tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post8834133927824683008..comments2024-03-16T14:43:09.430-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: Last Week in TV #27Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-85831430382864064282012-04-11T11:46:49.977-05:002012-04-11T11:46:49.977-05:00@Matt: I give sitcoms a lot more slack for that so...@Matt: <i>I give sitcoms a lot more slack for that sort of thing, because -- especially with regards to the Seth MacFarlane shows -- they don't really take themselves very seriously in the first place.</i><br /><br />If it was <i>Family Guy</i> I never would have even given it a second thought, but <i>American Dad</i> is distinctly less random and more traditionally-structured than the other MacFarlane shows, and usually does a pretty good job of establishing/sticking to its internal continuity in ways none of the other shows do, which is why this stuck out to me. <br /><br />Or, in other words, the <i>Family Guy</i> writers have no issue discarding continuity (or even story logic) for a joke, whereas the <i>AD</i> writers are usually less willing to do so.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-10829836381491062422012-04-11T11:43:29.453-05:002012-04-11T11:43:29.453-05:00@Blam: I watched the ep with my mom and neither of...@Blam: <i>I watched the ep with my mom and neither of us could get over how much the kid looked like Ginnifer Goodwin. </i><br /><br />She even <i>sounded</i> like her, with the same diction and everything. <br /><br /><i>I'm looking forward to catching up on Grimm eventually, but at this point I'm not sure it'll happen before the season's over.</i><br /><br />Ditto. <br /><br /><i>I wouldn't mind it as long as the nagging potential plot twist in the back of my head of him being Henry grown up doesn't come to be.</i><br /><br />Yeah. Hopefully the writers know who he is, just so they can avoid something like that if he is, in fact, someone who shouldn't be pursuing a romance with Emma. <br /><br /><i>Did any of you hear them refer in the FTL flashback to Regina as "Regina Hunt"?</i><br /><br />I did not, but I'll believe you. <br /><br /><i>Did any of you hear them refer in the FTL flashback to Regina as "Regina Hunt"?</i><br /><br />I wondered about that too, and meant to mention it. Mary Margaret was being taken away by county sheriffs at the end there, too, which makes sense, since part of Regina's plan to get Mary Margaret out of Storybrooke so that whatever bad thing happens when people leave happens to her, but if the county is coming to get her, you'd think that means the DA is on the county level as well. <br /><br />Maybe Alan Dale works for the county but lives in Storybrooke, and...somehow never has to leave the town for work...?<br /><br /><i>but I'd probably only be reiterating what I said at Nikki's and I've already seen this week's episode, so</i><br /><br />No worries. I didn't post anything (since I just read it yesterday) but I did see your comments on Nikki's post. <br /><br /><i>I've wanted to comment for a few days now, but I've also been trying to get ahead on some projects to take a little time off.</i><br /><br />Seriously, no worries. I really was just teasing. :) <br /><br /><i>but he doesn't have the traditional heroic impetus of Robb Stark or even Jon Snow.</i><br /><br />Though Tyrion is clearly positioned as the protagonist this season, and though his morals are, as you say, more heroic in comparison to most everyone else in King's Landing, Robb and Jon Snow are definitely the show's heroes this season (which is nice, since I enjoy both of those characters greatly). <br /><br /><i>I don't think I've played any Mario game since Donkey Kong's successor Donkey Kong Jr. and the original, stand-up Mario Bros.. </i><br /><br />There's an arcade in Minneapolis you'd enjoy called Rusty Quarters that features early 80s games like the original Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong and whatnot, all for a quarter a game, just like in the 80s. Dr. Bitz and I spent some time there a couple weekends back as part of a bachelor party. Lots of fun.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-79302921453302835062012-04-11T11:26:54.579-05:002012-04-11T11:26:54.579-05:00Sarah -- "I can't ever ignore dates like ...Sarah -- "<b>I can't ever ignore dates like that. I always do the math immediately. Usually it's not an issue, because the writers care or something</b>."<br /><br />I give sitcoms a lot more slack for that sort of thing, because -- especially with regards to the Seth MacFarlane shows -- they don't really take themselves very seriously in the first place. If a drama had made the same mistake, I'd be up in arms.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-4754474189415604482012-04-10T22:42:14.915-05:002012-04-10T22:42:14.915-05:00Game of Thrones: The North Remembers
