Friday, April 30, 2010

FlashForward 1x18- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (or as I like to call it Janis World)

Let me first just say that I am so happy I did not make “Drink whenever you see Janis” a rule of the drinking game because I would have been hammered. It was a Janis-centric episode and I was in heaven. H E A V E N. Also side note my friend made me realize last night that ABC’s Thursday night lineup is lesbian central (and by that I mean there are three gay characters). We have Arizona, Janis and Callie(who is bi). They are all positive portrayals of gay women. I will write more about Grey’s later, but this post here is all FlashForward baby.

The Yellow Brick Road: The episode begins with a voice over from Janis. She and Demetri are at Quantico doing an FBI training obstacle course. (Wait what is that I see, no sign of Al or Marcie? I am not going to get into this same issue of continuity again, if you want to know my feelings you can read it in Week of April 11: A TV Let Down post.) We learn a lot about Janis in this scene. Before she was an FBI agent she was an unhappy lawyer but then Demetri got her to join the FBI. Her and Demetri are so cute as friends (and only friends!!!!!). We also learn she has a hot tattoo on her right forearm (we saw this in episode 1x05 during her date but I thought it was some sort bracelet back then).




We find out she is telling this whole story to a woman named Leda. At first it seems as though she is hitting on Janis, but we soon learn that she is the woman who recruits Janis to be a mole.

Gabriel Gets Past the FBI- So here is the B plot. Olivia walks down the stairs in her nice big home and Gabriel (the crazy guy who she met at the coffee stand last week) is standing in her living room. He is going on about how he has seen her before in flashforwards and he has been all these places she has been in the past. He tells her not to buy coffee from the man that looks like Mr. Clean. (Why? Will he put cleaning solution in your drink? Will you get poisoned? Oh the possibilities!) Olivia bugs out and then Gabriel peaces out. In the car, Liv calls Mark and whines to him that this crazy man was in their house. Olivia drives by a car crash and gets out to see what is going on. It turns out that a car hit a coffee cart whose barrister was a bald man (that looks like Mr. Clean). Olivia is officially freaked.

Janis is getting “fishy”: Janis goes to a doctor who says that she is anemic and the baby may be in trouble. She is told she needs to see another specialist to get everything checked out. Flash back to two years before the Blackout and Janis is in the most obvious of places… a fish pet store. She asks for some “Red flower dragon heads” but means “red dragon flower horns.” Janis tells the woman that Leda sent her and is all like “I don’t like fish I thought I was going to be a double agent and get some extra cash.” Bitchy Handler tells her that if she is going to come in there twice a week she needs an excuse so she better buy a fish tank. Couldn’t they have given Janis a young attractive handler like they gave Sydney in Alias? Vaughn was so much nicer to look at and listen to than Bitchy Handler is.

Afghanistan: I am going to discuss what I consider the um… C plot I guess. Aaron is in Afghanistan drinking coffee and is told he has to leave because he doesn’t blend in and will get killed. Aaron and his contact decide to go to head to the mountains or something. Aaron tries to talk to the contact but he is not into it and they pull up to a shitload of people with guns pointing at them and a shoot out begins. Then randomly another bunch of guys start shooting at the guys who were first shooting (confusing I know). Kamir, the guy who is going to help Aaron find his daughter, is part of the second group of shooting guys. I usually find the Jericho storyline intriguing but in this episode it was just a bore.

The Blue Prints: Janis brings the blueprints to a Prof. Cory who is wearing one of the ugliest sweaters known to mankind.

He talks some advanced technical mumbo jumbo and says the diagram reminds him of a sophisticated calculator. Bitchy Handler is the next one to see the blue prints and tells Janis to destroy all other copies of the blueprint. When Janis asks her why the blueprint is important Bitchy Handler is all like “Do what I say bitch.” Janis sneaks into the professor’s office, steals back the blueprints and shorts out the circuits in the building so all electronic scans would be fried. Janis proceeds to the FBI headquarters to destroy the blueprint that is on Marks infamous mosaic board. All seems well and good until Mark enters the room, Janis panics…. Commercial Break!

