Summer TV

[amnisias]

Old friends:

White Collar
That's how it's done! The season opener was exactly what it says on the tin.The boys missing each other, yearnful phone conversations late at night on a beach, a big reunion hug and Elizabeth & the team playing small but vital parts in the investigations. And now I want to visit the Cape Verde Islands.

Covert Affairs
Can I just say: I'm not a big fan of shaking up everything in a season premiere. Last thing I remember is Annie and Auggie sharing a bittersweet moment on a car bonnet, Auggie going off to Africa and Annie driving off into the sunset in a classic car. Now all of a sudden Jai's dead, Auggie's back, the team is pulled apart and Annie is driving her little boring red number again. Not enough Auggie, not enough Auggie/Annie interaction, and too much shower sex with terrorist suspect. I'm hoping that this is just a set-up, and things will be back to normal in a few episodes. Yes, I'm watching Covert Affairs for it's predictable charm, not for surprise twists.

Falling Skies
Aliens, human hybrids, resistance fighters, Noah Wyle as a BAMF history teacher and widowed Dad of 3 boys. There is some uneven writing, particularly the romance can be a bit clunky and heavy-handed, but the SciFi works well for me.

Teen Wolf
How do you know it's summer TV? Eye candy and rediculous story lines. I love Stiles and his ad-libs, I love that our hero is inept and kinda lost without his BFF Stiles and I love how Mum McCall handwaves parenting....

Necessary Roughness


I don't even know why I'm watching the show. Everytime Dani has a therapy session I'm handwaving, covering my eyes with my hand and pushing a fist into my mouth to stop my moans (you'll notice that I'm at least one hand short there). Danni sprouts wisdome like 'imagine the baseball is a beach ball', there is a in-vivo experiment (like driving 170mph with a racecar driver with PTSD following car crash), Dani has some sort of epiphani and the patient feels all better because ... yeah, I don't know why either. Luckily, nobody pretends that this show is the least bit interested in psychological therpies or mental health, and we quickly move on to other, more important things. Unfortunately the show also got the OTP wrong. I'm sorry, Marc Blucas, but you and Dani are just too vanilla to hold any interst. Am I the only one who sees the Dani/Nico? At least Callie Thorne's portrayal of Dani is gutsy and TK is a blast.



Downloaded for later consumtion: True Blood & Damages

New kids on the block:

The Newsroom
Poor Sorkin. Everybody is waiting for something that is just as brilliant, informative, funny, dramatic and did I say brilliant as West Wing. And again this is not it. BUT, even mediocre Sorkin is a cut and a half above a lot of other shows. This show has a lot of possibility, Jeff Daniels has the gravitas and charisma to cary a show like this, Mackenzie will be a great charaters once they've toned down the hysterics a bit, Allison Pill is very believable, some of the dialogue is already great, and the narrative device of telling last years news is pretty ingenious and works very well for me. I'm guessing if you're a tea party memeber you might struggle with some of the politics, though...

Oh, in related unrelated news, there was this:

Perception
Somewhere in here hides a great little show, but I fear it'll never see the light of day. Eric McCormack's depiction of somebody who walks the tightrope between genius and madness is spot on, and I'd loved to see the show that really delves into that life and explores it. Alas, it's just a plot device and we're lumbered with a procedural by numbers where mental illness only serves as a ploy to move the plot forward, and is used in a way that borders on the offensive (an aphasiac as a lie detector - really?)

Common Law:
What can I say? The boys are pretty, the sky is blue. It's summer. This started nearly 2 month before White Collar and Covert Affairs. The Therapy is clearly just a plot device and only bookends the episodes. The plot is - actually, I'm not sure there's a plot. I'm pretty sure at some point I'll be fed-up waiting for any real exploration of the characters and move on. But it's fun while it lasts.

