My Week In TV - 11/9/14

This week there were no new episodes of The Flash or Agents of SHIELD on Tuesday. ABC ran some hour-long special about Marvel Comics and their TV and movie forays, followed by election coverage. No idea why the CW had a repeat. But many of the episodes more than made up for it...

Gotham: The best episode of the series thus far. Not perfect. Still some wonky scripting and acting (I'm looking at you, woman who plays Barbara, Gordon's girlfriend) but much tighter. There was no weekly crime to solve, the entire episode focused on the aftermath of the Penguin's public appearance at Jim Gordon's arrest. I was hoping they'd keep this tighter focus but, instead, I've read in the past week of the forthcoming introductions of yet another two future Batman villains.

Arrow: The episode was titled "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak." Fun episode. Love her. (Her mother, not so much.)

American Horror Story: Freak Show: Wow, did this episode go places! Big revelations and plot turns, and guys in tighty-whities! I actually watched it a second time.

The Big Bang Theory: Big sweet moment when Amy starts to tell Sheldon something important and, after a minute, he stops here with "I love you too." Awwwwwwww.

Bones: I am beginning to wonder if I really need to keep watching this show. It's not awful but it's really rather standard. And with Thursday being a big TV night, maybe I can just let it go, or at least just watch episodes On Demand when I'm not watching anything else.

Scandal: I feel like this show is going in circles at times with the whole B613 thing. Someone needs to be stopped and other characters plot to stop them. And I can't fathom a seemingly smart White House chief of staff, who's played plenty of dirty tricks over the years, being stupid enough to get involved with a guy AFTER he learns the guy's a prostitute, start paying him for their "dates" and even shell out money for a place in lieu of hotel rooms. Shouldn't he suspect someone might be setting him up for something?

How To Get Away With Murder: After this one, only two episodes remain until we, the viewers, learn who actually killed Sam. So then all that's left is to find out how they get away with it? And this has me wondering what will happen in Season 2? I wonder if this show is sustainable?

The Simpsons: "Simpsorama," the crossover with Futurama. Sooooooo much better than the Family Guy crossover. Bender is sent back in time to kill Homer Simpson (as it turns out, because of something Bart did that led to creatures destroying New New York in the 31st century). Lisa: "Why must you kill my dad? Especially when cheeseburgers are doing the work for you?"

Family Guy: Another one I'm starting to tire of. Used to be kind of a guilty pleasure, although I don't really believe in that concept, but now it's more guilty than pleasure.

My Week In TV - 11/2/14

Going back to listing these in chronological order, just because...and Family Guy was a repeat again.

Gotham: Another stupid "crime of the week" along with the usual goings-on amongst the regular characters, same major mediocrity -- up until the moment Jim Gordon is being arrested for the murder of Oswald Cobblepot, at the same moment Oswald himself waltzes into the station to reveal that he's alive after all.

The Flash/Arrow: I have a feeling I'll keep lumping these together. This week on The Flash Felicity from Arrow visited Barry Allen (who, you may remember, was introduced last year on Arrow), with the last scene between them taking place on her train going back home. The next night she wasn't on Arrow at all until almost the very end, when she walked in and asked "What did I miss?" wearing the same clothing she wore on the train. Good continuity. Meanwhile, remember the complaint I referred to last time? Here it is: each week the villain was someone who had powers, received in the same explosion that caused Barry's transformation into the Flash. Well, in this episode we were introduced to Leonard Snart, a.k.a. Captain Cold, the first of Flash's "Rogues." He has no superpowers, only a weapon that creates ice, but his real skill is his intelligence, which allowed him to get away with a number of crimes prior to acquiring that cold gun. More of this, less of the so-called "freak of the week" crooks.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: A U.S. Senator uses a Hydra attack on the UN (made to look like SHIELD's doing) as a reason to propose a major offensive against SHIELD. Convienently, his brother is SHIELD agent-turned-Hydra traitor Grant Ward, now held prisoner by SHIELD. A family reunion soon, I'm sure.

American Horror Story: Freak Show: Remember those stories that had Krusty being killed off on The Simpsons? Wrong series, wrong clown. Also, we said goodbye to Patti LaBelle after only two episodes.

The Big Bang Theory: Guest-starring Billy Bob Thornton. He did quite well. I think he could have a future in acting.

