Archive for the ‘Couch Critic’ Category
Supernatural thoughts
February 23rd, 2008
Last night I decided to run a small experiment. Granted, it’s not statistically accurate, seeing as it only had a n of 1, i.e., me. But I believe the results are worth publishing.
In essence, I wanted to see what the Supernatural story arc would have been like had they kept the last 3 episodes in their original order. So, I started with “Dream a Little Dream of Me” mainly because the ending of that episode sets up the beginning of “Jus in Bello.” Some people felt the episodes were out of order because “Mystery Spot” ended up being sandwiched in between finding the Colt missing (end of “Dream..”) and searching for it (beginning of “Jus..”)
My conclusions? The revised order was the way to go.
“Jus in Bello” is what I consider an epic episode, one of those shows in which the series’ “canon” changes course. So it was a fitting finale going into the WGA-imposed hiatus. But in addition, the progression of the brothers’ psyches makes more sense by airing “Mystery Spot” prior to “Jus in Bello.”
At the beginning of MS, Dean’s attitude is cheery and playful, and Sam’s attitude is light enough to appreciate Dean’s silliness. Of course, Sam becomes more and more agitated and desperate as the show progresses; and although things work out in the end, he is worried about the future.
The beginning of “Jus in Bello” has the boys tending to business (at least in the Winchester sense of “business”), trying to find the missing Colt. Things go to hell very quickly, and while Dean is able to continue making his patented wise-cracks, he is scared and nervous. The episode is very serious, and at the very end, the brothers are devastated.
It wouldn’t have made sense for Dean to be all bright & cheery at the beginning of MS, given his utter sadness at the end of JiB. And Sam’s more solemn demeanor in JiB was totally in keeping with his experiences in MS.
So all in all, my research indicates that Kripke and company did the right thing.
Posted in Supernatural | Comments (1)
*heavy sigh*
February 22nd, 2008
And so, Supernatural goes out with a bang for the WGA strike-imposed hiatus. It’ll be gone for about 2 months. And then we get, what, 4 new episodes (or is it only 3) before the season end?
Yes, it was a worthy quasi-season ending show, but not without its flaws. At least in my mind. Sadly, the killing off of interesting guest characters has become much too predictable, especially when Sera Gamble writes the episode. It’s especially sad when I know Eric Kripke and company are capable of so much better story-telling.
But the bigger flaws for me were the beginning and the end.
Backstory: I was irritated when the show was said to be bringing on two new female “regulars. ” I was told they would be only recurring stars, and yet their names appear before the “guest star” credits, above such venerable favorites as Jim Beaver’s Bobby Singer and Samantha Ferris’ Ellen Harvelle (who, although being a fan favorite has been sorely missing from this season, due most likely to her “old” age of 40).
Most fans are warming up to Ruby. Not me. Granted, the character was somewhat interesting in her first few episodes, due mainly to the mystery surrounding her. But now that the mystery is over, where’s the interest? To bitch at the brothers, telling them what they’re doing wrong, scolding them like misbehaving 10-year-olds? And now that it’s been made clear that she has no plan to save Dean from his fate, what purpose does she have? She says it’s to get Sam ready to fight the coming war on his own. I think last week’s episode showed us that Sam will indeed be able to not only survive, but “thrive” in ridding the world of the bad guys. Yes, he’ll lose his humanity, but the world will become a safer place because of him. So now, what purpose is it exactly that Ruby has? None that I can think of.
I might be more willing to accept the character if it were placed in the hands of a better actress. Katie Cassidy seems to be incapable of playing anything beyond a one-note bitch with a raspy voice. Eric Kripke says she’s growing into the role, but the way I see it, the role is becoming more one-dimensional, probably because they’re writing to the actress’ “strengths.”
As for the Bela character, she just sets my teeth on edge. Supposedly the writers loved writing her, and can’t understand why the audience hasn’t accepted her. Well yeah, writing nasty characters is fun. You get to put in all those traits you wish you could show, but are just not really acceptable in real life. The problem is, she’s a “regular.” The audience knows they’re stuck with her week after week after week. They’ve made her such a selfish, conniving, smart-ass, I really don’t give a crap what her back story is. Lately, her appearances have seemed forced, and she’s been nothing more than a plot device. Such a character does nothing to enhance the show.
