November 6, 2008
Life imitates TV
I try not to jump into the political fray in my TV writing, because I really feel such discussions are the province the paper's news section, not the entertainment section. But I had to share this e-mail from a friend/source, citing a link between the election and a popular TV show.
Very funny, if you're familiar with "24."
Amanda,
Having had 36 hours-plus to digest the results of Tuesday's historic election, we can now conclusively state that the single most important factor in deciding the contest was...you guessed it, my favorite TV show, "24."
After all, Barack Obama is the real-life President David Palmer, right? Dennis Haysbert's brilliant portrayal of the Chief Executive as a man of honesty, integrity and courage clearly convinced a majority of the American electorate that an African-American can be a great President, right? In fact, we loved Palmer so much, his ethnicity became transparent, as it should be for all people. As Dr. King told us, judge people not by the color of their skin but the content of their character.
Of course, this leads to some questions that are yet to be answered: Is Michelle Obama the real-life Sherry Palmer? What skeletons do the Obama kids have in their closets? Will President-Elect Obama avoid shaking hands or standing too close to windows? Stay tuned!
Posted by amanda on 12:33 PM
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November 3, 2008
Am I being punked?
Last month, I was mildly stunned when NBC made the decision to give a full season order to its ridiculous new version of "Knight Rider,"a series that I gave a "D" rating to in my fall TV preview. But I kind of understand. Times are tough. The writers' strike left many networks with a dearth of new shows, so there's not much to replace a canceled fall show with. Also, as the Hollywood Reporter reported last week, there are a lot of costs involved in yanking and replacing a show -- costs that the networks would likely prefer to avoid.
So, I understand supporting a low-quality, modestly rated show. But two low-quality, modestly rated shows? NBC, you must be kidding.
On Monday, NBC announced it was giving a full-season order to its loathsome new sitcom "Kath & Kim," a remake of a well-received Australian show. What???
If anything, "KK" is worse than "Knight Rider," mainly because it wastes the talents of the wonderful Molly Shannon, who plays a trashy suburban mom, and the rest of its cast. What is going on here, NBC?
This decision is made even more implausible by the fact that the network essentially gave two of its shows away last year. The sitcom "Scrubs" was dropped, and ended up at ABC, where it will start a new season next year. And the wonderful little drama "Friday Night Lights" made its debut on the DirecTV Channel The 101 in fall (the episodes will air on NBC next year).
NBC, you boggle my mind. Are you really so desperate for programming -- and so disrespectful to your audience -- that you have to keep two such horrible shows in play?
I hope not. I'm hoping this is just a big joke. Maybe a late Halloween prank? People play pranks on Halloween, right?
Sigh.
Posted by amanda on 2:31 PM
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October 27, 2008
"I wanted other things..."
Still reeling from the sheer perfection of last night's second season finale of AMC's peerless series "Mad Men" (spoilers below -- avoid if you've not seen it).
One single hour of television brought us the Cuban missile crisis, a pregnancy, a one-night stand, Don's attempts to save his marriage and his job, the inevitable implosion of Duck Philips and, most heartbreaking of all, a confrontation between rising copywriter Peggy and slowly maturing account exec Pete.
Let's start with that moment, from which I pulled this posting's title. All season, Pete has been lingering near ex-lover Peggy, clearly still harboring feelings for her, despite being pretty dismissive of her in the past. Remember in season one, when Pete reacted to the site of a triumphant Peggy, who had just been given her first copywriting job, with a sneering "I don't like you like this?"
Well, apparently marriage -- particularly, marriage to a woman with whom he has nothing in common -- has made Pete appreciate Peggy. Throughout the season, we saw him confide in her, compliment her and generally display something close to love and affection (though it's still debatable whether Pete is yet capable of adult love).
This came to a head last night, when Pete finally told Peggy how he felt, in the most tender, naked show of emotion we've ever seen from that character: "I think you're perfect. I wish I'd picked you then. I love you."
