It's over way too soon

I guess that's the one thing I hate about British TV shows: they're way too short! I know it's probably just because I'm used to the American 24-episode seasons, but when there's a show as good as Broadchurch and we only get 8 episodes, I just...I *need* more –– even worse with 3 episode Sherlock AND they make us wait so freaking long. Although, I kinda think that the short season helps with the quality of the show. I'm sure there are plenty of not-as-great British shows that I didn't know about, but maybe not having to stretch out plots for 24 episodes helped the writers.

Yes, I probably watched Broadchurch just because of David Tennant. Sure, I was excited for the prospect of The Tenth Doctor meeting Rory. But I had no doubt in my mind that it would be great; all the reviews were wonderful. I am happy that I watched the show without knowing anything about it, other than the fact that Tennant plays a detective.

Broadchurch is a crime drama set in a small town, Broadchurch, that revolves around the investigation of death of 11 year old Danny Latimer. Tennant plays Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, who leads the investigation. He is aided by Olivia Colman's Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller, who is a Broadchurch citizen and has been a friend of the Latimer family. The investigation introduces us to the townsfolk of Broadchurch and shows us how a tragedy affects the small community. It really does bring the best and worst in people.

Fallon/Timberlake for SNL!!

Saturday Night Live has announced their host/musical guest lineup for December, and I honestly can't wait for their Christmas episode. December 21st, the last episode of the year, will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon, with Justin Timberlake as musical guest. I'm expecting Justin to appear in some sketches, and I'm expecting them to be amazing.

And Dec 21st: @jimmyfallon hosts w/ music from @jtimberlake!! #SNL #Christmas! #December #MoreLikeDUDEcember pic.twitter.com/M43kEUzgSH

— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) November 21, 2013

Thor: The Dark World

Warning: spoilers ahead

The main reason I was excited about this movie was that it would be connected to the next Agents of SHIELD episode. There was also the Zachary Levi and Tom Hiddleston factors.

I went into the movie without knowing anything about the plot. I didn't care. It's a Marvel movie, it's Thor and Loki, and it should be fun. I actually forgot that Malekith, the movie's main villain, was played by the ninth Doctor, Christopher Ecclestone, until I saw his name in the credits. I didn't even remember much from the previous movies (the first Thor and The Avengers).

How am I supposed to continue rooting for him?

I mean, from the first episode you know that Francis Underwood is quite the anti-hero, but that can be chalked up as him being a politician. He's not an honest person. He was backstabbed so he fought back, albeit manipulatively. But that's just politics, right? Even then, I was still taken by him; his power, his intelligence. It's not like the others were any better. Well, in my opinion, they're all pretty fucked up.

The business side of his darkness I can deal with. The relationship with his wife is quite strange, but intriguing. But murder? That, I don't think I can go past that. One side of me want him to get caught; for justice to prevail. The other side of me want him to figure out a way to cheat it.

It is a gripping show. Somewhat like Mad Men and Six Feet Under, in which pretty much all the characters are despicable, but I still can't stop watching. Who am I supposed to root for? I came into this expecting something similar to The West Wing. I got something a lot darker; still fascinating, although lacking the Sorkin witty dialogue. It has only taken me 2-3 days to go through the season, so a part of me is still trying to figure out how I feel about this show, but I'm out of episodes to watch and I want more. At the very least, I'm interested.

House of Cards

I'm a bit late to this. I've added the show to my list since Netflix released it. But, I've realized that lately I've only watched half-hour comedies, with Don't Trust the B– and That '70s Show; thought it's time to go back to hour-long dramas. And, this one is always advertised on my Netflix front page.

Even with all the fuss around the show, all I knew about it, prior to watching, is that it's about the American government. The only other source of knowledge I have on American politics/government is The West Wing, so I'm setting quite a high standard for the quality of the show. Not that I'm doubting it; I haven't heard one bad word about the show.

I guess, the problem is, I'm expecting a TWW feel; fast paced walk and talk with Sorkin dialogue. I'm only four episodes in so far, and I'm still trying to get the feel of it. This does feel a lot like when I watched TWW the first time; a lot of the conversation goes over my head, but I'm captivated by the sense of power and intelligence that the characters exude. And, just like TWW, with this show, I feel like I'm not smart enough to comment on it. Well, I don't even know what's going on most of the time; I would probably just comment on the characters themselves, and not on the things that are going on. Definitely not on the politics of the show.

This is still very early for me. I'm still learning their names and what they do. Since TWW was mostly about the president's senior staff, all the things that are going on on House of Cards seem pretty new. Well, not the trying to make conceited deals part. It's like we're watching from the other side. Francis is trying to one-up the president's office, at least for the first few episodes.

Kevin Spacey is amazing and very fascinating. However, I'm still unsure of how I feel about him breaking the fourth wall. I guess it's interesting, and it makes it easier to tell the viewers his thoughts and points of view; but it can also be seen as lazy storytelling. Plus, it kinda freaks me out a bit whenever he looks straight into the camera...

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Trailer looks really good; I can't wait!

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

I don't quite know how to spell the title of the show, but it seems that IMDB and Wikipedia agree that it uses "-" instead of "*"

In any case, I watched the pilot a while back, and I thought it was funny, but I haven't had the chance to watch another episode since. However, I finished watching Angel (again) last night, and didn't know what to watch next. This show was one of Netflix's recommendation; and, I thought, since it was already ~10:30, a half-hour comedy seemed like a good thing to watch. I could watch one or two episodes before going to bed.

Well, that was pretty dumb of me because I ended up watching 7 episodes, keeping me awake until around 2 a.m. I think this is one of those shows that is fun to watch, but it won't be a memorable show. It's not bad to have in the background, and it's good for a laugh or two. The characters are pretty clichéd, but James Van Der Beek is hot and I like it when he pokes fun of his Dawson's Creek past. Speaking of, a few months ago I found that show on Netflix and decided to watch it; not a good idea. I think it was shortly after my Gilmore Girls rewatch so I thought shows that I loved in middle school/high school would still be good today. But Dawson's Creek was plain teen drama so I couldn't get through it.

