TV Reactions: It was like watching a flu-ridden Michael Jordan!

[grimorie]

Things have settled down a bit now, its still difficult but manageable. Thanks to all the kind words in my last post. I really needed it.

I guess the only good thing that's happened is the extra time helped me catch up with shows I've missed or forgot to check on.

I've noticed a trend about the shows I ended up liking: All the shows have complex, fascinating women with interesting charcter interactions and dynamics and most of the interactions I like have nothing to do with romantic relationships except on rare occasions that I do.


--

The Good Wife


I watched the first two episodes of The Good Wife and liked it but the show fell off my radar when things got busy. It's not hard to miss how everyone is raving about the awesomeness of Kalinda so as soon as I could manage it I resolved to catch up to the show. It helped I still had a big ol' soft spot for Dan Rydell.

Except Will Gardner is no Dan Rydell and I was surprised to find that while I find Kalinda awesome I found myself more drawn to Diane and Alicia (one because I do have a thing for button down characters). Kalinda is button down but she plays things so close to the vest it was hard getting a read of her except for a few rare instances. She's competent and fantastic but still very much a closed book.

Which is why I love how this season we're slowly learning more about Kalinda. I also love the friendship the writers developed between Kalinda and Alicia. I love that they go out for drinks and talk and that Alicia's developed a taste for tequila so much so she's taken to keeping a bottle in her home. I loved Kalinda and Alicia sitting on Alicia's bed, drinking beers and Kalinda finally sharing a piece of her past to Alicia when a year ago Kalinda only answered Alicia's questions with 'I'm private'.

As for Diane I'm so relieved the show didn't make Diane an antagonist, I liked that she turned into a real, powerful character and more than the Will/Alicia thing I love Will and Diane's interactions more. I love their partnership despite all the arguing they do.

Actually, The Good Wife is filled with a lot of complicated, competent and powerful women. I loved Martha Plimpton's character because of how she shamelessly uses first her pregnancy and then her baby to get her way.

This is a show that's not afraid to say: 'Hey, being a mother? Doesn't make a person less cool or less complicated.' Alicia is a mother, Martha Plimpton's wonderful pragmatic character is a mother and none of their power is diminished by becoming one.

On the other side of the coin, I love that Diane's single and without a child and you never get a sense that she regrets it. I love how she embraced her life, I love that she's a partner running her own firm and that she has an equal voice in it. And I love how she kicks ass and does so elegantly.

Another thing I love about this show is the continuity, I like how a comment or a name is casually tossed out only for that same thing to appear a season later. I also like how the characters navigate in the shark infested, morally questionable waters of Chicago politics, although, I'm sure I'm missing a lot of the context but its still fascinating to watch.


Parks and Recreation

Now this show was one I never thought to watch but chaila43's post convinced me to give the show a chance.

I'm so glad I did. At first I thought this was going to be just like The Office. I really don't enjoy cringe comedy, I have an embarrassment squick liek whoa. I haven't actually seen the first season other than the pilot, I skipped it to watch the second season and I've loved it. Underneath the comedy its such an earnest show about the people in and around the department and Leslie Knope.

I love that the show acknowledges Leslie while being a bit absurd is earnest and even very, very good at her job. I love Ron for standing up for Leslie when budget was trying to cut her down. I love how Leslie brought back the team and found a solution to their problems and most of all, I love the show for giving us a flu ridden Michael Jordan moment and the look on Ben's faaaace when Leslie turned on the switch showing why she is the Deputy Director.

I'm loving Rob Lowe in this too. I couldn't stop laughing at the moment he looked himself in the mirror and instructed himself to stop pooping. I think I love his character here more than I love Sam Seaborn!

Fairly Legal

And, here we are with another law show. This time its set in San Francisco starring Sarah Shahi. I have mad, mad love for Life and Dani Reese. I don't think I could ever love a character the way I loved Reese. There was just something about Reese and the Sarah Shahi played her that immediately drew me to her and yet, I wasn't sure if I could like the new show but I gave it a try and I liked what I've seen of it.

Fairly Legal, formerly Facing Kate is about Kate Reed, a mediator. Or as one character in the pilot explains:

Kate Reed is not a lawyer. She is a mediator. A mediator is kind of a referee in a game with no rules except those agreed to by the parties involved.

alethialia's reviews on the show's pilot and second episode is written better than I could ever articulate.