Bones: A murder at a forensic scientists' convention. Oddly enough, I happened upon some other show during some remote-clicking that also featured a forensic scientists' convention. I can't remember which show it was, though, thus making this anecdote less interesting.

Scandal: This sentence, describing part of the plot of this episode, demonstrates that sometimes Wikipedia is a mess: "When a former Republican president dies, Olivia represents the allegedly assassinator, Leonard Carnihan; who claims to be innocent and he claims to prove it by matching the bullet used in the assassination to his gun." There's more, but I think I've proven my point.

How To Get Away With Murder: I'm not sure which had me more amused, Asher's dancing (and even sort of twerking) at the start of the episode or the revelation of the woman he hooked up with at the end, both of which took place the day/night of Sam's murder.

The Simpsons: They actually did a somewhat topical story, as Mr. Burns begins fracking, using Homer to persuade the town to sell their mineral rights to Burns (for $5,000 per person), until about the 47th time Marge says "Our water was ON FIRE!" and it finally gets through to her husband. Not bad, as later episodes go.

My Week In TV - 10/26/14

Because of the World Series, there was no Simpsons or Family Guy this week.. Once again I'm going to list them in general order of goodness...

American Horror Story: Freak Show: pre-Halloween creepiness! I've previously mentioned Kathy Bates using a Baltimore accent. In this episode Wes Bentley guest stars, and I have no idea what accent he's using.

How to Get Away with Murder: No gay sex scene this week but the mystery continues to play out. No, mysteries. Plural. Not just the murder that is at the heart of the show, but the smaller, interconnected plots revolving around it. Much of this is still far-fetched, though.

The Flash: Still enjoying this. I have a bit of a gripe that I'm going to defer until my next post because the problem's actually begun to resolve itself.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: One thing I regret about not being into Marvel Comics is that when this show introduces characters or hints at whom certain characters actually are or will turn out to be, the geek-out factor is nonexistent for me. Not a real complaint, just a thought...

Arrow: ...on the other hand, as I have a history with DC, when the same thing happens here, I can geek out with ease. (Although if it were a Superman or Batman series it would be even easier.)

Scandal: There were some things in this episode that didn't really ring true for me. I don't enjoy it quite like I did when I first started watching. And there's still a gap of Season 2 episodes that I haven't seen, which makes me feel I'm not quite up to speed.

Gotham: Same old story: need script help, some better acting, ditch some characters, love Oswald Cobblepot's story.

The Big Bang Theory: I was kind of bored by this week's episode. And now they've moved the show back to Thursdays, which complicates my TV schedule. I can record one show while watching another, but if I want to watch something else (like sports) I can't record two other shows on at the same time, so I either have to not watch the game or watch on of the shows On Demand. I don't like On Demand much, since most of the time now the fast-forward function is disabled, forcing me to sit through the commercials.

My Week(s) In TV - 10/19/14

So I missed a week. Oops. Consider this a two-week summary (any more procrastination and it'd be a three-week summary). Instead of listing them based on the day they aired, I thought I'd rank the shows in general order of awesomeness.

How to Get Away with Murder: The show has really grabbed me. I'm glad I gave it a second chance after the first episode. It's a wild ride with mostly interesting characters. Viola Davis is, not unexpectedly, tremendous, especially at the end of the third episode a week ago.

American Horror Story: Freak Show: I find it a cross between the more sinister, darker Asylum and the more campy Coven. Jupiter, Florida in 1952 is a very strange place. I'm loving the musical numbers (of contemporary songs, not songs from the time period!) and the Baltimore accent employed by Kathy Bates as the bearded lady. (Also, if anyone wants to gift me with a DVD set of Season One, which I have yet to see...)

Arrow/The Flash: I'm combining these because they're practically the same show. Same co-creators, same format featuring current events explained/enlightened by flashbacks, both shows feature the titular hero and his support team. And, of course, Barry "The Flash" Allen was introduced in Arrow last season. There are plenty of differences as well, though. Arrow, while based on a comic book, is a little darker and more grounded in something close to reality. The Flash is more obviously of the genre, but it also makes room for a little more humor.

Scandal: I'm still on board with a lot of this, but I'm starting to tire of the Olivia/Fitz drama. If you're not going to put them together as an actual couple once and for all, and I guess it's impossible -- even on this show -- for a sitting U.S. President to divorce his wife and marry his mistress, then just put this romance far, far away for a while.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I read an article somewhere which stated that it feels like this season's show will influence events in future Marvel films, unlike last season, when events in the Captain America sequel turned this series around. Of course, if the ratings aren't up to snuff, then there will be no more influencing in either direction.