It's a shame that Apartment 23 didn't last; I only have 20-something episodes to watch so I'd need a new show to watch in a few days.

That '70s Show

It started with their little reunion. The six main cast members got together and posted a picture. So, the next logical step: search for it on Netflix and just start watching.

I know I've watched this show before. A long time ago. I'm thinking somewhere around middle school. And I did *not* get their circle scenes; I thought they were just being stupid, sitting around saying crazy stuff, like friends do. Now that I do, I love the circle.

I'm going through this show so quickly! Before I knew it, I'm almost done with season 7! I mean, it's a half hour sitcom so it's pretty to watch. Or just leave on in the background.

What's weird is, when I was at around season 3, I started thinking to myself if I wanted to watch the rest of it; they're just high school kids doing...nothing. And the stories are getting a bit boring. Eric started to annoy the hell out of me, and I think Eric and Donna are a boring couple. Fez was hilarious at first, but he lacked character development; although I do enjoy puns. Jackie was annoying as hell in the first season, but I kinda like her after a while. Hyde is that mysterious guy that I can never decide if I liked him or hated him; I think Jackie felt the same way in the last few seasons. Also, he kinda reminds me of Kimi Räikkönen with the monosyllabic, dry sense of humor, and wearing shades all the time. Now I know how to answer those people who just can't seem to understand Räikkönen's charm. But I digress... The main reason I'm still watching the show: Michael Kelso. I know he's irritably dumb and disappointingly didn't grow throughout the show, but damn Ashton Kutcher is just.so.pretty.

As I mentioned, I've been watching the show even though I keep saying that I should probably just stop, about 4 seasons ago. But I'm pretty sure I'm *really* gonna stop after season 7. I mean, with Eric and Kelso leaving, what's the point?! I'll probably watch the few episodes Kutcher is in, including the finale. Just to know how it ended. I honestly don't know why I'm still watching (other than pretty boy over there).

I can't wait!

Peter Capaldi to replace Matt Smith

Image taken from BBC

BBC announced Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor through its worldwide multicast live event. The half-hour event itself was unnecessary and cringeworthy. It would have been better if they made the announcement sooner and had more time with Capaldi himself. Or, you know, just do a 5 minute thing instead of making it a half hour spectacle.

I'm excited about Capaldi. I hate to say it, I think I'm getting bored of Matt Smith's Doctor, as brilliant as he is. I have no idea who Capaldi is; I've never watched any of his works, but that's about to change soon. It would be pretty interesting to see how much Capaldi's Wikipedia and IMDb page hits shot up today. And all of his works on Netflix (which I'm planning to watch soon).

Mixing fanfictions with actual episodes

I'm watching all of Buffy and Angel again (of course), and it surprises me, saddens me, and worries me, that I've mixed up things I've read on a fanfiction as actual canon. The fanfiction is a parallel universe version, where Angel doesn't leave Sunnydale and stays with Buffy. The thing is, my memory of the fanfiction is so vivid, that I honestly thought it was an actual episode. I could recall some of the scenes and dialogue. The fake-episode that I remembered most was the parallel universe version of the Halloween episode "Fear, Itself" from season 4. I could have sworn that there's a Buffy Halloween episode in which Angel used his vamp-face as a fake costume. It would have been this episode; Angel was there with them and helped them fight. Alas, it was all a fake. A very good fake, as it stuck with me after all this time. It just bothers me because there are some very nice scenes in the fic that I would have loved to see in the show. And I was actually expecting it until I made this realization!

Anyways...

The last episode I watched was "Hush." It's such an amazing episode that I got excited seeing its title being next on my list. The Gentlemen always give me the creeps, but it's the good, thrilling kind of creeps. The way they gracefully float around, always well-dressed, and how they're always smiling that freaky smile.

And I am even more excited when I found out that the episode after "Hush" would be Angel's "Parting Gifts," which is Wesley's first appearance in the show. Alexis Denisof is the main reason I'm doing this rewatch, and I'm just so excited that I'm watching the start of Wesley's journey to extreme badassery!

Why did it have to go there? :(

I didn't like how sci-fi/fantasy Lost ended up being. I probably should have known, but I was expecting a much more realistic show. I could accept the time travel thing (maybe they could explain it a bit further), but the whole mystery of the island that, in my opinion, went largely unexplained? Not a big fan. I honestly thought the black smoke would be explained as a machine of some sort, not some mystical being. Again, I should have known; how many times have I watched Alias? I guess that's the type of mystery JJ Abrams is interested in.

The film just made me happy

I was in New York City and had a couple hours to kill. I was considering just walking around and enjoying the nice weather, or even try out CitiBike. Then I remembered, Much Ado About Nothing is shown in select theaters around the city! I was happy to find a theater showing the movie, only a mile away from where I was.

I was ridiculously excited about this movie; so much so that I was getting anxious during the 20 minutes of trailers.

The "home movie" feel was present from the beginning of the movie; I mean, ignoring the Lionsgate and Roadside logos/credits (what is that called?), the title sequence was mostly plain text on black background. In all honesty, I was a bit worried when the movie started. I wanted to love this movie so much that I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my expectations. I only know of two adaptations of the play: Kenneth Branagh's movie and Catherine Tate-David Tennant's play, and I've enjoyed them both.

This film didn't start well for me; the black & white and the Shakespeare language took longer than I wished to get used to. The slight movements of the camera, while goes in line with the "home movie" feel, also distracts me from the scene sometimes. I spent the first few minutes trying to get used to the film itself.