I enjoyed St...<br><b><i>Game of Thrones</i>: The North Remembers</b><br /><br /><i>I enjoyed Stannis' editing his letter decrying Joffrey's claim to the throne.</i><br /><br />That was a great scene. I actually played it back.<br /><br />I'm sorry that I don't have more to say, but I'd probably only be reiterating what I said at Nikki's and I've already seen this week's episode, so...<br /><br />Matt: <i>Wow, I'm just reading this on Monday and there are no comments yet? Where is everybody?</i><br /><br />I can only speak for myself — Passover seder at one cousin's house Friday night, Passover seder at another cousin's house Saturday night, Easter dinner at <i>another</i> cousin's house Sunday night, and mock Passover seder at my grandmother's residence Monday night, all during the start of baseball season. I've wanted to comment for a few days now, but I've also been trying to get ahead on some projects to take a little time off.<br /><br />Matt: <i>it really just made me miss Sean Bean</i><br /><br />Agreed. The shock effect was perhaps valuable from a storytelling perspective and fairly inevitable without changing things too much from the book, yet it feels weird to me as a viewer not to have at least one main protagonist to ground the story and for whom we can root pretty much unreservedly. <br /><br />While Ned Stark cheated on his wife, and in fact did not just his family but arguably his principles a disservice by hewing to those principles so openly that he got himself killed, he was still basically Season One's "Big Good" as it were. I can root for Arya as a hero in the making, but she's just a small part of the clockwork plot; I can root for Tyrion simply because he's so much fun and because even if his morals are necessarily mercurial given whassup in Westeros he's pretty grounded, but he doesn't have the traditional heroic impetus of Robb Stark or even Jon Snow. <br /><br />Teebore: Mad Men<i> and </i>Justified <i>are both on my "catch up" list. I'm hoping to start </i>Mad Men<i> this summer.</i><br /><br />I haven't gotten into <i>Justified</i>, despite all the recommendations, but, oh, you're really in for a treat if you haven't seen, or haven't seen much of, <i>Mad Men</i>.<br /><br />Sarah: <i>I think that's what it's called.</i><br /><br />Close enough — <i>The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters</i>, colon instead of "and". I suspect that the filmmaker(s) just liked both titles too much to choose one, although put together they do help clarify to those who'd get it that the film refers to arcade games and specifically to <i>Donkey Kong</i> rather than, say, to the <i>King Kong</i> movies. Anyway, I recommend it too. Not only was it a compelling story, if a bit sad the way all tales of monomania are, it was totally up my alley because my videogame tastes haven't changed since the era of the classics shown in the movie; I don't think I've played any Mario game since <i>Donkey Kong</i>'s successor <i>Donkey Kong Jr.</i> and the original, stand-up <i>Mario Bros.</i>.Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-76347701377563298422012-04-10T22:32:03.165-05:002012-04-10T22:32:03.165-05:00Once Upon a Time: The Stable Boy
As little sense ...<br><b><i>Once Upon a Time</i>: The Stable Boy</b><br /><br /><i>As little sense as it made, considering her mother was still around, the moment where Regina realizes what Snow did and sucks in her fury, becoming in a moment the Regina we know, was a great bit of acting from Lana Parilla.</i><br /><br />Yeah. Her voice changed; everything changed. I'd <i>almost</i> forgotten that Parilla could play something other than scheming / conniving / mad at the world, but well before her turn on ABC's burned-off <i>Swingtown</i> — she could've eaten all the ladies on Wisteria Lane for breakfast — I was introduced to her on NBC's brilliant-but-cancelled <i>Boomtown</i> as a young paramedic flirting adorably with Donnie Wahlberg's beat cop. <i>Once Upon a Time</i> still mostly pigeonholes her as a bitch, so it's really nice to see her get to play younger, more innocent Regina.<br /><br /><i>Similarly, the casting department knocked it out of the park with the girl who played young Snow.</i><br /><br />Did they ever! I watched the ep with my mom and neither of us could get over how much the kid looked like Ginnifer Goodwin. <br /><br />Like my friends, by the way, my family (a bunch of cousins live in the area and we're all close) is pretty split between <i>Grimm</i> and <i>Once Upon a Time</i>. I'm looking forward to catching up on <i>Grimm</i> eventually, but at this point I'm not sure it'll happen before the season's over.<br /><br /><i>I enjoyed the chemistry between Emma and Mysteriously Sexy Writer. I'm not sure if they're setting up a romance between them, but I wouldn't mind it.</i><br /><br />I wouldn't mind it as long as the nagging potential plot twist in the back of my head of him being Henry grown up doesn't come to be.