New Directions Indeed

Remember when Glee had only two characters: Rachel and Finn? Well, thank God they finally put those two (at least as a couple) on the back burner as a sub-plot. Right now all I want is more Kurt. GIVE ME MORE KURT. Oh, wait, they are? You say that's all they've been focusing on? Well, that's fine by me.

What I'd really like to know though is how much of this bullying storyline they were going to have before the bullying started in real life. It seems too serendipitous to be believable. Either way, I'm glad it is happening. Even as a college graduate I appreciate this story line as though I were a gay little high school student finally able to watch a hero modeled after the challenges not only I, but gays across the country have faced. (I'm not saying I got shoved against lockers or death threats, but the general idea of being singled out, without like role-models, and ultimately searching for a place of complete acceptance [which for me, was the bubble on college hill of Brown University]).

I don't really even know where to start with talking about how damn good this episode was. Glee clearly is showing that bullying should not be tolerated in any sense, and Sue Sylvester, like a vampire with a soul (I've been re-watching Angel recently...) starts to show, not even what I would call her soft side, but showing her intolerance for intolerance. Thank you, Sue, for being the beacon of light for justice.

While Sue and most of the Glee guys stood up for Kurt, even taking some punches for him in Sam's case, Finn, in his eternal uncomfortableness with anything gay, just gets relentlessly sh*t on by everyone in the show for not sticking up for Kurt. At first, it seemed justified, but then it was just almost randomly, like when Tina pointed out (I think multiple times) that everyone, "except Finn," fought for Kurt. Even Puck wanted to, but couldn't because of his probation.

[Side note: I can't wait to see what they do with Puck's character as they start to portray him more and more as a kid who feels no one cares about him and thus almost quits school, but I'm guessing Schuester will show him the exact opposite and Puck will come around as a shining student.]

Aaaaand back to Finn. The guy could not have redeemed himself more with his wedding speech, and Chris Colfer could not be doing a better job overall reacting so appropriately to every situation thrown at him. I hate that I hated this guy right away. I thought it was going to be just another queeny caricature, but he has turned the character into one of the most believable in the series. I'm sure he'll be a huge gay icon for the rest of his life.

Now, my dad pointed out that the storyline in Glee is getting ridiculous and unbearable. This came about mostly after Sam pre-pre-proposed (Arrested Development anyone?) to Quinn. At first I was inclined to agree with him, that this story line was ridiculous and a waste of time. HOWEVER. With a show that doesn't exactly glorify sex, but in a large part emphasizes high school students having sex, these two should be a breath of fresh air for the more conservative crowd watching the show. As cheesy as it may seem, there's something to be said about portraying high school students who are choosing to wait to have sex (even if Quinn already popped out a child from down under). I say, see where this goes, and hopefully it doesn't become cheesier.... hopefully.

Ultimately. Ending that episode with Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" was easily one of the most beautiful moments this show has had yet, and I'm sure they'll just keep on coming.

Also, I'll leave you with, what I wouldn't call their best song ever, but Kurt's new bf singing Soul Sister. (I have to say though I love Rachel's interactions with Finn. She clearly isn't as self-involved as the show makes her out to be sometimes... okay all of the time/ the picture on Hulu makes it look like Santana has some hot singing to do this week at sectionals. BAM.)

Fennopian

This is an Armageddon only Buffy could stop...

Everyone. Let's say this together.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

Apparently some bimbo named Whit Anderson is planning on remaking Buffy. Okay, that would be fine except... Joss Whedon wants no part of it. Apparently he's said that it is something better left untouched by him. I'm guessing this means, "I can't believe someone would remake this character after I perfected it. Now there's nothing I can do to stop them, but I'm certainly not going to help either. I'll sit back and watch the train wreck."

Let's be real. Buffy sans Whedon is like Fargo without snow. It just doesn't happen. It wouldn't be the same and it certainly can't be better. (Yes I realize what this is implying about Fargo, but I don't care. I like snow. It's nice here, even if it does get to -40 F... and C!) 

Who wants to see anyone but Sarah Michelle Gellar play Buffy. SMG is Buffy. Buffy is SMG. Watching another actress (pah. more like wannabe) try to create this character anew is a fidiot. Also, if they pick someone famous to play her, well then they're totally screwed. If you're going to reinvent Buffy make everything about it new including the actress. Every person that's part of the production had better be a fan of the show and know how to give credit where credit is due.

