1- You
enjoy watching TV enough to follow the best TV blog on the Internet.
2- You
appreciate superb – albeit snarky – commentary about some of the best shows on
television.
3- You’re
going to be disappointed in today’s post because today, it’s the ladies’ turn!
That’s right, ladies, Tuesdays are
all about us! We’ll look at the shows that make us laugh, the ones that make us
cry, and the ones we wonder why we watch at all.
Let’s face it: we’re busy. We’re so
busy that there’s rarely a lot of time left over for us to have any me-time in
the course of a day. Sometimes, sitting down to watch our favorite shows is the
best form of rest and relaxation we can hope for…
Here at the TV Czar, Tuesdays will
give us a chance to enjoy some girl talk about our current favorites. They’ll
change from week to week because it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind,
right? So, each week, we’ll shine the spotlight on my Top 5 of the week.
Once Upon a Time
 |
| You want to root for the one on the right, but you end up rooting for the one on the left. |
I figure the best way for us to get
started is with the words that began so many of our favorite stories as young
girls… Once Upon
a Time. This is a show that has surprised me on a couple of levels.
When I first saw the previews, I didn’t even want to watch it. I’m pretty
hesitant to mess with classic stories, but I decided to give the premiere a
chance. All it took was one episode, and I was hooked!
Despite the fact that I really liked
the show, though, I really didn’t see how they were going to turn this
should-have-been-a-mini-series concept into a sustainable weekly show. I’ve got
to admit, though, they’ve surprised me week after week with their ability to
expand the premise of Storybrooke, its curse, and its hoodwinked population.
The thing about this show that
surprises me most, though, is that I really couldn’t care less about the
character who, I guess, is supposed to be the protagonist. I am completely
indifferent toward Emma, played by Jennifer
Morrison. I have yet to determine if this indifference is due to her rather
flat delivery of the character or if the character is really little more than a
vehicle to propel the storylines forward. Regardless of the reason, I don’t
really care what happens to Emma; in fact, without her adorable little boy
Henry (Jared
Gilmore) and my love for all of my favorite fairy tale characters, I think
I’d be Team Mayor.
Speaking of the Mayor, Lana Parrilla’s
exquisitely consistent performance of both Storybrooke’s Mayor Regina and the
archetypal Evil Queen make me love her and hate her all at the same time. The
fact that I love her at all makes me feel like a really bad person, but she’s
just so perfectly evil that every once in a while, there’s a little part of me
that wants to be like her- just for a little bit.
Speaking of wanting to be like a TV
character, Ginnifer
Goodwin’s portrayal of Mary Margaret/Snow White is the picture of sweetness
and innocence. It is her characters that make me feel a little better about
myself because I am actually rooting for her. This offers some solace to my
conscience after silently cheering for the Mayor for a scene or two; although I
do have to admit that I may just be in it for the love story. I mean, come on,
girls, who among us doesn’t want the girl to get the guy, to see love win out,
and to witness the happily ever after?
As much as I love a great love story,
though, I’m willing to delay my romantic gratification and enjoy the
unpredictable journey through Storybrooke as long as it lasts.
The Bachelor
The Bachelor
The Bachelor
has my attention again this season.
Why? I really don’t know; it’s not like it has an impressive success rate or
anything like that. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe a single
bachelor has made it last with the girl he chose. So, clearly, I’m not watching
for that. To be honest, I think I watch if for two reasons: 1) This time it might
work out, and I will get to see it happen and 2) Quite honestly, watching the
girls and their antics is just downright amusing.
OK, I’m also watching this season
because I rather like Ben Flajnik and would like to see him be the first
bachelor to choose the right woman. After looking at his choices, my hopes
aren’t too high, but who knows? Time will tell…
Watching wild, manic tube-sock dancer Ashley Hebert turn him down last
season made me sad, and I’d like to see him get his happy ending, after all.
 |
| This year's Bachelor, or Rafa Nadal? |
Regardless of whether or not this
season ushers in true love, it is sure to deliver the drama we’ve come to know
and love from our bachelorettes who are looking for 15 minutes of fame
love in this doomed-to-fail environment.
Already we have a villain in
Blakeley, a frontrunner in equestrian Lindzi (Do you think her birth
certificate actually spells her name this way?), and a total nut in Jenna.
Granted, nutty Jenna, who may or may not have washed and brushed her hair prior
to the rose ceremonies, is now gone. So, we’re down one total nut. I wonder who
will take her place. Surely, someone will…
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey’s
Anatomy continues to be one of my favorite
hours of television. I know the TV Czar resents the fact that Kevin McKidd
(whose bio is interestingly absent from the show’s web site) is stuck at
Seattle Grace, but those of us who show up weekly to watch the show appreciate
his continued service. I have to agree that his talent is wasted on Grey’s, but
I’m sure the show’s swansong is in the not-too-distant future, and we Grey’s
fans will toss McKidd back into the pool o’ thespians looking for work.
 |
| #FreeMcKidd. Join the Revolution. |
In the meantime, I plan to continue
to enjoy the heart-wrenching stories that Grey’s plays out each and every week.
I always find my heart beating a little faster by the end of each episode
lately- for reasons other than Patrick
Dempsey’s smile. The writers seem to enjoy tugging at the heartstrings of
us women through emergencies in the PEDS department, nearly-failed adoptions,
and children losing their parents. Why do we do this to ourselves, girls? I’m
never completely sure, but week after week, I keep tuning in.
The Middle
The Middle
One of my very favorite shows is one
I rarely hear about from other people: The Middle. I was never a fan
of Patricia
Heaton on Everybody Loves Raymond (I know; it’s ghastly), but I really love
her in the role of Frankie Heck. She’s done an excellent job of creating a
character who is a harried mom of 3 children with a rather clueless husband (a
la Debra Barone) without making you feel like you’re watching Debra Barone with
the wrong family. No, Frankie Heck is a wonderfully real and unique creation-
well, unless you consider the million-plus moms in America who are just like
her.
Charlie McDermott,
Eden Sher,
and Atticus
Shaffer are to be commended, as well, for their portrayal of wonderfully
quirky Axl, Sue, and Brick Heck. Caricatures of their characters, to an extent,
they do a nice job pulling in different shades and levels to their respective
characters. Watching the writers grow them up on the show will be a lot of fun
for the audience.
And Neil Flynn
has brought his famous character to Orson, IN. I say “his character” because he’s
pretty much the same from role to role, which makes you realize he’s probably
just playing Neil Flynn and getting paid more than you or I will see in a
lifetime to do it, but hey, Neil Flynn is funny. More power to him…
Dance Moms
Dance Moms
Dance
Moms is back. Haven’t seen it? Well,
you’re missing out on my very favorite horribly guilty TV pleasure. Abby Lee
Miller is the owner of a dance studio that apparently has the reputation of
making dance stars out of small children. She does this by working them 4-5
hours a day 5 days a week and then taking them to competitions all over the
country. They were the national champions last year, and one of the girls has
now starred in a music video. So, I guess something she does is working.
Now, the guilty pleasure piece of this
puzzle comes in watching Abby interact with the moms of these very young, very
talented dancers. Abby seems to have precious little respect for the women who
are spending who-knows-what in order to have their daughters practice under the
tutelage of a dance instructor who is quick to remind them all that “Everyone’s
replaceable.” At the end of the day, Abby’s expectations are sky-high, but she
does get results. The destination is rather predictable; it’s the journey
that’s fun.
Well, ladies, that’s about it for
today. Don’t forget to find some time for you this week; I’ll see you back here
next Tuesday for some more girl talk.
0 comments:
Post a Comment