Hodgepodge #2 - American Idol, The Voice, The Walking Dead, Downton Abbey

Here we are at Hodgepodge #2. So much awesome TV to talk about...

American Idol/ The Voice

Let's start here, since the Top 13 were announced just last night. I've been watching American Idol since Nikki McGibbon ridiculously outlasted Tamyra Gray. Oh, memories. Since then, AI has had it's share of ups and downs and has evolved into quite a legit singing competition. I have never been a fan of the whole spectacle of making fun at these poor people who can't sing a note. If you think about it, they probably had to sing for at least 10 judges before getting their shot in front of JLoTylerJack©, and were therefore validated in that process. So, I am the happy viewer that has seen AI getting further away from these in the past 2 seasons. Also, I think JLo is a fantastic addition to this team. While we do see her struggle sometimes to be truly critical (see: Brielle feedback last night), I think she delivers her feedback with poise and assurance and is even able to give pretty solid advice. Okay, I'm slightly biased because I wanted to kick Paula in the face every time she said anything. But truly, sitting between Steven and Randy, sometimes JLo appears to be the smartest one there, if not the most grounded.  In any case, way to go America for voting in probably the BEST TOP 10 in the history of the show. Yup, I said it. Every single one is a strong singer and there's some real showmanship (the good kind, not the kind that kinda makes me wanna puke. I'm looking at you Reed Grimm) and artistry represented, not to mention personality plus. I think I'm pulling for Heejun, Philip and Joshua Ledet, and I love that Gentle Giant, but I am so happy with this crop of contestants, I'm just looking forward to watching the show.

I have a feeling the success of The Voice has a lot to do with this recent evolution of AI drifting away from gawking at the poor bad singers and also with America voting in the best of the Top 24 into the Top 10. The Voice is a terrific concept and so enjoyable to watch. I love the way everyone is invested in the outcome on this show. While judges on AI are definitely rooting for their faves, on The Voice, the judges are just as involved with the competition as the contestants. The success of the contestants, once chosen, reflects on the judges ability to coach as much as anything else. The blind auditions make for some of the best TV around. In direct contrast with AI, the voice is the singular defining ingredient of success on The Voice. Although I do suppose the judges take their cues from the live audience as much as their ears, you still watch artists going through that you would definitely not see on AI.

The Shields Brothers wouldn't be getting on no American Idol 

P.S. Here is probably my favorite scene from AI this season and I now use "get down" as my standard response to everything, especially really emotional situations.

get down

The Walking Dead

I am telling you something... I am more and more impressed with how the writers are deviating from the GNs and this whole Rick v. Shane business is riveting. Riveting! Thanks to Lady Macbeth (who I guess had to drive off by herself, flip her car and *almost* get chomped by walkers only to survive with barely a scratch in order to tell Rick that Shane is no good), Rick is actually laying down the law, especially for Shane. At a literal crossroads almost 18 miles out, Rick tells Shane how it's gonna be. He also tells Shane he will kill for his family... anyone. We also find out that Rick knew about Shane and Lori way before Lori told him. Interesting. I thought the fight scene that came later between these two, generated by the question of what to do about Tied Up Kid, was epic. Brilliant story telling here, when the kid says he knows Maggie, now not only is it kind of personal, but this means he knows the farm and thus, Plan A of leaving him behind doesn't work anymore. Triggerfinger Shane wants to shoot him on the spot, Rick needs time to think, which Shane views as weak. Parts of this fight were hard to watch, truthfully. The genius of The Walking Dead is demonstrating how it's not necessarily 'how are these people going to survive the walkers,' but more 'how are these people going to survive with each other.' If Survivor has taught us anything, people are jerks. In any case, after bashing each others faces in for awhile, Shane awakens a pack of walkers and in the end, Rick and the kid save Shane and Rick says "you're just gonna have to trust me." Get down.

Other Thoughts:

• One of the most very interesting observations in the show was practically buried. Shane and Rick discussing a pile of dead peeps: no bites... maybe scratches? Take note! This will come up again.
• The Walker in the Field... is what this ep should have been called. Cool visual, but what does it represent? Just a reminder that they are everywhere? Is it symbolic of Shane feeling alone when he was once tethered to Lori and Carl? Or, I think I saw Shane instinctively reach for his gun upon seeing the walker way off in the field. Shane's level thinking about minimizing use of guns seems to register, as Shane ultimately doesn't shoot at the walker... or is it that Shane is seeing himself?

Shane? Is that you?

• Shane seeing his image in the broken glass of the building (after he threw a pipe at Shane and woke up all the walkers in the building and gave them a way to get out - way to go!) was another arresting visual. This very closely parallels when Shane is looking in the mirror when he shaves his head. This is what Shane is now... this is what he has become.
• Beth/Andrea/Maggie/Lori: so is all of this Beth suicide biz basically to remind us of hope vs. hopelessness? A lot less time could have been spent on this. The Lori v. Andrea showdown in the kitchen prior to the Beth suicide drama was pretty great: again, the brilliance of showing all sides. Andrea's "you have it all, Lori" speech was spot on. Sure Lori is saying someone has to cook and clean, etc. but Andrea is kinda right in saying why does it have to be all the women? This harkens back to one of my fave scenes from Season 1 where Andrea stands up to Carol's dickhead hubby Ed about "women's work" and then Shane beats the crap out of him (even though we know he's hitting Ed out of frustration over Lori having just told him off as much as dude's an asshole). 

• The kid in the trunk is doing everything he can to survive, and his very presence represents both sides to the Shane v. Rick conundrum. But the kid sure took way too much pleasure in stabbing that walker. I think he's some no good trouble right there.
• *Kinda Spoiler* I'm having a heart attack over casting for TG (new character to the TV show). It doesn't matter who they cast for this part, I am not looking forward to this story line. 
• *Spoiler* Don't read this if you're not into spoilers, but AMC accidentally let this one slip yesterday: major spoiler 

Downton Abbey

The season finale a couple of weeks ago did not disappoint. I have, however, been disappointed to read several reviews and reactions to the episode (such as this one) and Season 2 in general as contrived and not up to par with Season 1. Perhaps it's because I watched Downton starting with the end of Season 1 and all of Season 2 before going back and watching all of Season 1 from the beginning, but I saw no difference between the seasons and certainly thought the Season 2 finale was as good as Downton gets.  It does kind of make me smile when I hear people calling a scripted show such as Downton "contrived." To me, the whole appeal of the show lies the unseen twists and turns, the quicker paced resolutions to some story lines as well as the more drawn out plots. Otherwise, it would just be so boring. I think one of the greatest episodes of any season was when a badly scarred soldier comes to Downton to convalesce and reveals himself to Edith to be long lost Cousin Patrick. Then he DISAPPEARS. All in one episode. Fantastic! Others saw this as clear evidence that Downton had lost its way in pace and storytelling. I thought it was refreshing and interesting and clear evidence of poor Edith.

I just love the way they pack so much into each and every episode, and the drama of the twists and turns cannot be denied: Lord Grantham and the maid! Cora almost dies! Valinia conveniently does die. Branson and Sybil! Poor Mr. Bates and (now) Mrs. Anna Bates.

I will say this, however: I was getting on board with the whole idea of Mary going to New York. Imagine the adventures and suitors and dresses this girl would have! The dresses, people! Alas, just when you think Downton will zig, it zags and actually fulfills on the promise of Matthew and Mary together rather abruptly but awesomely.

Awesome

I look forward to seeing what drama will unfold in the next season, especially the fallout of Richard exposing Mary's secret. And I can't believe I am saying this, but are we rooting for an Edith love triangle with Cousin Patrick and Sir Strallan? (pause) Yes. Yes we are.

Other Stuff:

• After approximately a millenium off of TV, Mad Men is back Sunday, March 25. I.Can't.Wait. 
• The Killing is coming back April 1st.  God, I love this show. I am preparing my soul for its weekly crushing. 
• I have officially given up on The River. To sum up, just a few too creepy dolls on the tree for me. Oh, and it's not smart at all.
• One of these days I will dedicate an entire entry to the brilliance of Modern Family. This show gets life. Or, my life anyway.

Comment away on anything you want to chat about!

Hodgepodge - Downton, Glee, Grey's, Once

Hodgepodge: TV Stew

I probably wrote "Hodgepodge" for the first time ever just now, even though I've used it my whole life and this gave me pause. A little glimpse into my upbringing: My family makes up words for things. Like really ridiculous words for things. My grandmother (and thus the rest of us) calls the bathroom the "hooby-dooby." True story. So you can imagine that I double-check words now and again. Turns out, this is legit. In case you are wondering (as I was) word origin: Hodgepodge comes from the Middle English hochepot, that is derived from Old French for stew.  Thank God for the internet. So let's TV stew it up!

