The Wrath of the Whatever from High Atop the Thing

The Self-Aware Sitcom: Why ‘Spaced’ Rules

2012-04-14T20:34:00.001-04:00

Spaced, the 1999-2001 gem from Channel 4/BBC America, is worthy of praise for many reasons. Long before The Guild, Comic Book Men, or Community have come along to celebrate and self-deprecate nerd culture of all kinds, Spaced crafted some of the most elaborate comic and niche culture parodies on television. But it never is bogged down by such references – writers Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes (then Jessica Stevenson) and director Edgar Wright have constructed a unique (to say the least) band of characters that embark on bard-worthy tales in their own right.

However, what sets Spaced apart for me is how well the cast and crew know their strengths and limitations, and how they work within those parameters. From the simply structural – that this series is only fourteen episodes long, to the overall themes – not taking life too seriously, supporting your crazy ass friends through thick and thin - this series knows exactly what it wants to say and how to say it. It’s especially worth recognizing when this fundamental awareness is so often lacking in television series, let alone most sitcoms, airing today.

So what exactly does Spaced know that most shows don’t?

As with any good story, we should start with the beginning, and by that I mean the initial set-up of our series. Our two heroes, aspiring writer Daisy (Jessica Hynes) and comic book artist Tim (Simon Pegg), complete strangers at the start of the series, find themselves abandoned by their significant others and without homes to go to. One jauntily-scored montage later, these two crazy kids meet and become friends, and they find an ad for an affordable apartment. But TWIST! The ad calls for “professional couples” only, and so in order to secure and remain living in the apartment, the two must pretend to be in a long-term relationship for their new landlady, Marsha (Julia Deakin). Cue ensuing wacky hijinks!

Sounds like a typical set-up for a sitcom: either Tim and Daisy maintain the fauxmance or get kicked out of their only desirable source for shelter. Yet why it works particularly well here is how it plays out throughout the series. It provides enough material for the first few episodes of the first season (Daisy in particular commits to their ruse via a housewarming party and a new dog), and helps introduce us to the other characters in their world. But as we get to know the characters, the ruse falls from the focus of the series, instead becoming a source of tension that can be sustained across episodes.

It doesn’t become a crutch for the series, though, as it might for a lesser series. As the show progresses, what tension it causes changes. Tim and Daisy grow closer, as they get stoned together and have finger-gun fights with local hooligans. Thus the lines between their relationship become blurry, and their ‘marriage’ of convenience adds just another layer of confusion. Likewise, Marsha is wedged into their band of misfits, and lying to her about their relationship gradually becomes distasteful for her sake and their friendship with her.

SPOILER ALERT (I write this, but ultimately Spaced is one of those shows for which I could spoil every plot point and still never fully capture what happens on screen. So read on, spoiler-averse).

The issue is ultimately resolved in the last episode, and it is done appropriately – which, in Spaced’s case means that involved are an army tank and Take That’s “Back for Good” blaring on a boom box, Say Anything-style. Marsha learns the truth in the penultimate episode, and Tim finds out in the finale that Marsha is selling the building (strictly for financial reasons, of course). What Pegg and Hynes craft so well is a resolution to this issue that maneuvers the Scylla and Charybdis of sitcom finales: Tim and his fellow mischief makers Mike (the adorkable Nick Frost) and Brian (Mark Heap) are actually forced to humble themselves and be sincere, and yet they do so without being melodramatic. Tim tries to merely talk Marsha out of selling the building, but in the face of her humiliation and the financial windfall she makes by selling, the half-hearted talk about her being an aunt to him isn’t going to cut it. So finally, the boys pull out the big guns (literally), and set their apology (banner) to music. It is a resolution that is needed for the sake of the narrative, yet it is appropriately heartfelt and ridiculous.

The reason that this ending works so well is in part because Pegg and Hynes knew how long to make the series in the first place, and they were allowed to end it at that point. The biggest vice of American sitcoms is that they keep generating new episodes long after they have run out of steam. Just look at what has become of the American version of The Office, which is now in its eighth season – where is the quiet, astute observer of mid-level office employment hell that it once was? Had it been allowed to end, or had the writers known to end it, after the same number of episodes of its British counterpart, it wouldn’t be fizzling out so tragically as it is now.

Yet like The Office (UK), Spaced concludes after only fourteen episodes. Both series begin with premises that interesting, heretofore unexplored territory on television, but are premises that don’t lend themselves well to growth. Spaced portrays the lives of listless, relatively ambitious-less twenty- and thirty-somethings who have unique views on what will make them happy, or at least satisfied. These characters may learn to see each other in new ways, and may go on fun adventures, but their lives aren’t going to drastically change as they challenge themselves to become better people – Tim may aspire to get a job at Dark Star Comics and fall in love, but most of his desires are satisfied by playing videogames, clubbing, and getting high and watching TV with Daisy and Brian. That’s not a judgment of his value of a character, or any of the characters on this show, but merely an observation that there are only so many of their stories to tell that will be new and interesting. Thus, Pegg and Hynes smartly limited the series to a quick yet astute two seasons – they gave to their audience a satisfying conclusion that still left them wanting more.

There are a million-and-one reasons I could list off for recommending this series. Pot humor? Absolutely. References to everything from The Matrix to Fatal Attraction to Buffy? Hells to the yes! Said references actually being funny? YES, and that is an important distinction to make. But ultimately what makes it worth watching ten years later is just how smartly and lovingly crafted it is.

So to sum up this post: WHY THE F*CK HAVEN’T YOU WATCHED SPACED YET? THEY EVEN HAVE A FINGER GUN FIGHT!

Boob Tube Round-Up, Week of February 12 - February 18

2012-02-24T22:37:00.002-05:00

As usual, this week brought the good (epic Batman parody on 30 Rock), the bad (the skyrocketing melodrama of Downton Abbey), and the maddening (Amber Braverman, you break my heart).

Sunday

Downton Abbey: Uugh. The Matthew/Mary drama is starting to feel forced – now they cannot date because the drip fiancé saw them kiss right before she died? How many more faux-obstacles can stand in their way before they end up together, since that is going to happen at some point. The Lord Grantham almost-affair was random and unnecessary. What exactly was that supposed to be a reaction to? The show seemed to explain it as his trouble adjusting to post-war changes, but why does that manifest in hanky-panky with the maid when he has a seemingly healthy relationship with his wife? But at least Mr. Bates and Anna got their five minutes of bliss. (See my full review of this episode)

The Walking Dead: Way to raise the stakes with the mid-season premiere. Rick has been rather one-dimensional as the stoic hero, so as much as I don’t like what he did at the end of the episode, I am curious as to how far down he will go (*Sidenote: fantastic cameo by Michael Raymond-James as Dave, Rick’s first victim at the bar. He is charming, but on the prowl, a fantastic enemy. It’s just too bad he only gets to be on the show for those few minutes). But unless the bar scene does actually hint that there will be new (human) characters descending on the farm, the writers need to wrap up this setting real quick.

Monday

Shut Up: Usually, plucky drama heroines are quick to adapt to their riches-to-rags lots in lives, but they don’t really learn much from it, like the actual (lack of) value of being wealthy or the merits of working hard for oneself. So I really appreciate that Su Ah not only picks herself up quickly after her father’s business collapses, finding a job and housing on her own. Further still, that she starts to see the value of even a few thousand won and that living on a budget isn’t all that bad, and can even be exciting when you’ve got good people around you. I just wish that the actress, Jo Bo Ah, could be a little more energetic – she reads every line as if she’s floating around on a cloud, unaware of what is happening around her.

Tuesday

Parenthood: AAAAMBEEEEEER!!!!! Dammit! She is such a smart girl, and she has already had so much crap in her life. Why are Katims and Co. saddling her with the impending politically scandalous relationship? But thank God they have Kristina shut it down real quick. It was also smart of them to have Crosby be the one to find out about Zeek’s heart condition. For someone who gets to always play the well-meaning rebel/goof, it means that much more that he steps up and starts looking after his father. And poor Max. This kid can’t seem to catch a break. It seems odd that Sarah wouldn’t think that Max would be afraid of being abandoned, especially since his father was such a royal screw up.

Shut Up: This series seems to anticipate my every concern for it and knows how to resolve them well. Just as I was thinking that the characters all were getting to be too confident and self-assured, especially since almost all of them are teenagers, this episode highlights the very proud Hyun Soo’s insecurity about his guitar playing. I’m starting to get a Friday Night Lights vibe from this series – the series doesn’t romanticize high school and the drama involved, but it doesn’t dismiss the students as merely ignorant or naïve, either.

Thursday

Parks and Recreation: Another fun outing, even if it wasn’t the best ever. It was a little weird to see Dave come back all clingy and obsessive, but Louis CK played him perfectly. I wish we had gotten to see a little more of Duke Silver, Ron’s alter ego. I really cannot wait for him to be outed, because his secret has been kept for way too long in this Youtube day-and-age. So far, the idea of Anne and Tom’s relationship seems to be more interesting than what actually shows up on screen. It’s hard to buy that there is anything substantial that would keep them together, and it just makes me nostalgic for the adorable romance of Tom and Lucy from the second season.

30 Rock: What an awesome episode! I’ve been a little frustrated with this series lately, but that Batman allusion was fantastic. Everything about it was perfect, from the lighting to the makeup to Tina Fey’s bag-lady-turned-Joker. But what was even better was that it grows out of what we know of the characters. Liz has always bound to snap eventually, and snap she does. And we've all just been biding our time until Jack decided to run for public office of some sort. My only complaint this episode is that his run only lasted half an episode - the show is wasting a potentially genius storyline!

‘Downton Abbey’ and Soap (Opera) Scum

2012-02-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

There’s a certain point when watching a soap-laden period drama stops being fun and just starts feeling… well… dirty. Not the kind of dirty felt after reading Lady Chatterly’s Lover. But the kind felt because the series has become so implausible and sensational that it overwhelms the enjoyment of it, let alone being intellectually engaged with it. During the first series, Downton Abbey was a grand escape, a way to explore a new world through characters entirely relateable to ourselves. Yet this past season, the melodrama been thrust into the spotlight, and the result is a more uncomfortable viewing experience. Even if there are still characters and relationships that keep this series worth watching, the imbalance of cringe-inducing soap-operatics to genuine emotional connection is growing at an alarming rate. This week’s double episode (2.06 by PBS’s count) is the paradigm example.

