Full of glee!

Ok, so I love television quite a bit. Like, more than most people. I love escaping for 30-60 minutes (or more for a finale) and enjoying a world outside my own, focusing on characters and their concerns and strange worlds. I usually feel better when I'm watching TV than when I'm doing very nearly anything else. But it's pretty rare that television makes me truly happy, uplifted, excited, and blah blah blah. And that's what Glee just did.

It's funny, because I almost didn't watch this fantastic show (which, as you may have already guessed, gets an A++ in my book). I kind of have this vendetta against Fox, since they air that stupid show that's ruining our culture and once upon a time they cancelled Firefly. So only extreme things can draw me to this network-things like J.J. Abrams, Joss Whedon, and apparently, incessant promos showing a bunch of kids singing "Rehab" as well as Jane Lynch yelling about her hepatitis. But in the end, I had nothing else to do on a Tuesday night, so why not watch the show about a glee club, right?

Glee begins with our handsome high school Spanish teacher noting a trophy case displaying the glory days of William McKinley High's glee club, of which he was the golden boy. Cheesy, right? A lot about this show is. Most of the characters are fairly stock, with the token overachiever good girl, jock who really wants to sing, gay theater nerd who gets thrown in the dumpster, etc etc. But there's a few things that elevate Glee above its teen genre forefathers and risk of musical silliness (I'm looking at you, Cop Rock). Every single character is developed beyond the blurbs I just wrote, and every single one of them is completely lovable for it. I love that Rachel's pursuit for perfection is muddled with loneliness and desire to be admired and respected. I love that Finn got his love for music from his mother's weed whacking boyfriend singing Journey as he destroyed their lawn. I love that Will wants the glee club to succeed so badly that he'll blackmail a student to join by pretending another teacher's weed belonged to the kid. I think quirky is an accurate word for Glee, and a lot of it is in the casting. Yeah, I was reeled in by the always awesome Jane Lynch and the under-appreciated Jayma Mays (few Pushing Daisies guest stars were ever so memorable-and speaking of that, apparently Kristin Chenoweth guests on Glee in the fall!). But literally everyone is awesome, right down to the budget crunching principal and the bully who learns that chicks don't have prostates. Now take these fantastic people to watch and give them something everyone can relate to: a seemingly out of reach goal. This glee club operates on $60 a month supplied by its advisor and it could feasibly have its ass handed to it by rival schools. Who hasn't had some similar David vs. Goliath struggle in their life?

My high school didn't have a glee club, but I was a proud member of the OCHS Drama Guild (Oh yes-we were a guild). And actually, I see a lot of similarities between OCHS and William McKinley High. As Finn noted in his wonderful stand up to the rest of the football team moment, they are all losers, jocks and glee club alike, only half of them will even go to college, and only about two will leave the state to do it. That's kind of how I grew up-people would ignore our plays in favor of watching the football team lose miserably, and most of the kids I graduated with ended up in schools in NJ and PA, if they even went to school at all. So I relate to Glee-I feel kindred to the kids in New Direction and feel like their possible success would be as vicariously satisfying for me as it clearly is for Will. 

In addition to being emotionally satisfying, I have to say, I really do even just love the music. Yeah, it's a little cliche to use "Don't Stop Believin'" in the context that they did, but damned if it didn't make me smile. Because ultimately, this show is just pure fun. In the midst of all the shows I know I want to watch, with complicated narratives, shocking death, time travel, dimension travel, and whatnot, Glee is giving me something I didn't even realize I need. This show makes me feel better about the world-I'm happy, giddy, verging on dancing, and absolutely consumed with glee.

ABC Makes Mistakes

Let it be known that Scrubs will always be one of my favorite shows. It has the best comedy pilot I've ever seen, and on May 6th, aired quite possibly the most satisfying series finale of any I've seen to date. It was truly a finale for the fans, with nods to earlier episodes as well as appearances from the most loved, most hilarious, and most likely forgotten by fans other than myself characters. Characters ended up just where I wanted them, loose ends were all tied up, and I cried like a baby.

And then I read that apparently Scrubs has been renewed for a 9th season.

