Joss Whedon's New PG13 Supernatural Thing for Teenagers (TV thread)

[jess]

tMO watches the show, and I try to avoid it, so I may be wrong about this, but a recent episode featured a gay kiss--what tMO recalled as the first in the show's run (again, may be wrong here), but thing was it was a HAWT LESBIAN KISS which just kind of pissed me off.  For a show with a prominently gay character, this was just pandering and gross.

Honestly, fuck this show.

not defending the show, because it is a pile of balls, but i do believe in high school girls kissed girls a whole lot more than boys kissed boys.

i mean... i'm not that upset or anything... 




(EDITED for p p page break clarity)

Actually, given that they had referenced those two girls fooling around in the context of when they were with guys, I thought it was pretty cool that the show showed them kissing not to titillate boys (which is how the media tends to portray female bisexuality) but rather for their own gratification. One of the two girls clearly was shown to have real feelings for the other, although the other girl brushed her off saying that she was just doing it because the boy she (girl 2) wanted wasn't around and was horny. To me it read pretty realistically as two girls who are perhaps to varying extents and in varying ways bisexual, dealing with what I can assure you is a common enough issue with bi women where one really wants something serious and the other maybe is just experimenting or won't own up to wanting something real too. I actually thought it was pretty awesome that they took what felt originally was a typical "hot girls hinting at bi action to get boys" thing and developed it further with it being about the girl's own sexual wants. Much as I think Glee often completely fails at how it handles issues (and sometimes starts to go in the right direction and then fails), and much as I will be so happy when there's a day when truly butch or non-conventionally attractive women are shown in relationships with other women (or really for that matter, as sexual beings on tv at all, which almost never happens), I think this was totally fine. I mean, are you going to complain about how every straight kiss on Glee involved a hot girl* kissing some guy? I didn't think so...

*I suppose Mercedes is not conventionally attractive, and I can't remember if she ever kissed Puck when they were dating for about 5 min, but there were definitely no significant make-out scenes. I don't think that's a coincidence, and otherwise, she's gotten no action.

[edison]

I watched the first season of Bored to Death and caught up with the second within a week or so - I have to echo the sentiment of whoever said that Danson (as well as a few of the guest starts) is the only good thing about that show - Galifianakis's character, in particular, is terrible.

I gave up on Running Wilde during the second episode, and in other not-good Arnett/Cross news, suffered through two mostly unfunny episodes of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. This season of The Office has also been quite underwhelming so far - I'll welcome any suggestions of funny shows that are actually funny!

[Maaik]

I caught what I think was the first episode of Raising Hope.  I had no idea what it was, but I was like "Hey!  Martha Plimpton!"

Halfway through the episode, she threw up on a baby.  There is something kind of wrong with that show, but I'm going to keep an eye on it in case it gets sick.

[DCDave]

Jess = yes should be a smilie

[nonotyet]

Jess = yes should be a simile

qft

Jess, I do not think that Mercedes ever kissed Puck, or anyone, and they have relegated her to Singing Large Soulful Songs Through Which She Expresses Her Feelings, And That Is The Extent Of Her Character The End.

Maaik: Raising Hope IS weird, and a little precious. I like it enough to see what happens too, especially because of this exchange: "Think!" "I can't think when you tell me to think, I just keep thinking the word 'think!'"

[Maaik]

Jess has proven once again that I do not pay close enough attention to things I don't care for.

[Greg Nog]

MAYBE YOU SHUOLD GLEE A BIT MORE MAIIKAL

[Maaik]

ILL WAIT FOR THE SPINOFF WHEN THEY GO TO COLLEDGE AND WROK IN A KAREOKE BAR CALLED CHEER.