The Big Bang Theory: Still solid and reliable, but at the same time it's a bit formulaic. For example, there are episodes in which the guys and girls go their separate ways -- in the case of last week's show it was the girls in Vegas while their men were at home being their usual geeky selves.

Bones: Again, kinda formulaic, although they're not above a bit of Law and Order-style headline-ripping. Or tweaking, in the case of the episode where the "corpse du jour" turned out to be an overweight right-wing radio talk show host who, it was said, didn't believe any of the conservative stuff he said but only said it because the ratings were so big. Sound like anyone you know?

The Simpsons: The 25th Treehouse of Horror special was on Sunday. Not bad, but for me the best part of it was the end of the final segment. That segment featured the Simpsons' house being haunted by the ghosts of their original selves -- from the crudely-drawn shorts on the Tracey Ullman Show. Then, under various circumstances, the current Simpsons die and become ghosts. Lisa then wonders if there can be other versions of their family, and a string of alterna-Simpsons suddenly line up at the door, including the LEGO Simpsons from last season and Simpsons looking like characters from South Park, anime shows (Maggie as Pikachu), Archer...and the minions from Despicable Me!

Gotham: I still can't figure out why I haven't stopped watching this mess. I feel like this could be such a brilliant show but they've made so many missteps. Too many characters, plotlines that are either predictable or ridiculous (or both), some bad acting...but this kid playing the young Bruce Wayne is excellent. I'm still undecided about continuing with this show.

Family Guy: Meh. Also, one week the show was a rerun for some reason. The new TV season is a month old and already there's a rerun?

My Week In TV - 10/5/14

Well, Dallas was canceled by TNT. It seems that once J.R. was gone, so were the ratings. That will make my Mondays a little easier in the future. As for this most recent week, let's start with...

Gotham: I saw enough improvement from the pilot to keep it on my watch list, at least for now. I can do without Jada Pinkett Smith as a new character, Fish Mooney. But on the other hand, Carol Kane guest-starred as Oswald Cobblepot's mother. She would have easily fit into one of the Tim Burton "Batman" movies.

The Big Bang Theory: Silliness as Wolowitz (who spent some time on the International Space Station a while back) was asked by NASA to throw out the first pitch at an Angels game. His athletic ability adding up to zero, he uses a replica of the Mars rover to deliver the first pitch. It goes very, very slowly. That, and giving him a microphone to address the crowd, made the entire storyline ridiculous.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: I want to see where they're going with the mystery of Skye's parentage. It appears she'll be meeting her father soon. Maybe she'll get a last name out of it and we'll know her as something other than "Skye."

My Week In TV - 9/28/14

Remember how I used to post about which comic books I bought every week, with comments about each book (or comics in general, or whatever else I decided was sort of related to them)? Well, I don't buy nearly as many comics as I used to (go back and read about my issues with the DC comics reboot that led to Superman's using his baby blanket as a cape). So, I thought I'd try something new: commentary on the TV shows I watch each week.

This is in part inspired by what a big week this was for my personal TV viewing, which I will get to. First, though, this won't be about my regular Monday-through-Friday shows -- consisting of the brilliant Keith Olbermann on ESPN2 and, of course, TMZ -- unless something in particular during those shows that I think needs attention. Nor will this be about telecasts of sporting events, again unless I feel it's warranted. So we'll start with the programs that aired between September 21 and 28. (I didn't necessarily watch them in their time slot. I usually DVR everything and skip through the commercials. Also, I hope future posts won't be as long as this one is turning out to be.)

Last Monday started with, thanks to the magic of DVR, two episodes of The Big Bang Theory on CBS, the two-hour third-season finale of Dallas on TNT and the premiere of the new series Gotham on Fox.

Big Bang has been on so long now that I'm sort of waiting for the dropoff in quality. Not sure it's happened yet, because they've been able to have the characters grow out of their established personas. It's very slow, but just enough (such as Raj finally being able to talk to women without alcohol) to keep them interesting. So we'll see. (Note: it's on Monday for a few weeks due to CBS showing some NFL games on Thursdays.)

