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mrwubblesPerhaps the subject above was ill-named, there are a few this season that certainly 'fell'.
There were few pilots I actually looked forward to this season. And oh my Cas, there were some returning ones I was dying to watch and others were "meh". So this season, instead of one ginormous list, I've decided to compartmentalized my manic tv watching into two digestible lists.
Highlight for spoilers if you really want.
TV SHOWS OMC (because if you saw the season premiere of SPN, you'll get why the acronym, lol) I HAVE TO WATCH NOW, RIGHT NOW, WAIT, RIGHT THIS MINUTE:
1. NCIS
SPOILERS: Because good grief! The premiere decided to go anti-formulaic and into a fantastically timed flashback mystery. Granted the mystery wasn't much a mystery, but Scott Wolf played a deceptively easy going spy/assassin/EVIIIIL/villan in a rumpled suit and Tony (sigh) is the Tony we missed since season 3.
And what made it better was that in 'Restless', we're rewarded with the realization that competent!Tony was not a one episode deal. And the NCIS team was a team again! Romper room looks to be ovah! Fellow fans, I could just squee. Someone catch me! LOL.
2. SUPERNATURAL
SPOILERS: Admittedly, I have not been following SPN as avidly as I once did and season 5-6 are still not filling my DVD shelves and Cas is still not my favorite (yes, I know, blasphemy).
But the premiere was promising and finished strong for me. Sam was not magically healed or 'Touched by an Angel' and slightly broken. Dean, while still angsted out, the over-burdened, familial-starved, emo repressed, is not wallowing as much as he did last season and (Thank Cas) is a slightly more functional fraternal unit . Of course, Bobby Singer is still the awesome plaid as ever and Dean is determined to save the Impala. And Crowley's aptly "Bollocks" was gold!
It looked like they're rehashing the 'Power corrupts, ooh, look, good turns evil but he's sooooooorry' schtick again, but it was short-lived when evil Cas was only evil because he was fueled by leviathans (Wow, Final Fantasy flashback, anyone?).
But who cares? The Winchester brothers are back!
I hope.
3. WHITE COLLAR
SPOILERS: Yes, they're on hiatus and technically, I won't be glued to my seat every Tuesday night 10PM EST (sniffle), but the rattled dynamic and cat and mouse between Neal and Peter gave us a fun glimpse to what it must have been like for Peter years ago and show us just how big of a gain this unconventional partnership had given them in season 1 and 2.
Mind you, I think I would have preferred this Midas mythos happening season 1 rather than leaving us with the sense of 'two steps forward, two steps back', but the hiatus cliffhanger with Elizabeth's kidnapping and Neal's final decision gives me a hope that Neal and Peter would return as the dynamic duo, stronger than ever! And it's this hope that has me watching, in real time, in rapt attention, holding my breath.
Eastin, don't you dare let me down! LOL.
4. DOWNTON ABBEY
SPOILERS: This probably shouldn't be on this list as PBS Masterpiece isn't offering series 2 until JANUARY 2012 (sob), but this British import about the Crawley family has got me hooked. The first series started at the sinking of the Titanic and its ramifications on its heirs apparent. The locations, the camera work, the writing has been fantastic, brilliant and reminiscent of a time when TV writers gave a [bleep] about what they're writing for their characters. Maggie Smith is a singular character, with a strong enough wit and will to capture my attention and hold it there for the whole time.
If you haven't watched it yet, do, but watched the UK version. I saw it on PBS, but they've cut minutes per episode. But while I may try to find a way to watch the UK version of series 2, I'll still be watching PBS' version as it happens.
QUOTES TO LOVE:
Sybil: “Dragon! If you don’t move right now, I’ll have you boiled for glue!”
Cora: “No one ever tells you about raising daughters. You think it’ll be like Little Women, and instead they’re at each others’ throats.”
Bates: “Even Mr. Carson wasn’t born standing at attention.”
Thomas: “I hope not, for his mother’s sake.”
