It was SO not an intelligent decision to start doing this list on an eve of new television (The Amazing Race, The Simpsons, Desperate Housewives, and American Dad... and, yes, I might tune into Cashmere Mafia but mostly to see what changed between the pilot I saw eight months ago and the for-air version... because that pilot was pretty excreable). I'm delaying my viewing of The Wire (sacrilege!) until I've rewatched the entirety of the first four seasons. I'm almost done with season two, so it won't be long. Definitely will be caught up around by episode 3 or 4 of this season.
But now is not a time to discuss 2008's television.
50. 24, "Day 6: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM" (originally aired January 15, 2007). Ah, the beginning of the end. The two-night, four-hour premiere of 24's sixth season was riddled in stock characters, bad acting, and wooden dialogue (note to casting directors: no more D.B. Woodside). But, FOX marketing machine be damned, they really did have a jaw-dropping cliffhanger at the end of the fourth hour. Not necessarily a development for the show, and in fact I'd pin the nuclear detonation of Valencia as the classic "jump the shark" moment (especially because, twelve hours later when the show became about the Chinese government, something little like a nuke killing 12,000 people was long forgotten). In any case, I have a mantra that I will repeat throughout this Top 50: bad developments coming after effective plot twists don't mean the plot twist was a bad thing (see, eventually, the Grey's Anatomy ferry crash arc). This episode also brought us Jack Bauer's slaying of Curtis (a sorely missed Roger Cross) in a last-minute attempt to find said nuke. The editing in the scene in the warehouse right before the explosion? Absolutely amazing. Between the look on the random suburban husband's face as he, while helplessly bound and unable to do anything but yell, saw an almost-dead terrorist activate the nuke to the look of devastation on Jack's face in the final moments before the clock rang out over black... it just worked. Even if it jumped the shark.
49. Ugly Betty, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (originally aired March 22, 2007). Note to the current writing staff of Ugly Betty (er, whenever this strike issue is settled): this is how to do an episode of your show. There's pathos, there's telenovela goings-on going on, and it's hilarious. It's not drowning in sorrow the way much of the second season has been. The main plot of the episode revolves around the aftermath of Claire (Judith Light) admitting that she murdered Fey Sommers, and being sent to jail (releasing Bradford, who was previously accused of the crime). But the real joy of this episode is the deepening of Marc St. James' character with the introduction of his mother, who doesn't know he's gay. He uses Betty as his "girlfriend"/beard, and hilarity ensues. He eventually comes out (and his mother rejects him) in one of the show's more touching moments... because it's grounded in reality. Also, Justin rewinding a newscast of Betty trying to avoid reporters' questions about the Meade shenanigans and walking into a wall of a bus shelter is just hilarious.
48. Family Guy, "Stewie Kills Lois/Lois Kills Stewie" (originally aired November 4, 2007 and November 11, 2007). While the end of this arc was not satisfying, no matter how hard the show tried to laugh off the dream sequence/computer simulation/reset button ending (and, really, the swipe at the finale of The Sopranos would've been funnier had the joke not been used to more comedic effect two months earlier in the Family Guy musical number that opened the Emmys), that doesn't take away from the journey it took us on. Ridiculous violence is one of the things this show does best (see "Patriot Games" with Stewie as Brian's loan shark), and these episodes brought it in spades.
47. House, "Airborne" (originally aired April 10, 2007). House solves the case of a spreading mystery illness while on an airplane. WHILE ON AN AIRPLANE. The illness turned out to be mass hysteria caused by one passenger having decompression sickness and Cuddy alarming people that there might be viral Meningococcus spreading. Which is kind of lame as far as House mystery illnesses go, but totally worth it for the sequence when House assigned Chase's, Foreman's, and Cameron's personalities to random people on the airplane (they are told to agree with him, disagree with him, and get morally outraged by all of his decisions). The fact that Dr. House, supposedly one of the best diagnosticians in the world, needed this makeshift team around him to really function was great foreshadowing for the effect firing a member of said team (and having the rest resign) would take on him. It did make his use of a janitor in "Alone" (the fourth-season premiere) a tad redundant, but I'm pretty certain that episode was meant to be an awkward springboard into the game of Survivor House set up.
46. Damages, "Because I Know Patty" (originally aired October 23, 2007). I enjoyed Damages. I really did. But I found it very difficult to figure out which, if any, episode should make the Top 50. That's the "problem" with such a serialized show, I suppose. None of the episodes, to me, were ever really about a particular thing except asking more questions and giving some answers about the Big Mystery. So, I chose the finale, which answered questions about who tried to have Ellen killed, finished the Frobisher case, gave us some really meaty Patty scenes, and provided a nice hint at what was coming next. Whenever the writers' strike is done, the series has been picked up for two more seasons. I hope the writers can figure out a way for the next two stories to not lag as much in the middle.
45. Desperate Housewives, "The Little Things You Do Together" (originally aired February 18, 2007). Desperate Housewives had to abruptly finish off the Bree/Orson/Alma storyline thanks to Marcia Cross's bed-rest orders, and this was the end of it. This episode featured the opening of the Scavos' pizzeria (which was nicely forced to use chairs from various neighbors thanks to a screwed up stool order... nothing says neighborhood pizzeria like sitting in your own chair), two wedding proposals (and the awkwardness that was the brief Zach/Gabrielle relationship), and a death. DH is at it's best when it is darkly comic, and that can certainly be said of how Alma Hodge's life ended. She finally escapes the attic she was locked in, only to fall off the roof when trying to get someone's attention. And, of course, the massive confrontation that was, like, every member of the Hodge/Van De Kamp family versus Gloria Hodge, Orson's maniacal, murderous mother. It was a quick wrap up due to outside circumstances and the third season didn't recover minus the best housewife (sorry, Felicity Huffman, Marcia wins my vote), but there's just so much delicious justice to be found in an old woman having a stroke and being trapped with her sins in her body, alone, with no loved ones thanks to her deceitful actions. The image Orson forcing the paralyzed, but conscious, head of Gloria to watch him walk away from her, forever, was powerful stuff.