How will she create a love interest that gets even close to reaching the throne of Angel or the seat of Spike? She won't. So already we have strike one.

Who is this villain going to be? The First? Already done it. Someone close to her? Been there. Done that. Twice. A super evil vampire? ooo... original. Give me a break. (Seriously though, if you have kit-kats, I'll take 'em.)

Also, try to make her best friends as awesome. I dare you.

If you do want to pay tribute to the show, wanna maybe give her a sister, name her Dusk, and then kill her off in the beginning, which is what Whedon should have done with Michelle Trachtenberg (who, by the way, has her own detective show coming out on the CW... seriously CW... you've just become that lazy that you're giving her her own show? [ Which apparently is just like Veronica Mars starring Kristen Bell, who is infinitely better in every way than Trachtenwhore.

Ultimately. Shame on you Whit Anderson for even considering doing this project.

As for whether I'll go see the movie or not... Undecided. I would love to go and rip it apart, but I also don't want it to taint my memories of the show. (BTW I haven't seen the original movie which the show is based off of [both by Whedon], but that's only because it doesn't have SMG... we might get married.).

Fennopian

The Big C

Nothing has made me cry so hard and like such a little baby than this shows season finale. It was a real tear jerker at the end of episode already, but the final minutes, after being built up for two episodes, broke the dam which held my tears back, and the only reason i held back the audible sounds was as to not alert my roommate that I was expressing so much emotion.

I had heard great things about this show, but decided to wait until the entire first season was over to watch it, and watch it I did. One day. 13 episodes. Me and this show grew intimate. The relationship started out rough, but she grew on me.

Premise: Cathy, played by Laura Linney, has stage 4 melanoma. She hasn't told anyone she knows including her husband, son, and brother. She takes a new stance on life and treats the idea lightly making jokes and using it to justify her actions.

I initially was bothered by the acting, or, the directing. I say acting because initially you can' see any pattern in the way the characters interact with each other, but as the show progressed on I grew more accustomed to the way Laura Linney was essentially narrating every thought that went though her head, and I suppose, when you know you have a short amount of time to live, why wouldn't you just begin to express your feelings, view points, and what not to everyone around you since it could be the last way you could affect the world.

She has a brother, Sean, who is initially a very weird, unsettling character. He's chosen to be homeless and dumpster dives for food. Basically, he's a Brown student, I'd like to say exaggerated to the max, but I'm not sure it's even necessary or true.

Her son. Her son gives me the most conflicting emotions ever. The actor is the absolute worst ever. However, it is his character that gives this show it's best moment, which, will honestly be extremely hard to top, although not necessary to top either. It's unbelievable. The whole season is worth watching if just for that one scene.

That girl from Precious is occasionally on the show as well. I never saw precious, but if her acting was just as bad in that movie as it is in this show, well, Mariah Carey and that other woman's performance must have been ridic. Her character also isn't that dynamic in the show, so, I feel like they almost added her just to claim that they had the actress.

Eventually the lesbian from Sex and the City, Cynthia Nixon, joins the cast and is actually a breath of fresh air. We get a pretty real character, with perfect casting.

Oliver Platt plays her husband with whom she's separated since she found out she had cancer. She kicks him out of HIS house, however, you don't really ever care for him. I feel you're not really supposed to care about anyone in this show except her and how everyone reacts to her.

The beauty of this show comes from how well it pulls you into the life of someone living with terminal cancer. Her choices always seem justified, her actions are never truly reprehensible, even when she cheats on her husband, you are coerced into somehow agreeing that she isn't doing anything wrong, because why shouldn't she be able to experience whatever she wants, which is what the show really comes down to, new experiences, experiencing life how you want, and not giving a rat's ass what others think of your actions. No feelings of being judged.

Ultimately, I'd love to go deeper into plot lines and the such, but honestly, you NEED to watch this show. It is absolutely amazing and it ends with a conflicting concoction of emotions.

Fennopian

Weeds. Season 6 Finale. H'oh my God.