Admittedly, even this past season shouldn't have happened per my standards. I think a reasonable run for a show is 5-7 seasons--anything less, and I haven't had enough, anything more and it's getting stale. However, given last year's WGA strike stunting season 7 at 11 episodes, as well as my violent opposition to my beloved medical comedy series ending with a flimsily constructed fairytale fantasy episode, I was ok with ABC picking up Scrubs for one more season. And when the season started in January, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Scrubs was getting back to its roots, nicely balancing silliness with more poignant storylines, and perhaps most importantly to this nerdy shipper, reuniting J.D. and Elliot (with the by-product of one of my favorite Scrubs episodes ever, "My Cookie Pants"). Season 8 of Scrubs was a fantastic one, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to watch.

However, as much as I enjoyed season 8, as well as most of the new characters added (Denise/"Jo"=purely awesome and hilarious, but Ed=annoying as hell), I can't get on board with a season 9 and will only watch if there is absolutely nothing on during that timeslot (or they put it against Idol and I'm feeling spiteful). For one thing, Zach Braff is only returning for 6 episodes, and John C. McGinley and Neil Flynn are attached to other pilots for the fall. Yes, the new interns are fun and "Their Story II" proved them engaging on their own, but the reason I've watched for 8 seasons has been for the same characters I've grown to know and love. To continue without all of them would be a betrayal to loyal fans such as myself. 

But more importantly, the show ended. What began with J.D.'s first day at Sacred Heart, appropriately titled "My First Day", concluded with his last day at Sacred Heart, proclaimed as "My Finale". He went from scared intern to goofy attending to a real grown up, riding off to St. Vincent's and beyond, to a life with Elliot and eventual family ties with Turk. He finally got his hug from Dr. Cox, and we finally learned Janitor's name (Glenn Matthews, in case you missed it).

Look, I get it. Scrubs makes more money than most of us are likely to see in our lifetimes in syndication, and even in initial run keeps a consistent, if a little low, number of viewers. And yeah, it's easier to keep something old running than get something new started. There's a built in audience for Scrubs; the same can't be said for the number of pilots rejected this year because ABC is keeping this on the schedule instead. I know television is a business, since only a business could be cold enough to keep Dancing With the Stars around but put Pushing Daisies six feet under. But regardless of business, I hope ABC and all other networks eventually might start acting with their brains and not their wallets. 

Why yes, I do have excellent taste in TV!

Ok, it's summer, and I can't guarantee I'll keep up with this come September, but I swear I'll try. If you're reading this, I assume/hope that you know me and therefore know that I love television and rarely stop talking about it. Clearly, to take that obsession to the next level as well as bring me up to date with 2002, the next step was to create a blog. So I give you this stunning insight into my taste in television, which naturally is much better than most people's. Expect lots of fun lists, like the old Facebook posts below, as well as reviews, rants, and recaps, and of course, obnoxious LOST theories. Oh, and quite the insistence that above all, I am right about everything pertaining to TV. Enjoy :)

Favorite Lost Episodes (so far)

So tomorrow marks the 100th episode of Lost! And because of shenanigans like thishttp://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/04/lost-the-best-e.html , I've been thinking about what episodes rank as my favorites. Unlike EW, I have more than just a couple, and in fact am enough of a dork to have chosen 15 simply because it's one of the numbers. Now, here's my disclaimer: I wouldn't say these are all necessarily the best episodes. I just happen to really, really like them. Each of these has contributed spectacularly to my television experience in some way or another. Enjoy this more than I enjoyed the nosebleed I got this morning while I was simply thinking "Hey, tomorrow's Wednesday, yay Lost!", and feel free to tell me which episodes you think are clearly better than anything I like.

15. "The Long Con" (Season 2, Episode 13-Sawyer)
I'm not sure if I can think of a more nicely paralleled island story/backstory episode. Few things that season made me smile as much as hearing that there's a new sheriff in town.

14. "Numbers" (Season 1, Episode 18-Hurley)
I remember watching the first season and reaching a point where basically everyone had gotten a flashback except Hurley. And I wondered if maybe he wasn't going to get one-maybe the fat funny guy was really nothing more than comic relief. Well, no, he's not. Hurley's got some real problems, biggest among them guilt and paranoid fear. And yes, 4-8-15-16-23-42.

