding to Sunday nights for the first time this fall, it’s got more new series to flaunt than usual, to say nothing of all of its returning shows.

Thus, this week, we offer thoughts on The CW’s new high school drama All American, as well as its reboot of the venerable witch show Charmed. Finally, we have thoughts on HBO’s new series from Girls producers Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, Camping, which also marks Jennifer Garner’s return to TV.

Few of these shows are great, and as critics, we often have limited information on whether they’ll get better. (It’s rare to impossible for broadcast networks, especially, to send out many episodes for review beyond the first couple.) But there’s something in all of these shows worth checking out, especially if you’re a particular fan of their genres.

(A note: We’ve only given ratings to shows where we feel we’ve seen enough episodes to judge how successful they will be long-term.)

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Who doesn’t like a teen drama about a boy from an underprivileged background getting a hand up into the world of the rich and comfortable? It’s been the story of many, many teen soaps over the years, but perhaps most famously on The O.C., where Chino-born Ryan Atwood found himself suddenly living among the spoiled and pampered denizens of Orange County.

The CW’s new series All American takes that format and mixes it with Friday Night Lights for one of the strongest new dramas of the fall. It has its rough edges, but there’s something hard to beat about a good-hearted kid discovering the excesses of money and power, while those who have the money and power discover just how much they have in common with the new kid.

At the center of All American is Spencer (winning British newcomer Daniel Ezra), a football star at South LA’s public Crenshaw High. Spencer is black, and he comes from a majority-black neighborhood. (He’s also based on the real NFL player Spencer Paysinger.) When a coach for a Beverly Hills high school — played by Taye Diggs, who I never thought would make a great Coach Taylor but makes a great Coach Taylor — turns up to offer Spencer a chance at a role on a higher-profile team, Spencer worries about betraying his community before eventually realizing going to Beverly Hills could cement his future.

You can sort of see where this is going from there, but creator April Blair shows a refreshing willingness to keep the story moving throughout the first three episodes, unveiling a healthy dollop of plot twists and soapiness, while also giving her characters a whole lot of heart. Indeed, the twist at the end of the pilot takes the show from “pretty good” to “something I’ll give at least a season to figure itself out.”

There are issues here and there (the ensemble is perhaps a little too large for a show this young, and there’s way too much music to drive every emotional point home), but All American is an intriguing stew of teen soap tastes that taste great together. —Todd VanDerWerff

All American debuted Wednesday, October 10, on The CW and is available on the network’s website. Future episodes air Wednesdays at 9 pm on The CW.

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For whatever reason, The CW’s new spin on Charmed has been embroiled in controversy over its status as a reboot starring brand new actors, rather than a revival starring the show’s original cast. And, sure, the original series has die-hard fans, and in a climate where seemingly every other popular show from the ’90s is being revived just as it was back then, it’s not hard to imagine a world where that happened with Charmed, too.

But if those disgruntled Charmed fans tune in to the new version, they’re likely to find a show that, despite a pilot that’s a bit of a mess, has the right elements in place to become just as fun as that earlier series (if not more fun — that original show could be a bit of a mess itself). Most importantly, Jessica O’Toole, Amy Rardin, and Jennie Snyder Urman (of Jane the Virgin fame), who developed this new Charmed, have nailed the single most important element of the show: the casting.

To make a show about three sisters who are witches — and so much more powerful when together than when apart — you really need three actors who simultaneously exude raw supernatural power and a sisterhood that feels real, not assembled right before shooting the pilot. (Even if you know that’s what happened.) And Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffery absolutely seem like sisters, with all the attendant benefits and baggage that relationship carries.

Plus, revamping this show to be about a Latina family offers a subtly powerful twist on the idea of those without traditional political power having untapped reserves of raw power. The pilot could do more with this idea (and the series hopefully will), but at least the sisters never feel like they’ve been made Latina to score empty diversity points.

