tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post4387073007832101876..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: Last Week in TV #30Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-14183702606462975522012-04-30T10:34:11.140-05:002012-04-30T10:34:11.140-05:00@Sarah: If she was really injured that badly, no w...@Sarah: <i>If she was really injured that badly, no way would she have even returned to school for the rest of the year, let alone be so healthy that she's able to return to school a week or two later without even a scratch or a bruise.</i><br /><br />Maybe because the time frame was thrown off for me (not having the wait between episodes) but I never even considered the timing of it. Did the show ever make it clear how much time had passed (if so, I totally missed it)? I figured it had been at least a month or so, in which case it didn't seem odd to me that she'd be out of the hospital. <br /><br />But then again, I have no actual idea how stuff like that works (if anything, I feel like people are actually in hospitals less time than they should be; giving birth is almost outpatient at this point), and this is the show that fit an entire family dinner, elaborate bedtime routine, fight and make-up before 7:15 PM, so it isn't like I'm going to defend it very vehemently. <br /><br /><i>And then she goes to a wheel chair skate park, because not only did she get severely injured and yet somehow managed to heal miraculously fast (except for her spine, natch) but she's so good, that she can actually do cool athletics and junk.</i><br /><br />Did she though? I was admittedly checking Twitter during this sequence because it was pretty dumb, but I thought she just sort of rolled around a bit; I mean, was she actually doing flips and junk, because that would be beyond ridiculous.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-67975652178158642942012-04-30T10:27:44.912-05:002012-04-30T10:27:44.912-05:00@Blam: Did you ever watch the last two (back-to-ba...@Blam: <i>Did you ever watch the last two (back-to-back) episodes of Alcatraz?</i><br /><br />Not yet, but they're on the DVR. I'm planning to get to them before the (TV) season ends, so if you have notes, hang on to 'em. <br /><br /><i>Although the way the Stark kids have bonded with the direwolves is fairly supernatural...</i><br /><br />True, though even Winterfell is considered on the fringes by some. And the characters have been pretty dense about the extent to which that bonding has occurred, to the point where even though it's obvious to the audience what is happening, the show itself seems determined to play coy about it. <br /><br /><i>I'm not touching that one.</i><br /><br />Ha! I wish I could say the innuendo in that line was intentional. <br /><br /><i>but more than one person from Qarth has just called it "Karth" standing right outside the gates of Qarth, so what with you pleading for hospitality and all you might want to follow their cue.</i><br /><br />And, of course, the whole sequence felt like a nod to the fans - "this is how it's pronounced *wink* - in much the same way JK Rowling wrote a phonetic pronunciation of Hermione's name into one of the <i>Harry Potter</i> books, making Dany's flub all the more grating. <br /><br /><i>Whom exactly do you consider the villains? To me that's one of the fascinating (and often frustrating) things about this show.</i><br /><br />At this point, Joffrey, Cersei, Tywin, Jaimie. Basically all the Lannisters, sans Tyrion. And whomever is leading/controlling the White Walkers north of the wall, if such a person exists. <br /><br />But this is definitely a show where the lines between good guys and bad guys are blurred, which is, as you say, both fascinating and frustrating at times. <br /><br /><i>on the other hand I'm not quite sure what broader message that was delivering beyond his pride in being a sociopathic black-hearted power-mad adolescent twat.</i><br /><br />I took his message to Tyrion to be "I know you didn't send these women out of the kindness of your heart, and if you think this will stop me from being a cruel, sadistic twat, you're wrong. Also, this gesture doesn't forgive you for chastising me in front of the entire court." <br /><br /><i>This wasn't even court-ordered foster care, where Emma pulling her life together and Henry wanting to be with her could matter. It's legal full-on parenting.</i><br /><br />Exactly! Even if Regina didn't have the deck stacked in her favor, it isn't like Emma has much recourse here...<br /><br /><i>Actually, I thought that it worked because the passage of time happened for us as well as them.</i><br /><br />Hmm, good point. Maybe my back-to-back viewing negatively colored my reaction to that plot. <br /><br /><i>I totally forgot about Coach Bieste.