#and by profound relationships i DO mean the twins its still crazy to me that the mcelroys were able to make that work

[jerreeeeeee]

actually its kind of crazy how little we actually see the starblaster crew interact with each other. like other than tres horny boys and each of the pairs in that trio, and like, arguably lucretia and thb, barry and lup, and lup and taako, most of the relationships between the crew are only a few lines, if anything? like obviously in-universe they're all really close and griffin says that (time enough to grow indescribably close), but there's a lot we don't see. like, taako & barry, for example, have a handful of moments, lines we can point to that show they are really close (you're my family, taako, can i speak frankly?), but as far as actual screentime, there's really very little.

and even those i mentioned before, like, lup has more screentime with barry and taako than with anyone else, there's the whole little legato monologue about her and barry's relationship and she has (comparatively) a lot of scenes with taako, but also, as a character, she's only around for maybe a sixth of the show, so there's just not a lot of time to work with?

and that's not to mention the relationships we can figure were probably present in-universe, but literally never see, like lup & davenport. and on that note, i actually can't think of any other pairs who don't interact at least once, but still, very rarely. like now i'm considering davenport & barry. who we hardly see but there is the fact that barry cast command on him to drink the ichor. it's one line in the show and the implications are never really mentioned but there's a lot of significance to be wrung out of this one tiny interaction. barry condemns lucretia's methods of stealing agency from their family in the service of the greater good, but when he thinks it's best for davenport, does the same on a smaller scale? barry doesn't have the time to try to convince him to drink, he needs davenport back to himself now, because davenport is someone dependable, a leader, someone who barry knows will be capable and decisive and relieve him of the responsibility he's been shouldering by himself? that barry knows davenport won't begrudge his use of the spell, because he'll see it as pragmatic, necessary, assistance, and forgive him for it? none of that is necessarily supported in canon but it can be extrapolated from, again, kind of a throwaway line.

the non-thb crew have presence and are important to the narrative, but most of that comes from thematic significance rather than them as individuals, you know? we hardly see lup and barry and davenport (maybe arguably lucretia too, though we see more of her than them), but we see the echoes of their decisions and their goals and their love for the rest of their family and the way they shape the story.

but actually, even that's not entirely accurate, because as significant as they are in that way, their presence isn't only due to that, they're full characters too. they have personalities and depth and connection, they're not only plot devices. like, maybe griffin needed to explain why lup was missing, and that's why she became a lich, and her needing to be a lich is why she and barry had their romance, but also, if that were all there was to it, the legato monologue wouldn't exist, the best day ever wouldn't exist. those are scenes designed to build lup as a character through her connections to other characters and to the central themes of balance, not to fix plot holes. it's just that all of that character building takes place in a pretty small fraction of the show compared to tres horny boys, who have the entire thing. idk its interesting and impressive how some of the deepest characters and most profound relationships were developed in a very short amount of time

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2017 - Best TV Show

2017 was the year that Peak TV broke me. There was so many shows I wanted to watch (Star Trek: Discovery, American Gods, The Handmaid’s Tale and especially the new Twin Peaks) but they were spread too thin across various subscriptions (CBS All Access, Starz, Hulu, and Showtime respectively) for my even thinner wallet to handle. However, even without the shiniest new toys, I still found an overwhelming amount of quality TV to watch this year. Here are The Aarons for Best TV Show:

#10. You’re the Worst (Season 4) – FXX

The show’s fall from my number two entry last year to number ten this year may initially appear worrisome, but, while the scattered focus made it feel like a less comprehensive experience than prior years, You’re the Worst’s fourth season was perhaps the most important piece of the show’s overall story. Splitting up the four main characters into different storylines was a bold choice, but allowed the show to reveal just how much each one has personally grown since the show began. The gang may have been no less funny this year, but perhaps they can no longer be considered “the worst.”

#9. Rick and Morty (Season 3) – Adult Swim

While the Szechaun sauce fiasco may have shown just how poisonous some of its fanbase has gotten, that doesn’t discredit that Rick and Morty was once again in top form for its long delayed third season. In fact, in stark contrast to the fanaticism on display in its real-world fans, Season 3 was the show’s most emphatic rebuttal yet of Rick’s arrogant nihilism as something worthy of emulation, instead finding strong emotion in exploring Rick’s failures in his various familial relationships. As always, Rick and Morty’s clever genre takedowns, including a superb Mad Max-parody and a ridiculous superhero episode, make for one of the smartest and funniest shows on TV, but it’s this perceptive deconstruction of its own nature that really earned the third season a spot on this list.

#8. Riverdale (Season 1-2a) – The CW

When word of a dark-and-gritty reboot of Archie Comics was first released, I was ready to hate-watch this sure-to-be bastardization of a favorite brand in the same way I put myself through all those agonizing episodes of Scream: The TV Series. However, Riverdale’s dark noir-influenced spin on its beloved characters turned into this year’s most pleasant surprise, and one hell of an addictive TV show. While the second season may raise questions about the show’s long-term sustainability, its pitch-perfect cast of young stars and its gleefully twisted blend of camp and carnage for its previously wholesome material makes it the kind of show you’re glad is “ruining your childhood.”