<br /><br />Did any of you hear them refer in the FTL flashback to Regina as "Regina Hunt"? I could've sworn that I heard it, I think when she was being introduced to the Richard Schiff's King, but it wasn't in any wiki, etc., when I looked after the episode aired.<br /><br />And how the heck is Alan Dale's King George a DA in Storybrooke? I don't think that towns as small as that have district attorneys — by that name, serving only them and/or seated in the town, versus a local county prosecutor — but he can't exist outside of the town unless there's something we don't know.Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-60752283530450828742012-04-10T17:26:59.614-05:002012-04-10T17:26:59.614-05:00I can't ever ignore dates like that. I always ...I can't ever ignore dates like that. I always do the math immediately. Usually it's not an issue, because the writers care or somethingSarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-87789113125760600962012-04-10T11:18:08.595-05:002012-04-10T11:18:08.595-05:00Funny, I barely did any math on the American Dad e...Funny, I barely did any math on the <i>American Dad</i> episode. I recall my train of thought being something like, "1995? That doesn't sound right. Oh well..." Then I continued watching.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-55679003062786022062012-04-10T10:33:05.177-05:002012-04-10T10:33:05.177-05:00@Sarah: Why they couldn't just say 1994 and ma...@Sarah: <i>Why they couldn't just say 1994 and make Haley be a legal adult, i don't know. 2 years wouldn't have affected anything in this new episode</i><br /><br />Right. Or set it in 1991 to make her 21 (since the whole point of the time travel was that she blew out a kidney drinking at a bar with her mom). There just wasn't enough about the 1995 setting to make all these headaches worth it.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-4848395694967177402012-04-10T10:24:55.802-05:002012-04-10T10:24:55.802-05:00Exactly. I mean, i just watched the episode where ...Exactly. I mean, i just watched the episode where Haley's a stripper. That makes no sense if she's 16. Or younger, really.<br />Why they couldn't just say 1994 and make Haley be a legal adult, i don't know. 2 years wouldn't have affected anything in this new episodeSarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-16383114855973921182012-04-10T10:21:44.693-05:002012-04-10T10:21:44.693-05:00@Anne: it seriously bugged us the entire episode- ...@Anne: <i>it seriously bugged us the entire episode- totally distracted us which i'm sure wasn't their intention.</i><br /><br />Sadly enough, I didn't even do the math until after the episode was over, so at least it didn't bother me while I watched it. <br /><br />@Sarah: <i>throw in friday as a day off and i didn't get to this until now</i><br /><br />No worries, I knew you guys were aware. I was mainly kidding. <br /><br /><i>But i haven't read any further (and really don't have plans to) so i'm excited to be surprised by what happens instead of just waiting for bad things.</i><br /><br />Yeah, there's always going to be more to the books than they can fit in the series, so my plan is to enjoy the show as a show first and foremost. <br /><br /><i>have you watched a documentary The King of Kong and a Fistful of Quarters?</i><br /><br />I'm aware of it, but I haven't seen it yet. <br /><br /><i>i really couldn't enjoy the episode because i was too busy thinking about all the episodes in the past that wouldn't work if Haley was only 16. </i><br /><br />Dr. Bitz and I discussed it and there's simply no way we could think of that would make it Haley being 16 work.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-91479702614634430152012-04-09T18:55:08.940-05:002012-04-09T18:55:08.940-05:00Yeah, i mean usually i'm away from most the in...Yeah, i mean usually i'm away from most the internet on the Weekend, and throw in friday as a day off and i didn't get to this until now. Sorry pal!<br />Man, GoT is so great. I had read the first book before we watched the first season so i knew all that was coming. But i haven't read any further (and really don't have plans to) so i'm excited to be surprised by what happens instead of just waiting for bad things.<br />And yeah. I miss Sean Bean too. Sigh.<br /><br />Bob's burgers was great as usual. Semi related - have you watched a documentary The King of Kong and a Fistful of Quarters? (I think that's what it's called. All those words are in the title, anyway). It's awesome and all about the donkey kong high score.<br /><br />Yeah, the AD 1996 thing really bugged me. And like Anne said, i really couldn't enjoy the episode because i was too busy thinking about all the episodes in the past that wouldn't work if Haley was only 16. I mean, why isn't she in highschool then with Steve?Sarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-39826223566414265832012-04-09T17:45:21.856-05:002012-04-09T17:45:21.856-05:00behind on blogs due to the long weekend.
