The Year that was
Jan. 10th, 2010 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grimorie2009 has come and gone and its time to review my fannish year:
Live action TV
Burn Notice
Somehow, I missed adding Burn Notice to the 2008 fannish review, which was a tremendous oversight given how much I continue to love the series and find myself astonished at the way BN consistently gets better each season. Sure there were a few uneven episodes but over all, I love that the writers keep learning and that they make an effort to make this an ensemble show not just the Michael Westen show.
Honestly, coming from the pilot to this season, I would never, ever predict that Mama Westen could be such an awesome interrogator. Effectively scaring a man to get the information to save Michael? I never saw that coming!
BN's Miami might not be real but I'd sure like to visit (out of the TV Miami's out there, BN's Miami is the most fun!) and I love that they re-use characters to make the world feel 'real', expanding it so that side characters you never thought would make an appearance again keeps showing up like, Barry.
Fi's development, too has been astonishing to watch, I was lukewarm about her at first but when the writers finally figured out how to make Fi tick she's become one of my fave characters. Now, all I'm waiting for is Sam's backstory. How'd he go from Black Ops Navy Seal to 'washed-up' ex-black op guy? There must be a whopper of a story behind that because once Sam removed the cobwebs from his game, 'Charles Finley' is not a man you want angered.
There are several reasons why I love Burn Notice: The characters, the setting.
The suits:
But the very best reason?
"There's an element of theater in any offensive campaign. It's not just about bullets and bodies, killing people usually creates more problems than it solves. It's about undermining your enemy's will to fight. Destroying the moral of his troops. Sending the message that fighting back is useless because the battle is already lost."
Competence is hot.
How I Met Your Mother
Yes. They broke-up Barney and Robin and yet, despite a few nigglings on my part, I continue to enjoy the show. Maybe because for me, HIMYM isn't just about the Barney/Robin. I adore the show beyond them (although, I do hope that those crazy kids will get back together and this time the writers finally get the hang of Barney and Robin as a couple). I adore time traveling Marshall, Lily and, yes, even Ted. Particularly as earnest!Ted is making an appearance again and, while it is getting a wee bit Ross Gellar territory, Ted is made to be a professor. Look how much he enjoysboring regaling people with his 'super brain'.
The Big Bang Theory
If I ignore the Leonard/Penny scenes, which are really, really boring and its not just my inner Sheldon/Penny talking (and please, please BBT fandom stop referring to them as Shenny. It makes Santa Claus cry blood red tears!) but they really are boring and have as much chemistry as well, as a desk chair has with a door.
Uh, I digress.
If I ignore the Leonard/Penny scenes I really enjoy this show. Particularly with Raj getting more to do and the episode where the group (save Sheldon) went out camping and accidentally got high and Raj revealed the scary (but so amusing) 'benevolent' dictator within. I adore Raj, I hope he gets over his hang ups with women soon.
Also. Penny reciting Sheldon's reasoning about his Spot made me squee a little and do a happy dance, not only for the S/P side of things but because I really want Penny to be more! Sure she's not as genius smart as the guys but she is smart and she can hold her own against Sheldon not a lot of people can do that, that's a talent! I'm sure if she puts her mind into something she can do a hell of a lot more than waitressing!
NCIS
Everyone's squee-ing about NCIS: Los Angeles and I'll have to try it out but NCIS has a special place in my heart and that's mostly because of Ziva David. I absolutely love her character and the opening Ziva arc sent me squee-ing.
Sometimes I find Tony a bit much, McGee a bit overbearing, Abby a wee too perky and Gibbs a little too... Gibbs (although he has mellowed over the years and I love how they did that) but it's Ziva who I really find interesting. She's been straddling two worlds for too long and if last year was Ziva realizing she can no longer serve two masters, this year it's realizing that her home was no longer the Mossad (her father) but to NCIS (her team and Gibbs).
But most of all, I love how they keep coming back to the moment that made her character: Ziva killing Ari, her brother, for Gibbs. It is a powerful thing, what Ziva did, what she decided to do and then the moment when Gibbs lost his memory and Ziva came to him and finally broke down because Gibbs forgot that sacrifice, that thing she did to save his life.
Then to have the writers re-visit that, to have them have Gibbs doubt that moment which forged a bond between Ziva and Gibbs? That was brilliant.