13. "There's No Place Like Home" (Season 4, Episodes 12-14-Oceanic 6)
No, I'm not cheating by listing 3 episodes as one. Finales are meant to be a unit! And this one blew me away (no, that wasn't a freighter pun). I was just rewatching this today on the T, and there are 3 things that truly stand out, all from the last hour: Sun losing Jin (and Yunjin Kim's perfect performance), Ben pushing the frozen donkey wheel (I love typing that), and Desmond and Penny's reunion (nothing on television has ever made me happier).

12. "Flashes Before Your Eyes" (Season 3, Episode 8-Desmond)
Also known as the episode spent largely in a continuous flashback. Despite containing a song that came out in 1998 (Sarah McLaughlin's "Building a Mystery" can be faintly heard when Penny makes Desmond tea) when it's supposed to be 1996, we get a lot of great information here, as well as the introduction of Mrs. Hawking/Momma Faraday/Ellie. And poor Desmond not wanting to leave 1996 :(. Also, it should be said that while I'm pretty much violently opposed to marriage, that engagement ring was gorgeous.

11. "The Economist" (Season 4, Episode 3-Sayid)
You know, torturer Sayid is alright, but assassin Sayid is (as I've previously noted) such a baller. This is an episode full of fun spy crap, ending with the perfect Ben-as-evil-veterinarian reveal. Love, love, love.

10. "La Fleur" (Season 5, Episode 8-Sawyer)
I really love Lost's nerdy, extra sci-fi episodes. I frakking live for them. But sometimes, I just want to see someone be awesome. And here, Sawyer is as awesome as we've ever seen him, a natural leader, great boyfriend, supportive friend, etc etc. The only thing that sucks is that he'll probably break Juliet's heart, and while I'm actually a Skater, I don't approve of hurting Juliet.

9. "I Do" (Season 3, Episode 6-Kate)
I think I'm the only person left who still likes Kate. While hot bear cage sex is a source of humor for many Lost fans, I prefer to take that as simply primetime porn and move on to the fascinating flashbacks. Many people I know who have given up on Kate have done so because they think she's become too domesticated and safe, and that we've forgotten her violent patricide and ease with a gun. Here, we see a Kate who tries the Stepford thing and solidly rejects it. I really don't think she left Kevin because she was worried about getting in trouble or getting him in trouble; I think she left because she knew it wasn't the right place for her. This is a woman who doesn't do taco night. And ok, Nathan Fillion never hurts.

8. "Ji Yeon" (Season 4, Episode 7-Sun and Jin)
Dear Academy of Television Arts and Sciences,
You owe Yunjin Kim an Emmy. 
Love,
Amy

7. "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" (Season 5, Episode 7)
Now, despite Matthew Fox and his silly crying faces, Lost has one of the strongest casts I've ever seen. No offense to the rest of the ensemble, but Terry O'Quinn kicks all their asses (Michael Emerson's only marginally, though). Even more heartbreaking than watching John Locke lose his legs was watching him lose his faith.

6. "Not in Portland" (Season 3, Episode 7-Juliet)
Remember "A Tale of Two Cities", when we met Juliet and she seemed kind of like a robot bitch? Lots of Lost moments truly resonate with me, but few so much as hearing Elizabeth Mitchell's heartbreaking delivery of "I'm not a leader, Mr. Alpert. I'm a mess".

5. "Raised By Another" (Season 1, Episode 10-Claire)
For the first handful of episodes I ever watched, I pretty much enjoyed the show without being remarkably attached to it. Yeah, it was great, but I guess I didn't know who I was rooting for. Then the themes of fate and destiny were tied to the innocent pregnant girl, and I suddenly cared so, so much about this show. Although it has a chronological predecessor that I think is technically better, this is where I really fell in love with Lost.

4. "Greatest Hits" (Season 3, Episode 21-Charlie)
Once upon a time, a feud began between myself and the fantastic OCHS AP Gov teacher, Kevin Smith. He insisted that Charlie must die, and I fiercely disagreed. Then Desmond told Charlie he was going to die, and like a relative of someone terminally ill, I was in some serious denial. After all, he kept getting rescued! Then this episode began, and by the second flashback I was in tears and didn't stop until the very end. And like any good hopeless romantic, I knew his #1 moment would be meeting Claire.