44. South Park, "Imaginationland" (originally aired October 17, 2007, October 24, 2007, and October 31, 2007). Only on South Park will you ever find an ethical dilemma like the US Government pondering sending a nuclear missile at "our imaginations" because terrorists hijacked them. Perhaps I'm a little sick in the head, or maybe it's just my own personal love of desensitization to violence (hey, I didn't write it), but the beating of Strwberry Shortcake followed by the reintroduction of the Woodland Critters suggested they flay and rape her (in part two) was just pure heaven. Throw in Al Gore, ManBearPig, and Cartman's relentless mission to get Kyle to suck his dry balls and you have one freaking hilarious, weird-ass trilogy.
43. Friday Night Lights, "Mud Bowl" (originally aired March 28, 2007). This show is not about football, and yet it is about football. Coach's speech about the love of the game resonated on so many levels... and being from a North Eastern suburb, I've never understood why or how high school football can become commercialized, so yay on Coach Taylor for teaching us all a lesson about football and alternative uses for cow pastures. There's some great cinematography in this episode. And I still can't even talk about the Tyra/Landry plot. And that's the problem with shows that are so real you can feel it.
42. Chuck, "Chuck Versus the Nemesis" (originally aired November 26, 2007). The NBC marketing machine hyped this episode as "the episode that changes everything" and while it was an interesting twist that they brought Bryce Larkin back from the dead, I couldn't help but feel a tad less overwhelmed than I should have. Mostly because from the moment he died in the pilot (and remember, I first watched the pilot in May) I figured there was no way you waste a fine actor like Matt Bomer on that opening scene. No way he was perma-dead. Still, this episode was action- and twist-heavy, which more than made up for the non-shock of Bryce's resurrection. For once, though, my favorite parts of the episode were at the Buy More. The Black Friday preparations, Morgan's manning-up, Big Mike, "pineapple"... I know they can't stage the final showdowns (or even midway showdowns) of the spy adventures in the Buy More in every episode, but it was nice to have it so fully integrated.
41. Dirty Sexy Money, "The Watch" (originally aired November 28, 2007). I am not the biggest fan of Dirty Sexy Money. I think that with all the talent on the show, it could be so much more than it is. I hate that instead of being this big, over-the-top, glamorous soap in the tradition of Dallas, it tries to mock the serio-comic tone that pervades ABC hour-longs. I also hated that the show, in episode four, introduced a plotline about a bastard Darling from the affair between Letitia and Nick's dad, Dutch. Introduced the plotline and proceeded to have Tish tell Tripp who the bastard was, off-screen. In the middle of an episode. And then the plot was dropped. And now, suddenly, it's back in full force a month-plus later. So we find out that Brian is the bastard, is Nick's half-brother (which makes sense, dramatically, because of how Brian deals with Nick... with utter abhorrence). Nick gives Brian his dad's watch. And we have the legitimately touching end of the Brian/Brian's illegitimate son Brian Jr./Gustav plot, in which Brian waves goodbye to the son he never wanted then grew to love, and gives him the watch. Really well done stuff. So much better than the previous week's "let's make an entire episode out of people having meetings with each other."
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes (Honorable Mention)
The time has come for some sort of annual "best of" list. I'll be listing, and in most cases explaining, my favorite 50 episodes of scripted television... that I watched. I don't watch everything. I don't even get Showtime (so, while I'm sure Dexter would have places on my list, I'm waiting for Season Two DVDs).
Here are the episodes that didn't quite make the cut, in alphabetical order by series:
Here are the episodes that didn't quite make the cut, in alphabetical order by series:
- Brothers & Sisters, “Something Ida This Way Comes” (originally aired January 21, 2007). One of the more amusing, but less consequential, episodes of B&S. This episode is about the family throwing Nora (the incomparable Sally Field) a surprise 60th birthday party, and the titular Ida (Nora and Saul's mother) coming to town for the event. Ida, as a non-resident of Los Angeles, is blissfully unaware of the drama of The Walker Family. Not much happens in the episode, but it serves as a great comedy piece and summary of the characters' stories thus far.
- Chuck, “Chuck Versus the Sandworm” (originally aired October 29, 2007). This episode of my pick for Best New Network Series was filler, no question, but there are few combinations I love more than Halloween-themed episodes, spies and geeks. Having Chuck face a nerdy, ex-CIA "agent" villain was a good touch.
- How I Met Your Mother, “Stuff” (originally aired February 19, 2007). Take that, independent theater. Barney's send-up of one-man plays entitled "Suck It Lily" was genius, and, of course, Slap Number Two.
- Mad Men, “New Amsterdam” (originally aired August 9, 2007). The lines between Don Draper and Pete Campbell are drawn in the sand in this episode where Pete oversteps his station and Draper has to suck it up because Pete is, well, a Campbell. Social, political, and office politics be damned!
- Pushing Daisies, “Bitter Sweets” (originally aired November 28, 2007). The first, and only, episode of the series that managed to stand close to the pilot/pie-lette in my eyes. I'm not a big Molly Shannon fan, but I found her (perhaps recurring) character, the competitive proprietor of a candy store that opens right near The Pie Hole, to be a great addition. Something needed to stir up trouble with the group of characters. Throw in the added stakes of Ned being framed for murder, and you actually have a passably engaging episode of television.
- Reaper, “Pilot” (originally aired September 25, 2007). The pilot provided hints at a really great series as soon as it got rolling (I was no fan of the almost sitcom-ish first few minutes). Ray Wise's Devil is a standout character this season. Unfortunately, the rest of the series has (at the behest of the network, I understand) taken a purely anthological turn and gotten rid of Sam's powers. To which I ask... huh?
- Scrubs, “My Musical” (originally aired January 18, 2007). Props for trying, but "Once More, With Feeling" this wasn't.
