the river heights gazette

so, chuck tonight.

( spoilers for chuck 4x16 )

Porn Battle X is open for prompts.

(My prompts are here. So far.)

Puppy still thinks my limbs are chew toys. Obedience classes start this Thursday. Guess who's going.

Otherwise, today has been spectacular only inasmuch as I came thisclose to losing my temper a few times.

(Side note: The longer it takes for those Chuck fanfic awards to be announced, the greater my apathy.)

Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession

There are so many great pilot episodes. I know I'm probably forgetting some spectacular ones, and there's always the issue of pilot episodes that aren't equal to the quality of the rest of the series, but.

I really do think the Chuck pilot did a great job, because it sold me; I was a complete skeptic about the show before seeing it.



(With bonus Spanish subtitles. My favorite? "Auto-Nerd.")

First TV show obsession... man, who knows. I remember eagerly discussing Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes with my friends. (We'd be watching at the same time and gush "it's a Wesley!" if Wil Wheaton's name appeared in the opening credits.) One of the first shows I recorded regularly was The Tomorrow People, new series, along with The X-Files and some episodes of Lois & Clark.

( previous days )

Day 11 - A show that disappointed you

Oh hell. The list of shows that haven't disappointed me is much shorter.

-Chuck - I've written many, many entries on why Season 3 just didn't work as well as I was expecting. (In fact, I'm working on another retrospect one.) That's not to say I won't be watching Season 4; I just feel like S3 was a lot of wheel-spinning.
-Veronica Mars - Seasons 1 and 2 were strong, especially S1; I lost interest in the show halfway through S3.
-Big Bang Theory - I liked Leonard/Penny until it happened. (I'm sure the show could manage to screw up Sheldon/Penny too, let's be honest.)
-The X-Files - should have ended with S7.
-Lois & Clark - You have to admit, that lame clone marrying Clark thing was... yeah, lame. On the whole, though, I did love this series, and the cliffhanger at the end was just mean, considering that we never saw the resolution.
-Law & Order: Criminal Intent - got rid of Goren and Eames. After driving Goren's personal life off a cliff.

Otherwise I get disappointed when a show doesn't live up to its hype - I think Harper's Island was good but I was expecting something a little different. And sometimes I'll get very excited about a show but then its pilot utterly sucks and I have no interest in watching after that. (I figured out very early that I didn't want to watch Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, or Grey's Anatomy every week.) It's possible those shows got better. I'm probably not going to tune back in to find that out.

(Also, am I disappointed that Stabler and Benson haven't hooked up? Yeah, a little, even though I stopped watching SVU a few seasons ago.)

( previous days )

Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

That's actually happened quite a lot. Usually at that point it takes someone's outside recommendation to get me to watch.

So, here's shows I like and what I thought they were about before I started watching:

-Mad Men - Ad execs are drunken philanderers who like group sex. (That's from a promo AMC ran that included a scene from "The Long Weekend," when Roger and Don, Roger specifically, flirt with a pair of twin redheads, and Roger is clearly into the idea of the girls making out.)
-Chuck - Nerd somehow gets a computer put into his head and magically becomes a spy. (Well, if magically means two and a half seasons later. And the premise does sound insane; it's all in the execution.)
-Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Blonde airhead valley girl somehow is able to fight vampires. (A much more apt description of the movie.)
-Legend of the Seeker - Ridiculously hot guy, his untouchable girlfriend, and an old guy in a robe have a lot of fights in the woods. (Originally I had it on as background noise because the scenery is glorious. Then I got intrigued by the actual plot.)
-Big Bang Theory - Four viciously stereotyped nerds flirt with their neighbor across the hall, who may also live there, who knows. (Yes, before I watched I thought Howard and Raj lived in the apartment too; half the time it seems like they do.)

( previous days )

Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show

I'm going to cheat

("now she says she's going to cheat?" you exclaim irritably at the computer screen. "like she ever does anything else?")

and say favorite episodes of 5 TV shows. And then probably embed video/explanation behind the cut because it always slows this blanking computer down/could spoil you.

01. The X-Files: Memento Mori
02. Mystery Science Theater 3000: Soultaker
03. Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Wee Small Hours
04. Mad Men: Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency/Shut the Door. Have a Seat
05. Chuck: Chuck vs the Colonel

( explanation )

( previous days )

Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching

( could there be MORE? )

Pick five of your favorite shows, in no particular order, before you read the below questions, then answer them!


( tv show meme )

01. i saw revolutionary road this weekend. i was struck by:

-how much it felt like a play. closer was a play that really worked as a movie; revolutionary road is apparently based on a book but i was watching it with subtitles, and kate and leo's line deliveries and dramatic gestures did make it feel really play-like.
-how much leo's character was like pete campbell from mad men, only slightly less of a sociopath.

i'm of the opinion that if you like the movie, you'll love mad men. it has a lot of the same elements, the same ambiguity, but i feel that it's done better.

02. damages has really kicked it up a few notches, especially with last night's episode.

( and all that crap about your family )

03. in fact, maybe it's time for us to talk justified. i've really enjoyed it so far, and the preview for tonight's ep looks like it is also going to be great. now i want to read some elmore leonard.

04. chuck! ( on to the spoilers! )

05. on sunday i just watched an old episode of community for the hell of it (it was the phys ed one). i do love that show, and i wish it would come back on, but apparently it's coming back the same week chuck is, which makes me sad. i can't wait until the DVD set comes out so i can get more people watching. =D

06. i would be so happy if scifi would air reruns of mst3k once a week like they used to. even on saturday mornings, like they used to. *sigh*

07. part 2 of the law & order: criminal intent season premiere tonight. i hope everyone currently alive stays alive and that there is more hugging and marriage-feigning tonight.