Tag Archives: vampire diaries

fall tv 14

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you celebrate)!

Oh man. I haven’t blogged about TV in 2 years. TWO years! That’s insane.

I’m still watching A LOT of TV but not participating in online discussions or general fandom anymore. That’s what happens when you get older — no more time! But I still like sharing my random thoughts so thought I’d list my TV schedule here… 🙂

SUNDAYS:
Brooklyn 99 – LOLARIOUS. I never used to be a sitcom person but I’ve come around lately. The characters make this show for me. They get into some of the most ridiculous situations but somehow it all works because they’re all so well drawn. My absolute favorite is Captain Holt. His deadpan delivery is AWESOME.

The Good Wife – Still one of my favorite shows on the air right now. But I’m bummed that they’re finally giving Cary a real storyline and it’s kind of killing his character.

I gave up on Once Upon a Time last season when they introduced Peter Pan. Didn’t work for me at all. I wonder if the new Frozen arc is worth trying to catch up.

MONDAYS:
Gotham – I want to like this show much more than I do. The idea of exploring Gotham before Batman is intriguing. Plus I have a soft spot for Ben McKenzie. Unfortunately this has not become appointment viewing. I can’t pinpoint exactly why that is — I guess a combination of the formulaic weekly procedural storylines and the show taking itself too seriously. Also not a fan of Barbara.

Stopped watching The Originals. I got all the way through the first season but it just wasn’t grabbing me (not even with the promise of seeing Elijah every week :P). Also gave up on The Blacklist. The characters drove me crazy.

TUESDAYS:
One of my favorite nights of television!
The Mindy Project – THE BEST! I adore this show. And absolutely love the theme song. I do wish they could find more for Jeremy to do, though. I’m still not sure why they had to introduce Peter — they just sidelined Jeremy even more! Sigh.

New Girl – Still watching but it’s not my favorite. Mostly because they’ve gone SUPER over the top with the characterizations. Like, Schmidt is just straight up crazy now. He used to be my favorite!

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD – Ahhh, this show. Last season was rough. It was promising in the beginning, then it hit a creative rut, and finally it reached its potential once it had the chance to capitalize on Captain America’s storyline over in the cinematic universe. That momentum has definitely carried over to this season — I just wish the creative resurgence would equal a rise in ratings too!

The Flash – My favorite new show of the season. This show spun out of my other favorite show Arrow. It’s considerably lighter and funnier and that’s a good thing. They need to loop in poor Iris, though — her pretty much being the only main character who doesn’t know about Barry’s alter ego makes her look really clueless.

I also watched the first episode of Selfie and didn’t love it (I guess lots of people felt the same way since it’s been cancelled). I love John Cho, though — why can’t he get cast on a good show?!

WEDNESDAYS:
Arrow – Love this show. It’s probably my favorite right now. The storylines are entertaining and I really truly like the cast and characters. They make me root for the show so hard. I even like Laurel. I just wish they knew what to do with her.

ABC Comedy Block – Modern Family, Black-ish, The Goldbergs – Lately I’ve been enjoying sitcoms more and more — mostly because there’s less of a time commitment and almost no emotional investment, lol. I was a little worried Black-ish would be cringe-worthy but I think it balances thoughtful commentary with comedy really well. And The Goldbergs is just a gem.

THURSDAYS:
Big Bang Theory – I do think they could do better by the female characters but I find the show entertaining so I guess I’m not that easily offended.

How To Get Away With Murder – UGH. This show is not good. AND YET I KEEP WATCHING. The mystery and terrible characters keep me coming back. I can’t help it. It’s a short season, 15 episodes, so I’m going to stick it out.

Scandal – I’m not sure why I watch this show either. I enjoyed the fast pace and shock value of the first two seasons but now I’m having a hard time rooting for anyone. I’m a sucker, though, so I’m sure I’ll finish off the season to satisfy my curiosity.

I’ve also been recording The Vampire Diaries but haven’t felt compelled to watch. I guess I have vampire fatigue.

FRIDAYS:
Hawaii 5-0 – Yes, I still watch this show. The cases of the week are pretty weak but I’m here for the characters and their relationships anyway.

I’ll watch Glee, Hart of Dixie and Downton Abbey when they’re back on the air. I also want to check out Jane the Virgin.

Rob watches The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy so I know enough to have opinions (ie. Gemma suuuuucks and I can’t wait for Jax to confront her).

I also tried watching Breaking Bad but it was so depressing and intense I couldn’t make it past the first half of season one. Homeland seemed promising but I finished the first season and just never felt the urge to keep going.