The pilot gets stuck trying to do too much, establishing the sisters’ powers and setting up a longer mystery about an unsolved murder and offering up a #MeToo metaphor as its monster of the week. But with this cast (including a very game Rupert Friend as guardian angel Harry) and smart writers behind the scenes, Charmed will hopefully find itself very quickly. —TV

Charmed debuts Sunday, October 14, at 9 pm Eastern on The CW.

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Watching the four episodes of Camping that were sent out for review, I couldn’t help but think of another recent HBO series: Vice Principals. The shape of that series wasn’t immediately apparent in the first couple of episodes, and what it ended up being was vastly different from (and better than) what its beginning suggested. It rewarded the viewer for watching through to the end.

It seems as though Camping might fit a similar bill, though I would hesitate to presume that it’ll pull off the same gambit. Created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, and adapted from the British series of the same name, Camping doesn’t really make any progress in the first half of its season.

The reasons to watch are apparent from the start: The cast is absolutely stacked, with Jennifer Garner simultaneously playing to type and against type as Kathryn, who works day in and day out to make her life as flawless and meticulously ordered as her Instagram account. David Tennant is perfectly cast as her husband, Walt; he’s as easygoing as Kathryn is wound-up, as embodied by his lankiness and penchant for bucket hats.

Filling out the rest of the group of friends (just imagine quotation marks around the word) out camping in celebration of Walt’s 45th birthday, there’s Ione Skye, Chris Sullivan, Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman, Arturo Del Puerto, Juliette Lewis — there’s not a weak performance in the bunch.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite enough. By the season’s halfway point, Camping seems to be fixated on showcasing people behaving badly — whether on their own or due to outside influence — without necessarily having a larger point to make. It’s thin ice for any series to skate on, but even more so when a series asks its audience to invest in characters written to be annoying or self-involved. These people are poison to each other — why keep watching them?

A few moments shine — again, the cast is terrific, and manages to find bits of truthfulness in the way these characters tear at each other — but without a firm sense of plot or structure to keep it all together, the show falters. —Karen Han

Camping debuts Sunday, October 14, at 10 pm Eastern on HBO.

As mentioned, basically everything on The CW is back this week. (Some shows — notably Jane the Virgin — are being held for midseason, of course.) That includes the final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Friday at 8 pm), which kicks off with a bang, as Rebecca Bunch finds herself in prison. A happy ending to this saga might seem a stretch at this point, but we’d settle for a “mostly okay” ending, honestly.

If you love streaming shows, this is a hectic week, too. Netflix brings the terrific new cooking docu-series Salt Fat Acid Heat (Thursday), based on the book of the same name, and the superbly spooky Haunting of Hill House (Friday). Amazon, meanwhile, launches the first season of Mad Men creator Matt Weiner’s The Romanoffs (also Friday), while the new streaming service DC Universe unveils the gritty Teen Titans reboot Titans (whaddaya know, it’s debuting on Friday). We’ll have full reviews of some of these in the days to come.

If you’re a fan of podcast hosts, HBO launches its TV version of Pod Save America (Friday at 11 pm) and ABC launches The Alec Baldwin Show (Sunday at 10 pm), should you require a TV version of something originally designed to appeal to your earballs.

Finally, if you’re me (Todd), then the only thing you care about is adult swim’s Harvey Birdman: Attorney General (Monday at midnight), a brand new special reuniting the voice cast of the original Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, one of the great, silly spoofs of the 2000s. Sing it with me now! Whooooooo is the man in the suit? Whooooooo is the cat with the be-eak!

Original Source -> This week in TV: a teen drama to check out, a new spin on Charmed, and Jennifer Garner

via The Conservative Brief

[mchenryjd]

2017 in Review

Necessarily incomplete, mostly for my personal record. I will probably regret this.

MOVIES

10.  mother!

Got to a screening late, had to sit in the third show, could barely tell what was happening and spent most of the movie staring at J. Law’s flared nostrils. An ideal viewing experience.

