I watched this finale twice, and I still feel like I don't have anything coherent to say about it. I guess it's partly because the past two seasons have had arcs that went more or less from episodes 1 to 12, with one major cliffhanger at the end, while this one ended with multiple stories that all feel like they're only at the halfway point. Don't get me wrong, I'm intrigued to see what happens with Jason as the new...king? mayor?...of Hotshot and Hoyt and Jessica in their new house and Sookie in Fairyland, but it was kind of a manic sprint to the end right there. I hope the writers will use Sookie's time in Fairy Limbo to give the show a solid time jump - the pacing could use some shaking up.
Mad Men
- It's interesting to see various online takes on the Joan storyline, as far as determining whether Joan or Peggy was ultimately "right" in how they handled Joey's all-encompassing asshole behavior. Personally, I think that they're both right for themselves and wrong for each other. Joan's assertion that Peggy will now be seen as a humorless bitch is probably correct, but I'm not sure that Peggy cares about being seen as a humorless bitch. As much as she's listened to Joan's advice in the past, I think at this point, after 3.5 seasons in real time and 5 years in show time, she's accepted that she is not going to be the same kind of workplace woman as Joan. It's not exactly like the whole winning friends and influencing people thing has ever really been her bag. I also think that last week's episode demonstrated that she's only interested in dealing with one man's issues at a time, and for now she's picked Don.
- I don't know that I'd like to see the voiceover continue over into other episodes, but it worked as a dramatic structural shift at least as a one-time deal. I also liked the use of "Satisfaction"; it's probably the most popular period song that the show's used since "Let's Twist Again" in the second season premiere - they usually go more subtle - but it worked as a symbol of Don clearing his head a bit and cluing into what's going on around him. Other reviews I've read have touched on the placement of the lines regarding advertising; I was struck on second viewing how directly they evoked campaigns within and around the show - Lucky Strike ("cigarettes") and Clorox ("how white my shirts can be"), respectively.
- I'm continually fascinated by Betty's lies, omissions and general lack of perspective where Don and her past with Don are concerned. Given the amount of time over this season that we've watched Don be decidedly not okay post-divorce, her view of him living the high life in the city frequently comes off misguided and hyperbolic. I think, though, that it's important to the show and its construction of Don to understand that there's real emotional wreckage for Betty underneath all the childish, manic hostility. However, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have a little hope that one day Betty will encounter Faye - the doctor would likely size her up in a minute, and have fun doing it, too.
Gossip Girl
- Nice to see Katie Cassidy getting more work, as she was easily the best thing about last year's Melrose Place update. I guess "Nate's New Girlfriend" is the CW's "Sorry Your Last Show Didn't Work Out, But We Still Love You" consolation prize. I'm intrigued to see where her seeming stalkerdom goes - she might turn out to be totally legit or the One True Gossip Girl or something, but the character who is straight-up crazy is a beloved soap staple.
- I probably would've been in a bit more suspense if my cable guide hadn't listed the episode blurb as "Chuck arrives in Paris," but whatever. The show's great at setting up good season-ending cliffhangers, but it usually takes them a few episodes to get the ball rolling plot-wise on the new season.
90210
I have to confess, when I originally heard that 90210's premiere was going to open with an earthquake, I was kind of hoping for something like the series-culminating earthquake in Sweet Valley High, where dozens of characters gathered together to celebrate the twins' birthday and then Olivia Davidson got crushed to death by the Wakefields' fridge and various other tertiary characters met their tragic untimely deaths. (As teen fiction goes, it was extremely dramatic.) And sure, some bad stuff happened, but if you're going to use an earthquake then I think you should really go all in. Otherwise, why are you on the CW?
Life Unexpected
- Probably not one I'll keep writing about, and it'll probably be early to move to the backburner if I get overwhelmed with work or bored (or even go unwatched altogether - of all the networks, the CW's online player is the one I've always had issues with). A lot of the CW shows seem to start their new seasons introducing new characters in a sort of "throw them all at the wall and see who sticks" way that is unfortunately reminiscent of the early second and third seasons of The O.C. and I think that last season showed that the core group of characters could reliably create drama amongst themselves without bringing in too many other people. This was just a very busy premiere.
- Also, I don't buy that an allegedly "best-selling" author would elect to take a job as a local radio personality in Portland, Oregon as opposed to, say, doing a syndicated or satellite show. This past weekend I saw Going the Distance, and one of the things I really liked about the movie was that it was relatively realistic about the characters' jobs, which is something Life Unexpected needs a bit more of regarding local radio.
Sons of Anarchy
- I love Paula Malcomson (SoA is getting Deadwood-tastic!) but I'm starting to need some more clarity on the whole Irish situation. Like, a glossary and a flow chart and maybe some closed captioning.
- I would almost definitely watch a show that was just Gemma and Tig running from the law and imposing themselves on people.
Parenthood
- I'm sure everyone has some Parenthood moment or another that evokes specific memories of growing up; Haddie's driving lessons with Kristina took me back. I learned with my dad, I think at least partly because I'm pretty sure that learning with my mother would have had the "imminent homicide" tone they captured so well here. As much critical acclaim as his shows get, Jason Katims still doesn't get nearly enough credit for his ability to realistically capture teenagers and all their emotions.
- Dirty Sexy Money reunion! Can we have Glenn Fitzgerald and Seth Gabel too?
New Shows:
Top Chef: Just Desserts
Mmmm...sugar. I'm going to use this show as a motivator towards finishing my masters thesis - I've been promised a KitchenAid mixer when I'm done, and watching chefs whip up pastries in this show made me want to throw my hand mixer out the window.
Outlaw
Adjectives fail me as far as this show is concerned. "Implausible" doesn't seem to quite cover it; there are so many factual omissions and implausible plot machinations that I kept wishing I could turn my brain off just so I wouldn't have so many questions. How long has it been since Garza was a trial lawyer? (Someone warns him at one point during this pilot that he'll be disbarred - by which bar?) Are we really supposed to believe that in this celebrity journalism/political blog culture that only Politico would be interested in a Supreme Court justice with a gambling problem? How did this guy get confirmed in the first place? I'm willing to give some leeway with a lot of shows as far as the way things are in "the real world," but the show stating that Garza was appointed by Bush suggests that they should be held to a standard that's not currently being met.
I guess I'm partly disappointed because the central premise, though unlikely, could be handled much better. I couldn't help but wonder what a writer like David E. Kelley or Aaron Sorkin would do with a concept like "Supreme Court justice retires on ideological grounds." At the very least, they'd likely engage - at length - the philosophical question of the efficacy of representing cases on the ground versus continuing to establish and affirm legal precedents by staying on the court. It was only within the past ten years that NBC was airing The West Wing - we can't have moved so far past having network shows that are both intellectually grounded and a reasonably accurate reflection of how the system functions, can we?
Also Watched: Rubicon, Hellcats, Top Chef, Terriers, Nikita
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