Already dumped:

Longmire
I checked this out for Starbuck, mainly. It's beautifully shot, the lead is likeable and the story telling is decent enough. This ain't bad, just nothing special. I think my main problem is that I was hoping Katee Sackhoff's character would be subborn and strong and keep locking horns with the sheriff. Instead she's some ratherbland, boring and tepid city girl.

Bunheads
This annoyed me from the get go. What an intesly unlikable lead and unsavoury premise. An exotic dancer strings along a devoted fan for the gifts and free meals but makes no secret of her disdain for his admiration. Cut to an unsucessful job audition and a drunken night out, and she finds herself married to the guy. He conviniently pops his clogs on the first day of marriage, and thus we are delivered onto the silly premise of the show. It involves a dance studio, a mother-in-law and quaint little town. This is supposed to be the Gilmore Girls for the next generation, I guess. I'm running screaming the other way.

Comments

[giandujakiss.livejournal.com]

Dani/Nico, please!!!!

that's all...

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

Right? Right?? I'm glad I'm not alone, but I'm pretty sure that's about as likely as Sam/Dean/Cas threesome....

[legoline.livejournal.com]

Poor Sorkin. Everybody is waiting for something that is just as brilliant, informative, funny, dramatic and did I say brilliant as West Wing. And again this is not it. BUT, even mediocre Sorkin is a cut and a half above a lot of other shows. This show has a lot of possibility, Jeff Daniels has the gravitas and charisma to cary a show like this, Mackenzie will be a great charaters once they've toned down the hysterics a bit, Allison Pill is very believable, some of the dialogue is already great, and the narrative device of telling last years news is pretty ingenious and works very well for me.

This. So much this.

I know a few people who already dropped the show because none of the characters were particularly likeable. And while I agree that none of the characters are the kind that you instantly take to (maybe...Charlie? Mackenzie's second in command?) I actually quite like that. Why not have a group of flawed characters for once. Sometimes I do appreciate it if characters have to work for me to get invested in them, you know? Sometimes, I like having to stick around for a while to get to know these people to find out what makes them tick. (For example, I initially didn't particularly like anyone on HIMYM. Now it's my fave show in the world.)

And like you said, even mediocre Sorkin is still about twice as good as regular tv drama. And I like the fact that The Newsroom has the same idealistic approach that TWW had (still only up to season two, though...*fails* I just never have the time to give the show the attention it deserves). As in, "Something is wrong here, see how things could be if they were done right."

And White Collar? I loved how Peter pulled Neal into that hug and it took Neal a moment to hug Peter back, almost as if he wasn't quite used to meaning so much to another person. Oh, show!

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

I so envy you that you still have all that West Wing goodness ahead of you. That is an amazing show. But even if Newsroom is not THAT kind of good, it's got a lot to offer. I kind of like that Sorkin is not giving us intantly likeable characters. It's a bit like he's saying to the viewers 'unless you're putting some effort in as well, and invest some time, this show is not for you!'

and it took Neal a moment to hug Peter back
That, right there! That moment broke my heart a little bit, in a good way. Peter being so open and unreservedly happpy about finding Neil, and Neil not really allowing himself to just let go, you can see his brief hesitation and slight stiffness.

[legoline.livejournal.com]

It's a bit like he's saying to the viewers 'unless you're putting some effort in as well, and invest some time, this show is not for you!'

Exactly. This. I have a feeling that in good time we'll get to know these people bit by bit, and even though they will still be flawed we will also come to appreciate them, perhaps love them. Like in the last episode when it turned out Maggie has panic attacks. It came as a complete surprise to me, but it also showed a different side of her and she instantly became more than the overly eager new kid.

and Neil not really allowing himself to just let go, you can see his brief hesitation and slight stiffness.
Yes, yes! I loved the little moment where Neal just stiffened and didn't do anything until he finally hugged Peter back. Oh, show! Oh, show! ...and now I'm hoping for much angst in the next episode. The trailer looks good in any case :-)

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm trying to stay away from trailers as previews as much as possible, I've got a severe case of spoilerphobia....but it's good to know the next episode looks promising.