Monsters of Television

“As long as we’re solvent ghouls.”

It’s fun watching a show that creates parallels without hitting you over the head with them (I am not talking about…okay, that was totally about last night’s Lost…). Much like the question of whether or not the plug needs to be pulled on Max Wilder, the rock star in the coma by the episode’s end, the fates of L&G and Alicia’s and Cary’s placements within that firm are all in question, and who has whose best interests at heart swirl around the episode at a dizzying pace.

The parallels between who controls Wilder’s fate and those who control the fate of L&G and Alicia and Cary are never made explicit, and it makes for richer storytelling when a show trusts viewers enough to draw those connections themselves (and if they don’t, the show is still enjoyable). They’re there, underlining the episode, making the drama that much better. But perhaps underlining the show overall are contemporary concerns about the economy. Read more »

“I mean wasn’t that the point of us bein’ rappers? So we didn’t have to get a job!”

Never before have I laughed so hard while simultaneously being terrified for my future. The many facets of the entertainment industry are constantly changing. The focus seems to change between a focus on the artistic and a focus on business. The Boondocks certainly seems to think business rules in the music industry right now. And they beat up poor Otis “Thugnificent” Jackson to prove that very point.

The rap reign of Thugnificent is over. His peak 4 years ago (40 years in rapper time) has flat-lined. So how to stay relevant? First: use auto-tuner on every song on your new album. “It let’s you sing even if you can’t sing!” Jay-Z would be less than thrilled. Riley certainly was. He’d rather hear the new number one track by young up-and-comer Sgt. Gudda, an obvious knock to Soulja Boy, the poster child for commercially constructed personalities.So the old originality game isn’t working. Auto-tuner didn’t work. Only thing left is to adapt someone else’s style. But his dance is nowhere near as trend setting as that of his younger rival. Read more »

Oh, it’s like they’re talking us about our expectations of and reactions to the show!

So glad we don't have chess clocks for this game

“Across the Sea” has been a fairly polarizing episode. And as Damon Lindelof has sagely pointed out: “Wait. ‘Polarizing’ is a BAD thing?” And he’s right. Polarizing isn’t a bad thing. It encourages discussion and debate and argument (and people to leave rude comments on major TV critics’ blogs) that helps us, in theory, come together about an issue or text. Sure it can start flame wars, but it can also aid in understanding, and I like to think we’re all civil enough to engage in these types of discussion, even on the Internet (despite the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory).

Indeed, the reaction to “Across the Sea” has been as varied as I imagine the reaction to “Exposé” was. And that’s great. These types of episodes ultimately help us figure out what we expect the show to be about. Mythic archetypes or personal stories? Running through the jungle, shooting and exploding things or sitting in the jungle, contemplating the nature of man? It’s these types of episodes that tell us, ultimately, more about ourselves than it tells us about the show.

Me? I was just bored. Read more »

“Monday night can be a bit of a wasteland.”

This is a movie I would watch.

All they needed was a shot of Shaw sitting in a cave and telling Chuck to slide.

Though it hasn’t been made explicitly clear, I like to think what has expedited Chuck’s condition (if it was inevitable at all) is PTSD from actively shooting a person. Popping caps into Supes so his drugged-out crush object can push him off a bridge into a river can’t be easy to live with, especially for a pansy like Chuck. The fact that this was never addressed in the shiny, happy episode after (“vs The Honeymooners”) and, really, not until this very week, not only seems weird (Chuck in a de facto red test after an entire series of being afraid of guns would probably be something to talk about) but yet another missed opportunity. But it’s here now and they pull it off.

I’m a sucker for episodes of television where reality is distorted by the subconscious or some kind of cranial malady (drug scenes excluded because they are almost always exceptionally lame) in an effort to create surreal, symbolic visions of reality. Some might see it as a crutch but I see it as a chance to expand story. This belongs to the latter. As we press onward to further the connection between Chuck and his father, bolstered by a sub-A story discussing him, the Intersect co-mingling with Chuck’s deep, dark chemical responses adds a new wrinkle to their storytelling, especially if they tie this into the crushing stress Chuck has to feel with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Possibilities abound. Unfortunately, after “vs The Honeymooners,” I’m wary of what they’ll do with it.

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“willem. DAFOOOOOOOOOOE!”

