Monsters of Television

“How long you been playin’, man?”
“Two months. It’s hard.”
“It gets easier.”
“It’s supposed to.”

How could this guy not be evil?

Well. 10 years later and I guess it’s okay to make fun of New York again.

There’s no question from the first season that Treme is a love-letter to the city of New Orleans, at least to everything except its government. Music, food, culture are all mythologized and characters wax poetically about their city more often than Dan Rydell does during those twangy little moments on Sports Night. It’s like that whole “I didn’t know we could do that” schtick except everyone from New Orleans knows they can do it but are drowned by the wreckage of The Storm. The pride and swagger of this city believing itself to be the best place on Earth, in spite of it being smashed into rubble by nature and man’s follies, clashes with our idea that New York, in spite of its own older tragedy, is the jewel in the American crown.

We open up this season of Treme with two characters in New York having their experience colored by renewed and lingering roots in New Orleans combining with some doubts to the validity of New York as “greatest city.” Complicate that with things in New Orleans going swimmingly for some (and minorly less-swimmingly for others) and we essentially have the show presenting a case for why NOLA rules and NYC drools.

Let’s catch up with everyone, including our new resident douchebag character. Could he be more of a jackass than Davis or Sonny?

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Renaissance biker chic

There are a bunch of reasons to celebrate this new episode of The Vampire Diaries, especially after last week’s (rare) disappointment.  It primarily features an extended conversation between Elena and Elijah during which many (many) secrets were revealed. Plots were twisted. Relationships started to come undone. Bodies were exchanged. And Damon seemed determined to play this his own way, which could make for some good drama in the last three episodes.

Let’s review the best parts of “Klaus” in a top 10 list, shall we? (spoiler alert—couldn’t avoid revealing major plot points in this list, so read at your own risk if you haven’t seen the episode).

Top 10 Reasons “Klaus” Ruled Me

10) Katherine got drunk and danced around! Also, Damon sort of helped her, which means she owes him. Not a bad marker to hold.

9) Bonnie was nowhere to be seen. (Of course, Awesome Vampire Caroline and Uncle John were also MIA, so there’s bad with the good).

8 ) Flashbacks are back! The costumes are the best parts of the flashback. Did you just love how they managed to put Klaus in a leather jacket that still seemed reasonably period-appropriate?

7) Ric is back—sort of. I think. Or rather, I’m hopeful. Looks like we’re getting more Damon/Ric bromance style banter next week, too. Love. It.

6) Klaus is back—in his own body. And he seems way hotter with shorter hair.

5) Elijah is back! Elijah has grown on me in a way that only Awesome Vampire Caroline rivals. He’s funny, smart, and super focused. Plus, dude doesn’t let anyone F with him.

4) Damon was super pissy all episode. He’s so sexy when all hot and bothered.

3) Jenna knows the truth! About damn time.

2) Damon and Stefan fought a lot. Much though I believe the real love story in this show is the relationship between Stefan and Damon, both characters come alive when in conflict. Makes for an exciting, tense episode.

And number 1? After the jump…

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What, exactly, is there to be excited about here?

Was it the violence? Was it the naked women with Peter Dinklage? Was it the naked woman with the king of the heavily racialized Others (who are to be used by a lily-white man to regain his throne in a political power play)? Was it the costumes and make-up? Was it the frost zombies? Was it the direwolf pups?

Okay. The direwolf pups are kind of adorable.

But beyond them, and I found myself asking, “Why should I watch episode 2 of this airless, lifeless story about, at its core, putting aside the fantasy genre, rich white men?” Read more »

“Then neither of us would be exceptional.”

“Omar, if you could step forward a little bit so we can get a clear separation between the pretty people and the frumpy ducklings — thanks!”

The bad news: they did manage to take the spotlight off of what could’ve been a grand re-entry into the fold for Thirteen. The good news: they replaced it with an episode that was good enough for a slow clap.

Last week I predicted that they would flatten Thirteen with the quickness into the pastiche of the other Flat Ducklings, making her a sad shadow (a pale imitation, if I may cull the other definition of pastiche) of her strength in “The Dig.” While the fanfare over her return and the struggle Thirteen might’ve had to go through to get her medical license back would’ve been a little indulgent for House, I was hoping they’d put off the flattening for an episode so we could see Dr Hadley as an “assistant.” Sadly, we don’t have time for that nonsense.

So in the same vein that we saw stellar episodes focusing solely on Cuddy and Wilson (aptly named “Cuddy” and “Wilson”), Masters gets her very own episode as she wrestles with the end of her being a student and, possibly, stepping into House’s world on more permanent terms. So, instead of mooning all over Olivia Wilde’s return to PPTH, we get to watch a lamb lost in the Dark Wood. And we witness it all through the lamb’s beady little eyes.

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“Anti-awesometic.”

So this was an interesting episode in that it is pretty funny but still feels like a bit of a rehash of past episodes (particularly “Okay Awesome” (mentioned in passing) and “The Pineapple Incident”), which is something I’ve tagged the show for before. I’m trying to figure out if the series is doing the rehashing of past seasons purposefully, carrying through with its idea of “new is awesome” this season, or if the show is just getting wheezy as it ages.

Part of me worries that I’m rationalizing my continued commitment to the show (and am now set up for two more seasons! Two! At least!). In that sense, I’m pretty hopeless, aren’t I? I’ve talked about this before, how I, as a viewer, am trapped in an idea of what the show should be, unwilling to let it grow past its previous seasons (and I talk a little bit about those reasons in a forthcoming podcast). Does this limit my enjoyment of the show, or is the show just genuinely not working any longer? Last week, I think, was clearly a case of the latter, but is there an instance where the former is happening?