So what are all of you watching? Anything I’m missing?

fall tv 12

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I’ve been a little out of the TV loop lately. I haven’t even finished reading through my Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview issue…

But oh well, here we go with my TV schedule (and some brief comments)!

SUNDAYS:
Once Upon a Time @ 8pm (ABC) – I can’t help but love this take on beloved fairy tale characters.
The Good Wife @ 9pm (CBS) – My absolute favorite show on the air right now. I just wish they would give Cary a storyline. He deserves better. While I’m at it, Kalinda too. Her husband suuuuucks.
Revenge @ 9pm (ABC) – Soap-y goodness.

Rob marathon-ed all of The Walking Dead over the summer so I’ll probably also get sucked into that show…

MONDAYS:
Gossip Girl @ 9pm (CW) – Last season! *sniff* The show has seriously gone off the rails the last few seasons (and they tangled Dan/Blair in front of me and took them away) but I love it. I will miss Blair and her headbands.
Revolution @ 10pm (NBC) – I DON’T KNOW. The premise of this show has potential. But I CANNOT stand Charlie. One of the leads. This does not bode well. This one probably won’t make it past the most recent episode…
Hawaii 5-0 @ 10pm (CBS)

I stopped watching Bones and don’t miss it in the least. It was getting a little tired.

TUESDAYS:
Hart of Dixie @ 8pm (CW) – LOVE
Go On @ 9pm (NBC) – I don’t really find this sitcom that funny but Matthew Perry is the BEST. I want him to do well.
New Girl @ 9pm (FOX) – I HEART SCHMIDT SO HARD.
Emily Owens, MD @ 9pm (CW) – Watching for Justin Hartley.
The Mindy Project @ 9:30pm (FOX) – My favorite new show of the season.

WEDNESDAYS:
Arrow @ 8pm (CW) – Intrigued.
Modern Family @ 9pm (ABC)
Nashville @ 10pm (ABC) – I’m at least going to check out the pilot. For Mrs. Coach (Connie Britton).

THURSDAYS:
Big Bang Theory @ 8pm (CBS)
The Vampire Diaries @ 8pm (CW)
Last Resort @ 8pm (ABC) – Enjoying this show so far. I’m hoping they start revealing more about the conspiracy — I hate when shows keep audiences in the dark too long (FlashForward and The Event come to mind). Also, how does Jessy Schram keep getting cast in shows? Is that mean of me?
Glee @ 9pm (FOX) – Still just watching solely for the musical performances. If I think about continuity or characterization or storyline at all, my head hurts from the whiplash.
Scandal @ 10pm (ABC)

FRIDAYS:
Nikita @ 9pm (CW)

I also plan to watch Dexter when we can get our hands on the latest episodes. Heh.

Also, Rob and I started watching season 1 of Homeland and it is SO GOOD. We’ll have to hurry up and finish so we can get caught up.

So what are all of you planning to watch? 🙂

cw premieres

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Work has seriously been kicking my a*s and TV has been saving me.

I thought I’d go ahead and write up some quick thoughts on the CW premieres even though I’m already behind and haven’t seen the second episodes yet…



Ringer
I DON’T KNOW. I guess it was… fine? The special effects (like the boat scenes) were terrible, though. I like all the actors involved so hopefully it loses its soap-y predictability in the next episodes. Because REALLY, I didn’t think it was such a surprise finding out Siobhan is still alive. Or that she was having an affair with her best friend Gemma’s husband. OR that the attacker that tried to kill Bridget was really after Siobhan. DUN DUN DUN. Anyway, Ioan Gruffudd was a highlight as I expected and maybe I’m crazy but I’m totally shipping his character Andrew with Bridget. They have great chemistry! And I know this is a drama but I hope the writers infuse *some* humor in the dialogue — I always thought Sarah Michelle Gellar did a great job with that on BtVS. Anyway, I’ll keep watching. Not much else on Tuesdays anyway.



The Secret Circle
Gawd, I’m such a typical CW viewer. I liked this a lot! Well, except for the main theme song. It totally freaks me out. Anyway, it’s basically a show about teen witches helmed by Kevin Williamson. I’m drawn like a moth to a flame. Heh. I have a soft spot for Britt Robertson from her role as Lux on the dearly departed Life Unexpected and I enjoyed her here too. The rest of the “secret circle” didn’t really impress me much. I found Diana & Adam pretty dull and Faye slightly rage-inducing. But that’s usually the case with pilots — there’s so much to set up that the characters don’t have much depth. It’ll be interesting to see if the show manages to keep the adults (yay Gale Harold) as entrenched in the story as they seem to be. They always start strong then fade into the background (ie. 90210, Gossip Girl).



