For some reason, it hasn't hit me that many people consider this to be the end of a decade - the first of this new century. I'm honestly confused about whether a decade begins with "0" or with "1", but I'll just go with the popular consensus.
This list includes shows that may have started at the end of the 1990s, but to me, they are shows of the decade. This means that one of my favorite shows ever, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will not be on the list - it definitely is a show of the '90s.
That said, here's the list, in no particular order:
1. Lost - of course Lost is first on my list. Even if it had been in order, no other show this decade has come close to this show in character development, suspense, mythology, and emotional involvement.
2. The Wire - okay, true confessions, I've seen two episodes of this show. But too many people and critics for whom I have respect love this show for me to leave this off the list.
3. The Sopranos - I was a latecomer to this show, not having HBO for a long time. But once I started watching, it was impossible to quit. It may have been uneven in its past couple of years, and a lot of people were frustrated by the wait between seasons, but still, these characters and their stories always stuck. Tony's mother always scared me more than most of the mobsters.
4. The Closer - the best of the TNT dramas focusing on an eccentric character played by a big name, The Closer has excelled in drawing some of the best character studies out of the whole ensemble. Flynn and Provenza never fail to delight.
5. House - if I did have this in order, this show would probably be lower, simply because of its unevenness. However, anyone who's spent time with Hugh Laurie's acerbic doctor recognizes the brilliance of that portrayal. House's struggle with his Vicodin addiction and recovery has been nothing less than phenomenal. I really hope Laurie gets that long-deserved Emmy next year.
6. Mad Men - yes, people argue that it's all atmosphere, but no one does it better. There aren't too many characters on this show that I'd like to spend time with, but I do thoroughly enjoying watching them. This year's season finale was exceptional - Don Draper finally takes control of his life!
7. Friday Night Lights - I have watched two episodes of this show, but, like The Wire, it is too well recommended for me to ignore.
8. 30 Rock - uneven, but never less than hilarious. Alec Baldwin is fantastic.
9. Top Chef/Project Runway - the Bravo reality competition series that have set the standard. Unfortunately, the quality of each season is often dependent on the cast of characters/contestants competing for the prize, but they are both fun to watch.
10. Arrested Development - ended far too soon. Always funny, and with its own skewed view of the world, this show never failed to make me burst out laughing.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
DVR Issues
B and I have had a DVR for at least 4 years, maybe 5. I joke that it's saved our marriage, because we have little to no common ground in our TV-watching habits. But it has actually been a terrific thing for me to have. I can tape every new episode of my favorite shows without worrying that I'll miss something (terribly important when you watch as many arc-centric shows as I do). I can try out new shows that I can't watch as they air. I can go on vacation without trying to figure out how to program my VCR.
But we've been having a little trouble with our DVR this past month or so. About once a day, it will shut down, along with the TV, while we're watching. Within a minute or two, it turns back on, a little louder than it was, then the volume returns to where it had been. Meanwhile, whatever had been taping (if anything) is interrupted. Now that I think about it, it is possible that it also happened when we weren't home - once White Collar was interrupted twice.
B thought that perhaps there was something wrong with the surge protector that we were using, but that was soon disproved. We finally realized we had to call the cable company when we returned from Thanksgiving holiday to learn that a full day's worth of programming did not record. Thus, I missed the "fall finale" of V (I'll catch it online - but still!).
Surprisingly, the cable company was very helpful, trying to solve the issue from their end. When that didn't work, they came to the house, and traded DVRs. We now have a fancy new DVR.
But I really wish we could have salvaged our old one. Firstly, we lost everything we hadn't seen yet, including 2 episodes of Dollhouse and episode one of the season finale of Top Chef. I also lost all the Season 5 episodes of Lost that I had saved, but since the DVD set came out today, I'm not as worried about that. I would have deleted those anyway. Yet I lost something even more than saved episodes: my preferences. I will have to reset every series recording that I'd had in the past. The Closer, Burn Notice, Leverage, Lost, Fringe, Project Runway, V, FlashForward, everything. I can't count on my new DVR to know what I used to like. So when Chuck returns, I'm going to have to remember to set it up. Damn!
But we've been having a little trouble with our DVR this past month or so. About once a day, it will shut down, along with the TV, while we're watching. Within a minute or two, it turns back on, a little louder than it was, then the volume returns to where it had been. Meanwhile, whatever had been taping (if anything) is interrupted. Now that I think about it, it is possible that it also happened when we weren't home - once White Collar was interrupted twice.
B thought that perhaps there was something wrong with the surge protector that we were using, but that was soon disproved. We finally realized we had to call the cable company when we returned from Thanksgiving holiday to learn that a full day's worth of programming did not record. Thus, I missed the "fall finale" of V (I'll catch it online - but still!).
Surprisingly, the cable company was very helpful, trying to solve the issue from their end. When that didn't work, they came to the house, and traded DVRs. We now have a fancy new DVR.
But I really wish we could have salvaged our old one. Firstly, we lost everything we hadn't seen yet, including 2 episodes of Dollhouse and episode one of the season finale of Top Chef. I also lost all the Season 5 episodes of Lost that I had saved, but since the DVD set came out today, I'm not as worried about that. I would have deleted those anyway. Yet I lost something even more than saved episodes: my preferences. I will have to reset every series recording that I'd had in the past. The Closer, Burn Notice, Leverage, Lost, Fringe, Project Runway, V, FlashForward, everything. I can't count on my new DVR to know what I used to like. So when Chuck returns, I'm going to have to remember to set it up. Damn!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Fringe - Walter Remembers Astrid's Name
One of the running jokes on Fringe has been the inability or unwillingness of Walter to remember the name of Agent Farnsworth - Astrid - who has been assigned to help Walter and Peter in the lab. Walter has called her "Astro", "Asteroid", and "Asterisk". She handles this with good humor, gently telling Walter what her name is.
In Snakehead, the episode that aired this past Thursday, Walter was determined to act as independently of his son as he could. He therefore took a cab to the crime scene (grousing that Peter followed him the whole time, though Peter argued he was going to the same crime scene), and determined that he would do some detective work in Chinatown alone, without Peter. Peter was a little nervous, so he sent Astrid to follow Walter.
Astrid may have a number of talents, but surveilling is clearly not one of them. Walter easily spots her, and allows her to accompany him to the next herbal store. While there, Walter inadvertently lets the owner know that he has something he shouldn't, so the owner decides to have Walter and Astrid followed. But Walter manages to give Astrid the slip, so it is Astrid who is followed back to the lab, and knocked unconscious by a bunch of goons. (I could go into the continuity error that occurred, since the goons got to the lab before Astrid, but then I would digress.)
Walter meanwhile, realizes that he has no idea how to get home, so he tries to call Peter. He forgets that he has Peter's telephone numbers written down in his wallet, so he tries a number of calls on a payphone and loses all his money.
He ends up on a bus stop, crying. A Chinese woman who doesn't speak English takes pity on him and takes him home. Together, they try all the numbers that Walter knows goes into Peter's number, and finally reach Peter (who luckily speaks Cantonese). Peter picks up Walter and hints that something happened to Astrid. Peter's distracted, however, trying to solve the mystery of the week, and doesn't supply Walter with all the information. Walter is horrified.
The payoff comes when Walter makes it back to the lab to find Astrid trying to clean the damaged lab. It's a tender scene in which Walter apologizes and Astrid (of course) forgives him. But most importantly, he gets her name right, each time he says it.
Will Walter always call Astrid by her name? Probably not. But the respect between the two of them increased, and they have a stronger friendship now. We also got to see Jasika Nicole do some real work this time - about time they let this actress and character shine.
In Snakehead, the episode that aired this past Thursday, Walter was determined to act as independently of his son as he could. He therefore took a cab to the crime scene (grousing that Peter followed him the whole time, though Peter argued he was going to the same crime scene), and determined that he would do some detective work in Chinatown alone, without Peter. Peter was a little nervous, so he sent Astrid to follow Walter.
Astrid may have a number of talents, but surveilling is clearly not one of them. Walter easily spots her, and allows her to accompany him to the next herbal store. While there, Walter inadvertently lets the owner know that he has something he shouldn't, so the owner decides to have Walter and Astrid followed. But Walter manages to give Astrid the slip, so it is Astrid who is followed back to the lab, and knocked unconscious by a bunch of goons. (I could go into the continuity error that occurred, since the goons got to the lab before Astrid, but then I would digress.)
Walter meanwhile, realizes that he has no idea how to get home, so he tries to call Peter. He forgets that he has Peter's telephone numbers written down in his wallet, so he tries a number of calls on a payphone and loses all his money.
He ends up on a bus stop, crying. A Chinese woman who doesn't speak English takes pity on him and takes him home. Together, they try all the numbers that Walter knows goes into Peter's number, and finally reach Peter (who luckily speaks Cantonese). Peter picks up Walter and hints that something happened to Astrid. Peter's distracted, however, trying to solve the mystery of the week, and doesn't supply Walter with all the information. Walter is horrified.
The payoff comes when Walter makes it back to the lab to find Astrid trying to clean the damaged lab. It's a tender scene in which Walter apologizes and Astrid (of course) forgives him. But most importantly, he gets her name right, each time he says it.
Will Walter always call Astrid by her name? Probably not. But the respect between the two of them increased, and they have a stronger friendship now. We also got to see Jasika Nicole do some real work this time - about time they let this actress and character shine.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
FlashForward Goes on Hiatus
Well, I guess I'm going to complain about FlashForward some more. Why do I watch a show about which I do nothing but complain? Well, I couldn't tell you. I don't hate it completely - if that helps?
Because I feel somewhat silly constantly harping on the show, I'll start with what I liked about the latest episode. Dominic Monaghan's Simon Campos continues to be a compelling character, and this week we got to see the two most dynamic actors in the series interact - Monaghan and Courtney B. Vance. Vance's Wedeck doesn't buy Simon's sudden altruism after confessing that he and his partners may have caused the worldwide blackouts. And Simon gets that, but he also appears interested in solving this mystery which he hopes will at least save his reputation. He appeared completely flummoxed upon realizing that his genius idea - "I'll get a Nobel for it in a couple of years" - was actually built a year before he thought of it. I much prefer to see Simon working with Wedeck than verbally sparring with the wet blanket that is Lloyd Simcoe.
And now, the complaints. Lloyd Simcoe forces Simon and their other partner to have a televised news conference to confess that they caused the blackouts. Simcoe was fumbling, and made the situation much worse. He was shocked to find that someone then wanted to shoot them. And that everyone looked at him suspiciously afterward. His world-wide notoriety took him by surprise. And he's a genius? He was kidnapped at the end. Perhaps they'll lose him.
But the most annoying part of the episode was Mark Benford. He and Demetri decided to go against Wedeck's orders and travel to Hong Kong to find the woman who had told Demetri he would be murdered in the future. Somehow, they were allowed to carry their guns on them, even though they weren't really on official business. And they did find the woman, played by the go-to actress when an older exotic woman is needed: Shohreh Aghdashloo. First, Mark had to threaten an Iranian restaurant owner with torture if he didn't give him the name of the woman. Then, after he finds the woman, he grabs her in front of her guards, threatening to shoot her if she doesn't tell Mark and Demetri more. It turns out, she also knows that not only is Demetri murdered by someone he knows, but that the killer is Mark himself. But that's all they get out of her. Wedeck makes Mark give his gun and badge to Demetri - he's now out of the FBI.
The episode made me realize, there's little about Mark that I like. I more or less like the other characters, but I find nothing attractive about the main character. His one redeeming characteristic is his obvious love for his daughter, who's been MIA since the Halloween episode. Otherwise, he acts before he thinks, and his impulsivity seems out of character for a seasoned FBI agent. The fact that the blackouts and flash forwards are such extraordinary circumstances doesn't seem to me to be reason enough to act so rashly. As you know, I don't like self-righteous characters, and Benford is definitely one of them.
There are no new episodes until March. Sadly, I won't miss it. I'll watch when it returns, and find out what actually caused the blackouts, but I don't know that it will return to the rotation next year.
Because I feel somewhat silly constantly harping on the show, I'll start with what I liked about the latest episode. Dominic Monaghan's Simon Campos continues to be a compelling character, and this week we got to see the two most dynamic actors in the series interact - Monaghan and Courtney B. Vance. Vance's Wedeck doesn't buy Simon's sudden altruism after confessing that he and his partners may have caused the worldwide blackouts. And Simon gets that, but he also appears interested in solving this mystery which he hopes will at least save his reputation. He appeared completely flummoxed upon realizing that his genius idea - "I'll get a Nobel for it in a couple of years" - was actually built a year before he thought of it. I much prefer to see Simon working with Wedeck than verbally sparring with the wet blanket that is Lloyd Simcoe.
And now, the complaints. Lloyd Simcoe forces Simon and their other partner to have a televised news conference to confess that they caused the blackouts. Simcoe was fumbling, and made the situation much worse. He was shocked to find that someone then wanted to shoot them. And that everyone looked at him suspiciously afterward. His world-wide notoriety took him by surprise. And he's a genius? He was kidnapped at the end. Perhaps they'll lose him.
But the most annoying part of the episode was Mark Benford. He and Demetri decided to go against Wedeck's orders and travel to Hong Kong to find the woman who had told Demetri he would be murdered in the future. Somehow, they were allowed to carry their guns on them, even though they weren't really on official business. And they did find the woman, played by the go-to actress when an older exotic woman is needed: Shohreh Aghdashloo. First, Mark had to threaten an Iranian restaurant owner with torture if he didn't give him the name of the woman. Then, after he finds the woman, he grabs her in front of her guards, threatening to shoot her if she doesn't tell Mark and Demetri more. It turns out, she also knows that not only is Demetri murdered by someone he knows, but that the killer is Mark himself. But that's all they get out of her. Wedeck makes Mark give his gun and badge to Demetri - he's now out of the FBI.
The episode made me realize, there's little about Mark that I like. I more or less like the other characters, but I find nothing attractive about the main character. His one redeeming characteristic is his obvious love for his daughter, who's been MIA since the Halloween episode. Otherwise, he acts before he thinks, and his impulsivity seems out of character for a seasoned FBI agent. The fact that the blackouts and flash forwards are such extraordinary circumstances doesn't seem to me to be reason enough to act so rashly. As you know, I don't like self-righteous characters, and Benford is definitely one of them.
There are no new episodes until March. Sadly, I won't miss it. I'll watch when it returns, and find out what actually caused the blackouts, but I don't know that it will return to the rotation next year.
A New Low for Product Placement?
As you know, since the advent of Tivos and DVRs, the visibility of commercials has gone down. No one really likes most commercials - they are loud, often obnoxious, and only designed to manipulate the viewer into buying things. So the ability to zip past them to watch the main event, the actual television show itself, is a welcome relief for many of us.
The problem, of course, is that the commercial is what pays for the airing of the show, not the viewer. I remember being so surprised as a girl when I realized that we didn't pay anything for the shows we watched (obviously before the days of HBO, Pay-Per-View, and well, even cable). We paid for everything else - why not the shows we watched? Instead, it is the advertiser who pays for what we see. They give money to the show so their commercial airs during the breaks. And, because we are such sheep, we actually base some of our decisions on what we see in those commercials. But that is a soapbox I won't get into now.
But now advertisers have to figure out a way to get their commericals seen. One way is to place the product in the actual show itself. In Heroes once, Hiro threw car keys to Ando and told him to "take the Versa." On The Closer, the Chief takes one of her staff person's Prius, and refers to it by name. Damages and Cadillac had a deal where a number of clues were given in one of their SUVs. I don't watch a lot of reality shows, but I've heard they are the biggest offenders of product placement. The funniest product placement was seen in 30 Rock, when two characters discussed the great service Verizon gives its customers. Tina Fey then looks at the camera asking, "Can we have our money now?"
Sometimes product placements don't interrupt the storyline at all. Most people I know who own Priuses refer to their car by name. But Hiro's use of the word "Versa" actually took me out of the storyline in confusion. I had never heard of a Versa - did people actually refer to it that way? It turns out, no. The clues in the Cadillac were actually the most confusing and unrelated of all the clues in the less than stellar second season of Damages.
Thursday night, I had an opportunity to see product placement that almost took over an episode of television. You may have heard of a little movie coming out called Avatar? Even I have heard of it. And so have the squints on Bones. Fisher, my least favorite of the not-Zack interns, has scored three tickets. And he recognizes that Hodgins and Sweets are probably as geeky as he is in his desire to see the movie on the first possible day. They agree that they need to camp out at the theater to make sure they get good seats, so they develop a schedule. Which is interrupted, of course, by the investigation into the murder of the week.
They storyline almost worked for these characters, since they are all more or less nerds who probably would have given their right arm to see the movie on its premiere day. I could see them developing a schedule for protecting their spot in line. And it led to Sweets realizing that his relationship with Daisy is way more satisfying than Fisher's one night stands. What pushed it beyond the limits, however, was the airing of a commercial during the actual episode itself. They used Angela's pretty cool computer screen, and Hodgins declared he couldn't tell what was special effects and what wasn't anymore. Really Jack? The paranoid genius with a strong cynical nature can't figure out what is CGI? Whatever.
I don't know how much Avatar paid to get this product placement, but as the "b" storyline of the episode, it got a prominent place in the episode. It will most certainly date the episode during reruns and syndication. Perhaps instead of slicing actual plot like they do in syndication, however, they can lose the Avatar in-episode commercial. Unless it is the DVD of Avatar paying for the airing of the rerun.
The problem, of course, is that the commercial is what pays for the airing of the show, not the viewer. I remember being so surprised as a girl when I realized that we didn't pay anything for the shows we watched (obviously before the days of HBO, Pay-Per-View, and well, even cable). We paid for everything else - why not the shows we watched? Instead, it is the advertiser who pays for what we see. They give money to the show so their commercial airs during the breaks. And, because we are such sheep, we actually base some of our decisions on what we see in those commercials. But that is a soapbox I won't get into now.
But now advertisers have to figure out a way to get their commericals seen. One way is to place the product in the actual show itself. In Heroes once, Hiro threw car keys to Ando and told him to "take the Versa." On The Closer, the Chief takes one of her staff person's Prius, and refers to it by name. Damages and Cadillac had a deal where a number of clues were given in one of their SUVs. I don't watch a lot of reality shows, but I've heard they are the biggest offenders of product placement. The funniest product placement was seen in 30 Rock, when two characters discussed the great service Verizon gives its customers. Tina Fey then looks at the camera asking, "Can we have our money now?"
Sometimes product placements don't interrupt the storyline at all. Most people I know who own Priuses refer to their car by name. But Hiro's use of the word "Versa" actually took me out of the storyline in confusion. I had never heard of a Versa - did people actually refer to it that way? It turns out, no. The clues in the Cadillac were actually the most confusing and unrelated of all the clues in the less than stellar second season of Damages.
Thursday night, I had an opportunity to see product placement that almost took over an episode of television. You may have heard of a little movie coming out called Avatar? Even I have heard of it. And so have the squints on Bones. Fisher, my least favorite of the not-Zack interns, has scored three tickets. And he recognizes that Hodgins and Sweets are probably as geeky as he is in his desire to see the movie on the first possible day. They agree that they need to camp out at the theater to make sure they get good seats, so they develop a schedule. Which is interrupted, of course, by the investigation into the murder of the week.
They storyline almost worked for these characters, since they are all more or less nerds who probably would have given their right arm to see the movie on its premiere day. I could see them developing a schedule for protecting their spot in line. And it led to Sweets realizing that his relationship with Daisy is way more satisfying than Fisher's one night stands. What pushed it beyond the limits, however, was the airing of a commercial during the actual episode itself. They used Angela's pretty cool computer screen, and Hodgins declared he couldn't tell what was special effects and what wasn't anymore. Really Jack? The paranoid genius with a strong cynical nature can't figure out what is CGI? Whatever.
I don't know how much Avatar paid to get this product placement, but as the "b" storyline of the episode, it got a prominent place in the episode. It will most certainly date the episode during reruns and syndication. Perhaps instead of slicing actual plot like they do in syndication, however, they can lose the Avatar in-episode commercial. Unless it is the DVD of Avatar paying for the airing of the rerun.
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