this week in tv
Mar. 19th, 2011 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jlhCommunity was renewed! Hurrah! Now I'm just waiting on Justified, (since come on, H50 is a lock) and then all my shows will be back!
Glee, "Original Song." So basically, I've never been invested in the whole Finn/Rachel drama, and I'm vaguely interested in Quinn. And the entire Sue Sylvester/Oral Intensity/Kathy Griffin as Sarah Palin/Loretta Devine as Sister Act bit didn't work in any way. "Loser Like Me" was co-written by Max Martin, and that's all I have to say about the New Directions regionals performance. So let's pretend that none of that happened, since I wasn't paying attention, and talk about the rest of the episode!
I love pretty much everything that Quinn did in this episode, from her monologue about being prom queen to her support of Rachel at Glee Club to her explanation that Rachel wasn't going to get what she wanted as long as she believed in fairy tales. It's been pointed out elsewhere that at the opening of the series Quinn's main reason for rejecting Puck is that he was a "Lima loser", destined to spend his life in their hometown while she wanted out, and now she seems to have settled for staying with Finn and selling real estate. While I grew up in the kind of town that people long to escape but often don't, changes in character like this are frustratingly par for the course with Ryan Murphy, so you can expect Quinn to change her tune whenever the writers get bored with this one.
The bit I liked about the songwriting plot was that we finally got to hear someone sing who wasn't Rachel or Finn. I really liked "Trouty Mouth"! I mean, sure, the lyrics were a joke (though within the kind of thing Santana would say), but the song itself was lovely and jazzy, really suited Santana's voice, and she sold the hell out of it. Puck's song was completely adorable but I do have a noted soft spot for Puck. Oh right, Mercedes is still on this show, isn't she? Her song was incredibly stereotypical, true, but it was catchy. Mostly I liked that Santana was playing piano for her and Brittany looked like Janice the muppet.
Also I love that the Warblers and New Directions each cheered for the other.
Okay let's talk about what was actually important: the Kurt/Blaine storyline. I LOVE that Blaine was able to accept Kurt's constructive criticism and later act on it. I love that Kurt showed a little bit of his old style in mourning for Pavorotti. I have a sneaking suspicion that Kurt's mother loved the Beatles, because that's where he reaches when he's sad (see also "I Wanna Hold Your Hand.") I thought Kurt sounded amazing singing "Blackbird" and sure, the use of the song was a little on-the-nose, but teenagers can be literal about song lyrics. I love how Blaine falls for Kurt while he's singing, and the look in his face is such a great echo of Kurt watching Blaine sing just after they first met. And the kiss scene was just … bliss, I mean, Kurt's hand while Blaine was kissing him, my god. And then at the end, holding hands at the grave!
Whatever, I love them.
Top Chef: "Island Fever." God, you guys, we have TWO MORE WEEKS OF THIS. And the show has completely lost momentum. I don't know if it was the spirit going out of Carla and then Carla going, or Blais having another meltdown, or that Mike's been winning lately, or just that everyone looks tired and is so worried about choking that they're … choking, or just that I'm so freaked out about the result that it's overridden the pleasure of actually watching the show, but it's like the tension has gone on for so long that we've come out the other side into emotional exhaustion. It's like I care so much that I can't even care anymore.
Anyway we saw some people snorkling or something, and Blais and Mike being jerks about the ladies, and it just all feels really ugly and no one is cooking with any joy—not cooking to win but cooking not to lose. Even Mike seems to be motivated more by spite than anything else, wanting everyone else to lose rather than wanting to win. It's like mighty Casey has already struck out.
Justified: "Blaze of Glory." OMG Boyd. I love you so much. I love your outwitting of the ATF and how your actions foreshadowed Raylan's in this episode.
And I love Art telling off the ATF on his behalf, regarding the respect of Ava. Basically I loved Art throughout this episode; I love that he really is smarter than Raylan, knows more than Raylan, uses that experience, is respected as Raylan's boss because sometimes (all the time?) he's a step or twelve ahead of him. And oh my god, that ending, with the two old guys limping along at the private airport? Priceless!
Other than that I have to say: why do TV ladies keep marrying cops and wishing they weren't cops? What is that trope about? Winona, Rachel on H50, and I'm pretty sure there are others as well. Anyway I like revealing her little weakness, and Raylan trying to cover up for her, and I ADORED the merry chase that the old man led them on.
Also: "I'm from Harlan County. Down there we know the difference between dynamite and road flares."
Community, "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy." OMFG this show was hilarious tonight. Too many jokes to talk about, we'd be here all day. A million tiny moments that paid off so many times over.
Britta, getting ensnared by her own bullshit, ending up like the boy who cried wolf. Love her trying to be sneaky and being just as bad at is as she was with the whole frog incident. Also love her trying to sing a pop song (and Troy and Abed's reaction to that).
M-J W is great as Andre, isn't he? He really fits in with the ensemble. I love how he talked to Shirley at the end about how yes, he sucks for having the affair but yes, she has some issues that she needs to calm down about.
Kinda like how the show feels free to ditch Annie and Pierce after the first scene. But what was with the dramatic music cues?
Glee, "Original Song." So basically, I've never been invested in the whole Finn/Rachel drama, and I'm vaguely interested in Quinn. And the entire Sue Sylvester/Oral Intensity/Kathy Griffin as Sarah Palin/Loretta Devine as Sister Act bit didn't work in any way. "Loser Like Me" was co-written by Max Martin, and that's all I have to say about the New Directions regionals performance. So let's pretend that none of that happened, since I wasn't paying attention, and talk about the rest of the episode!
I love pretty much everything that Quinn did in this episode, from her monologue about being prom queen to her support of Rachel at Glee Club to her explanation that Rachel wasn't going to get what she wanted as long as she believed in fairy tales. It's been pointed out elsewhere that at the opening of the series Quinn's main reason for rejecting Puck is that he was a "Lima loser", destined to spend his life in their hometown while she wanted out, and now she seems to have settled for staying with Finn and selling real estate. While I grew up in the kind of town that people long to escape but often don't, changes in character like this are frustratingly par for the course with Ryan Murphy, so you can expect Quinn to change her tune whenever the writers get bored with this one.
The bit I liked about the songwriting plot was that we finally got to hear someone sing who wasn't Rachel or Finn. I really liked "Trouty Mouth"! I mean, sure, the lyrics were a joke (though within the kind of thing Santana would say), but the song itself was lovely and jazzy, really suited Santana's voice, and she sold the hell out of it. Puck's song was completely adorable but I do have a noted soft spot for Puck. Oh right, Mercedes is still on this show, isn't she? Her song was incredibly stereotypical, true, but it was catchy. Mostly I liked that Santana was playing piano for her and Brittany looked like Janice the muppet.
Also I love that the Warblers and New Directions each cheered for the other.
Okay let's talk about what was actually important: the Kurt/Blaine storyline. I LOVE that Blaine was able to accept Kurt's constructive criticism and later act on it. I love that Kurt showed a little bit of his old style in mourning for Pavorotti. I have a sneaking suspicion that Kurt's mother loved the Beatles, because that's where he reaches when he's sad (see also "I Wanna Hold Your Hand.") I thought Kurt sounded amazing singing "Blackbird" and sure, the use of the song was a little on-the-nose, but teenagers can be literal about song lyrics. I love how Blaine falls for Kurt while he's singing, and the look in his face is such a great echo of Kurt watching Blaine sing just after they first met. And the kiss scene was just … bliss, I mean, Kurt's hand while Blaine was kissing him, my god. And then at the end, holding hands at the grave!
Whatever, I love them.
Top Chef: "Island Fever." God, you guys, we have TWO MORE WEEKS OF THIS. And the show has completely lost momentum. I don't know if it was the spirit going out of Carla and then Carla going, or Blais having another meltdown, or that Mike's been winning lately, or just that everyone looks tired and is so worried about choking that they're … choking, or just that I'm so freaked out about the result that it's overridden the pleasure of actually watching the show, but it's like the tension has gone on for so long that we've come out the other side into emotional exhaustion. It's like I care so much that I can't even care anymore.
Anyway we saw some people snorkling or something, and Blais and Mike being jerks about the ladies, and it just all feels really ugly and no one is cooking with any joy—not cooking to win but cooking not to lose. Even Mike seems to be motivated more by spite than anything else, wanting everyone else to lose rather than wanting to win. It's like mighty Casey has already struck out.
Justified: "Blaze of Glory." OMG Boyd. I love you so much. I love your outwitting of the ATF and how your actions foreshadowed Raylan's in this episode.
And I love Art telling off the ATF on his behalf, regarding the respect of Ava. Basically I loved Art throughout this episode; I love that he really is smarter than Raylan, knows more than Raylan, uses that experience, is respected as Raylan's boss because sometimes (all the time?) he's a step or twelve ahead of him. And oh my god, that ending, with the two old guys limping along at the private airport? Priceless!
Other than that I have to say: why do TV ladies keep marrying cops and wishing they weren't cops? What is that trope about? Winona, Rachel on H50, and I'm pretty sure there are others as well. Anyway I like revealing her little weakness, and Raylan trying to cover up for her, and I ADORED the merry chase that the old man led them on.
Also: "I'm from Harlan County. Down there we know the difference between dynamite and road flares."
Community, "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy." OMFG this show was hilarious tonight. Too many jokes to talk about, we'd be here all day. A million tiny moments that paid off so many times over.
Britta, getting ensnared by her own bullshit, ending up like the boy who cried wolf. Love her trying to be sneaky and being just as bad at is as she was with the whole frog incident. Also love her trying to sing a pop song (and Troy and Abed's reaction to that).
M-J W is great as Andre, isn't he? He really fits in with the ensemble. I love how he talked to Shirley at the end about how yes, he sucks for having the affair but yes, she has some issues that she needs to calm down about.
Kinda like how the show feels free to ditch Annie and Pierce after the first scene. But what was with the dramatic music cues?