5. DOCTOR WHO
SPOILERS: Are you daff? You think I would let TiVo enjoy Who without me after the BIG, OMC REVELATION ABOUT RIVER SONG?!?! LOL.
6. SHERLOCK BBC
SPOILERS: Because even if I might (most definitely) manage to find a way to watch the UK version, I want the numbers to reflect for PBS that yes, we AMERICANS DO LIKE TO WATCH SHERLOCK.
You know, in case there were any doubts, LOL.
Plus (hm, need spoilers to justify spoiler space), the article on the London's Daily Mail with SHERLOCK ON A GURNEY must be required telly!
7. THE CLOSER
SPOILERS: Well, I would watch if Brenda's lawyer (Mark Pelligrino) returns. Love him! LOL.
------------------------------------
TV SHOWS I DON'T HAVE TO WATCH RIGHT NOW, BUT WILL HURT SOMEONE IF TIVO FORGETS TO RECORD IT:
1. Hawaii Five-O:
SPOILERS: Throwing Garret in jail made me screech but not necessarily obsessing over how he'll get out. I'm still watching though because I'm hoping, like most shows, they've worked through their awkward first seasons and really gel this season.
2. Sons of Anarchy:
SPOILERS: Jax has gone over to Clay. Who the hell Clay put a hit out on? Try as I might, I could care less but I'll still watch them, a bunch of episodes at a time, while folding my laundry.
3. Pan-Am
SPOILERS: As much as I want to like this highly stylized post-War series about the glamor and rise of feminine confidence working in the airline industry, it's quick to reveal plots and weak arcs wasn't enough of an attention grabber. Dean is a little too cardboard as the fleet's newest young captain and the stewardesses' personal problems were out of a page of a 1950s' Cosmo. However, the details of the era are amazing and the sense of nostalgia from costuming, music, dialogue and buying chewing gum for 15 cents was a visual treat. Whether that's enough to hold me or the cast will mature to a point that they could keep me as a viewer? We'll see, after 6 episodes.
4. Terra Nova
SPOILERS: The concept, the promos, the hype promised way more than what I was watching. I was expecting Sam Neall junp out of the bushes, but no dice. The kids are a tad (very) Gossip Girl/One Tree Hill angsty, just in a prehistoric jungle. Their leader makes me long for a dinosaur to gobble him up. Mom and Dad Shannon were a little too cartoony Mom and Dad for me to sympathize.
I think the scenery of Australia and the computer magic overshadowed the human cast; a fate sadly shared with Avatar. But it's only the pilot. I'm willing to Tivo and watch a few more.
5. Castle
SPOILERS: I'm a little tired of the Mama Beckett arc. Kate and Castle are still a fun pair to watch though, Ryan and Espitito FTW so I'll stick around.
6. Fringe
SPOILERS: The cliffhanger had me screeching WTF when Peter CEASED TO EXIST. And I eagerly watched its premiere for Peter's return. I waited 3 months for Peter Bishop to come back to a mirror?!
I'm just going to record and wait for Peter's real return before I watch.
7. Person of Interest
SPOILERS: The mysteries are good and the pacing is fast, but that's as expected from a Nolan production. But Reese and Finch just don't connect yet and until they do, it's not a complete must-see TV for me.
------------------------------------
TV SHOWS I'M WATCHING, MAYBE, IF I REMEMBER:
1. Unforgettable
The pilot was forgettable, Montgomery irked me as usual and the chemistry wasn't there. As soon as the show ended, I promptly forgot about it. LOL.
2. Mentalist
SPOILERS: Red John's dead. No, wait, he's not. Wait, he is--Oh for crying out loud!
3. Glee
Because Rachel Berry has become Glee's Marsha Brady for me. (rolling eyes)
There were few pilots I actually looked forward to this season. And oh my Cas, there were some returning ones I was dying to watch and others were "meh". So this season, instead of one ginormous list, I've decided to compartmentalized my manic tv watching into two digestible lists.
Highlight for spoilers if you really want.