The Vampire Diaries
Good season opener. I’m not a huge fan of Klaus and his quest for an army of hybrids so I wish Stefan wasn’t saddled with him. Actually, I wasn’t sold on anything involving the 3 leads (Elena, Stefan, Damon). Not even Stefan killing Andie. Or Stefan’s tearful phone call with Elena (who I love but really found kinda annoying in this episode). However, I totally adored Caroline & Tyler! They were funny and awkward, frustratingly adorable, then scorching hot. I love them so. But ACK! WTH Mrs. Lockwood! Finally, I’m so glad Jeremy has his own storyline — AND that it will apparently involve Matt. Both characters deserve something better to do than react to everyone else’s shenanigans.

Sooo glad it’s the weekend. I plan to catch up with TV. Definitely need the mindless entertainment. STAT.

tv season wrap-up, part 2

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OMG. The new TV season starts next week and I haven’t finished my wrap-up from last season. ARGH. Going to try and do this quickly…

Hellcats
Poor cancelled show. It totally ran out of gas in the last half of the season. I got whiplash with Alice/Jake (who I really liked), Alice/Lewis, and Kathy/Lewis. And I think the show lost its way when Marti and Savannah were given completely separate storylines with their families instead of focusing on their relationship with each other and their team. It’s too bad. This was a fun cast!

Gossip Girl
Oh show. I can’t quit you. Even though you fail to give Nate any meaningful storylines (at least he’s good for eye candy), can’t seem to commit to consistent characterizations (Blair, Chuck, their relationship), and keep introducing the C-R-A-Z-Y (Juliet, now Ivy). But despite all that, I’m so on board for next season. Serena in LA. Blair’s wedding that is SO not going to happen. A secret pregnancy. Dan’s tell-all book!!! I hope there’s room to develop the Dan and Blair friendship even more. I can’t help that I love them so.

Grey’s Anatomy
%$#@ has hit the fan! And it’s pretty damn depressing. Like REALLY. I’m torn. Especially about Cristina/Owen and their pregnancy. Isn’t this her second unplanned pregnancy? Shouldn’t someone who clearly (it’s practically written on her forehead) doesn’t want kids be more careful? So I’m sympathetic but at the same time I’m not. (I realize that sounds weird). And while I agree with Owen that Cristina shouldn’t make a decision about abortion without him, I also feel like he was trying to guilt-trip her which bothers me. And then there’s Meredith/Derek. I’m inclined to side with Derek about the clinical trial because that’s a professional issue and Meredith was wrong to switch the medicine. But leaving her? Stranded with their newly adopted baby? These storylines are rubbing me the wrong way. But I’ll keep watching because I’m a sucker.

Nikita
I liked this show from the beginning but the quality really got better and better as the season progressed. The finale was especially great. I’m a sucker for a great love story (Nikita and Michael on the run, yay!) but this show reeled me in with Nikita and Alex. And to see the conflict and tension between them in the finale killed me. It’ll be interesting to see the two of them working against each other (well, at least from Alex’s point of view). And I’m excited that the plot seems to be moving at a good pace now that the show has found its footing.

The Vampire Diaries
My current favorite show next to The Good Wife. I actually think the penultimate episode of the season felt more like a finale (with the ritual and the epic deaths) than the actual finale, which was mostly set-up for next season. I’m not terribly enamored by Damon/Elena (I like her with Stefan, what can I say) but I’m intrigued by Jeremy seeing dead people (Anna!) and the return of Stefan the Ripper. Should be GOOD.

Annnddd that’s it.

Oh. Except that at some point I need to finish watching the last 2 episodes of Smallville. OOPS.

Now to figure out my Fall TV schedule…

midseason tv report card, part 2

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Ok, part 2 of the TV report card!

Hellcats – C+
Yes, I’m still watching this show. Heh. It’s not much more than a typical college drama but it’s totally grown on me. I love Marti, Savannah and the rest of the Hellcats (Lewis, Darwin, even Alice!) and the random singing and/or dancing in each episode. I was even pleasantly surprised by the storylines until recently when the show did an about-face and broke up 2 couples (Savannah/Dan, Marti/Lewis) and possibly damaged a major friendship (Marti/Savannah) to develop a relationship between Marti/Dan. UGH. I’m a sucker for romance, I admit, but not when it comes at the expense of the characters’ integrity and their other relationships. Also, the adult characters need to go. They contribute… nothing. (And DB Woodside deserves better).