3. "The 23rd Psalm" (Season 2, Episode 10-Eko)
The idea that the island is a place to redeem oneself is easily one of the most prominent themes in Lost, and it's strongest in our Nigerian drug lord turned priest. So much intense backstory, and even just on the island, seeing Eko and Charlie pray together was fantastic.

2. "Walkabout" (Season 1, Episode 4-Locke)
This is actually the first full episode of Lost I ever saw, and I was mesmerized by Terry O'Quinn (who up until then had been just "Kendall from Alias" to me), the badassery and intense faith of John Locke, and the stunning reveal that prior to the crash he was paraplegic. I still get emotional watching Locke moments after the crash wiggle his toes and stand up.

1. "The Constant" (Season 4, Episode 5-Desmond)
I've watched this an unreasonable amount of times, and am quite convinced that it's a perfect episode of television. See my full rant here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=115461135001


Also, I feel the need for a rapid fire list of the worst episodes:

4. "What Kate Did" (Season 2, Episode 9-Kate)
Black horse + Sawyer channelling Wayne = lame.

3. "Fire + Water" (Season 2, Episode 12-Charlie)
Lost at its most trippy, plus there is nothing good about Locke punching Charlie. Or baby stealing or pianos in the ocean, for that matter.

2. "Something Nice Back Home" (Season 4, Episode 10-Jack)
Ok, so I do have my shipper bias, but come on-nothing good happens when Jack and Kate are together. She's too good for him. And even worse, we have the even more too good for him Juliet moping about him on the island.

1. "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Season 3, Episode 9-Jack)
I CANNOT TATTOO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best TV of '08

It's that time of year again-time for me to pretend like my opinion matters a lot more than anyone else's and tell you all exactly what the best TV of this year was. Same rules as last year: episodic basis, only one episode per series, and no reality TV since there aren't writers or actors (plus, the only good reality shows are Project Runway and Top Chef). So here they are: enjoy!


10. The Office "Goodbye, Toby"
I have to admit, I haven't been the biggest Office fan as of late, and probably watch the show out of force of habit/crush on John Krasinski more than anything. However, "Goodbye, Toby" flipped my expectations, made me laugh quite a lot, and involved Supertramp. Sold!

9. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia "Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life" 
Season 4 of Always Sunny was totally hit or miss, and for some reason had an episode completely revolving around poop, but what could be better than Dennis in an institution with Sinbad and Rob Thomas screaming at him? That's what I thought.

8. Fringe "Power Hungry" 
Ok, so this fall has been all around disappointing in terms of new series, so it's really not difficult for Fringe to emerge as the best new show of 08. And yeah, I fully expect Abrams to ignore it and cross his fingers that things don't go to shit when he leaves, because while he's a genius, he's not the most responsible show creator. However, let's rewind to the genius part--what everyone thought was a rip off of The X-Files has turned out to be...ok, a rip off of The X-Files, but with better production value, interesting characters, a cool evil organization looming over everything paranormal, and classic Abrams cliffhangers. It's so good, in fact, I had trouble picking a favorite episode-so since my stomach is on the weaker side, I'm sticking with the one with ridiculous electricity stuff and a badass elevator crash (Alias homage, anyone?)

7. Gossip Girl "All About My Brother" 
I'm kind of on a this-show-can-do-no-wrong basis with Gossip Girl, and actually Josh Schwartz in general, so it's a little hard for me to be objective. What I'll say is that this episode handled the scandal of "the gay bomb" dropping with realism, drama, and grace, and gave us the biggest and best battling between Blair and Jenny the show has seen to date (ending just as it should!). Oh, and this line: "Dating a gay guy is an honest mistake, but lying to your girlfriends about sex is unforgivable!"

6. 30 Rock "Episode 210" 
I've bitched about 30 Rock's reliance on big-name guest stars to anyone who'll listen, so it's no surprise my favorite episode of the year was one where the most recognizable guest was Grandpa Gilmore. Seriously though, there is nothing to not like about this episode. Exhibit A: Liz Lemon drinking wine from the bottle while running on a treadmill, as well as singing Alanis Morrisette. Exhibit B: "Industry castrates art. The only honor is in suicide" (German sitcoms, of course). Exhibit C: The cast singing "Midnight Train to Georgia".