9.     Personal Shopper

Nothing captures the purposeful emptiness of spending time online like Kristen Stewart texting a ghost.

8.     Get Out

I kept telling my dad this movie was funny to get him to see it, not realizing he didn’t already know it was a horror movie. Afterwards, he texted me, “that was not a comedy!” Feels like that’s enough a metaphor. Daniel Kaluuya for best actor.

7.     Star Wars: The Last Jedi

A Star Wars movie about loving Star Wars movies, which means loving the epic, silly struggle between good and epic, loving the spiral staircase that is John Williams’s force theme, loving it when character always do the coolest possible thing followed by the next coolest possible thing, loving dumb furry creatures and sarcastic slimy ones, loving it when characters kiss when you want them to kiss, loving the hundred-million-dollar sandbox of it all. After the constricted dance steps of The Force Awakens and Rogue One, give me this bleeding freestyle any day.

6.     Phantom Thread

Finally, proof that everyone in a serious relationship has lost it.

5.     Call Me By Your Name

I refuse to believe that being stuck in rural Italy would be anything other than deadly boring and if my father insisted on turning everything into a lecture on classical art, I would run away. Also, there’s a contrast between the book (vague on the details of place and time, vividly specific on matters of sex) and the film (more contextually specific, sexier, but less horny than the original). Also, who am I kidding, I was moved and unsettled by the force of the thing. *Michael Stuhlbarg voice* Pray you get a chance to fall in love like this.

4.     Dunkirk

Having your tense, churning, clanking, thrumming, score transform into Elgar right when the beautiful, imperiled young heroes are reading a stirring speech (and Tom Hardy is heroically sacrificing himself in what looks like the middle of a Turner painting) is a level of craft so deft if feels like cheating, but it works.

3.     BPM

A film about a community in danger that acts as both a memorial to and rallying cry for that community. Uncompromising, accommodating, queer in the best way, BPM makes you want to cry and go dancing at the same time.

2.     Columbus

The kind of movie that makes you want to get in a car and keep driving until you find something beautiful, it has stuck and expanded in my memory ever since I saw it over the summer. Like the architecture that looms large in the setting, the plot can feel uncomfortably schematic – John Cho wants to leave and gets  stuck, Haley Lu Richardson is stuck and gets to leave. The question is how people live within, and blur the edges of, those confines. John Cho has a winning, curdled decency; Haley Lu Richardson gives the hardest kind of performance, in that she often seems unaware of her character’s own wants. I’d watch her quietly assemble dinner for hours on end.

1.     Lady Bird  

A movie that feels less plotted and more prefigured – every fight between Lady Bird has happened before, every high school landmark lumbers by with inevitability, every boy disappoints in the way you expect. What redeems all this? Paying attention, which is also love, in this movie’s pseudo-religious sense. Between Lady Bird and Marion, between Lady Bird and Julie, between Lady Bird and Sacramento. Watch people closely, as Greta Gerwig does, and they reveal glimmers of themselves (I know so little, and yet everything, about Stephen McKinley Henderson’s drama teacher from a few moments that feel perfect, in the sense of contained, past-tense completeness). It’ll all so ordinary. Fall in love with it.

Honorable mentions: Regina Hall’s speech about friendship in Girls Trip, Sally Hawkins tracing a droplet with her finger in The Shape of Water, Meryl Streep on the phone in The Post, Cara Delevingne in Valerian, Rihanna in Valerian, the part where the ghost jumped off the building in A Ghost Story, the fact that Power Rangers was surprisingly good, the soldier who gasps as Diana whips out her hair in the trenches in Wonder Woman, Ansel Elgort’s jacket in Baby Driver, whenever anyone tried to explain anything in Alien: Covenant, Elisabeth Moss in The Square, Anh Seo-hyun feeding Okja in Okja, Lois Smith being in movies, the kids eating ice cream in The Florida Project, the Game of Thrones joke in Logan Lucky, Vella Lovell in The Big Sick, and finally, most preciously, the moment in Home Again where Reese Witherspoon kissed Michael Sheen and someone in my theater shouted “she’s not feeling it!”

