Fall 2012 & Spring/Summer 2013 TV Catch-all

I thought I heard Archer was good on FX too? Need to check it out.

Archer is excellent. I forget it's on FX, because I was watching it on iTunes up until this season. Sons of Anarchy? Meh. I watched the first couple of seasons and then it began jumping the shark constantly.

Stele wrote:

I thought I heard Archer was good on FX too? Need to check it out.

Gimme oll your clooooth.

mr_n00b wrote:

Good 'ol Schmidt...

Let's not forget such FX gems as It's Always Sunny, Archer, Louie and of course The Shield, with out which the era of good cable television would not be possible IMHO.

Archer, Louie, and The Shield are great as well. It's Always Sunny was interesting but never really grabbed me.

LiquidMantis wrote:

Schmidt-slap

It's on my list man. Someday. There's just too much TV.

Jayhawker wrote:
cyrax wrote:

Spoilers, Jayhawker.

I agree with your assessment of PoI. Hurray, for new story arcs!

I don't think it was central enough to the story, and I was not near specific enough to spoil anything. I did consider spoiler tagging it, but I felt like there might be others that would avoid the show for the same reason.

After talking to my wife a bit this afternoon, she provided more context on why that seen was a dealbreaker for her that really made me think.

Spoiler:

As an isolated scene it felt unnecessary. But in he context that they implied that this was a moment that "toughened her up," it is even more offensive. And when taking into account that this event led to her whoring herself out to get info in the opening scene, then almost comically beating the man they abducted while they escaped, it goes one step farther in defining her in a way my wife was really uncomfortable with.

Finally, the present day shows a woman that is tougher and exhibits more conviction than the man she is "married" to, who was also the man who broke her in.

The more we talked about it, the less comfortable I am with how the show was treating the ultimate violation of a woman. It wasn't just the domination in the scene, but the idea that it used as a way to make her stronger. As my wife commented, it is sad when a show like Private Practice, which handles almost every social issue insanely bad, can treat rape more sensitively than this.

I don't want to condem the show, and I will probably still finish the episode and might still keep it in my season pass list. But I have to admit that I'm in a different mindset going forward than I was before watching the show. Are we the only ones that had this reaction?

Spoiler:

the rape wasnt to toughen her up it was just something captain did to female recruits. It was a 'perk' as he called it. It also didnt make her stronger it twisted her. She's only able to enjoy sex if it's a bit rough and unable to be affectionate even socially or to her kids. While it did toughen her up and made her more focus it wasnt the intent. The portrayal seemed accurate.

Just a reminder that a new show of Sherlock plays today after the Super Bowl. With the uncertainty of a game ending, DVR's will be almost worthless in trying to capture it, but you might have success with a good enough before and after buffer.

sheared wrote:

Just a reminder that a new show of Sherlock plays today after the Super Bowl. With the uncertainty of a game ending, DVR's will be almost worthless in trying to capture it, but you might have success with a good enough before and after buffer.

Is this Season 3 in the states? I haven't been paying attention. Is it going to air on BBC America or perhaps OPB? I actually have OPB, so I could watch it if that's the case.

Sorry -- by Sherlock, I mean Elementary. I always do that with that dang show. Sorry!

sheared wrote:

Sorry -- by Sherlock, I mean Elementary. I always do that with that dang show. Sorry!

Ha!

Which was the last episode of elementary? Was it the red team one?

Yes. Thursday night was about the Red team. I don't remember if it was in the previews after that show or just a commercial where they said the show after the SB would be new too.

Another excellent show on FX is the League. The League and Archer are, by far, my two favorite shows (next to Game of Thrones, of course).

sheared wrote:

Sorry -- by Sherlock, I mean Elementary. I always do that with that dang show. Sorry!

Bah, Elementary is drivel compared to Sherlock.
Got me excited for more Sherlock eps.

The new series of (proper) Being Human is off to a good start.

Slytin wrote:
sheared wrote:

Sorry -- by Sherlock, I mean Elementary. I always do that with that dang show. Sorry!

Bah, Elementary is drivel compared to Sherlock.
Got me excited for more Sherlock eps.

I agree Sherlock is a great show, but Elementary has come into its own since the first few episodes, and now, even the police chief doesn't bug me as much as he did in the beginning. And (this is important), the show entertains me for more than four episodes a season, which is a big plus for me for what is legitimately considered a season in television.

Agreed I want more Sherlock a season but Sherlock eps are technically movie length running around 90mins.

sheared wrote:
Slytin wrote:
sheared wrote:

Sorry -- by Sherlock, I mean Elementary. I always do that with that dang show. Sorry!

Bah, Elementary is drivel compared to Sherlock.
Got me excited for more Sherlock eps.

I agree Sherlock is a great show, but Elementary has come into its own since the first few episodes, and now, even the police chief doesn't bug me as much as he did in the beginning. And (this is important), the show entertains me for more than four episodes a season, which is a big plus for me for what is legitimately considered a season in television.

I really liked the chief from Prime Suspect, so he was easy for me to appreciate. It's pretty much the same character in a new role.

