I am a horrible person. I have not posted anything in over a month. You know what I say to that? Whatevz! It's my freakin' blog!! I do what I want! But in all seriousness, I'm sorry for being so absent. I do have an excuse- whenever I have had time to think about tv, I have spent it watching
Buffy and
Angel for the first time (more on that to come later) instead of writing about things I have already seen. I know that my loyal readers (all 2 of them) have been suffering withdrawal from my television rantings. Fear not! This is going to make up for all of that- a summary of everything I've watched since April.
1)
Grey's Anatomy. Welcome back into my life! I had almost given up on it, but I gave it a second chance hoping that the strike would give it a renewed sense of purpose. Indeed, the last 3 episodes have been quite good. I didn't even realize how much I missed the characters. Well...really just Derek, Dr. Bailey, Cristina, and Sloan. But now we are happily reunited. The writers have toned down the soap opera factor, and the dialogue is actually funny again. The Addison episode, in particular, was classic
Grey's.
Although I would have to say my favorite scene so far has been Dr. Bailey advising the nurses to stop boycotting Dr. Sloan's surgeries because they all knew he was a whore when they slept with him. I'm so glad Meredith has found a forum for her whining in therapy. And that Izzie and George are now firmly back in their "just friends" corners. Overall, I'm enjoying my return to Shonda's world, and I hope that I'm never forced to leave again.
2)
New Amsterdam. This show started at the beginning of March and ended after only 7 episodes. I really wanted to find a new show this semester (something to fill the void in my heart left by
Chuck and
Pushing Daisies), and I wish that this one had turned out as amazing as it could have been. I was very intrigued by the story- it's about a New York cop who is immortal until he finds his one true love. Each episode had some murder case that related to his past, so there were lots of flashbacks, ranging from Colonial times to the '50s. I loved some of the details put into the show: in the pilot, he goes to the middle of Times Square and takes a picture. He goes back home and puts the picture on the wall alongside dozens of other pictures of the same spot, labeled by year, so you can see the evolution of just that one section of the world. Amazing, really. Unfortunately, the acting was nothing memorable. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who played John Amsterdam, was good, but the other characters were pretty thin. Truthfully, I don't regret watching the show, but I don't regret it being canceled either.
3)
Samantha Who? This show is fun, and that's all there is to it. Every single member of the cast is perfect in his or her role: Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly, the amnesiac learning about the world and herself one day at a time; Melissa McCarthy as Dena, Samantha's childhood friend who just wants to be included; the scene-stealing Jennifer Esposito as Andrea, Samantha's long-time best friend who is trying to keep "old Samantha" alive by making sure she doesn't become too good of a person; Jean Smart and Kevin Dunn as Regina and Howard Newly, Samantha's HILARIOUS parents; Barry Watson as Todd, Samantha's sweet and adorable ex whom she falls in love with again and has to steal from his crazy new girlfriend; and, finally, Tim Russ as Frank, the stoic, but wise, doorman who reluctantly has gotten to know Samantha. I really appreciate this show simply for consistently making me laugh. I don't
love it like I do
The Office, but I get the same enjoyment out of it that I think other people get from
Scrubs, which I refuse to watch because I think Zach Braff is a major tool.
4)
The Bachelor. Well, he chose Shayne! I resisted her all the way up until the finale, but I guess she kind of ended up growing on me. The best part about her is that Matt really seems to be himself around her. Even though I loved Amanda, and then rooted for Chelsea, Matt said that Shayne made him feel something he had never felt before, so I am satisfied (I keep telling myself). It is totes adorable that he calls her "Monkey" because of how she holds onto him so tight when they cuddle. I just watched this little video of the two of them finally able to do a public interview as an engaged couple, and I can't lie, it was really cute.