</i> <br /><br />No worries, so has <i>Glee</i>. <br /><br /><i>The vocals were so unecessarily processed and layered that I was completely distracted trying to imagine what it actually would've sounded like for the characters in that room in "reality".</i><br /><br />Yeah, I'll freely admit the autotuning/processing was particularly egregious, and I usually have a bad ear for such things (which means it must have been <i>really</i> bad. I guess I just enjoyed the energy. <br /><br /><i>The last few episodes have very noticeably, to me, pointed out that the performances are usually a heightened reality that the show acknowledges as such, which makes me slightly unreasonably satsified.</i><br /><br />Good point, and I agree. <br /><br /><i><br />I agree, except that I'd replace "best thing" with "only good thing".</i><br /><br />Yeah, I really meant the latter. <br /><br /><i>April: "I don't know — weird stuff about waffles..."</i><br /><br />That might have been my favorite line of the episode.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-45775303577579892852012-04-30T09:12:07.089-05:002012-04-30T09:12:07.089-05:00We pretty much hated that Glee episode. The songs ...We pretty much hated that Glee episode. The songs were decent, and we love Somebody that I Used to Know, so that was a game saver for us. We were so full of rage and the ridiculosuness of quinn in a wheel chair. If she was really injured that badly, no way would she have even returned to school for the rest of the year, let alone be so healthy that she's able to return to school a week or two later without even a scratch or a bruise. And then she goes to a wheel chair skate park, because not only did she get severely injured and yet somehow managed to heal miraculously fast (except for her spine, natch) but she's so good, that she can actually do cool athletics and junk.<br /><br />Seriously, i mean, i can suspend my disbelief for a lot, and i have in the past for glee, with the missing parents and imaginary bands and stuff, but this just really felt like a slap in the face and i really think this episode was the beginning of the end for us.<br /><br />I really have nothing to add to your GoT talk because i agree with pretty much everything. Who know i could immediately love Tywin Lannister after greatly disliking him earlierSarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-79107160399999803882012-04-27T16:58:44.002-05:002012-04-27T16:58:44.002-05:00Community: Virtual System Analysis
Annie: "O...<br><b><i>Community</i>: Virtual System Analysis</b><br /><br />Annie: "Oh my God, I broke Abed."<br /><br />... <i>Wow.</i> Just... <i>Wow.</i><br /><br />I basically didn't have any more notes than that and a bunch of great quotes. <br /><br />Your brief analysis was spot-on. As much as I appreciated the work of the actors playing other characters playing their usual characters, as you said, and also appreciated that Annie <i>the character</i> (thanks, of course, to the creative staff making it so) went to the trouble of working with Abed within his frames of reference — changing the flow of boxes on the Dreamatorium's engine was as brilliant as it was catastrophic — what I <i>really</i> appreciated was how, for me at least, the episode continued the show's pattern of treating Abed's worldview as at <i>least</i> as valid as the more recognizable "reality" shared by the other characters.<br /><br />Plus, Dean Pelton copping a quick feel of Jeff's right pec in the study room was randomly hilarious, and Blazer Tag = Laser Tag with sportcoats!<br /><br />Abed: "You think this is just a room where Troy and I play Dinosaurs vs. Riverboat Gamblers together? Sure, it's how I got the construction approved, but much like myself the Dreamatorium has higher functions."<br /><br />Abed: "I am able to simulate any of the study group <i>and</i> even a half-accurate Chang in over 7,000 unique situations."<br /><br />Abed / Head Nurse Shirley: "Mr. Hawthorne... You're out of your bed again."<br />Abed / Tragic Heartwrenching Alzheimer's Patient and Emmy Contender Pierce Hawthorne: <i>(wounded)</i> "'Cause I think I'm on a train."<br /><br />Annie: "Abed wasn't there. So whose memory <i>is</i> this?"<br />Abed / Jeff: "Maybe yours. Maybe the Dreamatorium really works. Or maybe Leonard was watching from the bushes and told Abed about it."<br /><br /><b><i>Parks and Recreation</i>: Live Ammo</b><br /><br /><i>Ann and Leslie's tour of Tom's amenities-laden apartment is probably the best thing yet to come out of the Ann/Tom relationship.</i><br /><br />I agree, except that I'd replace "best thing" with "only good thing". While I realize that Ann did once date Andy (largely out of inertia), and I still haven't seen any of Season Two, I just don't find any believable rationale for Ann launching a relationship with Tom in the first place.