i am supe...behind on blogs due to the long weekend.<br />i am super excited that you're watching GoT now! man alive i love that show.<br />We had the same problem you did with AD's math- it seriously bugged us the entire episode- totally distracted us which i'm sure wasn't their intention. They must be underestimating the nerdiness of their audience.<br />And holy crap do i love Bob's BurgersAnne Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04695186823472404436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-16256782805590521252012-04-09T15:55:54.262-05:002012-04-09T15:55:54.262-05:00@Matt: Where is everybody?
That's what I was ...@Matt: <i>Where is everybody?</i><br /><br />That's what I was wondering! Glad you stopped by. :) <br /><br /><i>at this point I would rather not so I can just enjoy the show without knowing what's to come</i><br /><br />Yeah, my plan is to not get ahead of the show; so this summer I'll read the first book (and maybe the second), but then not read the next one until after its season airs, for the reason you mentioned. <br /><br /><i>it really just made me miss Sean Bean</i><br /><br />Sean Bean was pretty terrific. <br /><br /><i>they usually have a featurette after each episode where the producers/writers/directors/etc. talk a bit about that particular installment</i><br /><br />Good to know, I'll have to check that out. <br /><br /><i>I would have trouble choosing a clear favorite from those three if there was a gun against my head.</i><br /><br /><i>Mad Men</i> and <i>Justified</i> are both on my "catch up" list. I'm hoping to start <i>Mad Men</i> this summer.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-65638717681641421512012-04-09T15:28:07.820-05:002012-04-09T15:28:07.820-05:00Me -- "Along with Justified on FX, it's t...Me -- "<b>Along with Justified on FX, it's tied as my favorite drama currently on TV.</b>"<br /><br />It's a tiny thing, but I couldn't let this oversight stand: I forgot <i>Mad Men</i>. So it's a three-way tie between <i>Game of Thrones</i>, <i>Justified</i>, and <i>Mad Men</i>. I would have trouble choosing a clear favorite from those three if there was a gun against my head.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-49851543766494990782012-04-09T15:25:21.159-05:002012-04-09T15:25:21.159-05:00Wow, I'm just reading this on Monday and there...Wow, I'm just reading this on Monday and there are no comments yet? Where is everybody?<br /><br />Anyway, hooray for Game of Thrones! I've never read the books either, and at this point I would rather not so I can just enjoy the show without knowing what's to come (though I did accidentally learn a huge spoiler for a future book while looking up the spelling of a character's name last season).<br /><br />Anyway, I look forward to reading your thoughts on this series every week. Along with <i>Justified</i> on FX, it's tied as my favorite drama currently on TV.<br /><br />"<b>Peter Dinklage receives top billing in the credits, with Tyrion clearly being positioned as the closest thing a large ensemble cast like this has to a main character.</b>"<br /><br />I noticed that too... and as much as I love Dingklage as Tyrion, it really just made me miss Sean Bean.<br /><br />Also, if you get HBO On Demand, they usually have a featurette after each episode where the producers/writers/directors/etc. talk a bit about that particular installment.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.com