Fall Fever: TV addicts unite!

I posted a while back about reasons why I love autumn.  We all know them.  Apples.  Cold snaps.  Sweaters.  Boots.  Jeans.  No more ungodly sweating.  Apple cider.  Everyone looks better with more clothes on than off.  

(To all you people who wear booty shorts:  

NO.  No one needs to see that.  STOP IT.)

But here's the truth that not many people will admit to:  *drum roll*              

The reason many people love autumn:

ThE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF DEARLY DEPARTED TV SHOWS

Summer is spent watching off-season HBO or British shows.  Everyone knows that.  But fall...our favourite characters return to us.  How we've missed them.  Maybe our seasons ended on a high note...or a low note...or a questionable one.  Whatever it may be, we're all excited to see the direction that our shows are taking this coming year.

Quick run down of shows I consistently follow and where we at last year.

(If you don't watch tv or you don't want to possibly be spoiled, you may want to skip this post.)

How I Met Your Mother

Anyone who watches this show knows we've been watching for years (no seriously, YEARS) for this pay off.  At the end of the previous season we FINALLY saw Mother.  And boy were we glad.  

It kinda seemed like we were never going to get to the end of what felt like the longest story in the world between a father and his two kids.  In the first few seasons it was cute how the story jumped between the past and present, giving us tantalizing little snippets of the future, but I think it's safe to say the show is dangerously nearing it's extinction date and it was a good choice to end it off at season NINE.

Season nine will be set entirely in one weekend and will also jog between past and present.  We will basically be watching Ted meet Mother in slow-motion.  I can't wait.  Okay, maybe that was a bit sarcastic.  But I've hung in this long and I am going to see this TO THE END!!! 

The Good Wife

 
Not many people watch this show.  I always preface my synopsis of it with a warning "this isn't a light and fluffy watch" aka "you're not smart enough to get it".  Apparently some critics think it has the best acting and plot line of all shows currently airing.  

As the end of last season Alicia's husband had won governor and Alicia agreed to leave her current law firm in a coup that would overturn the entire company.  The associates apparently want to start their own firm and although she initially thought it was too high risk, she changes her mind and decides to move with them.

My hope is that we see some actual movement in the inevitable love triangle she is part of.  Also, it would be nice to have some new permanent characters introduced.

New Girl

This is still a relatively new show that I've blogged on before.  I can't say enough good things about it:  it's smart, hilarious, quick-witted and full of very sexy people.  The end of season two culminated with Cece's cancelled wedding (Schmidt so happy) and with Jess and Nick getting together.  Bow-chicka-wah-wah.

I could write hella lot more about this show, but you should just watch it like I told you to last time!  For season three, my worry is that they will focus too much on the Nick-Jess pairing and lose the heart of the show:  Jess's weirdness.

Also, Winston kinda got the short straw in season two with his story line being very minimal and a bit boring.  As season three commences, I hope they bring a real love interest in for Winston and flesh him out a lil bit.  

Parks & Recreation

I started watching this show last year and had the delight of catching up on five seasons.  In the last season Leslie was elected as a town official and all the citizens of Pawnee turned on her when she criminalized the sale of a jumbo jumbo soft drink.

In some ways, I can see the show already has lost some of it's steam.  There are also rumours swirling around about Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe leaving after this season.  Understandably they are probably moving on to different (and bigger) projects, but if it happens they will be sorely missed.   

Rob Lowe's character Chris Traeger is literally one of my favourite tv characters.

Another thing I've noticed about P&R is that the characters a getting a little too...over the top.  This was a mistake that NBC's The Office made as well.  When the show had a small cult following, the quiet characters like Creed were amusing in a small way.  However as it grew in popularity, the characters became more outrageous and lost that genuine humour.  

(Community also suffered through this situation with Pierce.  His original zany behaviour got replaced by some loony tunes racism that didn't sit well with actor Chevy Chase ergo feud between actor and writer.)

I hope that P&R realize this and that the writers don't make the characters too far out.  I'm already seeing Ron and April devolve FAR too much for the first 3 episodes.  

The Vampire Diaries

This is one the worst tv shows I follow, although I must admit that it completely sucked me in and I can't give it up.  I'm hopeless in the face of TVD.  I would describe it as a "teenage" show, simply because the writing and method acting is so cliched.  That being said...somehow I do keep watching it.

In the last season we saw the exit of the originals (original vampire family), thus introducing the spin off The Originals--which I refused to start watching lest I also get sucked into that.  I did feel sad about moving those characters off TVD because I think all the viewers were getting comfortable and even a bit fond of those familiar faces.

The biggest problem with TVD is the focus being on the love triangle between the three main characters.  Although the mythology and other-world events are cool, it always comes back to Damon-Stefan-Elena.  And it's wearing thin.

Now they have introduced the very first vampire Silas who can appear control large crowds of people and shape shift, changing his appearance and confusing people around him.  Of course he is the ultimate wild card and you just can't help wondering...are the writers using up the last tricks they have up their sleeves?

There needs to be more crazy Caroline...

and a whole lot less awkward crying...

Downtown Abbey

FINALLY.  It's back.  This is an amazing British show that I always recommend to people who enjoy historical fiction.  Now entering into season four, we have seen the Crawley family suffer through many tragedies and celebrate some of life's joys.  After killing off one of their main characters at the end of season three, we are now left with the family picking up the pieces and attempting to modernize the estate.

I love this show.  I cannot say enough about it.  It's superb.  Maggie Smith shines as the Dowager Countess and always delivers her lines sarcastically with a straight face.

Each season offers up a delightful plot line with the characters growing and changing.  It truly is with a sigh of relief that the series returns and we settle back into watching their lives being played out.

For season four I would like to see Edith play a larger part...they have already started expanding on her role and hopefully it continues to grow!  As well, slowly the Depression will approach and eventually WWII.  I'm not sure how fast this season will progress, but I'm excited to follow along.

Winky-poo.



That's the list of shows so far! I hope you are enjoying the return of YOUR favourite tv shows! I, of course, have a much longer list of shows that I watch, but I am quite behind in almost all of them.  Hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon, just in time for the new seasons.

BROADCHURCH

My sister lives in a different country but we stay in touch fairly consistently via email and this useful phone program called WhatsApp.  Anyway, we were texting briefly and she mentioned something about a show called Broadchurch, a mini-series (at least, that was what I thought, although it might have more seasons?) that she had seen which she very much enjoyed.

Her:  ERMAGERD it has DAVID TENNANT!!!

Me:  Who?

She rarely steers me wrong though, so I decided to give it a shot.  Standing at eight episodes, I didn't feel like it would be much of a commitment, unlike embarking on something such as Dr. Who.  Ain't nobody got time for dat.

Quickly I realised that David Tennant was Barty Crouch Jr.--not exactly an endearing character...

(SIDE NOTE:  I found some mildly disturbing home-made wallpapers worshipping Barty Crouch Jr., tagline:  I'll show you mine if you show me yours.  Eek.)

Apparently Tennant also acted as Dr. Who.  I wouldn't know.  Like I said...no time for that. Am I getting way off topic here?  I feel like I am.  TO THE SUBJECT AT HAND:  I started watching Broadchurch and was immediately sucked in.  

The premise is this:  there is a murder of a child (Danny Latimer) in a small town and the head detectice Alec Hardy (Tennant) is forced to delve deep into the lives of community members in an attempt to uncover the truth.  There is also some side stuff happening that jumbles in with the main murder plot, including Hardy's previous case which was bungled by one of his sergeants.   As well, he has who appears to be an estranged daughter, although that is never really explored.

First off, I think the strongest part of this show was the acting.  I cannot praise it enough.  The moment when the mother discovers her son is dead astounded me.  I have never been able to truly comprehend those moments on shows or movies because I have never had a child, but the acting was so incredible I came to this...place...where I sat on the couch and thought, 'dear God, the pain she must be feeling'.   I was so impressed that she was able to convey a mother's loss so strongly.

As the town slowly unravels, there are more sad characters that are introduced with back stories that make you weep.  No, literally, I wept.  In at least two, probably three, episodes I couldn't stop the tears leaking out.

The music is unlike any tv show I have seen.  It was very moody with a lot of cellos and dark overtones.  I mean, look at the heavy subject matter... They did a fantastic job of incorporating it into the script and the plot.  I would say that many of the of the highly emotional moments were carried along in tone by the music.  I hope they release some type of OST.  (Nerdgasm.)

So the acting was good, especially from supporting characters.  There was one side plot in particular (not going to say what happens, only this one name:  JACK MARSHALL) that was sooo tragic, it made me want to watch comedy movies for the next few months.  

