Desperate Housewives

I have been holding off on writing about Season 4 of Desperate Housewives because I kept feeling like the best episode was coming up. The show has regained not only the mystery, but also the heart, that it had in Season 1. I'm glad that I stayed with it through its "sophomore slump" (I'm still calling it that even though it lasted 2 years...) because now I'm enjoying the story as much as I did when I first fell in love with the show. Well, last night finally brought the episode I had been waiting for. A tornado hit Wisteria Lane, but the weather wasn't the only thing that brought destruction. (Wow. What a line. I cannot believe I just wrote that.)

Mike's drug problem finally came to a head when Susan took his pills and he accidentally made her fall down the stairs. Then when he got her to the hospital, he's freaking out because it's taking so long for her to see a doctor and she's pregnant and he gets into a fight with a male nurse and ends up handcuffed to a chair. Turned out Susan only had a sprained ankle, but now Mike's going to rehab. I have to say- I miss the old Mike terribly. I guess that's part of drug addiction, that the addict becomes an entirely different person who lies and sneaks around and risks everything for some stupid pills. But I still have a hard time understanding how Mike could have gotten to this place. This is the same guy who proposed to Susan almost the exact second that she picked him over Ian because he didn't want to wake up another morning without her next to him. The same guy who started building a crib as soon as they found out she was pregnant ("But boy or girl, it's gonna be a Colts fan"). And now the pressures of being a suburban husband and father are so stressful that he has to resort to pain pills??

I don't exactly know what to think about Lynette's situation. I knew from the promo that somebody was going to die, but I felt sure that it wouldn't be anyone in Lynette's family. After all, she just found out that she has been blaming her awful childhood on her mother when the truth is that her stepfather, who was the only real dad she ever knew, left them because he was gay. After she had just beat cancer. After she had fallen in love with another man who worked at the Scavo's Pizzeria while Tom had a broken back. Apparently, though, I overestimated the humanity of the writers because the episode ended with her looking upon the demolished house that was the shelter for her husband and children during the storm.

The future is uncertain for Gabrielle as well. One of her problems was solved when the tornado drove a piece of wood through Victor's chest before he was able to inflict any real damage on her or Carlos for their affair. But what about Carlos? He got knocked out by some flying debris before he was able to get inside the house. I really hope he's okay. Like he said, he and Gaby are like 2 halves of the same person, and when they're not together, they just aren't happy. I've been waiting for them to get to this point in their relationship for a long time. He's gone from being the neglectful, jerk husband, to the jealous, scheming husband, to the forgiving, awesome husband, to the cheating husband, to a friend, to the love of her life.

My favorite part of the episode last night had to be the interaction between Katharine and Bree. They finally found some common ground. In the time that Bree, Orson, Katharine, and Adam waited out the storm, Katharine learned that her husband really did have an affair with one of her patients, and Bree was in a position to truly empathize with this woman who had been her enemy ever since she moved there. Bree remembered the shame she felt when she learned about Rex's infidelity, and she put her hand on Katharine's- a small gesture of kindness that was very moving nevertheless. (Even though it wasn't addressed in this action-packed episode, I'm still so curious about why Katharine and her daughter left Wisteria Lane all those years ago. What did Dylan's father do? And why can't Dylan remember??)

Dear Writers' Strike, please end soon so that Marc Cherry can get back to work and give me some answers. Thank you. That is all.

Big-athons

Everyone has their comfort movies- those that they watch when they're sad/stressed/sick/all of the above. I've got friends who watch everything from Finding Nemo and Moulin Rouge, to She's the Man (my sister) and Sleepless in Seattle (my brother). There's a girl in my dorm whose comfort movie is Transformers. Whatever. To each his/her own.