- The Shield, “Chasing Ghosts” (originally aired May 8, 2007). Oh, man, this was the episode the series was building up to since it killed Lem off in the fifth season finale. And, of course, it defied expectations. From the opening scene between a desperate Vic and an all-too comfortable (and jailed) Antwon to the final confrontation between Vic and Shane where the latter comes clean about killing Lem... just great.
- The Simpsons, “24 Minutes” (originally aired May 20, 2007). We all know the glory days of this show is long past, but it brought out its parody bat and went down swinging with this send-up of FOXs 24. Which was surprisingly timely, as the parody version had to have been conceived around the time when 24 won its Best Drama Series Emmy and then proceeded to have a season that, overall, will rank among humanity's worst crimes. Cameos by Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brien only showed that The Simpsons could write 24 better than 24 itself could.
- The Sopranos, “Kennedy and Heidi” (originally aired May 13, 2007). Christopher Moltisanti dies. In the freaking beginning of the episode.
Friday, January 4, 2008
I LOVE KATIE HOLMES!
So Tom Cruise's mini-major movie studio, United Artists, has apparently signed an independent deal with the WGA, per Nikki Finke's website.
Great news for the WGA. Now not only an independent and very small television production company has signed on, but a legit studio. Writers can pitch movies. Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner will have their pick of the spec script litter. What's more, UA is a member organization of the AMPTP, while David Letterman's Worldwide Pants was not.
Come Monday (or perhaps as soon as tomorrow), the AMPTP will release a statement that UA only deals with movies, and thus has no concerns about the reality and animation jurisdictional issues that were part of its rationale for leave negotiations/ultimatum to the WGA on December 7th.
WGA needs to keep the momentum of "divide and conquer" going, but it won't really hit it big until one of the conglomerates with movies, TV (studio and/or network), and reality wings signs an interim or independent agreement. I suggest going after CBS Corp, which airs Letterman and Ferguson. Its main business is television, though it is branching into film. CBS Corp signing with the WGA would give it a clear advantage versus competitors by allowing CBS the network to have a pilot season (at least with CBS Corp produced scripts). Which works out even better for the conglom because it would be produced internally so all sorts of costs could be cut (or at least shuffled around the balance sheet).
Another option would be DreamWorks Animation (I'm not certain if a deal could be made with DreamWorks, which is both films and television, as it is "just" a pod at Paramount).
Goodness, how I love it when oligopolies stop colluding.
... my opinion of Tom Cruise hasn't really improved as dramatically as the subject line might suggest... but I might actually seek out Lions For Lambs now.
Great news for the WGA. Now not only an independent and very small television production company has signed on, but a legit studio. Writers can pitch movies. Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner will have their pick of the spec script litter. What's more, UA is a member organization of the AMPTP, while David Letterman's Worldwide Pants was not.
Come Monday (or perhaps as soon as tomorrow), the AMPTP will release a statement that UA only deals with movies, and thus has no concerns about the reality and animation jurisdictional issues that were part of its rationale for leave negotiations/ultimatum to the WGA on December 7th.
WGA needs to keep the momentum of "divide and conquer" going, but it won't really hit it big until one of the conglomerates with movies, TV (studio and/or network), and reality wings signs an interim or independent agreement. I suggest going after CBS Corp, which airs Letterman and Ferguson. Its main business is television, though it is branching into film. CBS Corp signing with the WGA would give it a clear advantage versus competitors by allowing CBS the network to have a pilot season (at least with CBS Corp produced scripts). Which works out even better for the conglom because it would be produced internally so all sorts of costs could be cut (or at least shuffled around the balance sheet).
Another option would be DreamWorks Animation (I'm not certain if a deal could be made with DreamWorks, which is both films and television, as it is "just" a pod at Paramount).
Goodness, how I love it when oligopolies stop colluding.
... my opinion of Tom Cruise hasn't really improved as dramatically as the subject line might suggest... but I might actually seek out Lions For Lambs now.
The Late Night Debate - WGA Approved Shows Close the Gap
Wednesday night's ratings came out and I sighed a little bit at the "car wreck" fascination Americans apparently had as they overly sampled Leno and Conan (who were back at work without writers). Both shows were up considerably in the ratings from their pre-strike averages (Wednesday: Leno 5.5/12, up 47%, Conan 2.5/8, up 56%). Please note that the only late-night ratings I'm able to receive/find are overnights for the 55 Metered Markets. Places like TVWeek occasionally post national data late in the day or the day after the overnights come out.
Meanwhile, unstruck company Worldwide Pants' two offerings were also up versus their last telecast, and with their writing teams intact. Letterman's Wednesday airing scored a 4.3/10, up 39% from his pre-strike average, while Ferguson got a 1.9/6, up 27%.
Do the math and that makes pre-strike ratings as follows (approximately):
- Leno: 3.7
- Letterman: 3.1
- Conan: 1.6
- Ferguson: 1.5
Thursday night, they scored the following numbers:
- Leno: 4.2/10 (-1.3, - 24% versus Wednesday, +0.5, +14% versus pre-strike average)
- Letterman: 3.8/9 (-0.5, -12%, +0.7, +23%)
- Conan: 2.1/7 (-0.4, -16%, +0.5, +31%)
- Ferguson: 1.8/6 (-0.1, -5%, +0.3, +20%)
This shows that there's still some "OMG there's new late night on" interest, as levels are well above pre-strike averages (and that the "premiere interest" faded), but it also is starting to show (yes, you can't tell a trend from two airings, but we'll follow this in the week to come) that the struck shows are suffering more than the ones with writers.
As well they should.
There's also the interesting case of Conan, whose show is still exhibiting a remarkable increase versus prior averages. With the big, media-hype machine focusing on the battle between Letterman and Leno (and now Leno and WGA... oy), Conan is flying under the radar. It's something to track, at least.
Meanwhile, unstruck company Worldwide Pants' two offerings were also up versus their last telecast, and with their writing teams intact. Letterman's Wednesday airing scored a 4.3/10, up 39% from his pre-strike average, while Ferguson got a 1.9/6, up 27%.