In the first part of the series I didn't much care for Tennant's acting and the character he was building.  Alec Hardy is this out-of-town detective who is leading the investigation, working primarily with Ellie Miller, who is also a close family friend of the Latimers (murdered child family).  He takes over the case and everyone in the police department has to get used to his odd-duck ways.  Tennant grew on me though;  I especially was amused by his many dramatic faces.

The deep sighing...

The disgusted face...

The heavy lidded eye roll...

The eventual unavoidable emotional breakdown...

The threatening...

The actors/actresses of the Latimer family perform solidly together as broken yet persistent family unit.  Beth, mother, carries the weight of Danny's death the most heavily and the series strongly focuses on the effect her child's death has on her life.  We have all seen news clips when children have been murdered, but what does a parent suffer through?  How far will they go to find the killer?  And what will they do if they manage to find them?  How do you carry on and have a meaningful life when you have lost someone forever?

While the Latimer family grapples with this death, the rest of the town goes into shock as well, and then commence to immediately begin hiding secrets, any and all secrets no matter how relevant or unimportant they are, much to the frustration of Hardy.  In a murder case, who cares about an unrelated sordid love affair?  As Hardy and Miller fight to see through all this confusion, they also seek to bring peace and trust back into the small community any way that they can.  

But the whole time as a viewer you are nervous and wondering...who did kill Danny Latimer?  Who can we trust in this story?  Alibis are questioned and I felt jumpy as I tried not to get attached to certain people.  The writing is very clever in this series and the dialogue is NEVER stilted.  Broadchurch poses this question:  in our day and age, who can we rely on?  Are our neighbours safe?  Are we really looking out for each other?  

Some of the criticisms I read on IMDb were that Ellie Miller should not have been allowed on the case if she had known the family members.  However, realistically speaking, in a small town there isn't much that can be done in such a situation as you work with what you have. 

Here was another criticism I repeatedly saw:  why was it is so easy to guess who murdered Danny?  I guessed right away.  The motive was stupid.  This is poor writing.  I hate this show!!!111!!!

Okay, first off, it's not poor writing if the motive chosen doesn't line up with your best interests.  Secondly, and pay attention because this is important, the focus of the show is not the murder.  Even though it is what the season hinges on, the greater second half of it is about how the family is affected by their loss and what the town is doing to help (or hinder) the investigation.  

This is much deeper than a stand-alone NCIS or Criminal Minds episode.  You have to look at the season as giant arc of emotions, turmoil, change, growth, regression, sadness, relationships, etc, etc.  There isn't a quick solving of murder and that's it.  What happens goes past the murder into the lives of the people who are one way or another affected by Danny's death.

I give Broadchurch a 9/10 and say, GO WATCH IT.  You will be moved.  The ending will make you a bit uncomfortable and it may be months before you feel the urge to watch it again, but it is worth watching. The acting alone is superb. 

A warning:  sometimes, okay a lot of the time, I was unable to understand what the characters were saying because of their English accents and speed of speech.  Prepare thyself for this.  Not everyone drawls. 

This is one of the best shows I have seen for a long time.  Do take the time to watch it and you will not regret it!

P.S.  I wrote my sister back and said, "OMG Broadchurch was SOO GOOD! Thanks for the recommendation!!!", to which she replied, "Erm, I only watched the first episode".  *facepalm*

New Girl

Can I talk about how much I love this show?

First, I wasn't sold on it.  I'm not a huge rabid fan of Zooey Deschanel as everyone else appears--in fact, that was probably one of the main reasons I didn't watch it from season one.


Then I came to a sad acceptance of the fact that The Office (one of my favourite shows) is coming to an end this season and what else can fill the void???

At first I was mad at the idea of having to find a NEW comedy show.

So mad...Andy mad...

Now I'm over it.  Sorta.  Durrr.

Anyway, of course I already watch How I Met Your Mother but that show seems...dead.  The only amusing episode from this current season was "P.S. I Love You", which focused on Robin's...Canadianity?  Candian-ness?  Canadianish!

She kinda...changes--for the episode.

Back on topic:

The Office is ending, How I Met Your Mother has barely any high points anymore...my only solace left was Parks & Recreation.