<br /><br />And that line you quoted of Ron's was just the latest proof that the combo of this show's writing and Nick Offerman's delivery are <i>gold</i>. Did you know that he directed one of the episodes you skipped over? I haven't seen last night's yet, but apparently Amy Poehler wrote <i>and</i> directed that one.<br /><br />Tom: "Come on, Little Sparkle. Don't give up! What does Leslie always say?"<br />April: "I don't know — weird stuff about waffles..."<br /><br />Leslie: "Hey, Honey... Good morning! How did you sleep? I adopted 32 cats and dogs. Do you want some pancakes? I'm gonna make pancakes."<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-40967062607950151892012-04-27T16:54:51.621-05:002012-04-27T16:54:51.621-05:00Glee: Big Brother
I can only imagine what that wa...<br><b><i>Glee</i>: Big Brother</b><br /><br /><i>I can only imagine what that was like for anyone who waited weeks between the episodes</i><br /><br />Actually, I thought that it worked because the passage of time happened for us as well as them.<br /><br /><i>Going from "comfortable with my situation" to "refusing to accept I may not be able to walk because I've gotten all my hopes for the future wrapped up in that one thing" is a believable journey, but it would have been nice to see it play out longer.</i><br /><br />I totally agree. Part of why it's so frustrating is that, in addition to the rush not letting each emotional stage "land", there was so much drama to be wrought from the points that were blown by — Quinn understanding Artie more, Artie helping Quinn deal, Quinn frustrating Artie by her lack of acceptance of her situation, Artie struggling with having his newfound wheelchair buddy (if not potential romantic foil) even <i>possibly</i> getting to walk again when he can't, <i>etc.</i>.<br /><br /><i>I'm sure Bieste gets in her players faces sometimes</i><br /><br />I totally forgot about Coach Bieste.<br /><br /><i>though I loved Puck's pool cleaning ambitions</i><br /><br />How did we not get a "Stacy's Mom" video out of that? Other than the fact that nobody's sunning by the pool in Ohio in March, I mean... (then again, with the weather <i>this</i> year anything could happen).<br /><br /><i>Ultimately, I'll go with the Duran Duran mashup as my favorite simply because it landed so firmly in my wheelhouse. </i><br /><br />I had greater hopes for it, actually. The vocals were <i>so</i> unecessarily processed and layered that I was completely distracted trying to imagine what it actually would've sounded like for the characters in that room in "reality". I also thought that the arrangement was kinda dippy.<br /><br />However, I had a happy "Aha!" moment when the band on stage during Blaine and Cooper's duet in the auditorium disappeared the moment that the song was over. The last few episodes have very noticeably, to me, pointed out that the performances are usually a heightened reality that the show acknowledges as such, which makes me slightly unreasonably satsified.<br /><br />What really shocked me was not just Artie and especially Quinn getting some featured numbers but <i>all</i> the numbers being either Blaine solos, Blaine/Cooper duets, or Artie/Quinn duets. I haven't looked it up, but it certainly felt like this was the first episode not to have a single Rachel solo.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-32244970807632063252012-04-27T16:51:13.366-05:002012-04-27T16:51:13.366-05:00Once Upon a Time: The Return
Emma's cliffhang...<br><b><i>Once Upon a Time</i>: The Return</b><br /><br /><i>Emma's cliffhanger-y declaration that she's getting back her son rang a bit hollow, considering she has yet to do anything very active in opposing Regina, and because we've seen, again and again, just how much Regina has stacked the deck in her favor</i><br /><br />Not only that; Regina may be evil — and we, more then Emma, know just <i>how</i> evil — but Emma gave Henry up and Regina adopted him fair 'n' square. This wasn't even court-ordered foster care, where Emma pulling her life together and Henry wanting to be with her could matter. It's legal full-on parenting.<br /><br /><i>I suppose everyone's just calling it even at this point.</i><br /><br />I'm with you on having a big whiplash moment there. <i>Everyone</i> had turned on Mary Margaret when her home-wrecking affair with David was revealed. And now that she's cleared of murder charges she's the town peach again? I can actually see that happening — they're so relieved, they realize they were overreacting — but there should have been some lip service to how MM's dire straits (and in fact the likelihood that she was being railroaded) brought folks to their senses. 'Cause MM was <i>shunned</i> in that Grumpy candle episode.