Do the math and that makes pre-strike ratings as follows (approximately):
- Leno: 3.7
- Letterman: 3.1
- Conan: 1.6
- Ferguson: 1.5
Thursday night, they scored the following numbers:
- Leno: 4.2/10 (-1.3, - 24% versus Wednesday, +0.5, +14% versus pre-strike average)
- Letterman: 3.8/9 (-0.5, -12%, +0.7, +23%)
- Conan: 2.1/7 (-0.4, -16%, +0.5, +31%)
- Ferguson: 1.8/6 (-0.1, -5%, +0.3, +20%)
This shows that there's still some "OMG there's new late night on" interest, as levels are well above pre-strike averages (and that the "premiere interest" faded), but it also is starting to show (yes, you can't tell a trend from two airings, but we'll follow this in the week to come) that the struck shows are suffering more than the ones with writers.
As well they should.
There's also the interesting case of Conan, whose show is still exhibiting a remarkable increase versus prior averages. With the big, media-hype machine focusing on the battle between Letterman and Leno (and now Leno and WGA... oy), Conan is flying under the radar. It's something to track, at least.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Back from the Dead (aka Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 has original TV on!)
Hey there, Upper East Siders unwashed masses. I'm not dead! And, for the time being, neither is television (poor girl's on life support, though).
On deck tonight (with commentary to follow / be updated as I watch and snark)...
Gossip Girl: CW advertising (blech, btw) has promoted these final two produced episodes as The. Best. Yet. Remains to be seen. One thing is certain: CW in HD has just been added to my cable line-up, so this will be the visually crispest episode to date.
We open on a late-night shindig (would the kiddies on the show use that word? Maybe for its retro-pastiche value?) at a pool, which features a return of Gossip Girl's oh-so-fabulous "Upper East Sider teenagers drink a lot of alcohol and also do drugs" parties. Chuck is amusingly lifeguard attired (Ed Westwick's wardrobe line/closet is the best on television, I'm convinced). Dan and Dead Fish Eye Vanessa join the party (seriously, who cast that girl, and why haven't they written her off?) just as some Red Shirt gets wanged on the head by a pole (seriously, who put that there) and falls into the pool. And starts bleeding. Yay? Oh, the pool's on school grounds (that was PROBABLY a bad idea, and it looks like it's outdoors and I'm confused because I'm from near NYC and it was rarely pool weather AT NIGHT IN JANUARY)... which will probably not be a good thing. But, hey, Chace Crawford is diving into the water shirtless (which I decry as a former lifeguard, but applaud as a surveyor of mancandy). Leighton Meester is not given nearly enough credit for how hot she is. So begins a Very Special Episode (VSE) of Gossip Girl.
Someone left a cell phone at the scene... which, given this show's world view of cell-phone-as-life-line, is insane. More insane: the school blows up pictures taken on the phone on an LCD HD TV... and they're crystal clear. Suuuuure. But wait! The kid is apparently okay, but the school needs to make with the punishment. This VSE is veering towards lame... especially with the inclusion of a new headmistress (who REEKS of "Dean of Discipline" from The OC's third season, but without being male or hot like Eric Mabius) who has the audacity to ask our empowered youths "what the hell is wrong with [them]". And, basically, this episode has become a Prisoner's Dilemma. I wonder why Dan was involved with the group getting lecture-threaten, since he'd only just arrived when the event happened. Surely there was no picture of him (I mean, he's Lonely Boy, no one takes his picture). And SURELY the real Blair Waldorf would've told him that he wasn't given permission to speak when he asked the small conspirator group if their plan would work. You know, when I first watched the pilot back in May, I thought that the show needed to be centered around Dan because he was the everyman eyes into the rich kids' world. But as they've fleshed the story out... he's boring. So very boring. And the rich kids are interesting and fun. I guess that's why you can't judge a series based on its pilot. Morals and conscience have no place in this world. But I digress...
Ooh, a scene with the Adults. That was such an afterthought. Again, I find it insane that in this show's world, Lily Van Der Woodsen does not listen to the messages on her cell phone before getting on a plane (since the message was left before there were even plans to board a plane). But whatever, the adults can have their minor plotline.
Who let Vanessa into Blair's house? And how do they not think that FILMED EVIDENCE OF THEIR CONSPIRACY PAPER WRITING SHIT is something to be apathetic about? Anyway, Chuck just told Dan what I thought Blair should've told him (and added "Humphrey-Dumpty" to the list of names I want to refer to him as). Nate and Blair crap... hm, I wonder if he's going to use the discovery of the key in her desk drawer as blackmail to make her pay attention to him (which, of course, competes with Chuck's blackmail forcing her to do the opposite). These games are fun! Meanwhile, Dan and Serena get into their episodic fight about the class-struggle. And... Gossip Girl referred to Dead Fish Eyes as "V". This saddens me. V does not belong on Gossip Girl (the in-show website, that is). However, this was one time that the voiceover made sense (someone could actually be watching/reporting what Kristen Bell so expertly narrates! A Gossip Girl first?)
Hm, Nate does a chivalrous, but not well thought out, thing instead of blackmail. Zzzz. A thought, re Blair's talk with "V" (ugh)... money is no object to most of the people on this show. "V" (ugh) needs money. So, Blair... just give her the money? Oh, look, once again the thing that I thought Blair should do is being done by Chuck. I know he's a rapist, but gods help me if he's not the best character on this occasionally brilliant, generally mediocre show. But, poor "V" (ugh)... she doesn't come from money and so, naturally, has morals (though not enough to not take Chuck's money... and you KNOW that wasn't the tape with the incriminating footage).
Wait... so, with Nate's suspension (the stakes of which were previously stated as being akin to expulsion), Gossip Girl is saying that being chivalrous yet stupid is a bad thing? This is totally the only show EVER to make self-sacrifice NOT the holiest virtue to which a protagonist can aspire (even placing self-sacrifice below honesty in the World of Gossip Girl... a world in which NEITHER belong). It's nice how the show has to clearly and repeatedly laid out the moral grounds which is attempts to tread (i.e. the "damned if you do, screwed if you don't" of Dan and Serena's situation).