TELEVISION

10.  The Good Doctor

Listen, he’s a good doctor.

9.     Riverdale

They’re hot. They’re angsty. They do drugs that look like Pixy-Stix. They never seem to do homework. They love to hook-up in weird locations. They have terrible taste in karaoke songs. They love hair dye, and a well-defined eyebrow. They have really hot parents. They’re TV teens! I love it.

8.     Insecure

This is just to say that I am far too invested in Molly’s happiness as a person. I would also like to view a full season of Due North.

7.     American Vandal

From Alex Trimboli to Christa Carlyle, the best names on TV are on this show. Also the best reenactments, and somehow the most incisive take on what fuels, and results from TV’s true-crime obsession. Jimmy Tatro mumbling!

6.     Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

More shows should take the opportunity to explode in their third seasons, rocket forward at full speed, diagnose their main characters, and give Josh Groban wonderful, unexplainable cameos.

5.     Alias Grace

A show that conjured a performance for the ages out of Sarah Gadon and somehow made Zachary Levi palatable as a dramatic actor, this miracle of collaboration between Mary Harron and Sarah Polley is all the better for being binged. Down it in an afternoon, think of Grace under her black veil, daring you to disbelieve her, for years to come.

4.     Twin Peaks: The Return

A show that drove nostalgia into itself like a knife to the chest. Totally absurd. The best revival/exorcism yet on TV.

3.     Please Like Me

“Sorry about your life.” “I’m sorry about your life.” In a time when things tend to peter out, what a final season, in which everything goes to shit and then some. Maybe TV’s most prickly comedy, Please Like Me’s heart is of the “stumble along and keep going” sort and never does it test itself as much as it did with this bleak, pastel final statement.

2.     The Leftovers

Do you believe Nora Durst’s story? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I think it sounds ridiculous. Sometimes I relax in the comfortable, academic premise that it only matters that Kevin does. It’s a haunting idea, though, this image of world even emptier than The Leftovers’s own, where it’s possible to wander for untold time in darkness. Carrie Coon’s description of it is a kind of journey to the underworld – we’re there with her, maybe, and then we make it back, maybe. The trick of The Leftovers is the wound’s never fully healed.

1.     Halt and Catch Fire

The world changes. People sorta don’t.

Honorable mentions: the twist in The Good Place, the Taylor Swift demon character in Neo Yokio, Claire Foy on The Crown, Vanessa Kirby on The Crown, the stand-up in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror, the televised Academy Awards ceremony, the weeks when Netflix didn’t release new TV shows I had to watch, Girls’s “American Bitch,” the fact that Adam Driver is both in Girls and Star Wars, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys performances on The Americans (and life in Brooklyn), the moments in Game of Thrones that were good enough to make me stop thinking about what people would write about Game of Thrones, season 2 of The Magicians’s resistance to any sort of plot logic, Jane the Virgin’s narrator, Nicole Kidman at therapy on Big Little Lies, Reese Witherspoon’s production of Avenue Q in Big Little Lies, Alexis Bledel holding things in The Handmaid’s Tale, Maggie Gyllenhaal directing porn in The Deuce, Alison Brie’s terrible Russian accent in Glow, Maya Rudolph in Big Mouth, Cush Jumbo miming oral sex with a pen in court in The Good Fight, the calming experience of watching new episodes of Superstore and Great News on Fridays, Eden Sher in The Middle, the fake books they make up for Younger, and Rihanna livestreaming herself watching Bates Motel.

THEATER

10.  Indecent

History, identity, community all mangled together in something that’s both excavation and revivification. I’m so mad I didn’t get to see it with my mom.

9.     Mary Jane

A nightmare that goes from bad to worse, which Carrie Coon performed with the endurance of a saint.

