The Electric Company!
I finally got the Best of The Electric Company and I’m slayed! This show was so amazing. It works on so many levels. Part of it is for nostalgia, because I can remember watching the show and loving it. Part of it is as a history lesson, because checking out those crazy 1970’s fashions is a kick. Part of it just show well put together the show it, they did a great job of making reading fun.
Watching The Electric Company really makes me want to dust off the idea my friend and I had for a kids show, it’s that inspiring. Plus with the void in fun educational kids programming, I think there’s really room for a show like that now.
Epitafios
I’m so on the verge of giving this show a shot. I’m pretty much a fan of HBO’s programming but I’m not really one for reading (the show’s in Espanol.) But there’s really nothing else on TV right now. But I really hate reading. But there’s really nothing on TV! Who knows, maybe I’ll be giving my thoughts on this show in the future.
What I Watched Last Week‘
Deadwood (HBO) – This show is so great. It’s damn dense in terms of dialogue, but so rewarding in terms of character.
Hearst is no joke. I’ve said it before but let me reiterate how much I love the fact that the show is flexible enough to start off with Al destined to be the villain, only to end up with him a one of the protagonists and a great evil in each progressive season. I love how Al had the balls to go up against Hearst and that it actually cost him. I dig how Cy is always aligning with the worst guys in Deadwood.
I also love that Alma is in better health and bumping heads with Elsworth. You’ve got to feel sorry for Elsworth, the guy is just trying to do the right thing and he’s clearly gotten more than he bargained for. And as usual Jane is a damn fine character.
It was nice to get Wu back this week, though sadly his English hasn’t improved much. And I truly love how Hearst’s “Aunt” is real. Most shows would try to sanitize her character for fear of offending. Yes, her character is difficult to watch, but I respect and understand that she’s how Black women were in that period of time.
This is a solid show, I’m really sad that this is the final season, though the prospect of two movies to wrap things up is enticing.
Windfall (NBC) – Didn’t watch this week’s outing, but last week’s was just as enjoyable as the previous one. Sadly that’s not a good thing.
It really does seem to me that this show was put together to capitalize on the success of Lost. It’s like they were trying to come up with an idea about a single event and affects numerous disparate lives and they came up with winning the lottery. It feels like the show is half conceived. Like the notion of lottery winners came up first, then the singular storylines came into play. “Maybe two of the characters are cheating on their respective spouses. Ooh, maybe we can have a woman who’s going through a divorce!”
That notion came to me when my roommate and I were questioning why the emancipated teen guy was showing off his car in the high school parking lot. It was like that scene was there just so that he and the quadroon chick could have a moment, like that moment was necessary so they created a scene for it. Boo.
Still I enjoy hating on this show.
Huff (Showtime) – What a difference a week makes. When this episode was originally advertised it was a “season finale.” However by the time it aired it became the “series finale” as Huff had been canceled.
As a season finale it worked very well, as the entire season had been building to this episode and it felt like it. Russell’s drug use had reached it’s zenith and Teddy’s decent into madness was nearly complete. So seeing Russell get booked and fired was painful yet it provided a nice cap on the storyline. Seeing Teddy go completely over the edge was sad and scary. In fact it was damn near tragic.
As a series finale it barely worked. We got some closure with Russell and his work situation and with Izzy and Teddy. We also got to see Huff finally take action. But it kind of left the Beth/Huff storyline up in the air and Byrd’s story was wrapped up in the last moment. We’re left to assume that Russell got his act together after the combination getting fired/prostitute death/becoming a father, but it’s not explicitly stated.
I just wish the show had been given the opportunity to really provide actual closure to the numerous storylines. Actually I hope that the show can be saved.
Entourage – You’ve got to love a reality where a movie based on Aquaman can beat Spider-Man in the box office. I truly dig how even in that universe Turtle and Drama can be creepy. I don’t hate E as much as I did in the past. The stuff with Ari’s daughter is teetering on the verge of “too much” as it seems to be in there just to give Ari more screen time.
For the record I’m all for Dom (who obviously had a sweet deal with HBO give that this is the third show he’s been on) staying for the long haul. I do find it odd that she show been kind of sanitized, not too much drug use this season, not even that much sex. It’s like the writers are doing a selective version of what fame brings.
Saved (TNT) – This is such a great show! I completely dig how they left the phantom EMT story out there, rather than wrapping it up at the end of the episode. I did have a problem with them happening upon the gay bar hacker, that just seemed contrived.
But that actual bar story was a good one. It was creepy and a bit too realistic for me. But it was cool to see Wyatt’s ex and pop spend some time together. I’m really enjoying this show, which is more than I can say I expected from a TNT show.
Greatest Show Ever…this week It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Thank god this show has return, because I’ve not laughed this hard in a long time. Granted Charlie Gets Crippled was the stronger of the two episodes (which aired back to back) but even the second offering The Gang Goes Jihad was funny.
I’m intrigued by with the prospect of subplots and season long storylines (which the show is toying with) as opposed to the self-contained approach that they took the first season. Still seeing Mac and Dennis race wheelchairs in the mall was funny enough, but seeing Sweet Dee get her crip(pled) walk on was hilarious, especially considering that she was pretty much the voice of reason the first time around.