And here's where the brilliance kicks in... Serena talks with her mother about the ick factor of Lily dating Rufus (which... really? do people even name DOGS Rufus anymore?) while she's dating Dan, makes a valid point about knowing that teenage love isn't permanent (which totally echoes the Lily/Rufus romance anyway) but that it feels like it. Burn. Lily is totally going to stand Rufus up now (but not tell him the reason she's doing it, because logic doesn't exist when it comes to television romance).
Ugh, "V" (ugh) continues to worm her way into interactions with characters. When she showed up and gave the tape to Blair I thought she was going to ask for more money (which would've been hilarious). And then she has the audacity to comment on Blair not talking to Nate... boo. Although I was a bit surprised that the revelation of the motivation behind Nate's "chivalrous yet stupid" act wasn't enough to melt Blair's icy, black(mailed) heart.
How did Serena "cut more classes than she attended" in Sophomore year, considering that, in the show, she was GONE FOR A YEAR AT BOARDING SCHOOL and is currently a Junior? Just asking. Whatever. I am interested how the Headmistress (who I will now refer to as Umbridge... because) will balance Nate's "chivalrous yet stupid lie" against Dan's "chivalrous yet stupid lie" (should it come out that he knew Serena was responsible and lied).
"Blair Waldorf is not indebted to anyone." Love it. Also surprised to enjoy "V" (ugh?) creating a "grant for teens with genital herpes" in Chuck Bass's name. And, good lord, when is the other shoe of Blair's blackseat-of-a-limo fling with Chuck going to drop? Because it totally could've during their make up scene. SAD NOW.
And look, the Adult storyline intersects with the Teenage storyline! Just as Serena is gaping about how she inexplicably got off easy and expecting an upstairs-downstairs comment from Dan, we find out that Bart Bass made a call on her behalf (interesting because she's responsible for Lily and Bart winding up together, complicated by Chuck telling his father to help get Serena off trouble-free, and worsened by Bart's lack of respect for Serena's newfound non-trouble-maker persona)... and, yes, the problem was SOLVED BY MONEY.
And a final, juicy twist. Serena goes to Rufus and tells him that she's the one who stopped him from consummating his love of Lily this time around (it was her grandmother the last time). Oh, wait, no, she doesn't. But it's still juicy.
Next Week: The Blair Waldorf pregnancy scare (and premature season-finale). Nice.
Project Runway: It's been so long since the last episode aired... I barely remember who the contestants are! Wow, was it really only last episode that Super Jack left?
OMG. The challenge is to create an outfit out of CANDY/CHOCOLATE. That's great. Best challenge this season, in wild concept.
How do these people avoid killing Christian on a daily basis?
Based on the safe versus risky elements... I'd say Kevin is screwed. But that's not the chief element here, so whatevs! Based on aesthetic, I'm worried about resident screwball sprite Elisa (especially after they took time out of the episode to go over her Tragic Back Story) because that thing totally missed the mark (it's not completely "safe", but it's also not that striking other than the silver arm/shoulder/things). Rami's is pretty cool. Sweet P's is nothing but "eh". Naturally, Jillian, the designer who was Most Worried Going Into The Runway Show has nothing to worry about in my eyes because da-yum. I totally want to eat that dress. Victorya's model was STIFF and apparently she TOLD the model to walk that way. Bad call, IMHO.
Kinda disappointed for Jillian that she didn't win, considering the extra effort of using real food. With Elisa and Sweet P in the bottom two, it's almost impossible for Elisa to stay, given the Tragic Back Story insertion in the episode and the lack of focus on Sweet P. So... g'bye, screwball sprite! I think she was sent home more for the underwhelming... thing... she made given how the challenge ought to have worked in her crazy favor.
Ricky Cry Count: 0...? (but he was red-eyed in the next on, so here's hoping! CRY, DAMN YOU!)
Side note. Top Chef 4: Chicago is not "Coming Soon/2008", but now "Coming in Spring". I'll be eager for it, but I have to ask... already? The last edition (which started and ended a tad later than it ought to have) just ended in October. But... given the lack on things on the air I'll be excited about, TC4 can't be a bad thing, whenever it comes. It just feels like such a great summer series (i.e. begin it after Memorial Day, end it right around Labor Day).
CBS Late Night (Letterman/Ferguson): I normally only watch Stewart/Colbert at late night, but since Worldwide Pants made a deal with the WGA, I'm switching over to these two until the strike is resolved. So, yes, they've gained me as a viewer through the stroke of a pen. Kudos, WWP.
Letterman opens with a taped "joke" from Hillary '08. It was passable. Now if only she'd fire the AMPTP's PR firm (which is also her PR firm). HAH! Rockettes with picket signs! Oh, man, I need a screencap of that shiz. "Questions about the Writers Strike" was a weird segment... all the people asking questions were his writers, right? No? Because weird questions if not planted. I wish this was slightly more subtle. But... hey, media awareness is media awareness and Big Media has been doing a pretty good job of keeping the strike out of the main press and news so... whatevs!
The Top Ten (demands from striking writers) list's best, IMHO, was number 5: "I'd like a date with a woman." Damn, they got Nora Ephron on? Nice.
Ferguson's opening sheep sketch was kinda amusing. But his monologue is crackling. Craig Ferguson is not a pretty man...
On deck tonight (with commentary to follow / be updated as I watch and snark)...
Gossip Girl: CW advertising (blech, btw) has promoted these final two produced episodes as The. Best. Yet. Remains to be seen. One thing is certain: CW in HD has just been added to my cable line-up, so this will be the visually crispest episode to date.