5)
Gossip Girl. Such intense drama, I am exhausted just from watching. I probably won't be able to write about it very long before I need a nap. Anyways, let me try to break it down! Jenny Humphrey and Blair have engaged in a war of social power. Each one does something petty to try to gain the advantage. Little J starts dating a very wealthy, very preppy boy from another school who makes out with Serena's little brother, Eric, on the side. Serena has been pushing Dan away in the post-strike episodes because a friend from her past has returned: the truly devilish Georgina Sparks, played by Michelle Trachtenberg. Georgina wants
things to go back to the way they used to be when she and S were wild- drinking, doing drugs, doing whatever they wanted. She knows the real reason Serena left town for boarding school and holds that secret over her head. The only person that Serena can really talk to is Chuck, who has become my favorite character. Like, seriously, I love him. Turns out Serena killed someone. Except not really, because all she did was hand a guy some of his own drugs that he used to overdose. Before everything gets resolved, though, Georgina, who has become friends with Dan as a girl named Sarah, seduces him to hurt Serena. Also, Nate likes Vanessa now. And for the first time, he seems like an actual human being. And Rufus and Lily sleep together on her wedding night to Bart Bass. The end. (Naptime)
6)
Brothers & Sisters. A lot happened at the end of this season. Nora spent lots of time with Isaac. Isaac asked Nora to move with him to Washington, D.C. She accepted. Her kids became insane. She decided to stay. Sarah was sleeping with Graham (Steven Weber). He lined up a
business deal in China that would be a huge commitment for Ojai. Sarah wanted Saul to reject the deal because she couldn't tell Graham herself. Saul went behind her back and signed the contract anyway. The business partner in China went bankrupt and put Ojai $20 million dollars in debt. Sarah needed Walker Landing to bail Ojai out. Holly came up with a scheme that created a merger between the two companies, so that Sarah and Tommy
would be co-Presidents and she would be CEO. Kitty and Robert tried to get pregnant. After many failures, they decided to adopt. Kevin proposed to Scotty. Kevin married Scotty. Rebecca had doubts about whether William Walker was really her father. Justin admitted that he had feelings for her when he thought about her as not being his sister. Rebecca discovered that David (Ken Olin) was actually her father. She lied to Justin because she didn't want to leave the Walker family. She then told the truth. He was mad. Then he forgave her. Then they kissed. Oh, and William Walker probably fathered another child, some boy named Ryan.
7)
Desperate Housewives. Gaby adjusts to married life with blind Carlos. One very amusing episode has her using his handicapped parking tag. He gets a seeing-eye dog. A cocaine dealer moves into their spare bedroom, and the cops want them to act like nothing is wrong because they want to arrest her supplier. Susan is the funniest pregnant woman alive. There is one scene where Mike has just come home from rehab. She wants to make his favorite dinner, and when she finds out that it's not actually his favorite, she breaks down and leaves to put her emotions in the metaphorical box that Bree told her about. Mike and Susan find out that Orson was the one who ran over Mike and put him in the coma. They manage to forgive him, but Bree
kicks him out. He spends a drunken night at Edie's, and Bree gets the wrong idea. Edie finds out the truth about Danielle and Austin and Benjamin. She blackmails Bree, who finally comes clean with the girls about everything. Cue dramatic walking scene. They inform Edie that they are cutting her out of their lives. Rick comes back into town. His restaurant is burned down, and Lynette is convinced that Tom did it. It was actually the twins, Porter and Preston. They were given the idea by Kayla. Lynette thinks Kayla needs counseling. Kayla does need counseling because she is a manifestation of evil straight out of
The Bad Seed. She convinces one of the twins to jump off the roof. The shrink thinks that Lynette and Kayla need to spend time together so that they will come to see each other in a real mother-daughter way. Kayla tells Lynette that she convinced the twins to try to jump off the roof (which one of them did, causing him to break his arm). Lynette slaps Kayla, who later calls the shrink and says that she is afraid because she is being abused. Katharine and Bree bond after planning a party together, and it is wonderful. Dylan's dad (Gary Cole) makes contact with her, and they secretly begin spending time together. Katharine finds out and wants to prove that he is a horrible man who is incapable of love. She tells him that she had affairs when they were married and that Dylan is not really his daughter. He has a DNA test done, confirming what Katharine said. He gets drunk and watches old home videos of Dylan as a little girl- one in which she is riding her bike and shows her dad some stitches on her arm. Later, Dylan comes over to see him, and he notices that there is no scar on her arm. OMG. I did not see that coming. Different girl.