One of the posters at Television Without Pity (which I swore I’d stay away from, but just can’t seem to) said something I think bears repeating:
That? That’s called jumping the shark. It’s officially no longer the Winchester brothers show. Crap. Here I was defending the changes season to season, the evolution–but Bela at the end taking control? That just sucks. I’ve just really lost interest, though I’m sure I’ll keep watching.
I actually felt something similar. Not so much that the show had jumped the shark, but I had the very same feeling that if the show continues on its current path, I’ll most likely lose interest, and might even stop watching.
Tags: episode comments, jus in bello, spn season 3
Posted in Supernatural | Comments (3)
My new television love
February 12th, 2008
It looks like I can add a new sub-category under “Couch Critic,” Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles. But since that’s such a long title, I’ll just be calling it Terminator. Not to be confused with the (original) movie, of course. I’m pretty sure I mentioned this elsewhere on the blog (I did! I just found it), but “Terminator” (the original) is one of my all-time favorite movies. So I was really excited that we were getting a tv series. However, the series starts after “Terminator: Judgment Day” (or T-2), which is my least favorite and thus least watched of the T movies. I suppose I ought to join NetFlix so that I can order it.
I missed the series pilot, coming in on the second episode. But apparently Fox heard my pleas, because they rebroadcast the pilot the week before the Superbowl. So, now I have the “complete” series on my DVR, soon to be transferred to DVD.
I’ve been enjoying the show. I really like this Sarah. Lena Headey has a somewhat husky voice that’s great for the voice-overs. (Otherwise they probably wouldn’t work.) And Thomas Dekker is a very appealing John. Although there is talk on some boards that he’s too pretty for the role, I say, he should be pretty! Kyle Reese was his father, and he was quite pretty. (I’m also surprised to find out that I’m not the only one who had a major Kyle Reese crush in the day. Good to know.) And Summer Glau as Cameron, the robot/android/machine (I don’t really think I can call her a terminator, since that’s not her purpose) is not only awesome, but provides some great comic relief.
And while I’ve been enjoying the series, last night’s episode turned the corner. I loved it! It had some wonderful key plot twists (about 4 that I can think of) which I hope will be built on. Let’s see if I can name the twists: 1) the mysterious stranger turns out to be not only the 4th resistance fighter, but also 2) one of John’s best soldiers from the future (per Cameron), and 3) Kyle Reese’s brother (!!); 4) T-888 is terminated, and 5) Charlie now knows Sarah is alive. And the final twist? Who knew David Austin Green could actually act and be kind of menacing? 
Posted in Couch Critic, Terminator | Comments (4)
Friday’s review of Thursday
February 8th, 2008
1. First of all, let’s talk Supernatural, because in my universe there’s nothing more important (and soon, more rare) than a new episode on Thursday night. “Dream a Little Dream of Me” was a great episode, one I definitely need to watch again. And probably again and again. And holy-foreshadowing, Nuj! Last week Nuj talked about how hot Dean with demon eyes would be. So I started working on an icon for her. And this week? There he is! Demon-eyed-Dean! Will we start calling him DED? Because we all know Dean is so hawt he killz us ded.
2. While in the cafeteria yesterday for lunch, a man behind me saw my boot and said “Please tell me you received that on your time off and not at work.” I looked around, smiled and said, “Nope. I fell down those stairs right there.” Turns out the guy is the safety manager for the place where I work. He didn’t know about my accident because all my workman’s comp paperwork went through the place where I’m employed, which is not my “place of duty.” (It gets even more complicated than that, but I’ll spare you the gory details.) 
He was great. He wanted the details and took my name & number. I told him about how I really don’t like that particular stairwell because the steps all blend into one another. He said that’s precisely the type of thing he needs to know about so that he can do something about it. *facepalm*
3. I had a hell of time with Thursday Thirteen yesterday. First of all, about 90% of the participants use Blogspot, which I can’t access at work. (Ok, so I shouldn’t be blogging at work, I know.) And when I tried commenting on WordPress.com blogs, my reply timed out. And a few choice blogs I wanted to comment at had not updated. Guess it just wasn’t my day for T13.