I often turn to Kate & Leopold or Dirty Dancing in my times of need. But sometimes, my cure-all is watching my favorite scenes of Sex and the City that have Mr. Big in them. I refer to these as Big-athons because I have to really commit to doing them before I start. After all, Big can only be truly appreciated in the scope of all 6 seasons. Each year adds something to his character until, finally, he is not only ridiculously charming but also a good man who is perfect for Carrie.


These are what I consider to be the must-watch scenes for the ultimate Big-athon:
1) Season 1, Episode 1- The scene where they meet on the sidewalk, and then when he gives her a ride home at the end. Carrie: "Have you ever been in love?" Big: "Abso-fuckin'-lutely."
2) Season 1, Episode 2- The scene when he comes to see her in the coffee shop. Big: "But the thing is, after awhile, you just wanna be with the one who makes you laugh."
3) Season 1, Episode 6- Their first date.
4) Season 1, Episode 7- The opening scene with them walking on the street. She's wearing this gorgeous pink dress and he's wearing a blue suit and tie. I do love a man in blue...
5) Season 1, Episode 8- The scene where she keeps imagining his ex-wife in bed with them. Then the scene at the end where it's just the two of them.
6) ***Season 1, Episode 11- The scene where they're eating ice cream in bed.*** (my favorite scene of the first season)

7) Season 2, Episode 5- Their date. And the scene at the end where he comes to her door to make sure that she's alive and then they go bowling.
8) Season 2, Episode 6- The scene where she sneaks away from her friends to go to his apartment. The end when they go dancing and officially get back together. Big: "I can tell you one thing- I sure did miss you. Officially." Carrie: "Did you cry?" Big: "No. But I did listen to a hell of a lot of Sinatra."
9) ***Season 2, Episode 7- The scene where she's writing a poem for a wedding. Big: "Love, glove, dove. Love is like a dove. Or a big fuzzy glove. Don't use that I might have stolen it from a greeting card."*** (my favorite scene from Season 2)
10) Season 2, Episode 8- The beginning when they go to the Italian restaurant and he sings to her. The end when he comes to the club to spend time with her friends.
11) Season 2, Episode 9- The beginning when she talks about saying 'I love you' to him. The scene at the end when he calls her. Big: "Well, I fucking love you, alright? You know I do."
12) Season 2, Episode 10- The last scene where she finds the picture of them in his drawer.
13) Season 2, Episode 11- The scene after all of their fighting when he comes over and they don't say anything.
14) Season 2, Episode 18- The scene where they have lunch. Their phone conversation when he says he would never hurt her on purpose. The end when they talk on the street. Carrie: "Your girl is lovely, Hubble." Big: "I don't get it." Carrie: "And you never did." (cue dramatic music)

15) Season 3, Episode 8- Their conversation on the boat. The scene at the end when he comes to her apartment.
16) Season 3, Episode 9- The scene at the furniture show. The final scene at the hotel.
17) Season 3, Episode 10- The scene where she calls him and then he comes over.
18) Season 3, Episode 11- The beginning with them in all the hotels.
19) Season 3, Episode 18- The scene where they meet for lunch, fall into the lake, and then go back to his place to talk about how they're like war buddies.

20) Season 4, Episode 1- The end where he's waiting in his car with balloons and champagne on her birthday.
21) Season 4, Episode 3- The scenes where they go out as friends.
22) Season 4, Episode 10- The scene where he calls her to talk about how depressed he is over a girl. The scene where he calls her in the country and then he drives up to see her and then he and Aidan get into a fight in the mud. Carrie: "Stop it! You're middle-aged!"
23) Season 4, Episode 16- The scene where she goes to see him at work and talks about her break-up with Aidan.
24) ***Season 4, Episode 18- THE ENTIRE EPISODE***

25) Season 5, Episode 7- The scenes with her in California. He comes to her book signing (Big: "This Mr. Big character. Does he have a real name?"), they go out to eat, she just wants to have sex but he wants to talk about the book, and then the morning when they wake up. Carrie: "What about all that talk? All those concerns?" Big: "Fuck it. You'll need material for the sequel."

