Watching "Cranford" With My Mother

possible semi-spoiler warning?

Mom: "You have to come watch the Cranford DVD with me! It's such a charming show!"

Me: "Fine whatever okay."

45 minutes later:

Mom: "Did... did that lady... die?"

Me: "Looks that way."

30 minutes later:

Mom: "Is... is HE dead?"

Me: "Looks that way."

1 minute later:

Mom: "Wait, she's dead, too?"

Me: "Looks that way."

30 minutes later:

Me: "And now he's dead. That's four people in three episodes. This is the most depressing show ever. I'm sorry I ever complained about all those characters on Downton Abbey being put on a bus. At least they got to return a few episodes later. It's not like they had to die! Well, except for Matthew."

Mom. "Matthew! Oh, that was so sad. Yes.... So... can you order the next Cranford disc for me?"

TV Shows I Watched This Year (2013)

* * * TV Shows I Watched In 2013 * * *

Compare to: 2011, 2012

Pan Am on DVD

Even though this made my list 2 years ago (when the short-lived series was on the air) it was only this year that I got to go back and watch all the episodes on DVD. It really was a well-written show, and the era (early 60s) was a treat to visit. I'll add it to my list of series that ended too soon (which is topped by Wonderfalls, which, now that I think about it, is due to be re-watched. Yeees.)

Felicity (season 1) on DVD

Fun fact: Felicity was my age. She graduated high school and started college the same year I did. Yet she always seemed much older than me, and I could not relate, so I rarely watched the series when it was on the air. Fast-forward fifteen years, and I still don't feel I can relate to this girl. She's just so... I don't know. Such an old soul. Meanwhile, the series can be pretty... heavy. And certain elements have not aged well. But I may just stick with it.

Tiny Toon Adventures on DVD

Some shows from my childhood are still enjoyable to me today. This, however, doesn't seem to be one of them. :(

Love It Or List It (random episodes) on OnDemand

My cousin turned me on to this show, which is half a realty/house-hunting show and half a remodeling show. The best of both! A family who is unhappy with their current dwelling for some reason, usually having to do with the arrangement of the space, safety issues, or the fact that it just really needs an update, give an interior designer X amount of money to make their house awesome (usually said amount of money is only enough to make it sort of awesome.) Meanwhile, a realtor shows the folks some nearby houses that already may suit their needs and desires. In the end, will they choose to stay in their sort-of-awesome house, or move to one of the new ones? Yay hard decisions!

Call The Midwife, Series 2 (2013 in the USA) on PBS

Still a great show! In fact, on Sunday night, 12/29, they aired an all-new Christmas special, which I found out about, um, 5 minutes in. But hey, I saw most of it! There were lots of changes in series 2. Spoiler alert: Chummy had a baby! Sister whatsherface is no longer a nun! And she likes Doctor whatshisname! I jest; I really do adore this show.

Community, Season 4 on NBC

Poor Community has been bounced around so many times by NBC it's amazing it's still on the air. Season 4, which was supposed to debut in September, 2012, didn't begin until well into 2013, and because they had not planned it to air so, we experienced the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas episodes in the wrong time of year. Oh well. Many fans were disappointed with season 4. For me, it was hit and miss. There were some dumb episodes, but there were some good ones, too. Season 5 premieres JANUARY 2 and I'm so excited!

Last Tango In Halifax on PBS
I had to add this one after I originally published this post, because somehow I totally forgot about it! (For shame.) This very touching, somewhat soapy but mostly lovable British show was about two older people who knew each other as youths and reconnected decades later via Facebook -- and fell in love. Before long, they were engaged, and as the series unfolded, we learned more about them, their past, and their respective families (each has a daughter whose life is falling to pieces.) Toward the end of the first series, things got pretty sad, but I've heard the show will return for a second series, and maybe everything will turn out okay? It had better!


Downton Abbey, Series 3 on PBS
Someone recently asked me if I was planning watch DA Series 4 when it airs here next month and I said no, I'm done with this show. They asked me if the last straw was when (uh, spoiler alert?) Matthew died, and I said, No, I've disliked the show ever since Matthew bounded up out of his wheelchair somewhat miraculously. And that was back in series 2! I don't know why I watched 3. But hey, I did, and now I'm done. Honest. (Please refer back to this post in 2 months when I will proceed to eat my words. Thank you.)


