{ spinning on that dizzy edge. }
Oct. 27th, 2008 01:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
delgaI don't remember the order in which I watched these, so I'm going by air date. Likely y'all don't care but it matters to meeee.
Also, I watched a lot of them with The Sister this week which I think changes the way I see things. Mostly because she finds a lot of things funny, and it makes me more sympathetic to the kinds of joke that I would usually stomp all over.
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re: Numb3rs. I didn't even finish last week's episode (5x03, Blowback), even though the first act looked good. I just. I think I'll wait for it to air on TV some time next year. Maybe time will make me more sympathetic to it? I don't know. It's a bad sign when you can't even watch the scenes with characters you don't actively dislike. And whilst Nikki Betancourt is fierce, I just don't care about her if she's been set up to be the fall guy, instead of a foil to Don & co. which is what she was originally described as being.
Farewell, show. Farewell, Don's Awful Hair.
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True Blood, 1x07, Burning House of Love
So Sookie and Bill do the deed, and it turns out that Gran kicked her brother out of her house for being a raging pervert. Then Sookie is stupidly proud of losing her virginity and everyone gets riled up, and the human slackjaws decide to take it up against the vampiric ones, and at the end there are corpses being yanked out of a burnt-out house. IS ONE OF THEM BILL?
I have to say: I don't mightily care. I mean, I liked how Sookie continued to not give a damn what the rest of the town thinks about her, and I continued to have rage over Sam and Jason's entitlement issues, but I'm pretty certain Bill didn't die, so it's not all that suspenseful.
Speaking of Jason: YOU CONTINUE TO BE A FUCKING NUTJOB. When he faces-off with Pam and then fails spectacularly? Hilarious. And the new girl was a laugh riot, too. (I especially liked the part when Randy (?) calls up and then dumps Jason because he's heading to Fangtasia. That was pretty great!)
This week's best scenes go, again, to Tara and her crazy mother. From the scene in Sam's trailer to dealing with her mother in the bank, and then that half-terrifying/half-ridiculous exocism scene, the actress continued to bring to Tara fortitude, insecurity, incredulity and love. I love how when the woman talks to Tara about her own 'demon' she cuts to the quick: even if she did believe, she can't afford the cure. That made me laugh & ache. Oh, Tara.
Now: bring on this week's episode, pls.
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Bob is a teacher, and Mack is an Australian bare-knuckle fighter. BRILLIANT. I have to admit to being more interested in Mack's story than in Bob, Jonas and Charles' one, if only because his task was the more isolated one. I've noticed that about Mack: they send him in on his own quite often, and he is quite the isolated type. I liked that he was left hanging at the end of the episode; sometimes backup can't come through. Whilst I thought Col. Ryan's story was FUCK ANNOYING, I did like the consequences it had for Mack.
Mostly I thought Charles and Jonas were HILARIOUS. I know that wasn't the intention, so something was up there.
Finally: the women. More specifically: the Gerhardt women. Jeez. I continue to find Tiffy and her family REALLY BORING, but fuck, can Molly ever lie when she needs to. I hope that one of the stories features the other Gerhardt girl soon, because I think that she's the only one who could make me sympathetic to that family at this point.
No, I still haven't seen the end of last season. Oh well.
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Mad Men, 2x12, The Mountain King
I am really way too excited about the finale (it needs to be here RIGHT NOW) which is good because this episode was so weirdly paced. The one scene that really struck me was Joan and her fiancé in Don's office. I felt so badly for her, and then when she's debating with herself whether or not to open up to Peggy, and ultimately decides to go back to her bragging rights. Gosh, that was such a subtle performance, and so heartbreaking, too.
Peggy asking for (and getting) the office was a triumph, and I actually cheered. Her continuing concern for Don was a nice insert, too, and balanced out neatly against the board's decision to go ahead with the merger (the merger being the plot point that I least understand and which freaks me out the most). Her scene with Pete Campbell was great, and I actually liked his plot. I feel like Pete, though being a dick, has a right to say yes or no without being manipulated by his wife, or by his father-in-law. It felt good when he told his father-in-law to shove it. I was so annoyed with that character, and the way that story was going around. I'm glad Pete put his foot down.