Janis completely covers her ass saying she messed up and needed to copy these for the professor again. She also uses her doctor’s appointment as an excuse (never too early to blame the kids.) Mark interrogates Janis and she passes the test. Next test she has to pass is her prenatal doctor appointment. Doc says that Janis needs to eat a high protein diet, get 8-9 hours of sleep and not be stressed or she could lose her baby. That is exactly what my coach for Crew tells us minus the losing the baby part. Janis’s phone rings and it is Mark, who has Prof. Cory in his office wearing another butt ugly shirt. Someone really needs to get this guy a stylist. Turns out the Prof. took picture of the blueprint with his phone, so all the copies are not destroyed, and he found out it was an astronomical clock which calculates dates. The first date being October 6 2009, the date of the blackout (they added that last part in case you did not see the first minute of any episodes this season).

Raven River Experiments: Vreede and Olivia team together again and my heart flutters a bit. They are really the best duo on the show. The super pair heads to the Raven River experiment ground to explore and Gabriel pops out of nowhere. He explains to the super pair that every other day for two years Frost would put the patients to sleep and they would experience flash forwards. Savants were picked for this experiment because they could remember everything they saw. Frost then ordered for all of the savants to be killed so they would not tell anyone. Any ounce of sympathy I had for Frost from last episode is gone. He makes me sick and repulsed that someone could take advantage and do experiments like this on people with a mental disability.

Flashback/Flashforward: We are now back to the day of the Blackout and Janis is on the phone with Mark who is chasing after Alda. (Janis your hair looks different, a bit darker than usual I think). Janis is walking down the stairs as the blackout hits and falls down a flight of stairs; that must have hurt. Not as much as the guy who falls through a glass table though. She flashesforward during this flashback and sees herself in the doctor’s office finding she had a partial abruption(i think that is what they doc said) and she is going to have to be really careful if she wants to keep the baby. After she comes to, she gets up from the stairs and sees the destruction and mayhem she has helped create. She is so disturbed she gets sick then storms into Bitchy Handlers pet shop saying she wants out. Janis exclaims that this is not what she signed up for and they did not say her involvement would cause millions of deaths. Bitchy Handler says she is in too deep and she should have known what she was getting in to and to get over it. This lady is a cold hearted biatch

Janis comes out… about her baby at least. Mark asks her about what has been up with her lately and why she is not on her usual “A” game. She comes clean about her being pregnant and says that the baby is not completely healthy and it has gotten her worried. Mark tells Janis that he completely trusts her, which is ironic because she is a mole I guess. They discuss Frost’s last words “You are going to be saved by the lady you see every day” and Janis makes the suggestion that she is going to save Marks ass. Mark dismisses this suggesting the lady might be Olivia. Sorry to disappoint Mark the only ass Olivia will be doing anything to is Lloyd’s. I on the other hand would be honored to have Janis save my ass. Mark remembers that chess gives all the answers and the “lady” Frost is referring to is Queen chess piece they found when chasing Frost. Inside the Queen was a QED ring. The FBI show Campos and Simcoe the ring becuase is too complicated for their little brains to understand Quantam physics. They discover that it is the QED which is a quantum entanglement device. Campos says suspect zero, which is actually him, stayed awake because of the ring. Do you think he knew what the ring was before or did her actually just figure it out?

And the Plot twists in the best way possible: Again we go back to two years before the Blackout as Janis walks into a restaurant to meet… Vogel. Vogel explains that Janis has been analyzed and picked out as someone who could possibly become a mole, one of the reasons being her sexual orientation. Are they saying dykes are more likely to betray the country? She defends herself and says she would never betray her country, which is what I said when I found out she was a mole. Vogel tells Janis she's got it all wrong, the CIA wants her to say yes to an organization that is going to do a VERY VERY bad thing(cause the blackout) so she can pass that information to the CIA. She is going to be a double agent. Vogel gives a speech about how it is going to be hard and she is going to have to do things she does not want to do and that go against everything she believes in, in order to win the bad guys trust. Bitchy Handler then tells Janis she has to kill Benford.