5. Chuck "Chuck versus the Gravitron" 
Ok, I was pretty tempted to pick "Chuck versus the Sensei" because and only because of Carl Lumbly--but this episode is too damned good ignore. I have to admit I was a little more than apprehensive when they brought in the whole Jill plotline this season, but I think it played out surprisingly well, and in this episode in particular. I love that Chuck grew a pair, and like any good shipper, I love Chuck and Sarah and seeing threats to that relationship quashed is always a good thing.

4. Battlestar Galactica "Revelations" 
When the fleet reached Earth, I cried and cheered as much as the crew members of the Galactica. Then there was a commercial break, and I though "Huh. What now?". The "what now" broke my heart, and prevented me from breathing for quite a while, because that's the thing about this show: underneath the brilliant mythology and badass space battles, all that matters is the people.

3. Pushing Daisies "Circus Circus" 
Fuck you, ABC! Die in a fire! This may shock anyone who's ever heard me talk about Alias at all, but I can honestly say that I've never been more angry over a show's cancellation than Pushing Daisies. Look no further than "Circus Circus" for evidence as to how clever, cute, and perfect this show is. Ok, I hate clowns. A lot. They are absolutely freaky, and weird, and I don't understand what could ever be remotely likable about a clown. Clowns suck like nothing in this world (with the exception of the people making decisions at ABC). This episode is full of clowns and I loved it-it's that good. Well, a mini car full of clowns does die. And then they all get pulled out of a pond, clown after clown, and it's one of the best visual gags this show has done (second only to the MILF bus in "The Norwegians"). Also, poor sad mime in love!!!!!

2. Mad Men "Meditations in an Emergency" 
Every week Mad Men was on this semester I (annoyingly) reminded Tori that come SAG Awards time, her voting absolutely had to recognize this honestly flawless cast, since so far only Jon Hamm has actually won anything. And yeah, I'd like Jon Hamm to keep winning acting awards, but season 2 was all about the women for me, so hats off to January Jones, taking Betty from fragile to frakking crazy. Because I know if I found out I was pregnant with my third child with my estranged cheating husband, I'd go bang some dude I met in a bar and then go home and eat a leg of chicken. But a bigger hats off to Elisabeth Moss, bringing Peggy to come to terms with and clear her conscience of her affair with Pete and the baby that resulted from it. I'm certain her speech towards the end of this episode is what clenched her SAG nod, and I'm sure we'll see it played again come Emmy time.

1. Lost "The Constant"
I've learned something interesting and surprising about myself fairly recently: I'm a girly girl who gets sucked into viewing onscreen romance. This isn't to say I'm disappointing the sixteen year old version of myself and lining up to see chick flicks and romantic comedies; rather, I'm unhealthily obsessed with relationship melodrama. Syd and Vaughn, Buffy and Angel, Jim and Pam, and even J.D. and Elliot--I care about all of these fictional sometime couples and what happens to them way more than a reasonable person might, and still my emotional investment in them pales in comparison to how I feel about Desmond and Penny.
For those of you who aren't avid Lost viewers, allow me to summarize their ordeal to put it into context: Desmond and Penny met following his expulsion from a monastary, and dated long enough to live together with him preparing to propose, only to leave her due to destiny bullshit. They broke up in 1996; in 2001, Desmond set out on a sailing trip sponsored by Penny's father to win his respect and her back, only to wind up on The Island. Meanwhile, in the 3 years he's been missing, Penny's been looking for him.
Regardless of the romance, "The Constant" is a superb 43 minutes and 32 seconds of television, breaking boundaries in terms of narrative structure, making my jaw drop with sound and picture editing, sound effects, and cinematography, as well as showcasing some of the strongest acting performances this show (or any show) has ever seen. I don't know for certain, but I don't doubt, that this is the episode submitted for Emmy consideration that earned Lost its first Outstanding Drama Series nomination since its win in 2005, since it's just that flawless and even works as a standalone episode while still fitting perfectly into the story arc of season 4. However, those reasons are not what drive my emotional response to this episode--that lies in a brief, perfect, important, deserved, and poignant phone call. LOST has given us too many tearful reunions for me to count-here, Penny saves Desmond's life by picking up her phone. Even without those stakes, that she still cares about him eight years later is the kind of stuff that can make even a cranky, cynical, cold bitch such as myself believe in true love and destiny. "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2" ranked pretty high for me, and for a lot of the same reasons, but without "The Constant", the best part of that episode wouldn't have happened--and what a terrible world that would be.
(Sidenote: if Ben kills Penny, I will kill him.)