Another great scene was Betty catching Sally smoking, and then the scene in the cupboard. I hated that Betty then manipulated Sally with the purchase of the riding boots, not because it's unrealistic, but because it's exactly the kind of bullshit that mothers pull to buy their children's affections. And then Betty's phonecall with her riding buddy, and the way that devolved was fantastic. Betty's manipulation of others is grand and bitter and petty, and all the things that Betty can be when she's at her worst. She's very child-like at times.
And finally: Don. Seeing the season come together like that was great, and then watching him be, I don't know, baptised in the sea at the end, I kind of wondered where he would go next. Because it's stasis of a sort, and obviously Sterling Cooper is floundering without him (with Peggy really stepping up, which I adore). I liked meeting the other Mrs Draper, and seeing the O'Hara text, and seeing how Don's flashbacks tied in. At the top of the season the producer said something like, it's a great time for Don Draper, but not for Dick Whitman, and I feel like that personality split that we've been negotiating these past two seasons has really come to a head. So the next time we see him, who is he? Is he Draper, or is he Whitman? And I think that's a great position from which to go into the finale.
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Californication, 2x04, The Raw and the Cooked
Oh, give it up for Becca Moody, people. That girl is FIERCE.
The dinner was insane. I mean, I figured that the baby would turn out to be Hank's, which was disappointing in a lot of ways, mostly because it let the writers hit the reset button on the Hank/Karen relationship and I don't really want to go back in that storyline unless they really are going forward this time. (I kind of hated Becca being all, well, you tried! about the situation, because I feel like this wasn't entirely his fuck up.) Also: MIA. My god. Get something to do already. Why was she even there??
Let's talk about how completely, completely out of their minds Marcy and Charlie are, omg. Holy shit. And then CKR's character's allergies, oh my. Fucking insane.
I thought this was one of the better episodes of the season, taking two horrible extremes - crass humour and emotional trauma - and throwing them together in what was actually quite a successful manner. That's pretty rare; normally the two jarr against each other, but this show regularly makes that kind of farce plausible, interesting, and perversely watchable. Crazy-ass show.
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Sarah Connor Chronicles, 2x06, The Tower is Tall, But the Fall is Short
I wondered if John was the one to kill Sarkissian (sp?), not Sarah, but that didn't play out, so I don't know.
HAHAHAHAHAHA. OH MAN. As soon as we started flashing to that scene this (last) week, I knew that would be the reveal at the end of the episode. I knew it. I'm still kind of thrown by the reveal coming so late in the season (and seriously, what the hell is with that?) and I don't really know where it is they want to go with that. I feel like the show has been trying to balance plot with emotion and, well, lacking. The two motivations don't square well together, and it's not because there isn't the capacity for that kind of emotionality with the action, but just that I feel like their making poor decisions, and so one half of the plot drags the other down.
Cameron facing off against the other terminator in the elevator was so well brought together, and whilst the humour was a pretty easy reach, I still thought it was funny, especially the way the two were in sync when the family came in to the car with them. I also liked that the machines are opting 'suicide' over other methods when they get caught (the chips disabling/burning out) and the way Cameron was reading the self-help magazine/pamphlet suggests that she understands what the machines are choosing to do on a different level. Not just preventing John from rewiring, but destroying themselves. That's pretty huge. Or am I the only one who thinks that? Every time Cameron goes a little more metaphysical, I wonder about that.
Whilst I didn't care much for John's emo sessions, I was really interested in the psychologist. I thought that the actor was delightful, and I liked the way he played off against the Connors and then Savannah. Savannah's reaction to killer!Catherine Weaver was touching, and the psychologist's response to the AI was great, too. So now Skynet is developing its own genesis. Isn't that trippy?! (Apparently behavioural fuck ups aren't just Cameron's speciality; even Weaver has issues maintaining her cover at all times.) I liked that Ellison continues to be wary of Weaver, and that this week her secretiveness brought up his defences. That plot is progressing slowly, but I can wait because as last season showed, Ellison's plots tend to have the big payoffs.
And finally: oh, Derek. I liked his frustration, and not!Kendra's exhaustion. I thought it was going to be a very straightforward romantic complication, but with the added threat against John, it's now doubly interesting. I guess the question we ask is: is she a terminator? I think not. I think she's a human complication, and I think that's a radical and interesting change. Bring it, yo.
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My Own Worst Enemy, 1x02, Hummingbird
Heh. I'm told the hummingbird isn't a real sexual position.
Deus ex machina! Edward comes back just in time to save the day! Boring. I wish Henry had stepped up and done something to rectify the mess he was in. I thought it was great that he tried to go up and help Raymond, but then it sort of fluked.
Saffron Burrow's single scene was a delight and yes, I'm so shallow.
Other than that, I liked the good cop/bad cop variation of the interrogation scenes, although I continue to be wholly infuriated by Henry. I was almost sympathetic to him when he was watching the home videos, especially when Edward's the one watching, but still: do. not. care. The most interesting part was the way the CAT scan story ended up. Edward is ruthless; Henry is floundering. Can you imagine trying to keep secrets from yourself? I know that's what Edward's been doing all this time, but he's had a whole secret organisation backing his play. Henry is kind of alone in that respect, and seeing him come to the hospital and finding the doctor dead was a slap in the face.
So. Where to next? I don't know if I can keep watching Henry be emotionally wrought if Edward only gets minimal screentime.
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TOBIAS FORNELL. JOKES ABOUT JETHRO'S SECOND WIFE. MOULD PORN. OH MY.
As I noted on twitter, this show is full of characters with dangerous obsessions, and whilst Jethro will go straight for the bull's eye, other characters don't get that opportunity. This is because Jethro tends to be correct in his assumptions and others... not so much. You see this play out with Jenny Shepard (!!!!) and now with Tobias. Obsessions are always dangerous things. I don't know if Jethro is being intentionally hypocritical when he judges those around him, or if post-Hiatus, it really is a different ball game. I mean, Jethro asked if Jackson still sees that raw vengeance in him now, and we didn't get an answer. I think because to some extent, Jethro still plays by those rules, and if it came down to it, he would have taken that hit for Fornell this week. He asks Fornell why he didn't take the shot and the answer is (always is) Fornell is not Jethro. Which is a good thing in itself. But he's a sympathetic foil, and I have always liked that about him. I liked that Jethro came to back Fornell at the end of the episode. That felt true to me, and right, too. (I must admit: I laughed when the marine escaped again. You've got to be kidding me!)
Abby's obsession with the mould was delightful, especially when McGee got drawn into it, too. A nice aside, and also useful to the plot, which is something the writers get right more often than not.
I have never really been one who is all that into Tony and Ziva shacking up, and I used to get quite frustrated with Ziva's heavy-handedness with regards to that relationship. But I can take it now that the roles are sort of reversed, because now it doesn't feel so lopsided. And, you know, Tony was ultimately kindly towards her - the Hebrew, not mentioning the photograph etc. I don't really want the show to go that way, but this way is better than the last. I mean, Jeanne is gone now, and that plot is kind of over (I'm thinking about last season when she leaves, and Ziva tells Tony to be a man about the situation), and this episode was kind of a reset for Tony because he went back to some of that pre-Jeanne/Hiatus jocularity. And I like that Ziva is expressing an independence which she hasn't had for a while. Post-Ari, NCIS is a safe-haven for her, and a place to gather autonomy from her father. And even though she sort of regresses when she is back in Israel (fathers are like that; home is like that), she's able to make decisions now - she isn't dependent on home, and she isn't dependent on NCIS. (I guess season 3 is shocking in that way, for her, because her brother and her father betray her, and at the end, when she shakes Jethro, it is because his memory-loss is a sign that he is betraying her, too. But then there is Shalom, and his respect and kindness in Dead Man Walking and Grace Period, and his support in Recoil, and there's a lot of equality there. Ziva is not Kate, and she is not Tony. There isn't do much dependence now. At least, not on her side.)
But really, I'm happy whenever there is Tobias Fornell. These men are so tired sometimes. And he's been at it 20+ years now, longer than Jethro even. I like Fornell's story because there's not a lot of melodrama there, and it feels a lot less like fiction than Jethro's does. Tobias is just trying to get by, and he makes mistakes, just like anybody else. I like that friendship, too, and I hope we see Fornell again this season.
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Pushing Daisies, 2x04, Frescorts
LOLS at the locker scene. Wonderful. I actually loved the way this week's story bounced back on itself - especially when Ned falls into the other dead body without realising it. Hee!
I loved that we got to meet Mama Cod! And I loved how that story came to a head with the pop-up book, and her notes. I thought that was a lovely story, and a great mother-son relationship, which is so fucking rare in this show which is all about missing parents.
I really enjoyed David Arquette's weird-ass character, and I liked that Olive and Chuck made peace and stayed as roomies, so that Ned to grow some. Boy is too clingy, y'all. I thought the episode was pretty well-rounded, and the gags were funny, and the general idea was kind of odd and yet endearing, too. (My god, that receptionist? CRAZY WOMAN. I was so sad when she died!)
To conclude: WHEN DO WE GET NED'S FATHER???
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Criminal Minds, 4x04, Paradise
I don't really have a lot to say about this episode. It was a return to the standard format, and it was pretty fucking creepy. The show often shows us the 'other side' - so we get emotionally involved with the victims and the unsubs. It is not always successful (I'm looking at you, Frankie Muniz) but I thought this week's was a pretty good effort. Wil Wheaton played against type in a convincing manner, which was great, and I thought the slow devolution of the couple's relationship really stung. The scene when the wife is tied to the bed was just horrible. Someone always breaks.
New-ish credits, as I mentioned, and also some continuing Hotch angst (this is not new). I liked JJ protecting her baby (and Reid's well-meaning input); I liked Emily's list of places she's never going; I liked the narrative format, although the poetic justice was almost too poetic. An all-round good episode. And creepy. Did I mention creepy?
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I've been watching season 3 repeats on Monday nights, and I want to keep doing that, except Spooks looks like it's going to be on Mondays (please put it on Tuesdays!) I know it's repeats but I've been watching a lot of CM lately, and I really want to see more. The episode that airs tonight is the one where the two foster-home brothers attack whole families, until one of them leaves one of the girls alive. I love that one! I mean, as much as you can. Very creepy, and also some great emotional fall-out. But I'll probably miss it. Sigh. (Yeah: these are the issues which plague my existence. Woe is me. /ridic)
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CSI: NY, 5x04, Sex, Lies and Silicone
What an awful title. CSI riffed on that title yeeaars ago, in a way more entertaining way! Come on!
I watched this with The Sister and we basically talked through all the montages. Things that we noted:
- Adam is still adorkable
- Stella is still fierce
- Sheldon is A Good Boy
- Flack continues to be lolarious
- The chief did not deserve our sympathy and thus DID NOT GET IT
We were both very concerned about Sheldon's 'friend' and knew that he was bad business; to wit, we cheered when Sheldon Good-Boyed to Mac and CONFESSED. We didn't want him to get into trouble.
That cute joke between Lindsay and Flack? For a piece of plastic? WE LOVED THAT PART. We watched it twice. (No, really, we did.)
All in all, a cute episode, pretty standard-fare, though not half as annoying as that aeroplane one from a fortnight back.
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Private Practice, 2x03, Nothing to Talk About
ADDISON FORBES MONTGOMERY! STOP LETTING SWAT GUY MESS YOU AROUND WTF. (& they've had a date but she still calls him 'SWAT guy' to his face? I don't even know what that character's name is supposed to be, he's so transient.) Other than that, I thought Addison was pretty kickass this week. I felt kind of annoyed at the guy who was badgering her about his wife's name. I get that he was scared for his wife, and that Addison seemed like she wasn't giving due attention, but fuck, she was only brought in for the damn surgery. I don't know; it's very real world, but it's something that bugs me a lot of the time, too. Addison and Del's conversations were great, and I liked how Del finally came back and laid down his demands. I don't think that he was asking for things that were untenable.
In that vein, I was also pleased that Violet shut Naomi down. I mean, I do wish that friendship was more even-handed, but I'm glad that Violet said, you know what, stop using me. That was a strong character position, and she can be so competent when she's got her shit together. I thought that her case, this week, was really, really good, and I also liked that she said no to Sam. Of everyone in the practice, Violet is consistently the one who is about people. She's a bedrock that way, and I liked that about her. Her case was sad, and moving, and the message wasn't subtle by any means (when is it ever?) but I thought it was actually really effective, even with the caveats in mind.
I love Charlotte King. I love that she is manipulative and that she wants what she wants, and often tries to take what she wants. I don't think that should be painted in a bad light. I liked that Cooper made her talk, too, and I liked that whist he was umming and ahhing over his case (oh man, wtf; enough with the poor humour, guys), she cut through the bullshit. I like when these characters stop faffing around and start being proactive. That's when they're kickass. I know Addison got slapped a bit over her surgeries, but like others mentioned, that's also a place where she's in the zone. It's not a bad thing to be great at what you do. You just have to balance it, and that was the issue for Addison, not the surgeries themselves.
Still, though. Let's move this plot along, people. Let's go, come on.
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Grey's Anatomy, 5x05, There's No 'I' In Team
Jesus, Derek, you're such a douche sometimes. That's got to be the third time he's called Meredith a child. WHAT THE FUCK? I was all for their relationship but frankly, I'm finding him to be an outrageous asshole at the moment. I fucking LOVE that moment when Bailey turns around and says to him, IT WAS HER IDEA and she GODDAMN WORKED FOR IT. What a twat.
The domino surgery was an interesting set up, and Carl Lumbly played the part of the dying father really well. I liked that Bailey's concern was for the dying patient, whilst the Chief was more about the success of the operations; I also liked that although he came off a little cold, there, he then takes Meredith aside and explains that her mistake wasn't so bad, and that sometimes all the surgery in the world can't help. Really, that's what he needed to say to Bailey, too, but he fudged that.
I liked the story about the infidelity. I mean. I didn't like it, but I liked the way it played out. It was horrible, but you can't push people with internal organs, yo.
I can't remember what Alex was even about this week but I know that I wish he'd step up and stop being a brat already. So now he and Izzie are an item again? Enough back and forth! Progress please! It's been five goddamn seasons: get a move on, people. Stop recycling stories. And speaking of: Lexie is sometimes George 2.0. Her going off at him was ridiculous to me, especially since there are New Rules and he DIDN'T CHOOSE. You don't choose your interns! (Lexipaedia is funny to me, by the way. I thought that was pretty lolarious. Oh, Cristina.)
I don't really know what I want from the Callie/Erica storyline. On the one hand I'm kind of frustrated by how Callie is going back and forth, and on the other that seems like sense. I know that some people had issues with her going to Mark for advice (what! Only a MAN can know how to please a WOMAN?! WHAT IS THIS?? etc.) but, like, who the hell else is she going to turn to? And he's her friend, too, and someone else mentioned that Mark was probably the best sex Callie had ever had, so I think it makes sense, and is actually a smart way to go about things.
To conclude: hahaha, Kevin McKidd is back! I hope that he stops around being arrogant and right and smug and RIGHT. And that Cristina gets some without it being a massive issue.
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Supernatural, 4x06, Yellow Fever
Watched this with The Sister, and yes, we both roared with laughter at the over-the-top scream. I'm pretty certain that I would have dumped this episode if I hadn't been watching with The Sister but she made me much more sympathetic to it.
I wonder how this episode would have gone if they'd played it straight and not gone for the laughs, but I was on board with the story because I accepted that it was supposed to be funny. And it wasn't the farce that the episode previous was in terms of overtly lewd suggestions and boy crap that I don't care about.
I love that Kripke had to be all, OKAY GUYS, DEAN IS NOT A DICK, because, uh, really? He is kind of a dick. I mean, I got that the idea was that he has a secret, but I could buy him being infected because he's also something of an asshole sometimes. He fits the bully cast in my mind.
Even though a lot of this episode was played for laughs, I did like the actual story. Things that helped: the playoff between Jensen's melodrama and Jared's '...' face; BOBBY, whom I adore; the resolution. That they had to make the ghost re-enact his trauma seemed harsh to me. I know you're not supposed to sympathise with him (people are dying; Dean is next) but it seemed a sore thing to do when he'd lived it once already, and when his haunting seemed justified. (Sometimes arbitrary, but the initial haunting: definitely justified.)
I go back and forth on Lilith. I hated the idea that the show would be burrowing back into that trend of the woman evil, especially after its overwhelming trend of misogyny, but I also think that making Lilith a child is almost a loophole to that whole scenario, if only because the cruelty of children is often exact. I don't think that's why they went with the child iconography; I think they probably chose that because it's incongruous, and therefore more haunting to see it in a girl child, but the idea, when stretched, has a certain quality to it. Little girls can be mean. (In case you hadn't clued in: I've yet to catch up with the s3 episodes. Or even S2.)
Aaaaanyway. Mytharc next episode? Pls?
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Life, 2x06, Did You Feel That?
So, The Sister and I watched the pilot on Friday night, which turned out to be a great thing because I spent a lot of it thinking 'hmmm, these are things they've forgotten about!' and then, lo! most of them turned up in this episode. The only thing that didn't was Constance, and you know what? She got a ROUGH DEAL, guys. Constance was FIERCE in the pilot. Kindly, but able to hold her own. Not overly dependent, but sweet all the same. WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR CONNIE?!
Ahem.
Anyway. I actually took notes during this episode, haha (doooork). Things that this episode brought back - and then manipulated - zen tapes, Olivia, Rawls and Tinns. The recurrence of zen, and then Dani's interruption of that, and the way that became a theme in the episode. Crews is not just Crews anymore; he's half of a partnership. I thought the lyrics were funny: you are a hole in my head. No, really. Those were the words. I thought the music was a bit of a lame joke, but it did point out that Charlie and Dani are different and that's important to maintain.
Dani is throwing me somewhat. I don't really know what to make of her character right now, and I felt that way all the way through until after the kiss with Tidwell. She is in a surprisingly good mood all through the episode, and she doesn't get irritated by a lot of things that Crews does. And whilst to some extent that's a part of the way in which Crews and Reese are beginning to shift gears and become one body, there was also something off about it, because there were points during the episode where it was counterproductive. To my mind the partnership needs to be Charlie and Dani, with the two of them bringing different things to the table. I feel like the dialogue this week was indicative of how the relationship becomes problematic when they're both singing the same song (lols). The dialogue ran in circles this week, where Crews would say something and others would repeat it back to him, and then he'd repeat his own words a second time, and there were a lot of moments there when I wished Dani would snap the air for us, and break us out of that cycle so that the dialogue (and thus the story) could progress. That's what Dani used to do: she curbed Crews' excess, and he pushed at her stolid boundaries. They were complementary and that's what I liked about the partnership. I think that's where the characters ran into trouble this week - because Crews was too much of Dani (and didn't put together how he was being played) and Dani was too much of Crews (leading to the Tidwell situation). Eventually it works out, but I think that between Rawls and Tidwell, there were some faceslaps in this episode. Or, I think that there should have been faceslaps.
Now, as much as I think that the Tidwell relationship is a GODAWFUL idea (it's also pretty fucking insulting to Dani's character, but I guess on the other hand: she makes mistakes, and she's that person - the person who is always, to some extent, in trouble) I liked the look on Dani's face after it happened. Why? Because it felt like she was rolling back a little. There's no way we can switch into season 2 and say, hey, Dani's not an alcoholic anymore, Dani's not a drug addict. She is always those things. Always. And because her sex life has always keyed into her mistakes, that look on her face after the kiss was spot on. I felt like someone else had broken the air; like someone else had stopped the dialogue from ringing in circles.
Plus, you know, circling dialogue isn't good dialogue; it's lazy zen.
Haha, the part that I haven't mentioned yet is how much I loved this episode, contrary to what the above may suggest. I pegged it to be Tinns from the start, but I doubt that was supposed to be a huge reveal. I loved Mark Rawl's character, and I was stunned by his death. The direction was very quick, and you barely had a chance to notice the sheer terror of his situation before his head was shot off. Oh my, terrible. Death in a box. Trapped in a box. I didn't think they'd do that, and it was a powerful sequence. I was thrown a little by the direction, actually, because the death seemed almost incidental, even on the rewatch. But I've decided that I actually like that. Damn, Rawls is dead. Holy cow.
Tinns escalated when he was put into prison, and that escalation evolved over the course of the episode, too, from the breakout, to Rawls' murder, to the armoured car place and the final showdown. I loved that the earthquake facilitated the chaos, and it wasn't all about mastermind. I especially loved that it was Crews, Reese, Bobby and Tidwell who went in to get the car, and that Tidwell proved of use when sorting out the bomb. I like the levels of intimacy in that group, and how they don't always gel. I've taken a liking to Tidwell, and whilst I know some people feel like his character time takes away from Dani's, I disagree. Other than the relationship between the two (SIGH), the character time is proportional. You may want Dani to have equal billing with Charlie, but she doesn't have it. I don't know that you can blame the lack of Dani's storyline on Tidwell. I think you can blame it on the fact that this show is doing five or six stories in a wholly incoherent fashion, and that at times it's two different shows that are being interwoven, with no bridge between one and the other. The plots are all over the place, and whilst I do enjoy them, I feel like that's detrimental to the show's success. The narrative isn't being streamlined. One story is trying to be told, and gets tripped up by recurring stories that don't go anywhere, or that start and stop for no reason. But I also think that to some extent Dani's plot is being bundled in with Tidwell's. You don't have to like that story, but you can't then say that she doesn't have one. She does. You just don't agree with it. I'm willing to go with it if it sets up conflict, frankly, because conflict migh give us a plot we can run with. Where the first season's divergent plots eventually came together, I'm not entirely certain that that's something they can achieve this time. I know the format is A-plot, B-plot, and sometimes C-plot, and that you have something that ties into the conspiracy, and something that ties the A and B plot together. But sometimes this show is running three or four plots concurrently, and the only thing that binds them is Charlie Crews as witness. It's messy, and it can ruin the individual stories.
This week's episode was excellent precisely because you had a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the B-plot was Ted and Olivia (which I personally think was unnecessary, but I love both of them so that was watchable for me). Tinns has escaped; he needs to be caught; he's killed. A to B to C, a basic narrative set up with interesting and convincing plot twists in the middle - from Rawls' death to the hostage family. I loved Dani being the back up, and I loved how in a lot of ways this was Tinns versus Crews, and Crews' establishment of himself as a cop primarily - no longer a crook. I guess you really are a cop. / I guess I am.
Oh Ted. OH TED. He and Olivia are still in that place where neither is moving forward, but considering how long they've back-benched that plot (and seriously, what the hell was up with that; I always thought that Crews' Daddy Issues would be something that came to the fore, especially because they were highlighted so often in the early episodes) I'm not surprised. I just felt sore for both of them. More Ted, pls.
I don't think I'm explaining myself very well. I enjoy the show a lot, and I'm not more invested in one of the characters than I am the others. But I guess the things that frustrate me - Dani's lack of dimension at present; the show's narrative problems - do so because I think they impact whether or not the show will continue to air. This show is still, to some extent, about outsiders - cops and cons, and the dividing lines - and if you try to blur those characterisations, it becomes another procedural with nothing to offer. The dynamic between Crews and Reese works because they have things in common, and because their differences are of benefit to them. There is a lot happening here; too much, even. I'm willing for the show to go wherever it's going, as long as wherever it's going is compelling (which this week was). I'm behind the Tidwell thing if it goes where I think it's going to go. I'm pleased with Charlie's conspiracy story; I think it's driving, coherent force behind the show, and I think Dani's story can run parallel to that if she slips on that ladder she's on. Let's face it: I don't like a situation where she's entirely content, because then (unfortunately) there's nothing to say about the character. The stories run out. So. lols, I don't even know what I'm talking about. Bring on the next episode, whoop whoop.