This episode was so exciting, and not only becuase it had a shit ton of scenes with Janis (although that did not hurt). I love that Janis is a good guy again, and she is so good at her job, so it completely makes sense that she is a double agent for the CIA. So just in case people did not pick up on this.

Janis is the CIA's mole infiltrating the Bad Guys, the Bad Guys think she is their mole infiltrating the FBI and the FBI is just completely clueless.

This is the best plot twist they have had so far. The episode was written well and acted well (this may be due to less Benford) and Janis was the center of the storyline. I am very much on the edge of my seat for next week. Please, please, please do not cancel the show ABC, it is just starting to get better.

Let me know your thought about the show and/or the recap.
If you missed the episode you can check it out on hulu.com or abc.com.

APB

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thirsty Thursday 2.0- Flash Forward Drinking Game

This game is going to be short and sweet becuase the show probably will not last long. Also becuase the rule of drinking every time they say "flashforward" will get you hammered off the bat. (Remember the goal is to watch the show and get drunk, not to have a blackout of your own)

FLASHFORWARD DRINKING GAME
Drink Whenever:
Mark has a pained expression on his face
Mark's British accent sneaks out
You see someone's Flash forward
They talk about complicated physics
They mention "QED"
They say mosaic
Janis wears glasses (i will take the drink after I finish swooning)

Small Sip whenever the word "flash forward" is said
Chug during the intro speech from "On October 6..." to the end
Finish Your Drink when you see a kangaroo

So thats all I got. Be safe and happy drinking.

APB

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Why TV Matters: Sesame Street

This is a crazy few weeks for me so I am not sure how much I will be posting. It is finals week, I have two championship races for crew and then senior week and graduation. The good thing about end of the semester though is that I get to finish my Term Papers, which I love to write.

For my History of International and Global Health class we were allowed to pretty much pick any topic that has to do with international health, so I picked a topic I know and I love... Television. I wanted to write about how TV can help promote good health and hygiene practices globally, and I found it in the form of Sesame Street.

During my research and writing process for the paper, I have basically falling in love with the show. I may be one of their biggest advocates at the moment. Sesame Street is one of the only things I can think and talk about recently. There are 19 different culturally specific versions of Sesame Street all around the world. Different countries create their own sets, have their own actors and Muppets and convey messages about health in culturally relevant contexts. You can check out all of the countries shows and teaching points on their website.

The most progressive and impressive health initiative that is being aired now, in my opinion, is in the South African production Takalani Sesame where they have an HIV positive Muppet named Kami. She is a five-year-old girl who is asymptomatic and a fun loving kid. She is helping reduce the stigma of HIV in South Africa and increasing the awareness of how it is spread and how children can help keep themselves healthy. The show has also increased dialogue between parents and children about the disease. It is phenomenal especially in a country that is plagued with this virus. For more information you can get there fact sheet here.







I am utterly speechless about the conservative objections to Kami. I do not think I can even comment without feeling sick to me stomach

Television gets flack all the time for being unhealthy. It causes children to become obese because it is a sedentary activity, it causes kids to be lazy, kids lose their imagination. Or the other side, TV has images children should not see, it promotes sex, promiscuity, alcohol, violence and other bad behaviors. What people usually neglect to point out is that television can also promote GOOD behaviors and teach children positive and productive values. It is a medium that conveys sound and image to stimulate multiple senses and keep children engaged. It also is widespread and you can broadcast across an entire country so it is cost efficient as well. Television is a medium that is so often criticized and yet it has so much potential for good, and has proven that it can help improve the lives of children across the world.


So in summary.... SESAME STREET IS AWESOME

If anyone has any questions about Sesame Street or wants to learn more about the show shoot me an e-mail/comment or check out their website at: www.sesameworkshop.org

APB

Monday, April 26, 2010

FlashFoward 1x17- The Garden of Forking Possibilties

This week was not as good as the show was in the fall, but I think it may be getting there.

