True Blood Review: "Beautifully Broken"

Article first published as TV Review: True Blood - "Beautifully Broken" on Blogcritics.

Despite some dull moments, when it came to character development, Sunday night’s episode of True Blood knocked it out of the park. Tara dealt with her emotions in the aftermath of an attempted suicide, Lafayette revealed a disturbing secret, and Sam discovered his real family.

I’ll begin by discussing my least favorite aspect of the episode—Bill’s kidnapping. "Beautifully Broken" opens with a rather disturbing visual—Bill biting the ear off of a werewolf, who then turns human and writhes on the ground. We are then introduced to a new character, the foppish vampire king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington, who reprimands the werewolf (named Cooter) and then “escorts” Bill back to his mansion. On a horse. Russell thinks that his guest will give him access to the Queen, and in turn he promises to make Bill the sheriff of Mississippi Area Two—whatever that means. Bill is unimpressed, and I am a little bit bored.

We learn later from Eric (in a tension-filled scene with Sookie) that these werewolves are part of a Nazi organization. Unfortunately this explanation involves a flashback to 1945 Germany, where we see Eric and Godric fighting off a lady werewolf. The flashback is kind of a throwaway scene. It would have been just as effective if Eric had simply stated that he’d had run-ins with this group before.

During Eric and Sookie’s little tête-à-tête, Pam excuses herself and Jessica from the situation, saying, “Let’s go to the ladies' room and stare at ourselves in the mirror.” She then gives Jessica a lesson in how to not kill someone while feeding on them, as well as telling her how to get rid of a body. Jessica promptly goes home and rents a chainsaw. This cannot end well.

Meanwhile Lafayette has discovered Tara trying to down a bottle of pills. After forcing her to throw them up, he carries her to his car and away from the toxic Etta Mae. After Tara calms down he wisely states that “life ain't not havin’ problems, Tara. It’s about being able to deal with the ones you got… look, the Buddhists weren’t lying when they said life is suffering. It don’t mean you get to check out early, and leave me here.”

He then takes Tara to visit his racist, homophobic mother in a mental hospital. “You think I could end up like her,” Tara says softly. “There’s a darkness in this family,” he responds. But that’s why he needs her to fight—to live. The scenes between Lafayette and Tara were the best scenes this episode, I thought. Lafayette has gone from a mostly one-dimensional character in the first season to one of the most interesting and well-rounded characters this season. And Tara—well, I am hoping that Tara can get past the death of Eggs, because I have to say that I haven’t really been interested in her since season one. I want plucky Tara back.

Sookie and Jason also have a nice reunion in this episode. As they finally clean up after Mary Anne, Sookie explains how awful it is not knowing where Bill is. This gives birth to a wonderful nod to the audience in Sookie’s line, “I keep expecting him to come through the door and say, ‘Sookeeeh.’”

Sam reunites with his family this episode, but his brother doesn’t seem too happy about the situation. Fortunately the two find a way to bond—by shape shifting.

Later, Bill is still being "held captive" by the Mississippi vampire king, and getting served delicacies like blood gelato. The scene is pretty much a snooze-fest until Lorena shows up, at which point Bill throws a lantern at her and she goes up in flames. Is this the standard vampire ex greeting?

Later on Eric comes over to the Stackhouse abode to inform Sookie that the Nazi werewolves are coming for her, stating, “You’re going to invite me in, to protect you. Or have primal, uninhibited sex with you.” Ah yes, the writers know their audience. The whole thing is actually sweeter than it sounds though. Eric seems genuinely upset at the thought of Sookie getting mauled. Fortunately, she’s not “too blond” to fire a gun, and the last scene we are left with involves her shooting a pistol at one of the precocious pups.

Tune in next week for more True Blood.

The IT Crowd Season Four Recap: "Jen the Freddo"

FINALLY. Season four of The IT Crowd is here! And it was...a bit of a letdown, to be honest, though I have hope that it will return to form as the episodes progress. It's been so long between series that perhaps the actors just needed to warm up. Or maybe it's wishful thinking on my part.

It's not to say that the episode didn't have it's high moments. Moss playing D&D with a bunch of manly business honchos was pretty awesome. As was his "ruddy mysterious" game soundtrack.

Jen decides that she wants to be in charge of the entertainment division, despite warnings from her co-workers. We learn that this position entails playing "pimp" to a bunch of over zealous monkeys in suits. Jen gets into it though, and eventually plays the "Freddo" role a little too well. She even fears she will be killed a la Freddo (from the Godfather) at the end, though it's a misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, Roy is moping about because some chick broke up with him. Who said chick is, I have no idea. But I hope that he is back to his sarcastic self the next episode. Perhaps Moss' roleplay scenario (a pretty funny scene where a "Queen" and Roy's D&D character "say goodbye" to each other) will help.





Try as I might, I can't really put my finger on what was missing from this episode. It just seemed a little stale. I love these characters though, so I will continue to tune in.