Fairly Legal isn't The Good Wife, its lighter and breezier but there's heart to it and I adore the complicated relationship between Kate and her young stepmother, Lauren. And, after watching Lauren she slots in so well in the character type I love so well. She's just so button down and composed but you can see things simmering below the surface and its just fascinating to watch Lauren juggle running a firm and keeping it afloat while trying to wrangle Kate as well.

I love how, after kicking legal ass and being compared to her husband makes her want to scream into an icy water. Lauren is just endlessly fascinating.

Watching Fairly Legal and how Sarah is carrying the show and playing Kate brought home how much Life's season 2 dropped the ball on Dani. Sarah does a great job as a lead on her own show, it was a waste to shelve Dani's storylines for the Tidwell romance. They could have done so much with Jack Reese and Dani.

I'll stop here before I devolve in a longer Life digression.


The Vampire Diaries

I wish Rose didn't die, she's had a pretty crappy existence so far and dying for Damon is the crappiest ways to go. Also, I don't like how they used DLZ by TV on Radio song at the end with Damon since I identify that song with the amazing Sarah Connor fanvid and having that tainted with Damon is not something I like.



Fringe


I'll get the unpopular opinion out of the way first: I really could care less about Peter's 'Special Destiny'. The more the show pushes it the less interested in the show I become. The past two episodes was far too much Peter and too little Olivia. After nine Olivia-centric episodes its very jarring.

I also found that the way the show is pushing for Peter to mirror Olivia's origin story is not something I like very much.

Peter going around and killing Shapeshifters does not make any kind of sense and it seems I continue to resent Peter's snap decision to leave his biological mother behind without a second's thought in a universe that's about to die. Olivia has more concern for the Redverse than Peter does.

Although, I did like that the show didn't forget Peter was a victim himself. I liked the moment when Peter asked Olivia not to read the notes because he didn't want to be seen as weak and humiliated but since he was a conman he used a genuine emotion to mask his other motivation: revenge.

It's this one trait Peter has that he shares not only with Walternate but most of the people from the Redverse, the capacity for coldness.

But I thought that Peter's response to altOlivia's betrayal felt more like a heartbreak. She betrayed him and broke his heart and now he's lashing out. It's like he's Jack Bristow to altOlivia's Irina Derevko.

What I did like was Nina being there and being awesome.  I liked Broyles tapping Astrid (actually, anything that involves more Astrid is always 'A' plus for me) to decode altOlivia's notes. Then there was Astrid and Olivia working together, which is  always outstanding.

They should work together more, the other side already proved how well Olivia and alt!Astrid worked together.

But as commendable as it was that Broyles tried to spare Olivia's feelings, Olivia was right the first time. Who better to figure out alt!Olivia's notes than Olivia herself? And as soon as Olivia made clear that reading the files will be helpful I liked the reminder that altOlivia and Olivia are basically the same person with a few differences. chichuri posited how altOlivia's memories in Olivia won't be rejected the same way John Scott's memories was flushed out of her mind and the way the chimp brain thing will flush itself out of Walter's mind because of how similar they are with Olivia's own.

(How many people can Olivia take occupying her mind?)

I noticed and was surprised other people noticed how Olivia acted a wee bit like altOlivia. Just a bit, not enough for Olivia not to be ourOlivia but the way she was careful and quiet and watchful but not too much since she's still our Olivia she instantly takes the initiative. This is going to lead into a moment where the Olivias end up working together, right?

But you know what continues to nag at me? The way people continue to call Broyles 'colonel'! We are sure we're in the right, 'verse, right?

ETA: Olivia was wearing a Peacekeeper braid, obviously, a crossover is needed!

Comments

[chaila]

Parks & Rec! Yay! I'm so glad you gave it a try. It's like the anti-Office in a lot of ways. I like that Leslie's earnestness is played for humor but it's not mocked. I don't know how they manage to do it but they do. And that Leslie is actually GOOD at her job is basically the best thing ever.

I love the show for giving us a flu ridden Michael Jordan moment and the look on Ben's faaaace when Leslie turned on the switch showing why she is the Deputy Director.

This was the best! Leslie will cure his cynicism!