But yeah, Elementary has replaced Castle as our favorite fun police procedural. It's not like Sherlock, at all. But it's fun.

TNT's Monday Mornings is a typical sappy medical drama, but I'm really enjoying the characters. It's a good David E. Kelly production. Edward Molina, Ving Rhames, and Jamie Bamber are all excellent, but the show has a lot of good performances by a strong supporting cast.

It follows a team of surgeons, and Monday mornings refer to the meetings of all the surgeons as Molina to discuss cases and is used to help set-up the stories.

This really is ER/Grey's Anatomy type stuff, but it is well done and worth it if you like that sort of thing.

Did anyone else catch The Americans last night? Holy cow, that was a damn fine hour of television. Wasn't very impressed with last week's episode but this one has really raised the bar in quality. Better than the pilot even.

Spoiler:

First off: Margo Martindale from Justified! It's always great to see her on screen, even with a fairly minor and understated role like this one. Of course she'll be getting meatier material later in the series but her small introduction in this episode was great. Especially given the end reveal. It's implied she murders Rob's wife after Phillip and Elizabeth deliver her for exfiltration to Cuba.

I also enjoyed the conflict between the eponymous couple, the issue of an affair between Elizabeth and this new character Gregory was pretty tense even though it wrapped up rather neatly. Even with all this emotional baggage it's great to see that everyone is able to do their job so professionally, I don't want to see them crack too much yet.

For those concerned about the show relying too much on flashbacks this episode had none of it.

Arrow was also pretty fun, we get to see a little more of Oliver's transformation on the island, and his mad recollection of Homer's The Odyssey. Wednesday is turning into my favorite night for TV.

mr_n00b wrote:

Did anyone else catch The Americans last night? Holy cow, that was a damn fine hour of television. Wasn't very impressed with last week's episode but this one has really raised the bar in quality. Better than the pilot even.

I'm really liking The Americans a lot. I have a soft spot for Keri Russell (love almost all of her work, in particular the 2007 film Waitress, such a great performance and damn fine movie! If you haven't seen it, seek it out! A hidden gem and a thoughtful movie.)

I know there has been a lot of debate over the flashbacks and certain moments in them, but I find that the way they are using said moments is a decent route to finding out more about the characters lives before they became who and what they are. For me, The Americans is quickly getting up there in mine and the wife's TV rotation as a must watch.

Also, anyone watch The Walking Dead when it started back up last week? I wasn't as impressed with that first episode after the break. They had really good momentum and great tension building before they broke for mid season. But after the break, the episode seemed to fall flat IMO. No tension and back to running in circles.

And thought I would just freak out a little bit that Game of Thrones season 3 will be on so very soon, can't wait!

I just saw the first episode of Zero Hour. It's on ABC I think. It's got Nazi's, the end times, and religious conspiracies. The first episode was a bit rough, but still fun to watch.

I don't know who cast Sarah Shahi for Person of Interest but I love them a little bit. I'm not done with the episode yet but I really hope she's a recurring character.

Ok, Arrow. You've hooked me again. Blonde computer girl was hot already, but she should go to galas more often.

Regarding Person of Interest:

Spoiler:

YAY

Thin_J wrote:

I don't know who cast Sarah Shahi for Person of Interest but I love them a little bit. I'm not done with the episode yet but I really hope she's a recurring character.

Definitely. I hadn't seen her in anything else before, and just thought she would be a pretty face that was fine at performing. She really nailed the tone of the show, and got to play a new type of character we hadn't quite seen yet.

Spoiler:

Loved the perspective shift. It kept me wondering even after the numbers tie was established.
P.S. In case anyone forgot how great Amy Acker is, she's back. Yum. (She's 36. I had no idea. That blows my mind.)

cyrax wrote:
Spoiler:

(She's 36. I had no idea. That blows my mind.)

Spoiler:

She played late twenties back in Angel. I was prepared.

cyrax wrote:
Thin_J wrote:

I don't know who cast Sarah Shahi for Person of Interest but I love them a little bit. I'm not done with the episode yet but I really hope she's a recurring character.

Definitely. I hadn't seen her in anything else before, and just thought she would be a pretty face that was fine at performing. She really nailed the tone of the show, and got to play a new type of character we hadn't quite seen yet.

If they've cast Sarah Shahi in POI, I may have to give that show another chance. I'm not ashamed to say that I will basically watch anything she's in as she flips every single switch on my "OMG SO HAWT!" control panel. Bonus is that, yeah, she's a damned good actor. The first season of "Life" is worth watching, if you haven't seen it.

What's great about it is that it's not the typical role she tends to get cast in but she kinda nails it. Really dug the whole episode.

I'll have to check it out. In "Life" she plays a reformed drug/alcohol addicted cop with authority issues, teamed up with a cop who just got out of jail. Good stuff.

She's also in "The L Word" I understand.

Yeah, I would ask that, if you watch Life, either skip or power through the "video game" episode. It is an insulting mark on an otherwise fantastic show.