Since this series in many was has become The Mary and Matthew Romance (?) Hour, let’s start with our apparently star-crossed lovers. Their relationship used to be fraught with natural conflicts, grounded in their prickly personalities. It was natural that the two didn’t get together at first, because both are very proud. Mary (Michelle Dockery) was naturally hesitant in pursuing a man who was possibly no longer going to become heir, since her marriage prospects up until that point had always been determined by protecting her inheritance and status. Her hesitation understandably insults Matthew (Dan Stevens), he of the social-status-is-bull-I-just-wanna-work school of thought. He thus rejects her once she finally comes around in favor of the girl with the comparably moderate background. These conflicts make sense given what we know about the characters.

I figured that once the war descended upon the manor, our pairing would finally learn to get over their pride. They would learn to treasure what they have in the face of the destruction all around them and find a way back to each other. Of course, since this is a soap, there are going to be obstacles to their happiness. But since the first series had established both Mary and Matthew to be complex yet rational, I was sure that the conflicts would play out naturally without feeling forced, and the two would approach them thoughtfully.

*Sigh. If only. Suddenly, Julian Fellows, the creator of the series, became trigger-happy and started throwing as many tired conflicts as he could into the mix just because he could. Mary and Matthew have reached that stage where they recognize their importance to each other, in addition to their deep attraction, and little moments like their dance together show that beautifully. But the machinations that keep them apart are ridiculous. Their respective partners this series are wastes of space. They could have been opportunities to pose a real threat to our one true pairing, but instead we get one-dimensional caricatures. Matthew’s fiancé is the superhuman Lavinia Swire (Zoe Boyle), who has somehow tapped into every possible well of human goodness and purity and has no sense of self-worth whatsoever. The poor girl, who worships the ground Matthew walks on, witnesses his dance with Mary and hears him admit that he is only staying with her because he feels that it is his duty to do so since she was so loyal to him while he was injured. Instead of confronting the two-timer, or dumping the guy with the hopes of someone who may actually, you know, love her in return, Lavinia offers to let him go be with Mary, since only his happiness matters to her. Even as she’s dying (which the production is careful to show in the most beautiful and angelic way possible, with her flowing red hair draped around her modest white nightgown), she admits that it’s good that she dies so that he can be with the woman he loves. Fellows created a character that is too perfect to be a real person, or a real threat to the affection Matthew feels for Mary, whom he likes for being hot-headed and opinionated. Had Lavinia been an ounce more interesting (read: more selfish), Matthew could have actually felt some attraction to her, and his grief and guilt over her death may not have felt so forced.

Then, since her character is so empty, Fellows had to create a conflict that is far to melodramatic than is realistic in order for Matthew and Mary to be kept apart after: that Matthew believes that he and Mary killed Lavinia by breaking her heart. Therefore, their relationship is cursed, and it would be wrong of them to get together now. Listen, Fellows. Just because you hang a lantern on the fact that this plot point is cliché, by having Matthew mention that it is, doesn’t mean that it feels any less ridiculous to the audience.

Mary’s own fiancé, Richard Carlisle (Iain Glen), is as much of a caricature as Lavinia, but his personality and relationship with Mary have the opposite problem: he has become so obsessive and controlling that it is unbelievable that anyone, let alone Mary, would remain engaged to him. At first, their engagement made sense, given how pragmatic and unromantic they both are. They both recognize the financial and social benefits gained from their union and expected little more. However, for some reason, Carlisle suddenly cares that Mary doesn’t love him but loves Matthew instead, even if what he feels for her clearly isn’t love. His sudden need to know everything about her and control who she sees doesn’t make sense given his character. What’s worse is that everyone in Mary’s life can see this about him and they don’t do anything about it. Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), who is supposed to be the one person on the staff who cares about Mary the most, merely refuses to work for Carlisle after learning that he asked Anna (Joanne Froggatt) to spy on Mary for him. Mary herself barely seems to care. Director James Strong and Dockery at least knew enough to have Mary look indignant as she learns about what he asked Anna and when he tried to stop her from visiting Lavinia right before she died. However, the fact that that was the extent of her response up to this point contradicts with what Mary should be doing. For all her flaws, Mary has never been someone who would allow herself to be victimized or controlled, and yet she has barely confronted Carlisle. Yes, he does have power over her in the form of the knowledge about what happened between her and Kemal Pamuk (Theo James), but that doesn’t excuse her becoming a doormat for him.

Mary and Matthew are hardly the only doomed lovers on the series, however. After years of dealing with his wife’s meddling (read: obsession and extortion), Bates (Brendan Coyle) learns that Vera (Maria Doyle Kennedy) has committed suicide, and that he and Anna are finally free to be together. We get a quaint little wedding, and a steamy wedding night, and all the while, the two are their adorable, loving selves. Great, no? No. Of course, she uses the rat poison that he once bought for the house, and writes a letter to the friend that afternoon that portrays her fear that he is coming to kill her. So basically, she is setting him up from beyond the grave to be arrested for her murder.

What the hell. The problem here is that Bates’ wife has just become a catch-all psychotic. First she blackmailed him into getting his inheritance with the knowledge of Mary’s scandal, simply because she wants money and has leverage. Fine. Makes sense. We know that Bates was arrested the first time because he was taking the fall for Vera. But suddenly, Vera does not want Bates to be with Anna, so much so that she kills herself in order to frame Bates? Up until this point, her motives have all been selfish, but to some extent they were rational. Even blackmailing Bates into remaining her husband was motivated by the belief that this would benefit her financially. But there’s nothing rational about her last act – there’s nothing for her to gain from her own death and framing Bates for it. Where did this act come from? Again, the show is manipulating her personality so that she behaves in a way that makes the series more dramatic, even if it doesn’t fit what has already been established about her.

However, the biggest offender so far has been what the series has done to Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). Yes, the war was traumatizing (says the suburban American dryly from the comfort of her own armchair). But how the hell does that translate into an affair with the new maid Jane (Clare Calbraith)? Not only were their scenes awkward – beyond the fact that there was no chemistry between them, and there was hardly any interactions between them that would cause the feelings that they are supposed have felt for each other – but again, it doesn’t fit with his character to suddenly have an affair. Mr. Do-the-Right-Thing getting grabby with the single mom in his own house? WHY?!

The show does try to provide motivations for his behavior, by showing that he was having difficulty adjusting to the changes after the war. His family was moving forward, like Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) taking on new responsibilities and social outlooks. However, Robert remains intransigent, hoping that his house and his society will quickly pick up where it left off in 1914. BUT WHY DOES THAT MEAN THAT HE WOULD RESPOND BY HAVING AN AFFAIR? It simply doesn’t follow! The worse motivation that the show offers up is that Robert is finding Cora’s behavior particularly insensitive and catty, especially in comparison to Jane’s ~~waify, damel-in-distress~~ kindness. But Cora has always been aggressive and has always put her family first, so there is no reason why this should be at all surprising to him, let alone offensive to him. This turn has simply been all-around unjustifiable on his part.

I don’t want to give the impression that I am predisposed to dislike this series. I actually have enjoyed it a lot in the past, and there are still features of the show that work well that I am watching for and want to see more of. One of the most interesting developments has been Thomas’s (Rob James-Collier) comeuppance. For too long, he and O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran) have been able to sit on the sidelines and scheme with their unchecked self-righteousness. It especially felt a little unfair that Thomas was never fired at the end of the first series, that he got to leave on his own terms, his reputation hardly affected. Therefore, for Thomas to actually struggle, first with the inability to find work after the war, then for his own rashness to saddle him with a storeroom filled with unsellable goods, is satisfying without being over the top. Even better is seeing Thomas have to suck up his pride and scrabble for his old job as the footman when he scorned it before the war. Well played, well-played.

Just as satisfying is how Sybil’s relationship with Branson (Allen Leech) is playing out. Their youthful romance was sweet to watch, but in this episode, Sybil finally takes the leap to publicize and officiate their relationship. The way that the family reacts is appropriate at every step. It makes sense that her sisters and parents would balk at their relationship at first: not only because it does seem rather sudden to them, but because the social and financial differences between them are not nothing. But the family gets over it after an episode, and they do so for the right reasons. They see that it isn’t worth breaking off all ties with their daughter when she is clearly not going to change her mind – Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) astutely points out that the aristocracy doesn’t survive by being intractable, but by adapting – and Cora actually commends her daughter for being brave and honorable. How about that? From a narrative standpoint, however, what excites me is that Sybil is being set up for a harsh dose of reality. While I don’t expect her to completely reverse her decision, the series has left hints that Sybil may not have realized exactly what and how much she is giving up by rejecting her status for Branson.

All right, Downton. Time to get your act together. Let’s bring it for the finale!

Boob Tube Round-Up, Week of January 29 – February 4

2012-02-09T00:23:00.001-05:00

Breaking up is hard to do, but sometimes its for the best. New Girl and Project Runway, I'm sorry, but it's not me. It's you.

Sunday

Downton Abbey: The war is becoming all too real for the Abbey, giving the series a much-needed narrative kick in the pants. Matthew has finally given up his cute but bland fiancé, but what undermines this progress is that his decision to give her up is a result of his coming down with Noble Idiot Syndrome. There are enough obstacles getting in the way of his relationship with Mary, like the time bomb in Richard Cartwright’s possession, without Matthew’s self-pity nibbling away at my good will. Lastly, RIP William. At least that poor boy finally got his kiss with Daisy, albeit laden with guilt and sadness on her end.

The Good Wife: The way that the seriousness and the drama of the Grand Jury trial was undercut by the straightforward jurors was fantastic. So often law dramas portray jurors as simpletons driven by ignorant, visceral reactions and molding clay in the hands of sophisticated lawyers. I appreciated that these jurors had minds of their own and called Wendy Scott-Carr out on her bull. But I wish Alicia had been forced to own up to her decision to sleep with Will, especially with her children.

Monday

Padam Padam: What a relief that everyone in Kang Chil’s life is rallying around him, that they actually recognize that he is being threatened and is pushing them away for their sakes. But right now, I am a little bit more interested in what is going to happen to Kook Soo. What is Kook Soo’s fate, now that he’s seemingly forsaken his shot at heaven in an attempt to save Kang Chil? Also, Kook Soo gave one of my favorite lines from a show ever: “I may have been an angel, but now I’m just a mutated chicken!”