Demetri in Danger- We start off with Demetri sitting in a chair, sweat dripping down his face, and then a shot of his bare feet...eww. About 8 ft in front of him, Mark's gun, in the center of an overly complicated contraption, is pointing straight at Demetri's chest. If Demetri moves from the chair the gun will go off. (All I can say is thank god the gun is not triggered by heart rate or sucker would be DEAD). There is also a clock/timer counting down to zero (which Demetri can see)so even if he does not move, when the timer gets to zero he will be a goner. And then there is another shot of Demetri's feet. Feet are gross, and not pretty to watch, no need to put them on my TV screen guys. Behind him is a chalkboard that goes up to the ceiling with pictures and dates and events. The camera zooms in on:
Wait hold on guys. Is it really March 15th? Is that the day that Demetri is supposed to die? Yes?! Okay, just wanted to make sure because the first one hundred or so times you told me did not sink in. But now that I got it, continue telling me at the beginning of every episode that a blackout occurred on October 6th for 2 minutes and 17 seconds becuase I will definitely forget about that if you don't.

Interrogating the Charliebear- Back in the FBI office the rest of the gang is asking Charlie questions about the scary man, Dyson Frost, who talked to her at the carnival. I like Charlie, I think she is a pretty good child actress. Wedeck tells Charlie that she is "doing good," which proves that good grammar is obviously not a requirement for the FBI. (I shouldn't be talking I have horrible grammar, but this is my blog so what I say goes). I  hear a voice that sounds like Janis's asking questions but I do not see her. She asks Charlie some more questions. Charlie said that she trusted Frost becuase he knew her and her father's name. Frost talks to her about Dr. Seuss. He makes the comment that adults can learn from Dr. Seuss just as much as kids can. I have never agreed with Frost more, I have Green Eggs and Ham memorized from start to finish. I am very proud of that. In the flashback Frost gives Charlie a picture to give to her father. Back to present day we see Janis, I was sure for a little bit back there her voice was coming from heaven, I guess I was wrong.

Zoey vs. Psychopath- I am just going to sum up this B plot swiftly and cleanly to get it over with. Zoey is freaking out that it is March 15 and Demetri is going to die so she meets with the women arrested in the pilot, Alda(psycho) who said she knew info on Dem's death. Psycho forces Zoey to get a same day indictment saying she has appendicitis. Obviously this is a set up for her to escape, not sure how Zoey does not see this. As Psycho walks into the courthouse she gives one of the window cleaners a sneaky look. Lo and behold, Psycho escapes through that window, and the only information she gives Zoey about Demetri is he might be in building 7.

Reasons for why people should not follow Mark: The FBI gang is discussing the picture Frost gave Charlie, which was a picture of Oedipus, a story about sleeping with your mother, and inability to escape fate.
And here is the reason for why Mark makes no sense:
Vreede: "How do we know that by trying to rescue [Demetri]... we don't end up sealing his fate"
Mark: "I don't, but I promised Demetri he wasn't gonna die today and I'm keeping that promise"

Mark do you not see how what you said is meaningless. You have a god complex bigger than McSteamy.

Dyson is a Crazy Mofo: 6 months before the blackout: Pyscho and one of the dudes that tortured Simon are meeting with Frost. FINALLY, after months upon months, we discover that the QED is the ring worn in order to avoid the effects of the blackout. THAT is why the formula is so important. This makes me really happy because the pieces of the puzzle are coming together in an interesting way. Frost has a shit-ton of dominoes set up on his floor. I was always jealous of people who could set up dominoes. (As much of a genius Frost is he has nothing on these guys). He reveals that he began studying flashfowards during something called the "Raven River" experiments where hundreds of flashfowards were engineered. Hold on, did anyone else catch the game of Mousetrap on Frost's desk.This is the third throwback to my childhood in this episode, Dr. Seuss, Dominoes, Mousetrap, I feel like I am back in the 90s.
Back to present day we find out that he dominoes and the images drawn on the blackboard behind Demetri are illustrating the same thing "The Garden of Forking Possibilities" (hence the title). I follow everything that Frost is saying until compares a vision as being equal to atmospheric pressure. He says "once you glimpsed it...if you want to escape you have to do something drastic." But how does one vision have more weight than another? I am utterly confused, and this is another aspect in which the show is failing. I would say I am a pretty smart individual, not a genius but not missing too many tools in my shed, and I taken some physics. I am also invested in these story lines (or at least am desperately trying to) and yet I still have NO idea what the hell this guy is talking about. It is not relateable; WRITERS PLEASE MAKE THE SHOW MORE INTELLECTUALLY ACCESSIBLE TO VIEWERS!!!!