The Dallas reboot has been surprising since the start. Although ostensibly starring the sons of J.R. and Bobby Ewing, so much of the show has featured the old cast, and killing off J.R. (necessitated as it was by Larry Hagman's passing) led to some of the best television of 2013. Season three ended with a shocking death, although the shock was lessened by the fact that it happened at the very end of the episode and was hyped by TNT: "One...Ewing...Will...Die." Better to kill the character in the middle so it's truly unexpected.

I had tremendous expectations for Gotham, the Batman series without Batman.

My TV Schedule (And Two Gay Nays)

In the past I've talked about how I decide whether or not to watch a new TV show -- basically, I need something to pique my interest in it, or else I just happen to watch on a whim. So with the new fall TV season under way, I thought I'd update you on what I'm currently watching (or considering watching, or tried to watch). There have been a few changes in my schedule.

SUNDAY: I've still got "The Simpsons" (which, let's face it, at this point I'll never stop watching) and "Family Guy" (which I can't quite get rid of). With "Desperate Housewives" gone, though, I don't have another Sunday night show. I'm considering trying "666 Park Avenue," only because Vanessa Williams moved from Wisteria Lane to this address. Apparently (as you can guess from the number) there are devilish doings going on. I'll try it.

MONDAY: It used to be a quiet night until Fox moved "Bones" here. I also sampled the debut of "Partners," one of the two new shows with heavy gay content. It co-stars Michael Urie, one of my faves from "Ugly Betty," which is why I watched it. Urie's character is gay and his best friend (played by David Krumholtz) is straight. Their significant others are Brandon "I'm no longer Superman" Routh and Sophia Bush, respectively. I may watch another episode because I really like Urie, but I think they'd be better off if they ditched the truly dull Krumholtz and Routh entirely, and maybe Bush as well.

TUESDAY: At least "Partners" isn't the other big gay sitcom, "The New Normal."

Odd Timing...Oh, And My Blog Is Free Today!

...I mean, it's THREE today. (I can say "today" because it's after midnight.) Happy birthday, blog!

So this actually happened earlier...

I decided to start watching "The Big Bang Theory" regularly. I've sampled it a number of times but never really gave it a chance, and now it's part of the roster of shows I watch. You could say there was an opening, with "Desperate Housewives" ending its run, but that's not really relevant. Anyway, TBS is running the episodes from the first four seasons in order on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, which is part of the reason I jumped in when I did. I'm also watching the reruns from this past season on CBS, but there will be a few I'll still have to catch up on.

Anyway, tonight I was watching an episode from the third season, which was when Leonard and Penny got together as a couple for the first time. In this particular episode they were explaining to Sheldon why they were in Leonard's bedroom instead of in her apartment: it seems they broke her bed.

And just as they're discussing the broken bed, that's when I heard a snapping sound and felt a sudden jolt.

My rocker-recliner broke. A spring on the back snapped, causing the back to loosen from the rest of the frame on the right side. I hate this because now I can't rock in the chair (I looooove rocking). In fact, I had to move the chair back against the wall just so I can sit on it without one side sagging back. And of course I need to buy a new chair now, which means spending money. This will be, I think, the fourth rocker or rocker-recliner I've owned. At least number three lasted longer than the other two.

The Gays (And Others) Can Be Snarky

This pic spoils a moment from the recent Muppets movie.
If you still haven't seen it, as Scott Rolen once said,
"Sorry about your luck."

I can't help but be both amused and a little disappointed at the reactions to the news media's running of the story that actor Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory" is gay. Now, he didn't make some big announcement about it. He didn't hold a press conference or do an interview with some gay publication. The information was made public in a New York Times profile of the actor, who's about to hit Broadway in "Harvey." Parsons previously did a stint on the stage in "The Normal Heart," a play about the rise of AIDS in the 1980s. Here's what the Times revealed, almost at the end of the story:

“The Normal Heart” resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said.

That's all. But because he's never actually revealed this in an interview or talk show appearance or whatever, the rest of the news media is running "Jim Parsons comes out" stories. And that's understandable, even if it's sort of a misleading headline.

The reaction I've seen on my Facebook and Twitter feeds has mostly run along the lines of "Who didn't know that?" or "When was he in the closet?" -- again, I understand it, to an extent. It's been talked about and rumored and even assumed. But there's also, to me, an undercurrent of "This isn't news -- why is the media bothering to report this?"

Well, it IS still news and, more importantly, it still needs to be said by people such as Jim Parsons.