Not gonna lie...that show is pretty amazing as well. I'm not going to say anything else about it.  The following pictures speak for themselves.

I really hope you find those as amusing as I do.  Otherwise our relationship may be doomed.

BACK ON TRACK.

NEW GIRL.
I was looking for another comedy to watch but I wanted something different than the norm.  Then I was at my hair stylists one day.  She and I share very similar tastes in movies and books and she recommended the show to me and popped it on her tv.  I think we watched the first three or four episodes and I was hooked.

Where to begin.

First off, the character a pretty endearing and fantastic.  Zooey isn't as over the top or annoying as I thought she was be.  She possesses a certain quirkiness that keeps her from becoming grating. Plus, she's effing gorgeous.

Plus there's her hot best friend Cece.

Clearly the show should have a large male following. 

So Zoeey acts the main character as Jess who enters the stage brokenhearted, having inadvertently discovered her boyfriend cheating on her.  She's in a bad place.

Forced to move out of her home shared with her ex, she moves into an apartment with three other guys.

And of course, for the ladies' benefit, they're all hunka-hunkas.

Nick

Winston

and my personal favourite, Schmidt.

So of course, that is a beautiful set up for a sitcom!  All four of them (Cece is a more secondary character) get up to some wonderful shenanigans together. I don't want to say much more because I don't want to spoil it for any potential viewers, BUT I will say...

GO WATCH IT!

You will love New Girl! It's a quirky, funny, sweet and soulful show! It will steal your heart (and possibly your soul).

Go enjoy!!!

~Marcia

90210

I'm too young (or ignorant) to be part of the original 90210 cult and I can't say that I feel any regret about that.  However, I did start watching the rebooted 90210 a few years ago that originally featured a couple characters from the original show.  

Here's the point to this post:  90210 used to be a guilty pleasure for me.  I equated it with Vampire Diaries (which I still watch whenever possible) and looked forward to the weekly release of a new episode.  I would describe it as a guilty pleasure because a small part of me knew that it was just television fluff, created for the masses to satisfy their simple need for a serial drama.

Being without a computer for a quite a few months has been trying as I have been unable to obtain tv shows with the same ease.  A couple days ago I decided to use an older computer and downloaded the first episode of 90210's season four...popped it on the tv and sat through the beginning twenty minutes before turning it off.

What struck me was:  how the hell have I sat through three whole seasons of the unmitigated shite?

The character are unsympathetic and dull.

The plot is unimaginative and predictable.

The clothing style and fashion is promiscuous and awkward.

The whole show seem to scream everything that is wrong with our society.

Skinny girls only!  Anyone over a size four should not be in a bikini! 

The characters do not change AT ALL.  Any slight remorse or action that makes them the least bit empathetic is immediately diminished by the next selfish and thoughtless thing they do.  This cast is completely unfriendly to the audience.  I felt that my size fourteen butt should not be allowed to watch this show with all the perfect people and perfect teeth running around.

These characters are composed of these issues:

-Dixon can't find a place to live because his friend incorrectly filled out a dorm form and he was placed in the girl section.  Oh noes!  How hard it must be to find a luxurious apartment in Beverly Hills!

-Annie turns down Liam (who she once proclaimed the love of her life) because he went away during the summer to work on a fishing boat and didn't stay in touch (kinda hard to do while on a boat, but mkay).  Now her massive fortune given to her by an eccentric retired actress (of course) who passed on is being contested by said dead lady's family.  Will Annie now have to get a job? 

-Naomi's secret relationship with a high school geek left her pregannt.  When they find out it was a false-positive, her bf (now ex) reacts with joy at having dodged the bullet.  A single tear wells up in Naomi's large blue eye and drops down her cheek as she feels unloved and unwanted.  Unfortunately I turned off the episode before ever discovering if she actually was pregnant.  Oh noes.

-Teddy is still gay and still hasn't told his dad.  The right time just hasn't come yet. 

And so on and so forth.  I won't subjugate you to any more nonsense.  What I find unbelievable is that this tripe has a loyal viewership and that my cousins are probably among said viewers with their inane "like for a tbh" status posts on Facebook.

Why should pretty people not have perfect lives?   The world owes it to them for being so damn fine!

I wonder if something has changed in my so innately that I no longer find this type of garbage interesting or insightful.  I believe I will stick to my LOST and Gilmore Girls.  A little more wholesome in my humble opinion.