this premiere week in television
Sep. 27th, 2010 11:30 amI had a little bit of a delay in watching some of these, and I haven't watched Undercovers or Boardwalk Empire quite yet, but here's the rest of my premiere week:
I thought HIMYM was excellent! Quite funny, lots of callbacks, and I really loved how Barney and Robin interacted. I love romantic Ted, and they just all seemed so chummy again. While the Marshall/Lily b-plot wasn't the bestest, I did like that at the end Marshall said, "okay, my father is insane." Also there's no way that was Barney and Robin's wedding, and I have no idea why people are saying that. It makes more sense for it to be either Ted's dad (since he's a best man worried about a toast), or the two ladies who were at the bar (since he finally meets the mother).
OMG this season of Dancing with the Stars is going to be EPIC, though I need to get on the stick with voting for Margaret Cho. I hope she doesn't treat the whole thing like a joke, because when she was actually dancing she was pretty good! The Hoff, otoh, was just really terrible and not in a fun way but in a cringing, maybe-he's-still-drinking way. Glad he's gone. I don't know if I have any big faves yet, though I will say Audrina was a lot better than I'd expected. Often pretty girls are really stiff because they're too worried about looking bad and too used to posing, but she was game for anything.
I've decided, sadly, not to watch Mike and Molly. If it ends up being any good, I'll catch it at the end of the season, but the whole Two and a Half Men crew do not inspire me with confidence.
Hawaii Five-0 is basically everything I wanted it to be. McGarrett is supposed to be stiff and kind of uncool, so O'Laughlin's stiffness should be fine. It was really funny, thank you Scott Cahn, the set ups weren't completely typical, Chin Ho and Kono are going to be great (though I'd like to have an episode where I don't see Kono in a bikini/her underwear please) and also, THEME SONG. I really loved this show as a kid and it's fun to see it back.
Castle had to jump through a lot of hoops to get back to square one, and that part wasn't as interesting as the actual mystery, which was pretty twisty. I said to
mardia a while back that I think of Castle as being basically a USA show with better writing and higher production values and it's still that, still mostly just good fun. That said, Castle is looking a little smug and I'd like him to be a little more worried very soon.
I watched Glee this morning while eating my breakfast and it was basically a squee-a-thon! OMG totally bitchy Rachel! OMG Finn saying, "I love you Rachel? But that was a shitty thing to do and you have to stop lying about it." OMG Kurt and Mercedes! OMG Quinn reclaiming her rightful place through the usual tactics but still not leaving Glee! (Actually, omg that no one left glee except poor underused Matt, because that would have been a really tiresome plot point.) OMG Santana wanting to be noticed and Brittany not entirely being under Sue's thumb! OMG poor Artie. OMG Tina and Mike! OMG fuck yeah Puck, and you should have heard me squee when he entered the courtyard with Mercedes, as apparently I still ship them pretty hard. (Actually, I ship Puck, Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn in a huge pile of LOVE.) OMG Will trying to be bitchy with Sue, but not being able to last--oh Sue, his weakness is that he tried to align with you in the first place, not that he later decided he couldn't keep it up. So yeah, I guess I still like this show.
Top Chef Just Desserts was kind of a clusterfuck, wasn't it? Save your drama for your mama, because there's no crying in the kitchen but especially in the second episode. Also I'm beginning to think that bakers:pastry chefs::caterers:restaurant chefs, y/y?
The Top Chef reunion was whatever, but I'm glad I got to see some of Tiff's wedding, and that she'll be in All Stars. I'm really looking forward to that; it looks like a brilliant cast.
Community totally soothed any worries I might have had about the season finale, especially when Britta pointed out that Annie got both Vaughn and Jeff. I don't really ship anyone on this show--well, maybe all of them in a big pile of love, which is what the show is like anyway--and I liked that Jeff was a giant jerk and got called on it but was never in danger of being kicked out of the group or anything like that. In fact none of them were. I also love that Britta's potentially embarassing moment had the actual effect of making her some kind of lady hero. And the wake up moments in the beginning of the show? Jeff doing ridiculous exercises? Pierce with his portrait of his younger self which looked like Caddyshack-era Chevy? Shirley with her kids? Totally brilliant.
I am so not going to miss Ivy on Project Runway. Sure, Valerie is a complainer but Ivy is so sour and negative. I think the Gretchen dress just didn't read on camera--her intricate feather work just looked like tacky fabric on screen.
Also, ALSO? OMG NIGELLA LAWSON IS BACK ON FOOD NETWORK THIS SUNDAY. You guys don't even KNOW.
I thought HIMYM was excellent! Quite funny, lots of callbacks, and I really loved how Barney and Robin interacted. I love romantic Ted, and they just all seemed so chummy again. While the Marshall/Lily b-plot wasn't the bestest, I did like that at the end Marshall said, "okay, my father is insane." Also there's no way that was Barney and Robin's wedding, and I have no idea why people are saying that. It makes more sense for it to be either Ted's dad (since he's a best man worried about a toast), or the two ladies who were at the bar (since he finally meets the mother).
OMG this season of Dancing with the Stars is going to be EPIC, though I need to get on the stick with voting for Margaret Cho. I hope she doesn't treat the whole thing like a joke, because when she was actually dancing she was pretty good! The Hoff, otoh, was just really terrible and not in a fun way but in a cringing, maybe-he's-still-drinking way. Glad he's gone. I don't know if I have any big faves yet, though I will say Audrina was a lot better than I'd expected. Often pretty girls are really stiff because they're too worried about looking bad and too used to posing, but she was game for anything.
I've decided, sadly, not to watch Mike and Molly. If it ends up being any good, I'll catch it at the end of the season, but the whole Two and a Half Men crew do not inspire me with confidence.
Hawaii Five-0 is basically everything I wanted it to be. McGarrett is supposed to be stiff and kind of uncool, so O'Laughlin's stiffness should be fine. It was really funny, thank you Scott Cahn, the set ups weren't completely typical, Chin Ho and Kono are going to be great (though I'd like to have an episode where I don't see Kono in a bikini/her underwear please) and also, THEME SONG. I really loved this show as a kid and it's fun to see it back.
Castle had to jump through a lot of hoops to get back to square one, and that part wasn't as interesting as the actual mystery, which was pretty twisty. I said to
I watched Glee this morning while eating my breakfast and it was basically a squee-a-thon! OMG totally bitchy Rachel! OMG Finn saying, "I love you Rachel? But that was a shitty thing to do and you have to stop lying about it." OMG Kurt and Mercedes! OMG Quinn reclaiming her rightful place through the usual tactics but still not leaving Glee! (Actually, omg that no one left glee except poor underused Matt, because that would have been a really tiresome plot point.) OMG Santana wanting to be noticed and Brittany not entirely being under Sue's thumb! OMG poor Artie. OMG Tina and Mike! OMG fuck yeah Puck, and you should have heard me squee when he entered the courtyard with Mercedes, as apparently I still ship them pretty hard. (Actually, I ship Puck, Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn in a huge pile of LOVE.) OMG Will trying to be bitchy with Sue, but not being able to last--oh Sue, his weakness is that he tried to align with you in the first place, not that he later decided he couldn't keep it up. So yeah, I guess I still like this show.
Top Chef Just Desserts was kind of a clusterfuck, wasn't it? Save your drama for your mama, because there's no crying in the kitchen but especially in the second episode. Also I'm beginning to think that bakers:pastry chefs::caterers:restaurant chefs, y/y?
The Top Chef reunion was whatever, but I'm glad I got to see some of Tiff's wedding, and that she'll be in All Stars. I'm really looking forward to that; it looks like a brilliant cast.
Community totally soothed any worries I might have had about the season finale, especially when Britta pointed out that Annie got both Vaughn and Jeff. I don't really ship anyone on this show--well, maybe all of them in a big pile of love, which is what the show is like anyway--and I liked that Jeff was a giant jerk and got called on it but was never in danger of being kicked out of the group or anything like that. In fact none of them were. I also love that Britta's potentially embarassing moment had the actual effect of making her some kind of lady hero. And the wake up moments in the beginning of the show? Jeff doing ridiculous exercises? Pierce with his portrait of his younger self which looked like Caddyshack-era Chevy? Shirley with her kids? Totally brilliant.
I am so not going to miss Ivy on Project Runway. Sure, Valerie is a complainer but Ivy is so sour and negative. I think the Gretchen dress just didn't read on camera--her intricate feather work just looked like tacky fabric on screen.
Also, ALSO? OMG NIGELLA LAWSON IS BACK ON FOOD NETWORK THIS SUNDAY. You guys don't even KNOW.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 07:33 pm (UTC)What the right fuck? o_0 Dude. Seth is seriously the most fucked-up TC contestant ever, and I hope he never leaves the show (until it's time for the final three) because he's the kind of asshole that I, cattily, want to see embarrass himself more and more and more.
I just blew through S7 of Top Chef and was pleased that Kevin won, although I had been rooting for Tiffany the entire time. I don't think she should have gone home before Steven (?) because of all the quickfire and elimination challenges she won.
I am also watching Glee and Hawaii 5-0, as well as Boardwalk Empire (Michael Pitt!!!!) I have about 15 shows I'm following this season.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 07:42 pm (UTC)Do you mean Ed? Hey, at least Tiffany got a trip and some cash money out of her wins.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:08 pm (UTC)Yes, Ed. I blanked on his name.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-28 03:43 pm (UTC)When did they air the reunion show?
I loved Hawaii five-0. I'm glad they kept the theme song.
Molly and Mike turned out to be pretty funny, so give it a chance.
Glee was EPIC. Rachel's jealous meltdown FTW!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-28 09:28 pm (UTC)I guess I'm just asking: is it more like F13, or B9? Because if it's like the front 13 I will give it a chance.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-28 09:34 pm (UTC)To watch or not watch it is absolutely not a question I can answer for you. I don't really have a firm sense of what the first thirteen eps did for you that the back nine didn't. I liked the back nine, and I liked the first ep of the season. There are things that I personally very much enjoy about this show. I understand why many people don't like the show or are on the fence about it, and there are even more people who really feel that no one should be watching it at all. And that's fine, I mean, whatever.
But it really, honestly, is a call you're going to have to make for yourself. Sorry!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-28 09:37 pm (UTC)Yeah, I'm repeating myself a little but I don't care, I really LOVED how they showed us how Rachel and Finn work as a couple, how he wasn't all "I'm breaking up with you" but he WAS "you behaved badly and should feel bad and need to apologize and not do that again." And I loved that her actions had real consequences.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-28 09:40 pm (UTC)(Personally I liked the fact that they didn't jam-pack songs into the F13 at the expense of, oh, stuff like plot, and they didn't have those damned theme word episodes. If they did, they weren't distractingly heavy-handed. Is that usefully concrete?)
OK, here's one you can answer. Any Queen songs in it? I heard that they were going to put "Don't Stop Me Now" in the first ep of S2 months ago...