Test Pattern #7 - Part 1

OMG! I have been watching so much tv! On top of that, everything that I have been watching as it airs along with the shows that I watch via my computer, are all coming to an end. Hence "Part 1". I'll try to have the second part out later this week...

Big Love (Season 4 & 5) - These two seasons were definitely the weakest of the entire series. The truth is, I just don't really care about Bill's political ambitions. Also, the loss of Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) is a loss of a great villain. I mean, Albee is pretty despicable, but he so clearly hates himself, while Roman was full of delusions of grandeur. Nikki's daughter from her first marriage also joins the mix and creates some predictable drama of her own. Barb starts questioning the role of females in their church. Margene gets too into QVC and New Agey products...a really disappointing development for her character. Ben still struggles to keep it in his pants and is always too self-righteous to ever actually sympathize with him. Speaking of slutting it up, Rhonda is back for a bit. Nikki starts dressing normal. Bill's parents get old and even crazier. Sarah and Scott finally escape Utah. Also, not really into the new opening title sequence for these seasons. All in all, I enjoyed my time with the Hendricksons, even if I don't really like the path the show takes in the end.

Friday Night Lights (Season 5) - I always knew it would be a tearful goodbye with Coach Taylor and Dillon, Texas. I can't even claim that this season is that great. Julie is acting like an idiot in college. Tim Riggins spends most of the season in jail. Luke and Becky have some tension, but really nothing much happens to either one of them. Tammy as usual kicks ass at her job, even without support from the rest of the school. Vince learns the hard lesson that nobody really likes you when your head gets too big. For me, this show has always been it's strongest when the stories focus on Riggins or Matt Saracen. Their presence is sorely missed, but I am so thankful for a real conclusion to this show....a show that really more people should watch if they are into great dramas, small towns, or heart.

Fringe (Season 3) - Season 3 is all about the two universes, and the relationship between Olivia and Peter. Fake Olivia spends some time in our universe, while our Olivia is stuck in the alternate universe. Holes begin developing between the two places, and these provide the background for any "monster-of-the-week" episodes that even happen this season. For the most part, I love this season for how crazy and how serialized it gets. I can't imagine jumping into this show now...you need so much backstory from the past two seasons. That being said, if anyone has invested in this show so far, I can't imagine them being disappointed.

Mildred Pierce (HBO miniseries) - I loved the original Mildred Pierce film and I love Todd Haynes' visual aesthetic, so it's really no surprised that I enjoyed this 5-part retelling of this story of a woman who may be lucky in business, but maybe refuses to see how the people closest to her are the most terrible. These scenes are lush and deliberate. Kate Winslet is lovely, and Evan Rachel Wood plays a great spoiled brat Vida. It's beautiful to watch and still so scandalous to entertain.

Parks and Recreation (Seasons 1-3) - This is the first year that I have diligently been watching Parks & Rec as it airs. I had seen lots of episodes from the past two seasons, but when Netflix offered Season 1 & 2 to watch instantly, I knew it would be a good use of my time to revisit and fill in the gaps. I really like Tom and all of his sleaziness and slang, and am really glad that he got an actual love interest if only for a short time. Ron Swanson is a treat as the straight-man. Donna downing two shots at once is pretty great every time. April is a true favorite...also incredibly straight-faced and angsty and just fucking hilarious. I'm not really sure what Ann's purpose is any more on the show, but Rashida Jones' is so pretty that I don't even care. Watching Mark Brandanowitz transform from local playboy to square was an enjoyable transformation, but I have to say that his departure made way for the welcome addition of the ever upbeat Chris (Rob Lowe) and my current crush Ben (Adam Scott). Leslie is goofy and the perfect heart of this show. It's easy to recognize that this series has become the true star of NBC's Thursday night.

Party Down (Season 1 & 2) - More Adam Scott love! Failed writers, actors, musicians, and comedians unite while working for a catering company. Each episode is a different gig ranging from funerals, to Young Republican meetings, to orgies, and even Steve Guttenberg's birthday. Ron's meltdown is amazing, as are the gags about his giant cock (and the beginning of the use of "cramzi"). The dynamic between Kyle and Roman is really great - one-sided hatred (but deep down sympathy). Lizzy Caplan isn't even the worst as Casey. Just a really funny show and a shame that it couldn't last longer.

RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 3) - Finally someone not black wins! The campier version of ANTM (which is already pretty campy) brings back an all new group of drag queens. Even though I predicted win, place, and show really early in the season, I still appreciated that it wasn't too clearcut who would actually win the whole thing (last season was lacking some serious tension with a clear frontrunner). Loved having Chloe Sevigny and LaToya Jackson as judges.

Test Pattern #3

Battlestar Galactica (Seasons 1, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 4.5) - Jon and I spent a good portion of the end of last year watching this entire series. Season 1 had Jon jumping on the couch in excitement over the initials battles between the remaining human race and a race of robots called Cylons. I think this show is interesting for so many reasons that are probably better articulated elsewhere on the internet. In addition to this epic storyline with religious undertones about finding a new home, various plots deal with human rights, abortion, slavery, religious expression, the military, martial law and treason. I would guess that most viewers fall on the left side of the political spectrum, but sometimes the show seems to at least superficially take conservative stances--an aspect that I find fascinating, especially when you find yourself saying things like "just let Adama (the admiral and military leader) do what he wants" when I would never express a similar sentiment in real life. In addition to being thought-provoking, the show is immensely entertaining even when there are throwaway episodes. My only real complaint is that I think Season 4.5 could have been abandoned all together, as I prefer the ending presented at the end of Season 4.

Big Love (Season 3) - In this very short season, the focus is happily on Nikki Grant, the second wife and daughter to Roman Grant. Roman is despicable for his practices as "the Prophet" of Juniper Creek; exiling teenage boys and marrying off teenage girls. However, as his daughter, Nikki is still ever seeking his approval, this time in the form of lying to her own family by working in the law office who is responsible for prosecuting Roman. Nikki is my favorite character on the show, precisely because she makes bad and selfish decisions. In addition to that storyline, Bill and the other wives are courting a fourth wife, and Sara has to deal with a pregnancy that she cannot share with anyone. 

Firefly (Season 1- the only season) - I was caught a little off-guard when I realized that this show was essentially a Western set in Space (for some reason, I imagined it to be more "Space-y"). At times you would be forgiven for not realizing that this had anything to do with Space at all. Mal captains a ship with a motley crew, that makes a living by transporting goods, often of an illegal nature. They are at odds with the government sponsored military, and therefore have to fly below the radar or at the outskirts of the explored planets. Meanwhile, part of the crew includes a brother-sister pair of fugitives. Overall, a pretty fun show that should have easily been renewed for additional seasons.

Homicide: Life on the Street (Season 1 & 2) - Before the Wire, there was Homicide. It was written by the same key players and used to air on NBC in the 1990s. Once again, the setting is Baltimore, but this time the main characters are all on the same shift in the Police Department. It's fun to see Richard Belzer play Detective Munch (as he does on Law & Order) and Yaphett Kotto play Lieutenant Giardello. The cast also features a Baldwin and Melissa Leo. A typical episode may focus on a case or a couple cases being handled by various pairs of partners, intertwined with the detectives' personal lives, philosophies, etc. The visual style is particulary gritty and nearly monochrome in Season 1. I also appreciate that the cases don't always get solved.

the O.C. (Season 2, 3, & 4) - I think Season 1 and 2 of this series aren't too bad in the context of teen dramas, but it would be difficult to make the same argument for the Seasons 3 & particularly 4.  Season 2 sticks to the typical teenage high school/romance dramas of Season 1, with the additional drama of having Ryan's bad-boy brother Trey invade the lives of the main characters. Season 3 includes a lot of drama between Ryan, Marissa, and Marissa's new friend Johnny, who predictably loves Marissa. Johnny is perhaps the most tragic character on the show, never getting anything that would make him happy. After the death of one of the main characters at the end of Season 3, Season 4 takes a serious nosedive. The season starts out with a ridiculous revenge scheme, and then episodes later everyone seems fine and even more unbelievable relationships start up. The last episode is particularly saccharine and overall, I don't like the way loose ends are tied up.

RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 1) - Season 2 is only a few episodes from ending, but in a fit of impatience, Jon and I devoured the first season (it's only 8 episodes) via LOGO's website. This show is essentially America's Next Top Model, but with sewing, lip-synching, and much more bitchiness. Obviously, being a reality show, there are no real plot-lines, but it's difficult to not get swept up in the camp of it all. I loved Nina Flowers and Ongina, precisely because of their androgyny rather than "realness." Their styles just seemed so much more creative than the competitors and it is a shame that they didn't win. Either one of them would have dominated all of the girls in Season 2...