8)
The Office. Michael and Jan have a dinner party. Hilarity ensues. They break up. In the next episode, a few months have passed. Jim and Pam are still going strong. In fact, he tells her that he is going to propose to her. Dwight and Michael party with Ryan in New York City. Ryan is a coke head. Stanley yells at Michael in front of everyone. He tells Michael that he has no respect for him. Michael is upset that his friend would say those things to him (haha). He doesn't want to fire Stanley but tells him that he can't talk like that to his boss at work. Dwight makes his usual power plays. More hilarity ensues.
9)
Battlestar Galactica. The most recent episode, "Faith," was incredible. The ones before that have been kind of...confusing. There hasn't seemed to be much purpose, except to show that the Cylons are fighting amongst themselves (The Brother Cavils killed a bunch of Sixes, Eights, and Leobens). And Tory killed Cally, who found out that Tigh, Tory, Anders, and Tyrol are Cylons. The Chief has since become a very angry man. Colonel Tigh is adjusting to his discovery that he is a Cylon by visiting the captured Six every day. It's sorta weird... Apollo has been MIA since he became a member of the Quorum. His new role hasn't done anything more than show that Laura Roslin is abusing her power. She is, however, dying of cancer. Admiral Adama sits by her bed during treatments reading books to her. Starbuck and the crew of the
Demetrius have been searching for Earth. Starbuck has become a bit of a nutjob. Everyone except Anders becomes part of a mutiny (I still love you, Helo!), but then Leoben comes upon them. He wants Kara to come see the Hybrid and continue her journey to Earth. She finds out that she has to unbox D'Anna (yay Lucy Lawless!!) to reveal the final 5 Cylons, who can then lead her to Earth. The Hybrid also mentioned that she is "the harbinger of death." Or something like that. Intense. And intensely awesome.
10)
LOST. Episodes 7-11: "Ji-Yeon," "Meet Kevin Johnson," "The Shape of Things to Come," Something Nice Back Home," and "Cabin Fever." Each amazing in its own way. So it would be inadequate to merely summarize them in one paragraph here. Also, this has become the longest blog in history. And my hand hurts. So I'm going to put it off a few more days until I can sit down for another length of time and write about each episode in detail. I will say one thing, though. In the future, Jack and Kate get engaged. And, although my heart belongs to Sawyer and I am a Skater through and through, it was kinda hot.
There is no conceivable way for me to adequately describe my experience of watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time. Even if I could, I don't think that I would be willing to share everything I felt about it because, frankly, it is far too personal and can only be understood by others who have watched it. Just ask my friends who started giving each other confused and frustrated glances when my Buffy mentors, Will and Duffee, and I entered into discussions about vampires, Slayers, Watchers, and a world full of demons and other worlds. Once I realized that this was happening, I of course felt bad about it, but it was near impossible to stop. The intensity of my love for these characters, their story, and the art of Joss Whedon, forced me to reevaluate my perspective on other television shows. I know that I have loved many before this--Scarecrow & Mrs. King showed me my capacity to become obsessed with tv back at the young age of 12, Alias opened my eyes to how incredible and moving and beautiful tv could be (and will always be most dear to me because I grew up with the help of that show), and LOST fulfilled the need that I had for great tv when Alias left me and then exceeded all my previous standards for great tv--but how do those shows now compare to Buffy? I posed this question to Will and Duffee, and she gave the perfect response: "Buffy just matters more." That's exactly it. It's life and death, good vs. evil, in every single episode. The themes of family, redemption, and human nature, are universal, but the execution is one-of-a-kind.
going to put them on a separate list because it's just not fair to the many fantastic episodes over Buffy's 7 seasons:
