2 posts tagged “freaks and geeks”
I think I got about four hours of sleep last night, so these might be interesting, and not in altogether good way, but rather a sleep-deprived, random, scattered way.
Anyway.
1. I'm watching Regis and Kelly, and they've got this 11-year-old math genius. I'm all about fostering intelligence in one's kids and encouraging advanced education, etc. That's precisely why, if I have kids, I'm going to homeschool them. (Well that, and the fact that I don't want the liberal-choked teacher's unions to warp their brains.) However, I think the parents of kids such as this 11-year-old math whiz are doing them a great disservice by not teaching them social skills. I'm not saying they should be all pop-culturally oriented or whatever. However, they should be able to carry on a freaking conversation and be able to, I don't know, emote. Seriously. This kid was a robot. Jimmy Kimmel (guest-hosting) and Kelly were being friendly and funny and asking him different questions, and he barely responded. Never cracked a smile or really even changed expression. It was kind of pathetic.
2. I watched Grey's Anatomy last night because I forgot to cancel my Season Pass and honestly, I can't believe that a couple weeks ago, I was absolutely raving about its post-strike return and yet last night was ridiculous and uneven and pandering and did I mention ridiculous? It's pretty sad when a show I used to revere for its characterization has painted normal, sweet, emotionally stable characters like Lexie and Rose as being somehow, I don't know, abnormal or, in Rose's case, almost villainous. Cristina behaved so out of character last night I almost didn't recognize her. Don't get me started on the stupid, unrealistic and insipid Callie-Hahn storyline. The writers ruined what was an awesome storyline -- and Emmy-worthy performance by Elizabeth Reaser -- when they took the Rebecca-Alex story down the ill-fated soap opera path it's on. I'm so glad Reaser is getting her own show in The Ex List next season, and am even more excited that she'll be playing Esme Cullen in Twilight come December. Steve Betz and I commiserated on the decline of Grey's recently and he made a point that I whole-heartedly agree with: the decline started as soon as the writers started trying to tell the stories of too many characters. Sloane, Callie, the despicable Hahn, even the Chief and Bailey -- they're minor, supporting characters. Frankly, I could care less about their personal lives. Perhaps Steve's best point was that Bailey was always the rock and I loved her unshakable, "at work" mentality and how she was such a stabilizing force for the interns/residents. Now that isn't the case. I don't want to see her fall apart. Anyway, I find I just don't care about this show anymore. At all. And though there are no details forthcoming, if ABC president Steve MacPherson's comments (and the analysis of those comments) are to be believed, Shonda's planning some drastically different directions for the show next season that nobody is all that enthused about. I'm glad to be getting off the train before it derails.
3. The Office finale was probably the best episode of its season, and maybe the best since "Casino Night." I loved it and didn't even notice that it was an hour -- and I'm one of those who believe super-sized episodes are too much of a good thing. The cold open was HILARIOUS, and my obsession love for Jim Halpert (and John Krasinski) has been heightened. If that is possible. (Is cloning really so immoral if it's used for good -- namely so that Cori and I can both have him?) I wasn't spoiled, but I figured that Jim and Pam wouldn't get engaged, only because we knew it was coming, and so how would it be a surprise or somehow shocking if it happened in the finale? I am so glad the writers have fixed Pam because as I've said before, my love for her has returned to Season 1 and 2 levels and I'm happy to forget Season 3 Pam. Also, how great is Amy Ryan as the very Michael-like Holly? I look forward to seeing more of her next season.
4. The penultimate episode of Bones was beyond awesome. Best this season, and that's saying a lot, because Bones is one of those shows that -- almost non-traditionally -- has gotten better with each season. I am regularly amazed at how frakking funny David Boreanaz is. His comic timing is unbelievable. And it goes without saying that his chemistry with Emily Deschanel is fantastic. I am so excited that John Francis Daley has been brought on as a regular cast member instead of just recurring. It's so weird to see him all grown up after watching him as the tiny, adorable Sam Weir on Freaks and Geeks, and I now have a ginormous crush on him. He's so very Acronym-y.
5. The first part of the House finale -- "House's Head" -- was phenomenal. As with Bones, best this season, even topping the awesome post-Super Bowl episode. Hugh Laurie is bound to get yet another Golden Globe and Emmy nomination for this performance alone, and gee, maybe he'll even win the Emmy this time. It's long past due. The man is brilliant. Also, as an unimportant aside, I can never call Thirteen by her real name. The first and last names don't go together. At all. And her first name is...weird. So yeah. Thirteen it is.
6. No, I haven't watched the first part of Lost's three-part finale, because there's just the little matter of the four previous episodes I still have to watch. And I know, as always, I'm setting myself up to be spoiled -- and I already know a couple of things -- but I'm looking forward to diving face-first into, like, five (what better be) spectacular hours of the best show on television.
7. If you didn't see my previous post, you must check out the bits of Fringe and Dollhouse that have leaked. They both look awesome -- especially Fringe -- and I expect Fringe alone to replace a woefully derailed Heroes as the sci-fi cult show of the moment. It could possibly reach Lost heights.
8. And because I wouldn't be my obsessive self without a mention, I thought I'd post a yummy Edward Cullen picture. Because last night in my four hours of sleep, I dreamed that he turned me into a vampire. It was...lovely, and I definitely didn't want to wake up. Would that any boy (especially one this dreamy) look at me like this...
Over the past few days, I've been reminded of what it was like to struggle with the hell that is dial-up. I found a torrent for all 13 episodes of Tim Minear's The Inside, including the six that never aired here, and it took almost three days to download. That didn't slow down everything else that much, but now that I'm converting the .avi files to mpeg files so that I can burn the series onto DVD, it's horribly slow.
Oh well. At the end, I'll have a series that stupid FOX not only canceled prematurely (after screwing it by debuting it in the summer) but doesn't intend on ever releasing on DVD.
In the mean time, I've got a little collection of list-type stuff to put up on Vox. It's a good thing, too, because nothing exciting is going on in my life, and there's nothing else to write about.
First up: my top 10 canceled shows. I went alphabetically because in the end, I really couldn't make a distinction among them. Also, I cheated, because I ended up with 11 and couldn't cross any of the others off the list. Come the upfronts in May, I may be adding another...sigh.
Jen's Top 10 Canceled Shows
1. Angel: I've talked enough about this show, and of Joss. So let's just say that anything Joss does is utter brilliance and leave it at that.
2. Arrested Development: I can't believe it took me until the third season to catch on to this gem of a quirky comedy, but I now own all three on DVD. I'm always amused to watch it with people who obviously don't get that type of humor, because they're always looking at me like, "Okay, what did I miss?" Which is probably one of the reasons it was so hysterical.
3. Boomtown: What a gritty, unique drama. This was the show that told the story from several different viewpoints throughout the hour. It was very original. Well-written, well-acted, well-directed. I still can't believe NBC canceled it midway through its second season. The first season's on DVD, so I encourage you to check it out.
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: See Angel.
5. Felicity: Oh, Felicity. I lost count over how many similarities there were between us. Except I would never follow a boy I liked (but who had no idea I existed) 3,000 miles to college. I'd *want* to, but in the end, I wouldn't be that brave. With the exception of one or two episodes the last season, this show was awesomely amazing. And it shows that JJ Abrams is loyal to those with whom he started out. I always forget that Alias got its start because JJ would sometimes imagine what would happen if Felicity were a secret agent.
6. Firefly: See Angel.
7. Freaks and Geeks: Judd Apatow is a genius. F&G is to me what The Wonder Years was to my parents. Another quirky, sensitive, intelligent show. Which, hey, is probably why it was canceled. Apparently the majority of TV-watching America just can't be bothered with intelligent television.
8. Joan of Arcadia: When I first heard about this show, I kind of rolled my eyes because I expected another version of Touched By an Angel or worse, Seventh Heaven. But this was surprisingly not at all similar. It was honest and real and took an unabashed look at real faith and doubt and struggling to do what is right, without the cheesiness of Touched By an Angel or the saccharin crappiness of Seventh Heaven. I related with so much of what Joan was going through, especially the finale of Season 1. Seriously. I urge you to Netflix.
9. My So-Called Life: Don't roll your eyes. It was a good show. I loved Angela. This was another show that didn't candy-coat the angst we all felt was going to just ruin us for good when we were melodramatic, self-centered adolescents. The Christmas episode where Ricky is homeless still makes me bawl.
10. Sports Night: The only Aaron Sorkin show that I like. It never got pretentious and heavy-handed, the way The West Wing eventually became, or sadly, what Studio 60 became before its first season was even over. Felicity Huffman and the entire rest of the cast were great.
10 (tie). Wonderfalls: This show practically defines the word quirky. Which is probably why I loved it. (And FOX canceled it.) The premise is simple: a girl comes back from getting a useless degree in philosophy from...Brown? One of the yuppy schools. Can't remember. Anyway, since she can't do anything with the degree, she ends up working in a souvenir shop at Niagra Falls. And then little inanimate objects start talking to her, and lead her to help people. I SWEAR it is better than my pathetic little synopsis makes it sound. It was so well done and funny and sweet and I miss it.
That's it. I was going to talk about Alias, too, because I really did love that show for the first three seasons. But then it started getting lost inside of its own mythology (no, that is not happening with Lost) and it kind of unraveled from there. So I guess Alias will get an Honorable Mention.