However, once you're in, you're in. This has been mentioned a number of times during interviews with cast and creator, and I should have believed it. And I was in awe the moment Amy Acker delivered her first of Beatrice's long monologues. Acker was really amazing throughout the movie. And I now understand why Joss decided to kill off Fred on Angel to bring in Illyria instead. I also adored Alexis Denisof, who I think should be in more films I can watch. Side note: I'm so happy that he decided to join Twitter; I can now read tweets in his voice and it's wonderful. Wes and Fred got their happy ending this time. And I now want to watch Angel again.

I'm kinda regretting I didn't watch it when it aired

I guess, looking at this blog, it's pretty clear that I watch shows that are already off the air a lot more than I do shows that are still airing. I guess it's safe to assume that I prefer watching episodes back to back instead of having to wait a week (or longer) to see what happens next.

However, watching a show when it airs allows for discussions, sometimes live when the episode is airing. A show like Lost definitely benefits from episode discussions. The gap between episodes also provides time to mull over the details, which is probably useful for viewers to form theories. Watching episodes back to back like I'm doing now blurs the episodes and seasons. I'm currently at the end of season 3, and I can't even tell you what happened on the season 2 finale. It must have been big, and a cliffhanger, but I don't remember. The whole show feels like one incredibly long movie. Cliffhangers don't feel like cliffhangers; what happens after this? Well I'll just watch the next episode.

I don't even want to know how many clues I've missed; how many mysteries I've forgotten. I actually have to keep remembering myself that there's some giant, loud thing in the jungle at the beginning of season 1; and that there's the still-unexplained black smoke thing that, to my knowledge, is a floating machinery (according to the whirring sounds). There's the whole thing with "the others" that are now being revealed, slowly, but those two puzzles from early on seem to have disappeared into the background. I don't have any ideas of what they might be, so I'm just hoping that I'd get an answer as I continue watching the show. What's The Dharma Initiative? What are these bases for? Why are "the others" so interested in the pregnant women and what experiments are they doing on them? So many questions! I just hope that it's not getting too complicated that it won't have satisfactory answers. Why are these people "chosen" to crash onto this island? Who the hell is pulling all the strings here?! What does the number mean?

I'm seriously thinking about taking a break watching the show, so I have time to actually think about the puzzles.

Joss Whedon stuff (I'm terrible at titling posts)

Joss Whedon has been doing the rounds promoting Much Ado About Nothing (now that he's a famous Hollywood director, he's doing a lot more of these).

This Q&A, like pretty much every one of them he's done, also covers Firefly and Avengers. This one is very interesting:

On the nebulous cinematic rights to the character Quicksilver, and whether Bryan Singer's decision to include him in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" will affect his inclusion in "Avengers 2"…

"And so continues the Q and not-A… That's not something I can really talk about, but Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are going to be in the movie and they're going to be AWESOME."

Monsters University Trailer

Nathan Fillion!! <3

Dan Harmon returning?

The rumor is picking up steam today that Dan Harmon will return as Community's show runner for the upcoming season 5. On the one hand, YAY DAN HARMON!! On the other hand, I feel kinda bad for David Guarascio and Moses Port. I just hope season 5 is good.

Something Old, Something New

I refrained myself from writing a blog post last week because I thought I'd just wait a week for the conclusion before forming opinions. For some reason, forming opinions is a pretty big thing for me and I find it exhausting. So I waited (or procrastinated, whichever word you prefer).

"Something Old" was an okay episode. Except for the ending. Well, a little bit more than just the ending. I didn't like that they made Barney an insensitive fiancé when we had been shown, numerous times, that Barney is actually a very caring friend. The fact that he completely disregarded Robin's call was...disappointing. And, they had to top it off with Ted showing up all Ted-like. Seriously, we're not over this? I gave it the benefit of the doubt, and decided against going on a long rant about the whole "Ted and Robin, maybe?" thing. Maybe they didn't mean it the way I thought they did, the hand holding thing.

Unfortunately, they confirmed it in "Something New" that Ted still has a part of him thinking that Robin could be the love of his life. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME TED?! How long has it been? How many times have we been over this? And we're still not done yet? But, most significantly, it cheapens "The Robin" in which one of the steps was for Ted to tell Robin that Barney was getting engaged (to Patrice) because that meant that Ted was over Robin. Well, what now? That was nothing? I just... I thought it was over.

There's a theory that the titles "Something Old" and "Something New" refer to Ted's love life -- to Robin and the mother, specifically. SPOILER ALERT! They showed the mother at the end of "Something New" so the theory makes a lot of sense and hopefully right. I don't know if I can handle season 9 starting with Ted still hung up on Robin marrying Barney.

It actually surprised me how many fans care so much about what the mother looks like. I mean, just the appearance of her. I don't get it. I honestly don't get it. What she looks like is THAT important?Someone argued that what she looked like IS important, because the show itself has been teasing us with it all: the leg, the arm, the yellow umbrella covering her face, etc. Well, none of those interested me back then either. Then again, to me, HIMYM has really been The Barney Show since season...one. But seriously, someone tell me why seeing her face is so damn significant?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Extended Trailer

Can't wait! Is Coulson going to be a big part of the whole show, or just the pilot where they explain what happened to him?

Pickups, renewals, cancellations

This past week has been insanely emotional for me. It's mostly because of all the things happening at Manchester United. However, this past weekend, TV networks announced their fall schedule; they announced new shows they picked up, the lucky ones renewed, and which ones are cancelled.

I'm incredibly upset that Go On was cancelled. More upset than I imagined I would. I was convinced that the show was safe. Not completely safe -- this is NBC we're talking about -- but I was pretty damn sure. And then the cancellation news came pretty early on Friday. It's a shame, really. Yes, the first few episodes weren't that great, but shouldn't that be expected for new shows trying to find their footings? The second half of the season was amazing, and it turned to be my favorite comedy show. The show had great character growth, and it turned into a very solid ensemble show. More importantly, WHY DID YOU TAKE MATTHEW PERRY AWAY FROM ME, NBC?! Seriously, though, the more I think about it, the more upset I get about this. I really am going to miss these people! Hopefully Matthew Perry can get another project/show soon, because I want him on my TV! Or maybe he can guest star on Parenthood as Lauren Graham's new love interest, now that Jason Ritter's new show, Friends and Family, is picked up. Or maybe Go On can get picked up by another network the way Cougar Town did.

:(

According to Twitter, NBC has announced that they're cancelling Go On. I really enjoyed the show! It's really a shame that it's a ratings game. Really hope that Matthew Perry finds a new show/project soon; I want him on TV!

Still no words on Community's fate...

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special

Warning: Spoilers ahead, obviously.

Ever since BBC officially announced David Tennant and Billie Piper's involvement in the 50th anniversary special, my interest in Doctor Who has shifted from the current season to the special. It's hard to care about the current episodes when we're promised Tennant back in the suit and maybe in the TARDIS! Which is a shame, because Clara's story should be quite interesting.

This is gonna be fun

I was listening to Emma Caulfield's episode of the Nerdist podcast from 2011 earlier today, and she mentioned that she loves football. She also brought up Friday Night Lights, saying that it's "not about football," as I've heard multiple times from other sources. That, along with, for some reason, the latest Nerdist podcast episode with Dominic Monaghan -- in which Dom talks about soccer, American sports, and the misunderstandings of soccer in America -- prompted me to search for the show on Netflix. And it's available!

I had no idea what to expect when I hit play on the Pilot episode. I've heard so many praises about the show, but I somehow managed to avoid any plot points. It's the pilot episode so they had to introduce all the characters, and I was a bit overwhelmed by all these names and faces thrown at me at the beginning of the episode. About halfway through the episode, I felt like I was getting the hang of it. I hadn't learned the characters' names yet, but I kinda understood who these people were supposed to be.

I knew that it's a drama show, and the fact that everything seemed be going nicely meant that something bad was going to happen in the episode. There were a few scenarios I could see playing out:

1. The Panthers are going to lose the game, putting Coach Taylor under pressure from the whole town. I thought that this was the most likely scenario; it's a little bit of drama, but not too much. Just enough for a pilot episode. But, I also thought that it would have been too obvious.
2. Coach Taylor would bench star quarterback Jason Street, or a few other star players, as a tactical surprise to the other team, and the whole town. I thought this had a slim possibility, as I couldn't see the advantage of doing this, since they seem to be the superior team throughout.
3. Quarterback Street would get a career ending injury. Street was portrayed as the nice kid who's got it all, which is why I thought this scenario would be both the most likely and the cruelest.

Of course, scenario three was the one. Their backup quarterback, Matt Saracen, was the character that clearly was built up to be the zero-to-hero character, which he ended up being. We didn't know how good he was because he was always overshadowed by Street. He was shy, quiet, and nice; the type of person who would be one of the main characters in a show. I don't think they've established that Street's injury is career ending; they suggested spinal cord injury, but I don't think it was confirmed. But I got the feeling that Saracen would be the new star, meaning that Street would be out of the team.

In any case, the third act of the episode had me in tears, which is very rare for a pilot episode, therefore I am incredibly excited to continue watching this show.

And hey, maybe I'd learn more about football through this show, and end up as a fan of the sport.

Cracked

I'm still on my David Sutcliffe run, I guess. He's currently starring in the Canadian cop show Cracked. Sutcliffe plays Aidan Black, a police officer transferred from Emergency Task Force to the newly created Psych Crimes unit after a public breakdown caused by PTSD.

I am watching the show just because of Sutcliffe –– I'm enjoying the fitted shirts he's been wearing –– but I believe that the show can be interesting and unique, not just another cop show, if they delved more into his struggles and his recovery, which in my opinion has only been an undertone of the series so far.

I'm not a fan of Aidan's partner, Dr. Daniella Ridley (Stefanie von Pfetten). I enjoy the last couple of episodes more because Aidan is partnered up with the other psychiatrist in the unit, Leo Blackett (Dayo Ade), instead. I feel like Ridley always pushes for the psychological reasons when solving a case, which I guess is her job, but she's just too pushy about them sometimes. For example, in the last episode, she kept on bringing up the suspect's possible PTSD. I know that she was right at the end, but I just didn't like how she insisted on it.

I really want them to get rid of Ridley. They can play it off as Aidan being unable to trust her again after the backstabbing, and they chose Aidan instead of Ridley. It's unlikely, because she's the one who helped designed the unit in the first place. However, I can stand her being around as long as they don't turn her into Aidan's love interest. That would be too much of a cliché. I was worried when she started talking about her and Aidan's closeness in one of the episodes; I hope they just leave it at that.

There's one episode left of the first season, and they have been renewed for a second season. The show started slow but it grew on me. I do like the cases they're involved in, and if they deal with Aidan's PTSD the right way, this could be a great show.

This is pretty bizarre

I'm a little upset about how the last season of Gilmore Girls turned out to be, and I'm not quite ready to let go of Christopher Hayden just yet, so I'm currently watching the episodes of Private Practice that David Sutcliffe is on. I mostly just watch the scenes that Sutcliffe is a part of and skip through the rest. But, in a strange coincidence, I've seen 3 Whedonverse alums guest starring on the show. First it was Amy Acker (Angel, Dollhouse, The Cabin in the Woods) playing a woman with a dying 7 year old son, 6 months pregnant with a daughter who is the only hope to save her brother. Then, there was Fran Kranz (Dollhouse, The Cabin in the Woods) as a young man who finds out that the woman he loves is his half-sister because their mothers chose the same sperm donor. I'm currently watching episode 2x06, "Serving Two Masters," where Alexis Denisof (Angel, Dollhouse, The Avengers) plays a man with two wives, unknowing of each other's existence, both pregnant (side note: I adore Denisof's accent). All three were in Dollhouse that aired after their Private Practice roles. And, all three are starring in the upcoming Whedon movie Much Ado About Nothing (which I'm very excited about).