Merlin, Season 1 & 2 on DVD

I have not grown tired of this show, which I started Netflixing last year. It's so funny, and I love the medieval elements. Still hate Arthur's dad, Uther, but they've given him fewer storylines lately, so whatever. I know he'll die someday (I'M SORRY, BUT HE'S AWFUL!) Merlin continues to learn new magic and try to keep it hidden. The chemistry between Arthur and Merlin is hilarious. Yes, the show is still super ridiculous, but I love it anyway.


Other shows I watched, Sometimes: Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, American Pickers, Auction Kings, Auction Hunters, Antiques Roadshow, Property Wars, Survivor, America's Next Top Model Cycle 20 (I know, I know...)

TV Shows I Saw This Year

So this list should be pretty self-explanatory: TV Shows... things that were seen on the television. However, I got some of these from Netflix, so some are from years past. Also, I've included both TV shows and TV miniseries. (TV-Movies went on my films lists.) Confused yet? No? Then let's get this started.

--------------

Awake, Season 1 (2012)

WAHHH, this poor little short-lived show! Jason Isaacs is so awesome!*Moment of silence.* 

So, what's next?

Call The Midwife, Series 1 (2012 in the USA)

Though Series One only consisted of a handful of episodes, I really enjoyed them. It's about these nurses/midwifes who work for, and help poor people, alongside a group of nuns, in England, in the early 50s. It's based on the memoirs of an actual nurse from that era. I found it all fascinating -- the way medicine was practiced back then, the clothes/uniforms, the way the characters interact. It's all just delightful. I'm happy to hear Series Two is in the works.

Community, Season 3 (2011-2012)

The past 12 months have been pretty tumultuous for both the show and its fans. First it seemed as if it had been cancelled, but fans rallied and NBC gave us more episodes. Then the show was scheduled to return to the airwaves this October, but two weeks before the big day, it was postponed to February. That said, season 3 was full of much goodness. Community is so creative, so crazy, so funny. I can hardly wait for February, 2013, when my Thursday nights can start rocking again! #sixseasonsandamovie

Downton Abbey, Series 2 (2012 in the USA)
All right, so Series One was fun and intriguing. Series Two, on the other hand, got very soap-opera-y and goofy. My "favorite" moment was when Matthew was in the wheelchair, and they'd made this whole big deal out of how he'd never walk again, never father any children, and was no good for Lady Mary. When, all of a sudden, he leaped right out of his chair (to save Mary)! He could walk! A BLOOMIN MIRACLE! Lord help us all, these writers need to all be smacked. Will I watch Series 3? I'm sure I will. But honestly.

Bleak House, Miniseries (2005)
Charles Dickens meets Downton Abbey -- that's the best way I can describe Bleak House. It was full of quirky, spooky, and oddball characters, such as the sad, mysterious Lady Dedlock, played by Gillian Anderson, the smooth but sinister Mr. Tulkinghorn, and Guppy, who would surely give Uriah Heep a run for his creepy money. But unlike Downton, where characters often leave and then come back a few episodes later (we're baaacck!) Dickens just seemed to enjoy killing everybody off. And so Bleak House is, indeed, pretty... uh, well, bleak... but the series is also captivating and fairly enjoyable.



Game Of Thrones, 2 Episodes (2010)
I know this show is hugely popular, and I thought I'd like it, too, because I enjoy medieval/castle stuff, fantasy, etc. But what was with the constant sex? I mean, every time the camera turned a corner it seemed to be catching someone -- rather, two someones -- in the act. Meh. I don't care if  characters want to get it on, but do we need to see it the nudity and hear the grunting five times per episode?

So you fans can keep your show, and I have instead turned my enjoyment of medieval characters and fantasy elements to...


Merlin, Season 1 (2008)

Okay, okay, I'll be the first to admit that this show is totally ridiculous. But it's fun. I'm still on season one, but I like what they've done with all the Arthurian characters so far. Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere, and Morgana are all the same age as one another, and none of them have very much power -- yet. Merlin is just learning to harness his wizarding skills, Guinevere is a maid, Morgana is mostly a pretty face, and Arthur is under the thumb of his father, the king. Who, I might add, is a total killjoy. I'm actually rooting for him to kick the bucket. OH COME ON, you know it's coming. KING Arthur, remember? It's inevitable. And I really can't stand the current king, so anytime he wants to go away, FINE.