The Great Daria Rewatch: Part One (Season One)

Wow. I can't believe there were FIVE seasons of Daria. Though I am 99% sure I saw them all as they aired (back in High School...yes, I am old) it seems like they used to only replay certain episodes. Since the series has recently been released on DVD, I am partaking in a Summer Rewatch. There's nothing quite like watching a beloved show in order.

Nanananana. Oh Daria credits, such memories you bring back—memories of my own high school years and the pain that insued as a result of said years, but also fond memories of sitting in front of the television with a bag of potato chips and eagerly watching this kick ass show.

"Esteemers" starts the first season off with great lines like "I don't have low self esteem. I have low esteem for everyone else." Jane and Daria establish their friendship, which is really the backbone of the entire show. After all, misery loves company, and sometimes...just sometimes...that company will actually take the misery away. Daria and Jane are awesome. I love their friendship.

When I first watched this show I thought Trent was the coolest, but he seems a little bit hokey this time around. I guess that was always kind of the point. It's funny how not viewing things through the lens of high school hormones can offer clarity.

High Points:

• Daria reading anti-communist literature with irony at a coffee house in "Cafe Disafecto."
• Flashbacks of bossy Baby Daria in "Pinch Sitter."
• Daria and Trent talking about life and dreams in "Road Worrior."
• Jake, Ellen and Quinn tripping on magic berries.

Meh:

• The episode, "Malled."
• Daria and Quinn scoping out college campuses. I got bored.  
• Different music! Especially noticable in "Road Worrior," where the original track was REM's "Everybody Hurts."  

The last episode rounded things out well. "The Misery Chick" is actually one of those eps that got repeated a lot on television, so I'd seen it a number of times. But I like that Daria is honest about how the football player was a jerk and dying didn't change that. It's one of my pet peeves, when people idolize the dead.

Now I am on to season two. Stay tuned!

True Blood Review: "Bad Blood"

Article first published as TV Review: True Blood Season Three Premiere on Blogcritics.

After a painfully long break, last night’s season three premiere of True Blood picked up right where season two ended—Sookie discovers that Bill has been kidnapped, we discover that Jessica has been a bad, bad girl, Tara is mourning the death of her boyfriend, Eggs, and Jason Stackhouse is feeling guilty because he was the one to pull the trigger.

Last season, Jessica quickly became my favorite character, and she continues to delight me in this episode. She shines in her role as the troubled teenage vamp whose hormones are as raging as her blood lust. After a fight with Hoyt in the season two finale, she reverted to her evil ways and drained a trucker. In this episode we see her dealing with the consequences by burying the body in the basement, which begs the question—what will papa Bill say when he gets home?

As much as I love Jessica, I have a feeling that Pam will usurp her as my favorite vamp this season. She had so many delicious lines last night—such as this gem, “I don’t know what it is about me that makes people think I wanna hear their problems. Maybe I smile too much. Maybe I wear too much pink. But please remember, I can rip your throat out if I need to…”

Pam also appears to lean toward the ladies, which is a delightful twist. I wish I could say that I felt as positively about Evan Rachel Wood’s character, because they would make a hot couple, but for some reason I don’t find the Queen interesting in the slightest and tend to be easily distracted during her scenes.

Lafayette was also wonderful in this episode. It’s good to see him back in form, especially during his hilarious confrontation with Etta Mae. His concern for Tara is also quite sweet.

Meanwhile, it seems no one will help Sookie find Bill, which is really kind of messed up—but not half as messed up as Bill feeding on an old lady who was trying to help him after he escaped from a couple of V-smuggling psychos.

Speaking of Bill, what was going on with the dream sequence of him and Sam together? Granted it was Sam’s brain, but it makes me think I missed something. Is this a result of drinking Bill’s blood? Will Sam be lusting after Bill all during season three the way Sookie lusted after Eric in season two?

Things could get interesting if Sam suddenly has to explore this new side of his sexuality—especially since bisexuality is usually relegated to women in television.

Finally, the thing that made this episode epic—werewolves! Of the non-CGI variety.

Bring it on, season three.


(Tune in every week for new reviews following each episode.)

The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister

Hey all, I know I have been MIA for a bit. Have a new review up at curvemag.com though, if you are interested. It's a review of the film The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, to be shown this summer in the San Francisco LGBT Film festival. The film will be debuting in theaters in November. I have to say that I absolutely loved this film. Read the review HERE, and stay tuned for a possible interview with the star, Maxine Peake!

If you are in San Francisco this summer you should check out Frameline's film festival. There are a lot of awesome movies being shown. Visit the site for more info. (www.frameline.org)

Star Wars Anti-Smoking PSA

Robots don't have to worry about lung cancer, so this seems a little pointless. I think it would be more effective to show Han Solo shooting a guy who had the gall to smoke in an intergalactic bar, and then turn to the camera, saying "Smoking kills, and so do I." Yeah, that would be rad.



Hilarious.

So Good it's a Crime

Hell yes. I have watched this fifty times already, and I will probably watch it again. IT'S THAT GOOD. Here's MC Chris' tribute to one of the best shows ever on television, Twin Peaks.