TV SHOWS OMC (because if you saw the season premiere of SPN, you'll get why the acronym, lol) I HAVE TO WATCH NOW, RIGHT NOW, WAIT, RIGHT THIS MINUTE:
1. NCIS
SPOILERS: Because good grief! The premiere decided to go anti-formulaic and into a fantastically timed flashback mystery. Granted the mystery wasn't much a mystery, but Scott Wolf played a deceptively easy going spy/assassin/EVIIIIL/villan in a rumpled suit and Tony (sigh) is the Tony we missed since season 3.
And what made it better was that in 'Restless', we're rewarded with the realization that competent!Tony was not a one episode deal. And the NCIS team was a team again! Romper room looks to be ovah! Fellow fans, I could just squee. Someone catch me! LOL.
2. SUPERNATURAL
SPOILERS: Admittedly, I have not been following SPN as avidly as I once did and season 5-6 are still not filling my DVD shelves and Cas is still not my favorite (yes, I know, blasphemy).
But the premiere was promising and finished strong for me. Sam was not magically healed or 'Touched by an Angel' and slightly broken. Dean, while still angsted out, the over-burdened, familial-starved, emo repressed, is not wallowing as much as he did last season and (Thank Cas) is a slightly more functional fraternal unit . Of course, Bobby Singer is still the awesome plaid as ever and Dean is determined to save the Impala. And Crowley's aptly "Bollocks" was gold!
It looked like they're rehashing the 'Power corrupts, ooh, look, good turns evil but he's sooooooorry' schtick again, but it was short-lived when evil Cas was only evil because he was fueled by leviathans (Wow, Final Fantasy flashback, anyone?).
But who cares? The Winchester brothers are back!
I hope.
3. WHITE COLLAR
SPOILERS: Yes, they're on hiatus and technically, I won't be glued to my seat every Tuesday night 10PM EST (sniffle), but the rattled dynamic and cat and mouse between Neal and Peter gave us a fun glimpse to what it must have been like for Peter years ago and show us just how big of a gain this unconventional partnership had given them in season 1 and 2.
Mind you, I think I would have preferred this Midas mythos happening season 1 rather than leaving us with the sense of 'two steps forward, two steps back', but the hiatus cliffhanger with Elizabeth's kidnapping and Neal's final decision gives me a hope that Neal and Peter would return as the dynamic duo, stronger than ever! And it's this hope that has me watching, in real time, in rapt attention, holding my breath.
Eastin, don't you dare let me down! LOL.
4. DOWNTON ABBEY
SPOILERS: This probably shouldn't be on this list as PBS Masterpiece isn't offering series 2 until JANUARY 2012 (sob), but this British import about the Crawley family has got me hooked. The first series started at the sinking of the Titanic and its ramifications on its heirs apparent. The locations, the camera work, the writing has been fantastic, brilliant and reminiscent of a time when TV writers gave a [bleep] about what they're writing for their characters. Maggie Smith is a singular character, with a strong enough wit and will to capture my attention and hold it there for the whole time.
If you haven't watched it yet, do, but watched the UK version. I saw it on PBS, but they've cut minutes per episode. But while I may try to find a way to watch the UK version of series 2, I'll still be watching PBS' version as it happens.
QUOTES TO LOVE:
Sybil: “Dragon! If you don’t move right now, I’ll have you boiled for glue!”
Cora: “No one ever tells you about raising daughters. You think it’ll be like Little Women, and instead they’re at each others’ throats.”
Bates: “Even Mr. Carson wasn’t born standing at attention.”
Thomas: “I hope not, for his mother’s sake.”
5. DOCTOR WHO
SPOILERS: Are you daff? You think I would let TiVo enjoy Who without me after the BIG, OMC REVELATION ABOUT RIVER SONG?!?! LOL.
6. SHERLOCK BBC
SPOILERS: Because even if I might (most definitely) manage to find a way to watch the UK version, I want the numbers to reflect for PBS that yes, we AMERICANS DO LIKE TO WATCH SHERLOCK.
You know, in case there were any doubts, LOL.
