Sunday, March 30, 2014

Stacked


Travels and work got in the way of me keeping up with everything on the tube this month, but here are the highlights:
*Nurse Jackie (Season 5) - This is probably my favorite show to binge watch. Even though this season involved more fall-out than new drama, Edie Falco continues to be worth watching.
*House of Cards (Season 2) - At the halfway mark, and the latest political crisis just doesn't hold attention like the other ones so far.
*Portlandia (Season 3) - Worth a few laughs.
*Good Wife (Season 5) - A day late watching last week's episode, I barely managed to avoid the spoilers about the big surprise. It felt like this season was in a lull until then, though I have to say, I found it pretty unbelievable, but it's also unbelievable that any attorney tries an exciting case every week.
*Simpsons (Season 25) - Back from the winter break, I begrudgingly continue the Sunday night tradition.
*Bob's Burgers (Season 5) - Also back from its break, I guess its popularity led FOX to move it to a new time slot. I am constantly forgetting leading me to catch back up on Hulu. Glad something still makes me laugh on Sundays.
*Colbert Report  - I laughed so hard at the object permanence bit about new social media zones of the morning news shows.
*Top Chef (Season 5) - Ugh. A nice reminder of why I don't watch much reality TV anymore. Is it actually getting worse, or is the contrast with good TV just getting greater?
*Bhutto - Part of Independent Lens' Women's History Month #shedocs, this is a magnificent portrait of an amazing woman and a fascinating country.
*All of Me - Another great #shedoc about a group of fat-positive women in Austin whose friendships and relationships are affected by the decision by some to undergo weight loss surgery.
*Girls (Season 3) - This season flew by way too fast. I was so sad when it was over to know I have to wait until next year for new episodes. I almost made it through one episode of Doll & Em, which I had mistakenly thought might fill the hole.
*True Detective (Season 1) - People kept talking about this and I was skeptical (nothing about the plot actually appealed to me), but then I finally took the dive and couldn't stop watching it. The philosophical ramblings of Rusty Cohle plus the portrayal of the deep South felt so real; true to the last episode.
Out in L.A. at the end of last month, I read two books set in CA. The Circle (Dave Eggers), a quicker read than the length suggests, is ok. With Inherent Vice (Thomas Pynchon), I continued my long tradition of sadly never having finished a Pynchon. I am still working on Americanah (Ngozi Adiche), which I really enjoy a lot, but have had trouble finding time to finish.