Shut Up: I thought I would hate this drama, expecting an angst-ridden high-school melo that artificially glorifies a network president’s confused notion of The Rock Music (cough Mary Stayed Out All Night cough). Yet I was won over by this series within about five minutes. It feels like a guerrilla style independent film, capturing the idealism/naivete of being in high school. I think it helps that the boys of the band are completely charming yet still raw and natural. It’s too bad Lee Min Ki is only cast for a cameo, as his lead singer Byung Hee is a scene-stealer for all the right reasons.

Tuesday

New Girl: Aaand I’m done with this show. I think I probably would have dropped it sooner had it not been for the nostalgia I feel for the promotional trailer that was made for upfronts. There just isn’t enough that is unique in this show that compels me to watch anymore. The plots have all been done before, and I don’t really like Nick or Winston enough to care what happens to them. Even Jess, who I watched this series for in the beginning, has become tiresome and catty.

Padam Padam: Kang Chil is just a fantastic character. He tries so hard to be noble, to protect his girl and his family, and yet he recognizes his limits, and as people do sometimes, he lets his awareness of them overpower him. It’s so realistic and yet so painful to see Kang Chil rejecting Ji Na again as he tells her that right now the pain from the cancer is more powerful than his love for her, and that he just wants it to end. And with only two episodes left, I am excited and yet terrified to see Kang Chil’s fate. Bring on the tears!

Shut Up: I can appreciate why the series kills off Byung Hee, since it seems that his music ambitions are going to become a rallying cry and source of motivation for his band members. However, how they kill him is still vexing me. They take the Mean Girls approach and slam him with a semi? I can see that they wouldn’t want to draw out his death with maudlin speeches or tearful goodbyes, and it is much more realistic that he’s hit by a car than actually dying on stage in all his rocker glory as he hoped. But it’s unbelievable that no one noticed a semi coming at him, and it makes his death seem almost comical.

Thursday

Parks and Recreation: What makes Leslie such a fantastic character to structure a show around is that she is able to engage even the most reluctant of characters, and that not only leads to great humor but helps push characters to grow. She is even able to get the ever-dour April and the government official with automatic closers on his doors to get involved with her Valentine’s Day plans.

Project Runway All-Stars: Finally, the contestants get a reasonable amount of time to work, but the fashions only improved marginally. Mondo’s outfit of course surpassed the rest by a mile, and it is now becoming obvious that we aren’t watching a competition. We are seeing designers get picked off until Lifetime can give Mondo reparations for Gretchen-gate of season 8, and that is not exactly compelling television.

30 Rock: As usual, it is the Jack and Liz scenes that make this show worth watching. I love watching Liz try to compete against Jack in the negotiations – her interpretations of his lessons are perfect (“Hello may I please speak to Pizza?”). Jenna and Tracy’s story has basically been done many times over, but the reinterpretation of “Who’s on First?” was actually funny. And as boring as Kenneth’s story was, I am actually looking forward to seeing how his new job shakes things up.

Boob Tube Round-Up, Week of January 15 - January 21

2012-01-31T13:21:00.001-05:00

It's the week of celebrity cameos, and while some raise the bar (Paul Rudd!) and others disappoint (Lizzy Caplan, who deserves better), others are just cringe inducing (burning Miss Piggy as a guest judge from my memory after this round-up is done).

Sunday

Downton Abbey: I thought that this show was going to deal more with the war than it has. It is present to be sure, but aside from a number of physical changes and a greater number of bodies in the house, it seems as though the priorities and principles driving everyone at the Abbey haven’t really changed. At least Edith is finally getting to break out of her Jan Brady syndrome of last season.

The Golden Globe Awards: Given all the hype about Ricky Gervais’s return, the ceremony was a rather staid affair. Ricky threw in a few funny barbs (I loved that he got Johnny Depp to admit he hadn’t seen The Tourist), but otherwise he wasn’t all that remarkable.

The Good Wife: The tension seems to be slowly deflating from this series. The Mr. BitCoin case was intriguing at first, but it ended up becoming a ~~boring~~ traditional case of he-said-she-said with Kalinda as the omniscient observer. At least we got a glimpse of Jackie tonight, if only for a few minutes. The dynamic between her and Alicia is fantastic, and I wish we could see them duke it out more often.

Monday

Padam Padam: What a lovely episode. Little movement forward was made, but it provided some fantastic moments for almost all of our characters. Ji Na has finally won me back over, finally showing the spine I was hoping she had and standing up for her man. Kook Soo looked past his need to become an angel and actually made a selfless gesture towards Hyo Sook. What I loved most, though, was seeing Kang Chil’s mom and his son Im Jung admit to wanting to protect their little makeshift family.

Tuesday

New Girl: I don’t care about what the show says about Schmidt. I love him. Even when he is being a tool, Max Greenfield still manages to make him earnest and endearing. On the other hand, Nick’s increasing stockpile of insecurities is growing tiresome. Also: what a way to waste Lizzy Caplan. You hire one of the best comic actresses around (see Party Down) and give her Bill Cosby impressions and anger management issues? LAME!

Padam Padam: Gah! All foreplay and no action. Again, we got some more cute moments between our characters, but this episode felt much more like it was spinning its wheels in anticipation of the major showdowns coming over the next three weeks. But no matter what, this series certainly knows how to build up the tension. I’m going through withdrawal pains waiting for the next episode, especially to see what is going to happen between Kang Chil and Ji Na’s father.

Parenthood: Oh Amber. I am absolutely terrified where this show is going with her and the politician. It seems like their relationship is moving way past him encouraging her to think better of herself and her skills and into the icky scandal territory. Time to shut that down. I’m so glad that we finally get to see Jasmine jealous of Crosby, since she played that scorned woman card for way too long. And I’ll admit that I cried as Zeek and Camille talked about their future together.

Thursday

Parks and Recreation: Now THIS is how to do a cameo. Paul Rudd as Bobby Newport was fantastic in this episode. His character fit well within the world of this show and is the perfect foil to Leslie’s city council hopes as the lazy other son of the distinguished Newport family of Pawnee. And Leslie’s campaign ad was so perfectly detailed, including her support of such things as “Plow for Charity” and “Challenging the norm.”

Project Runway All-Stars: This had to be one of the most painfully awkward hours of television I’ve sat through in a while. The ‘flamboyant cocktail dresses’ or however they were described were generally pretty lame, if not heinous (I’m looking at you, Austin). What was worse was how guest judge and client Miss Piggy was used. Either go all out and make the challenge and the commentary balls-to-the-wall ridiculous, or don’t invite Miss Piggy to the show.

30 Rock: Another merely ‘meh’ episode. I love Jack as Liz’s relationship-ghost, but all I got from watching Criss and Liz was the overwhelming desire to have Dean Winter’s Dennis Duffy back. Tracy as usual had some pretty great lines, but the protest itself wasn’t very interesting. Likewise with Jenna and Kenneth almost killing Pete.

Boob Tube Round-Up, Week of January 8 – January 14

2012-01-16T00:24:00.001-05:00

Oh Parks and Recreation, you had me at "Low-Cal Calzone Zone."

Sunday

Downton Abbey: I can’t help but get caught up in the grandeur that is this series, even as I am starting to see that as one of the series’ biggest weaknesses. The visuals are both lovely and intense, especially down in the trenches, and the house still hums like a living organism. Yet the series feels too idealized in some ways to be relatable– the romances are too epic, the good souls of Sybil, Robert and William are too good.

The Good Wife: If Diane is getting all hot and bothered over a chance encounter with an Aussie process server, I think its time she gets a man in her life. The subtle overtures that Kalinda is making towards Alicia are nice, but Alicia needs to just let go her anger with Kalinda. Eli is becoming a bull in the china shop that is Lockhart-Gardner, and its time that we got him back on the campaign trail somehow.

Monday

Padam Padam: As far as I know, this is a twenty-episode drama, and I wish it were only sixteen. Ji Na’s indecisiveness about Kang Chil is getting dragged out far too long, and her small turn around at the end of this episode might be too little too late. I just wish Kang Chil could get over her and we could move on with the other plots. But talk about a cliffhanger ending, especially after seeing Kook Soo’s vision!

Tuesday

Padam Padam: Something needs to be said about some of the songs on this show’s soundtrack. While the series is normally scored beautifully, there are a few k-pop songs that show up at least once an episode that make me want to shove a pencil into my ear. In this episode, in the scene in which Kook Soo directly chooses to support Kang Chil’s relationship and the possibly deadly consequences, the heartfelt emotions displayed were outright undermined and made completely cheesy by the horrid song selection. Can we just get rid of them entirely?

Parenthood: I was a little uncomfortable with the new turn in the relationship between Julia and her baby momma. At least the daddy has signed the adoption papers finally, so maybe this awkwardness can go away. Courtney Ford has a tendency to go over the top with the roles that I’ve seen her in (Dexter, True Blood), but she was actually believable as the ~~neurotic~~ perfectionist cellist. I love Sarah and Mark’s relationship, and I love how it’s possibly growing into a new family. And that magazine cover with Adam was absolutely adorkable.

Thursday

Parks and Recreation: Train Wreck Ben is the greatest thing since Train Wreck Anne. Nothing like watching a pretty level person have a complete mental breakdown on screen. But for the record? I’d eat at the ‘Low-Cal Calzone Zone.’ This week’s episode was a fun outing. I love how the campaign gets our team out of the office and into the public, especially since it is the world of Pawnee that makes this show so rich. That event at the ice skating rink was physically paining me it was so awkward, but I laughed throughout. And Champion? He’s no Lil’ Sebastian, but he’s still pretty cute.

Project Runway All-Stars: Kara Janx’s “off the cajones” is my new official catchphrase. As in, “This week’s Parks and Recreation was off the CAJONES!” While I anticipate that Blonde Barbie host is going to be as lifeless as she is now throughout the season, I like the new judges and Joanna Coles more. They may not be as funny as their predecessors, but their criticisms are spot on. But for a couture challenge, the designers needed way more than one day. I blame the lack of time and not the talent for the offenses against fashion on the runway this week.

30 Rock: A rather uneven outing for the season premiere. The pop culture satire was spot on (On Shayna, the pitchy but winning contestant on America’s Kidz Got Singing, Jack says: “Did you know both her mothers are serial killers? That’s America”), and I like what I saw of Jack and Jenna’s character. However, the Kenneth Rapture storyline was unoriginal and not all that funny, and Liz’s dance team past came out of nowhere. Still, I think I’m with this show for the season.