Special Agent Cooper, why so dreamy?

House Season Six Finale Review

I have been pretty vocal about my lack of interest in season six of House, but I have to say that I really did enjoy the finale, "Save Me." For the most part. I think.

The episode centered around a disaster, which, yes, is a little bit cliche' (I'm thinking of the season four finale), but it made for an interesting change of pace. But before we get to the scene of the disaster (which, can I just say—a fallen crane? Kind of lame. But, oh well) we see House give Cuddy a book that her grandfather wrote as a present to her and Lucas, in celebration of their moving in together. Cuddy becomes pretty weird after this happens. But I shrugged it off. After all, she has been acting weird all season.

(BEWARE OF SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP)

House arrives on the scene to help bandage up some people. He is like a fish out of water without his team and his hospital equipment, and his bedside manner is as starkly unfeeling as ever. But then he finds a woman trapped in an underneath tons of rubble, who is in danger of losing her leg, which is crushed and trapped.

He becomes the only doctor that she trusts, but it turns out that his desire to help her save her leg may not be the best course of action.

Meanwhile, his team is working to diagnose the crane-driver. These scenes are mostly filler—except for some revelations about Thirteen's health. I guess they are going to have to find a new 20-year old to fill her shoes next year. Darn.

Cuddy comes out of her Stepford coma in this episode, which is refreshing, although I don't really know what to make of the last scene. Was it a hallucination again? I still don't know what to think. Granted, I was crying (Hugh Laurie makes my heart hurt when he plays House as completely broken down) and when she showed up I felt like cheering. But I have to wonder, how is this all going to play out in season seven?

I have mixed emotions, but I can at least say that they are all running high.

I Wish I Could Hop On The Glee Train

So, next Tuesday my beloved Joss Whedon is directing an episode of Glee, guest starring none other than my other beloved, Neil Patrick Harris. There is no way in Hades that I am going to miss it, but while some out there will be experiencing brain melt from their two fandoms colliding, I'm afraid I will just have to appreciate the episode on its own.

Because, you see, I do not like Glee. It's a bit too Twee. Ok, a lot. (How's that for rhyme-age?)



I feel like an outsider because of this. Everywhere I go (mostly on the internet, but sometimes in the real world as well) people are like, wow, did you watch Glee last night? Isn't it the best thing ever? OMG.

Ok, first of all. The songs aren't original! These songs existed before they were on Glee. I don't like that they become popular just because they are on Glee. Grrr...music snobbery, blah blah.

The show also promotes some pretty tired stereotypes. I guess the reason I really got turned off from it is because I watched how the Glee club teacher's pregnant wife was portrayed, as a psycho pregnant wife who is bringing him down. It's totes ok if he cheats, because his wife doesn't deserve him.

Bored now.

UPDATE: I just tried to watch this week's episode. I had to stop. Why, Joss, why!??

Sexism and Season Six of House

Originally posted here at Blogcritics.

I want to preface this commentary by stating that I am actually a huge fan of House, and of Hugh Laurie in particular. The writing in this show has often astounded me in the past. From a feminist perspective, there are a few episodes in seasons one through five (“Skin Deep,” I’m looking at you) that I have problems with; but on a whole I think that the characters—especially Dr. Gregory House and Dr. Lisa Cuddy—are complex and believable.

Be that as it may, there are aspects to the current season that I find troubling.

The first instance I felt swindled by the writers this season was with Dr. Allison Cameron’s departure. This turned out to be quite a point of contention within the fandom, between those who wanted House and Cameron to hook up, and those who wanted House with Cuddy. I don’t necessarily root for any one relationship on the show. I merely saw her departure as a blow because I had come to care about the character, and I thought that she provided a nice balance for House and the other characters.

Much was made of the House/Cuddy relationship last season, and yet this season we see very little of Lisa Edelstein, besides her “superwoman” episode (don’t get me started on that not-so-empowering trope). Mostly, when she is onscreen she can be found passively listening to House’s diatribe, or his now obligatory sexual innuendos. In fact, Stepford Cuddy has lately been shown for only a few minutes in each hour-long episode.

While the female cast members of House have been given substantially less screen time, many of the episodes this season do focus on women. Indeed, the writers seem to focus heavily on women being punished in every medical and psychological form possible—punished for partying too hard (the young girl in “Known Unknowns”), for having hobbies (“Private Lives”) and finally, for having sex (“Black Hole,” “Open and Shut.”)

The presence of Dr. Remy Hadley, also known as “Thirteen,” has done little to alleviate the gender inequality of the show’s current season. Although she is portrayed as bisexual, we rarely get a glimpse of her alternate sexual identity, other than blatant titillation. What happened to her Huntington’s disease? How is she coping with her breakup from Foreman? All we know is that she hangs out in lesbian bars, but is never actually shown having a meaningful relationship with a woman. Rather, it seems that they are grooming her for an interlude with Chase.

I have hope that the writers will see the plot clichés that they are falling prey to so far this season, and that as it progresses, they will bring the female characters of Princeton Plainsboro out to play more often.