All Aboard Mark is at the train station waiting for Frost. Obviously Frost is not coming himself, so instead he sends a cute little black boy to do his bidding. What I find most interesting about this scene is that the Superman backpack was Frost's, not the boys. I would think that Frost would be more of a Spiderman fan. Frost paid the kid 50 bucks to give Mark the bag (seriously Frost the kid would have done that for half the price, you could have saved yourself 25 bucks). He has 4 hours and 23 minutes to find Demetri. (Hmm that number sounds familiar 4/23 anyone April 23rd). He runs out through a bathroom sewer system or something and meets Frost in the desert. Demetri only has an 1:31:21 left at this point(I don’t think those numbers have a meaning but never know). Frost, for some reason, lets Mark take a sip of some remarkably brown water and Mark spits it in Frost’s face. The water ends up being gas and now Mark has the upper hand. Psycho comes out of absolutely nowhere are shoots and kills Frost, decides to spare Mark’s life, and speeds away. Mark grabs anything and everything Frost owns and speeds away in Frost’s car to be a hero and save Dem.

Worst line of the Show/Scene
Mark: Move we’re running out of time
Frost: The whole world is.

Really? Come on overkill and over dramatic all packed into one.

Best Line of the Show/Scene (because I am hoping it is about Janis)
Frost: In the end you’re going to be saved by the lady you see every day.

Vreede and Olivia: Super Team: Vreede comes to meet Olivia for an unlikely pairing. He tells Olivia that the anonymous text about Mark drinking in his flashfoward was from the homeless guy Frost killed last episode. This actually threw me off, when I read that we found out who the text came from I was sure it would be Janis or Psycho; good twist Flashforward. Vreede and Olivia go down to the morgue and find out that the homeless man was a savant, but Liv still has no idea who the dude is. The two go out for coffee and a man Gabrielle comes behind Olivia while ordering coffee and it is revealed that he was one of the men involved in the Raven River experiments Frost mentioned earlier. I see another new storyline unfolding, and I am really excited for it. Delving into these Raven River experiments will open a whole new door for the show, introducing new characters, maybe shying away from Mark always being center screen. I will stay tuned for this storyline.

One Fish Two Fish: Mark Finds Dem in the warehouse and gets to the gun. He is trying to figure out how to stop the gun from killing Demetri and sees the red and blue wires on the mechanism. He goes back in his head to Charlie and good old Dr. Seuss. He uses the book and saves the day. Dr. Seuss really can cure all. I am really happy they did not kill off Demetri because the cast and acting would fall flat without him. Janis would have to hold the show up on her shoulders (actually I would not mind that). As soon as Demetri stands a mist appears from the heavens (the ceiling) and erases the Garden of Eden (Garden of Forking Possibilities). The rest of the trusty FBI team meets up with Mark and Dem at the warehouse and Mark is explaining to them what he remember from the board.

Mark- “One stood out though, it was all the way up at the top … December 12th, 2016, and after the date it just said the end.”

MY GUESS: This may be completely off but my guess is that maybe it was a day where everyone died in their flashfowards'. That’s all I got. Any comments or questions give me a holler.

APB

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Messy Mondays: How I Met Your Mother

Monday's suck, it is the day where you have to begin the work/class cycle once again. On the other hand though, it is the day that new TV shows air after a weekend of boring movies and old reruns. So here is what I compiled together.  HAPPY DRINKING!!!!