We open on a late-night shindig (would the kiddies on the show use that word? Maybe for its retro-pastiche value?) at a pool, which features a return of Gossip Girl's oh-so-fabulous "Upper East Sider teenagers drink a lot of alcohol and also do drugs" parties. Chuck is amusingly lifeguard attired (Ed Westwick's wardrobe line/closet is the best on television, I'm convinced). Dan and Dead Fish Eye Vanessa join the party (seriously, who cast that girl, and why haven't they written her off?) just as some Red Shirt gets wanged on the head by a pole (seriously, who put that there) and falls into the pool. And starts bleeding. Yay? Oh, the pool's on school grounds (that was PROBABLY a bad idea, and it looks like it's outdoors and I'm confused because I'm from near NYC and it was rarely pool weather AT NIGHT IN JANUARY)... which will probably not be a good thing. But, hey, Chace Crawford is diving into the water shirtless (which I decry as a former lifeguard, but applaud as a surveyor of mancandy). Leighton Meester is not given nearly enough credit for how hot she is. So begins a Very Special Episode (VSE) of Gossip Girl.
Someone left a cell phone at the scene... which, given this show's world view of cell-phone-as-life-line, is insane. More insane: the school blows up pictures taken on the phone on an LCD HD TV... and they're crystal clear. Suuuuure. But wait! The kid is apparently okay, but the school needs to make with the punishment. This VSE is veering towards lame... especially with the inclusion of a new headmistress (who REEKS of "Dean of Discipline" from The OC's third season, but without being male or hot like Eric Mabius) who has the audacity to ask our empowered youths "what the hell is wrong with [them]". And, basically, this episode has become a Prisoner's Dilemma. I wonder why Dan was involved with the group getting lecture-threaten, since he'd only just arrived when the event happened. Surely there was no picture of him (I mean, he's Lonely Boy, no one takes his picture). And SURELY the real Blair Waldorf would've told him that he wasn't given permission to speak when he asked the small conspirator group if their plan would work. You know, when I first watched the pilot back in May, I thought that the show needed to be centered around Dan because he was the everyman eyes into the rich kids' world. But as they've fleshed the story out... he's boring. So very boring. And the rich kids are interesting and fun. I guess that's why you can't judge a series based on its pilot. Morals and conscience have no place in this world. But I digress...
Ooh, a scene with the Adults. That was such an afterthought. Again, I find it insane that in this show's world, Lily Van Der Woodsen does not listen to the messages on her cell phone before getting on a plane (since the message was left before there were even plans to board a plane). But whatever, the adults can have their minor plotline.
Who let Vanessa into Blair's house? And how do they not think that FILMED EVIDENCE OF THEIR CONSPIRACY PAPER WRITING SHIT is something to be apathetic about? Anyway, Chuck just told Dan what I thought Blair should've told him (and added "Humphrey-Dumpty" to the list of names I want to refer to him as). Nate and Blair crap... hm, I wonder if he's going to use the discovery of the key in her desk drawer as blackmail to make her pay attention to him (which, of course, competes with Chuck's blackmail forcing her to do the opposite). These games are fun! Meanwhile, Dan and Serena get into their episodic fight about the class-struggle. And... Gossip Girl referred to Dead Fish Eyes as "V". This saddens me. V does not belong on Gossip Girl (the in-show website, that is). However, this was one time that the voiceover made sense (someone could actually be watching/reporting what Kristen Bell so expertly narrates! A Gossip Girl first?)
Hm, Nate does a chivalrous, but not well thought out, thing instead of blackmail. Zzzz. A thought, re Blair's talk with "V" (ugh)... money is no object to most of the people on this show. "V" (ugh) needs money. So, Blair... just give her the money? Oh, look, once again the thing that I thought Blair should do is being done by Chuck. I know he's a rapist, but gods help me if he's not the best character on this occasionally brilliant, generally mediocre show. But, poor "V" (ugh)... she doesn't come from money and so, naturally, has morals (though not enough to not take Chuck's money... and you KNOW that wasn't the tape with the incriminating footage).
Wait... so, with Nate's suspension (the stakes of which were previously stated as being akin to expulsion), Gossip Girl is saying that being chivalrous yet stupid is a bad thing? This is totally the only show EVER to make self-sacrifice NOT the holiest virtue to which a protagonist can aspire (even placing self-sacrifice below honesty in the World of Gossip Girl... a world in which NEITHER belong). It's nice how the show has to clearly and repeatedly laid out the moral grounds which is attempts to tread (i.e. the "damned if you do, screwed if you don't" of Dan and Serena's situation).
And here's where the brilliance kicks in... Serena talks with her mother about the ick factor of Lily dating Rufus (which... really? do people even name DOGS Rufus anymore?) while she's dating Dan, makes a valid point about knowing that teenage love isn't permanent (which totally echoes the Lily/Rufus romance anyway) but that it feels like it. Burn. Lily is totally going to stand Rufus up now (but not tell him the reason she's doing it, because logic doesn't exist when it comes to television romance).
Ugh, "V" (ugh) continues to worm her way into interactions with characters. When she showed up and gave the tape to Blair I thought she was going to ask for more money (which would've been hilarious). And then she has the audacity to comment on Blair not talking to Nate... boo. Although I was a bit surprised that the revelation of the motivation behind Nate's "chivalrous yet stupid" act wasn't enough to melt Blair's icy, black(mailed) heart.
How did Serena "cut more classes than she attended" in Sophomore year, considering that, in the show, she was GONE FOR A YEAR AT BOARDING SCHOOL and is currently a Junior? Just asking. Whatever. I am interested how the Headmistress (who I will now refer to as Umbridge... because) will balance Nate's "chivalrous yet stupid lie" against Dan's "chivalrous yet stupid lie" (should it come out that he knew Serena was responsible and lied).
"Blair Waldorf is not indebted to anyone." Love it. Also surprised to enjoy "V" (ugh?) creating a "grant for teens with genital herpes" in Chuck Bass's name. And, good lord, when is the other shoe of Blair's blackseat-of-a-limo fling with Chuck going to drop? Because it totally could've during their make up scene. SAD NOW.
And look, the Adult storyline intersects with the Teenage storyline! Just as Serena is gaping about how she inexplicably got off easy and expecting an upstairs-downstairs comment from Dan, we find out that Bart Bass made a call on her behalf (interesting because she's responsible for Lily and Bart winding up together, complicated by Chuck telling his father to help get Serena off trouble-free, and worsened by Bart's lack of respect for Serena's newfound non-trouble-maker persona)... and, yes, the problem was SOLVED BY MONEY.
