Mad Men (Season 5) - After a seemingly endless "very long wait," we finally received the first disc. The local video store supplied the next disc, alleviating us from another very long wait. I tried really hard not to hear any spoilers for this season, so while I knew a little (someone takes LSD), not a lot. There's a little less drama since you know the characters so well, but that's fine because they're all so interesting it's still fun to watch. So far, there's more humor than I remember from prior seasons, which more than makes up the difference in having a little less drama.
Tudors (Season 1) - This has been on the queue forever and I finally started watching it. It's ridiculous, but pretty to watch.
Too Big to Fail - There's something just way too distracting about watching really famous actors play famous people. Maybe this dramatization of a nonfiction story was news to others, but it wasn't to me.
Poor Kids (Frontline) - A devastating discussion with kids growing up in poverty in America. A harsh reminder of the plight of kids who go hungry and homeless in a country that can afford to house and feed everyone, if it had the political will to do it.
Bob's Burgers - Definitely missed during the baseball interruption, I was happy to have their wacky hijinks back in November. I missed the last episode, and am patiently waiting for it to come onto Hulu.
Simpsons - Hit or miss, as usual these days, mostly miss.
Good Wife - Lately I have felt like the 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday night TV is too much sitting and I resent having to watch the frantic last 45 minutes of The Amazing Race while waiting for the Good Wife. It has not been worth the wait lately.
Colbert Report - I really enjoyed his post-election bit, and with the holiday season upon us and the fiscal cliff nearing, it's nice to have him back from his break continuing to make fun of the insanity.
Parks & Recreation - I want to like the City Council bit more than I do; it feels like they are struggling to find new plot ideas.
30 Rock - A TV wedding fit for a feminist. I love you, Liz Lemmon!
Suicide Plan (Frontline)- An engrossing look at end-of-life choices and the entities and individuals who help people die when they decide they're done. Who knew that Party City's helium tanks provide an easy escape hatch for the elderly and terminally ill?
Dust Bowl - I am no history buff by a long shot, but I really enjoyed the second episode. The rabbit killing in the first episode was a bit tough to stomach. I thought the whole thing could have been edited down a bit into one episode, but it was a fascinating look at a time I knew very little about. I liked how much original footage and pictures were used, and that nearly the whole thing was narrated by non-experts - just regular people talking about growing up in the "dirty 30s."
Park Avenue: Power, Money & the American Dream - - I cannot stop telling people about this biting documentary on Independent Lens. Just after the election, it was a well-needed reminder that money corrupts completely, and corrupts our political system especially. While the ads were the public face of the spending during the election season, the year-round spending behind closed doors, setting the agenda and drafting bills is really what we have to worry about. I saw another documentary this guy was involved in, "Casino Jack and the United States of Money," also worth watching.
Off-screen, I completed
American Dervish for book club and loved it. It feels like a very sincere and honest look at the complexities of coming of age in an Islamic, immigrant family. It confronts the tension between Muslim and Jewish communities head-on, which I really enjoyed. I am also just a little ways into Euginides'
Marriage Plot, which seems like an English major's wet dream, but I am not sure where it is going yet. I like being reminded of some of the academic references from my undergraduate years, although the ivy league component is a bit unfamiliar to me.