Plus (hm, need spoilers to justify spoiler space), the article on the London's Daily Mail with SHERLOCK ON A GURNEY must be required telly!
7. THE CLOSER
SPOILERS: Well, I would watch if Brenda's lawyer (Mark Pelligrino) returns. Love him! LOL.
------------------------------------
TV SHOWS I DON'T HAVE TO WATCH RIGHT NOW, BUT WILL HURT SOMEONE IF TIVO FORGETS TO RECORD IT:
1. Hawaii Five-O:
SPOILERS: Throwing Garret in jail made me screech but not necessarily obsessing over how he'll get out. I'm still watching though because I'm hoping, like most shows, they've worked through their awkward first seasons and really gel this season.
2. Sons of Anarchy:
SPOILERS: Jax has gone over to Clay. Who the hell Clay put a hit out on? Try as I might, I could care less but I'll still watch them, a bunch of episodes at a time, while folding my laundry.
3. Pan-Am
SPOILERS: As much as I want to like this highly stylized post-War series about the glamor and rise of feminine confidence working in the airline industry, it's quick to reveal plots and weak arcs wasn't enough of an attention grabber. Dean is a little too cardboard as the fleet's newest young captain and the stewardesses' personal problems were out of a page of a 1950s' Cosmo. However, the details of the era are amazing and the sense of nostalgia from costuming, music, dialogue and buying chewing gum for 15 cents was a visual treat. Whether that's enough to hold me or the cast will mature to a point that they could keep me as a viewer? We'll see, after 6 episodes.
4. Terra Nova
SPOILERS: The concept, the promos, the hype promised way more than what I was watching. I was expecting Sam Neall junp out of the bushes, but no dice. The kids are a tad (very) Gossip Girl/One Tree Hill angsty, just in a prehistoric jungle. Their leader makes me long for a dinosaur to gobble him up. Mom and Dad Shannon were a little too cartoony Mom and Dad for me to sympathize.
I think the scenery of Australia and the computer magic overshadowed the human cast; a fate sadly shared with Avatar. But it's only the pilot. I'm willing to Tivo and watch a few more.
5. Castle
SPOILERS: I'm a little tired of the Mama Beckett arc. Kate and Castle are still a fun pair to watch though, Ryan and Espitito FTW so I'll stick around.
6. Fringe
SPOILERS: The cliffhanger had me screeching WTF when Peter CEASED TO EXIST. And I eagerly watched its premiere for Peter's return. I waited 3 months for Peter Bishop to come back to a mirror?!
I'm just going to record and wait for Peter's real return before I watch.
7. Person of Interest
SPOILERS: The mysteries are good and the pacing is fast, but that's as expected from a Nolan production. But Reese and Finch just don't connect yet and until they do, it's not a complete must-see TV for me.
------------------------------------
TV SHOWS I'M WATCHING, MAYBE, IF I REMEMBER:
1. Unforgettable
The pilot was forgettable, Montgomery irked me as usual and the chemistry wasn't there. As soon as the show ended, I promptly forgot about it. LOL.
2. Mentalist
SPOILERS: Red John's dead. No, wait, he's not. Wait, he is--Oh for crying out loud!
3. Glee
Because Rachel Berry has become Glee's Marsha Brady for me. (rolling eyes)
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no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 07:23 am (UTC)Still catching up on the shows this weekend so haven't unveiled all yet. But fun to see your notes.
Person of Interest just didn't grab me. For me, I think it needed more chemistry between the two main guys perhaps. Also, I think they needed to hold onto more mystery maybe for what happened to the main Lost guy for him to use the computer data instead of revealing it all in the pilot in a five minute monologue, drawing it out more would have made him more...I dunno...compellingly sad/mysterious.
Had no idea you watched Sons of Anarchy. It's a show that I feel like I should draw the curtains on and keep my remote handy when I watch it and yet, sort of weirdly addicted to. I keep rooting for Jax and his Doctor to end up okay (the last episode will no doubt be when that finally happens--no doubt them finally getting out of the big bad of it all with a rain of hellfire coming down on Charming and the town burning down behind them and a bigger body count than the Walking Dead --because you just know this isn't gonna end anything but bloody).