Posted in Blogging, Supernatural, Work | Comments (6)
WP vs LJ
February 5th, 2008
I’m in a rather crappy mood today. I think I may have reached my breaking point with the Supernatural fandom. Perhaps today will spur me to come to my senses and stop my crazy obsessing. But probably not.
I made a list of all the non-Supernatural web-related things I’d like to do, and it’s pretty extensive. If I’m ever going to get serious about designing a WordPress theme, keeping up the sites I already have, and creating new websites for cohorts, I need to stop hanging out at LiveJournal, “fangirling” about Supernatural and attempting to make cute, little icons.
The things I like about LJ are the friends list and the communities. I don’t know of anything comparable with WP. Sure, I can delineate the folks on my blogroll into certain categories, but where can I find an actual community that comes together to share a similar interest?
The other thing that concerns me is possibly losing touch with a couple of the “friends” I’ve made at LJ. One of the friends has followed me over here, so I’m not worried about her, but there are 2 other posters I really like, but they don’t seem to be interested in keeping in touch outside of LJ. But who knows. Maybe I’ll be able to lure them over here. If not, were they all that good of friends?
Posted in Griping, Supernatural | Comments (5)
Thursday Thirteen #5
January 17th, 2008
This week’s Thursday Thirteen is brought to you by someone who has no idea what to write about.
Thirteen Random Thoughts
- I’m an official Thursday Thirteener! Woot!
- Showtime’s movies sucks.
- Dexter really is as entertaining as they say. Who’d have thought I’d enjoy a show where the hero is a serial killer?
- The L Word (the reason I switched from HBO to Showtime) is okay. But sometimes I feel it needs to decide whether it’s a drama or a comedy.
- I think I’m going have a Jonathan Rhys Meyers overdose (and not in a good way). He’s everywhere!
- I really liked the one episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles I saw. (I missed the premiere.) I loved the original movie (you know, the one where the governor of California played the bad guy). The main characters and actors are quite compelling.
- Who knew the future leader of the world has emo-bangs. (And if you don’t know what emo-bangs are, you need to watch Supernatural.)
- Supernatural is still the best tv show you’re not watching.
- The real, original Grimm’s Fairy Tales are incredibly gruesome.
- Last year I liked this blog layout a lot. This year, not so much. (ETA: I have now changed the layout. This is one I still like and keep coming back to.)
- I can now personally verify that sprains are more painful than breaks.
- Peapod by Giant is wonderful, even if they do get several things on the order wrong.
- My keyboard is giving me fits. Probably caused by all the crumbs and spilled liquids it’s had to endure.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! | View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Posted in Couch Critic, Musings, Thursday 13 | Comments (3)
Miscellany
January 16th, 2008
I’m officially a Thursday Thirteener. Woot! Thanks, Carol, for being patient with me. I thought about doing this post as a Thursday Thirteen, but can’t seem to come up with 13 idle thoughts.
With all the advances in modern medicine, you’d think they could come up with something better and easter to use than crutches. I fell down the stairs at work last Monday (Jan 7) and broke my left foot. This is the first broken bone I’ve ever had. I spent over a week in a semi-cast (a “splint,” which has all the negatives of a cast) and on crutches. Not fun.
I had my follow-up with the doctor yesterday. When I was getting ready to go (my first time out of the house since I broke the foot), I looked out the window and it was (f***ing) snowing! Why couldn’t I have gone last week when it was 60 degrees and beautiful? Oh yeah. I had to wait for the worker’s comp paperwork to go through.
The place I went to is the same medical facility where I had my sinus surgery last October. So how come when I went there for all those post-op check-ups, I could find a great parking spot, but when it was cold & snowy & slippery, and I was on crutches, I had to park in the boonies? Oh life, you are a cruel mistress.
Oh, and I can now verify that sprains really are more painful than breaks. I injured the same foot about 20 years ago—doing the same thing. I missed a step and fell down. My friend who was with me said she heard a crack. Nothing was broken, but I’d severely sprained my left ankle. (Apparently you can hear tendons and ligaments break, too.) The sprain was indeed more painful than the break, but that’s not to say I didn’t need the pain killers.