The Big Bang Theory – B-
I just started watching TBBT regularly this season so I sometimes feel like I’ve missed out on important character backstory by tuning in so late. I may try and catch up at some point. Regardless, the characters are enjoyable and I love all the quirky friendships (is it weird that my favorite relationship is Penny & Sheldon?). I love the show best when all the characters are interacting, like this past week’s episode where everyone (including Bernadette and Amy Farrah Fowler) takes a road trip to a science symposium. Gotta love the musical beds, lol.

Bones – B-
Still a good show but I feel like it’s slowly becoming another procedural. I know it technically is but the characters have always elevated the show beyond the traditional formula. Unfortunately the past few seasons they’ve all been running in place.

Grey’s Anatomy – C+
I go back and forth all the time with this show. While I love the characters, the ridiculous storylines make my head hurt. Last year it was Mark’s daughter (I stopped watching while she was around; she bugged me) and this year it’s Callie’s pregnancy AND Teddy marrying a patient (Scott Foley!) so he could have insurance (they’re totally going to fall in love, I just know it). ARGH. Cristina getting her surgical groove back took a tad too long but Sandra Oh is so awesome she made it work. Random — I saw McSteamy (aka Eric Dane) and his wife in LA a few weeks back. He looks smaller in real life somehow but just as cute. 🙂

Nikita – B
Honestly, I never thought I would still be watching at this point in the season… but I’m really liking it! It definitely needs some work but the show is improving each week. The winter finale, in particular, was a good episode — it set up Alex as an agent working on the outside and it FINALLY addressed my biggest issue when Nikita’s shell program was discovered. Seriously, to have Nikita and Alex basically chatting online whenever they felt like it required too much suspension of belief. Now, if only the show would bring back Owen and get rid of Jaden (ugh, she’s such a one-note character), I would be a very happy camper.

Smallville – C+
I might be an episode behind. Not sure. This season has been a little off for me — the storylines seem a little stale and overall there’s missing something. Maybe it’s the loss of Chloe? Or maybe it’s that the show takes itself way too seriously? I can’t put my finger on it. I also don’t know what happened to me because suddenly I like Lois/Clark. They’re actually kind of cute. I was really hoping that Kristin Kreuk and/or Michael Rosenbaum would reprise their roles as Lana and Lex since it’s the final season but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. It would have been a nice way to close out the series, especially for the fans.

White Collar – A-
Gawd, LOVE IT. It may not be the best or smartest show about the FBI (case in point – the larger mythology storyline involving the music box doesn’t always make sense) but it’s so light and fun that I don’t really care. Besides, it’s the chemistry between Neal and Peter that makes the show so great anyway. The reason it doesn’t get a straight A is that so much of Neal’s backstory is centered around his ex-girlfriend Kate who, unfortunately, is not very likable or sympathetic (thanks largely to the actress that plays her).

Pass:
CSI
CSI Miami
No grades for these shows. I watch each week because it’s become a routine but I’m not too invested.

Dropped:
V – *yawn*
Supernatural – Watched the first few episodes of the season and it felt a little “been there, done that.” Then the episodes kept piling up on the DVR until finally last month, Rob & I deleted all of them. I enjoyed the earlier seasons (and of course love Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) but honestly, I just got bored.

Need to Catch up on:
The Vampire Diaries. I’m about 4 episodes behind but this show is SO good it automatically gets an A for being so AWESOME.

comic-con 2010: days 3 & 4

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Oh man, it pains me that I’ve only been blogging about once a week lately. My poor abandoned blog. Work, house maintenance, and TV take up so much time leaving nothing for the blog. Obviously my time management sucks.

Anyway, apparently I have commitment issues when it comes to topics on my blog. So even though it’s been 3 weeks since Comic-Con, I’m finishing up my recap, damn it! Beware blurry pics.

Saturday, July 24

Today was our INSANE panel day. Rob and I basically went to Ballroom 20 and stayed there from morning until late afternoon. No joke.



The first panel of the day was Chuck. It started at 10am and at 8am the scene already looked like this. CRAZINESS.