26) Season 6, Pt. 1, Episode 3- The scenes where they talk on the phone.
27) ***Season 6, Pt. 1, Episode 11- THE ENTIRE EPISODE***

28) ***Season 6, Pt. 2, Episodes 7 & 8- The finale.*** Carrie: "Paris was a mess. I never should have come here. Everything fell apart. We had a big fight. And then I got slapped." Big: "You got what?!" Carrie: "No, no, it was an accident." Big: "He slapped you?!" Carrie: "No, it's not like that!" Big: "I will kick his ass!"

Big: "You know, I don't live here anymore. And the Four Seasons won't check you in until 1:00." Carrie: "Oh, did you wanna come up?" Big: "Abso-fuckin'-lutely." :-)


My favorite scene

What I'm Thankful For

My response to Kristin's Thanksgiving blog:

1) LOST coming back soon.

2) Everything that The Office has ever done and ever will do.

3) The Walker family and Rob Lowe's blue eyes.

4) Damon and Carlton's podcasts and
webisodes.

5) The Pie-maker and the girl named Chuck.

6) The boy named Chuck.

7) HRG being the best dad since Spy Daddy.

8) Coach Taylor and Dillon Panther football.

9) Excitement on Wisteria Lane again.
(Babies and drugs and tornadoes, oh my!)

10) The Closer special on December 3rd.

11) Battlestar Galactica: Razor and trying to guess
who the final Cylon is.

12) Beauty & the Geek parties and hoping that Dave and Jasmine win.

13) Looking forward to Joss Whedon's new show, Dollhouse.

My Guide to Surviving the Strike

As the new episodes are running out and the abyss of the strike is looming before us, I have to be prepared for the worst case scenario, in which the spring will be void of anything except reality television. It could be almost a year before some of our beloved shows return to us. All I can say is- Thank God for LOST. Those 8 episodes starting in February might be the only way that I keep my sanity next semester.

In light of all these things, I have started to think about what I can use this time to do in terms of reconnecting with old favorite shows and finding new ones. I enjoy my little television marathons a lot. Oh sure, when I'm done and finally emerge from my dark cave (I'm referring to my bed, which is the most comfortable place on Earth. It's on the bottom bunk, and my roommate's comforter hangs down over the side so that I literally crawl into it with my laptop and shut myself off from the outside world), it feels strange to go outside and see all the 3-dimensional people. But these marathons are like an amazing, all-consuming trip into another world. Since I started college, I have had marathons for Alias, The Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, Friday Night Lights, Brothers & Sisters, Dexter, Heroes, and Firefly. A season takes me about week because I do actually have to go to class and eat a couple meals, not to mention taking time out at night to watch my shows when they come on tv, but I can watch probably 6 hours of something on a weekday, 10-12 hrs. on a Saturday. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: it is pretty awesome.

Here's my list so far of things that I want to watch:
--Seasons 1-3 of LOST- this is first on my list because there's no better way to get excited about Season 4 than starting from the beginning again
--early seasons (1-5 ish) of ER- used to watch this show until all the good people left/died, but it's been awhile since I saw an episode (oh, how I miss that Dr. Ross)
--Rome, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, House, The Wire, Band of Brothers, Oz, Wonderfalls, Deadwood, The Tudors, Prison Break, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Coupling (UK version), The Office (UK version), Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Veronica Mars

That should keep me occupied for a little while...But I welcome any suggestions!

The Strike

I am not a writer. I am a mere college student who loves television, to the extent that I call Wednesday "LOST-day" (even when it's not currently airing, which tends to confuse people...). Thursday is "Office-day," Monday is "Heroes-day." My shows give me something to look forward to, something to get my mind off whatever else is going on. If this strike continues, then Wednesday will just be Wednesday, and all I will have to look forward to is Mexican Lasagna day in my school's cafeteria. All this to say- my life is affected by the strike, and I support the WGA for as long as they need to negotiate to get what they deserve. I know that what I do has no affect on the networks, but for my part I have personally sworn not to download any episodes from iTunes and not to watch anything off the streaming players on ABC.com, NBC.com, etc. This may not be much, but it's what I can do for those who have given me so much. And I don't mean the network execs.

I have come to realize that the biggest problem here is not that there may not be any new episodes of The Office for a while, or that one of my new favorite shows, Chuck, might not get picked up for a full season because of this. The problem is that the entertainment industry is swiftly moving in a new direction. The internet has become a major medium for people to view television. That is a source of revenue for the networks because of the advertisements that play on their websites when people are watching, as well as the money earned from people buying the shows off of iTunes or Amazon. None of the writers are getting compensated for their work. It just isn't right. Networks don't make great television. Writers make great television. I mean, as inspiring as that little peacock logo or the abc-circle thing in the bottom corner of my tv is, I don't care what channel I'm watching. I'm there to hear Damon and Carlton's story about the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Or to see what else Dwight and Michael can do that makes me laugh so hard it hurts.

This situation needs to be worked out, however long it takes.

From what I've read, the last writers' strike was about 20 years ago. It lasted 22 months. If that happens again...Well, I guess I'll be forced to start doing all my homework.

Stay strong.

Pushing Daisies

I have a good friend named John with whom I share a very similar taste in television. When asked to describe this show, he responded, "It's about me smiling for an hour."
Thus far, that is the best explanation I have for why this show is so amazing. I love everything about Pushing Daisies, from Jim Dale's narration, to Ned's gorgeous golden retriever, Digby. I especially love how sweet Ned and Chuck are together and how much they care about each other. That's what makes the story so tragic- the condition of his ability to bring dead things back to life is that if he ever touches them again, they will be dead forever. Still, he and Chuck have managed to find their way around that rule a few times: dancing in beekeeper suits on the roof, kissing through plastic wrap, and installing a panel with a glove in it in between the front seat and the driver's seat so that they can hold hands.
Every episode centers around a murder mystery, yet the show feels like a fairy-tale more than anything, full of color and magical happiness. It really makes me want to spend some time in creator Bryan Fuller's imagination. I think that would be a fun place to be...

Friday Night Lights

My decision to start watching this show was based on some advice, or rather a command, from Kristin. I love her column for many reasons, but if I ever meet her, the one thing that I will make sure to profess my undying gratitude for was her urging me to watch Friday Night Lights.
I did enjoy the movie from a couple of years ago, and I have liked Peter Berg (writer/director of the film and executive producer for the show) ever since he was a guest star on Alias. But neither of those facts prepared me for the attachment I would feel for these characters, even from the very first episode. My favorites are without a doubt Coach Taylor and his wife, but everyone else, from Riggins to Matt Saracen's grandma, adds something special to the overall feel of the show. I have such respect for all of the actors because of how real they make the people and town of Dillon, Texas, which I'm sure has a lot to do with the fact that they often do scenes without following the script exactly. What comes out ends up being so genuine you just forget that you're watching television.
I do, however, agree with some of the criticism about Season 2. Ken Tucker, a writer for Entertainment Weekly, put it perfectly when he said, "Here’s the thing about Friday Night Lights so far this season: You have to pour everything you know and love about these characters from last season into these hollow versions of the same characters this season, because the show has become all about its melodramatic subplots, and not about people. Remember when we could happily spend whole segments just watching Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton debate, argue, make up, and crack each other up? Remember when a high point of an FNL hour was overhearing Landry and Matt (Matt Saracen! How much we miss you and your shy, halting talk this season!) bicker and joke about silly things? No one behind the scenes is writing that kind of dialogue anymore, or letting enough time play out in any given scene for us to become emotionally reinvested with these people."

Here's hoping that this season regains some of its old life- one that's full of heart. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!


Last scene of Season 1