The other thing I love is the relationship between Gibbs and Ziva, because much as I love Gibbs the writers tend to try giving every female colleague he works/worked with some sort of romantic history is very tiring. Kate started out that way, there's even an element of that with Abby (took me a long time to see it but I think I finally do) but not with Gibbs and Ziva.
Gibbs and Ziva's relationship has always been about trust and silence, they are alike and not. Gibbs was/is the father she never realized she could have.
Another thing I love is the writers never, ever forget Ziva was an assassin and that she could kill a man in 20 different ways with a spoon.
Although, I do have some qualms with how they seem to be writing everyone but Gibbs as technologically dependent. I know Ziva can use a computer but she isn't as dependent on technology as Tony and McGee. She was Mossad assassin, she could do a Michael Westen style way of solving things!
Other than that, love this season!
Smallville
I haven't been blogging about Smallville but I will say this, I love how the way they're handling Lois and Clark's budding romance and finally meeting a Jor-El worthy of his name. Also, Tess Mercer continues to be fantastic and awesome as the Big Bad.
Yes, I know Zod's there but really, Tess Mercer is so much more cooler than he is and IMHO, Tess does a better Big Bad than Lex. I thought Lex had become far too woobie to be an effective Big Bad, I love that Tess doesn't go around blaming other people for her actions. She owns her actions and doesn't allow herself to become a victim. Unlike Lex who seemed to like making himself a victim so when he does something unforgivable he can point a finger and start blaming people.
Life
It ran through 2009 and I'd like to think that the second half is the third season of Life (look, there are different ways people cope, this is how I cope!) and I've said everything I needed to say about this show.
I think I'll let these stills say what I want to say about Life:
--
...and that's it for live action TV. That's not a lot. What is a lot is my list of the Manga/Anime I've consumed. This time this will be in list form!
Top Manga 2009
Fullmetal Alchemist
Claymore
Mahou Sensei Negima
Slayers: The Knight of the Aqua Lord
Skip Beat
Soul Eater
Yankee-Kun to Megane-chan
xxxHolic
Basara
Top Anime 2009
Black Lagoon (English dub)
Honey & Clover
Natsume Yuujinchou
Spice & Wolf
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Lucky Star
Canaan
Top Wester Animation 2009
Avatar: The Last Airbender
--
So. NBC. Moving Leno back an hour.
I have so many things to say but it all it seems to boil down to is: Other networks are laughing at you so hard. I bet they even had a betting pool going just when you'll cave.
Live action TV
Burn Notice
Somehow, I missed adding Burn Notice to the 2008 fannish review, which was a tremendous oversight given how much I continue to love the series and find myself astonished at the way BN consistently gets better each season. Sure there were a few uneven episodes but over all, I love that the writers keep learning and that they make an effort to make this an ensemble show not just the Michael Westen show.
Honestly, coming from the pilot to this season, I would never, ever predict that Mama Westen could be such an awesome interrogator. Effectively scaring a man to get the information to save Michael? I never saw that coming!
BN's Miami might not be real but I'd sure like to visit (out of the TV Miami's out there, BN's Miami is the most fun!) and I love that they re-use characters to make the world feel 'real', expanding it so that side characters you never thought would make an appearance again keeps showing up like, Barry.
Fi's development, too has been astonishing to watch, I was lukewarm about her at first but when the writers finally figured out how to make Fi tick she's become one of my fave characters. Now, all I'm waiting for is Sam's backstory. How'd he go from Black Ops Navy Seal to 'washed-up' ex-black op guy? There must be a whopper of a story behind that because once Sam removed the cobwebs from his game, 'Charles Finley' is not a man you want angered.
There are several reasons why I love Burn Notice: The characters, the setting.
The suits:
But the very best reason?
Competence is hot.
How I Met Your Mother
Yes. They broke-up Barney and Robin and yet, despite a few nigglings on my part, I continue to enjoy the show. Maybe because for me, HIMYM isn't just about the Barney/Robin. I adore the show beyond them (although, I do hope that those crazy kids will get back together and this time the writers finally get the hang of Barney and Robin as a couple). I adore time traveling Marshall, Lily and, yes, even Ted. Particularly as earnest!Ted is making an appearance again and, while it is getting a wee bit Ross Gellar territory, Ted is made to be a professor. Look how much he enjoys
The Big Bang Theory
If I ignore the Leonard/Penny scenes, which are really, really boring and its not just my inner Sheldon/Penny talking (and please, please BBT fandom stop referring to them as Shenny. It makes Santa Claus cry blood red tears!) but they really are boring and have as much chemistry as well, as a desk chair has with a door.