The Little Family Drama that Could: Parenthood’s “Road Trip”

2012-01-14T18:49:00.002-05:00

With all the grand spiritual narratives and cutting comedies on my television line-up, I often overlook the heartfelt slice-of-life drama Parenthood. Yet no series moves me so deeply and sincerely on such a regular basis. Last week’s episode “Road Trip” is a paradigm example of what the series does best, by setting our Bravermans adrift across the California landscape and strictly focusing on the intricate relationships amongst them.

As always, I have to start with how fantastic the visuals were in this episode. This episode was directed by the steady hand of Jessica Yu, director of two of my favorite West Wing episodes, “Somebody’s Going to Emergency, Somebody’s Going to Jail” and “The Supremes.” In this episode, our epicurean desires for visual splendor were sated, with both sweeping crane shots of the countryside…

… and intimate shots of our characters and their emotional states. Just look at Jabbar (Tyree Brown)! That innocent excitement on his face is simply contagious. And poor Drew (Miles Heizer). Scarred for life.

Yet beyond that, Yu took advantage of the setting by stripping away the distractions in our characters’ lives and force them to confront each other. Throughout the episode, Yu continued to squeeze our characters into each others’ personal space physically and emotionally, and it helped the audience feel the tension between these characters in an episode rather light on plot.

Of course, it isn’t a Jason Katims series if the writing and acting isn’t equally as engaging and rich. This episode, penned by Katims and fellow Friday Night Lights scribe David Hudgins, was able to find that impossible balance of comedy and drama, lighthearted ephemera and more substantial conflicts.

I loved the tension brewing in Sarah’s car with her brood Drew and Amber (Mae Whitman). It isn’t all that revolutionary of a storyline, in which Drew walked in on Sarah (Lauren Graham) and Mark (Jason Ritter) making the beast with two backs and hours later gets stuck with Sarah and Amber in the car for the day. However, the dialogue and reveals were written so beautifully, or in this case, for maximal embarrassment and awkwardness, that it felt natural and fresh. I cringed as Sarah giggled with Mark on the phone about being “familiar with that position… in congress” and Drew looked as though he wanted to vomit. I laughed as Sarah leaned her seat back onto Drew and complained about her sore back and Drew glanced out of the window with an infinitely pained look on his face. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Lauren Graham has brilliant comedic timing and improves on any line she’s given.

Of course, this week was all about Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) and his mommy issues. Again, the plot was not overly complex or unique: Zeek’s mother, who recently fell and hurt her hip, was turning eighty-six, and Zeek wanted to gather up his family to go visit her. Yet we learned that Zeek has a troubled relationship with her, as she never supported his career choices or showed much affection to him. Yet why this worked so well was because we could see it written into every choice Zeek made throughout the trip and all over Craig T. Nelson’s face. This desire for approval and to be worthy of it infected his insistence on the safety of that chair, the timeliness of their travel, and the attendance of every family member. Craig T. Nelson poured this insecurity out through every tense muscle in his body.

All in all, this episode wasn’t groundbreaking, but there isn’t really a groundbreaking episode of Parenthood to be had. This episode shows us that what is so special that this series has to offer is flawed, caring, complex characters in an equally rich and very real world. And that is exactly what I look forward to each Tuesday night.

Boob Tube Round-Up, Week of January 1 - January 7

2012-01-08T00:00:00.002-05:00

And we’re back in business! All hiatus and no new shows make TiaC a dull girl.

Monday

History of the Salaryman: I’m not sure what to make of this show yet (this being the first episode). The comedy was on point, both the broad and more satirical sorts - I watched the fight on the golf course a few times, it was just so beautifully/humorously constructed. However, I’m more than a little concerned with how one-dimensional many of the characters seem so far.

Padam Padam: I try to rationally justify Ji Na’s behavior by recognizing that it is consistent with her character, but still I find myself wanting to shake her for caring so much about how it would look if she dates Kang Chil, and I want to hit Kang Chil for giving way to her selfishness after everything he has been through. But the conflicts are unfolding and the secrets coming to light at a steady pace, so I’m satisfied overall.

Tuesday

History of the Salaryman: This episode wasn’t as funny as the last, and without all the humor, this series isn’t really all that special (except for the chicken. Whatever is done to a chicken is a priori hilarious). But I’m still interested, and that’s mainly because of the two female characters, the single-minded yet broken-hearted researcher Cha Woo Hee and especially the foul-mouthed and confrontational princess Baek Yeo Chi.

Padam Padam: Kook Soo gets his wings, and true to form, the show makes the scene electrifying and intense on the one hand, pulling out some flashy effects, and yet undercuts the melo with some very grounded humor. Well done. However, Ji Na’s character is not faring as well. She is becoming shrill and unjustly judgmental again, now that she knows about Kang Chil and her mother, and it is becoming harder to care for her or root for her ending up with Kang Chil.

Parenthood: The traditional road-trip-to-grandma’s-house plot serves as a solid foundation for a great episode. The photography was beautiful, highlighting California’s vast landscapes; the directors and actors kept the energy up and the tension simmering despite being restricted to a few cars for most of the episode; and the writers balanced the very real but small annoyances that plague car trips with the larger issues looming with our characters, especially Zeek. Kudos!

Thursday

Project Runway All-Stars: Pros – It’s a half hour shorter, so it doesn’t drag any more; MONDO, MONDO, MONDO!; Sweet P wasn’t eliminated first; Cons – The new host, judges, and Joanna Cole. Heidi, Nina, and Michael knew how to balance the humor with the sharp criticism, while the new panel is as challenging and as fun as a two-piece puzzle. What’s worse is the lack of Tim Gunn. That’s an automatic fail right there.

‘House of Lies’: Surprisingly On-The-Nose

2011-12-28T23:47:00.003-05:00

Today Showtime released the first episode of its upcoming new series ‘House of Lies,’ and I’m disappointed. This show has some exciting pedigree to recommend it, and yet the episode, currently available on Showtime’s website (ABSOLUTELY NSFW. Let me repeat that. This episode is NSFW!!!), left me cold. I won’t rule out a series simply based on a pilot, especially when a series can drastically change between a pilot and even the second episode, but there are some substantial improvements that need to be made if I’m going to keep it on my busy Spring TV schedule.

(The series will premiere on Showtime on January 8^th, 2012, and air on Sundays at 10 PM)

Suggested Improvements

1. Cut the narration

I get it. You have been fortunate enough to cast Don Cheadle for the lead role of your series, and you want to get as much mileage out of him as you can. Completely understandable. And I would listen to Don Cheadle read the Nutrition Facts on a Doritos bag, let alone describe to us how he’s going to deceive these corporate douches who have hired him, since he’s just so f***ing cool (see below).

Yet the narration needs to stop. There are certain situations in which narration is called for. Pushing Daisies used narration to great effect, since it contributed to the series’ fairytale-esque vibe. This series is using it like a crutch, didactically explaining who everyone is and what is being talked about. It seems to not think highly enough of its viewers, that they can catch on to what the relationships between the characters are and when exactly bulls*** is being spewed. It should take a page out of The West Wing’s book in this respect, by providing just enough context in order for the episode’s story to make sense, and assume that the viewer will catch on to the rest if he or she doesn’t know it already. It’s not like the concepts that the characters of House of Lies are throwing around are wholly foreign and esoteric, so there really isn’t any need for it.

What’s worse is that the narration literally cuts into the flow of the episode. The rest of the characters and action in the scene freeze so that Don Cheadle’s Marty Kaan can speak directly to the audience. The narration actually cuts into the story without adding much to it, and it happens frequently throughout the pilot. What I find strange is that the director of this episode is one of the directors of 24, and the Emmy-nominated director of its pilot episode (Stephen Hopkins). Say what you will about 24, but you cannot say that it wasn’t gripping or well-paced. Time for him to recapture some of that intensity and energy for this series.

2. Get some new writers

There. I said it. I was going to try and beat around the bush, suggesting that the show should dig deeper into its characters or spend more time writing more original dialogue, but in the end it seems more efficient to just get new writers, considering how rocky this episode was in terms of its story, characters, and dialogue. Matthew Carnahan, a writer and executive producer on Dirt, wrote this episode. Dirt may have been cheeky fun, but I certainly don’t remember it for its cutting social satire.

Let’s start with the story. Big banks suck! They gleefully steal from poor people! And they spin crap in order for people to keep buying what they’re selling! Yeah! Or as Showtime says, “Armed with sharp suits, quick wit and a remarkable skill for persuasion, Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell are twisting the facts, spinning the numbers and playing corporate America for everything they’ve got in the outrageous new comedy series, HOUSE OF LIES.”

Oh come on. Why not just give the corporate executives big black mustaches that they can twist between their fingers as they tie fainting damsels to train tracks? It’s just such an obvious approach to an easy target. Not to keep bringing up The West Wing (*cough I love bringing up The West Wing cough*), but it would have been so easy to cast the federal government in an antagonistic light. Instead, Aaron Sorkin chose to portray it with more subtlety and fairness, appropriately balancing cynicism with hope, bulls*** with earnestness. Right now, someone needs to take a step back and reexamine their approach with this show if they want it to be compelling from episode to episode, instead of a mere weekly "F*** You!" to corporate America.

Furthermore, someone needs to insert some fresh jokes, less on-the-nose dialogue, and more interesting relationships into the script. We already have the nerd who name-drops his Harvard education into conversations inappropriately that everyone finds annoying. That is definitely clever and original, except for every other character ever that has ever fictionally attended Harvard. We also have the guy who flirts to get his way around but has no game. Hot damn, show, how did you think of such a character? What’s worse is you give this guy Clyde to the awesome Ben Schwartz (see below), who plays Jean Ralphio on Parks and Recreation, and you are just begging for disappointment by comparison.

Some of the relationships have potential. I'm excited by the dynamic between Marty and his drugged-up ex-wife/biggest competition, especially when the opening scene shows us just how complicated their relationship still is. Yet I was already groaning when I saw Marty needling Kristen Bell’s Jeannie about how probable it is that they will sleep together (87% likelihood). I’m surprised that Marty didn’t turn to the camera and directly state “We have mad sexual chemistry. I am absolutely going to have sex with her. At some point. When it will happen depends upon how many seasons Showtime gives us.” Great. Very exciting stuff. Nothing like watching two snarky, self-important people pretend not to be attracted to each other for a couple years before they have secret sex and break up painfully, since that is clearly where they are headed (aka the Jeff/Britta game, before the writers of Community discovered that theirs was the least interesting relationship within the study group and split them up to be with other people and to greater effect).