I was so excited for this panel (hence the reason for the 2 hour wait in line) and it ended up being a little disappointing. First, the panel started late (I later found out it was due to technical difficulties) so by the time they showed the opening highlight reel and hilarious Jeffster music video (singing Lady Gaga!), the cast was only able to come on stage to answer questions for a short time. 🙁



They did reveal a few tidbits for next season —

— Linda Hamilton has been cast as Chuck & Ellie’s mom.
— The Buy More has been taken over by the CIA and Olivia Munn and the Old Spice guy (Isaiah Mustafa) will guest star as CIA directors (or agents? I can’t remember).

The moderators also pointed out that besides Chuck & Sarah, there was another break-out couple last season — Casey (Adam Baldwin) & Morgan (Joshua Gomez). When asked what they like about working with each other, Joshua said he liked Adam’s soft hands (what?!) and Adam joked back that when the crew is setting up scenes for the two of them, they have to get an apple box for Joshua to stand on since he’s so much shorter. BWAHAHAHA. Poor Joshua looked so embarrassed.

After Chuck was a series of panels for animated shows I don’t watch — Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Futurama, The Simpsons (Rob does, though). I didn’t know what the heck they were talking about but I have to admit that they were HILARIOUS. Especially Seth MacFarlane and the entire cast and crew of Family Guy. During the audience Q&A, a fan went up to the mic and was so nervous, he was stammering and couldn’t get his question out. Seth MacFarlane laughed and said he thought the fan was going to pull one of these and he pretends to whip out a gun and start shooting. OMG. So inappropriate. But I laughed anyway. I couldn’t help it!


Family Guy

The Cleveland Show

Futurama

The Simpsons



Next up was the V panel, which was a complete and utter snoozefest. Rob left mid-way through because he was so bored (he went to the Eureka and Warehouse 13 panels). And he’s the one that watches this show! I only watch it because he does. All I remember is that the actor who plays Tyler is just as weird and awkward as his character. Really. Oh, and Elizabeth Mitchell is an incredibly humble and gorgeous actress.

FINALLY. FINALLY. It was time for Fringe. OK. SO. I didn’t watch any of season 2. I was pretty much there to see my celebrity crush Joshua Jackson.



SQUEEEEEE.

The cast and creators talked a lot about duality and duplicity with regards to the show’s alternate universe and how choices play a role in the differences between the two worlds. Anna Torv described it best when she said that both Olivias have similar goals but our Olivia wants to be the best while alt-Olivia just wants to win.

Everything else they discussed pretty much went over my head but really intrigued me. Maybe I need to do a season 2 marathon?

But for me anyway, Josh Jackson was the highlight. He infused humor into the panel. For instance…

— At the very beginning, the moderator asked him “Is Peter about to embark on the most exhilarating threesome he’s ever had?” WTF. IDEK. Anyway, JJ answered by asking in return “Is there such a thing as a non-exhilarating threesome?”
— During the audience Q&A, the panel decided to ask the fans questions in return. One of the questions was why Gene (the cow) had polka dots. When the fan didn’t know, JJ grabbed his water, took a huge sip, and made gurgling noises. The fan correctly guessed a bong hit. BEST moment of the panel by far.
— The last question asked by the panel was about the pot strains that Walter crossed. It’s completely quiet for awhile when someone in the audience yells out the exact ingredients. The creators are surprised, tell him that he wins a t-shirt while JJ says “And a five-to-fifteen year jail sentence!”

OHGAWD. IPUFFYHEARTYOU JOSHUAJACKSON.

Aaaannnnd the last panel for the day was The Vampire Diaries. I was REALLY surprised at how much the ballroom emptied out after Fringe. It went from full capacity to half. Those people don’t know what they’re missing.
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30 Days of TV Meme: Day 3

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Thanks for the well wishes! 🙂 Rob, Diesel & I are super happy about the house. We’re painting this weekend and the movers are coming 4th of July weekend. Exciting!

Ok, back to my regularly scheduled meme.

Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)



WHITE COLLAR!

It’s not your typical crime drama. Especially when you have the delectable Matt Bomer playing white collar criminal turned FBI consultant Neal Caffrey. HEISSOCUTE. And I *adore* his unlikely love/hate relationship with his FBI handler Peter Burke. Their back and forth banter makes me positively giddy.



Honorable mention goes to The Vampire Diaries. Honestly, I had EXTREMELY low expectations for this show (I’m not a Twilight fan). I pretty much only tuned in because the CW owns me. But I was pleasantly surprised. The story actually progresses in every single episode! That’s pretty much unheard of in a teen show. And there’s a love triangle that’s well done. I can’t even decide between Elena/Stefan and Elena/Damon. Craziness. It doesn’t hurt that the cast is HOT. Guh.

The rest of the prompts…

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