When did “douchey” become synonymous with “pretentious”? Did I miss that new edition of the thesaurus? “Robots Vs. Wrestlers” sets up this relationship pretty quickly, and as a result the episode engages in some not-so-subtle class conversations (you don’t get any less subtle than naming Michael York’s character Jefferson Van Smoot). But they’re not fully developed or developed in a way that makes a lot of sense. And then there’s the newest show ultimatum that doesn’t really work either. And Robin’s unmotivated return to the group at the end of the episode.

There are still a number of funny bits in “Robots Vs. Wrestlers,” but the episode as a whole is a bit of a mixed bag. Read more »

“Fine. But I’m not saying ‘unconditionally.'”

Oh, Amber.

Earlier in the series, and really throughout, Zeek has acted as the purveyor of the mighty name Braverman, making sure that Jabbar is going to take the name, bucking his children up with phrases akin to, “Hey, come on. You’re a Braverman!” The last name which, let’s face it, sounds a little made up (apologies to any readers surnamed Braverman but, come on, it sounds like a cartoon hero’s alter-ego), is a source of pride for ol’ Zeek. He believes himself the patriarch of nobility (but hard-workin’ nobility). He has two markedly successful children, one who is wildly talented, just trying to get out of her own way, and, you know, Crosby, who’s cool (he might be successful, too, though it doesn’t seem like he ever works). The Bravermans breed pride which makes failure so hard to swallow for them.

Failure is the theme for this episode and not just for the main cast but for the children as well. It was a dangerous and, at times, horribly awkward, time to be a Braverman. Good thing Jabbar hasn’t taken the name yet.

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“Who you gonna believe? Some bitter wannabe who’s pissed from working a shitty, dehumanizing job or me?”

So here is what Party Down is really about. The previous two episodes have been a bit all over the place, but with the orgy night everything just slides into place (couldn’t be helped). The show was at its best last season when the crew of Party Down Catering ended up getting roped into the party in some way and/or called upon to save it.

It’s that bitter irony that these folks, with grand dreams and ambitious goals have to help those who have already achieved their dreams and goals continue enjoying them. There’s something noble in that, but they can’t just get past the cruelness of it all. And thank goodness for that. Read more »

“He can’t tell his fiancee he’s gay … how is he going to tell her he’s pregnant?”

Men of Team House singing karaoke. Taub doesn’t count.

After giving Taub such a hard time last week, several of my friends told me I should probably take it easy on the poor guy. It’s not his fault that he’s weak and tiny, desperate to validate his achievements through some coworker strange. My friend Ian reminded me he’s the only human left on the show. That’s a good point. Everyone else on the show has vaulted to a point where their once human quirks are now tragic flaws. I mean, Chase killed a dude and possibly saved a country in one episode. There is a legacy around the development of Foreman, Thirteen, and Chase, putting them on tall pedestals from which they can judge and orchestrate things below. Between them, there is almost a mythology. Taub, on the other hand, is human. His flaws are petty, almost pedestrian, by comparison to Thirteen’s self-destructive streak or Foreman’s denial of his past. Taub’s biggest trouble is keeping it in his pants and coping with being a bad liar. He also has to stand against the Greek gods and goddess aesthetically and there’s not much the poor guy can do. Which, of course, makes him a target.

It’s been a while since House took his “relentless torture” game on the road. He’s mostly kept it domestic this season what with his preoccupation in Wilson and Sam. Taub gets flustered easily and, despite his prediliction to this behavior, is not very good at it. So House rides the easy target like he rode everyone in the old days, with a mastery and cunning that almost seems sleepy when compared to his larger triumphs. It’s good to see House returning to the days when was addic– oh no.

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“Everyone’s playing.”

I wanted Community to start finding something new to say or new ways to say it. However, the last few episodes, including tonight’s “Modern Warfare,” have pushed the show in a direction it danced with, but never fully committed to until recently: pop culture homages. Yes, the show has done extended references and tips of the hat prior to the last few episodes, but those episodes will still ultimately defined by the “We’re a family” message that the show was starting to wear to the bone.

I wouldn’t say that the message has gone away — it really hasn’t — but that it’s no longer the driving force behind episodes any longer. Instead the show plays pop culture roulette, a dangerous little game that can backfire if not done properly. Thankfully, Community is streets ahead of any other sitcom on television, and “Modern Warfare” proves that. Read more »