Brideshead Revisited, 2 Episodes (1981)
I know this classic series is highly revered by some folks, but I just couldn't get in to it.


Sense & Sensibility, Miniseries (1981)
So. Boring. Actually, my mom liked it. Or at least she sat through it. I just could not. One of the dullest Austen adaptations of all time.


Mansfield Park, Miniseries, Episodes 1-4 (1983)
This one is better. And I say IS, because of last night, we'd only seen 4/6 episodes. (Disc 2 will be arriving soon.) And although there are quite a few long, drawn out, really boring parts, so far I like it better than the 1999 feature film of the same name, perhaps because there is just so much more here. (That, as you can well imagine, can be both a blessing and a curse.) Despite the dull moments, I love watching Edmund and Fanny slowly but surely get together. It's so sweet.  Edmund is so cute. He's right behind Mr. Darcy and Colonel Brandon on my list of Favorite Austen Men. :)


Other shows I watched, Sometimes: The Dust Bowl, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, American Pickers, Auction Kings, Auction Hunters, Antiques Roadshow, Market Warriors, and pretty much anything and everything HGTV has to offer.

Emmys O'12

Oh, Emmys, whatever shall I do with you? You rarely nominate the shows I love. You regularly give statues to the actors I loathe. So why do I tune in? WHY, PRAY TELL ME?

Well... because there's precious little else on.

How strange that the ceremony honoring television and how apparently awesome it is happened to follow a week in which the shows I enjoy watching were all strangely absent from the schedule. Antiques Roadshow? Not on; I think PBS was doing another pledge week. Auction Kings? Not on. I don't know why. Community? Not even a rerun to be had. Downton Abbey? Oh, it was on... IN GREAT BRITAIN. Fudge, I can't even have my share of lords, ladies, butlers, and scandalous scullery maids? In conclusion, why couldn't they schedule that National TV Turnoff Week for, well... now?

But where was I? Right. The Emmys. The show that rarely gets things right. I know, I complain every year, but someone has to speak up! 

So even though I have little respect for the Emmy award, the Emmy show is still pretty... well, not entertaining, but more like... mildly un-boring.

Let's talk about this year's show and awards.

Highlights

*Danny Strong winning & accepting his writing award. OMG Danny Strong! Buffy! Gilmore Girls! Those L&C promos from the summer of '96! We love you Danny! I'm sorry I haven't thought about you in eight years!

*Ricky Gervais. I'm not sure I can ever stop loving that guy. (Side note: EVERY time he presents at an award show, and I sit there giggling, my mom goes, "Who is that guy? I've never seen him before." This is like the 4th time that's happened.)

*I had no idea who Aaron Paul was, but how cute is he?

*Claire Danes presenting an award, and then winning. (Side note II: The first time she came on stage, and they made it very clear she was pregnant, I said to my mom: "Know who that is?" "Who?" "Beth from Little Women." "Wow, she's all grown up!" Twenty minutes later Claire is back, and my mom doesn't remember her from before, and asks me why on earth that lady would be wearing a gown that was so baggy on her. Which is funny, because, well, see below....)

*Them playing part of the Downton Abbey spoof from Jimmy Fallon, which I think is hilarious even after multiple viewings.

*Michael J. Fox getting a standing ovation for... I guess... being there? Being awesome? He is rather awesome.

Semilights

*How a bunch of ladies were wearing dresses in approximately this shade of yellow:

Hey, it was fun counting them! And worrying that they might appear on stage together and blend into one big yellow mass -- or worse, look like a bunch of bananas. (P.S. One of these ladies was Claire Danes.)

*Martha Plimpton winning for best guest actress in a drama series for her work in The Good Wife. Okay, I've seen her on that show. I've also seen her on Raising Hope, in which she is incredible and should get a dozen Emmys. Yet she wins for the show in which she's just... okay. Sigh. I guess an Emmy is an Emmy, but I still think somebody's cracked.

*The Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves overture playing during the montage for drama series, and then, an hour later, Kevin Costner winning HIS award, and them NOT playing the song then. Badly done, Emmys, badly done. (Just kidding. That would have been silly. Almost as silly as playing the Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves overture during a montage of shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Talk about breaking things! My poor brain.)