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER DRINKING GAME
Drink Whenever:
Lily tries to meddle with someone else's love life
Lily reveals a secret
Barney says "Legendary"
Barney makes someone give him a high five
Barney hits on a girl
They reference Robin being Canadian
A joke told by Robin falls flat
Ted does a voice over
Ted corrects someone
The taxi driver makes an appearance

Barney calls himself Ted's best friend x2
Marshall sings x2
There is a flashback x2
Whenever they show the kids on the couch x2
There is a telepathic conversation x3
There is a reference to Robin Sparkles x3

Show a Robin Sparkles Video- Finish your drink
The Slap bet is brought up-Finish your drink

Like always let me know if you have anything to add on by commenting or e-mailing me. Hope you enjoy

APB

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Wasted Wednesday's- Modern Family

Since Glee has moved to Tuesdays, I think it is safe to say we are all in need for a Wednesday night drinking game. The only show I really watch on Wednesday nights is Modern Family, and even though the show makes my night brighter, adding alcohol would make it that much better. Happy Drinking Everyone!!!

So here it goes:

Drink
Whenever Phil hits on a woman who is not Claire
          x2 if he hits on Gloria
Whenever Mitchell rolls his eyes at Cam
Whenever Claire rolls her eyes at Phil
Whenever Manny is beyond his years
Whenever Jay makes a homophobic comment
Whenever Luke says/does something stupid
Whenever Gloria makes a reference to Colombia or being Colombian
Whenever Alex tricks one of her siblings*
Whenever Cam baby talks to Lily*
Whenever Phil misuses a pop culture reference

Whenever someone trips on the broken step(or it is referenced) x2
Whenever Claire says something nice about her family x2
Whenever Haley is using an electronic device- Small Sip**


If any one has any good one to add, let me know by a comment or in an e-mail
APB

(* provided by Lisa; **provided by Aleeza)

Strike A Pose

This episode of Glee was phenomenal. I was a tad weary entering into this week due to the fact that last week did not wow me. I was wowed this week. BIG. TIME. WOW.

So we start out learning that Madonna is Sue's idol (I expect nothing less from her) and she is going to have her Cheeri-o's perform Madonna numbers. Will walks into their rehearsal and decides that he should have Glee go all Madonna as well. This episode focused around the whole cast which was refreshing. It has been focusing on Will/Emma and Rachel/Finn too much. There is a whole cast to work with and they are finally figuring that out. Also side note, why do those other male members, who dance really well, not talk  EVER. I mean Santana and Brittany have lines and they are not "main" characters. I do not even know those two character's name.

So here are my highlights of the episode:

1) "Borderline/Open Your Heart"- I really love how this show perfectly picks the music to parallel the story lines. Rachel starts singing "Borderline" and Finn responds with "Open your Heart."  I am really liking how they are developing Finn's character to be more than just the stupid cute jock who can sing. He is truly hurt by Rachel lying to him, and also shows that he cares about the group. The performance itself was very playful. The only part I did not like was when they were running around the piano. It really just made me feel dizzy.

2)"Vogue"- I saw the Glee version of the video before I saw the original. On my first viewing I LOVED it, then I watched Madonna's version and it made me love Glee's even more (especially the "Will Schuester I hate you" add-in). Sue/Jane Lynch is flawless in her performance and fully committed to it. The dancing was practically flawless and her moves perfectly mimicked the originals.

3) "Like A Virgin"- I think this is my all time favorite Glee performance ever. By overall performance I am including camera angles and cuts, dancing, storyline around the song and singing itself. I really loved it. It revolved around Emma/Emma, Finn/Santana and Rachel/Jessie having sex for the first time. All of the virgins are in their bathroom staring at themselves in the mirror, getting ready for this next big step, and as they walk out of the bathroom the singing begins. The shots cut from one couple to the other, all singing completely in sync. The dancing was also completely in sync between the different couples so you were able to flow seamlessly from one couple to the next. You couldn't always make out who was singing. It was amazing. I think I watched this scene at least 20 times in the past three days, and that is a low estimate.



