next_to_normal (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
next_to_normal) wrote2010-09-27 02:08 pm
next_to_normal) wrote2010-09-27 02:08 pm
It's like speed-dating, but with TV
So, I had all sorts of plans about reviewing TV shows as they premiered, but I'm getting rather behind, so here's the quick and dirty version. :) Going forward, I'm not going to make an effort to post about everything I watch - I'll comment if something strikes me, but as much as I'd love it if watching TV was my full-time job, I am not actually a TV critic, so I've got to keep it reasonable.
Fringe
Wow, I was sort of lukewarm going into this season - the finale was pretty awesome, but overall Fringe has always been uneven - but that season premiere totally sucked me right back in. The non-mythology weird-thing-of-the-week episodes were always the show's weakness, but I think the parallel stories in the two universes will definitely keep the mythology in the forefront, and having swapped Olivias means that even non-mythology episodes will have some element of it, with Fauxlivia undercover and our Olivia dealing with her memory implant. Which, by the way, I am rather excited about - wasn't I just talking about how much I love the exploration of memory as identity? Why yes, I was. So I am intrigued to see Fringe's take on things. I am certain that Olivia will overcome the false memories and reassert herself, but at this point it's unclear whether she's totally accepted them or is just pretending to avoid arousing suspicion. Either way, it will be fun to watch how it develops.
The Office
This one, unfortunately, is still leaving me pretty meh. There were some funny moments in this episode, but nothing I saw made me change my opinion from last season, the way Fringe did. I don't even have the enthusiasm to talk about it. I just can't help thinking that it should've been canceled already. Well, at least it's made the decision easy as to which of these shows I'll watch live.
Being Erica
OMG I MISSED THIS SHOW! Eeeee! Group therapy! Why didn't I think of that? LOL, I suspected that the final stage of therapy would be for Erica to become a therapist herself, but I also didn't think they'd go there this soon. Group therapy is a nice middle step, and I think it's a good way to break up the time travel to fix regrets (but I'm still glad there'll be some of that, too!). I liked how they addressed Erica's disappointment that she wasn't Dr. Tom's only patient. They clearly have a "special" relationship, but I admit, I also had the sense that the therapists worked one-on-one... not really sure why, except that we'd only ever seen them in pairs (Dr. Tom/Erica, Dr. Fred/Kai, and Dr. Naadiah/Dr. Tom). Thus far, I am not impressed with Irish!Kai, but we'll see. Oh, and Julianne is my favorite person ever. "You kinda complete me, chicken." :)
Mad Men
I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that I screamed almost as loudly as Sally at the idea of her and Don going to the Beatles. :)
Aaaand... that was about the last happy moment in the entire episode, lol. It's interesting that, with all the drinking problems and his failures with women, I'd been expecting a total breakdown (but I also thought we got it in the episode with him and Peggy), so it's surprising - and at the same time obvious - that it's Don's secret identity coming back to haunt him that really sends him off the rails. Pete's hypocrisy amuses me - sure, he has every reason to be upset that this skewered his new account, but he's hardly innocent when it comes to keeping secrets. But mostly, I was concentrating too much on Alison Brie looking like a fluffy beach ball with legs to pay much attention to Pete in that scene. :)
Speaking of such things, the women of Mad Men sure are fertile, aren't they? Once is all it takes for Peggy, Betty, and now Joan to get pregnant. This show really is like an advertisement for safe sex, lol. And there seems to be some disagreement over whether Joan actually got the abortion, or if she changed her mind. I guess we'll find out soon enough, since that's not a secret she can keep for very long. Neither is Roger's Lucky Strike news, for that matter, and I'm very curious whether this will mean the dissolution of SCDP, starting another season off with characters changing agencies, or if they'll pull a rabbit out of a hat somehow.
Fringe
Wow, I was sort of lukewarm going into this season - the finale was pretty awesome, but overall Fringe has always been uneven - but that season premiere totally sucked me right back in. The non-mythology weird-thing-of-the-week episodes were always the show's weakness, but I think the parallel stories in the two universes will definitely keep the mythology in the forefront, and having swapped Olivias means that even non-mythology episodes will have some element of it, with Fauxlivia undercover and our Olivia dealing with her memory implant. Which, by the way, I am rather excited about - wasn't I just talking about how much I love the exploration of memory as identity? Why yes, I was. So I am intrigued to see Fringe's take on things. I am certain that Olivia will overcome the false memories and reassert herself, but at this point it's unclear whether she's totally accepted them or is just pretending to avoid arousing suspicion. Either way, it will be fun to watch how it develops.
The Office
This one, unfortunately, is still leaving me pretty meh. There were some funny moments in this episode, but nothing I saw made me change my opinion from last season, the way Fringe did. I don't even have the enthusiasm to talk about it. I just can't help thinking that it should've been canceled already. Well, at least it's made the decision easy as to which of these shows I'll watch live.
Being Erica
OMG I MISSED THIS SHOW! Eeeee! Group therapy! Why didn't I think of that? LOL, I suspected that the final stage of therapy would be for Erica to become a therapist herself, but I also didn't think they'd go there this soon. Group therapy is a nice middle step, and I think it's a good way to break up the time travel to fix regrets (but I'm still glad there'll be some of that, too!). I liked how they addressed Erica's disappointment that she wasn't Dr. Tom's only patient. They clearly have a "special" relationship, but I admit, I also had the sense that the therapists worked one-on-one... not really sure why, except that we'd only ever seen them in pairs (Dr. Tom/Erica, Dr. Fred/Kai, and Dr. Naadiah/Dr. Tom). Thus far, I am not impressed with Irish!Kai, but we'll see. Oh, and Julianne is my favorite person ever. "You kinda complete me, chicken." :)
Mad Men
I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that I screamed almost as loudly as Sally at the idea of her and Don going to the Beatles. :)
Aaaand... that was about the last happy moment in the entire episode, lol. It's interesting that, with all the drinking problems and his failures with women, I'd been expecting a total breakdown (but I also thought we got it in the episode with him and Peggy), so it's surprising - and at the same time obvious - that it's Don's secret identity coming back to haunt him that really sends him off the rails. Pete's hypocrisy amuses me - sure, he has every reason to be upset that this skewered his new account, but he's hardly innocent when it comes to keeping secrets. But mostly, I was concentrating too much on Alison Brie looking like a fluffy beach ball with legs to pay much attention to Pete in that scene. :)
Speaking of such things, the women of Mad Men sure are fertile, aren't they? Once is all it takes for Peggy, Betty, and now Joan to get pregnant. This show really is like an advertisement for safe sex, lol. And there seems to be some disagreement over whether Joan actually got the abortion, or if she changed her mind. I guess we'll find out soon enough, since that's not a secret she can keep for very long. Neither is Roger's Lucky Strike news, for that matter, and I'm very curious whether this will mean the dissolution of SCDP, starting another season off with characters changing agencies, or if they'll pull a rabbit out of a hat somehow.
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