 

Cliffhangers definitely help some shows survive (like True Blood this season which would expectedly have a boring episode with a huge cliffhanger that was quickly and efficiently solved within the first 5 minutes of the following episode). Weeds has perfected this though without the overkill that other shows rely upon. The beginning of the season begins with a jolt at the beginning lagging off of the previous season finale, but quickly dissipates to a calmer more serene yet mysterious scene. Gradually as the episodes go by the stakes inevitably get higher and the end of the episode makes you want more and more with each episode. The show has essentially perfected the art of being a tease. Every time I watch the show it just builds up so much except without the relief at the end like a great... massage.

What is plan C? What the hell is plan C? (Put in a really bad Plan B joke here if you want, but I'm better than to subject you to that.) I felt like yelling at the TV every time Nancy or Andy mentioned the ominous plan C. We get that its dire. We get you're stressed. But thank God they didn't say anything till the end, because plan C was well worth the wait.

For how unrealistic the show's plot may be, the characters reactions, except maybe Andy's, always come off like, "I totally get why she made that decision, because if she were a real person, that's what she would do." Instead of, "Oh, I get why they wrote him to do that, so they could advance the plot this way." I know we're going to get an explanation for Nancy's bold, death sentence decision, but even more important than that are the other characters reactions to her actions.

Estaban's slap. That bitch totally deserved it. She stole his damn child. Who wouldn't slap her?

I wish they had explored Silas finding out who his real father is a bit more. I don't care about the actual dad, I just want to see Silas react more long term with Nancy about the whole thing. Maybe they'll somehow be able to bring that as a semi-major story arc next season, but I doubt it. His choice in the end was easily predicted, but I'd say he's probably the most reliable character on that show.

I loved how they brought in the old creepy guy who used to be Nancy's teacher and still is Nancy's admirer/stalker, and then made ya feel kinda bad for him in the end while still helping out Nancy's family. That's some real dedication.

Also, leave it to Jenji Kohan to address some huge political issue's most taboo subjects like America's treatment of the Mid East, and obviously not Michigan! 

Ultimately, I think that ending actually outdid Season 5. It was unbelievable. 

Jenji says that next season will most likely be the final season.

I'll now leave you with this to Ponder from 

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/11/16/weeds-creator-says-next-season-may-be-the-last/

"In my mind, it is [the final season]," Kohan told TV Guide after last night's season 6 finale. "Everyone's contract is up next year, [including] the actors and mine. Seven years is a good run, and I'd rather leave while on top. I'd never say never, but I have a feeling this might be it."

So how will it end? Kohan has an idea -- but she's not going to tell you. "I would never reveal [my plans]," she said. "There are two versions of the end of the series that I've had in mind, and it would be figuring out which way to go."

One of those ways could see Nancy dying."Potentially. In a blaze of glory."

I can't wait to see which way she decides, either way though, I know I'll be a completely satisfied customer.

Fennopian.

Looks Like TV is Starting to Come Out of the Closet...

Glee may have started out by catching their audience with flashy song and dances and Lea Michelle's voice, but it has evolved into something so much more than that for so many people across the country now. They were smart to solidify a base audience before they started cracking open that closet door allowing these more serious and seriously gay story lines (also, I find it ironic that Fox has their ultra-conservative tea party lovin' news station, but their network broadcasting station possesses a show with one of the most honest depictions and story lines of a homosexual ever [barring Queer as Folk because obviously on cable you can show a LOT more and boy did they ever]).

Basic run down for those who don't watch Glee (mistake, beeteedubs): Kurt's gay. Kurt has been feeling very alone being the only out kid at his school (already a solid story line that could have been explored on its own). Kurt starts to get bullied constantly by one kid and kind of stands up at one point, but backs down. He hears about an all boys school. He meets new gay kid there (who sings Teenage Dream and everyone swoons, and by everyone I mean everyone who was watching.) New kid tells Kurt to stand up like this new guy didn't. Kurt does, football guy kisses him and then runs away and continues to beat Kurt up (and by beat up I mean shove against a locker).

Okay, so, what issues have been tackled here: Loneliness for the homosexual strong enough to be out in high school; said homosexual gets bullied; said homo searches for others like him that are accepting; said homo fights his bully; said bully is actually gay; Kurt gets his first kiss, from the bully, (not ideal, been there done that sort of. unpleasant.)

What is even more important than the actual issues that they dealt with is how they actually dealt with it in the show. It wasn't like Kurt just stood up to the bully and everything was perfect in Glee world. No, instead even after he approached, with his new beau in tow, the bully, the bully still shoved him against his locker and Kurt knew it wasn't over yet pointing out that bullying doesn't just stop. It is going to be there, and it probably always will, but the important thing is how we deal with it. Do we let the bully win, or do we stand up for ourselves even if it doesn't affect our immediate surroundings?

Blaine, Kurt's new boy toy, is brought in to show Kurt a path he could take, which is the easy way out. Blaine ran away from his old school where he was bullied to this new all boys school. Blaine encourages Kurt to stand up for himself instead and not to run away like he did, which is something he regrets every day. Some have criticized that this gives Kurt too easy of a route having some sort of support system (because no one at the school, including the staff, was helping him out with his problem). I don't think this character should be viewed as a cop-out but rather as a tool to show the audience the two paths one can take: fight or flight. Kurt decides to fight, and I must say  I never imagined so much rage coming out of that scrawny little twink.

Finally, the last major issue they dealt with through Kurt was the idea of faculty not stepping up and understanding the situation enough to help the students who are being bullied or feel different. Scheuster doesn't know how to deal with Kurt when he's upset about having to go on the boys' side of the competition or when he's being bullied. Essentially Scheuster's all, "dude, you're gay, your life is going to be harder, deal." In reality, yeah, this is true, but at the same time it isn't. I mean, yes, homos are going to have to deal with issues that 90 percent of the population will never experience, but at the same time, everyone has their issues to deal with in different ways, but the important part is that people may know how to handle different problems, but when it comes to gays being bullied, we're living in a society where we don't know how to deal with it properly. Hopefully, and I'm sure it will happen, Glee will deal with the administrative side of this issue as well as show how other people are bullied as well.

And I'll just end with this. The kiss between Beaste and Schue was absolutely the most awkward thing ever, and I'm also not sure it was appropriate. Beaste had never been kissed so Schue just takes it upon himself to kiss her even though she didn't ask for it, especially after he went on this rant about how it opens doors to other things, so unless they're planning on those two starting a relationship, bad call, Glee.

Fortunately the rest of the episode was phenom. Can't wait for next week's episode with Gwyneth Paltrow!

Fennopian

In the meantime...

So, yeah, it has been a couple weeks since I've been on here. Unfortunately, for some shows, this hiatus hasn't helped them at all.

The Event - This show still stands to be the worst thing on television right now. The plot has done nothing, the characters have not developed, bar one, the director of the CIA who we recently found out was married to a spy (and in the episode he was all worried about a mole within the CIA blah blah blah ooo look parallels.). I cannot wait for this show to be cancelled. It is a disgrace to NBC to even have it on still.

HIMYM - This season has been a roller coaster of minor peaks and major lows. Luckily they have Barney and Robin who have most of the humor in the show as well as the only emotional story we care about, meaning Barney found out the guy he thought was his uncle is actually his father and Robin is the only other person who knows. I love me some major NPH.

Dexter - Okay, I wanted to not write about Dexter until the season finale, but Jesus Christ, Julia Stiles, get your acting together because you are Forrible. For playing such an important role in Dexter's development, you really don't understand just how great your role is in the grand scheme of things. Maybe if you had any sense at all about the show you'd be able to perform optimally instead of giving us a junior high rendition in a Showtime show.

Glee - This show keeps getting better. Rocky Horror wasn't exactly what I wanted, but you can't replicate the movie. However they really are makin' Santana and Brittany into some uber-dykes, or more appropriately a couple of super hot lipstick lezzies. And the scene with Emma and Schuester. Hot damn. I don't know who wasn't feeling some tinglin' in the nether regions when his shirt came off. The story is only going to get better now as Puck returns and Kurt gets his new bf who sings him some Katy Perry "Teenage Dream" tonight!

NBC Comedy Thursday - Okay, can we please get rid of Outsourced a.k.a. the least funny show ever. The Office has plateaued and 30 Rock is still on top of their game. The stand out however is easily Community. The zombie episode should have been an hour long and it still woudlnt' have been enough Community zombie-fest for me.

Really that's all that has happened since I last wrote so elegantly. Till next time.

Fennopian.