In short: A complete re-write might do the trick. Or keep it simple and bring in some fresh blood to the writers room. (Could I suggest Rob Thomas? Aaron Sorkin is a little busy working on his own show, but otherwise he would be better, too.)

BUT WAIT!

I am not prepared to abandon this show entirely just yet. Mostly because of the affection that I have for the actors in the series, both the leads and the guest stars. First off: DON F***ING CHEADLE. He’s just so cool. Even if his character isn’t written terribly well (he’s pretty confident in the conference room and in the bedroom, but watch out! He’s got mother’s-suicide issues!), Don Cheadle plays him in such a chill way without forcing it. Next is my girl Kristen Bell, of two of my all-time favorite shows, Veronica Mars and Party Down. She can do snarky, vulnerable, prickly, cute, and bad-ass, all in the same scene. And Ben Schwartz is just so charming, I know he could make his character much more engaging than he did in the pilot. Guest star Anna Camp? She can do no wrong. She was actually able to wring a laugh out of me when she jumped on and slept with the stripper in the bathroom.

Well, it seems as though there is work to be done, but I’m hoping that the show runners are just using this episode as a chance to experiment. Though if this episode indicates the future of the show, then I think it’s going to be in trouble.

Riding on the BiPolar Express: An In Time With You Finale Review

2011-12-23T23:41:00.048-05:00

Few finales have been so frustrating and yet ultimately satisfying as that of In Time With You. Some scenes and character beats made me want to grab my old field hockey stick and club my laptop to death for showing me such drivel, and yet for the last half hour of this episode I found myself grinning like an idiot as I giggled into my pillow. While I don’t think that this episode resolved all of the problems plaguing this drama, ultimately it succeeds in leaving me with fond memories of my time with it (oh me and my puns!).

I think this should be fairly obvious, but just in case, SPOILER ALERT!

The last few episodes had left me worried about the finale. I don’t mean that I absolutely NEEDED the OTP to get together, to get married, pop out a couple of chubby yet completely adorable children, and ride off into the sunset on a gallant steed. What I actually worried about was that the two leads would simply remain in the holding pattern that they were in when they started. I would be have been fine if they had given a relationship a try but it doesn’t work out, or they discovered that they actually are better off as friends (although that is highly unlikely in their case, given all their emotional baggage). But the characters simply hadn’t shown enough growth or courage to change their status quo, and I feared that the finale wouldn’t push our characters far enough.

Chen You Ching (Ariel Lin), even though she had finally been confronted with her own selfishness and ignorance, was still wrapped up with the black hole of a man who is Ding Li Wei. Even worse, however, was that Li Da Ren (Bolin Chen), who was fully aware of his feelings for You Ching and the fact that Ding Li Wei (Sunny Wang) was not right for her, just kept hanging back with that omnipresent hangdog look on his face. In episode 12, Maggie had even told You Ching about Da Ren’s feelings, and told Da Ren that You Ching knew, and he still couldn’t confess to her. The extent of his courage is to run in the rain to her bachelorette party (to do what exactly is still unclear), but at the slightest obstacle, the belief that she had already left the party, he gives up.

This brings us to the beginning of episode 13, when TiaC is ready to throw her precious laptop on the ground and stomp on it a few times for good measure. Da Ren goes from You Ching’s party to her house and leaves her a f***ing note. All he writes is that he hopes that she’s happy and won’t be able to attend her wedding.

Let’s process this for a minute. The viewers have already been robbed of the pleasure of seeing Da Ren finally muster his courage to be honest with You Ching and confess his feelings (because even his ex-girlfriend was getting to frustrated with his passivity and told her for him), and now this?! Let alone stopping her from getting married, from pursuing the person for whom he has held a torch for well over ten years, Da Ren cannot even muster up the courage to speak to her in person now that he knows that she knows his feelings for her. OC Koala had some very interesting thoughts on how the drama was progressing at the midway point of the series, and at the time, I agreed with her on You Ching’s selfishness as the major problem plaguing the show. But the drama addressed this to some degree in Episode 11, thankfully. And as You Ching’s character became more and more tolerable, what became more apparent was that Da Ren’s character was too submissive and unassertive, and the series never addressed this. Rather, he was often portrayed as being the perfect friend and potential husband for having such patience. The problem with his passivity is that whatever good or ill befalls him ultimately will not be as meaningful to the narrative or satisfying to the audience, because Da Ren has not in instigated the important actions or changes himself.

You Ching, on the other hand, starts off on the episode in a more satisfying way. Upon hearing Da Ren’s song from high school about her, she finally wakes up to the situation, and realizes that she has to call off her wedding. You go, girl. And even more satisfying with respect to her growth as a character, she immediately goes over to Li Wei’s house to inform him of her decision, on her own, in person. ‘Bout damn time that someone in this show grew some balls and confronted her situation directly.

Then the drama felt the need to undermine her action, first by deflating the conflict, by taking away the chance for her to face the repercussions of her decision, then by resorting to a completely ridiculous and pointless cliché. She arrives at Li Wei’s house to own up to her feelings for Da Ren and break up with him again, and she finds Li Wei in bed, waiting for another woman to come out of the shower. She then faints, and the drama cuts away as if this relationship is now completely over and resolved.

No, this development didn’t come out of nowhere, since another affair on his part ended their relationship the first time around. But the way this was used removed the dramatic conflict of You Ching’s bravery. It's as if his cheating is a counterweight for her lack of love for him and love for someone else, and therefore nothing needs to be addressed anymore. Not only are these two separate issues, issues that need to be each addressed individually, but is unfair of the drama to rob You Ching of this chance to take a stand for what she wants in life. The show even had the opportunity to address the issue later, when the pair runs into each other at an airport. Li Wei tries to apologize, but You Ching brushes it off, saying that it’s fine, since everything worked out for the best. She may be showing greater maturity by not attacking him as she would have before, but she still needed to recognize that he wasn’t the only non-innocent in that situation and that she had something to come clean about to him, too.

And the faint. Wall, meet TiaC’s fist. There is absolutely no good reason for her to faint. Yes, she was out in the rain for a while, and she never does dry off before going to Li Wei’s house. But other than the fact that it is apparently a rule in dramas that whenever females get rained on for any amount of time they must either faint or get sick, there is no reason whatsoever for her to faint. She just does. We know that it is pointless because the show cuts from her fainting to You Ching’s little weekly “signs of aging” lesson and her round the world trip. I suppose it is one way to end a scene that has sucked out one of the last remaining substantial conflicts of the show, even if it is completely arbitrary and meaningless.

At this point, I was ready to stop watching the episode. Maybe the drama gods were starting to sense that all the good will that had been built up to this point, the good will I had for the stunning visuals and the creative ways that the director had showed the bond between You Ching and Da Ren, was rapidly disintegrating; because the episode took a sharp turn for the better, and this drama Grinch found that her little heart that had shrunk to a miniscule size over the past few episodes was growing three sizes and was about to burst out.

It all starts with You Ching’s personality replacement – oops, I mean her healing eight month sightseeing trip around the world. (*Sidenote: for a show that has been so strong with how it tells stories visually, and how beautiful the cinematography has been, it was disheartening to see that they planted Ariel Lin in front of a green screen and threw up a bunch of overused landmarks behind her to show her trip. Why not just keep her local and instead spend the money capturing better footage?) Suddenly, You Ching is more grounded, less bitter, the inexplicable chip on her shoulder has disappeared, and she is smiling more in this episode than in the rest of the series combined. I could harp on the fact that this drama would have been even more pleasing had this new-found self-confidence and patience been reached a little earlier in the show, but at this point I am just happy that someone has grown up and is enjoying herself. It doesn’t hurt Ariel Lin’s smile is simply infectious.

Next comes the sweet moments for everyone else in the show. We see Da Ren’s new work friends step closer in their relationship, Da Ren’s mother and her boyfriend get married, and a reminder of how adorable You Ching’s parents are. What’s nice about these moments is that while we get a bit of closure on some stories, none of them seem as though they are forcefully wrapped up with a big red bow on top simply because it is the last episode. The wedding was sweet, but more importantly it was the next step in the natural progression of Da Ren’s Mom and Uncle Bai’s relationship. Without forcing confessions down their throats, and while masking it with misleading dialogue, we see Ping An’s crush making subconscious overtures towards her that steps beyond those of a typical friendship. The audience is allowed to see that their relationship is developing, but it is handled with subtlety in a timely fashion.

However, the success of this episode hangs on how our OTP finally gets together, and it is at this point when I hug my laptop, apologize for the misdirected abuse, and pull out a pillow to muffle my schoolgirl giggling. As much as I hate how stubborn and passive our lead pairing has been as far as admitting that they are more than mere friends, I love how naturally their relationship starts. They are in an Ikea showroom where You Ching now works - it's the perfect way for You Ching and Da Ren to test the waters of a potential real-world romance, one that isn’t groundbreaking or grandiose but substantial and comfortable. I was moved by how natural they were together as a faux-married couple in this potential living room and kitchen, as if you could see that this is exactly how they would be for the next fifty years now that all the extraneous bulls**t keeping them apart has fallen away. Their kiss is awkward at first, as a kiss between friends would be, but once they let themselves be in the moment, it seems natural and right.

And the hits just keep on coming. What makes this latter half of the finale so wonderful to watch was that it shows us glimpses of Da Ren and You Ching’s future, both big and small. Luckily the writer was smart enough to know that the audience deserves to see the couple get married, and it is exactly what it should to be: warm and fun, slightly off kilter but grounded in two loving families and all their friends. But we also get to see the details that made their world so rich in the beginning. We see You Ching and Da Ren bonding over a couple of beers and food at the local noodle stand, just as they always have, but now missing that last barrier that separated them has been removed, and they freely hug and kiss. We see the return of smiley, adorkable Da Ren as he sings his song to You Ching on the plane after their honeymoon, just because he can. And we see Da Ren and You Ching get into a fight as a married couple, but resolve it by talking to each other over the phone as each other’s best friend.

Of course, these moments would have been all the more meaningful if the grounds on which they built this relationship had been fought for and won as opposed to being handed to them by the people around them. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment with my joy when Da Ren said to You Ching on the plane that he couldn’t live in a city without her, or that no matter what fights they get into he will always keep her by his side. Since Da Ren didn't pronounce his feelings in the moments when they mattered, his words now feel empty.