ETA: Forgot to say, I wouldn't worry about going back and watching season 1, if you were even thinking of it. I started with season 2 and when I went back I didn't think season 1 was anywhere near as funny or as good-hearted. You're not missing much.

I'll get the unpopular opinion out of the way first: I really could care less about Peter's 'Special Destiny'. The more the show pushes it the less interested in the show I become. The past two episodes was far too much Peter and too little Olivia. After nine Olivia-centric episodes its very jarring.

I also found that the way the show is pushing for Peter to mirror Olivia's origin story is not something I like very much.

All of THISSSSSS. I mean, I liked the first nine episodes as a whole less than everyone in the world, but the fact that they are pushing this Peter thing so hard was basically my breaking point as I just have so little interest in what happens next. And it makes me feel like they weren't comfortable somehow with Olivia as the main catalyst? I really liked the reversal of superhero Olivia with the angsty backstory and was really impressed with the show for it.

[grimorie]

I like that Leslie's earnestness is played for humor but it's not mocked. I don't know how they manage to do it but they do. And that Leslie is actually GOOD at her job is basically the best thing ever.

Yes. This! I loved that! I loved that her earnestness isn't mocked and that she is actually good at her job. It's a change from Liz Lemon who is constantly being mocked and then here's Leslie who is eager and kind of awkward but is completely fantastic at her job because she loves it and believes in it and is really hands down really, really good at her job!

Oh, good! I thought I might miss some kind of context by skipping the season I'm glad I won't be missing anything.

Whenever the show does Peter-centric episodes I get incredibly bored. It hasn't changed in three seasons and any move to make Peter badass just falls flat for me. Right now I'm in a 'wait and see' mode since I've read some spoilers to indicate that these episodes are set up episodes and everything will fall into place after. I just hope it brings back the Olivia-centric eps too. Special Destiny Peter is not that interesting at all.

[alethia]

Actually, The Good Wife is filled with a lot of complicated, competent and powerful women.

Best character show on broadcast! Much of what I love about it is its subtlety...it lets characters reveal themselves over several episodes, through the small things that accumulate, rather than big speeches or dramatic/unbelievable moments. It also lets women be flawed, be weak, be uncertain, be angry...without ever trivializing their emotions or treating them as anything other than equal to their male counterparts.

It's tragically rare for that to be the case. SUCH a pleasure to watch. And even further, the show also perfectly nails the male characters. It doesn't lessen the men to make the women strong; the men are just as strong (and just as flawed) as the women, giving us a richer dynamic for it. The...darkness to Will's character (which Josh Charles plays with such a wonderfully light touch) is as compelling as any of the women's characteristics. Just as the women are complex, so are the men. Just fantastic, all of it.

And I am so happy to see that you're liking Fairly Legal! It had my favorite cable pilot of this season and I worried that they'd mess it up, only exacerbated by both the critical response and some of what was coming out of USA folks. But they were so, so wrong. It's one of the few cases where the second episode holds us, surprising since second episodes are traditionally rather terrible. I am hoping that the show continues in this vein.

Plus, Lauren rules everything ever! Couldn't agree more. She is fascinating.

[grimorie]

It is such a subtle show and so... grown-up! And, its such a breath of fresh air from all the dramatic things on TV. I also appreciate that they allow women to be different and not just one note characters. I was very, very surprised about that actually. I expected the show to just be generic drama and then it kept surprising me with how well written the women were!

I like Will in a different way that I like Dan Rydell but I don't know if I ship him with Alicia. But I love his interactions with Diane, I really love the way they interact with each other I seem to favor platonic relationships these days.

It was your post on Fairly Legal that really persuaded me to give the show a try and I'm so glad I did. It's strange reading the reviews on the show because I have a different take on the show. It seems the things I liked are the very things the critics are lukewarm about.

[monanotlisa]

I'll get the unpopular opinion out of the way first: I really could care less about Peter's 'Special Destiny'. The more the show pushes it the less interested in the show I become. The past two episodes was far too much Peter and too little Olivia. After nine Olivia-centric episodes its very jarring.

I also found that the way the show is pushing for Peter to mirror Olivia's origin story is not something I like very much.

God, I'm so so glad about this; I feel considerably less alone now (although Jintian also isn't much into the Peter storyline, if for different reasons).

I continue to resent Peter's snap decision to leave his biological mother behind without a second's thought in a universe that's about to die. Olivia has more concern for the Redverse than Peter does.

