Stacie continues season finales...

As I was saying in my last post, I like a good cliffhanger at the end of a season.  I feel like this round of finales left me mostly irritated with shows I normally love.  The only 2 finales I felt were worth anything as this week comes to a close were The Mysteries of Laura and Modern Family.   You would think with the slew of dramas I watch, that Modern Family would not be a contender in the best season finale list, but it is indeed.  So...without further ado...here are my thoughts...

I was unsure how I would feel about the Mysteries of Laura as premier week approached, but I was instantly hooked.  Debra Messing is amazing and portrays Laura Diamond fabulously.  I enjoyed the finale because they actually had a cliffhanger! After pouring out his heart to Laura about being sorry about the affair he had and wanting to get back together, he does not remember it a few minutes later because he has some weird form of amnesia after his accident.  Although I thought it was a little too close to the Castle finale when Beckett gets shot, I liked that it leaves the audience guessing.

Modern Family was my season finale win because not only was it hilarious (as usual), it was full of surprises.  I actually watched it a second time with my parents because I thought it was hysterical.  First, the robot thing with Phil was done so well it made the episode that much better.  Cam's braces were awesome and I think the writers made him have so many "s" words for comedic effect.  The end of the show was a cliffhanger (I'm not going to tell:)) and was brilliant!

Chicago PD, although brilliantly done with Sophia Bush playing the grieving detective who reverts back to her old ways with drug addiction, I felt that the finale lacked a little depth and fluidity.  This made me somewhat sad since I really feel the show is well done.

So there are a few of my finale thoughts...can't wait until fall!

Stacie watches season/series finales :Castle, Forever, Criminal Minds

First, finale week is one of my least favorites of the year (I know you are probably thinking about how sad that is) for a few reasons.  The first reason is that it occurs during the spring when my allergies are so bad that I physically feel awful 95% of the time.  Another reason I hate finales, is that they are the final episode of a season and sometimes an entire series.  Sometimes, the audience is left with a dramatic cliffhanger, and we anxiously await fall premiers to see the conclusion, while in other instances things are wrapped up like a tight little present and we don't know how to react.  While most seasons are coming to an end, there are also the series that end that leave us (or maybe just me spinning).  At the end of the day, seasons end as they always do,  repeats fill our screens for the next 3 months and premier week arrives to leave us as participants in an ever present cycle.  Since I have a small obsession with all things television related, I tend to have strong feelings about the end of seasons...a time when everything changes.

The first finale I am going to talk about today is that of my favorite show "Castle".  I have to admit, I was a little (ok, a lot) disappointed by the season finale of this show.  Why was I disappointed?  For me, good TV ends with a cliffhanger.  As much as I hate the anticipation to know the conclusion of the cliffhanger, I like it to be suspenseful.  I feel like the writers of "Castle" put a lot of drama into February sweeps and the couple weeks after, and did not take into account the ending of the season.  It ended too happily for me....so much so that I panicked and thought it might be ending.  Don't get me wrong, I like when things come together, but they should have done the Tyson and Neiman stuff on last nights episode.

Last week, as I watched the finale of "Forever", I thought for sure it would be coming back.  I loved that show!  I thought it was very well written and witty, but apparently ABC did not.  It of course did not get renewed and that fact makes me very sad.

We then have shows like "Secrets and Lies" and "NCIS" that end dramatically and enable to audience to anxiously await the fall season.  The finale of "Criminal Minds" was what I would call a mix of happy and sad.  I was happy that they ended everything and wrapped things up how they did, and definitely psyched that JJ is going to be a mom again, but I was frustrated at the fact that Jennifer Love Hewitt's character Kate is leaving.  I actually really liked her character this season and felt she added something to the show that has been missing for awhile.  What brunette female will claim a spot in the BAU next season?

Thankfully, shows are filled with beginnings and middles and it is through those that we learn the stories of characters, and how they relate in comparison to other characters.  We may laugh, cry, or yell while watching a show, but it usually teaches us something specific that we can use throughout our lives.

Brigette Re-Watches Seasons 6-10 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Recently, I've finished re-watching all ten seasons of Sunny, and I'm a little surprised at how I feel. I've always loved the show, but I always felt it was sort of hit or miss. Some episodes were hilarious, and others were just meh. Well, I was wrong. Almost all are great, okay? In ten years, there's maybe, like, four episodes that I don't really like, and many of those even have their moments. (Dennis's compliment to Mac in "The Gang Dines Out": "Your hair looks small.") I also have a newfound respect for the way stories are scaffolded, referencing previous story lines and picking up right where a reoccurring character left off. A lot of thought doesn't go into some episodes, but all episodes. This is clear to me now.