I realize that this post is pointless. I just thought it was mildly interesting.

I hate that they're making him the bad guy

As I have previously mentioned, I am team Christopher. I am currently halfway through season 5 of the show, and I'm hating it. And not just because Lorelai is with Luke.

My heart insists that the end of "I Can't Get Started," the season 2 finale, did not happen. Sherri did not get pregnant, Chris and Lorelai got together, and they lived happily ever after. I honestly believe that they would have made it if that was the case. They were at the right place and at the right time to be together. They understood each other very well, and it just feels like they're right for each other; they have that special connection, more than just Rory's existence, that can't be replicated with other people. (I'm a shipper; sue me). Christopher can keep up with Lorelai, while Luke only lets her be. I always thought that Luke and Lorelai were meant to be friends. He had been pining for her for years, and I just never believe that that's a good start for a relationship. Or maybe I just think David Sutcliffe is way hotter so I just want to see him on the show a lot more than he actually was.

In any case, I hate what the writers have done with him in season 5. It seemed that his relationship with the Gilmore girls was going back to normal, and then they had to bring him in as the devil who wants to break up Luke and Lorelai. Yes, I think Luke and Lorelai should break up and she should end up with Christopher, but I always hate it if a guy tries to end the girl's current relationship. It's just wrong. And now he's the bad guy and I just hate it.

I already had to go through the entirety of season 4 without Christopher, and now I have to wait until about halfway through season 6 for his next appearance. I'm full of anger and disappointment at this moment so there's a good chance I'd be fast forwarding through most of the next ~20 episodes until the happy Lorelai-Christopher reunion.

I hate that I get emotionally invested in these fake people.

The Rings of Akhaten

Not a big fan of tonight's episode. Mostly because the sonic screwdriver became such a convenient weapon. There's no explanation; just take sonic screwdriver, point, push button, and everything is fine. Also, I find the plot to be too similar to the Shakespeare episode back in season 3. This episode uses songs as spells, like the "The Shakespeare Code" used words. During the climax of the episode, the Doctor tries to save the day, screws up, companion says something "meaningful" and the Doctor somehow finds a way. Especially with the big monologue the Doctor does at the end. These are all becoming a cliche. Sure what he says was sad and all, but I'm just not a big fan of big monologues; I just find them too anticlimactic. It felt like I was watching it just to find out more about Clara.

My parents let (made) me watch this as a kid?!

This is one of those things that I remember from childhood, which just scared the shit out of me. And, I know that it would still scare the shit out of me today. And it certainly did.

It's the 20th anniversary of Jurassic Park so they're rereleasing it to theaters in 3D and IMAX 3D for a week only. I know I've watched the movie at least 3 times, but I don't remember any of the plot, so I knew that watching it again would be as exciting as watching it the first time. Or maybe even more exciting since the first time I watched I was way too young (I remember it involved hiding behind my father).

This movie really does hold up well. The animatronics are amazing; the CGI are amazing; the movie is just simply amazing. It still terrifies 23 year old me. I honestly don't remember how young I was the first time I watched it, but I can't imagine how scared I was back then. Actually, I might have been more scared this time around because there were a few scenes when I expected to be scared or shocked, which just made me more scared than I would have been. I'm not making sense, am I? In anticipation of the velociraptor scenes, I was definitely scaring myself. I am now curious about the sequels but too scared to watch them. Maybe tomorrow...when it's light out...

Team LC!

Once again, I become attached to a couple that is doomed from the start. Although, to be honest, this one has a better chance of survival than my other favorites. I know it's not gonna work out; I know they're not gonna end up together; yet, for some unknown reason, I still get emotionally attached to Lorelai and Christopher. I've watched the show before so I know that they don't end up together. But I watch the show now wishing that they would. It's stupid and I know it would only lead to disappointment when Lorelai finally end up with Luke, but I can't help myself.

This is very similar to my obsession with Josh and Amy (The West Wing). I knew that Josh would end up with Donna, and that Josh and Amy would never work things out between them; but I still dreamed. Just like Josh and Amy, I think Christopher is a better match for Lorelai, and he definitely can go toe to toe with her verbally. I love the always flirtatious banter and the chemistry between them. And, just like Josh and Amy, there's a lack of good, completed Lorelai and Christopher fanfictions out there. It all leads to further disappointments. I'm actually currently pausing watching the show to hunt for fanfictions.

---

A mildly interesting coincidence: Lauren Graham's character in both Gilmore Girls and Parenthood dated her teenage daughter's high school English teacher.

Supernatural Saturday

Every Saturday is now Supernatural Saturday on BBC America. Yesterday, it started with a new episode of Doctor Who, followed by the premiere of new series Orphan Black, and ended with a new season of The Nerdist. I skipped Orphan Black because I was in the middle of watching Gilmore Girls. But I'm going to check it out if the reviews are good. I mean, it's in the middle of Doctor Who and The Nerdist; might as well, right?

Doctor Who

It's been way too long since I last watched Doctor Who that even the theme song excited me. I thought "The Bells of St John" was okay. I didn't like the unrealistic and misrepresentation of hacking throughout the episode (the fastest typers are the best hackers), but I shouldn't have expected it on a show like this. Plus, I think it's incredibly dumb that all the employees post where they were. If you're working for a super evil corporation, you might want to be a little more discreet. I understand the want/need to be accessible through social media, but you don't need to tell them where you are all the time. Or, you could lie or something!

Although, I like that the book was by Amelia Williams. And that they're going to release the actual book on Thursday ("Stay tuned" according to the show's Facebook page). BUT, I'm a bit weary of the conversation between Clara and the kid who was reading chapter 10: "Eleven is the best; you'll cry your eyes out." First of all, Tennant is obviously the best; second of all, I don't want to cry my eyes out, Moffat!

Re-watching old favorites

I came across a GIF of a scene from Gilmore Girls on Reddit yesterday, and I immediately looked for a way to watch the show. It's not on Netflix or Amazon Prime Instant Video, so I had to resort to less legitimate ways. And that means I had to wait until I was able to watch the episodes. First world problem: waiting for something to download is such an inconvenience!

In any case, I managed to watch the pilot episode and I got insanely excited! I've missed them so much. And it's quite strange seeing them; the last time I've seen the two Gilmore girls were on Parenthood and Mad Men.

I only managed to watch one episode because then The Voice was on (started watching again because I was curious about Shakira and Usher), followed by Go On. And, on Go On, it's the episode where Courteney Cox guest stars! She and Matthew Perry were hilarious and just perfect together. And that made me miss Chandler and Monica, and just Friends in general. I haven't started watching it yet, but these two shows will be my next few weeks, I think. Along with Battlestar Galactica that I think is getting more and more interesting.

I really don't get it

Last night's episode of HIMYM, "Time Travelers," was the strangest episode I've watched. I just don't understand the episode at all. I mean, the promos were interesting; I thought multiple Barneys (and Teds, I guess) would be awesome. And he was (they were?). It's just that... I don't get the point of it. All of that was Ted's hallucination and that he was daydreaming about an (unimportant) event that happened 5 years ago. He was all alone, and I guess that's sad, but nowhere near oen of the saddest moments in the show's history as some people seem to think. It wasn't funny, and I feel like the writers were trying too hard to make the episode feel sad. The show does that very well, going from funny to sad in the next scene, but this episode was not that at all.

How is Ted going to his future wife's apartment crying and telling her he loves her 45 days before he met her beautiful? I think that's just desperate. The whole episode makes Ted look extremely desperate, and sad in the wrong say. I just...I just don't get it. I feel like this episode was thrown in for a filler. It has nothing to do with the previous episodes, and I don't see this episode having any relevance in future episodes. I really hope to be proven wrong, though.

There are quite a few people on the internet saying that this episode supports the theory that the Mother is dead. That would explain why Ted wanted the extra 45 days so much. But I don't think the writers are that cruel. Plus, it still doesn't make this episode any good.

Side note: the Teds and Barneys' a cappella at the end was amazing. The only good thing about this episode.

I tried

I tried my best to keep watching this show; I watched the season 3 finale episode a couple days ago, and I got so tired of all the yelling and talking over each other and just the general dramatizing of nonsense. I mean... I like the characters, but I can't take all the... noise. I'm going back to Battlestar Galactica instead.

Official trailer: Much Ado About Nothing

I'm very excited for this! A lot of the people I love together, and it's Much Ado.

Joss Whedon, along with the cast, will be at SXSW this weekend to present Much Ado About Nothing. And Joss, hilarious as always, took to Whedonesque.com to address his fans. He will be tweeting from this account:

Hey it's Joss. I'm tweeting. I'm a member of the twitterati. I hath tweeth'd.It's on. -Joss
— MuchAdoFilm (@MuchAdoFilm) March 7, 2013

Seriously, this movie is gonna be amazing!

PaleyFest 2013: Community

I absolutely adore the gang. The table read was amazing, especially the tango. And the banters and rambles that the cast went on were hilarious. They could have used a better moderator, though. I understand that he wanted a structure to the conversation and he wanted to get to the points he had prepared for, but with this group of people who would just play off of each other so wonderfully and quickly, he just broke the flow of the conversation.

In any case, I'm very excited about the rest of the season. I believe tonight's episode is the thanksgiving episode, in which Jeff meets his father. Speaking of, Jeff's father is played by James Brolin, who also plays Jackson Hunt on Castle, Rick Castle's father. So, as that one audience pointed out, are Jeff and Rick half brothers? How awesome would that be?! And with how much Nathan Fillion loves Community, how awesome would it be if a crossover happened?

And the puppets! It reminds me of Angel's puppet episode. Whatever the puppets turn out to be, I can't wait!

PaleyFest 2013: The Newsroom

I'm going to reserve my judgment of Piers Morgan. It makes sense that he was chosen to moderate this conversation. And it seems that Aaron Sorkin respects him. I think he did a decent job moderating, although I prefer when the moderator talks less and gives more time for audience questions.

I understand that the show is about a newsroom, and that Piers Morgan is a journalist, but he asked a few questions to the cast as if they're supposed to be journalism experts. I know that he just wanted them to state their opinion but it felt very awkward for a few moments there. In any case, I thought the cast were wonderful and answered the questions gracefully. I was particularly impressed by Olivia Munn, for some reason. I am a little disappointed that Margaret isn't sent to Mandyland, but a few Redditors pointed out that her character isn't as bad as Mandy, her storyline is, and I agree. Hopefully it will be better in season 2. I don't know about Sloan and Don, though...

I am also disappointed that no one asked Sorkin about the possibility to bring back unresolved storylines from his previous works; particularly, from Studio 60, fighting the FCC over time delaying the news. I really wanted to see Sorkin's take on the issue.

Dexter's 8th season to be its last?

Taken from TV Line:

If CBS head honcho Les Moonves is to be believed (which, let’s be honest, he is), Dexter will really, truly wrap its eight-season run this summer.

The corporation’s president and CEO seemingly spilled the beans during a conference call Monday, per Broadcasting & Cable, when he referred to the Showtime saga’s upcoming outing as its “last.”