I can’t say for sure, so let’s talk about this episode a bit while I try and work it out. Read more »

“For a rabbit, you’re not very cute.“

Access to television shows from all over the world is becoming easier-ish, legally speaking anyway. Sure, you can torrent or stream a show from another country as soon as someone has been kind enough to translate the dialog, if such an activity is necessary. If you don’t torrent or stream, you’re left waiting for months or longer to see a show from elsewhere in the world, if it’s licensed at all.

Attempting to stop the illegal downloading and streaming of their content, anime production committees and their networks have been licensing shows for next-day streaming, same-day streaming, and sometimes even simulcast streaming on sites like Hulu (content viewable U.S. only) or Crunchyroll (content viewable worldwide; also streams Asian live-action dramas, an increasingly popular commodity) complete with subtitles, and, of course, advertisements.

With this in mind, and since I enjoy anime, I thought I would check in on some of the spring season offerings. Coverage of these shows may be sporadic, but we’ll see how long I stay dedicated to this idea. First up: Tiger & Bunny which is streaming on Hulu and Anime News Network.  Read more »

“There is an entire world out there with no rhyme or reason. Where would you like to start?”

Knowing Walter’s love of LSD, the title of the episode alone should make you giddy.

William Bell is still inhabiting Olivia’s body due to his Soul Magnets (new band name, called it!) and efforts to remove his consciousness have proven less than successful.  Now complications are growing and they have less than a day to get her back. The idea: INCEPTION! Cause really, what isn’t referencing Inception nowadays?

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“It’s not the place that makes the home.”

Smallville has been quite nostalgic lately. Last week they re-aired the 2001 pilot episode. This week both Clark and the audience were treated to reminders of the past. “Kent” was an episode about moving forward, remembering the past to influence the future. This final season has done a lot of looking back. Brainiac 5 gave us some looks back (and forward) and things that are going to help shape Clark as he continues his transformation into the iconic superhero we already know he will become. The past is important. You don’t have to be defined by it, it can be a weapon when wielded correctly. Now that Clark knows he doesn’t have to let go of it, that it keeps living on inside of him, he can use that power. And boy is it going to come in handy.

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Since nothing happened this week on TVD, let's remember the reason it is never a bad show, even when not good.

I really, really hate to write this. I’m serious, this is tough. These reviews take time, effort, and patience. I don’t enter into them lightly. So when I have to write a rather negative one, it bums me out. I don’t do this to bitch and moan—rather, I am excited about this show and I always want it to be good. For reals.

But this week? The Vampire Diaries was not terribly good. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t like the premiere of Perfect Couples (wretched) or the awfulness that was the DC season of Top Chef (frustrating) or the finale of Rubicon (hah—wrote that just to annoy Noel). No, wait, it may be a bit like the finale of Rubicon, because that most excellent show failed to deliver…something happening. We didn’t get answers, the plot didn’t advance enough, there was little satisfaction after a season of questions. This week’s TVD was sorta like that. Before you freak out, I’m going to give a brief diagnosis of this week’s problem. Then I’ll offer a few more elaborate thoughts. Then you can tell me why I’m wrong. I welcome it. I want this show to be good. And I’m not always right. [Note: I wanted to rewatch parts of the episode so I could confirm my opinion, but my DVR decided not to record the show, so what we have is my reaction to first viewing alone.]

I’ve had to write something like this about TVD before—its pacing is a blessing and a curse. The show moves so fast that you sometimes wish it gave you a bit more time to savor the moment. Then when it slows down, you get annoyed that it didn’t deliver enough thrills. This week wasn’t quite like that. There were sparking lights, a big showdown, Damon dancing—all stuff that shows much potential for goodness. But the episode never came together. I kept waiting for the twist, for the reveal, for the stakes to raise. I can envision a review of this episode that thought this week delivered all that—the twist was the resurrection, the reveal was the Elena deception, and the stakes were seemingly life and death. But life and death becomes less meaningful when no one dies.

I’m the first person to admit I’ll be furious if Alaric gets killed off. His disappearance this week at the end of the episode has left a pit in my stomach—how is Klaus gonna leave Ric after he departs that body? But sometimes genuine loss can advance a story in a unique way. If there isn’t at least the risk that someone will go, then the tension never raises high enough to engage the audience fully.

Here’s what I expected the reveal to be (super spoilery—WARNING)—Bonnie was so committed to saving Elena that she was going to die for real. Not through some vague (unexplained) spell. But rather, she was going to die. Twist—she was going to die with Damon’s blood in her. So she’d be a witch and a vampire. Now, that would be loss. And stakes. And sacrifice.

But I’m not sure that is what happened. It seems they somehow found some magic way to save Bonnie. Well, if it was that freakin’ easy, then why all this talk about Bonnie having to die to defeat Klaus?

There may be more answers coming, but at this moment, the episode left me deflated. And that is not how TVD usually operates—this show is exhilarating, exciting, and always—fun! This week was just kind of lame. Can’t imagine a worse thing to say about it than that.

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“I am not a fan. I am not a groupie. I am an academic.“

I haven’t been writing much about Community lately, largely due to time constraints on my end. It’s been a little bit frustrating, but it is what it is. So I return, hopefully, for the rest of the season to keep writing about a show that I really really enjoy, even if it doesn’t always really work. Like tonight.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with “Competitive Wine Tasting” but the episode is kind of a mishmash of ideas and plots, each of which really needed room to breathe beyond their few scenes each. As a result, you can see potential for each plot kind of peek out, but since they’re just piled on top of each other, the potential is never realized, and we’re left with that, really, would’ve felt more at home in the early going of season 1 (before “Introduction to Statistics” or “Comparative Religion”).

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