8.     SpongeBob SquarePants

Highlights: The tap number, the Fiddler on the Roof joke, the many uses of pool noodles, David Zinn’s design in general, the arms, the volcano setpiece, the fact that somehow I kept laughing for two-and-a-half hours at something SpongeBob SquarePants. Tina Landau, you’re a hero.

7.     Hello, Dolly!

I had a wonderful viewing experience like this, in that I sat alone on an aisle next to an older gay man who turned to me right when the curtain came down on the first act and said, “man, we love Bette.” (Shout out to any and all gags involving the whale.)

6.     Groundhog Day

Proof you can dig deeper into the material you’re adapting and still find more. Sometimes, the funniest gags come out of old-fashioned repetition. Andy Karl has the Rolex-like ability to make it all speed by without revealing any of the ticks, and then wallop you in the second act.  

5.     The Glass Menagerie

A lot of unconventional ideas piled onto each other that go so far into strange territory that they loop back around to being immediate. Maybe distant to some, but enough to unsettle me. I can still smell the onstage rain.

4.     The Wolves

A sign of a good play is probably that you remain invested in the characters long after you see it, and I’m going to spend so much time worrying about all the girls on the soccer team in The Wolves for the rest of my life.

3.     The Band’s Visit

Katrina Lenk has a gorgeous voice. Tony Shalhoub is restrained to the point that he could move his baton with nanometer accuracy. The songs are transporting. But most of all, The Band’s Visit manages to capture loneliness better than nearly any musical I’ve seen. Everyone, audience included, experiences something together, and then it all, slowly, both lingers and drifts apart.

2.     A Doll’s House, Part 2

What, you think I wasn’t going to include a play with a Laurie Metcalf performance? ADHP2 is perhaps clever to a fault in its set-up, but in the right hands, it turns into something both funny and moving – a story about what it takes to become a complete person, in or outside the influence of other people. Nora’s monologue about living in silence near the end is the full of the kind of simple statements that are so hard to act, and so brilliant when done just right.

1.     The Antipodes

Both an extended meditation on what it means to run out of stories and a brutal subtweet of Los Angeles, The Antipodes is my kind of play, in that it’s mostly people talking, Josh Charles is involved and very disgruntled, and everyone eats a lot of take out.

Honorable mentions: the music in Sunday in the Park With George, the pies in Sweeney Todd, the ensemble of Come From Away, seeing Dave Malloy in The Great Comet of 1812, Alex Newell’s “Mama Will Provide” in Once on This Island, Cate Blanchet having fun in The Present, Imelda Staunton in the NTLive Follies, Michael Urie in Torch Song, Patti LuPone’s accent(s) in War Paint, Ashley Park in KPOP, and Gleb.

[jasonhaw]

10 Shows to Binge in the Latest Golden Age of TV

.As someone obsessed with TV shows, I was pleased with the winners from last night’s 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards (full winner list here). With that, I have decided to come up with a list of 10 MUST-WATCH shows worth binging. Each show in the list comes with a binge clock from bingeclock.com, which is the site that tells you how many hours you need to binge a particular show.

Binge culture has brought us another golden age of TV. I had a hard time compiling this list because there are a ton of other shows that I have excluded, but if I had to recommend 10 shows that people should religiously watch, it would be these:

 1. If you want a less depressing version of politics: Veep (HBO)

Binge Clock: 1 day 5 hours (Season 1 to 6, final season upcoming)

Even if you are not privy to Washington politics, you will love Veep because the jokes are on point. Julia Louis Dreyfus is a powerhouse comedienne, having won Emmys across three shows (Seinfeld, New Adventures for Old Christine, and Veep). Last night’s award set her a record for not only winning the most number of Best Actress trophies (Seven!), but also winning the most Emmys playing the same character (Six in a row!)

As one friend puts it, “Everyone thinks Washington politics is like House of Cards but really everyone over there is fumbling like Veep.” These days, it’s getting harder and harder to differentiate which is the parody of the other – Veep or Trump’s White House.