Downton Abbey:  

Another fantastic installment. I am really enthralled with the pace of this show. The editing seems fast paced, nothing lingers more than it needs to... each scene does its work. Also to the credit of the director, words are splendid, but when a picture can tell everything with less work, he uses it. In Episode 3, as Sybil is seemingly conflicted about Branson's declarations of love, in between scenes having nothing to do with this, there is a short, maybe 5 second sweeping scene of Sybil on the open grounds (freedom, beauty, view of the world) that then pans to her looking at Downton Abbey (proper, rules, constricting). That five seconds probably says more about her frame of mind than all of the words she said in the show.

Other thoughts about this episode:

• How does Mary not run down the aisle of the concert and jump into Matthew's arms when she sees he has returned from battle? And then they SING? about being the ONLY BOY and the ONLY GIRL? You can feel how much she wants to tell him everything right there. But she doesn't. Damn Mary and and all that British upper class restraint BS! 
• What is up with Thomas and O'Brien? Why are they such close cohorts? I have my theories, and they seem to change. I now think it's probably 50% troublemaker kindred spirits, and 50% trying to rage against the machine. I know that Thomas wants out of the "downstairs" class and I think it is being revealed that O'Brien is not satisfied with her station in life either. But perhaps she recognizes that there is not much she can do outright, but she can push our Thomas right along. I think it speaks volumes though, that Thomas is still a perennial fixture downstairs, as opposed to us seeing him interacting upstairs. 
• Oh, Ethel and her adventure. No surprise here, but I don't know what protocol is between military officers and servants - is this marriage unacceptable? I'm pretty sure, based on the fact that Ethel didn't go to him, but went to Ms. Hughes instead, a marriage is unlikely. 
• Let's all start calling our motor vehicles "motors" instead of "cahs n' trucks," shall we? And we shall "order the motor" instead of saying "I need the cah." (*credit to JM)
• And then there's this gem from Lady Violet upon viewing Mary and Edith singing together: "Well, now I've seen everything."

Just COME ON already

Glee

How I've waited until today to talk about Glee is something of a show of upper class British restraint in and of itself (you know, cuz I'm just like Mary). I have loved this show from the very first second. People who are the underdogs, freaks and geeks of life! Singing in the hallways! Hilarious and sometimes dark humor! I love all of it so much they should just call it The Lisa Show. Last week's episode might be my favorite of all. IT STARTED WITH SUMMER NIGHTS FROM GREASE! Right there, #1 show of all time. But what made it over-the-top special is that it actually had to do with the plot... Mercedes and Sam singing this song about their summer fling that everyone is just finding out about is perfect. Also perfect is Emma singing "Marry Me Will" in the halls of McKinley High to Mr. Schuster with Coach Bieste and Sue Sylvester as her bridesmaids, fascinators and all (aside: Sue's Fascinator will be the name of my new band). Add to this a fantastic Moves Like Jagger/Jumpin' Jack Flash mashup by the boys and a gorgeous rendition of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by the ladies, and this would have been the greatest show ever if it stopped right there. However, Glee has an amazing ability to pull you into the emotions of the characters, even while we know all of it is pretty fantastical. The scene between Will and Emma when they have their honest discussion about her OCD and how that would resonate in their life going forward is powerful and Will says sometimes it feels "hopeless." And here is why Glee is genius: they can take a current, popular, bass-thumping synth dance song and make it part of a meaningful, romantic proposal. Using "We Found Love in a Hopeless Place" by Rhianna is not only such a perfect fit for these characters and this show, it also brings something deeper out of the song that had not been there before. Forget that the entire Glee Club and (I'm assuming) other synchronized swimmers learned an entire synchronized swim routine in a day, this was the most awesome scene in the best episode.

Mirrored but still awesome

Grey's Anatomy

Sometimes, no, most of the time, TV is a great escape. It lets you forget your life for awhile and watch other people deal with their problems. However, really good TV will make you think about the things you see and translate it into your own life. Sometimes you can learn a bit about how to handle a situation, sometimes these scenes show you how NOT to handle a situation. And sometimes what they put on the screen just feels very familiar and real and you may not learn anything new, but just appreciate the ride. There's no denying the power of that.