And a final, juicy twist. Serena goes to Rufus and tells him that she's the one who stopped him from consummating his love of Lily this time around (it was her grandmother the last time). Oh, wait, no, she doesn't. But it's still juicy.
Next Week: The Blair Waldorf pregnancy scare (and premature season-finale). Nice.
Project Runway: It's been so long since the last episode aired... I barely remember who the contestants are! Wow, was it really only last episode that Super Jack left?
OMG. The challenge is to create an outfit out of CANDY/CHOCOLATE. That's great. Best challenge this season, in wild concept.
How do these people avoid killing Christian on a daily basis?
Based on the safe versus risky elements... I'd say Kevin is screwed. But that's not the chief element here, so whatevs! Based on aesthetic, I'm worried about resident screwball sprite Elisa (especially after they took time out of the episode to go over her Tragic Back Story) because that thing totally missed the mark (it's not completely "safe", but it's also not that striking other than the silver arm/shoulder/things). Rami's is pretty cool. Sweet P's is nothing but "eh". Naturally, Jillian, the designer who was Most Worried Going Into The Runway Show has nothing to worry about in my eyes because da-yum. I totally want to eat that dress. Victorya's model was STIFF and apparently she TOLD the model to walk that way. Bad call, IMHO.
Kinda disappointed for Jillian that she didn't win, considering the extra effort of using real food. With Elisa and Sweet P in the bottom two, it's almost impossible for Elisa to stay, given the Tragic Back Story insertion in the episode and the lack of focus on Sweet P. So... g'bye, screwball sprite! I think she was sent home more for the underwhelming... thing... she made given how the challenge ought to have worked in her crazy favor.
Ricky Cry Count: 0...? (but he was red-eyed in the next on, so here's hoping! CRY, DAMN YOU!)
Side note. Top Chef 4: Chicago is not "Coming Soon/2008", but now "Coming in Spring". I'll be eager for it, but I have to ask... already? The last edition (which started and ended a tad later than it ought to have) just ended in October. But... given the lack on things on the air I'll be excited about, TC4 can't be a bad thing, whenever it comes. It just feels like such a great summer series (i.e. begin it after Memorial Day, end it right around Labor Day).
CBS Late Night (Letterman/Ferguson): I normally only watch Stewart/Colbert at late night, but since Worldwide Pants made a deal with the WGA, I'm switching over to these two until the strike is resolved. So, yes, they've gained me as a viewer through the stroke of a pen. Kudos, WWP.
Letterman opens with a taped "joke" from Hillary '08. It was passable. Now if only she'd fire the AMPTP's PR firm (which is also her PR firm). HAH! Rockettes with picket signs! Oh, man, I need a screencap of that shiz. "Questions about the Writers Strike" was a weird segment... all the people asking questions were his writers, right? No? Because weird questions if not planted. I wish this was slightly more subtle. But... hey, media awareness is media awareness and Big Media has been doing a pretty good job of keeping the strike out of the main press and news so... whatevs!
The Top Ten (demands from striking writers) list's best, IMHO, was number 5: "I'd like a date with a woman." Damn, they got Nora Ephron on? Nice.
Ferguson's opening sheep sketch was kinda amusing. But his monologue is crackling. Craig Ferguson is not a pretty man...
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Lost in 8:15
Dear lord, the "Catch up on Lost" video is kinda overwhelming, but also simplistic, informative in an unemotionally recappy way, and awesome.
January 31st can't come soon enough.
January 31st can't come soon enough.
The Wire - The Rewatch
It's been so long since I've watched The Wire that I've decided to rewatch the entire series prior to the fifth and final season's premiere on Sunday, January 6th (well, I might not get all the way there by the premiere... that depends on Netflix's speed, but I'll definitely be caught up by the series finale). Just from the first disc of the first season, it's so very clear that this is the best show on television, bar none. Possibly ever. The storytelling... this series is what great literature should aspire to be.
A shame the series has been so consistently under the radar.
A shame the series has been so consistently under the radar.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
The Amazing Race 12, Episode 7 - This Is Forever, Now
First thing's first. I'm SO glad Azaria and Hendekea are gone from TAR. I think they were well liked, but I didn't not at all like the way Azaria treated his sister. At all. Nate and Jen supply enough dysfunction, thank you.
So, where we stand:
- 6 legs down. 6 to go (including a super leg? I ask because I can't remember last season's All Stars edition having the super leg).
- 0 fast forwards. 2 to go. ETA: 1 to go. There's only one of the race. And DAMN that's nice. That's like Joyce getting her head shaved nice. I mean... I'd have difficulty with that. Ink and Judaism aren't supposed to mix.
- 0 non-eliminations. 3 to go. If they've kept the "marked for elimination thing", that basically means that tonight HAS to be non-elimination.
- 1 dysfunctional, whine-y "BABYYYYYY" teams remaining.
- 2 teams with elderly folks remaining (I don't feel we've been given much at all on Don's personality in the Grandfather/Grandson team, and I still haven't been able to get over Ron's behavior in the second leg...
- Neither the Goths nor the Hippies have had a major blow up. Both are destined to have one. However, I think that the final three, based on the physical nature of the race, is going to be these two teams as well as Nate and Jen (sigh).
One of my friends who only started watching TAR this season complained that most of the "competition" was in getting airplane tickets. That's pretty true of this season... which is why I was glad to see one of the first (IIRC) bottlenecks of the race in the ferry to Ancona.
Uh oh, here comes TK and Rachel's crisis... maybe? I'll admit, I don't know the pressure of being on the race. I've obviously never been on it. But how do you leave your clue behind? Ugh, that wasn't nearly as devastating as it could've been... dammit, I want drama!
And a SECOND bottleneck at the Road Block that, thanks to a traffic accident altering 2 teams' courses and 1 team deciding to wait for the thing to clear wasn't a bottle neck. That doesn't happen too often.