Seasons 6-10 specifically is when risk-taking, in my opinion, is most apparent. While the show used to be about pushing the boundaries of what a normal sitcom could look like, in the second half of the series, they're pushing the boundaries that they made for themselves, playing with how the show can feel new, but also feel the same. I've got thoughts on this-- especially relating to the Chardee of it all (OMG I have so much to say, it's like, ridiculous)-- but first, here are my selects for the best of seasons 6-10:

Season 6 winner: episode 3, "The Gang Buys a Boat"

This episode provides two very iconic moments: First, "the implication." Dennis gets funnier as he gets more sociopathic, and he really lets it fly with this scenario. Usually, the gang goes along with crazy stuff the others say, so Mac's disturbed response makes it all the more funny. The second iconic moment is Inflatable Guy dancing with Dee. Anyone who watches Sunny can't drive by one of those inflatables without remembering this scene and laughing. I do every time, and I know you do too. Other greatness includes the "Diddy Boat" concept, Charlie fishing out the creepy dolls from the water, and the Steve Windwood reference. (Dennis & Dee's love of Steve Windwood is one of my favorite running gags. Don't ask why.)

Season 6 runner up: episode 7, "Who Got Dee Pregnant?"

Season 7 winner: episode 7, "CharDee MacDennis: The Game of Games"

Season 7 has a very special place in my heart because I love Fat Mac so dearly. There's also a lot of dancing, and a lot of Fat Mac dancing, so I just want to say that.

"Chardee MacDennis" takes the win for season 7. The subjective questions (what is the greatest band of all time? Chumbawamba) and bizarre rules makes it a classic (like when Frank eats cake ingredients to get released from a cage). The whole episode takes place in the bar, so it's one of those where they're all interacting in a small space, which usually produces gold (see season 5's "The Gang Hits the Road"). Not only is there great character stuff here, but the world of their inner circle gets fleshed out even more. Dennis is asshole. Why Charlie hate? You guys, someone actually wrote down all the rules, which is why I love the internet. We can all play it ourselves!

Season 7 runner up: episode 2, "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore" (That "Vacation" montage seriously rivals season 2's "You're the Best Around" for best Sunny montage ever.)

Season 8 Winner: episode 8, "Charlie Rules the World"

The Gang's reality rapidly changes as their whole lives get taken over by a computer game, and Dennis begins to question what reality even is. Frank argues it's a turtle's dream in space. This is one of those episodes where everything just holds itself together so nicely and is so funny. ("If Charlie ever rules the world, I'll blow myself.") The everyday life of the characters is completely altered, and you're not really sure how things will normalize themselves.  This is also one of the first episodes that I would classify as experimental, mostly thanks to Dennis's experience in the soundproof chamber where he actually does blow himself. Greatness from this episode includes Charlie & Dee's "marriage," Dennis's bad British accent, and Frank's avatar where he's a big-breasted lady. Sometimes things just sorta end.

Season 8 runner up: episode 4, "Charlie & Dee Find Love"

Season 9 Winner: I love season 9 so much, this is like asking who do you love more, your mom or your dad or your siblings? This season was not only the most experimental, but it had the best DVD menu sequence. The whole thing was just ART, okay?  So I'm cheating & saying it's a tie:

Episode 1: "The Gang Broke Dee"
Episode 3: "The Gang Desperately Tries to Win an Award"
Episode 7: "The Gang Gets Quarantined"

Obviously, the meta winks, observations on the television climate, and Charlie's songs in "Award" make it one of the most smart and entertaining episodes they've ever done. "Quarantined" brings back Boyz II Men harmonizing, and everything Glenn does is brilliant. Like, every single line of his, I'm crying.

I think "The Gang Broke Dee" has a slight edge though because of the journey. So much happens. Dee goes from despondent and practically dead to arrogant and "thriving." We learn that although Dennis makes fun of Dee constantly, if she left him, he would lose his mind. (Was that sweet? Creepy? Both?) I think the stand-up Dee does is genuinely hilarious. And the first time I watched this episode, I was like, "what is happening?" I honestly had no idea how it was going to end. Plus, there's great montages. And Kaitlin Olson is the funniest woman on the planet.

Okay, one thing does confuse me about the end though. I get that the guys thought they were "giving Dee perspective" while having fun themselves, but how were they sure she wouldn't just murder them all? And why did Dee continue to hang out with them after that? I can honestly say that I've never been offended by anything on Sunny, but the constant abuse of Dee does actually upset sometimes. But this is already freakishly long, so that's all I'll say about that for now.

Season 9 runner up: episode 6, "The Gang Saves the Day"
Second runner up: episode 5, "Mac Day"

Season 10 winner: episode 4, "Charlie Work"

Season 10 runner up: episode 6, "The Gang Misses the Boat"

I'm cheating again. "Charlie Work" was brilliant, creatively and as a character piece, and I think it was the best episode of season 10, but I'm gonna focus on the runner up, because I think that was the most important episode of the season. And hold on, cus I get really carried away.

I think it was around season three when I secretly began shipping Charlie & Dee. I really wanted Charlie and the Waitress together, but I couldn't help thinking, what if? Charlie & Dee just seem like a team. They're the kids while Mac and Dennis are the mom and dad. (Franks' the family dog, obviously.) They're the ones who are easiest to empathize with, the underdogs of the gang. And as a side note, Kaitlin and Charlie just have amazing chemistry as actors. They're hilarious together.

But none of these reasons are why the Charlie & Dee hook-up make me so jazzed. It's not the fact that it happened, but how it happened that's keeping the wheels spinning in my brain: I mean, why was it so SWEET???

Sunny is not a sweet show. Sunny is not a show where characters connect emotionally. I guess there's been stuff with Dennis and Mac's friendship, but it's always been funny. The sweetest (and strangest) moment so far was the surprisingly moving Up sequence in "The Gang Saves the Day," but that was all in Charlie's head. This moment was serious for a second, and it was real. Charlie and Dee were connecting. They didn't hook up because they were drunk or sad, like other television shows would do. This was a sober, conscious act, after enjoying hanging out together and apologizing--in their own way-- for being crappy friends to each other.

This should have felt weird in the world of Sunny, but the weirdest thing was that it didn't. It was more like, "Oh, well yeah, of course." One reviewer said he wanted Charlie & Dee to be a "demented Monica and Chandler." The guy on Afterbuzz said it was like "Jim and Pam." I wouldn't go that far, but I get what he means. So this wasn't just in my head for once-- others thought it worked and had warm fuzzies, which means RCG were going about this in a very specific way. BUT WHY?

I really want to know about the conversations in the writers' room during all of this. Charlie and the Waitress is arguably the "emotional center" of the show-- Charlie has wanted this for ten years, so we want it for him. But for a second, he wants something else, and it's something that might be better for him. Not to mention, this "something else" is Dee, so we've got a relationship dynamic shift amongst two of the five core. How could this permanently shift things in the entire group? Could it possibly change the whole flavor of the show-- in a bad way? Do you see how the Chardee kiss was the biggest risk they've ever taken? Not the stuff about abortion, or jihad, or disabilities, but that moment of connection between those two characters.

I don't know about you guys, but after ten years of rooting for Charlie and The Waitress, I'm conflicted. By the end of season 8's "Charlie and Dee Find Love," Charlie had made the Waitress dependent on him, but he still hadn't made her like him. He gets closer to the Waitress the more he brings her down. I always thought that was the only way he could ever get her-- the Waitress would completely devolve to even consider Charlie-- and I'd be perfectly happy watching that happen. But now, we have this moment where feelings are mutual. Dee liked Charlie, and he was making her feel good about herself--he was lifting her up. None of the characters have ever lifted Dee up before, have they? (Let's ignore the fact that Dee and Charlie actually would have bombed at open mic night). I'm not sure if the Waitress would ever say to Charlie, "You're calming me down" or "We make a pretty good team." So how is this supposed to change our perspective on the Waitress stuff??? What do RCG want us to feel?! I reject that they haven't given it that much thought. I reject it!

Some think the scene was just to show that Charlie and Dee could have a healthy relationship without the gang, and that's it, like it was supposed to be funny-tragic. But the way this show goes, never bringing up the incident again would be unnatural. Much like Rickety Cricket's priesthood turned to homelessness turned to half-burnt face, nothing is truly stagnant. The show does "reset" itself, but never completely. If it did, there wouldn't be a show. Mac slowly became gay (and in love with Dennis). Dennis gradually became more and more sociopathic. Frank definitely devolved into an animal. Things do change on this show. Past story lines and characters are constantly brought up. Nothing ever dies. And this new element to Charlie & Dee's relationship is just way too big and way too fun to stay buried.

Sunny has been renewed through season 12, and they've said before that they'll make it as long as people want to watch, so what if it goes for 20 years? Lots of peaks and valleys could be covered during that time, and with this twist, they cracked open their own box even more. I'm not saying that the Charlie & Dee moment was tear-jerking and now they're in love (clearly, the whole thing freaked them out). But there is potential now for more emotional stuff to happen, and I really, really want to see how they would do it, mostly because I can't predict how they would do it. Sunny is demented and cartoony-strange, and I have no idea how "love" between two of the main characters would look. I want to see something I haven't seen before, something only they could write. I also like that now I'm emotionally conflicted about a love triangle on this show, of all shows. I like being surprised like that.

