More Jesse being awesome:
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
7.22.2011
7.19.2011
Breaking Bad
I forgot how good the little things were. Re-watching the series, it's all come back.
The humor:
And the intensity:
The humor:
And the intensity:
12.06.2010
The Walking Dead
With Season One concluding this evening, I posted my thoughts on Facebook. I'll re-post them here.
okay, here's my problem with the walking dead: for the overwhelming majority of the series, nothing happens. and when nothing happens, the show becomes a character study. and the problem is that they haven't spent nearly enough time making me care about these characters.
there are maybe four characters i care about. i know the writers (well, now, former writers) knew they couldn't spend too much time characterizing them because they didn't know if they'd be renewed for a second season, so that's their main goal next year: give us a reason to care about these people.
there are moments of incredible tension and scenes that are beautifully written and/or shot, but the overall package seemingly falls flat. it's a shame, really, because the show should be so much better than it is.
the characters need something to do. simply surviving isn't enough to make an ongoing drama interesting. with a clear goal in mind, characters would have purpose and (probably) become more interesting.
okay, here's my problem with the walking dead: for the overwhelming majority of the series, nothing happens. and when nothing happens, the show becomes a character study. and the problem is that they haven't spent nearly enough time making me care about these characters.
there are maybe four characters i care about. i know the writers (well, now, former writers) knew they couldn't spend too much time characterizing them because they didn't know if they'd be renewed for a second season, so that's their main goal next year: give us a reason to care about these people.
there are moments of incredible tension and scenes that are beautifully written and/or shot, but the overall package seemingly falls flat. it's a shame, really, because the show should be so much better than it is.
the characters need something to do. simply surviving isn't enough to make an ongoing drama interesting. with a clear goal in mind, characters would have purpose and (probably) become more interesting.
8.25.2010
The Walking Dead
It's Halloween recipe time!
1 part 28 Days Later
1 part Left 4 Dead
1 part AMC goodness
Simmer over medium-low heat for 6-8 months, stirring occasionally. When October 31st approaches, dish should be just about done. Uncover at 10 p.m. and enjoy the goodness.
1 part 28 Days Later
1 part Left 4 Dead
1 part AMC goodness
Simmer over medium-low heat for 6-8 months, stirring occasionally. When October 31st approaches, dish should be just about done. Uncover at 10 p.m. and enjoy the goodness.
6.16.2010
My Favorite Shows
Finally catching up on Breaking Bad inspired me to come up with lists of my favorite shows. It's hard for me to compare comedies with dramas; as Walt says in Breaking Bad several times, "They're apples and oranges." So I made three lists: Comedy, Drama, Both. I tried to list five in each; I couldn't, but at least I ended with 15 total, right?
DRAMA
(1) Lost
(2) Dexter
(3) Breaking Bad
(4) X-Files
(5) Firefly
COMEDY
(1) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
(2) Arrested Development
(3) Mr. Show
(4) The Life and Times of Tim
(5) Futurama
(*6*) Archer
BOTH
(1) Dead Like Me
(2) Nurse Jackie
(3) Weeds
(4) Californication
Thoughts?
DRAMA
(1) Lost
(2) Dexter
(3) Breaking Bad
(4) X-Files
(5) Firefly
COMEDY
(1) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
(2) Arrested Development
(3) Mr. Show
(4) The Life and Times of Tim
(5) Futurama
(*6*) Archer
BOTH
(1) Dead Like Me
(2) Nurse Jackie
(3) Weeds
(4) Californication
Thoughts?
Breaking Bad -- And it Feels so Good
(I'm sure THAT pun was never used before. Or at least, not used more than one million times.)
I just finished watching Breaking Bad season three. It took me a little under 48 hours to polish off the 13 episodes. The season was that good. Watching it poses three questions in my mind:
(1) Just how good is Breaking Bad?
The answer to this is rather simple. Very, very good. A more complicated answer, though, deals with question number two.
(2) Where does it rank on my list of favorite shows? What about best shows?
The best show I've ever seen is Dexter. Breaking Bad may come in second. My favorite show, conversely, is Lost. (I think.) But Lost's consistency was up and down. It was sort of the nature of the beast; not every episode was meant to be as gripping and meticulous as Breaking Bad (or Dexter) was meant to be.
Also, I think it's unfair to compare a shortened season of a cable TV show (whether it's AMC or HBO or Showtime) to a broadcast network show. They're horses of two totally different colors, with two totally different sets of rules by which to play.
To be honest, I don't watch a ton of TV. I wait to hear what catches on and give it a shot that way. I think this is a product of the overall crappiness of TV today. This isn't even worth mentioning (as Breaking Bad is probably better than 98% of what I haven't seen), but worth noting solely for the fact that there are shows I know that will compare that I have not seen yet (most notably The Wire and The Sopranos, and to a lesser extent, Six Feet Under and Battlestar Galactica.)
Regardless, Breaking Bad ranks in the top five best shows I've ever seen, and also (probably) my top five favorite shows. But that could all change, depending upon...
(3) How long can Breaking Bad sustain its greatness?
I immediately want to compare this show to Weeds. This is a simple comparison as both revolve around drug-dealing parents. Like Breaking Bad, the first three seasons of Weeds were very solid (though on a lower caliber than BB, and also with a whole other tone). However, once Weeds "jumped the shark" and changed its focus, things spiraled out of control. Now, we have Andy and Celia running around, doing wacky things just because their characters are too good to let go.
I truly hope Breaking Bad doesn't reach that point. I feel re-assured after reading an article with creator Vince Gilligan over at the A/V Club. He basically says he doesn't know how much longer it will last, but also says there's a question of how much longer can you go and how much longer should you go. That's the real question. Lost could have gone on indefinitely. I would have watched it every week. But did I want that? No, not even with it being my favorite show. There comes a point where things need to end. I hope that when Breaking Bad hits that point, that's when they end it.
Also, Gilligan makes a good point in response to a question about the possibility of Walt and Jesse going on the lam in the middle of season three: he doesn't want to leave Skyler and Walter Jr. and Hank and Marie behind. This is exactly the problem Weeds ran into; Nancy was ready to move on to a new portion, but the rest of the crew had to tag along. Walt and Jesse would need to move on, but the rest of the characters can't just be written off. You'd be left with this whole secondary storyline that the writers would try to work in, and probably fail at. I'm glad it didn't happen.
I'm glad the Breaking Bad writers are as good as they are.
I just finished watching Breaking Bad season three. It took me a little under 48 hours to polish off the 13 episodes. The season was that good. Watching it poses three questions in my mind:
(1) Just how good is Breaking Bad?
The answer to this is rather simple. Very, very good. A more complicated answer, though, deals with question number two.
(2) Where does it rank on my list of favorite shows? What about best shows?
The best show I've ever seen is Dexter. Breaking Bad may come in second. My favorite show, conversely, is Lost. (I think.) But Lost's consistency was up and down. It was sort of the nature of the beast; not every episode was meant to be as gripping and meticulous as Breaking Bad (or Dexter) was meant to be.
Also, I think it's unfair to compare a shortened season of a cable TV show (whether it's AMC or HBO or Showtime) to a broadcast network show. They're horses of two totally different colors, with two totally different sets of rules by which to play.
To be honest, I don't watch a ton of TV. I wait to hear what catches on and give it a shot that way. I think this is a product of the overall crappiness of TV today. This isn't even worth mentioning (as Breaking Bad is probably better than 98% of what I haven't seen), but worth noting solely for the fact that there are shows I know that will compare that I have not seen yet (most notably The Wire and The Sopranos, and to a lesser extent, Six Feet Under and Battlestar Galactica.)
Regardless, Breaking Bad ranks in the top five best shows I've ever seen, and also (probably) my top five favorite shows. But that could all change, depending upon...
(3) How long can Breaking Bad sustain its greatness?
I immediately want to compare this show to Weeds. This is a simple comparison as both revolve around drug-dealing parents. Like Breaking Bad, the first three seasons of Weeds were very solid (though on a lower caliber than BB, and also with a whole other tone). However, once Weeds "jumped the shark" and changed its focus, things spiraled out of control. Now, we have Andy and Celia running around, doing wacky things just because their characters are too good to let go.
I truly hope Breaking Bad doesn't reach that point. I feel re-assured after reading an article with creator Vince Gilligan over at the A/V Club. He basically says he doesn't know how much longer it will last, but also says there's a question of how much longer can you go and how much longer should you go. That's the real question. Lost could have gone on indefinitely. I would have watched it every week. But did I want that? No, not even with it being my favorite show. There comes a point where things need to end. I hope that when Breaking Bad hits that point, that's when they end it.
Also, Gilligan makes a good point in response to a question about the possibility of Walt and Jesse going on the lam in the middle of season three: he doesn't want to leave Skyler and Walter Jr. and Hank and Marie behind. This is exactly the problem Weeds ran into; Nancy was ready to move on to a new portion, but the rest of the crew had to tag along. Walt and Jesse would need to move on, but the rest of the characters can't just be written off. You'd be left with this whole secondary storyline that the writers would try to work in, and probably fail at. I'm glad it didn't happen.
I'm glad the Breaking Bad writers are as good as they are.
2.02.2010
LOST Observation #26
Richard Alpert has a true sense of who he does and doesn't answer to, and I'm really interested in finding out just who ranks above him. I think this is one of the biggest things I'm interested in discovering.
(From Whatever Happened, Happened)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Richard takes Ben from Sawyer.]
MAN: [Steps forward] Richard...You shouldn't do this without asking Ellie. And if Charles finds out--
RICHARD: Let him find out. I don't answer to either of them.
(From Whatever Happened, Happened)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Richard takes Ben from Sawyer.]
MAN: [Steps forward] Richard...You shouldn't do this without asking Ellie. And if Charles finds out--
RICHARD: Let him find out. I don't answer to either of them.
1.30.2010
LOST Observation #24
It's so funny to hear it all spelled out like this.
(From "The Lie")
HURLEY: Okay. See, we did crash, but it was on this crazy island. And we waited for rescue, and there wasn't any rescue. And there was a smoke monster, and then there were other people on the island. We called them the Others, and they started attacking us. And we found some hatches, and there was a button you had to push every 108 minutes or... well, I was never really clear on that. But... the Others didn't have anything to do with the hatches. That was the DHARMA Initiative. The Others killed them, and now they're trying to kill us. And then we teamed up with the Others because some worse people were coming on a freighter. Desmond's girlfriend's father sent them to kill us. So we stole their helicopter and we flew it to their freighter, but it blew up. And we couldn't go back to the island because it disappeared, so then we crashed into the ocean, and we floated there for a while until a boat came and picked us up. And by then, there were six of us. That part was true.
(From "The Lie")
HURLEY: Okay. See, we did crash, but it was on this crazy island. And we waited for rescue, and there wasn't any rescue. And there was a smoke monster, and then there were other people on the island. We called them the Others, and they started attacking us. And we found some hatches, and there was a button you had to push every 108 minutes or... well, I was never really clear on that. But... the Others didn't have anything to do with the hatches. That was the DHARMA Initiative. The Others killed them, and now they're trying to kill us. And then we teamed up with the Others because some worse people were coming on a freighter. Desmond's girlfriend's father sent them to kill us. So we stole their helicopter and we flew it to their freighter, but it blew up. And we couldn't go back to the island because it disappeared, so then we crashed into the ocean, and we floated there for a while until a boat came and picked us up. And by then, there were six of us. That part was true.
1.26.2010
1.25.2010
LOST Observation #20
Why is Ethan, the Others' best surgeon (according to Ben), fixing Juliet's plumbing (or whatever) as Oceanic 815 is about to crash?
1.22.2010
LOST Observation #19
Why I love Rose and Bernard (from "Through the Looking Glass"):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROSE: If I told you that I'd help you with your SOS sign, would you change your mind?
BERNARD: No ma'am.
ROSE: Then I want you to say it again.
BERNARD: Rose...
ROSE: Say it, Bernard.
BERNARD: I am a dentist. I am not Rambo.
ROSE: And don't you forget it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROSE: If I told you that I'd help you with your SOS sign, would you change your mind?
BERNARD: No ma'am.
ROSE: Then I want you to say it again.
BERNARD: Rose...
ROSE: Say it, Bernard.
BERNARD: I am a dentist. I am not Rambo.
ROSE: And don't you forget it.
1.21.2010
LOST Observation #18
I'm sure countless others have noticed this, but MITTELOS BIOSCIENCES, the company that recruits Juliet, is an anagram for LOST TIME.
1.20.2010
LOST Observation #17
One of the best quotes in the series:
BEN: "No, John, unfortunately we don't have a code for 'There's a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter's head.' Although we obviously should."
BEN: "No, John, unfortunately we don't have a code for 'There's a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter's head.' Although we obviously should."
1.18.2010
LOST Observation #16
Season 3 is far, far better (in my eyes) than the first two seasons. There's a three episode stretch -- "Not in Portland," "Flashes Before Our Eyes" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" -- that is phenomenal.
We're introduced to Alpert, we learn Juliet's back story, we hear Jacob's name mentioned twice (Danny says it and we see it on the screen as Carl gets brainwashed), we meet Eloise Hawking and we're introduced to time travel (via an incredible Desmond episode). All in three episodes!
Also, we learn Charlie's middle name is Hieronymous. Which is just awesome.
We're introduced to Alpert, we learn Juliet's back story, we hear Jacob's name mentioned twice (Danny says it and we see it on the screen as Carl gets brainwashed), we meet Eloise Hawking and we're introduced to time travel (via an incredible Desmond episode). All in three episodes!
Also, we learn Charlie's middle name is Hieronymous. Which is just awesome.
LOST Observation #15
Alex is one of my favorite characters. I wish we got to know her more. She's spunky.
LOST Observation #14
Mr. Eko's Death
Right before he dies, Eko sees Yemi. After Eko tells Yemi he has nothing to ask forgiveness for, that everything he did was justified, Yemi says, "You speak to me as if I were your brother."
Why would he say that? I have two theories. The first, which seems less likely, is that it was actually Yemi, who felt Eko definitely needed to repent, so when he said he didn't, he gave up on Eko.
The other theory is that the incarnations of people on the Island who aren't actually there -- Yemi, Christian, fake Locke, etc. -- are incarnations of the man in black from the Season 5 finale. Perhaps he was testing Eko. The question, then, is whether or not Eko passed or failed. Did passing mean living? Or did he pass and therefore die?
That's less important, though, than Eko's final encounter with the Smoke Monster. Smokie approached him twice, leaving Eko alive both times. The second time, Smokie leaves after Eko grabs his prayer club. Is Smokie afraid of religion? When he does kill Eko, Eko no longer has his prayer club.
If the man in black is the devil, and Jacob is God, and if Smokie works for the man in black, perhaps religion is enough to ward Smokie off (which would also explain why Locke, a faithful man, was spared).
Or -- and this would be trippy -- if Jacob is the devil and the man in black is God, perhaps Eko was smote for not repenting.
Right before he dies, Eko sees Yemi. After Eko tells Yemi he has nothing to ask forgiveness for, that everything he did was justified, Yemi says, "You speak to me as if I were your brother."
Why would he say that? I have two theories. The first, which seems less likely, is that it was actually Yemi, who felt Eko definitely needed to repent, so when he said he didn't, he gave up on Eko.
The other theory is that the incarnations of people on the Island who aren't actually there -- Yemi, Christian, fake Locke, etc. -- are incarnations of the man in black from the Season 5 finale. Perhaps he was testing Eko. The question, then, is whether or not Eko passed or failed. Did passing mean living? Or did he pass and therefore die?
That's less important, though, than Eko's final encounter with the Smoke Monster. Smokie approached him twice, leaving Eko alive both times. The second time, Smokie leaves after Eko grabs his prayer club. Is Smokie afraid of religion? When he does kill Eko, Eko no longer has his prayer club.
If the man in black is the devil, and Jacob is God, and if Smokie works for the man in black, perhaps religion is enough to ward Smokie off (which would also explain why Locke, a faithful man, was spared).
Or -- and this would be trippy -- if Jacob is the devil and the man in black is God, perhaps Eko was smote for not repenting.
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