--
I still haven't seen this week's Merlin (worked during the repeat on Sunday, and now I'm waiting for The Mother). Speaking of, it took The Mother a year to get into Northern Lights. A YEAR. Then, last week, she picked it up, finished it, finished The Subtle Knife and started The Amber Spyglass which she's quickly making a dent in. I am a little bit eye-roll-y about the whole thing, but also a little bit triumphant. I KNEW she'd like that damn series.
- beware: talking lots about nothing.,
- boo hoo poor meredith.,
- charlie crews thinks you're a peach.,
- costumery: file under orgasmic.,
- do i have a meta tag? idk.,
- emily prentiss: talk dirty to me.,
- fuck patient rights! fuck everyone!,
- i came back for the angels.,
- i hate charles eppes: true story.,
- killa lady robots.,
- look at my shiny new icon!!!1!,
- m is really fucking obsessed with ncis.,
- meta(ncis).,
- mulder is a nympho.,
- my own worst enemy.,
- stella bonasera is my religion.,
- the facts were these.,
- the unit.,
- you look like vampire bait.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-27 04:18 pm (UTC)- Violet was awesome this week, like awesome. *loves Violet more and more every week*
- Life was written weirdly this week, but it seemed to be on purpose - and it confused me. But not really just yeah...*confuses self trying to explain what she means* I liked the episode though. But omg nooo the car! I was so sad they had to shoot up the car LOL. And eew...she can do better.
- Derek is an ass, I totally hate him now. Like...really annoying. Almost as annoying as Meredith. I love Cristina though!!
Yeah I'm out of memory...
no subject
Date: 2008-10-27 07:36 pm (UTC)Violet was brilliant this week, and I was super endeared of her.
Life was pretty good, I think, but also. Hmm. OK, I ENJOY the banter! I love the banter. Repeating dialogue 300 times is not banter, though. And also, hehe, Dani. She can do much better, but she doesn't have a history of doing better. She has a history of fuckups, and if that's where this is leading, I am ALL for it. Bring on the trauma! /mean
See, I don't find Meredith all that annoying. OK, sometimes. But Derek is being an ASSHOLE. Thank fuck for Cristina. I hope I enjoy the season more or I'm going to have to ditch Grey's, too.
lols. I'm glad you tried to read it all. I appreciate that :D
no subject
Date: 2008-10-27 07:37 pm (UTC)Hahaha, that was PRICELESS.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 01:16 am (UTC)Also, Dani suddenly afraid of Earthquakes and ducking into a non-load bearing doorway does not make sense to me. At all.
I do like the ongoing theme of Charlie finally feeling that he is a cop.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 08:49 am (UTC)I'm trying to phrase my response to the episode better. I know everyone was really happy this week because the banter was back, except I watched the same banter, and it just sounded like...repeated dialogue? I don't know, maybe I just missed it, lols. But The Sister and I watched 1x02-1x04 last night, and that had banter. So.
Which is not to say that I didn't LOVE the episode. Because I did. I love plot.
Oh, Charlie. I'm waiting for one or other of them to roll down that hill they're gaining on.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 04:20 pm (UTC)And whilst to some extent that's a part of the way in which Crews and Reese are beginning to shift gears and become one body, there was also something off about it
I forgot to put this in earlier but I found this observation really interesting. I still can't frame my thoughts about it but it's interesting, about Crews and Reese becoming one because that's true. They move in synch so often it seems like they've began to share a brain but it's also true that it could be detrimental to their partnership too.
Hmm. I have to think more on this.
I love Reese's pure joy driving Charlie's car. You are right though about Reese being very relaxed this episode.
I've resigned myself to not liking Tidwell, the more I try the more I end up disliking him. *sigh* But, again, you're right that the 101 story lines could be blamed for Dani's lack of development but my dislike of Tidwell isn't helping. I should really just keep on with a wait and see attitude regarding the Dani/Tidwell thing but I wish... no, I'm getting ahead of myself.
What do you think would fall first? There's so many balls up in the sky and Charlie can't keep it up forever.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 06:21 pm (UTC)Haha, YES. I adored that glee. "So... why are YOU driving?"
I don't know. I think it really depends who is the most threatened. I'm thinking Dani, if only because of the look on her face post-kiss. Contented is almost a bad place to be because she sort of lets her guard down. If that makes sense.