I’m now in a boot & still have the crutches. I can walk a short ways without the crutches, so at least I can pick things up around the house and put them away. Last week I was putting everything in plastic grocery bags and carrying them to & from my destinations. So I guess that’s progress.
Posted in Couch Critic, Musings, Work | Comments (0)
Happy 2008!
January 2nd, 2008
(See, a day late this year, too.) I prefer even-numbered years to odd-numbered years. It seems all the good things happen in even years: I was born, graduated from high school (& various colleges), was commissioned in the Navy. Good times! I like leap years even more! Feb 29 (besides being my grandpa’s birthday, as well as a friend’s) is Sadie Hawkins Day. That’s the day when women can ask men to marry them. (Ok, maybe it’s a little outdated for modern times, but the emphasis is still on the guy to propose.) Dr. Joyce Brothers once said it’s actually a good thing, because women tend to pick partners for better reasons than men.
And new years bring new “resolutions.” This year I’m trying to get my home in shape. First up is the kitchen. I spent some of yesterday cleaning up the dirty dishes. But the main intent is to clean out the cabinets and get rid of old/duplicate/unused items.
I say “some” of the time was in the kitchen, because I also welcomed in the new year with my very own Supernatural marathon. I didn’t get through all 10 or episodes I’d planned to watch, but it was fun to go back and watch some favorite episodes I hadn’t seen in awhile.
Tags: kitchen, Supernatural
Posted in Musings, Pack brat, Supernatural | Comments (2)
Stupid weather!
December 16th, 2007
It was supposed to be a horrible weekend. Rain, sleet, snow, freezing rain, ice. On Friday I stopped by the grocery store to pick the necessities. I already had enough milk, bread and toilet paper (the usual storm staples), so I bought the other necessities: wine, cheese and ice cream. I was all set to hunker down with the possibility of a “snow day” on Monday.
And what happens? I wake up Saturday morning and there’s nada. Weather folks said it would start at 3 p.m., then at dusk. Well, Sunday morning came and guess what. Nana. Now I have to go get ready for work tomorrow.
Stupid weather!
On the positive side, new Dexter tonight. Season finale. I don’t think Lilah’s long for the this world, but not sure about Doakes. Guess I’ll find out in a few hours. Unless they end the season with a cliffhanger. In that case: stupid tv.
Posted in Couch Critic, Griping | Comments (0)
The agony of sinus surgery
October 6th, 2007
I decided I ought to quit bitching about the blog design, and obsessing how to get it to where I want (e.g., spending most of my computer time trying to fix the design) and start writing more. I’m still working on the design, but I’m not going to gripe about it here. Maybe.
And now, the saga of the nose. I’m not allowed to blow my nose, but there’s a lot of stuff up there that’s driving me nuts. I know this is all part of the healing process, so I’m not alarmed. It just means that in addition to the regular nose junk, I have scabby tissue. (Sounds great, doesn’t it?) So, I rinse the nostrils out 3-4 times a day with salt water. The feeling is similar to when you get water up your nose in the swimming pool. And what’s really funny is that when you send the water up one nostril, it comes out the other as well.
Funny thing is, I kind of like it. Yes, it’s really perverse. I think I might become addicted to snorting salt water.
When I saw the doctor on Wednesday, he told me no bending or lifting anything heavier than 10 lbs. Sounds good in theory, but, how am I supposed to feed the cats or empty the dishwasher, or (most importantly) brush Kimmi when she demands it, without bending over? Yesterday, when I bent over to do any of these things, water would run out of my nose. It’s kind of funny, but annoying. Well, at least it’s clear liquid and not anything too gross.
The season premiere of Supernatural was on Thursday. I was a bit underwhelmed. It wasn’t a bad episode, it just didn’t blow me away, like last year’s season premiere. And, given the subject matter, the Seven Deadly Sins, it could have been so much more.
I’m trying to branch out with my tv viewing habits, watching a couple new shows that have gotten lots of buzz, but so far nothing’s really sucked me in.
Posted in General, Supernatural | Comments (3)