<br /><br /><i>Someday I hope to be described as a "typewriter wrapped in an enigma wrapped in stubble".</i><br /><br />I <i>loved</i> that line. Somebody, maybe even Nikki, mentioned over at Nikki's that Emma probably wouldn't say that unless she was being written by Jane Espenson, but I'm not sure I agree. Espenson-penned episodes <i>are</i> becoming as notable on this show as they were on <i>Buffy</i> and <i>Angel</i>, however, and even if it's partly hype the fact that she's really excited about the season finale has me expecting great things.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-26507146388765192592012-04-27T16:49:08.864-05:002012-04-27T16:49:08.864-05:00Just out of curiosity, Teebore — Did you ever watc...<br>Just out of curiosity, Teebore — Did you ever watch the last two (back-to-back) episodes of <i>Alcatraz</i>?<br /><br /><b><i>Game of Thrones</i>: Garden of Bones</b><br /><br /><i>That was a pretty crazy ending, so let's start there.</i><br /><br />I was surprised enough by the revelation of Melisandre's totally pregnant belly that the smoke monster <i>totally</i> caught me off guard. Her vajayjay is the Cave of [the God of] Light? What kind of funky man-stuff is Stannis Baratheon packing? Did she just take a really long drag an unfiltered stogie before getting off the boat and thought she'd charm smuggler dude by doing the ol' X-rated parlor trick?<br /><br /><i>up to now most of the magical elements on this show have been constrained to the edges of the world</i><br /><br />This is a great point. I'd thought a lot about how magic is spoken of on the show as being rare and much less prevalent than it once was, as well as how mystic things seem to be resurgent — the hatched dragons, those creatures at the start of the very first episode Season 1 that nobody believed the survivor had seen, the stuff Melisandre is up to — but hadn't really made the association that this was happening on the periphery of "mainstream" Westeros culture. Although the way the Stark kids have bonded with the direwolves is fairly supernatural...<br /><br /><i>[Renly]'s becoming far too cocky</i><br /><br />I'm not touching that one.<br /><br /><i>I did like the continued glimpse into Daenerys leadership style, as she managed to strike the right tone of regal authority and humble supplication to get her group inside the city's walls.</i><br /><br />I agree, but I must say that the mispronunciation of Qarth bothered me. Maybe Daenerys has seen it spelled (properly or improperly) and been confused, maybe she's even <i>heard</i> it traditionally pronounced "Kwarth" — but <i>more than one person from Qarth has just called it "Karth" standing right outside the gates of Qarth</i>, so what with you pleading for hospitality and all you might want to follow their cue.<br /><br /><i>It's odd to say this about Tywin Lannister, but it was a relief to see him show up and tell everyone to knock it the hell off. His immediate recognition of Arya as a girl was great, and the idea of the missing Stark girl hiding under everyone's noses as Tywin's cup-bearer is both dryly funny and rich with dramatic promise. </i><br /><br />Yes to all that stuff. The only thing that bugged me a bit was Tywin showing up just in the nick of time to save Gendry, but I guess such dramatic turns are easier to swallow in a saga that also has its fair share of surprising tragedy. <br /><br /><i>It's also nice to have at least one villain on the show who isn't a complete twit. </i><br /><br />Whom exactly do you consider the villains? To me that's one of the fascinating (and often frustrating) things about this show.<br /><br /><i>that scene showed us that Joffrey has finally become aware of the game, and is learning how to play it</i><br /><br />And it's particularly interesting given that this followed the latest instance of Tyrion remarking upon Sansa's similar savviness (just to make sure the viewers get it, although, not to be a broken record, I'm not entirely buying what they're apparently selling). But while on one hand it felt particularly dastardly — which is saying something given what had just occurred — for Joffrey to send the ladies back to Uncle Tyrion so that he knew what had happened, on the other hand I'm not quite sure what broader message that was delivering beyond his pride in being a sociopathic black-hearted power-mad adolescent twat. "How dare you send me women for sex!" I mean... Wha—? Maybe I'd accept that it insulted him because, well, he's the king, he can take whatever (and whomever) he wants whenever he wants to, but the fact that Tyrion paid for the women suggests that certain things like, say, women from Littlefinger's House of Pleasure and Peeping Tomfoolery cost coin even in the royal court. <br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.com