Shameless – “Aunt Ginger”

I’m finally getting into the Showtime series Shameless. Though I’m not currently up to date, I’m going to review the series like everyone’s watching it for the first time, so bear with me

Season One, Episode Three

Grade: B-

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The Gallaghers are up to no good again, but this time it takes a family effort to pull off what they do. What’s that? An investigator visits the house to research why Aunt Ginger’s social security checks have been being cashed even though she’s supposed to be in Milwaukee. Fiona legitimately has no idea what’s going on, but all she has to do is pay Frank a visit at the bar to find out some answers. Turns out he’s been cashing the checks even though Aunt Ginger is dead. So either the truth comes out and Frank’s in big trouble, or they devise a plan.

With the help from Veronica, they’re able to rent an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s from the nursing home to pass off as Aunt Ginger. And it works! Some of the scene with the fake Aunt Ginger and the family were sweet, mostly with Debbie helping her with breakfast and making rice crispie treats, but other than that it was just another ridiculous plot-line we’re supposed to laugh at.

I know Shameless is only three episodes in, but I cannot wait to learn more about Fiona. There is some deep inner troubles she’s dealing with, on top of taking care of her incredibly difficult family, and it shows when she’s attempting to make something out of her love/personal life. Using Tony as her rebound, then finding out that he was a virgin before their encounter in his cop car, seems like enough to send Fiona running for the fences. But on top of that, she learns about Tony’s judgmental mother and it seems like that’s going to end it. Except you can never tell with Fiona.

She ends up going back to Steve at the end of the episode, but there is a lot of uncharted waters we haven’t sailed yet. I’m just not sure if I’m going to really be invested in a back-and-forth ride between Fiona and Steve. Or at least not yet.

And then there’s the Ian story-line, who has to admit he’s gay just to avoid being beat up. This all seems semi-authentic, but nonetheless there was a lot of heart at the center. The way Lip defends his brother and even gets pounded for it is a nice showcase of how close the Gallaghers can be at times.

It seems like Shameless is going to continue to try and push the envelope with events and ideas that might be offensive, but so far I’m okay with it. Though the show still needs to find its identity before becoming a true success. Right now, it’s just a show about a lower-class family trying to stick together, even though they sometimes have no reason to do so. Are we looking at crass humor? Dysfunctional family drama? Or just a show with gimmicks?

Movie Review: The Great Gatsby (2013)

The Great Gatsby (2013)
142 minutes
Rated PG-13
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgarton, Carey Mulligan

Grade: B-

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It’s a tricky thing to adapt a beloved book, and in this case an absolute classic, to the screen because let’s face it, expectations are insanely high and the only place to go is down. So how does Baz Luhrmann tackle the big project? He makes it bigger, louder, and grander than the book possibly could’ve imagined. His style breathes through almost every frame full of glitter and glamor. But there’s a moment when all of the shining lights and the sparkling dresses leave and the story takes center stage, and we’re reminded at what a remarkable story it is.

During the jazz age of the ’20s, we’re introduced to Nick Carraway (Maguire) who is speaking with a therapist due to his recent battle with depression and violent outbursts. While this isn’t in the novel, it provides us a reason for why Nick is narrating throughout. Then we’re introduced to the world that Luhrmann has created for us. A wildly exciting one for those East Egg and West Egg folk with money, and a deeply grim one for those who don’t.

The first half hour is bland, as if Luhrmann is barely amused with the importance of separating the new and old money, or establishing the connections between Nick, Daisy, and Tom Buchanon. There’s no doubt that Luhrmann couldn’t wait to provide his take on what Gatsby’s legendary parties would feel like, and he knocks it out of the park. There is music, dozens of dancers, flowing alcohol from every inch of his land, a pool cluttered with attractive people, waiters serving food and beverages, performances, tuxedos and dresses. But the question is, who is Gatsby?

Enters Leonardo DiCaprio, who gives a great performance (doesn’t he always?) as Jay Gatsby, an incredibly wealthy man with a secretive past who dreams of holding on to the past as much as he imagines the future. He is a handsome and charming man who has his eyes on only one person, the love of his life Daisy. He is a dreamer that wasn’t afraid to change his image to change the person he was supposed to be. But now he wants her back, except there are big obstacles standing in his way.

There are many things that The Great Gatsby doesn’t do right. For instance, the portrayal of Daisy played by Carey Mulligan. It is by far not her fault, as she is a fine actor and has proven it from her past accomplishments. But here, Daisy is a soft, almost emotionless woman who is quick to decide but not firm to give reason. She’s not the childish girl who locks her emotions inside herself, allowing her heart to be split from her head. And then there’s Nick Carraway narrating the movie during moments we really don’t need narration. Maguire, another fine actor, is wasted as Nick because he’s just a pawn in Luhrmann’s world.

But when everything is over, it’s an incredibly enjoyable film. The Great Gatsby isn’t great, but it’s full of energy and lively spirits to fulfill all of our senses. It’s an interpretation that creates a different form of art from the literature. We get a love story and it’s one that we are interested in, solely because of DiCaprio’s performance. Whether it’s liked or not, when tackling enormous expectations, Luhrmann could’ve done a lot worse.

How I Met Your Mother – “Something New”

Season Eight, Episode Twenty Four

Grade: A

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In my opinion, the best way to go into a TV show or a movie is completely unspoiled. In this day and age of social media, that’s nearly impossible, but most of the time I make a valid effort to prevent myself from any type of spoilers. I never watch the “what’s coming up next” previews at the end of many episodes and I do prefer to walk into a theater after all the previews are done, though unless someone is saving my seat it doesn’t always work.

That being said, the best way to have viewed the season eight finale of HIMYM last night was if you had no clue what was going to happen. Also, this post is going to contain plenty of spoilers, so if you haven’t already watched the episode I would suggest that you stop reading right now!

Before I discuss the season finale, I have to mention the episode prior titled “Something Old.” It was a standard HIMYM episode: half-bad and half-good. The bad dealt with Barney’s story-line of spending time with Robin’s father while playing laser tag. Just silly throwaway stuff. But the good was Robin/Ted’s part of the episode. Robin buried a locket in the Central Park years ago and needed to dig it back up to prove to herself she’s ready to get married to Barney, but after plenty of setbacks she begins to see them as signs and doubts the idea of marrying him.

In comes Ted to the rescue, who blows off a very important meeting just to help Robin search for the locket. She finds the box, but not the locket, but still is touched by how Ted constantly drops everything for her. They touch hands while the rain pours down on them (if we’re talking about signs, how about when Ted made it rain for Robin?).

Which brings us to last night’s episode, “Something New.” The wheels are in motion for the season finale episode and everything seems to be at stake. After Robin was questioning the idea of marrying Barney, they go out to dinner and thoroughly enjoy themselves by attempting to ruin their night’s enemies. We’ve seen these two get along together well in the past, but their obsessive behavior to destroy someone they hate is something they had fun accomplishing at the restaurant. Sure, Barney and Robin are both awesome and they’re even awesomer together, but there was a sense where (for the first time) we really see how much they mean to each other and that their marriage will most definitely work out. It was touching and more importantly, assuring.

Meanwhile, Lily and Marshall are packing to move to Rome for a year, something that Marshall hasn’t told his mom yet. When she finds out, she demands she sees her grandson before they leave, so Marshall travels up to Minnesota. Lily has a right to be concerned because Marshall’s mom keeps saying hints that she’ll either persuade him to stay or she’ll move with them in Rome. While this was all filler, the hammer finally drops when Marshall gets a call that a judgeship has opened for him. He seems to have taken the offer but hasn’t told Lily yet. Are we going to see TV’s cutest couple divided during HIMYM’s last season? Doubtful! You can’t break up this group of friends!

Now to the good stuff. The show has always been about Ted. It started out with Ted falling in love with Robin and then dealing with the fact that they were in different places with the relationship. Now, we’re back with Ted’s life being the focus but the once-optimistic man is now a sad, defeated one. He realizes that he still would do anything for Robin and how it kills him that she’s marrying Barney. So he’s going to move to Chicago immediately after their wedding to start a new life, hopefully somewhere he can find someone as he sees Robin now. Lily doesn’t take the news well, but she’s the only person who knows.

A montage finishes the episode off with everyone converging on Farhampton for the weekend wedding. As we saw from all the different stories, things are changing for all of the characters. Whether they know it yet or not, everyone’s immediate future will change forever. Fortunately, the somewhat downer of an episode gets a much-needed lift when we see a petite girl (Cristin Milioti) wearing boots, carrying a yellow umbrella and a guitar case, and buying a ticket to Farhampton. It’s the mother! Ted’s wife! Even though he hasn’t met her yet, I couldn’t help but smile that Ted’s long line of misfortunes are all about to change.

It might not have been what everyone thought, but I think it’s fantastic. It’s great that it’s not a girl that we’ve already met. And it’s great that we now have one more season until Ted can get his act together, meet this girl, fall in love and live happily ever after. It’s been eight years of grueling (and sometimes tedious) story-telling until we finally meet the mother. No lie, I got goosebumps as “Simple Song” played and revealed Cristin Milioti. And then I smiled, because we all have a little Ted inside of us. At one point (or still ongoing), we all want to believe there’s a special someone out there in the world perfect for us, but as the years fly by that belief fades away. HIMYM is simply reminding us to keep holding on.

Movie Review: Mud

Mud (2013)
130 minutes
Rated PG-13
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland

Grade: A-

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The film begins with two teenage boys, Ellis and Neckbone, who discover a boat in a tree on a nearby island. It’s something that kids like these marvel at as some kind of miracle, but adults would vision it as the result of a disastrous storm or flood. It doesn’t take too long for the kids to realize someone has been living there. This man goes by the name Mud. He’s mysterious but charming, a quality that reels in Ellis even though Neckbone doesn’t trust him.

In the poor Arkansas community, Ellis lives with his parents on a houseboat and helps his father sell catfish door to door. The single most important thing that drives Ellis throughout the film is his perception of love. His parents are going through a divorce and his idea of love is confused and broken. But as Mud reveals more and more about himself, Ellis turns his attention to what he believes is to be true love, something that Mud is fighting for.

What I loved about the coming-of-age story so much was how the teenage boys’ ideals contrasted each other. Ellis is the protagonist who is going through a tough situation during the divorce of his parents, given him a very negative perspective on love. But his youth and good heart keeps his belief strong that love exists. With Neckbone, he never even knew his parents so he’s far past the belief that love is something real. Their contrast blankets the entire movie from the moment they meet Mud to the final scene. Neckbone doesn’t change but Ellis goes through a great transformation.

Matthew McConaughey gives a memorable performance as the hopeful outlaw stranded on an island. Dirty, crass, but with a good heart, McConaughey’s Mud is someone easy to sympathize with, but also hard to trust. He’s never stereotyped with the number of troubled southerners we’ve seen in movies before, and this is because of how deep McConaughey digs into Mud. Going toe-to-toe with him, Tye Sheridon gives life to the movie. Being the teenage protagonist, we’re able to see through his eyes of a poverty-stricken world and the people and ideas he clings to.

Overall, this is a movie that balances drama, suspense, and the central theme of love in a stripped down setting, utilizing its greatest asset: the characters. Nichols does a great job displaying the natural beauty surrounding the community, along with understanding every character’s motivations as we watch the cause-and-effect unfold. This is without a doubt one of the most memorable films in the first half of the year.

Nashville – “Why Don’t You Love Me”

Season One, Episode Nineteen

Grade: B-

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I haven’t written about Nashville in a while, mainly because my Wednesday nights are pretty hectic and by the time I get home I crash pretty hard. But last night I set aside all the live sports to catch “Why Don’t You Love Me,” an episode that continues to explore relationships of old and new. Most recently, the biggest event on the show has been Deacon and Rayna hooking up. It’s something that we’ve all been waiting for and now it finally happened. So now what?

Deacon and Rayna have a very complicated past, but have remained in each other’s lives through it all somehow. Now after sleeping each other once again, the question they must ask is what this all means? Despite the advice given from Coleman (calling her a drug more than a friend), Deacon is simply head over heels for Rayna and decides to break things up with Stacy. It was hard to see Stacy go like this because she really was the right fit for Deacon. He was willing to settle down for her and start a new life. But ditching her for Rayna is just trying to spark up his past life full of chaos and trust issues.

Meanwhile, Rayna is playing things a bit smarter, though to Deacon’s perspective she’s shying away from him once again. Call me cynical but I cannot see this working out. Though they’re in different stages of their lives from where they were years ago, there’s just too much damage between them. Deacon states this in the limo, but is able to sweet-talk Rayna to stay another night. But I’m sure they’re far from being a couple than what Deacon thinks.

As for Gunnar and Scarlett, the once heart and soul of Nashville has become distant and cold, as if they were on the verge of splitting up. Gunnar’s motivations and actions are very confusing and contradicts the character that he was during the first half of the season (hell, look at Avery’s transformation), and therefore their story-line is suffering. It just doesn’t make sense how Gunnar would so quickly turn down a chance to redeem himself and play with Scarlett on Rayna’s record label. For what reason? And during this episode, he chooses to record a single over going to the CMA party with Scarlett. Again, it just doesn’t add up to the Gunnar we all loved.

Finally, we get to poor Juliet Barnes who just had her boyfriend skip out on her with half a million dollars. But to Juliet, money isn’t an issue. The way the show is focusing in on her spending sprees will foreshadow a serious money problem in the near future. But right now, she’s excited because she’s nominated for a CMA award for Best Female Vocalist. Unfortunately, she drinks and drinks her unhappiness away at the party, which results in Deacon quitting the band, Avery stepping up playing guitar and then wisely leaving her after she kisses him. Hayden Panettiere showed off some chops in this episode, but her character is going down a dangerous road.

So what’s left? Teddy has a great scene with Maddy at the father-daughter dance, Coleman resigns as deputy mayor, and Gunnar still hasn’t told Scarlett (or anyone) about Will kissing him. Speaking of, I can’t help but notice the huge swing in personalities for Avery and Gunnar. It’s like they completely switched positions as boyfriend/jerk and single/gentleman. Or maybe Scarlett is just some kind of musician black hole and she’s stealing their powers from everyone to reign at the top of Nashville. Frankly, that probably wouldn’t even be the craziest story-line in this melodrama.

Game of Thrones – “Kissed By Fire”

Season Three, Episode Five

Grade: A

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Was this the most emotionally charged episode from Game of Thrones yet? I think so. It’s not too often we got to really feel for many of these characters who are off either fighting wars, training dragons, or manipulating kings and lords. But in “Kissed By Fire” there is a lot to sympathize for that will warm your heart with something other than Hot Pie giving Arya a bread wolf.

First and foremost, the action-packed opening scene between Beric and the Hound during their trial by combat to see if the Hound is guilty of murder through the Lord of Light. You know, because it’s always way cooler to have a fight to the death than a trial with a judge and a jury… duh! The Hound wins the battle by almost slicing Beric’s body in two, but Thoros and the Lord of Light somehow brings Beric back to life. My jaw dropped as low as the Hound’s and Arya’s, but apparently this was the sixth time Beric has been brought back to life.

This brought us to our first sentimental encounter. Arya converses with Thoros and Beric about the death of her father for the first time that we’ve seen and it’s exactly what we could expect from a young girl. She would do anything for her father to come back and ever since the event she’s been on the run, which is why she’s heart-broken when Gendry tells her he’s going to stay with the Brotherhood Without Banners. He relays to her that he’s never had family and the Brotherhood could be like family to him. When Arya cries that she could be his family, a piece of my heart was ripped from my chest. Poor girl, searching for her purpose in a world ruled by greedy men as she clings to anyone who’s nice to her because she’s been away from her family for so long. It’s impossible not to root for Arya.

Meanwhile at Dragonstone, we meet Stannis’ wife and daughter. Yes, he has a daughter and she’s quite adorable, but has been caged up like Rapunzel because of some facial scarring. Stannis seems to care for her as much as he’s able to show, but when she asks about her friend Davos, Stannis reveals that he’s a traitor and is locked up in the dungeon. But when his daughter visits Davos in his cell, there’s a real connection between the two. Davos is gentle and kind towards the girl and she repays his generosity by teaching him to read so he has something to fill the time. It’s a great “aww” moment in a show that seriously lacks any.

Then there was a hot tub scene between Jon Snow and Ygritte, like we didn’t know they were going to hook up eventually. Snow proves that he’s really not a part of the Wall anymore by breaking his oath, but this wasn’t all that interesting. Believe it or not, there was an even more compelling hot tub scene between Jaime and Brienne. Jaime reveals his side of the story for becoming the “kingslayer” and it’s a doozy. The Mad King planned to set a town on fire with his obsession with wild fire, but Jaime got in his way because he couldn’t see the merit to killing innocent men, women and children. So he killed the Mad King when Ned Stark appeared. Boy, GoT sure knows how to turn our opinion around at the flick of a light switch, don’t they?

Meanwhile, Lord Karstark loses his head at the hands of Robb because he slayed the two Lannister boys out of mad vengeance. But in doing so, Robb has lost a portion of his army who backed Karstark, but has a new plan to meet with Walder Frey for assistance. Yes, this is the Walder Frey that Robb was supposed to marry his daughter. Slowly, Robb is losing his grip on the throne because of his decaying army.

As one army is getting weaker, one is getting stronger. Daenerys meets the appointed leader of the Unsullied named “Grey Worm” and advises that everyone pick their own name that they can be proud of. She seems to be doing everything right so far, first freeing the Unsullied and now respecting them. They’ll surely fight for their new leader stronger than ever, but will it be enough to take King’s Landing?

Speaking of, the episode ends with Tywin giving orders to his children. First, Tyrion is to marry Sansa so the key to the North stays within the Lannisters. As we know, the Tyrells were planning to set up Sansa with Loras to give the key to the North to the Tyrells. At the same time, Tywin orders Cersei to marry Loras, which she deeply speaks out against, but as we know, Tywin will get his way out of his children. It was quite a twist at the end of the episode, but one done with words rather than a sword. Oh what a complex world Game of Thrones is!

Overall, this was a fantastic episode and I know I said this already, but I was surprised at how sentimental it got. From Arya, to Jaime, to Stannis’ daughter, there was plenty of moments where we actually felt for the characters. There are always greater parts of telling this gigantic story that sometimes the human element can be lost, but it’s good to see that GoT can even do sappy on a high level. Is there anything this show can’t do?

Mad Men – “The Flood”

Season Six, Episode Five

Grade: A

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While everyone will remember this episode being the one where Martin Luther King, Jr. dies, the title hints at the central theme throughout, which is how the characters on Mad Men pair up. Just take the beginning scenes where Peggy is searching for an apartment with Abe, and where Don and Megan bump into Dr. Rosen and Sylvia. While we frequently see these couples apart, “The Flood” concentrates on them together, plus others.

Like I already mentioned, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the main event that occurs during the episode. The news spreads during an advertising award ceremony after a distant Paul Newman announces he’s supporting Eugene McCarthy for president. Someone shouts out that Dr. King is dead and chaos ensues. I particularly liked how everyone was in a panic to make a phone call and waited in line to call their loved ones. I still remember of a time that existed before cell phones came about and it just increases a chaotic situation when you can’t reach that certain someone instantly.

Back to the advertising awards, it’s important to note how Don avoids Peggy in the beginning when Megan walks over to say hi. The Heinz pitch was a week ago, but it’s still fresh in Don’s mind and he’s still not very happy about it. Even more importantly is Ted’s obvious crush on Peggy (can’t wait for that spark to kindle soon). When the news of Dr. King gets out, Abe leaves the awards on a job for the Times. This provides us with my favorite shot of the episode, with a scared Megan in Don’s arms alongside Peggy all by herself.

Being the fifth episode of the season, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Ginsberg. Here, he’s set up with a lovely young girl, Beverly, from their parents and go out on a date. Ginsberg is blind-sided but his father didn’t think that would matter much because when he refers to the Biblical flood, would Ginsberg want his father to be with him or a young woman. But their date is cut short when the news of Dr. King is broadcasted over the television at the diner.

Another couple that the news affects is Pete and Trudy. As Pete attempts to mend things (temporarily) by offering his comfort during the upsetting times, Trudy is able to decline his presence. This surely doesn’t look good for any chance of those two working things out, but the bigger problem is that this probably means we’ll see less of Alison Brie.

Finally, Don takes the news as tragic and troubling as anyone else, yet he deals with it much more internally. He didn’t engage in a yelling match like Pete and Harry did at the office. He didn’t offer a hug like Peggy and Joan did to their African American secretaries (though while Peggy’s hug was meaningful, Joan’s hug with Dawn was just awkward). While Megan takes his children to a vigil in the park, Don takes Bobby to the movies to see Planet of the Apes. Sometimes, the movies is the best place to go to just escape from the real world. Even Bobby suggests that people to go the movies when they’re sad to the African American usher. I’m not exactly sure how much of a role Bobby is going to play for the rest of the season, but he certainly had more to do with the plot in this episode.

We end with Don giving an explanation for his distant behavior towards his children during a time when they need him.

“No. I don’t think I ever wanted to be the man who loves children. But from the moment they’re born, that baby comes out and you act proud and excited, hand out cigars. But you don’t feel anything. Especially if you had a difficult childhood. You want to love them but you don’t. And the fact that you’re faking that feeling makes you wonder if your own father had the same problem. Then one day they get older, and you see them do something and you feel that feeling that you were pretending to have, and it feels like your heart is going to explode.”

Jon Hamm delivers this monologue perfectly and it’s the show-stopping moment of the episode. Don is more concerned with the safety of Sylvia than he is with Megan and his children and he cannot function when he is this distracted. But overshadowed by the events of Dr. King’s assassination is Don’s inner demons breathing life into his guilt as a father, and the suffering of his own childhood. We know Don’s going to keep on fighting because that’s all he’s ever done, but Don is a man who doesn’t like being in the passenger seat. He needs to be in control or else his bad luck could strike him down again.

Movie Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)
140 minutes
Directed by Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes

Grade: A-

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Director and co-screenwriter Derek Cianfrance teams up with Ryan Gosling again and delivers a strong follow-up to the emotionally-driven Blue Valentine. The flaws of the couple were a big part of the failed marriage, but Cianfrance turns that up a notch in The Place Beyond the Pines. Here, everyone has flaws and it results to some terrible decisions with consequences short and long-term.

Beginning with Luke (Gosling), a tough and young motorcycle stuntman, he makes a living traveling around the nation and defying death in a metal sphere. But his lifestyle takes an unexpected turn when Romina shows up at the carnival after his performance. They share a short and bittersweet reconnection. You can feel they shared something big at one point, but something still lingers. That something is how Luke left behind his baby son, which he didn’t know about, that Romina and her new man, Kofi, have been caring for.

Gosling does some incredible acting as Luke, the lost anti-hero who is charming and likable, but with a dark side. He decides to stay in Schnenectady and wants to help out with his son, Jason. But when he meets a man named Robin, his desperation gets the better of him and Luke starts robbing banks. Everything he does is for Jason even though Romina doesn’t ask for it. But because of this, he runs into trouble with the police.

Which is where Avery (Cooper) comes into play. The young police officer becomes involved with a group of crooked cops and to save his ass he winds up taking a deal and ratting them out. Avery also has a young son but most of his conflict is concentrated within the workforce of the police department and his struggle to uphold ethics and morals, something he’s familiar with being the son of a judge and a law school graduate.

Luke and Avery share a lot of common ground even though they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum. But their wives are the ones who are really stuck in the same situation. Played by Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne, both mothers are dealing with unfavorable dilemmas that are jeopardizing their children’s well-being and future. While the first two-thirds of the film unravel in completely different ways, the last third of the film comes full circle to the sons of Luke and Avery, who are now in high school.

In some ways, the third act loses the movie’s momentum because it has the task of dealing with two characters and wrapping the movie up in the end. While Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen give solid, convincing performances, it’s really not them we know and care about. Nonetheless, they make plenty of bad decisions that lead them down a questionable path, but they can easily be let off the hook because they’re teenagers. They’re not the adults their fathers were whose bad decisions carried a lot more weight. They’re more reckless with a feeling of invincibility, especially AJ.

Performance-wise, Gosling and Cooper shine as two men on the opposite side of the law. Eva Mendes is fantastic as well, playing a mother torn between her past, present, and future. This is a film where you expect the worst to happen because the characters haven’t displayed much of anything else. Can one avoid the fate he’s certain to live? Or is his fate the product of his own decisions? Both AJ and Jason have that weighing down on their shoulders.

Game of Thrones – “Valar Dohaeris”

Season Three, Episode One

Grade: B+

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I’m happy Sam didn’t get diced and chewed up by the walkers, though he still annoys me much. A lot happened during the season premiere of the third season, but there wasn’t a lot of action. Starting with Jon Snow, he’s able to prove his allegiance to the camp of Mance Rayder and for now, seem to be right where he wants to be. I suspect grand things in the near future for everyone’s favorite bastard. Oh, and did you feel that heat between Snow and Ygritte?

In King’s Landing, everyone is still trying to find their place with Tywin sort of running the show. This means that our favorite half-man, Tyrion, is practically out of any power he used to have. There’s a very revealing conversation between Tywin and Tyrion that displays the father’s lack of affection towards his son, who he blames for killing his wife. There seems like there’s nothing for Tyrion in King’s Landing anymore, but he still feels like he belongs there, and therefore he’s staying put.

Also, we see a side to Margery that we’re not used to seeing around in King’s Landing. A woman who goes out of her way to help a local orphanage and makes promises that things will be better for them. While Joffrey looked on with confusion, Margery makes the attempt to win the public over. Even though Cersei warns her about her safety (which she’s right), Margery has a different approach to being Queen other than taking orders from Cersei. And that brings us to a blazing question with the Lannisters: Where does Cersei fit into all of this? She can’t control Joffrey, Jamie is captured and likely will never come home, and Tywin has taken control with an iron fist. Looks like all she has left is to continue threatening Tyrion. Not to forget about Sansa, she has a talk with Littlefinger who says he might be able to get her out of King’s Landing and back to her family. Do I believe him? No, I don’t.

Meanwhile, we find out that Davos is alive from the battle of Blackwater. He begs his pirate buddy to bring him back to Dragonstone to try and talk some sense into Stannis, who has been under the influence of Melisandre. When he does return, he’s not greeted with much kindness from Stannis. Davos attempts to attack Melisandre and is thrown into a cell for his treason. I like Stannis, but he’s drinking the Melinsandre Kool-Aid and it seems like his chance to take the throne is all but a memory now, unless he can conjure up an army of shadow demons. Hmm…

Finally, Daenerys is hungry to become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms but she’s impatient. She doesn’t want to wait for her dragons to fully grow. She wants an army NOW. I could almost see her face turning into a blueberry. I loathe Daenerys when she’s whiny, but then I just remember she’s the mother of dragons and dragons are freaking awesome! She visits an army she’s interested in purchasing and they’re an impressive group. The slave army of 8,000 is offered and they will no doubt be a threatening force, along with her dragons. What shall the khaleesi do? Oh, at at the end we see Barristan Selmy again, joining Daenerys. I think I’m putting my money on the dragons to rule quite soon.

TV Blur (3/24-3/29)

I’ve been sick the past week so I wasn’t able to write any new posts on the TV shows I watch. So here are several briefs and comments in the past week of television.

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The Walking Dead – “This Sorrowful Life”

Grade: B-

Merle gets shot in the chest by the Governor and then is knifed in the head by Daryl. It was a tough episode for Merle, but I can’t say that I didn’t see his death coming. Another non-shocker was when Rick changes his decision to give Michonne to the Governor, but it’s too late because Merle already captured her and is on his way to deliver her. We get a heart-to-heart between two supporting characters, sort of feel for Merle, which is obviously the kiss of death in The Walking Dead. At least her went out in a blaze of glory by taking down several people at Woodbury.

Merle, like all of the supporting characters in The Walking Dead, has his own story and one that is worth telling. But the show hasn’t concentrated anything besides Rick, the Governor, and Andrea the entire season. I understand The Walking Dead is under a lot of pressure keeping its record-breaking ratings alive and displaying constant zombie-killing is essential, but it’s hurting the potential of the show that is post-Shane. Since his death, we haven’t spent much time at all with anyone besides the leads. Take a page from Game of Thrones, Mad Men, or Boardwalk Empire and develop the characters.

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How I Met Your Mother – “The Time Travelers”

Grade: A-

During the latter seasons of HIMYM, Ted has taken a back-seat to the other characters on the show. Marshall and Lily have a baby and have to deal with parenthood, and Barney and Robin are engaged and have to deal with their preparations. But Ted is still the main character, hence the title. So I do appreciate it when they decide to spend some time focused on Ted and his quest to find his wife instead of Lily working for the Captain, or Barney adding a new page to the Playbook. And that’s exactly what this episode gave us.

After plenty of gimmicks where Present Ted and Present Barney talk with 20 Years Later Ted and Barney, plus other future versions of people, the somber message was how Ted was lonely while his friends are all coupled off. But then he reveals that in 45 days, he’s going to meet his wife. These are the sort of hints and foreshadowing that made HIMYM so much fun to watch. Now there’s an actual short time-frame to when Ted will meet his wife. Fans rejoice!

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Revolution – “The Stand”

Grade: B+

Revolution returns for their second half of the first season with a bang! We left off with Monroe now having the power to run helicopters, so that’s bad news for practically everyone, especially the Resistance. Now that Rachel is with the gang, it’s growing more evident how she’s the most important person in this black-out world, and also enemy number 1 to Miles and now Randall. Why? Probably because she has the answers to all the questions.