A bonus you might be interested in: Julia Louis Dreyfus and Joe Biden team up together for a short during the 2014 White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

2. All-around feel good comedy: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)

Binge Clock: 18 hours 12 minutes (Season 1 to 3, Season 4 upcoming)

You probably have seen Titus gifs around the internet.

Co-creator Tina Fey originally planned to air the show on NBC as a successor to her critically-acclaimed hit 30 Rock (which you should totally binge by the way), but instead Netflix poached this show. Aside from the tons and tons of references, some of the actors were also from 30 Rock, such as Jane Krakowski (supporting actress) and Tituss Burgess (occasional guest star). Tina Fey herself shows up in some of the episodes as Kimmy’s therapist.

The title of the show explains it all – Kimmy Schmidt is unbreakable because she manages to live life in New York City even after being kidnapped by a cult leader and trapped in a bunk for 10 years. The opening sequence is one of my most favorite sequences of all time, and I never skip it.

Personal favorite? Season 3 Episode 2. Titus doing Lemonade will make you forget all your problems.

3. Show some Filipino-American pride: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW)

Binge Clock: 1 day 7 hours (Season 1 and 2, Season 3 coming this fall)

Speaking of opening sequences, I also love both Season 1 and 2 opening sequences of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Again, the title of the show explains it all. Rebecca Bunch was a successful lawyer in NYC but decided to move to suburban California after serendipitously meeting her teen flame Josh Chan and spends the rest of the show obsessing over how to get him back. Given that this is California, Josh Chan is played by a Filipino-American actor (Vincent Rodriguez III). The opening sequence pretty much summarizes the premise:

Because the head writer, Rene Gube, is also Filipino-American, the show is littered with Filipino cultural references. Personal favorite: Season 1 Episode 5. Rebecca is invited to a Filipino thanksgiving and she serves up some dinuguan (pork blood stewed in vinegar) to impress the family (video below). The show is a comedy musical – you will have LSS with songs like “The Sexy Getting Ready Song.” Season 1 finale also features Filipino Broadway pride Lea Salonga.

4. All-around awesomeness: Master of None (Netflix)

Binge Clock: 10 hours (Season 1 and 2, hopefully Season 3 comes sooner!)

Speaking of Asian Americans, praise Aziz Anzari for this show. I was lukewarm to Aziz on Parks and Recreation (which you should totally binge by the way!) but I am obsessed with him on Master of None. Each episode is a standalone mini-movie: the title of the show is in reference to the phrase, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Personal favorites (and also both Emmy winners): Season 1 Episode 2 Parents and Season 2 Episode 8 Thanksgiving. In Parents, Aziz’s real life parents make a cameo as the parents of Dev Shah, Aziz’s character, as the episode discusses intergenerational issues in immigrant families. Thanksgiving features the coming out story of Denise, played by Lena Waithe, who is a black queer woman.

Aziz takes time writing these episodes. Season 2, which was released earlier this year, came two years after Season 1. Netflix greenlighted Season 3, but time can only tell when that is coming!

5. The meta-telenovela: Jane the Virgin (The CW)

Binge Clock: 2 days 16 hours (Season 1 to 3, Season 4 coming this fall)

This show is so popular in the Philippines that major network ABS-CBN dubbed the first two seasons and showed it on primetime. The show has this classic telenovela feel, but poignantly makes fun of all of the stereotypes while still coming up with a coherent romantic comedy.

The premise is Jane, who has never had sex in her life being raised strictly as a Catholic in a Hispanic immigrant family, gets accidentally artificially inseminated with Rafael’s sperm during a routine gynecology check-up. By the end of Season 1, you will choose sides, are you Team Baby Daddy (Team Rafael) or Team Boyfriend (Team Michael)?

(Photo source here)

But beyond the love triangle, this show is psychologically smart. It deals with heartbreak, and various levels of losses in a way that’s endearing while also very educational. My personal favorite episode is when Jane finally loses her virginity in Season 3 – I won’t tell which episode exactly!