This is the first time I'm writing about Grey's here, but I have watched faithfully since day one. And I am not above telling people that I cry at just about every episode. Lately, though, these episodes have been hitting extremely close to home. Extremely close, like "hooby-dooby" close to home for me. Last week's episode was especially sob worthy (thanks for being there, Kleenex). First, there was a horrible story of an 11 year-old boy with an inoperable back tumor. I happen to be a mom to an 11 year-old boy who looked a lot like that boy on TV. The TV mom thinks the boy doesn't know what's going on. But just like in real life, the kids always know what's up. And this little boy on the TV was such a man about his situation, my mind couldn't help but leap to my son and how he similarly has handled awful life situations like a little man. *bursts into tears*. Concurrently, we are shown more of Adele's progression with Alzheimer's. Some might say that her walking to the hospital and yelling at Dr. Webber is over the top. A little, but more realistic than not. But when Meredith tells Webber to ground her in a memory to calm her down, I'm here to tell you that is the truth. When he starts singing Funny Valentine... that is honest, heartbreaking and anyone who has ever had someone close to them with this disease saw themselves there. I know that Grey's pushes all the emotion buttons, that it is (higher percent here)% emotion and (lower percent here)% reality or close to it. But when that power combo of emotion with a slice of reality hits close to home, you feel it. And if you're me, you sob like it's your family you're watching. Some sort of TV Catharsis ritual or something.

Powerful stuff right here

Once Upon a Time

I am still catching up on these, so there will be a lot more about this show going forward, but I am really enjoying it. There's some stuff that I don't like... some of the acting is not quite right, people in the "real world" not really doing normal things, etc. But obviously you need to suspend all sorts of disbelief for this show to work. Which is why I like the fairytale world so much better. Fully suspending disbelief is so much easier when dealing in that world. Sometimes I think they could have made a pretty good show just staying in the fairytale world. The couple of episodes I watched last night had me thinking about love at first sight in the real world. In Once Upon a Time, there is a dramatic encounter between Prince James and Princess Snow White... after Snow steals from him! So that was their "first sight," but they don't actually seem to be swooning. The dewey love stars in their eyes comes way later, like 10 minutes later after trolls and a walk in the woods. But they will always remember their first sight as being the dramatic reveal of Snow as thief. I haven't seen all of the episodes, but I am pretty sure they will refer to that moment as their love-at-first-sight moment. So I suppose that is true of real world, too:  the first time you saw your love, you may not have been in love in that moment, but it will be your love-at-first-sight-moment because you have grown to love them. Does this make sense? If so, then my love-at-first-sight moment involves my now hubby rolling a coin off his nose in a mean game of quarters. Ah, just like the fairy tales.

Playing quarters?

So today's entry has been a lot more personal than usual. TV has that effect on me most of the time... because IT'S AWESOME. Feel like sharing how TV effects you? Share your thoughts and comments below!

Downton Abbey - War Wives, War Lives

There's something interesting about watching The Good Wife back-to-back with Downton Abbey. Last week I talked about the various "Good Wives" on The Good Wife, and it would seem that is a good segue into talking about the good wives, bad wives and wives-in-waiting of Downton Abbey. For many of the female characters, the path to becoming a wife is all-consuming as well as challenging. But  this marriage business might be put on hold for others as the War changes their lives.

For simplification, seemingly the upstairs characters have more than love to consider: Mary must weigh class, financial security and the future of Downton Abbey itself in her consideration of becoming a wife. However, for all this logic, love weighs on her... and us! Don't we all just yell at the TV every time Mary and Matthew are on-screen together: "tell him!" and "why didn't you accept his proposal in the first place?" and "do it for love!" This is what gives Downton its drama: the struggle between what these characters should be doing to be happy and what they feel they must do to make others happy.

Poor Daisy is also caught in this pickle with William. The downstairs crew have their own set of considerations, but (at least for Daisy and Anna), honesty and love are predominant factors that can trump anything. Sweet, naive William is off to war and wants to marry Daisy. Daisy, who does not love William (yet?), is stuck giving him a promise to wed after the war due to the encouragement of Mrs. Patmore. You feel for both William (who is off the the horrors of WWI and loves Daisy) and Daisy, who can barely hold in any lie for anyone (see: Mary's Turk, Mrs. Patmore's absent soup). Daisy is doing the honorable thing, allowing William to go off to war with high hopes of marriage upon his return. However, the end of Episode 2 sees William suggesting they marry before he goes.  Drama Bomb!

Other juxtapositions of this are alive and well in the house. Of course there's Anna, whose love for Bates is unwavering to the point of saying to Mary that she will live her whole life loving him. In probably the most telling scene to highlight this theme, Mary says basically that that's their lot in life now: to move on and marry someone who is okay knowing that it won't be true love. Anna says she won't ever do that. She will live her whole life loving Bates and will never move on. (Damn that horrible, evil, very BAD almost ex-wife of Bates'. Hopefully she goes away soon.) Episode 2 also gave light to some history of "that blonde piece" Lavinia as she discloses to Mary that she did give evidence to newspaperman Sir Richard in order to save her father from crippling debt. Here is another example of 1920's English Highborn Problems... and Mary sees herself in Lavinia's actions and decides not to use this delicious information against her and Matthew's engagement. And again I must scream at my TV: "Damn you, Mary's conscience!"