Best TV of '07

Following a cue from Entertainment Weekly and other media outlets who like ranking things, I’ve decided to rank my top ten TV episodes of 2007. I didn’t use multiple episodes from the same show, and almost half are from new shows, incidentally. Also, I ignored reality, because I’m a writer and I’m stubborn. Enjoy.

10) “Pigeon”-Pushing Daisies
So in spite of how much SOME critics like to mock it, I personally think this show is awesome overall. This particular episode wins for me because it has so much going on but never seems disconnected; Ned and Chuck struggle with their physical boundaries, Olive forges a friendship with Lily and Vivian and somehow almost Chuck, the psycho murderer has an endearing love story involving a pigeon messengering love letters...yeah, it’s fricken’ awesome.

9) “Take It Like a Man”-Men in Trees
I may be burnt out on this show thanks to writing it, plus this season has overall blown, but it’s not enough to make me forget this gem from February. Any show that makes me laugh and think while working the whole gender-roles issue is awesome by my standards. Damn, I miss when this show was still good.

8) “Love, Bullets and Blacktop”-Reaper
Reaper is definitely the funniest new show of the season, mostly due to Sock. I have yet to see an episode I don’t love, but this one tops because the vessel used to capture escaped souls from hell is an 8-track that plays “Radar Love”. Talk about a great running joke.

7) “The Wedding”-Dirty Sexy Money
I think this is where this show hit its stride for me-sure, it was always good, but here it rocked the house. Karen whispering to Nick that she wanted a divorce right after Freddy professed his love for her was priceless-who doesn’t love a good 45 minute marriage? That said, the additional storyline with Brian and his baby mama drama was pretty sweet too.

6) “Crash Into Me (parts 1 & 2)-Grey’s Anatomy
A lot of my reasoning here might just be because Gizzie ends here. But really, talk about intense surgical and personal drama. The season kind of blew, and then it came back and kicked ass with this two-parter. Hooray.

5) “Hi, Society”-Gossip Girl
Grandmama drama! And now that that’s out of my system, this show has only had one shitty episode so far, so it’s hard to pick favorite, but this one stands out because of the class wars and relationship drama. When even Serena and Dan are having problems, I’m glued.

4) “The Negotiation”-The Office
Exhibit A: Michael trying to get a pay raise aided by Darryl.
Exhibit B: Angela’s obsession with Dwight’s heroics.
Exhibit C; Pam and Roy (finally!) parting ways.

3) “Take Me As I Am”-Big Love
I think half the reason the season finale sucked for me was because this episode preceded it and kicked so much ass. Barb struggling drama is the best kind of drama, with the need to be accepted by her mother, her desire to have Bill as she used to have him (to herself), and her loyalty to the family she now has all colliding. Also notable: Sarah telling off Bill, Benny being an immature tool, and Nikki using Margene to rally against Barb.

2) “Not In Portland”-Lost
There are several episodes that could have been in this place, but this wins, and solely because of Elizabeth Mitchell’s performance. That woman was the most ripped off by Emmy nominations out of anyone-I mean, I love Katherine Heigl and all, but nothing grabbed me this year nearly as much as “I’m not a leader, Mr. Alpert. I’m a mess”.

1) “Rosemary’s Baby”-30 Rock
30 Rock is the best show on television, and if you disagree, you’ve either not seen it or you’re a fucking moron. Add Carrie Fisher as crazy, drunk hippie writer living in Litle Chechnya, and Alec Baldwin acting out black stereotypes, and I could not be more in love with the medium I want to work in someday.