The amplified helicopters are finally shot down by Danny firing a missile launcher, but not without the copters taking out Danny before crashing to the ground. All of the first half dealt with Charlie searching and rescuing her brother. All of that for nothing! I applaud Revolution for this death, just like how Ben and Maggie bit the dust early in the season. Revolution seemingly has no problem killing off characters, something major network series shy away from doing. But this all happened for a reason. Rachel cuts out a small chip-like pill apparently containing power. What the hell is that and what can it do?!

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The Following – “Guilt”

Grade: B-

My favorite part about this show is the story between Ryan and Claire. They’re the only two characters I really care about because how can you really care about any of the murderers? Emma is annoying, Jacob is now a badass for suffocating Paul, and Joe Carroll is just waiting for his wife to return. Who cares? But Ryan/Claire actually makes for some good TV. We get to see them this episode but we haven’t seen it enough so far and I’m afraid we’re not going to see them together for a while.

After Ryan desperately tries to keep Claire safe, she eventually leaves with Joe’s lackeys to see her son. Yeah I get it, she’s not thinking and all she really wants is to see her son again, but she’s entering a house of crazies at at the helm is her psychopathic husband. Yeah, real good choice, Claire. Oh and one last note, The Following does such a poor job at using flashbacks. Please just stop.

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New Girl – “Chicago”

Grade: B-

Sitcoms have it tough when they have an episode around someone’s death. It has to be done. Recently, How I Met Your Mother had one and now New Girl. New Girl takes the much lighter approach, but with little essence. Nick’s father dies and we meet Nick’s insane family. None of it is very funny. I laughed the hardest at Schmidt’s fear of open caskets.

What the episode did was display Jess to Nick’s family and show how she was able to diffuse their craziness and even fit in. After everything, Nick’s mom approved of Jess and she points out that it’s nice to have someone like her look after Nick. We’re just getting closer and closer to when Nick and Jess start dating.

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The Mindy Project – “Danny’s Friend”

Grade: C-

It’s Stevie. Oh, I was just answering the question that the title suggests in, Who is Danny’s Friend? This was a very uneven episode of The Mindy Project. While Mindy, Morgan, and Jeremy are trying to play detective figuring out why Danny’s been prescribing drugs off the books, Mindy has a run in with Heather who wants an available apartment in Mindy’s complex.

I’m excited that this show was renewed, but I really feel that The Mindy Project has to find its focus, and quickly. Like all the romantic comedies Mindy loves, the show’s strongest aspect is when it comments on relationships and friendships. Why not have that as its main concentration? I don’t know, but the show spends far too much time elsewhere. It needs to develop a story arc and keep with it.

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Smash – “The Bells & Whistles”

Grade: B

In the episode prior, Smash really stepped on the acceleration pedal and launched us to its current situation. There are two musicals we’re watching: Bombshell and Hit List. While it’s good to see different productions work out in different stages, the problem with this is that I doubt anyone enjoys both musicals equally. For me, Hit List is far more intriguing than Bombshell. I don’t know whether it’s because it’s new and fresh, compared to Bombshell which we spent all last season on, but probably also because it’s the underdog compared to Bombshell. All the broken pieces fell off of Bombshell and landed in Jimmy’s Hit List.

Sure, Jimmy and Derek bickering all episode was annoying, and Tom trying to befriend his cast was an obvious disaster. But they’re both trying, which says a lot more about Derek than Tom. Just one last comment, I really wish Smash just stopped covering songs Glee style because that’s when it’s at its worst.

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Nashville – “When You’re Tired of Breaking Other Hearts

Grade: B-

Juliette continues to be difficult as she ignores her label and throws an impromptu concert, which results in disaster. Maddie lies to her mom and dad and gets injured at the show. Meanwhile, Gunnar angrily mourns his brother’s death and skips out on showcasing him and Scarlett’s talent to Rayna’s potential record label. And Avery quits his current gig. Just a typical episode of Nashville!

First off, I could care less about Avery but this episode made you feel more for him other than that selfish prick who was wrong for Scarlett and dumped everyone just to be discovered. He seems to understand the mistake he made and is trying to stick with the only thing he knows: his music. Scarlett is offered a contract to Rayna’s label, but without Gunnar. If the show is going to split them up musically, I might stop watching because their music is the strongest aspect of the show, emotionally. And finally, who would’ve thought Juliette giving Deacon a puppy would’ve landed him a girlfriend?