I agree about White Collar, this seems more like an end of S1 plotline to me. However, it does front load the Peter!Bamf potential for the start of next season with him and Neal working together for a very common goal.
Sherlock BBC, needless to say. I'm addicted. However, in a weird way. I'm enjoying the delay on this. (Don't hit me ;D). I love how fandom is writing all over the place on it to fill the gap time while they wait. I'm sort of enjoying it so much that I weirdly almost like the fact that we had the delay to give us more time for free-for-all-fic-ing.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 04:34 pm (UTC)Person of Interest just didn't grab me... I think they needed to hold onto more mystery
The initial concept of an internally tortured Bruce Wayne and his adviser/confidant/stalwart Alfred drew me. And Reese and Finch were prime candidates to fill those shoes. But the two men are so emotionally closed off, they're not reaching out to connect. It doesn't look promising in that hurt/comforting aspect. Sure, we have the angst, but there's gotta be some healing too, not necessarily hugging otherwise they're just two lonely islands in a storm. And I don't see myself sticking around to that even if the mystery improves.
Had no idea you watched Sons of Anarchy. It's a show that I feel like I should draw the curtains on and keep my remote handy when I watch it and yet, sort of weirdly addicted to.
Hm, I don't think I'm addicted to SOA as much as I was with Rescue Me or my secret shame Nip/Tuck. It's not something I would expect myself to be drawn to, but FX had a crazy marathon few months back in the summer and the episode 'Balm' where Gemma revealed what happened to her blew me away. And I loved what she said to Tara about going noman is the same as having no family, no roots. I've been trying to Netflix older episodes now.
SoA has the kind of dark and edgy draw like an evil lava lamp or an approaching train wreck. You can not look away and for me, trying to figure out why brings me back for more. And Jax is compelling although the rivalry with Clay was beginning to wear on me.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 06:23 am (UTC)The premier felt like we were back. Competent!Tony. Thank you! Happy family that cares! Thank you to the double power! You'd think it was a time warp and we went back to Season 1 and 2 again. Why aren't you up at 2 AM? I need to call you and squee with delight. Darn you different time zones (ahakes fist)!
Also caught up with Castle. Agree with your note from above on the arc. It's getting a bit played out feeling. But it's the thing they're using to keep them apart so I get why they keep bringing it up. (Although is it just me, but I feel like the sniper should go after Castle now. I mean Beckett has been blown up and shot and nearly executed several times. The bad guys know enough that Castle is helping her, and bank rolling finding info. You'd think the bad guy would want to take him out of the equation and not just warn him to keep her away. Am I right?) However. Plot stuff aside. The Stanford twist. Did not see that coming. Yet it oddly works. And, Ryan and Espitito. Hell to the yes! Was there ever such an awesome secondary pair? I am totally loving those guys.
Sons of Anarchy - the ep you mentioned with Gemma was amazing. Just played beautifully. To keep her family together she's willing to rip her heart open. If you're catching up on eps, then the season 1 finale is the one that hooked me in. It was on during a marathon too. I am such the sucker for the button in that one. Remember the bad ex-boyfriend FBI agent who was stalking Tara? Oh, yeah. He catches her, and Jax is so there for her! Yep, the good old "I will drop everything if you call and stop at nothing to keep you safe" -- that pretty much never gets old as far as I'm concerned.
PS I wince at your Nip/Tuck and raise you with my secret shame Extreme Couponing which is back. Oh. Yes. It is extreme hoarding but with dusting (and the occasional charitable donation). Yet I watch.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 01:02 pm (UTC)The premier felt like we were back. Competent!Tony. Thank you! Happy family that cares! Thank you to the double power! You'd think it was a time warp and we went back to Season 1 and 2 again. Why aren't you up at 2 AM? I need to call you and squee with delight. Darn you different time zones (ahakes fist)!
Hey! LOL. I'll be back from PT later if you want to squee later. And oh, if they can sustain it, I'll be so happy!