So, keep this Chardee thing going, please. Keep experimenting and doing weird stuff, please. Keep pushing the walls of your own box, please. And can we have a dream sequence, please? I feel like this is a prayer. I'm aware that none of the writers are reading this blog. But if Sunny can stay strange and dark while continuing to surprise us, if it can allow us to feel a little more as humanity is drawn out of these psychotic characters, then Rob and Charlie and Glenn will win at television. It will be no easy feat, but I have faith! (?)

I'm ready for season 11!

Stacie watches the "Secrets and Lies" finale: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

 

It is the beginning of Finale season and while that makes me all sorts of sad, it also means cliffhangers and endings for the next few weeks.  Take the show "Secrets and Lies" and its gripping yet somewhat traumatizing season ending.

 

As we tune in to the last episode of the season, we are feeling somewhat relieved as Ben and his family begin to appear happy and Ben is off the hook for killing his son.  We realize that Jess may have a lot of emotional problems and is apparently behind killing her only child Tom.  Of course, we are not even twenty minutes in and this is a finale which means that there should be no happy endings..EVER! 

 

The happy family sits down for an awesome Chinese takeout/reunion dinner and are seemingly getting past the few weeks that they have spent caught up in a spiral of criminal activity, unknown affairs, various suspects, and of course mourning the newly announced secret that Tom is in fact Ben's son, and the girls brother all in the aftermath of him being hit over the head and left for dead in the woods.  As they sit at the table, Ben realizes he forgot something and goes to the side of the house, where he finds a pair of shoes covered in blood and dirt....whose could they be? He goes into the house and walks up to Abby (the youngest) and says something like "Is this blood on your shoes? Were you with Tom?" It suddenly cuts to commercial break (which it usually does when things get good) and leaves us anxious over the next 3 minutes about what actually happened...what will the secret be? Will there be lies? (see what I did there?).

 

It comes back on Abby who tells this emotional story of how she went to get Tom and they were trying to run away because when kids run away their parents automatically get back together (only in a child's mind) and she accidentally hit him with the flashlight and he died.  Her family is shocked of course and she is crying saying "it was an accident".  What do they do now that they find out their child did it? Ben was just taken off the suspect list and now his 12 year old daughter confesses to the "accidental" death of her little brother.  While Christie (the mom) starts sobbing and looking sick, Ben looks shocked, and their daughter Natalie (17) says that they need to report it to the police.  Ben, the father of the year decides that he will go burn the shoes and coat (she took Jess's sweatshirt), he asks Abby why she put the flashlight (murder weapon) back in the house after the murder and she says something about how they were blaming him and she thought it would make him look less guilty if they did that.  He then sends Abby and Christie on their merry way to who knows where with $150,000, drops Natalie off at her uncles because she wants no part of any of the lies, and ends up at the precinct telling detective Cornell that he was in fact the culprit.  Here is the best part...she already knows that it was Abby and has suspected her for awhile.  She tells him (as he lines up to get into his cell) that Abby hit Tom over the head 6 times and that the murder was premeditated.  She also informs him that she is a psychopathic killer and she will do it again in the future.  They show some things that are evidence that Abby knew what she was doing (luring Tom, getting the coat back to Jess and trying to wash it, throwing her phone because she was jealous of Ben and Jess, etc).  Ben decides that it is all his fault and bad parenting that lead her to this, so rather than put Abby in prison (where she needs to be so she doesn't hurt anyone), he takes the rap for her and goes in her place.

 

At the end, we see Abby and Christie in the car chatting.  Abby asks when her dad is coming home and Christie says that she doesn't know and then Abby (so nonchalantly) says that she wishes she could have just left him (Tom) in the river and then none of this would have happened.

 

So...now that I have summarized a bit, here are my feelings...

 

First, unless you are weird like me, or lived in Australia, you probably did not know that this show is based on one by the same title that aired in Australia.  I was reading about the show when I saw this, and it said that the younger daughter is the killer.  This made me so mad because it means I already knew who the killer was, but I still watched.  On KaDee Strickland's (Christie) twitter, she said that they had actually shot multiple endings and the cast didn't even know which one would air, which made me happy because I figured that they would probably change it from the original, but they didn't!  So, I have pretty much known for weeks that it was going to be Abby.

 

Second, if you are reading this and you have not watched Cornell confidential, WATCH IT NOW...that 4 minute segment made me frustrated and if you watched I think you will see why.

 

I think the show has a second season in store, so who knows if we will see what becomes of the Abby situation. I loved that most weeks it kept me guessing and had a lot of character development and I am actually excited to see what is in store for the future...oh and P.S. the guy at the end that said he was Cornell's ex husband is actually the detective from the Australian version...a little piece of useless trivia for you.