I'm disappointed, HIMYM

When I saw the synopsis of "Weekend at Barney's" sometime last week, I was weary about the fact that The Playbook still exists. I gave the writers the benefit of the doubt; maybe it was a copy that Barney made for Ted a long time ago, so technically Barney doesn't have a Playbook. Or it was a fake Playbook. Or anything! I just thought Barney burning the Playbook during "The Final Page" was such a big deal; it's one of the biggest reasons why I believe Barney was ready for Robin. The Playbook being back cheapens that moment, in my opinion.

I'm all caught up!

Spent my weekend with Matthew Perry and gang, and I am now ready for the next episode! Which, I believe, will be the Bradley Whitford episode! I like seeing Matthew's friends guest star (I adore Lauren Graham), and I can't wait for the Courteney Cox episode that they just shot recently. The pictures they tweeted [1, 2, 3, 4] just make me want to watch Friends again.

Yes, I am disappointed that Ryan King said Manchester City is going take the Premier League trophy again, but I'm gonna let that slide; he doesn't care about soccer. The show itself has been good. I think I'm in denial of the fact that I relate to these people, quite a bit. I mean...they're crazy! And I'm not! Right?! Anyways... The show is endearing, although there are scenes that are quite cringeworthy and cliched that I skipped through. Here's hoping the ratings picked up so the show can go on (heh) longer.

I've missed Michael Vartan!

I've just watched the fourth episode of Go On, "Bench-Clearing Bawl," in which Vartan made a tiny cameo as himself. I would pay to see Matthew Perry and Michael Vartan play hockey together! Which I would like to believe actually happened during the shooting of this episode. Like a real game in the middle of shooting. I digress...

This show is definitely growing on me. I'm starting to relate to or care about the characters.

Michael Vartan, on the other hand, I haven't seen much since Alias. And seeing the little scene that he had made me want to go rewatch Alias again.

I guess a happy ending is too much to ask for?

It is a show surrounded by death. There is a lot of anger and sadness; it's almost like every conversation ends up with someone crying and/or shouting. Everyone is broken. Why was I still expecting a happy ending?

I had a feeling that Nate would end up dead, but I thought it would be at the very end of the series. I mean, what kind of show kills off its first-billed cast member with three episodes left in the series? It's insane how much I cried during those last episodes. To be fair, it's just Nate who had an unfortunate death; everyone else seemed to lead a long, happy life after his departure. So was he the problem? But what a heart-breaking and unexpected death that was!

Happy October 19th! :)

Troy and Abed back from suuuuummer!

Community is finally back! The first episode of season four "History 101" shows the gang back from their (last ever?) summer break at Greendale as seniors. Annie wants to experience senioritis; Troy and Britta's relationship progresses; Jeff is now the new Jeff who puts his friends ahead of himself; Abed has to deal with the last first day of school.

The "last first" theme makes it feel like this could be the last first episode of Community. Not saying that season five (and six and a movie) wouldn't happen, but I don't want to be too optimistic at the moment. You never know, with NBC. Although, with 30 Rock just ended and The Office about to end, NBC might give Community a better chance of continuing. Dean Pelton moving in to the apartment next to Jeff's certainly means the show wants to expand beyond the campus; to let the show continue after graduation. I'm excited to see what the rest of the gang would do.

Honestly, I didn't feel the lack of Dan Harmon in the episode, which is a very good thing. Hopefully this season is good –– better than last season at least.

Everyone's just so strange

I'm currently at the beginning at season 3 and I am wondering why I'm even watching this show. I know I was originally attracted to it only because it's Peter Krause and Michael C. Hall, but seeing how well the show is rated I expected...more. I do like the Fisher brothers, but everyone else annoys the shit out of me.

I can't stand Claire with all her whining and drama. Ruth just rubs me the wrong way, and I think she's a little crazy. Rico, once he becomes partner, is now a huge asshole and feels entitled to everything; I mean, I understand not wanting to be treated like an employee anymore but most of the times it feels like he thinks he's now superior. Keith, who I thought was really nice at the beginning of the show, I now find to be an inconsiderate jerk.

I don't get what happened to Nate. He had a major surgery, and a year later he's married to Lisa?  I know she's the mother of his child, but she's also the mother of his child who wants him to never have anything to do with her. Their relationship is very strange and she's just plain weird. Also, Nate now seems to be a completely different person who's overly mellow and it annoys me.

I find almost everything about this show to be annoying, yet I can't stop watching. I can't figure out why...

Hope this one sticks

A new Matthew Perry show? Of course I'm in! I remember watching the first episode back when it aired on TV, but for some reason I wasn't paying attention that my brain decided to categorize the episode as unmemorable, making me miss the next episodes. But, the internet has been kind to it; I've read a few articles saying that it might be the best new sitcom of the season; it's receiving decent-to-good ratings; and most importantly, people likened its bizarreness to Community's (which, by the way, will be back very, very soon! *happy face*). I have just rewatched the pilot episode, along with episodes two and three, and I do enjoy it. It's always nice to have Matthew Perry back on TV; his last two shows, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Mr. Sunshine, were canceled too early, in my opinion. The latter, co-starring Allison Janney, I watched all nine episodes when they aired, but I still haven't watched the four unaired episodes.

Go On is about Ryan King (Perry), a sports talk radio host who is forced to attend support group sessions to help him move on from the death of his wife. This, in a way, is very similar to Community's introduction to the show. Ryan was reluctant to go to the sessions, as was Jeff in going to community college, until becoming friends with the group of people they were forced to be around. Go On's plot involving troubled, grieving people in a support group is great because it allows for more craziness.

NBC has made a full season order of 22 episodes, the fifteenth of which aired a few hours ago. Here's hoping for a second, third, and maybe even fourth seasons!

Also, watching this reminds me that I should also watch Matt LeBlanc's Episodes.

Can we move away from the relationship stuff please?

To be honest, I'm still undecided on what I think about this show.