Uh, I digress.
If I ignore the Leonard/Penny scenes I really enjoy this show. Particularly with Raj getting more to do and the episode where the group (save Sheldon) went out camping and accidentally got high and Raj revealed the scary (but so amusing) 'benevolent' dictator within. I adore Raj, I hope he gets over his hang ups with women soon.
Also. Penny reciting Sheldon's reasoning about his Spot made me squee a little and do a happy dance, not only for the S/P side of things but because I really want Penny to be more! Sure she's not as genius smart as the guys but she is smart and she can hold her own against Sheldon not a lot of people can do that, that's a talent! I'm sure if she puts her mind into something she can do a hell of a lot more than waitressing!
NCIS
Everyone's squee-ing about NCIS: Los Angeles and I'll have to try it out but NCIS has a special place in my heart and that's mostly because of Ziva David. I absolutely love her character and the opening Ziva arc sent me squee-ing.
Sometimes I find Tony a bit much, McGee a bit overbearing, Abby a wee too perky and Gibbs a little too... Gibbs (although he has mellowed over the years and I love how they did that) but it's Ziva who I really find interesting. She's been straddling two worlds for too long and if last year was Ziva realizing she can no longer serve two masters, this year it's realizing that her home was no longer the Mossad (her father) but to NCIS (her team and Gibbs).
But most of all, I love how they keep coming back to the moment that made her character: Ziva killing Ari, her brother, for Gibbs. It is a powerful thing, what Ziva did, what she decided to do and then the moment when Gibbs lost his memory and Ziva came to him and finally broke down because Gibbs forgot that sacrifice, that thing she did to save his life.
Then to have the writers re-visit that, to have them have Gibbs doubt that moment which forged a bond between Ziva and Gibbs? That was brilliant.
The other thing I love is the relationship between Gibbs and Ziva, because much as I love Gibbs the writers tend to try giving every female colleague he works/worked with some sort of romantic history is very tiring. Kate started out that way, there's even an element of that with Abby (took me a long time to see it but I think I finally do) but not with Gibbs and Ziva.
Gibbs and Ziva's relationship has always been about trust and silence, they are alike and not. Gibbs was/is the father she never realized she could have.
Another thing I love is the writers never, ever forget Ziva was an assassin and that she could kill a man in 20 different ways with a spoon.
Although, I do have some qualms with how they seem to be writing everyone but Gibbs as technologically dependent. I know Ziva can use a computer but she isn't as dependent on technology as Tony and McGee. She was Mossad assassin, she could do a Michael Westen style way of solving things!
Other than that, love this season!
Smallville
I haven't been blogging about Smallville but I will say this, I love how the way they're handling Lois and Clark's budding romance and finally meeting a Jor-El worthy of his name. Also, Tess Mercer continues to be fantastic and awesome as the Big Bad.
Yes, I know Zod's there but really, Tess Mercer is so much more cooler than he is and IMHO, Tess does a better Big Bad than Lex. I thought Lex had become far too woobie to be an effective Big Bad, I love that Tess doesn't go around blaming other people for her actions. She owns her actions and doesn't allow herself to become a victim. Unlike Lex who seemed to like making himself a victim so when he does something unforgivable he can point a finger and start blaming people.
Life
It ran through 2009 and I'd like to think that the second half is the third season of Life (look, there are different ways people cope, this is how I cope!) and I've said everything I needed to say about this show.
I think I'll let these stills say what I want to say about Life:
--
...and that's it for live action TV. That's not a lot. What is a lot is my list of the Manga/Anime I've consumed. This time this will be in list form!
Top Manga 2009
Fullmetal Alchemist
Claymore
Mahou Sensei Negima
Slayers: The Knight of the Aqua Lord
Skip Beat
Soul Eater
Yankee-Kun to Megane-chan
xxxHolic
Basara
Top Anime 2009
Black Lagoon (English dub)
Honey & Clover
Natsume Yuujinchou
Spice & Wolf
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Lucky Star
Canaan
Top Wester Animation 2009
Avatar: The Last Airbender
--
So. NBC. Moving Leno back an hour.
I have so many things to say but it all it seems to boil down to is: Other networks are laughing at you so hard. I bet they even had a betting pool going just when you'll cave.