Of course, we know what he doesn't -- that his liaision with Peggy resulted in an unwanted child. She's kept it a secret from Pete until his confession (and the urging of Father Gil that she repent for her sins) drives her to unburden herself, in one of the series' most crushing scenes. She tells him that, if she'd wanted him, she could have shamed him into being with her a long time ago. Then she tells him about the baby.
It was an amazing scene, and Elisabeth Moss and Vincent Kartheiser (who play Peggy and Pete) were pitch perfect. Kartheiser in particular was wonderful, desperately trying to grasp what Peggy is telling him. Though he's a bit of a weasel, Pete is hard to totally dislike, because he's just so lost and vulnerable.
Peggy, meanwhile, clearly feels grief over her baby -- which, we finally learn, she gave up for adoption. So much for my theory that her sister Anita took the tyke in. Still, despite her pain, she doesn't regret what she did. But she does seem regret her decision to tell Pete about the baby, once she sees how much pain it causes him.
I'm also wondering if this confession will have reprecussions for Peggy. Will Pete hate her now? Will this destroy their working relationship which, this season at least, had been pretty amicable? Will he seek to sully her reputation?Blackmailing a colleague hasn't worked for Pete before and, given Peggy's rising standing at Sterling-Cooper and the onset of the women's rights movement, I'm doubting it would work this time.
But I'm interested to see out it plays out.
Also interesting is the reconciliation of Don and Betty. I must say, though I think Betty's a realistic character, I don't like her much. I'm not sure I'm supposed too. She's so lost and so emotionally disorganized that it's hard to get much of a read on her. My husband hates the character, and often spends her scenes shrieking "She is SOOOO annoying!!" at our TV. I think she's fascinating, but I do sometimes just want to shake her. It's interesting when Betty takes a stand, as she did when she threw Don out. She did it again this week, having an affair, likely as revenge against Don's infedilities. But usually, she deals with things passively -- for instance, going horseback riding when she finds that she's pregnant, perhaps looking to induce a miscarriage. I get that Betty feels trapped and angry, and her actions ring true. They're just difficult to watch.
But I liked her reconciliation with Don, particularly his warm, loving (if manipulative) note.
One of the things I liked best about the episode was Don's triumph over Duck Philips. Though I kind of like Duck, his animosity toward Don meant he probably wouldn't stay on the show much longer. But kudos to the show's writers for giving Mark Moses a fantastic implosion to play. The moment when Don reveals that he has no contract with Sterling Cooper was perfect. Duck's face falls and he has no choice but to devolve into tantrums. Brilliant, sad and perfect.
That just about sums up the whole episode.
Posted by amanda on 2:48 PM
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October 13, 2008
"Crusoe" doesn't quite float
In a season when so many freshman TV series are junk, it seems churlish and mean-spirited to chide something as handsomely mounted as NBC's "Crusoe," which debuts Friday at 8 p.m. with a two-hour pilot.
As the title would suggest, it's an adaptation of Daniel Defoe's classic novel "Robinson Crusoe." Like the book, it tells the story of Crusoe (Philip Winchester), a castaway on a desert island. Along with his companion Friday (Tongayi Chirisa), he attempts to survive on the island's resources and their own intelligence.
The show's pedigree is high, with a well-respected literary source, and a cast that includes Sam Neill as a mysterious figure in Crusoe's past. There are also some decent action scenes, a wealth of beautiful scenery and a bunch of mildly amusing set pieces, most involving Crusoe's Rube Goldberg-ish contraptions, built to help make life on the island easier.
Then why does it feel so flat?
This is one of those productions that mistakes stodginess for intelligence; that replaces solid storytelling with handsome images. As a result, it's mildly entertaining, but I have no desire to watch it again. It's a shame, because, in a season that's brought us the likes of "Kath & Kim" and "Valentine," I was hoping "Crusoe" would provide a much-needed shot of class. Alas, it's a bit of a dud, though, admittedly, a very pretty one.
Posted by amanda on 5:22 PM
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