I've only watched four episodes so far, but that's almost halfway through the 10-episode season. And, the thing that throws me off the most is the "relationship mess" part of the show: the Will/Mac jealous ex with lingering feelings, and the Jim/Maggie she's taken but they're obviously into each other. They seem to be throwing it in our faces and force us to go along with it. These relationships are also cliched and tired, and it feels like the show doesn't even try to do anything new in this aspect. They're getting annoying, instead of charming or appealing that I think they are meant to be. So, can we just drop them please? The show would be much more interesting and stronger without them.

Side note: I think, out of all of Aaron Sorkin's shows, The Newsroom has the least chemistry between the cast and characters, which is why I don't fall in love with it as quickly as I do the other shows.

Trying something new...

Excluding the current TV shows that I follow each week, I always watch older shows one at a time. I watch one episode after another, and I enjoy not having to wait a week (sometimes longer) to see what happens next. However, I do sometimes wonder if rushing through episodes takes away from the overall experience. It might throw off the pacing of the show; the creators might have intended for episodes to be watched weeks apart; different plot lines get jumbled up and missed. So, I've decided to try watching multiple shows at once. Not necessarily one episode of one show followed by one of another show, but maybe a few episodes of one show and then a few days of other shows.

I'm still in the middle of watching Parenthood, I'm at the beginning of season 3 right now and honestly, I'm getting tired of all the drama. I watched the pilot episode of Dirty Sexy Money last night, and it seems pretty interesting; lighter in the drama department than Parenthood so it might be easier to watch. I also have Six Feet Under downloaded and ready to be watched, which I'm going to start...right now. All three shows star Peter Krause so I might need to drop one (or two) of them. As substitutes, I can continue watching The Newsroom, of which I've only watched the first 5 or 6 episodes; and I can also go back to Battlestar Galactica, since I stopped somewhere at the beginning of its second season.

Parenthood

I've always liked Lauren Graham so I was quite excited when I learned that she was going to star in a new show. I remember watching this show when it first aired, in 2010, but I'm not sure how far I got before I stopped watching; it was probably just a few episodes. I don't know why I stopped; I think it's just because I wasn't in the mood for dramas. This time, I watched the first season in 3 days.

Parenthood is a comedy-drama that revolves around the three generations of the Braverman family. The grandparents Zeek and Camille Braverman; their four children, from oldest to youngest (and it took me at least half of season 1 before I figure this out): Adam the go-to guy and problem fixer, Sarah the single mother raising two teenagers, Crosby the erratic, irresponsible, and childish one, and Julia the successful lawyer. The show portrays the daily lives of this family, along with their significant others and children, and the constant struggles of relationships and finances of their lives. Although I can't really relate to their problems (since my life hasn't been nearly as dramatic), the show manages to make everything seems real and believable. I have cried quite a few times during the thirteen episodes I've watched.

And I now really, really miss my family.

After watching Sports Night, followed by this show, and with Six Feet Under just downloaded to my hard drive, I think I'm going to have a crush on Peter Krause (if I haven't already). I do love the tone of his voice.

Sports Night

In my attempt to fend off the temptation of The West Wing, I decided to watch another of Aaron Sorkin's shows: Sports Night. I'm immediately greeted by the Sorkinisms I'm accustomed to: the walk-and-talk, the quick pace and banters, the rhythm of the dialogues. Unlike his other shows of hour-long dramas that I'm familiar with (TWW, Studio 60, The Newsroom), Sports Night is a half-hour comedy. It's not a sitcom; the humor is much drier than the typical sitcom, but it's definitely funny. They used laugh tracks in season one, and it's awkward and distracting; I'm glad they dropped that in season two.

Sports Night shows us the action behind the production of an ESPN-esque show. The show within the show is modeled after ESPN's SportsCenter; and its presenters, Dan (Josh Charles) and Casey (Peter Krause), are modeled after SportsCenter's Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick. The onscreen banter emulates Olbermann and Patrick's, and the behind-the-scene struggles for ratings and against network execs mimics their real-life counterparts.

I watched the episodes in a marathon. No, in a sprint. It only took me a few days to finish the two seasons. There are a few "themes" that I recognized from Sorkin's other shows, and the setting reminded me a lot of Studio 60. It's a great show, and it's a shame that it was canceled before its time. It's not The West Wing –– I think Sorkin's style of writing works best in TWW –– but it has that sense of humor that I really enjoy. It's funny, it's smart, and unfortunately seems to be one of those great shows that many people missed. I now have to look for another show to watch. I might try to catch up on The Newsroom next so I don't miss the Sorkinisms, or look for great, older shows that I've missed.

I can't help it

A few weeks ago, Netflix made all seasons of The West Wing available for streaming. Not only was it available, it keeps being pushed towards me; both through /r/NetflixBestOf, and Netflix's many lists of recommendations. My lack of self-control means that I caved in and rewatched the show again. Yes, I'm really blaming Netflix this time.

I absolutely loved watching the earlier episodes again; especially seeing CJ being nervous and not nearly as experienced as I remember her to be, when going in to the press briefing room. I've missed the dynamic of the team very much. And I've definitely missed the friendship between Josh and Sam, and CJ and Toby by extension.

The more episodes I watch, the sadder I get because I know Sam Seaborn is leaving. Moreover, not too long after Sam's farewell, Amy Gardner would soon join him in leaving the show. Those two are my favorite characters after Josh Lyman and the show is just not the same without them; yes, even though Amy was never really a regular on the show. I really wanted Josh to end up with Amy; I thought she was more of a match to him than Donna ever was. Sure, Josh and Donna shared some cute banters, but they're far from the scope and level of Josh/Amy banters. This blog post takes the words out of my mouth, and then polished them and expressed my points more clearly. I honestly can't believe that there are so many Amy-haters out there. What's not to love about her? I understand that most people shipped Josh and Donna since the beginning of the show, and to have this very attractive woman come in and steal the man can be aggravating, but how could they not see how perfect Josh and Amy are? Okay... Taking my shipper hat off now...