[Greg Nog]

THATS WHERE EVERBODY KNOWS THEIR NAME

I KNOW THERE NAME TOO IT IS JANE LYNCH

SHE IS A EVIL MEDDLER I AM LED TO BELEIVE

[jm]

...I think Glee often completely fails at how it handles issues (and sometimes starts to go in the right direction and then fails)

I never really liked the show, but this was maybe the most disappointing aspect for me.  There were several times (back when I was giving it a chance, largely due to the fact that other folks in the house were watching it) when something would come up and my brain would go "oh ho ho! this could be interesting, and relatively new ground for something on a show with this level of popular appeal" and then, well, it wasn't.

[elpollodiablo]

Guess I got pretty sucked into Boardwalk Empire, because I'm eagerly anticipating the next episode.

[ellaguru]

I'VE STARTED SPOOKS, WHICH IS PRETTY DECENT, EVEN IF IT DOESN'T (SO FAR - I'M NEARING THE END OF SERIES 1) PUSH THE ENVELOPE OF THE COPS 'N' ROBBERS GENRE VERY MUCH. BUT, A BRITISH SHOW WITH MORE THAN, LIKE, 3 EPISODES IN IT, SO I'M SET FOR TV FOR THE NEXT LITTLE WHILE.

[dieblucasdie]

Hey, so yeah, I know cf is watching it, but I haven't heard anyone else mention it:  Terriers is really great, especially once you get to episodes 3-5.  It reminds me a lot of the first season of Veronica Mars actually, and while I've always really liked Donal Logue on his own, his natural rapport with Michael Raymond-James is what makes the show.

I knew it was a Shawn Ryan show, so I was surprised by the off-beat/light stuff, until I saw Ted Griffin's and Tim Minear's names in the credits.  Too bad they picked such a terrible title and this thing is probably only going to be one season (it will get a full season, though, they had 13 in the can before the pilot aired). 

[coldforge]

Is there already buzz that it won't get picked up, or is that just your jaded TV-land sense talking?

[ellaguru]

I have Terriers on my list of things to watch.

[Greg Nog]

I WATCHD TERRORS LAST NIGHT AND I LIKED THE TAO STEVE MAN WHEN HE SOLVE MYSTERIES

[dieblucasdie]

Is there already buzz that it won't get picked up, or is that just your jaded TV-land sense talking?

Ratings are bad, and the critics I read think it will be cancelled (there's been a lot of handwringing given that Terriers and Lonestar, the two CRITICAL DARELINGS this season both had not just bad, but catastrophic debuts), barring a miraculous uptick in ratings.  I listened to an interview with Shawn Ryan where he was basically like, "Well, I made FX, so maybe they'll keep it on for me, since the DVR numbers are good, but probably not."  But hey, I'm still going to watch since I know they'll air at least a full season. 

edit:  Though you never know!  There's a fourth season of Chuck airing right now, and by all rights that thing should've been cancelled after S1.  And there's the bizarro thing where DirecTV saved Friday Night Lights.  The mess at NBC is a special case, sure, but wacky things happen sometimes, and FX is more likely than Fox to keep around a low-rated CRITICAL DARELING, especially when it's from a producer they have a good working relationship with, so, hey.

[coldforge]

Stop saying 'critical darling'.

[Maaik]

Stop being so critical, darling.

[Greg Nog]

BLUCAS HIMSELF IS A CRITCAL DARLING

[ellaguru]

BOTTLE KIDS!!

[davy]

Does Parks & Recreation get any better? I just watched the first episode and sure, I laughed some, but the prevailing impression was that it was a little too uncomfortably awkward.

[Greg Nog]

NEVER WATCHD FIRST SAESON BUT 2ND AND 3RD SAESONSS ARE SO GOOD, I LOVE THAT MAN WITH MOUSTACHES

[FreddyKnuckles]

Dude. Greg.

[elpollodiablo]

Does Parks & Recreation get any better? I just watched the first episode and sure, I laughed some, but the prevailing impression was that it was a little too uncomfortably awkward.

If memory serves, it takes three or four episodes to hit anything resembling its stride. Second season is way funnier.