My feelings about this last episode are a fairly accurate representation of my feelings for the entire series. As often as I was excited by the plot advancements and the visual elements, I was frustrated by the lack of character growth. Yet I must admit that this series did have me firmly in its grasp each week. I was engaged by the characters and by the overall story of the struggle of two best friends when faced with their attraction beyond mere friendship. I may not immediately jump back into this series, but once my emotional equilibrium has been restored, I think I could easily re-watch it, especially knowing how everything plays out ultimately.

Boob Tube Round-Up: Week of December 10 – December 16

2011-12-19T02:40:00.001-05:00

Hiatus? Who does that? The next few weeks without new episodes are going to be torturous...

Sunday, December 11

The Good Wife: Team Kalisha FTW! Or is it Team Alinda? Whatever it is, I’m excited to see my favorite girls inching back towards each other. And I may not be Peter’s biggest fan, (get it? Biggest – Mr. Big? It’s a pun! Yeah, I fail) but I must admit that seeing him throw his influence around so blatantly was fun to watch, even if his opponent was just a private school principal.

In Time With You: I’m in the process of writing a series review, but my response to the last episode can be summed up by what I kept screaming at my lap top as I watched: “WHAT THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG!”

Monday, December 12

FBRS: Where did my sleep-anywhere Bean Pole go? And my spike-to-the-face Eun Bi? Everyone seems to be overwhelmed by this love triangle without any idea of how to move forward. What does Eun Bi want from her life now? Even though it can be funny, this drama is getting frustrating.

Padam Padam: Kang Chil and his mom reuniting and rebuilding their relationship is so sweet. The metaphor that he is literally rebuilding her home may be a bit obvious, but visually the shots are so artful that I don’t mind. And Kook Soo and Kang Chil’s mom are adorable together! Although I am a bit concerned about how Kang Chil’s illness will play out - the cancer cliche in K-dramas is cliche for a reason.

Tuesday, December 13

FBRS: I actually like the conflict/cliff hanger going into the final episodes next week, Kang Hyuk’s standing by either Chi Soo or the ramen shop, but for once I actually wish that there was a bit more tension behind it. I want Chi Soo to take a strong stance for Eun Bi, and vice versa, and for our flower boys + Eun Bi to make a strong stance together against Cha Sung.

New Girl: Great to see the trapped-in-a-small-space and accidental-confession-of-friend’s-secret clichés used in a new way with such great effect. I am bummed, though, that I won’t be seeing Paul anymore, since he and Jess were so sweet together. Winston finding a job at the Christmas party felt pretty forced and unnatural – wasn’t it just two episodes that he was undermining high school bell ringers, and now he’s the child whisperer?

Padam Padam: Every so often, I catch Kim Bum acting, especially in the scenes that call for intense emotions, but for the most part he has definitely improved. On the Ji Na front, I like her character even more than in the last episode. We are beginning to see her nurturing spirit emerge from under her tough façade as she bonds with Kang Chil, and therefore the scenes between them are becoming more engrossing.

And that's it for this week, as Parks and Rec and Community are on a break, and The Musical is officially dead to me.

The Second Commandment: Check Out Padam Padam

2011-12-12T01:17:00.005-05:00

(Padam Padam is a Monday-Tuesday drama that premiered on December 5^th in South Korea on the new cable channel jTBC and is being subtitled in English by Dramafever. It is scheduled to air for twenty episodes).

I can say, in all earnestness, that Padam Padam epitomizes why I am so passionately devoted to the medium of television. It may seem a bit hasty to throw such praise around for a series that has just aired its first two episodes this past week, but when the directing, cinematography, writing, and acting is firing on all cylinders the way it has so far, I can’t help but get excited.

The set-up: Yang Kang Chil has been in prison for sixteen of his thirty-five years for a murder he did not commit. In his last month inside, Kang Chil receives the opportunity to change the course of his life for the better, in part because of his ever-supportive friend/self-described guardian angel Lee Kook Soo. Kang Chil is informed that all such opportunities come in threes, and so he should experience two more now that he is released. Meanwhile, Kang Chil’s fate is quickly being entangled with that of the prickly veternarian Jung Ji Na, and figures prominent in his arrest and set-up sixteen years ago are reentering his life in unclear and dubious ways.

*CAVEAT: While this synopsis may seem at first glance to add up to no more than your average action narrative or melodrama, this drama is so much more than it’s plot, so don’t pass it up simply if that doesn’t seem all that compelling.

If nothing else, watch the first two episodes for the aesthetics:

I felt myself smiling throughout this fairly tense episode primarily because the art and the music were just that beautiful. But more than that, the visuals and the score enhanced the emotions of the episodes. I could feel the grit and the anger in the prison walls because the lighting was handled so expertly, and because the music was intense without being overbearing. Once Kang Chil is released, the landscape shots were so lovingly staged that I could understand his desire to be outside of prison despite his having nowhere to go, and I could feel his excitement to be in the world again.

I am particularly sensitive to how religion and spirituality are utilized and alluded to on television, and am therefore either totally turned off or fully engrossed by it, depending on the writer and director. The description of Kang Chil’s friend Kook Soo as a “guardian angel” is not merely metaphorical: this show has directly and indirectly invoked spirituality in ways that shape its characters and the world they live in. Thankfully, writer Noh Hee Kyung and director Kim Kyu Tae so far have folded it into this drama seamlessly and seriously. How they have used the character of Kook Soo so far reminds me of how Baltar’s Six was used on Battlestar Galactica. Both are mysterious figures, the nature of their existences and essences not entirely known to their charges or to the audience. But neither of them is reduced to a static, all-knowing manifestations of the Almighty. Each of them is flawed and interesting in and of themselves. Kook Soo calls himself an angel who’s looking out for Kang Chil, acting like an overeager dongsaeng trying to protect and latch onto his hyung. Yet there have been hints that beneath this puppy-like bromantic façade is the work of a greater force determined to protect and guide Kang Chil.

Furthermore, how this supernatural involvement in our characters’ world is shown has been skillfully handled without being overindulgent. The few on-the-nose visual cues that the show has indulged in (the glistening of the angel statue Kook Soo gave to Kang Chil for strength, the shadow of the angel’s wing appearing on the prison ground from above), have been beautifully crafted and have been given the appropriate context by setting up high stakes and paying them off. Kang Chil is presented with the opportunity to rewrite his history that leads to an untimely death, and Kook Soo is able to give his friend perspective on his situation, but like all classic Biblical moral quandaries, Kang Chil is ultimately responsible for willing his own fate. And it is Kang Chil’s own choice that turns his life towards the better in the second episode, even with the assistance, worldly or otherwise, from Kook Soo.

Side Note: See, You’re Beautiful? I’m not just being ornery. There is a sophisticated and substantial way to use angels in a narrative.

As I mentioned in my twitter-sized review yesterday, I do have one narrative gripe, and it’s not insignificant. I find Kang Chil’s development wholly engrossing: I’m excited to see how he adjusts to life on the outside of the prison walls after sixteen years. I also find his personal relationship with Kook Soo endearing. Yet when the focus of the series shifted during the second episode towards his developing relationship with Jung Ji Na (played by Han Ji Min), I was less intrigued. Their meet-cute moments are less original and are handled more like the elements of a typical melodrama or rom-com than the murder set-up and moral redemption are. And whenever the two characters are not together and the audience is just left with Jung Ji Na, the narrative tends to slow to a halt, and we are left with a self-centered and judgmental princess. It’s refreshing that the lead female is not a plucky heroine who’s down on her luck but always has a smile, but she’s going to need some redeeming herself if she’s going to be someone the audience cares about and ultimately roots for. She saves dogs, though, so at least she’s got that going for her.

I must therefore especially note the efforts of Jung Woo Sung and Kim Bum, who play Kang Chil and Kook Soo respectively. These characters wouldn’t be half as appealing were they not portrayed so passionately. Kang Chil is extreme in every action and reaction. When he’s sweet, as he is with Ji Na, the first woman he’s talked with in years, he’s vulnerable and sympathetic, but when he’s angry, he’s a force of nature. Jung Woo Sung feels every betrayal, every insecurity, every hope that Kang Chil has, and he brings it out in every glance and syllable. And Kim Bum? I name him most improved actor this year. As much as I love his character Ha Min Jae from The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry (2010), Kim Bum’s youthful charm (or dyed gray hair) couldn’t cover his stilted delivery. Yet he has become a man, and this performance shows it. He has really learned to live and breathe a character, and the natural cuteness he possesses has been harnessed in a way that makes the mysterious Kook Soo relatable. Furthermore, I actually buy that his character could have ended up in prison and could be a spiritual advisor, which took me by surprise.

Is this drama perfect? No. There is no form of the Perfect Drama that Plato or I or any k-drama fan would find acceptable. My snarky response aside, there is some room for improvement (to make the romance as compelling as the other aspects of this drama). But right now there is no television series that has excited me as much as this series has, and I have already carved out the time each week for this series, even if it has to come at the expense of others. So folks, it’s time to open up a new tab on your web browser and give this drama a try. I dare you to try walking away unmoved.

Boob Tube Round Up: Week of December 3 – December 9, 2011

2011-12-11T20:00:00.002-05:00

The holidays are approaching, and nothing says "Merry Christmas" like harassing school principles and making fun of Glee!

Sunday, December 4

The Good Wife: Eli Gold is being underused. Time to get Peter back on the campaign trails so Eli stops spinning his wheels at Lockhart Gardner. And Kalinda is being misused. Time to make Alicia forgive Kalinda (which is what the previews suggest may happen, so yay!), so that they can be friends and she stops being so one-note.

In Time With You: Da Ren’s breakdown is uncomfortably raw and hard to watch, but perfect for his state of mind at the time. Kudos. But I’m getting worried that there is too much to wrap up in the finale next week, and I predict that it is not going to end well for our OTP.

Monday, December 5

Padam Padam: Holy crap. I was sold on this drama within thirty seconds, and it kept surprising me from there. From the moving score to the beautiful, intimate shots, this has to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing dramas ever. And that doesn’t even begin to cover how well-acted and –written it is.

Tuesday, December 6

FBRS: Finally, forward momentum! While the plot is still spinning its wheels, as it has since the ramen shop reopened, at least Chi Soo is finally accepting his feelings (aka the fifth stage since being diagnosed with the “disease” of feelings), and gasps cares about Eun Bi and her fears!