I also like how they showed Rachel taking responsibility saying that she would not be true to herself if she slept with Jessie. The only time you really see Rachel not being true to herself is when it involves guys. I think that it was courageous for her to say no and give the reason becuase she is not ready and she would always regret it.

4)"4-minutes"- I really enjoyed all scenes with Mercedes and Kurt this episode. Vogue and this performance were great. The pep band as the backup music was fun, and Kurt and Mercedes finally got to shine. The twist of the duo being Cheerio's creates a great new plotline. How is Sue going to use them, or is she even going to use them against Will. It seems like she really does like them.

5) "Like a Prayer"- This song was epic. Every time that Rachel sings my heart sings a little bit with her. The opening was breathtaking. I got tingly all over. I think this performance we reminiscent of "Don't Stop Beleiving" but that might only be due to the fact they are wearing red. Sometimes it is a let down to hear Finn's somewhat lackluster voice after Rachel's godlike voice.Why do they not use Puck more. Finn made the comment that he has to do all the lead male vocals but I think Puck is just as good! Kurt's falsetto solo was remarkable,I think half the girls I know could not hit those notes.

Top Quotes of the Episode:
Sue: "What would Madonna do. The answer to that usually is date a younger man. So lets see some arm candy girls. Sorry freshman you are going to have to start trolling the Middle Schools"

Mercedes: "Look girl, don't ask me. The last guy I liked was the Mayor of Gaytown."

Sue: "Hi William. I thought I smelled cookies wafting from the little elves that live in your hair."

Kurt: "Going to Kabbalah is that too much?"

APB

Monday, April 19, 2010

Week of April 11: A TV Let Down

I watch many television shows a week, following about 9 shows religiously. Even though I do not expect every episode of each series to be perfect, I do expect there to be a decent plot line, to be entertained and for  the show to have CONTINUITY. (The only exceptions for this are soap operas becuase you cant expect much from shows that have children go from 5 years old to 15years old within a year).  I felt that this weeks showings were lackluster at best. Not all of the shows were bad, but I would say only one or two had very good episodes.(One of those is Lost which had a stellar episode bringing back Libby and finally reminding me why I used to love Hurley) Let me point out the two shows I was most disappointed with:

Flashforward: "Let No Man Put Asunder"

Not really sure what to say about this show right now. It seems as though they are grasping onto anything they can to stay alive and are not worrying about the quality. I am not buying Janis being the mole, Mark Benford is always overacting and the plotlines are becoming less and less entertaining. In Sci-fi programs viewers have to allow themselves to throw their normal view of reality to the waist side in order to become engrossed in the new world being presented to them.This makes it extra important for the writers to keep the integrity of the characters becuase when it comes down to it, the characters and their relationships to each other is what makes sci-fi shows applicable to our own lives. So unless there is another major plot twist and Janis is a mole for an organization that actually does good, I can not accept that her character would betray her friends, coworkers and country. For a series that started off with such good writing and such a good premise, it is sliding down a steep and slippery slope.

This weeks episode began as a flashback to two years before the blackout with Mark Benford giving a speech about how the new FBI agents are now important becuase they work for the government. The speech was boring and uninspiring, but then again so was the episode. We see four familiar faces in the "new batch" of agents including Marcy, Demetri, Al, and Janis. (Suddenly the episode just got a little better becuase Janis is wearing glasses making her look extra hot.) After everyone gets their partner assignments the only four newbies we have ever seen on the show gather together.  Al then utters the line "We've been a team since Quantico. Booze and bullets."