Jen and Nate are not in a good relationship if they can't handle each other while "hot". When they're cool, they work. Which, it seems, is only when they're winning. And since Don is going to get the tattoo, I sense a big Jen-style blow up when they're announced as team number two by Phil (barring anything going wrong).
Ron continues to suck. Ugh, so frustrating.
Wow, this leg totally blew for Goths and Hippies. And Jen didn't explode at the pit stop! WTF, why are these people acting out of character?
Okay... only 2 non-eliminations this race. So, 5 legs to go. Only 1 non-elimination left. And they changed the rules! That "marked for elimination" crap was, um, crap anyway. I'm excited to see this Speed Bump in action (and ooh, wouldn't it be EVIL if the second non-elimination was the penultimate leg, so one team had a speed bump on the way to the final finish line? I know, I know, the producers of this show aren't as evil as I wish they were...)
So, where we stand:
- 6 legs down. 6 to go (including a super leg? I ask because I can't remember last season's All Stars edition having the super leg).
- 0 fast forwards. 2 to go. ETA: 1 to go. There's only one of the race. And DAMN that's nice. That's like Joyce getting her head shaved nice. I mean... I'd have difficulty with that. Ink and Judaism aren't supposed to mix.
- 0 non-eliminations. 3 to go. If they've kept the "marked for elimination thing", that basically means that tonight HAS to be non-elimination.
- 1 dysfunctional, whine-y "BABYYYYYY" teams remaining.
- 2 teams with elderly folks remaining (I don't feel we've been given much at all on Don's personality in the Grandfather/Grandson team, and I still haven't been able to get over Ron's behavior in the second leg...
- Neither the Goths nor the Hippies have had a major blow up. Both are destined to have one. However, I think that the final three, based on the physical nature of the race, is going to be these two teams as well as Nate and Jen (sigh).
One of my friends who only started watching TAR this season complained that most of the "competition" was in getting airplane tickets. That's pretty true of this season... which is why I was glad to see one of the first (IIRC) bottlenecks of the race in the ferry to Ancona.
Uh oh, here comes TK and Rachel's crisis... maybe? I'll admit, I don't know the pressure of being on the race. I've obviously never been on it. But how do you leave your clue behind? Ugh, that wasn't nearly as devastating as it could've been... dammit, I want drama!
And a SECOND bottleneck at the Road Block that, thanks to a traffic accident altering 2 teams' courses and 1 team deciding to wait for the thing to clear wasn't a bottle neck. That doesn't happen too often.
Jen and Nate are not in a good relationship if they can't handle each other while "hot". When they're cool, they work. Which, it seems, is only when they're winning. And since Don is going to get the tattoo, I sense a big Jen-style blow up when they're announced as team number two by Phil (barring anything going wrong).
Ron continues to suck. Ugh, so frustrating.
Wow, this leg totally blew for Goths and Hippies. And Jen didn't explode at the pit stop! WTF, why are these people acting out of character?
Okay... only 2 non-eliminations this race. So, 5 legs to go. Only 1 non-elimination left. And they changed the rules! That "marked for elimination" crap was, um, crap anyway. I'm excited to see this Speed Bump in action (and ooh, wouldn't it be EVIL if the second non-elimination was the penultimate leg, so one team had a speed bump on the way to the final finish line? I know, I know, the producers of this show aren't as evil as I wish they were...)
Welcome
Hello, teh interwebz!
My name is Travis Yanan (not really, but that's a tangential story for another time, perhaps). I live in Los Angeles, I love watching television, I occasionally participate in the creation of television (I'm a writer, but you won't find this name on any "written by" credit on IMDb, so no need to look), and I love talking about television.
But most of all, I love talking about television ratings. When I wake up in the morning, one of the first thoughts in my head is "I hope the fast nationals are out" so I can analyze them (why? because I'm a NERD about them... the same way some of my friends need to know every statistic about every team in baseball... of which neither obsession is really healthy, compared to, you know... having a life).
I post quite a bit on Marc Berman's Programming Insider Feedback Forum, occasionally filling in for Marc on his ratings-posting duties when he asks.
As above, I'm a writer, but I also like some reality shows (I decried them several years ago as a signal of the end of the American Century, which may have been true of The Swan, but that was before I was introduced to entertaining and addicting fare like Top Chef and The Amazing Race).
But enough about me. This blog is about TV, TV ratings, and the shows I watch (should they ever return... please, AMPTP, get back to the table!) As the next few days and weeks progress, I'll be posting my thoughts on the TV I'm watching, ratings information (which may be sparse at first because of company losures thanks to "silly things" like the holidays... by the way, happy holidays), my own personal thoughts and spin on the night's ratings, and more. Should be fun!
My name is Travis Yanan (not really, but that's a tangential story for another time, perhaps). I live in Los Angeles, I love watching television, I occasionally participate in the creation of television (I'm a writer, but you won't find this name on any "written by" credit on IMDb, so no need to look), and I love talking about television.
But most of all, I love talking about television ratings. When I wake up in the morning, one of the first thoughts in my head is "I hope the fast nationals are out" so I can analyze them (why? because I'm a NERD about them... the same way some of my friends need to know every statistic about every team in baseball... of which neither obsession is really healthy, compared to, you know... having a life).
I post quite a bit on Marc Berman's Programming Insider Feedback Forum, occasionally filling in for Marc on his ratings-posting duties when he asks.
As above, I'm a writer, but I also like some reality shows (I decried them several years ago as a signal of the end of the American Century, which may have been true of The Swan, but that was before I was introduced to entertaining and addicting fare like Top Chef and The Amazing Race).
But enough about me. This blog is about TV, TV ratings, and the shows I watch (should they ever return... please, AMPTP, get back to the table!) As the next few days and weeks progress, I'll be posting my thoughts on the TV I'm watching, ratings information (which may be sparse at first because of company losures thanks to "silly things" like the holidays... by the way, happy holidays), my own personal thoughts and spin on the night's ratings, and more. Should be fun!
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