New Girl: I maintain that this show still needs to better define who Winston and Nick are. Schmidt is starting to grow on me, definitely more likeable than in the first couple episodes when his character was basically reduced to the "douche jar." But Jess is still the character who draws me back to the show each week, and damn if that attempted-sex scene wasn’t fantastically funny.

Padam Padam: While the first episode was a smidge more compelling, the second episode confirmed that the quality of the first was not a fluke, and that this show is really going to be this skillfully made. My only gripe is that the romance is less interesting than the Kang Chil/Kook Soo relationship and the spiritual elements being explored.

Thursday, December 8

Community: A sweet episode with some fun holiday feel-goodery, but in some ways problematic. Although the criticism of trying too hard to make Christmas magical undermines its magic is appropriate and was well-handled, they seemed to be making fun of Glee simply to make fun of Glee, which isn't very interesting. And while the songs were funny, they weren't all that memorable.

Parks and Recreation: I’m glad that the raised stakes from last week’s episode weren’t lowered, that Leslie still felt the consequences of her actions. And it also brought out the lovely B-stories, of the Parks and Rec Department all coming together to support Leslie in more ways than one. And nothing beats Leslie shouting “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!”

Friday, December 9

The Musical: I don’t know what to say. The plot is unrecognizable from the earliest episodes, half of the episode was flashbacks from previous episodes, an inexplicable medical miracle took place before a completely predictable death, and only a few passing references were made to the titular musical. The first few episodes of this drama were such a tease compared to the recent mediocrity.

“The Trial of Leslie Knope,” the Heart and Soul of Parks and Recreation

2011-12-05T00:13:00.003-05:00

I realized that a mere Twitter sized love-fest for this week’s Parks and Recreation, “The Trial of Leslie Knope,” is an insult to the greatness that was this episode. Parks and Rec is already one of my all time favorite sitcoms, but this episode stands apart from the rest, and deserves proper recognition. NOTE: This post is all kinds of spoilery, so avert your eyes, those faint hearted amongst you!

So why the bleeding heart over this episode?

Surprisingly, the answer is not because of the humor. Not that this episode wasn’t funny. It was. Probably not as funny as some of my all-time favorites like “The Hunting Trip,” “Flu Season,” or “The Fight,” but it had a few surprises. My favorite was probably Leslie (Amy Poehler) showing the iMovie she sent to Anne (Rashida Jones) the day after she and Ben (Adam Scott) hooked up the first time.

But for the most part, the comedy in this episode was less original and not very exciting. Most of the jokes fell along the lines of: Tom (Aziz Ansari) fancies himself Tommy Timberlake; Ron (Nick Offerman) prizes personal freedom above all else and hates the hell beast that is Tammy 2 (Megan Mullally) ; Chris (Rob Lowe) is perky; Jerry (Jim O'Heir) fails; Andy (Chris Pratt) is dumb but sweet; Lil’ Sebastian > everything ever; Pawnee is…unique. Again, they were funny, but most of these jokes have been told on the show before with different words.

Rather, I will probably remember this episode in particular, written by the fantastic EP Michael Schur and Daniel J. Goor, for two other reasons:

1. For the development of the Leslie-Ben relationship.

The relationship itself is achievement. Somehow, this little sitcom has figured out how to craft one of the dorkiest, earnest, yet most adult relationships on television. May Leslie and Ben find eternal bliss so that we the viewers can enjoy their hot nerd love forever.

Yet what is particularly remarkable about this coupling is how and why they are now able to be to be together. Once Chris announced that it had been discovered that Leslie and Ben bribed a city worker in order to keep a kiss between them quiet, it looked as though Leslie’s job was on the line and her campaign would be over. But our beloved Ben took the fall by himself and resigned, and Leslie’s job was spared. They kiss, and the world rejoices.

That this is how events transpired speaks volumes about the writers' grasps of their characters and their motivations. Ben’s gesture is grand, noble, and romantic, without being outdated or unnecessarily idiotic. He loves Leslie, and he wants her to fulfill her dreams. But more than that, his act fits with their characters and their ambitions. Ben is the pragmatist, Leslie the dreamer. Ben is spreadsheets and budgets, which Leslie can do too, but essentially Leslie is the Harvest Festival and a new park on Lot 48. Even though his directly stated reason for taking the blame is because he loves Leslie and wants to make this sacrifice for her, he must have realized that it is ultimately more important that Leslie keep her job than for him to keep his. As much as we all love Ben, we all see that Leslie is special. She is a noble and just advocate for the people that can shake up City Hall for the better, and Mr. Ben Knope will make a handsome and kind first gentleman.

2. For not being afraid to raise the stakes

The first season of Parks and Rec had a similar tone to The Office, in that it was a dark comedy about an innocent yet ignorant lead who had unrealistic expectations of grandeur in spite of his or her incredibly small world. The UK version, and the US version but to a lesser extent, played off the awareness that no matter how seriously the characters take their problems, the problems still concern office drones in a middling paper company. Despite all the romantic and comedic trappings, there is still a nihilistic outlook that very little here really matters aside from the momentary connections made between characters.

Yet this show found its footing in the second season, when it abandoned this cynical tone in favor of a lighter one about a quirky city and the equally quirky yet good-willed government employees who serve it. The writers allowed for government to do good, and to be of consequence in peoples’ lives. Leslie went from the self-important and oblivious city employee with delusions of the White House to an intelligent, just, and ambitious city employee who could, and probably should, aspire to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Therefore, while it is often the case that the problems that Leslie and the other Pawnee city employees face are smaller and more ridiculous, which is almost always the case for a generic office, sometimes the problems are more meaningful and can profoundly impact citizens or the state.

That brings us to “The Trial of Leslie Knope.” In this episode, the writers may soften the intensity by including visual gags and jokes (Chris’s bag full of medications to prevent himself from getting depressed by this whole trial; the Parks and Rec department and Tammy 2 as character witnesses), but they fulfilled the potential of the earnest tone the show has taken up by giving their characters a substantial moral quandary and having them address it seriously and personally. It matters that there may be bribery and fraud within the government due to a personal affair, and it matters that people stand up for and defend themselves when they believe they are being wrongly accused. Chris, ever Mr. Passive when it comes to discomfort and confrontation, immediately announces the need for this trial upon hearing about Ben and Leslie’s relationship, and declares that he will see it through down to the last detail. More importantly, he does so because he believes that it is his duty to maintain a just city government. Leslie does not back down in the face of Chris’s investigation, because she believes that she has lived honorably and that her actions have not warranted his investigation. In the end, Ben and Leslie both are held accountable for their error in judgment, the latter less so due to Ben’s nobility.

What the audience received from this episode was a hearty meal. It may have been light on the sweets, but it was nutritious and delicious all the same, and absolutely worth savoring.

Boob Tube Round-up, Week of November 26 – December 2

2011-12-03T10:27:00.001-05:00

Where I dissect the currently airing shows I follow into Twitter-size bites. Come join me!

Sunday, November 27

The Walking Dead: The mid season finale packed a little less punch than I was hoping, and the previews for the new episodes in February hint that we are getting more of this black hole of a plot, namely life on the farm. It’s weird to say this, but there’s not enough dramatic conflict in this zombie show.

In Time With You: Li Da Ren, only two episodes left. Stop pouting and make your move! Thank you, writers, for taking Chen You Qing down a peg. She really needed it. And thank you, DP, for the gorgeous Singapore shots!

Monday, November 28

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Cha Chi Soo’s oblivious-to-human-emotions thing is starting to get a little tired now that we’ve past the halfway mark. Even Dokko Jin had a better understanding of his emotions than this guy, and he relied on a heart monitor to tell him he was in love!

Tuesday, November 29

Parenthood: Trust Katims and co. to turn a borderline ridiculous plot point (Julia adopts the coffee girl’s baby) into an opportunity to reveal Julia’s strength and develop an unexpected relationship with a coworker.

New Girl: So the cute is starting to wear thin, and I’m a little less interested. Jess may have a fully developed personality, but I still don’t know the guys beyond the superficial. Making two of them listless thirty-somethings doesn’t excuse underdeveloped characterization.

Thursday, December 1

Community: Annie imitates Christian Bale and Foosball goes anime. Enough said.

Parks and Recreation: What a fantastic episode. Still very funny (“Anne! Ben and I hooked up last night! And I learned how to use iMovie!”), but what made it so great was that the writers recognized that small government isn’t just quaint and sweet but sometimes needs to be taken seriously.

The First Commandment: Watch The Comeback (2005)

2011-11-24T17:33:00.010-05:00

“Time to focus on what’s really important: me.” –Valerie Cherish

Since my friends find it super annoying when I spend hours on end talking about amazing shows that no one has ever heard of, I thought that I would vent my frustration/push my TV crack here. Today’s drug of choice? HBO’s The Comeback, from executive producers and writers Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City, 2 Broke Girls) and Lisa Kudrow (from a little show called Friends).

So why the commandment from atop the thing? Check it out:

Quick plot summary: Our “heroine” is one Valerie Cherish (played fantastically by Kudrow), a former 90’s sitcom star who struggles to regain her spotlight on a new sitcom and her own reality show, The Comeback. What the audience sees is the “raw footage” that the reality show crew tapes as they follow her around at home and at her sitcom.

What first drew me in to this show was that it is one of the only shows that has used the “mocumentary” format to its fullest potential. As much as I love (the early seasons of) The Office (US), Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family, I have always had a problem with the fact that there is never any mention of or allusion to the documentary nature of the programs. Who is watching this footage? What is it being used for? And more importantly, how do these projects affect the characters? Not answering these questions seems like wasted opportunities to me. The Comeback, however, not only shows how and why this footage is being compiled, but folds this very reality structure into the overall conflict of the show. Valerie is always aware of the fact that cameras are not only following her, but that there are editors and producers out there who want to use her for their own story, and she is determined to maintain strict control of how she presents herself to her audience.

I should warn you: this is one of the darkest comedies I’ve watched, and is a paradigm of the cringe-comedy genre. It is a lot like Extras, which premiered the same year, in that both strive for and definitely earn big laughs, but oftentimes those laughs come at the expense of the mental and spiritual well-being of their protagonists and rarely bring their audiences to catharsis at the ends of the episode. Both shows are grounded in central characters who are aware of the cynical and often soul-crushing nature of commercial filmmaking but still dive in anyways in order to sate their obsession with fame. Valerie Cherish has been through the experience of being on top of the world as a television starlet and quickly taken down due to cancellation, yet she still willingly and knowingly jumps back into another sitcom.