Huh, err, what? DISCONTINUITY ALERT. Please let us go back to episode 1x06 entitled "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps." In this installment, which only aired 10 episodes ago, Demetri and Al are in the car. Demetri tells Al a story about the night Janis and he graduated from Quantico and they got hammered followed by Demetri  blacking out after 5 drinks. Al responds to the story with "You blacked out after five drinks and they still gave you a badge." Is it just me or does anyone else thing that Al would have been there the night of graduation if they had been best buds during training. If nothing else he would have at least heard of this story if they were friends. So fast forward (not to be confused with flashforward) to the present episode, and this conversation makes no sense. Do the writers think we can't remember stories and dialogue from the show? It is their job to make stories continuous and believable, and right here they have failed. I think every writers room should have a poster in big bold letters that read "CONTINUITY MATTERS, CONTINUITY MATTERS, CONTINUITY MATTERS," because boys and girls, continuity does matter. And yes, it is a very small slip up, but I still find it unacceptable. The only thing that redeemed this scene was that Janis was wearing those red glasses.
 

BONES- "The Death of Queen Bee"
Two weeks ago was Bone's  100th episode and  boy was it big. Boothe finally admitted he had feelings for Brennan and they should give it a go but Brennan said no. So the question everyone was asking was "Where do they go from here?" I do not know what the correct answer is but I do know the incorrect one. The incorrect answer is back to Bone's hometown on the same weekend that her 10 year reunion is taking place. The show has spent 5 seasons making Brennan's character more emotionally accessible and less socially awkward. She has learned how to talk to people in a way that does not always offend them. In one quick episode though, all of this was lost. Everyone kept commenting on how she was so awkward in highschool, and how no one liked her becuase she played with dead things. Usually when this happens the viewer feels bad for the girl who was the outcast, but I DID NOT feel bad for Bones. She was a know it all in HS and is still a know it all now and she was rubbing it in people's faces. She was so socially awkward. It made it very uncomfortable, almost to the point of physical discomfort,  to rwatch scenes with her in it because you just knew she would say something that would offend. It was not in the least bit a strong episode.

Any thoughts on what aired on TV last week, think i got something wrong, let me know. That's all for now.


APB

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Barney, My First Television Memory

Hey Guys,

So I am starting this blog again... Finally. And I may be drunk now, but that is besides the point. I can always edit this post tomorrow. I want to post today about my first real memories about Television and why I love it so much.

I have a few first memories about things I have seen on the TV. I remember when I lived in Chelsea in NYC and would wake up Saturday mornings watching Casper and waiting for my father to return from his Chicago business trips. My father would walk in wearing his khakis and a polo. I would be the only one up in the apartment sitting in the living room waiting, watching TV. This may have only happened once or twice, but I vividly remember it even though it was 16 years ago. I would be the only one awake waiting for my dad to come home and was fully engrossed in whatever was on the TV screen. I think that was when my relationship with television began. When no one else was up to play with me, the TV was available and provided me with entertainment and an alternate reality. The TV and the programs it presented became a reliable source of entertainment and comfort.

Although I am somewhat embarrassed to say, my first real memory of  a television program was Barney. Before the show was called Barney and Friends it was called Barney and the Backyard Gang. The two episodes that i remember the most are the one where they go to the beach, and the one where they go to the school (They were actually on VHS but that is besides the point). If anyone is not aware of the premise of Barney I will explain. There is this stuffed Dinosaur who is purple and green and when the kids imagine hard enough, he come to life. He has a rally dorky laugh and it kinda cheesy. He tries to teach kindness and imagination and that you can do anything if you try.

I feel as though Barney was criticized as I grew up, and mostly from children who wanted to deny they ever like it, but truthfully I think it was one of my most educational tools. My favorite character was Tina, who was one of the younger cast members. Tina was very much like I was, she had a great imagination (she could turn a stuffed dinosaur into real life) and she needed to constantly be stimulated.  She would discuss her problems with Barney and he would help her work them out. She always followed her older sister Lucy, and needed to rely on her sister to make sure she was safe when other would not play with her.

There, that is my first TV Experience,  Barney and the Backyard Gang which is different from regular Barney. I love it and I am no longer ashamed it admit it. If you want to check it out here are a link to the first part of each(once you watch the clip there will be links to watch the whole episode):

Barney Goes to School


Barney A Day at the Beach: