Mini Reviews- August

It has been a little quieter on the TV front this month, but I've had a few TV shows to keep me going as you can see on my profile to the right of this post. I'll do a quick summary of them:

Chuck (season 3 part 1)
Chuck hit it's 13th episode mark last week- the original finale episode before the show was given a reprieve.
It had been a good and fast moving 13 episodes. Awesome became involved in the spy world, Morgan found out Chuck's secret, Casey got fired, both Chuck and Sarah got involved with other people and then (finally) each other and Chuck became a real spy. The plot and character development really was a whirlwind and has done creative wonders for a show that was becoming very formulaic. I know that the next few episodes may not be as good, seeing that they are an addendum to the season, but I'm looking forward to them nonetheless.

Entourage (season 7)
HBO's short seasons means that Entourage will be over in just a few episodes even though it feels like the season has just started. The season is a lot darker than previous seasons and generally there is a very different tone about it. There have been very few scenes with all the guys together as all the boys are pursuing their own lives/dreams. This isn't a bad thing, though after watching previous seasons on DVD, it does make me miss the boys' camaraderie.
The darker tone comes from Vince, who after a lucky escape from a dangerous stunt goes of the rails a little, popping Vicodins, snorting coke and jumping out of planes. I'm quite enjoying his descent into the Hollywood maddness and it feels that this could be a great setup for the final season next year.

Leverage (season 3)
I have caught up fully with Leverage now, and I am feeling the effects of catching up too fast as waiting a whole week for a new episode is proving difficult! However the show is continuing to be fun and the most recent episode I watched 'The Roshomon Job' in which each character told their side of a particular job, was one of the best episodes they've done. Some of the recent plot devices have become a little bit wacky and unrealistic, but amongst all the capers, the show has real heart which is keeping it grounded. According to twitter the show recently wrapped up filming and the mid season finale will air next week in the States. After that expect a blog reviewing season 2 and 3 (since I never got around to doing the season 2 blog)


Mad Men (season 1)
Everyone raves about this show, so when the BBC decided to rerun episodes from the beginning on Sunday nights in anticipation for the newest season, I decided to tune in. It's not hard to see why everybody loves this show and why it won the Emmy for best drama show this week. The characters are all perfectly drawn and its fun to see a little bit more of their characters every episode. The show doesn't pander to idiots so a lot is left unexplained and though some of it may be going over my head, I enjoy that I have to work a little to understand it. Plus the excellent cast make it very easy to watch.

Ugly Betty (season 4)
This show has only just kicked off here in the UK but it has been enjoyable so far.
Betty trying (and failing) in her new job feels a lot like season 1 (in a good way) and it's nice to see the other characters getting meatier storylines, especially Amanda and Justin, who have largely been comedy relief in the past. Amanda's quest for a better job/ more stable life will be interesting to watch and shows she is more than just a caricature. Justin's trouble in his high school was painful but endearing to watch. I look forward to seeing more of both storylines in future episodes.

The Good, The Bad ,The Ugly, and The Riculous

The Good

How I Met Your Mother has been renewed. I don't watch the show personally but Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan are wonderful actors and fully deserve success with the show.

Dexter was a big winner at both the Golden Globes and SAG awards. Admittedly I haven't seen the 4th season for which the awards were won, but I'm sure they're very deserved!

The Bad

Rob Lowe is leaving and Calista Flockhart is reducing her role on Brothers and Sisters. Neither is great news for the show though I am more concerned about Calista Flockhart not being there as much. The show does need her, though hopefully she'll still be in it plenty.

The Ugly

Ugly Betty has been officially cancelled. Not a huge shock given its ratings but still a real shame. happily though the show has been given time to construct a series finale. Apparently it will include a wedding!

The Ridiculous

Steve Carrell wants to make a US version of Only Fools and Horses. I cannot think of anything worse. Also I'm not sure he really understands the core of the show if he thinks it can be remade.

Greg Gruberg thinks it was a timing change that affected Heroes' ratings. Yes of course Greg, it had nothing to due to the vast drop in creative quality that followed the first season!

Producers want to make a third Sex and The City film. This will be its last because they want to "go out on a high." Yes really. SATC finished on a high in May 2004 on HBO, everything since has felt cheap.

My Favourite Christmas Movies and TV

My Favourite Christmas Movies

Elf- Saw this very recently and it was such a sweet movie that I couldn’t help but be melted by it. Will Ferrell is surprisingly wonderful in the lead role.

Home Alone- A fun Christmas classic, that can really make you feel all Christmassy inside.

The Muppets Christmas Carol- This really scared me the first few times I watched it (especially the Christmas future bits) but I love the Muppets and this is the only version of the Christmas I’ve ever seen and probably ever will, as I’m still a child at heart. Cute and loveable.

Miracle on 24^th Street- (the newer version) This sweet and uplifting movie is a must- see Christmas film. Will help to re-affirm your belief in Santa Claus!!

My Favourite Christmas TV Episodes

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Amends: The only Whedon Christmas episode but it’s a real gem. Its very dark with the arrival of the First but the endings really sweet.

The OC- The Best Christmakkuh ever: The original Christmakkuh episode and as the title says the best. I like the merging of the holidays which just makes it totally fun!!

Veronica Mars- An Echolls Family Christmas: The first full episode I watched of the show, the episode had a dark undertone to Christmas in Neptune.

Scrubs- My Own Personal Jesus: Very Christmas-affirming, its typical Scrubs which means its very funny but also very sweet.

Friends- The One with Phoebe’s Dad: Friends didn’t always do Christmas episode preferring to do Thanksgiving and this was their first and IMO their best. The two storylines are funny and Phoebe’s storyline is very sweet. I also love the present scene at the end of the episode!

Chuck- Chuck Vs The Santa Claus One: of my favourite episodes of Chuck. Its a very sweet and funny episode which unites all the shows characters. Sad ending though.

Ugly Betty- Lose the Boss: This isn’t technically a Christmas episode but with the Suarez family decorating the tree it feels like one. There are a lot of lessons about family here and cute scenes with Daniel and the Suarez’.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Glee and Ugly Betty end of season reviews

A few reviews of shows I’ve been watching lately. Spoilers ahead especially for the video clip of Glee

Glee Season 1 (part 1)

I loved this show from the first time I watched it, but the part 1 finale has confirmed to me just how damn brilliant this show is. Yes the show is very soapy and at times ridiculous, but the writers showed that actually all that was worth it all in the finale episode, tying up most of the storyline threads.

(spoilers)

The songs in “Sectionals” weren’t my favourite this season, there were a couple I didn’t know and one I didn’t like but they were all enjoyable. The final song a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” was just superb and it was great to see all the kids dance and incorporate moves from previous dances. Plus of course there was that kiss which was just very Hollywood ending for me- and I loved it!!

(end of spoilers)

I’m definitely going to miss Glee as it doesn’t return in the US until April; however E4 is starting its airing of the show this week (Tuesday at 9pm) with the pilot and I think will begin showing the rest of the episodes in January. After watching some adverts I’m amazed at how different it looks on a big screen rather than my little computer one, so to tide me over until April I’ll hopefully re-watch the show on E4 (though admittedly I might fast forward through some of the more boring storyline bits!!) Also I’ll try and do reviews for each of the episodes on this blog.

Ugly Betty Season 3

Just watched the finale of season 3 and it was a terrific episode, but very emotional as well. I loved the way they did the Daniel/Molly storyline but I liked the Justin one most of all. He’s an excellent character and we don’t see enough of him. His moment with Marc was just adorable. The episode felt a little rushed though as there was a lot of ground to cover in such a short space of time.

Also after watching this episode I've changed my mind a little on the whole Betty ending up with Daniel debate. Just a few weeks ago I thought it was a horrible

idea, but after seeing them together in this episode I can start to see how they could work together. He’s certainly better for her than Betty’s other boyfriends (Henry, Gio, Matt)

Overall the season has been good, but it felt like it has dragged on a lot. The first half of the season wasn’t stellar but it has got better as its gone on. I’m definitely hopeful for the show especially as what I’ve heard about season 4 Stateside sounds good (creatively of course not ratings wise!).

90210 Season 2

This show also wrapped up its first half of the season with rather a good episode. Unsurprisingly for a teen show it included a high school dance but there were reunions (Naomi and Liam) revelations (Annie found out Jasper was a drug dealer and he reveals he knows she ran down his uncle) and great set-ups for the next season (Dixon wanted to re-connect with his birth mother). This show is such a guilty pleasure but one I’m enjoying more and more.

Modern Family- Undeck the Halls/ Season 1

This stellar new show finished on a sentimental note, with a sweet but perhaps less funny episode in which the Dunphy’s cancelled Christmas, Cam and Mitchell got a shopping centre Santa fired and then invited him to dinner to assuage their guilt and Jay tried to incorporate Gloria’s and Manny’s Colombian traditions into his own.

Overall however the series has just been great, there hasn’t been a bad episode yet and I’ve laughed out loud so many times. It also helps that the cast is just amazing as is the writing.

Scrubs Season 9

I was initially dubious about the reboot but quickly became excited once I heard more about it. The new setting invigorates the show and old cast helps the transition. The new characters are all rather good I think. They’re obviously not as developed or as funny yet as the established cast but I think in time they’ll grow into their own. The first two episodes in particular were hilarious and easily funnier than Scrubs in seasons 6/7.

Here's the new opeing credits which as you might remember I was mega excited about seeing. I love them and I might be one of the few people in the world who likes the revamped song! Judge for yourself!

At the moment I've been watching...

At the moment I've been watching:

Chuck season 2- Over halfway now and whilst its not my favourite show I still really like it and its a lot of fun. I absolutely adore Casey- he only has to growl and I laugh (though my Casey love has a lot to do with the actor playing him!!) but I must admit I’m finding the constant to-ing and fro-ing between Chuck and Sarah and little tiresome, its a bit too much will they won’t they for me. I’m loving most of the BuyMore storylines though, I would like to see Chuck actually working there more, his storylines seem to be a little disconnected from the rest of the show.

Greek chapter 5- only a couple of episodes in and even though its still a fun show, they are relying way too much of the Cappie/Casey relationship which to be frank is getting very dull. Some of the other storylines are interesting but I’m reserving full judgement until I’ve seen a few more episodes.

Ugly Betty season 3- also over halfway and I’m understanding the dip in quality that most people talked about. I’m enjoying certain aspects of the show- Amanda and Betty living together was a real highlight, and there have been a few good episodes but the show has a very odd feel. It could be the move to New York and the show trying to shoe-horn in as much of the city as possible; it just doesn’t have the natural feel that Sex and the City had to it when the show was on. Also I’m really not loving the shows fashion anymore; I know being a fashion magazine they have to be a bit fashion forward, but some of the outfits look worse than many of Betty’s ensembles!

Entourage season 6- A slight dip in quality (says a lot even from me an avid fan of the show) I’m just not sure where some of the storylines are going. I’m enjoying Turtle and Eric’s storylines but Vince’s stalker storyline burned out and wasn’t nearly as exciting as I hoped. I’m glad Lloyd is standing up for himself finally. (in the last episode Security Briefs) Since he’s a fully fledge cast member I expect he’ll be back at MGA soon enough. Only a few episodes are left and I hope the storylines start to take shape soon.

Glee season 1- After a hugely successful pilot the two following episodes, whilst decent enough haven’t lived up to expectations which is hardly surprising considering all the hype meant that it was bound to disappoint a little. It’s still one of the most enjoyable shows out there and absolutely hilarious. The performances are great as well, even if some are auto-tuned a little too much. Here are a couple of my favourite performances from the 2 newest episodes (sorry for the quality of the videos):

The boys singing I Wanna Sex You Up- lets just say I’m starting to see the attraction of Puck after this performance... ;)

Rachel singing Take A Bow- amazing and perhaps even better than the Rihanna version

The Wire season 5- if a thing such as perfection actually exists, The Wire might possibly be the perfect TV show. Thought season 5 wasn’t its best season; the show from start to finish was amazing, simply incredible. The DVD’s have moved to the top of my DVD’s-to-Buy list and I can’t wait to watch the whole show again. Everything about this show- writing, acting, casting, settings- everything was sensational. I was a little worried that the show was overrated, but this is one of the rare times when the praise that is heaped on the show actually is true.

I want to do a show blog on it, but there is just so much to blog on, I’m not sure I could, maybe after my re-watch. I’ll probably do a favourite characters list at some point thought it will probably be very long!!

The final few episodes of the show left me numb, completely in tears and blown away. The final episode wasn’t perfect, it was very bittersweet, a few happy endings but not many; quality wise, it was excellent and a nice tribute the city of Baltimore.

If I give you any advice it would be to watch this show-start to finish and do your best to avoid spoilers. You won’t regret it!!