What keeps me watching is how well-written and -acted it is. Lisa Kudrow lives and breathes Valerie. She never lets Valerie get boxed into one stereotype, when it could be so easy to do so. Kudrow is able to express the vulnerability and insecurity Valerie feels as the oldest member of her cast on Room and Bored, her new sitcom, without turning her into a victim. With a single glance and shrug at one of the writers on her sitcom, Kudrow shows that Valerie can actually read the tension and brewing troubles that plague their show, but is able to flip it within seconds by having Valerie directly point out her “wisdom” to her reality show/audience. Valerie may be addicted to fame, but Kudrow never lets her strictly defined by it.

The same applies to the other characters in her world, and for this I credit the writers. It would be easy to surround Valerie with competitive self-obsessed twenty-something actors and a hostile reality crew. Instead, the star of Room and Bored, Juna (Malin Akerman, who I actually think does a good job here), looks up to Valerie earnestly as a mentor and takes her side on the show. The other cast members may not necessarily like Valerie at first, but they quickly come around and take her in as one of her own. Even the producer of her reality show, Jane (Laura Silverman), comes to care about Valerie despite having her own agenda.

The villain of the show is the odious Paulie G. (Lance Barber), one of the writers on the sitcom. What is compelling about him is because we can understand why he is such an ass towards Valerie, but his responses are so far out of line and cruel. He and the other head writer, Tom (Robert Bagnell), are often the characters who encounter and have to deal with Valerie when she is being particularly aggressive and pretentious, and yet Tom is at least considerate enough, or maybe just professional enough, to at least pretend to consider or care about Valerie’s suggestions or comments. Paulie G., however, at his nicest, is wholly indifferent, and openly mocks and tears down not just her efforts but her as a person. And the result is a character that is wholly human and is relatable in theory but is just easily and eagerly despised by the audience, exactly what a villain should be. And I give major kudos to the writers, for finally giving Valerie her well-deserved and -executed revenge in the penultimate episode, but also for quickly undercutting it with a double-vomit. ‘Cuz you gotta have a double-vomit.

I got the DVDs for this show a couple weeks ago and fully intended to marathon the entire series over a couple of days. I ended up only watching one episode each day, not only because one episode was about all my embarrassment quotient can handle, but because I wanted to savor all of those small details that make this show so great. I have already started re-watching it, and am picking up on moments and lines that I missed the first time. I think that speaks volumes about this show. It may be a tough show tonally at times, but it is crafted with such care and heart that it is absolutely worth looking up and watching.

Community’s “Advanced Gay” and the Season 1 Problem

2011-11-05T04:04:00.003-04:00

Heart attack or clever way to get out of this episode?

After two stellar episodes from Community, “Advanced Gay” pales in comparison. “Remedial Chaos Theory” and “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” exemplify what is best about the show, a comedy that is not afraid to push the boundaries of how stories are told on television without sacrificing the status and growth of its characters. Yet “Advanced Gay” seemed to fall back on the tired, unimaginative threads of Pierce’s conservative social views, Jeff’s Daddy Issues (still left unresolved in any way), and Britta’s ill-informed overreaching. But most disappointing is the resuscitation of the “Look! Community college students! They take their studies so seriously. Aren’t they quaint?” approach to storylines, which I was hoping the writers had gotten over by the end of season 1.

For some context, let’s take a look back.

“Remedial Chaos Theory”, aired on 10/13/11

This episode epitomizes what has made this comedy one of the best for the past couple years, starting with “Modern Warfare” at the end of the first season. Like its predecessors, the episode takes advantage of the fashionable physical theory of Many Worlds in order to tell its story in an edgier way. However, its ultimate goal is to help the audience gain a deeper understanding of the characters, by revealing what is essential to these characters and what is merely forced on them by circumstance.

Take Pierce (Chevy Chase), for example. Pierce managed to tell his Eartha Kitt story in every timeline (my favorite telling? “You know who got it in the long run? Eartha Kitt when I nailed her in the airplane bathroom"), showing his omnipresent desire to be popular in the group. Yet what is even more revealing is that as the frequent antagonist for the group, and the member most likely to offend in whatever way possible, doesn't give Troy (Donald Glover) the horrifying troll doll in every scenario. Rather, external circumstances that varied across the parallel worlds determined whether he would give that troll to Troy. In the worlds in which he learned that his friend is grateful to him for his help and cares for him, too, Pierce is actually considerate of Troy’s well-being and hides the damn fire-starter. The writers have taken advantage of the sideways worlds set-up to explore how much of Pierce's antagonism is actually natural to Pierce, and how much is forced out of him by his relationship to the study group.

The episode is even able to find a resolution which ties the distinct worlds together without forcing a message down its throat. In the last iteration, Abed (Danny Pudi) argues that there's too much chaos and probability already governing their lives, and that they should try, whenever possible, to choose their own fate, for better or worse. So instead of rolling the die to determine who picks up the pizza and setting off an uncontrollable chain of events, the group chooses to send out Jeff (Joel McHale). The result? Pizza for everyone and the concluding shot of everyone dancing to "Roxanne" like the motley family of nerds they are.

(Side note: this episode was written by Chris McKenna, who also wrote the likewise fantastic second season episodes “Paradigms of Human Memory” and “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking.)

“Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps”, aired on 10/27/11

While not quite as high concept as the last episode, “Horror” is still a well-made episode that for once is an actually funny Halloween-themed episode. Each character is given the opportunity to tell a horror story, and thus the writers are able to both satire pop-horror staples and further draw out their characters. Annie’s (Alison Brie) story parodies Twilight-esque vampire romance, but in keeping with her ambitions, independence, and self-motivation (on the flip side, read: repressed aggression), Annie turns into a were-wolf and devours the vampire. Of course, she also has to teach him to read before she kills him.

Featuring a cameo by Annie's boobs. But alas, not Annie's Boobs.

It’s the details that gave this episode its richness. Each parody is actually made into a short film, and we see hints and clues at new aspects of these characters without them being thrown into our faces. Shirley (Yvette-Nicole Brown) may be a loud and proud warrior for Christ with a sweet voice, and a divorcee with three children, but I never actually thought about how innocent she still is. For that reason, it was particularly funny seeing her literally hell-bent drug addict Britta (Gillian Jacobs) dumping a container of pot leaves on her chest and getting high from it. Also in this episode were a few more signs that Abed might actually be a human male, as he casts himself as the romantic lead opposite Britta in his own slasher flick.

In the same way that Pierce was humanized in “Chaos,” I likewise found Britta to be a bit more human in this episode. It is easy for her to be a screechy, pretentious yet ill-informed, unfeeling liberal stereotype if she is not treated carefully, but in this episode, she was able to be a bit dim and over-reach but still be caring and at least agreeable. It’s actually cute in this episode, that she has NPR podcasts on her iTunes but still mispronounces “macabre.”

And then “Advanced Gay” happened.

“Advanced Gay”, aired on November 3, 2011

Suddenly, our characters seem to flatten and lose dimensions. Pierce and Shirley are older than the show’s target audience, and therefore must both be homophobic, and in Pierce’s case, racist! Time to throw in some ironic homophobic jokes! And since the show is self-aware and left-leaning, it is okay to throw in stereotypical depictions of gay men, naturally.

The B-story this week is about the seduction of Troy towards the career fields of plumbing and air-conditioning, which saw the revival of the Good Will Hunting parody of Troy as a genius repairman. This plot just feels cheap, that the genius that community college students can aspire to is in repair work. This thread is one that I had hoped the show had abandoned, this attitude of mocking community college as opposed to “real” college, as if the writers had some sort of superiority complex. This show works best when they cast Greendale as existing in some hyper-reality, home of the sweet but occasionally dim and extremely odd, who could point out the absurdities of the real world. It’s a similar to the successful move that Parks and Recreation made at the end of its first season when it abandoned its premise as the government version of The Office. Also, if you are going to cast John Goodman as a bad-ass assistant dean, come up with something more clever for him to partake in than a flat movie parody that you already made on the same last season!

Britta is back to her overreaching, screetchy, holier-than-thou attitude this week (“In my psych class I’m learning about this thing called the Oedipal complex …”). She immediately starts diagnosing Pierce and Jeff with daddy issues, and while she may not be wrong, the writers need to be more careful with how unlikeable they make her character. I'm also becoming concerned that the writers don't know that if they continuously refer to Jeff’s strained relationship with his father, it they need to actually pull the trigger and SHOW him. It has been clearly stated, many, many times over the years that Jeff and his father have issues to work out. Now it’s time to show the audience what it’s all about, or let it go.

Even God hates Britta

Final thoughts? I’m going to hope that this week’s episode was an anomaly, because this season has been consistently well-made. The biggest problem with this episode is that it just wasn't funny. Set aside lack of character development or insight, I barely laughed once (when the Reverend at the funeral said to Britta, "You're the worst"). But I trust that the show will be back to form next week.

New Blog! Woot!

2011-11-03T01:34:00.002-04:00

Well, welcome dear reader(s)!

So I am sure everyone has been waiting for the day that TiaC would start her own blog to catalog her thoughts on her favorite television shows, past and present. I felt that it was time to step up and live up to your expectations.

Welcome to The Wrath of the Whatever from High Atop the Thing! If you aren't sure of the reference, go look it up on Youtube. Right now! Then go scold yourself in the mirror for not having understood the reference immediately. And make yourself cry if you've never seen that show before. Once your your self-esteem has been restored, time to sit down and marathon all seven seasons for the next few days. Then you'll find out how CJ wound up with two turkeys in her office (their names are Eric and Troy, by the way, and Troy doesn't like to be touched).

But really, I chose that title not just because of my love for Aaron Sorkin, but because I take television SERIOUSLY. When a show is well-written, carefully directed, artfully shot, and acted with conviction, I am its bitch forever. I will follow a show through thick and thin as long as the individuals involved are committed to producing quality entertainment. But the moment that a show loses its drive, its direction, or becomes self-indulgent, I have no problem calling bulls*** and ripping it apart from the safety of my armchair (I'm looking at you, Glee!).

What I hope to do with this blog is recap, analyze, criticize, and compare episodes from my favorite shows, foreign and domestic, as they strike my fancy. I may jump from a comparison of the whimsy of 30 Rock, Pushing Daisies, and Greatest Love to a more studied dissection of how religion is treated on television (but that would probably be a series of posts, as each show in and of itself could take up a few).

Time to get started up in here! So say we all! Hwaiting!

Yeah, I'm kind of a dork.