This is the funniest show on TV. I can’t recommend this show enough, it’s some of the best envelope pushing on the air today.
Mathan’s Misguided Pilot Showcase
I’ve got bad news; this pilot isn’t that misguided, nor is it an actual “pilot.”
I was watching the remake of Psycho and, while I appreciated that it was faithful to the original, I really wish that Gus Van Sant had taken more chances and risks. Basically I wish he’d shot it like a regular script, rather than making a shot by shot remake.
I know that it’d probably be considered sacrilege, but I’m curious how the shower scene in Psycho would look if it was interpreted by another director. Would Quentin Tarantino shoot it the same way as Pixar’s Brad Bird? I’d like to find out.
Actually I think that I had a similar idea when I imagined how much I’d wished that the Star Wars films had been directed by someone else. Then I extrapolated and wished that everyone got their shot at the franchise. But I realized that wasn’t realistic.
But what is realistic is a TV show that follows directors shooting their versions of iconic scenes. Screenplays don’t have stage direction (at least they’re not supposed to), the just have dialogue and action that’s important to the scene. I’d imagine that the page that detailed the shower scene was pretty open to interpretation, and it’s that interpretation that I’d be interested in mining.
So my idea is that every season would focus on one scene (so the first season would be Psycho, maybe the second features the death scene from Romeo & Juliet) and it would follow the directors and detail how they’d approach the scene. It’d be kind of like Making the Video only with film directors and the final product would be their take of an iconic scene from cinema.
Realistically this show would work with either name directors or film students, but at least for the first couple of seasons it’d be ideal to have the names and then progress to the students.
I can’t decide if I’d rather have the directors each working with the same cast, or if they’d have to put everything together from scratch.
I realize that the directors I’m thinking of would probably be opposed to such a project, because in all likelihood they consider they originals to be the definitive version, but I just wish that I could see what they would do in the same position as their idols/colleagues.
Mypos vs St. Olaf
Last week I posed following scenario;
Good News/Bad News/Question of the Week
Good news; you’re going on a trip. Bad news; it’s going to involve some flying. Good News; it’s all expense paid. Bad news; it’s not really a tourist spot. Maybe you went on a game show and won it as a prize. Maybe you won a raffle. Who knows? The point is that you get to go someplace new. Good news; it’s a weeklong trip. Bad news; it’s a weeklong trip.
So would you rather visit St. Olaf, the hometown of Rose Nyland (The Golden Girls) or Mypos homeland of Balki Bartokomous (Perfect Strangers)?
Thomasina offered up the quick reply;
St. Olaf just doesn’t sound like my kind of spot and crazy as Balki was I’m sure I’d find plenty to entertain me in Mypos so I’d visit there.
Brain of J agreed, but for a personal reason;
Mypos. That way, I could see/partake in/experience the Bititi-totiti-ratiti-tooey. Can’t pass up that opportunity.
Pirate Paulie doesn’t break the pattern;
I choose Mypos, if only because Mypos is in like, the Mediterranean and St. Olaf is in like… the frozen tundra of the US. Doesn’t seem like a very hard choice to me.
Captain Spaulding keeps with the theme;
Mypos simply because I hope St. Olaf plunges into the ocean with Rose on it!
Talowolf looks at things from a unique perspective;
Let’s see…Mypos. Tiny island filled with sheep and men who wear short shorts.
St. Olaf. Small town filled with Swedish descended dumb, stacked blondes.
Enjoy your sheep suckers!!!!!
(I highly recommend that you check out the thread and witness how intense this debate got.)
I’m kind of a lazy guy, and I figure that Mypos is going to be a long trip and I’m going to be dealing with unfamiliar cuisine. However I’ve spent time in Iowa, and St. Olaf can’t be much worse than that. I’ll go with the devil that’s known. Plus Rose was always my favorite.
Naturally this brings us to…
Good News/Bad News/Question of the Week
Good news; you and your spouse are pregnant. Bad news; you’ve got jobs that require to actually go to work. Good news; these jobs pay well. Bad news; you aren’t going to be spending much time with the kid. Good news; you can afford to look for help. Bad news; not that many people applied. Maybe there’s a baby boom in the country. Maybe the current immigration controversy is keeping all of the good help out. Who knows? The point is that you’ve got limited options. Good news; every candidate is qualified. Bad news; every candidate is a “manny.”
So who would you rather have as live in help; Lynn Aloysius Belvedere (Mr. Belvedere), Tony Micelli (Who’s the Boss?) or Charles (Charles in Charge?
(Oh and to rain on everyone’s parade; it’s Tony Micelli, sans Samantha.)
Email me your answer or post it on our nifty thread!
Links
Kevin has been watching Game Show Marathon.
Matt sympathizes with Britney?
It honestly seems like Josh is watching more TV now than he did before the seasons ended.
I refuse to give up on the Pitch Your Show thread.
Joe Reid’s Revenge
Over on his blog Joe pits female actresses (why did I just type that?) against each other in a tournament. It pits their roles and performances, as well as an actual beatdown component. It’s a must read!
Also keep your eye’s peeled for Part II of Joe’s dissection of films trailers.
And, yeah, I’m going to bed. I’ll catch you in the next week, unless you stop by the forums.