While the roads to marriage are still prevalent, the world is changing and War makes for some interesting lifeplans. Sybil exemplifies this new world order in her rejection of Branson's declarations of love seemingly out of status concerns, but possibly because she is finding fulfillment in a career. And then there's Edith... where the heck does she fit in? She swings like a pendulum between cranky, spoiled brat ("my dress!" as poor Carson is having a heart attack), i.e. Old World and forward thinking bettering herself with life skills, i.e. New World. Last week we saw her using her new-found driving sKiLz by helping down on the farm. She was feeling good, feeling a part of something and that carried over into a smooch in the barn... possibly a roll in the hay?... with Mr. Farmer. Old World Edith would never, ever even BE on a farm, nevermind smooch a married farmer; New World Edith is devastated when Mrs. Farmer ends the deal. Is Edith crushed because she was in love? Doubtful. More likely it's because her raison d'etre has been taken away and she must float along again. But has the War literally invading Downton Abbey in the form of a convalescent center given her a puzzle for her puzzle piece? It must be so, since Edith has done the day to day caring of the soldiers so remarkably and quietly that everyone is stunned to hear that the soldiers give her all the credit for their comfort. Let's hope Edith has found her path and doesn't get sidetracked too quickly in this marriage business, as I am sure these convalescent officers will be propositioning her.

Now what about our penultimate good wife Cora? While being the good wife, she is increasingly asserting herself in ways that were not required previously. Standing up to both Mrs. Crawley and Violet as the true head of the household, she is finding new joy in having things go her way. However, it is difficult to watch this at times knowing that it is not all Cora's inner strength or even her own opinions for which she is fighting, but rather it is O'Brien who is leading Cora to these decisions. (Aside: what is UP with O'Brien's partnership with Thomas? What is the basis of this... is it just opportunists recognizing each other? Does O'Brien ultimately want Carson out and is plotting Thomas as a replacement? Curious.)

It is to Downton Abbey's credit that they pack so much intrigue, deep character development and plot movement into each and every episode. I think the key to the success of the show is that it is both detailed and fast-paced, and characters while being true to themselves, can evolve and adapt. I also thoroughly enjoy that while secrets are kept, just as many are shared among at least two or three characters. Lavinia's interlude with Sir Richard is quickly the topic of discussion and investigation between Dowager Countess Violet, Lady Rosamund and Mary. But as Dowager Countess Violet says, "I hate Greek drama. You know... when everything happens off-stage."

Other Discussion Topics:
- I am always riveted when seeing the unlikely but true friendship between Mary and Anna. Anna is really Mary's confidant, as she only entrusts Anna with her true thoughts and feelings. Anna is a good friend to Mary, not always telling her what she wants to hear but telling Mary her opinions truthfully. Mary is also a good friend to Anna, helping her in ways only she can (i.e. tracking down Mr. Bates!)

- Thomas. Oh, Thomas. What is going on? Did everyone smile as I did when Thomas arrives and there is a shot of the doorbells and Upstairs is ringing!  Brilliant shot, then punctuated with Carson looking at Thomas incredulously walking through the door. Aside: why does Mrs. Crawley hate Thomas so much? We all know he can be vile, but why does she look like she sucked a lemon every time he is mentioned? Is there history here that I am missing?
- Poor Mr. Lang and his PTSD. In a strikingly subtle juxtaposition, it is clear there is no convalescent home for those who were damaged in the war, not physically but mentally.  Where will he go now? He needs help and there's none to be had. Heartbreaking.
- Branson! What the flip?! So are we to believe that Sybil's rejection is making him more aggressive in his conscientious objections to the war? He serves up a story about a cousin, but the timing seems off on that being his reason for becoming more vocal/active against the war, since it sounds like that happened over a year ago. And Sybil caused his heart murmur only last week (<--see what i did there?). I think his plot to dump nasty stuff on the General was as much about being outlandish for Sybil than any statement he was trying to make about the war.
- Is there a better character on TV than Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess Violet? Just seeing her on-screen makes everything better.

So hit the comment section with your answers to my questions: Why does O'Brien keep pushing for Thomas? Why does Mrs. Crawley hate him so? Should Daisy marry William? Will Anna and Bates find their happily ever after? Will Mary and Matthew? Or will I have to scream at my TV forever?