6. The news explainer: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Binge Clock: 2 days 8 hours (Season 1 to 3, Season 4 ongoing)

Jon Stewart has mentored a lot of correspondents on the Daily Show, and they have since starred in their own late night shows, such as Stephen Colbert (who starred in the highly successful Colbert Report on Comedy Central and now succeeds David Letterman on the Late Show at CBS) and Samantha Bee (her show Full Frontal is on TBS). Trevor Noah may have been Jon Stewart’s successor on The Daily Show (I also love Trevor Noah by the way), but the real successor to Jon Stewart is John Oliver.

Every Sunday on late night, John Oliver goes on a 20 or 30-minute rant about an issue that you might not be aware and you will care about it after. The monologues are available for free on the show’s YouTube channel (YAY!) which you can access here.

7. This is too real: Black Mirror (Channel 4, then moved to Netflix)

Binge Clock: 12 hours 21 minutes (Season 1 to 3, Season 4 upcoming)

Black Mirror is an allusion to the black mirrors of our smartphone/laptop/tablet screens. Each episode is a TV movie in itself, dealing with at least one ethical issue on the future of technology. It used to air on Channel 4 in the UK, where 7 episodes were successfully aired, but Netflix picked it up and ordered 6 episodes for Season 3, and another 6 coming soon.

My personal favorite is Season 3 Episode 4 San Junipero – I won’t even spoil you any details, just watch it please. I am so glad it won the two Emmy Awards it was nominated for.

8. The most underrated actress in my lifetime is in this show: Orphan Black (BBC America)

Binge Clock: 2 days 2 hours (5 Seasons, just ended over the summer)

Tatiana Maslany deserves far more recognition than what she is getting now. After getting snubbed at the Emmys for Best Drama Actress during the first three seasons, she got her due last year when she won the award, having only been nominated for the first time that year. She plays more than a dozen characters on the show, as the show revolves around life of clones under codename Project Leda.

The main 6 are shown above. Screengrab from BBC America YouTube channel. Watch the Meet The Clones video here.

The fifth and final season just ended over the summer, so for those who love to binge after the shows end, this is perfect for you.

9. Breakout comedy star: Atlanta (FX)

Binge Clock: 6 hours, 30 minutes (Season 1, Season 2 upcoming)

Donald Glover – I don’t even know where to begin explaining how awesome he is. You may love him as Childish Gambino, his musical alterego, or his character on Community (NBC, then later Yahoo! Screen). Atlanta is primarily Danny’s brainchild, where he stars, directs, and writes most of the episodes, similar to how Aziz Anzari is with Master of None.

The show revolves around Glover’s character, Alfred Miles, an up-and-coming rap artist trying to make his way into the music industry in Atlanta. I personally have not watched it yet as of date, but it is on top of my to-watch list. After winning multiple Emmy awards last night, I better make time for this.

10. Breakout drama star: The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Binge clock: 10 hours (Season 1, Season 2 upcoming)

Digital platforms are getting more and more savvy when competing with traditional network and cable TV. Netflix has been investing hundreds and millions of dollars producing hundreds of original content (and a lot of good ones as you can see in my list), while Amazon Prime and Hulu are following the same suit. Amazon Prime has Transparent as its centerpiece (which you should totally binge also by the way), while Hulu has found theirs recently with The Handmaid’s Tale. The show bagged a lot of awards in the Emmys this year.

Photo source here.

The show is based on the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name. The premise is about a dystopian future where woman are subjected as a slaves in order to address the plummeting birth rate of the human race. Its main competition during the Emmys, Westworld (HBO), also talks about a dystopian future where the rich can live out their most disgusting and illegal desires on humanlike robots on a playground called Westworld (Yes, binge Westworld also please!)

As I have mentioned, there are a ton more shows, and I know a lot of you have them in mind. But these are my personal favorites, the last two of which I cannot wait to binge.