#7. BoJack Horseman (Season 4) - Netflix

In consideration with You’re the Worst and Rick and Morty, “personal growth” must have been the theme of TV this year, as BoJack Horseman’s fourth season was imbued with unexpected hopefulness for a series known for its emotional gut-punches. That doesn’t mean this season didn’t contain the now-expected-but-no-less-devastating penultimate episode kicker, as a delve into BoJack’s past once again brought the tears flowing, but Season 4 was a welcome suggestion that these characters can get on a better path. It makes for another powerful season, but, you know, the show could have once again claimed a spot on this list for having Jessica Biel’s definitive best role ever and for its abundance of top-notch animal wordplay.

#6. Mr. Robot (Season 3) - USA

Each year, I feel less compelled to insist Mr. Robot is much more than the sophomoric anti-capitalist screed that it may have initially appeared to be, because, each year, the show’s clear-sighted intelligence becomes more and more unmistakable. Season 3’s dissection of its own revolutionary ambitions was its most culturally-relevant entry yet. While occasionally dispiriting in its despotic depictions, it was another show to find surprisingly emotional resonance this year, taking a Camusian approach to its Sisyphean conflicts. Season 3 may have toned down the experimental inclinations of last year’s ALF-cameoing season, but it was no less thrilling, thanks to its heightened struggle for control between Mr. Robot and Elliot, and particularly through its anxiety-inducing one-take middle installment.  

#5. Better Call Saul (Season 3) - AMC

While Season 3’s (re-)introduction of Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus Fring may have brought the world of Better Call Saul much closer to its parent show, Breaking Bad, the show has been at the former’s level of quality for years. Season 3 appears poised to be the show’s dark middle chapter, the major turning point in its heart-breaking presentation of Jimmy McGill’s inevitable tragic downfall. Knowing Jimmy’s eventual transformation into Saul Goodman, and dreading what fate may await the rest of the cast, may make Better Call Saul hard to watch from an emotional-investment standpoint, but the show is endlessly compelling thanks to its fantastic performances and its impeccable plotting.      

#4 Legion (Season 1) – FX

Fox has been taking some significant risks lately with the X-Men franchise, including the hard-R Deadpool and Logan, but their most ambitious production was actually on the small screen this year. Legion is the very definition of a mind trip, a psychedelic adventure that breaks all the rules of conventional narrative and visual storytelling. The show is perhaps best enjoyed as a quick binge, but the intrigue of its unreliable narrator, the awe-inspiring special effects, and its blood-curdling, existentially-terrifying villain means the show is guaranteed to linger in one’s brain for a long time. Legion’s creative-daring, an embrace of absurdity that gave us Jemaine Clement as an extra-dimensional scuba diver, is hopefully something that can endure Fox’s potential buyout from Disney.

#3 The Good Place (Season 2) – NBC

The Good Place is an oddity among the current dystopian state of network TV, not just for its high-end quality and bingeable format, but for its willingness to challenge its own status quo. Season 2, building off last season’s daring cliffhanger, brought this risk-taking to new heights, making each episode more unpredictable and exhilarating than the last. Ted Danson is clearly having a blast unveiling more layers of his afterlife-architect character, as are the writers working with the seemingly endless possibilities of the world they’ve created. One wonders how long this boldness can persist, but with a talented cast and a confident, experienced showrunner at the helm, The Good Place looks to be in a… well, you know.

#2. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 2b-3a) – The CW

If “personal growth” is indeed the theme of 2017 in TV, then no show did it better than Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The already-magical show became an absolute masterpiece this year, with a back-half of Season 2 that energetically reinvented the dynamic proclaimed by the show’s title, and a front-half of Season 3 that quickly subverted that new direction for something even more enjoyable and profound. Digging even deeper into the show’s realistic depiction of the hardship of suffering from mental illness made for several difficult episodes, but the talent both on-camera and off handled it with graceful ease that didn’t lose any of the show’s comedic brilliance. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend earns a top spot for its willingness to bravely push past oft-considered uncomfortable boundaries. In its representation of mental illness, certainly, but also in its network-standards-challenging and always hilarious songs.

AND THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2017 IS...

#1. Fargo (Season 3) – FX

It took until the very last minute of Fargo’s third season for me to realize that it was the best television show of the year. The show’s continued ability to collect an all-star cast (including Ewan McGregor playing both twins), the franchise’s trademark dark humor, and its layered, poetic writing kept me engaged through the season’s early episodes, but it was only in those closing moment that all the pieces fell into place, and Noah Hawley’s genius vision for this entry in the show was revealed. In those last few seconds, as Carrie Coon’s determined cop character faces down with David Thwelis’ boorish criminal mastermind, the show left us to wrestle with the defining question of a tumultuous 2017: do we believe that there is an objective truth, a right and a wrong, and that justice will be served? Or, is it all a farce, a game to be exploited, a universe that bends to the will of those who contort it to fit their desires? Taking advantage of the show’s anthology format, the season ends in ambiguity. It’s not a question for the show to answer. It’s a question that every one of us must wrestle with, whether just for the immediate future in a dangerous political climate of “alternative facts,” or for a long time coming. It is a question that defines one’s philosophical, social, and moral being, a question distinguished by a season of fascinating characters, thrilling adversity, and audacious storytelling. It’s this lingering question, contextualized by perhaps the best Fargo season yet, that makes the show the best TV of the year.

NEXT UP: THE 2017 AARONS FOR BEST TV EPISODE!