Some get better, some get worse
Feb. 10th, 2007 06:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jlhSo I'm watching five fictional television shows pretty regularly right now: How I Met Your Mother, Studio 60, Veronica Mars, Ugly Betty, CSI. I also watch whatever Magical Elves is doing (Project Runway/Top Chef/Top Design) though I felt that Top Chef 2 was really disappointing and seeing Tim Gunn's cameos on Ugly Betty made me miss PR all the more. I'll add American Idol as soon as they get out of Hollywood. And this was a really mixed week in my television universe. Let's take them in order of airing:
There have been some uneven episodes of How I Met Your Mother but this one was pretty uninteresting from beginning to end. It could be that I just wasn't engaged in their sillyness, or I wasn't feeling it, or something, but not their best effort. That said, the overall philosophy about the Super Bowl—that it's more about the party than the game or the ads—is pretty spot on.
So Studio 60 put themselves back into my good graces enough to keep watching, though I can't imagine this show is going to get renewed. Matt and Harriet continue to be well past tiresome and I wish we could get past it. I feel bad for Matt, but I can understand why Harriet said that she thought that Matt was lying when he said he loved her—I'm not sure he loved the actual Harriet, but only this vision of talent that he could mold and hey, also sleep with. Most of the time that we see him admiring her, it's when she's working. Famously he courted her by writing sketches for her. Now, I know that this often happens—actresses often marry directors, producers, agents. Nevertheless, ugh. I'm pleased that Wendy, the fake Pussycat Doll, took care of Matt and then sort of slammed him in the end. He needs to grow up, for reals, and only my love of Matthew Perry keeps me from wanting to throw a brick at the tv set when he's on screen. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to the lovely flashback episode that awaits us next week.
I'm a big Danny/Jordan shipper and I found that resolution to be satisfying, though I'll say again that I'm dismayed that Jordan can't see that her appeal extends past her unplanned pregnancy. But you know, like most Sorkin females, she doesn't understand what she wants or what her strengths are until some man tells her about them. Nevertheless, I liked the magic trick and the message on the slip of paper and I hope that Danny/Jordan develops into something fun.
But what I DID love was Tom and Jack. Tom is so often shown as a junior partner—junior to Matt, Simon, Harry, Jack, whomever—or standing around in a lobster costume that we forget that he is one of the "big three", that he is making movies (though they aren't grossing that much), that he's a star. But at the end of this episode he became a man, baby, especially in the conversation with Lucy where they were finally shooting him from below rather than above. And Lucy seems to be escaping the Sorkin girl-curse—one hopes that Tom will stop getting advice from Matt—and stood her ground even if Tom has more power on the show. That said, I'm not sure that Nate Corddry will look as good with no hair as his older brother, and that worries me.
Oh, Veronica. I had a long chat with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bhanesidhe about the show yesterday and she pointed out many things about season 2 that she didn't appreciate and while she's more okay with some things I don't like about season 3, I still, well, I still worry that this show not only won't make it past this season but sort of shouldn't. This makes me incredibly sad. Not that it's the first time that a show has gone downhill on me, but it's the first time I've known enough to have not much hope. Between Rob Thomas's TWoP interview and the podcasts from the writers I'm not sure I really trust them, and it's probably that, rather than anything else, that really depresses me.
But re this week: Hey! Weevil! My god I missed you. While I adored the Dean, I find the people surrounding him to be really tiresome, particularly his wife. I care about who killed him, but I wish they'd get on the stick about it. I know it isn't an ensemble show, but I really miss Wallace and Mac and even Piz. I'm so very tired of moping Logan, even if Dick did get to call him pathetic. It sucks that the promos are so vile that I can't tell how the episode will go this week, either.
Ugly Betty is the awesomest. The resolution to the Daniel/Alexis conflict was much more realistic than last week's Hilda/Betty fight. Thank god Betty finally broke up with Walter and we don't have to look at him anymore. Justin's fight over his mother was another fun storyline that didn't go where we thought it was going; I hope his father makes more regular appearances in his life. (For more on that, seesistermagpie's meta on the subject.) Ah, Ugly Betty, I will love you until you ultimately betray me.
Wow, the Liev Schrieber storyline on CSI was unexpected, and I'm so pleased that the miniature murder victim isn't supposed to be Grissom. I think, though, that it's going off the TIVO after this season. But it should be an interesting February sweeps finding the real miniature murderer!
I'm glad I'll have Top Design and American Idol to get me through the March and April reruns. AI have finally gotten to Hollywood for this week so it's not long until voting! As for Top Design, so far it's pretty innocuous, not a lot of drama, pleasant host and judges (I adore Jonathan Adler and the way he calls bf Simon Doonan his "bloke"). I like Goil, Dorky Cute Asian Architect, the best so far.
There have been some uneven episodes of How I Met Your Mother but this one was pretty uninteresting from beginning to end. It could be that I just wasn't engaged in their sillyness, or I wasn't feeling it, or something, but not their best effort. That said, the overall philosophy about the Super Bowl—that it's more about the party than the game or the ads—is pretty spot on.
So Studio 60 put themselves back into my good graces enough to keep watching, though I can't imagine this show is going to get renewed. Matt and Harriet continue to be well past tiresome and I wish we could get past it. I feel bad for Matt, but I can understand why Harriet said that she thought that Matt was lying when he said he loved her—I'm not sure he loved the actual Harriet, but only this vision of talent that he could mold and hey, also sleep with. Most of the time that we see him admiring her, it's when she's working. Famously he courted her by writing sketches for her. Now, I know that this often happens—actresses often marry directors, producers, agents. Nevertheless, ugh. I'm pleased that Wendy, the fake Pussycat Doll, took care of Matt and then sort of slammed him in the end. He needs to grow up, for reals, and only my love of Matthew Perry keeps me from wanting to throw a brick at the tv set when he's on screen. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to the lovely flashback episode that awaits us next week.
I'm a big Danny/Jordan shipper and I found that resolution to be satisfying, though I'll say again that I'm dismayed that Jordan can't see that her appeal extends past her unplanned pregnancy. But you know, like most Sorkin females, she doesn't understand what she wants or what her strengths are until some man tells her about them. Nevertheless, I liked the magic trick and the message on the slip of paper and I hope that Danny/Jordan develops into something fun.
But what I DID love was Tom and Jack. Tom is so often shown as a junior partner—junior to Matt, Simon, Harry, Jack, whomever—or standing around in a lobster costume that we forget that he is one of the "big three", that he is making movies (though they aren't grossing that much), that he's a star. But at the end of this episode he became a man, baby, especially in the conversation with Lucy where they were finally shooting him from below rather than above. And Lucy seems to be escaping the Sorkin girl-curse—one hopes that Tom will stop getting advice from Matt—and stood her ground even if Tom has more power on the show. That said, I'm not sure that Nate Corddry will look as good with no hair as his older brother, and that worries me.
Oh, Veronica. I had a long chat with
bhanesidhe about the show yesterday and she pointed out many things about season 2 that she didn't appreciate and while she's more okay with some things I don't like about season 3, I still, well, I still worry that this show not only won't make it past this season but sort of shouldn't. This makes me incredibly sad. Not that it's the first time that a show has gone downhill on me, but it's the first time I've known enough to have not much hope. Between Rob Thomas's TWoP interview and the podcasts from the writers I'm not sure I really trust them, and it's probably that, rather than anything else, that really depresses me. But re this week: Hey! Weevil! My god I missed you. While I adored the Dean, I find the people surrounding him to be really tiresome, particularly his wife. I care about who killed him, but I wish they'd get on the stick about it. I know it isn't an ensemble show, but I really miss Wallace and Mac and even Piz. I'm so very tired of moping Logan, even if Dick did get to call him pathetic. It sucks that the promos are so vile that I can't tell how the episode will go this week, either.
Ugly Betty is the awesomest. The resolution to the Daniel/Alexis conflict was much more realistic than last week's Hilda/Betty fight. Thank god Betty finally broke up with Walter and we don't have to look at him anymore. Justin's fight over his mother was another fun storyline that didn't go where we thought it was going; I hope his father makes more regular appearances in his life. (For more on that, see
sistermagpie's meta on the subject.) Ah, Ugly Betty, I will love you until you ultimately betray me.Wow, the Liev Schrieber storyline on CSI was unexpected, and I'm so pleased that the miniature murder victim isn't supposed to be Grissom. I think, though, that it's going off the TIVO after this season. But it should be an interesting February sweeps finding the real miniature murderer!
I'm glad I'll have Top Design and American Idol to get me through the March and April reruns. AI have finally gotten to Hollywood for this week so it's not long until voting! As for Top Design, so far it's pretty innocuous, not a lot of drama, pleasant host and judges (I adore Jonathan Adler and the way he calls bf Simon Doonan his "bloke"). I like Goil, Dorky Cute Asian Architect, the best so far.