This is true, but Olivia caring for it is also a plot point (that altBroyles's decision hinged upon, after all). I admit that I breezed just by Peter's attitude because to me the Redverse (why named like that, btw?) may have been his place of birth but sure isn't his home, nor the kind of world anyone would want to live in: blighted and besieged. Would it be nice -- would Peter be a nicer person -- if he actually cared? Yes. Does he have a duty to heal it, or stay in it? No, not at all.

As for the mother, I'll admit that one was a bit weird. Especially given the fact Peter was his mother's child, in all senses of the word. But perhaps they will get to that again? Ends comma loose comma dangling, if you ask me. We'll see the Redverse again, and its inhabitants.

I did like that the show didn't forget Peter was a victim himself. I liked the moment when Peter asked Olivia not to read the notes because he didn't want to be seen as weak and humiliated but since he was a conman he used a genuine emotion to mask his other motivation: revenge.

One of the best moments of the episode, pretty much. Peter-centric as it was, it was also resounding and pretty true to all the glimpses of him we've seen before: darker ones, mostly just coy hints or props to demonstrate a toughness we don't necessarily feel.

My favourite was definitely Olivia reading the reports, drawing all the right conclusions -- not just content-wise but emotionally. In a lot of ways, she did exactly what I had thought was the only much earlier, back when Peter told her: that pushing altOlivia away so violently was a psychologically understandable reaction but no coping mechanism in the long run. She really isn't The Other Woman in so many ways; she's not even that much of an Evil Twin. I think Olivia has found a better angle by considering her a part of herself, and one who's, more than anything else, a soldier. Everything else slots neatly into place then: she's still a human being, and was still developing feelings for Peter.

What I did like was Nina being there and being awesome. I liked Broyles tapping Astrid (actually, anything that involves more Astrid is always 'A' plus for me) to decode altOlivia's notes. Then there was Astrid and Olivia working together, which is always outstanding.

They should work together more, the other side already proved how well Olivia and alt!Astrid worked together.

So much in agreement. But it won't surprise you that I feel baffled and a little angry about the Astrid characterisation more often than not, especially as there is no. Reason. Whatsoever: you could use her, and Jasika Nicole is a nuanced actress that can convey everything every writer ever wanted her to. Ahem. /soapbox

[grimorie]

I call it the Redverse because of the credits associated with that 'verse:)

Hmm… you know, I never actually thought that Olivia caring for the alt or redverse as a plot point because it felt organic and so Olivia to care for another world, especially after walking in her alternate's shoes.

I guess its Peter leaving his mom that just… gets to me, especially after meeting her and knowing how close he was to his other mom. And, I guess… I fell in love with the alt/redverse too.


She really isn't The Other Woman in so many ways; she's not even that much of an Evil Twin. I think Olivia has found a better angle by considering her a part of herself, and one who's, more than anything else, a soldier. Everything else slots neatly into place then: she's still a human being, and was still developing feelings for Peter.

I was thinking… that since Peter is from the alt/redverse it was actually altOlivia he was meant to end up with and not our Olivia, another thing that Walter changed but the Observers made sure to correct. I have to wonder if their union is something important they had to move universes to get them together.

But my wish is that Olivia and altOlivia start working together. I mean, they will do more good working together!

I also agree with Astrid… but I hope they're correcting it this season! There is so much potential with Astrid!

[monanotlisa]

since Peter is from the alt/redverse it was actually altOlivia he was meant to end up with and not our Olivia, another thing that Walter changed but the Observers made sure to correct. I have to wonder if their union is something important they had to move universes to get them together.

That makes a lot of sense; there's definitely something there, and not just what Peter admits to freely -- that the other Olivia was lighter in many ways. Because she's also darker, more ruthless, and while Peter may care more, this isn't as universal (hah) as we've just discussed with regard to our Olivia. They're both conpeople, is what I've thought.

That said, the way the whole Peter story is written, I think in order to heal the rifts between the 'verses -- not taking into account some supergadget (which may even be a blessed version of our Machine) -- there are only two ways: Peter dies, because he was really never meant to be alive in any universe at all in the first place, or he does have to return, permanently, to his own universe, the famed Redverse. Where of course the other Olivia resides. ;)

Either way, my bet is that it is not Walter's fault that the universes are collapsing.