Back from the Books

I returned only a few weeks ago from being overseas, so some of my notes this month will be about books (the TVs of your imagination) because I mostly read books on my vacation.

*Parks & Recreation (Season 4) -Still laugh-out-loud funny.

*Nurse Jackie (Season 3) - A treat of the international flights, I watched half of the episodes on the way there and half on the way back. I did not see how it would move forward after last season's ending, but they pulled it through and Edie Falco's so amazing!

*Hung (Season 2) - Another one that I thought would wear thin, but it's still pretty funny.

*Downton Abbey (Season 2) - I got more than a preview while overseas (one time in which the Brits get something before Hollywood!). Hurry up, January 8th!

*2 Broke Girls - Caught the first episode on the plane, and it turns out one of the characters was a wealthy heiress with a horse who lost her trust fund in a scandal. It's worth a chuckle when I can catch it.

Books:

-The Canal (Lee Rourke) - a meditation on being bored. I enjoyed the philosophical aspects, but not much else.

-The Imperfectionists (Tom Rachman) - A clever book with each chapter from a different perspective, all relating to an English language paper in Italy and how their work and lives intersect. A fun, fast read - like a newspaper.

-The Corrections (Jonathan Frazen) - I think this book did not age well. I can't understand why so many people loved this book, and I think it must have been written at a time where writing something sad about people who should be happy was novel.

-Citrus County (John Brandon) - A pitch-perfect, disturbing look at a couple of Floridian adolescents and their middle school teacher. It's tough to write a tale about that age and place that works so well.

Roll'in' the Hay

*The Simpsons Season 23 - A great Treehouse of Horrors episode featuring a whole segment involving fart-communication, followed by an unfortunate guest star episode that went nowhere.

*Seinfeld Seasons 8 and 9 - They go way over the top in the last couple seasons, and some episodes are really amazing - the Little Kicks, the Merv Griffin Show, Serenity Now, and the Strike.

*Project Runway Season 9 - Super disappointing - you started to get the feeling that even the judges were unhappy with their final 4 - they gave them extra money at the last minute in the hopes it could come together. Too bad it didn't, they didn't even manage to pick a winner who could make some sleeves.

*Parks & Recreation - Season 4 - I enjoyed the spoof on the scouts, and Ron's flutes for the end of the world were pretty fun, too. I've given up on the Office for now.

*Hung - First disc of Season 2 - I worried the gimmicky plot would start to wear thin in the second season, but it's still pretty good.

*Northern Exposure - Season 1 - A friend recommended I visit this quirky little town in Alaska with a dedicated cult following. It's enjoyable, if a tad dated.

*The Good Wife - I usually avoid lawyer shows, but people kept recommending this show to me, and it's more intricate and interesting than I expected.

*New Girl - I gave this show a short whirl just to see what everyone's favorite former vegan is up to. Zooey Deschanel plays a heartbroken, nutty science teacher who moves in with a bunch of weak-actor guys. Zooey's character is a less believable version of Tina Fey in 30 Rock (when is that coming back, anyway? soon?) - it's just too hard to believe that Zooey's an unattractive dork who can't get laid.

*2 Broke Girls - A sassy cupcake maker/waitress along with her roommate/partner foil and a horse (I must have missed the episode where they explained that one) struggling to make ends meet in Brooklyn, makes for some pretty clever and funny t.v. These days, who couldn't use a chuckle at the expense of the recession?

*Terra Nova - I watched approximately 2 minutes of this Jurassic Park t.v. show. Someone went way over budget on the special effects and sappiness and forgot to hire actors and writers.

I'm off in a couple weeks to the "diet version of Australia, New Zealand" in the words of Stephen Colbert, so my next post may not be until the winter doldrums set in and after some adventures.

Takeoff

Finally, time for fall - hope springs eternal to try out some new series, though still relying on some good standbys.

*The Simpsons Season 23 - is off to its usual uneasy start. One good episode, one mediocre episode. It's still the highlight of my Sundays, and will continue to be for at least a couple more years.

*Seinfeld Seasons 6 and part of 7 - The characters develop more of a mean streak in these seasons, which I do not enjoy as much. "The Sponge" was always a standout. And who can forget the infamous "Soup Nazi"? In those innocent days back before every political commentator uses the comparison and means it about the other party....

*Mad Men Seasons 2-4 - Honestly, it got a little tedious near the end re-watching this, although I did pick up on a few interesting little things I hadn't noticed before - how Freddy Rumsfeld clues Don in on Peggy's talent and Dr. Miller's apt prediction that Don would marry within a year.

*Project Runway Season 9 - Finally starting to pick up a bit now that it's narrowed down a bit, after two too many 70s challenges. The "Rolling Stone" episode was particularly terrible.

*America's Next Top Model All Stars - I watched a little bit of the new season for old time's sake, but it was even worse than I remembered it, and I just can't even watch it to laugh at it anymore.

*The Office Season 8 - I want it to still be good, but it's just not anymore. They should have called it quits a couple seasons ago.

*Parks & Recreation Season 4 - Leslie and Ron still make me laugh, but Ann's subplots leave something to be desired.

*Whitney - This came on just after the Thursday night NBC line up, so I gave it a shot. It was kind of funny for a minute, and then fell a bit flat. Oh well.

*Up All Night - I loved Maya Rudolph in "Bridesmaids," so I wanted to love this, but I couldn't. The parenting thing kills it. Why are there so many shows with cute, hip young couples trying too hard to make their lives interesting?

*Eastbound & Down Season 2 - I laughed so hard at the first season of this ridiculously offensive show, but they took a wrong turn down in Mexico and really lost their way. Maybe it's the sort of thing that's only funny for about one season.

*Colbert Report - Another episode with my favorite guest, Trevor Potter, this time with a Delaware shell corporation ready to be formed into a 501(c)(4) for Colbert SuperPAC's anonymous donations.

*Prohibition Episode 1 - I am not a history buff, but Prohibition is one of those fascinating stories and Ken Burns does a great job telling it. There's early women leaders, moral imperialism, unintended consequences, strange bedfellows, fear of immigrants - and that's all in the first episode.

*Frontline - Hands down, the best 9/11 coverage I saw anywhere about top secret America. The Man Behind the Mosque was somewhat interesting as well.

*Coverage of Occupy Wall Street - I couldn't bring myself watch much more than Jon Stewart's mockery of the 24-hour news media. This is the sort of thing that's best watched spin-free, in-person first hand. If you can't make it out, the PBS NewsHour did a good job here and here. There's also lots of good streaming coverage online.

Going for a Walk

Out and about a lot this month, there was not much time to devote to T.V. I stuck to some comfortable favorites pre-fall season. But, by the end of the month, some new series and the new fall line-up could do a lot to avoid any more drab reality t.v.

*Seinfeld (Season 4 and 5) - Season 4 marks the moment when Seinfeld starts straying toward the absurd, and away from the ordinary. The Junior Mint, the Contest, and the Smelly Car are among the standouts. There's also the meta show-within-a-show in this season.

*Mad Men (Seasons 1 and part of 2) - Re-watching some of the early seasons reminds me of how it all started, before everything unravels. I almost enjoy the tension more than the post-success, plus it's good to see the little hints of things that come out in later seasons.

*Teen Mom 2 (Season 3) - Proving that teen parents are about as boring as all parents (sorry, folks), I feel like I should really give this one the boot. But will Farrah move to Florida? What will happen with Amber's domestic abuse charges? Will Catelyn and Tyler stick together? If only I could just fast-forward.

*Project Runway (Season 9) - Eh. Nothing exciting so far. Maybe once they narrow the pool it will get more interesting. The last episode posed an avant-garde challenge that really fell flat. I need less ready-to-wear, and more wacky to keep my attention.

Staycation

*Treme (Season 1) - It took a while to build, but definitely worth watching. I did not start out the season a fan of the long musical interludes, but by the end, I grew to enjoy them. David Simon did a fantastic job telling a gritty, urban story true to the place. I'm jealous he left Baltimore for New Orleans, but now I've got to forgive him.

*Project Runway (Season 9) - I am not sure about the ANTM-starting episode where they cut 4 people, including the woman who had cancelled her wedding (as soon as she said that, everyone knew she would be cut). The second episode disappointed, too - the high-collar birdseed dress does a lot more for me than the muted dog bed boxy dress.

*Pulling (Seasons 1 & 2) - Years ago, while backpacking, I met some Brits who drank more in one sitting than I have ever seen anyone drink since. This show, about 3 single ladies who can throw down in similar fashion, starts out after the lead decides she doesn't want to marry. Being a bit surrounded by the baby and bride phase myself, I love a hilarious, albeit a bit brutal, single manifesto like this. It's the British version of "Bridesmaids" without the wedding and a lot more crassness.

*Hard Times of RJ Berger - On a marathon weekend, I completed watching an entire season of this show, and now I can't remember what happened, just that I enjoyed it.

*Intelligence - Looking to get into a new series, I tried this Canadian crime drama. Except they don't really have crime in Canada (well they do, but you know...), and for some reason the accent of the leading lady was really getting to me this time. I'd rather re-watch the Sopranos than give this another go.

*Seinfeld (Season 3 and 4) - Tim borrowed the series from a friend, so I started re-watching them. As mundane and mean as the show can be, there's a lot more cutting edge stuff than I remembered (the meta-show and Elaine being my favorites).

*Sweet Home Alabama - How many stereotypes about the North and the South can you cram into one red-state reality show? A lot, apparently. This is also the second really terrible reality show I've watched where someone was eliminated for being a reality tv opportunist and not there for "real" reasons.

*Teen Mom 2 (Season 3) - Not much to note here. In a recent episode, though, I noticed Amber complain about people harassing her in public. This reminds me of the observer effect - at some point these supposed documentary style reality tv shows break down, like anything closely observed for so long. MTV should stop pretending that they are accurately portraying something here - it's not investigative journalism when it's on the cover of People magazine.

One is Silver, and the Other Gold

A roku entered my life last month, and I was sorely disappointed when I realized the little black box did not hold the key to my tv hopes and dreams (aka, easy streaming of all Internet videos not requiring a cord). You can only spell roku with "o.k." in the middle.

This last month involved some summer travelling, which included seeing a few old friends. This got me all nostalgic about my golden teen years of t.v. watching: excessive amounts of television granted by long, uninterrupted hours after school, pre-driving license weekends, and sweltering summer days . Most formative in my t.v. development was a Sunday night tradition watching the Simpsons and drinking beers with a few of my first fellow co-workers. In addition to being exposed early on to the theory that everything in life could be explained via a Saved by the Bell episode, I learned a valuable lesson prior to college that has stuck with me through the years: t.v.'s not an "idiot box" at all.

*House Hunters International - Between the Roku and my access to some cable t.v. on my travels, I got to see some of my old favorite guilty pleasure, which involves watching wealthy Americans gentrify countries while debating the age-old question - should they choose the house with the great view (which will be destroyed in the next earthquake), or the house on the beach (which will be underwater due to global climate change because of their 5-car garage back in the States)?

*The Hard Times of RJ Berger - I'm only a couple episodes in at this point, but this Netflix instant option holds hope for a fun teen dramady centering around the embarrassment and thrill of sexual self-realization.

*Teen Mom - MTV keeps the pregnant teen drama rolling with its summer return of the original teen moms. Not surprisingly, nothing gets any easier as adulthood continues to burst the bubble of invincibility and beating the odds. One episode in, it's looking a bit boring and edited to appear more dramatic. Maybe the sixteen and pregnant shocker shine has worn off this entire series.

*Brothers & Sisters Seasons 2-4 - Yep, you guessed it - I wiled away some more boring hot summer days on the drama-filled sap that certainly does not deserve anyone's time. I heard a (spoiler alert!) rumor that someone dies in Season 4, so I kept watching this terrible show in hopes that one of my least favorite characters would bite the dust. No such luck. I'm out of the instant gratification afforded by Netflix, so I really may stop here and devote my time to more reputable shows. Treme's also next up in my queue, so there's hope for you yet, dear reader.

Escape the Heat

Last night, I dreamed my TV was stolen. Devastated, I woke up in a panic. Between the latest heat wave and a stressful work month, I am tempted to just lay on the floor like these bunnies and play dead. Good thing TV was there for me, soothing the stress away - despite the slim pickings this month.

*Brothers & Sisters (Season 1) - It's overacted, overly dramatic, overwritten - definitely something to watch while updating your blog or knitting or doing something else productive so that you do not end up feeling like you wasted several hours. It's like Six Feet Under (including Rachel Griffith!) without the quirkiness or depth. It almost felt like homework at times, yet somehow, after slogging through so much Calista Flockhart in the first season, I'm sucked in. If I can manage another season of the mother, maybe I will post about this show again.

*Project Runway (Season 1) - Season 9 won't come out until the end of the summer, and sounds like it may be followed by an all stars a' la Top Chef style (I hope!). In the interim, I revisited the season with Jay McCarroll; Austin Scarlett; and the original Gretchen Jones, Wendy Pepper.

*American Experience: Freedom Riders - History has a way of humbling us - whatever our struggles require our courage, it pales in comparison to the radicals that banded together to simply ride the bus South to force the civil rights issue. The freedom riders faced firebombs, beatings, and hard labor jails. The diverse individuals involved, many who went against the grain of civil rights leaders recognized by history, makes the story even more remarkable. Sometimes nonfiction is the most startling of them all.

*Frontline: WikiSecrets - I did not follow this story very carefully, but wow - there is so much more to it than I realized. The hacking of the PBS site afterwards drew my attention back to watch it. It's ironic that a group based on transparency feels so uncomfortable in the limelight. Secrecy and confidentiality provides a rich moral grey background to this story.

*CoolTV - Turning on digital basic cable the other day, suddenly I was transformed back to summer of '98 - you know, back when mtv still played music videos rather than just flashing the name of the song being played during the credits.