Lowlights

*Tom Bergeron winning the Emmy for reality TV host. Now, I cry foul. First off, for the last several years, the win has gone to the darling Jeff Probst. This year, Jeff wasn't even nominated. And then Tom swoops in for the win. This would be fine except Tom Bergeron is incredibly annoying. 

*Jon Cryer winning for comedy. His show is gross and lame, his character is not only disgusting but unfunny, and he wins a comedy award? Annnnd this is why the Emmys can bite me.

And lastly, the most grievous of Emmy mistakes...

*Lack of Colin Firth.

That I can not forgive.

There's A Trope For That - Week Of March 11

This week's trope: Death Of The Hypotenuse!

"Alice, Bob, and Charlie are in a Love Triangle. Alice loves Bob, but also has feelings for Charlie — or maybe she doesn't, but can't or doesn't want to turn him down (maybe she's even in a relationship with or married to Charlie while pining after Bob). However will she resolve this dilemma? Well, fortunately, she doesn't have to — Charlie meets with a convenient illness, accident, or other such fatal situation, freeing Alice up to go after Bob without guilt. If Charlie is aware of Alice's feelings for Bob, he may tell her with his dying breath that she shouldn't mourn him too much, because he wants his beloved to be happy. 

This trope is where The Plot Reaper meets Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends. If Charlie's death is not so accidental, it's Murder the Hypotenuse or The Uriah Gambit, depending on whether it's done directly or set up indirectly. See Comforting the Widow. Compare to Ship Sinking. May still be a Bittersweet Ending and even lead to Dead Guy Junior."

First off, I love the name of this trope. Second, you don't get much more deus ex machina-y than this. Third, I kinda love this trope.

What better wait to get rid of an annoying third wheel who's come between two people who, dangit, really ought to be together?

Oh sure, you could have one of the members of the couple do the noble thing and merely break it off with the hypotenuse (see: Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe), but why be reasonable, when you can instead have a good old-fashioned massacre?

Don't get me wrong. I don't think death is necessary. Take The Wedding Singer, for example. In that film, [Robby and Julia meet, and are destined to be together, but are with other people. Soon after, Robby's fiancee lets him go. Later, we learn that Julia's fiance, Glen, is a cad. Robby woos Julia, they fall in love, and Glen gets shoved into an airplane bathroom by a beefy guy out to protect Billy Idol and a flight attendant. Everybody wins!] 

So there are ways around it.

But death, why, it is quick and clean.

Well, no, it isn't. And actually, it's pretty shameful. It's like, Really, writers? Is this the best you could do? 

I refuse to reference Downton Abbey again. But those who have seen season two will know who I'm talking about. Oh, all right, fine, I'll talk about freaking Downton, but I won't name names! [So. Downton. One of the hypotenuse deaths this past season only caused more problems for the couple, so that one can be excused. The second death in season 2 -- well, it seemed to cause problems (one of the members of the A-couple felt overwhelming guilt over the hypotenuse's death, and declared that he and his love could never be happy because of it.)] But one episode later, they'd pretty much thrown that out the window and were all XOXOX. Blame the hormones, I guess. 

And Rest In Peace, poor, expendable Other. :(

There's A Trope For That - Week of February 19

Each week I would like to highlight a different trope from tvtropes.org, the place where I can spend many, many hours clicking through the pages.... obsessing over plot points, themes, and the absurdities of modern storytelling... 

in lieu of, you know, actually writing.

This week's Trope: Put On A Bus

"A character is written out of a series in such a way that they can easily be returned later, if the producers so choose. They are Put On A Bus."

Gotta love it, but Downton Abbey apparently has its very own bus terminal.

Every time somebody on that show leaves Downton, whether it's to go off to war, to find someone who will appreciate them, or to return to their scheming wife, they return 1-2 episodes later to pick up where they left off. Even when you hoped they were gone for good (*ahem*Thomas*ahem*), they can't seem to stay away from Downton, almost as if the house has some kind of supernatural draw. Oh sure, they might come back slightly injured or worse for the wear, but the only way you can ever get rid of anybody on there, it seems, is to kill them off completely. Merely sending them away just doesn't seem to cut it. 

Not that I'm complaining.

(Except in Thomas's case. Then I am.)