Tag Archives: TV

Three great shows

I love a good movie, but I also really love a good show. Just like with novels, I don’t want the world I’ve grown to love to end soon, so I favor installments. I want the story to go on . . . and on . . . and on. So today I’m sharing about three shows that I have been loving recently!

1. My So-Called Life

This show tragically ran for only one season. The main character, 15-year-old Angela Chase, is played by a young Claire Danes. She is stellar in this role–truly stellar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show that more honestly captures the feelings and thoughts of a girl in her teenage years. The insecurities–the peer-pressure–the significance of a zit–the paramount effects of the guy you like making eye contact with you. It makes my teenage emotions seem as vivid as they were 10 years ago.

C’mon, guys–the significance of a zit? Are you tracking with me? Anyone?

Ok, maybe that was just me.

Waking up to a ruined day because of a throbbing red spot on my chin that I couldn’t keep picking no matter how many times the Mom-voice in my head said “stop touching it! stop touching it!”

Anyway!

The show is basically about Angela’s life, both at home and as she navigates high school. She falls early on for a guy who seems to mean bad news, but in this show no character is black-and-white, good or bad. You start getting a feel for Jordan, why he is the way he is, what his struggles have been, and ultimately how insecure he is despite his confident image. Angela is a bit of a good girl, but that starts changing when she makes some friends on the wilder side and dyes her hair a deep red. Her friends are a little crazy–but they keep it real.

The show isn’t just about Angela, but also focuses on her parents and their relationship. Her mom is a woman who seems to have it all together, successfully works running her dad’s printing business, and is a little on the controlling side. She’s balanced out by a husband who’s a little more artistic, loves to cook, and helps her lighten up. When the show starts, their relationship is really on the rocks, and he’s considering having an affair.

It is not to be missed! The acting is excellent, the script is fabulous, and the themes are always thought-provoking. I watched it on Netflix instant play, and enjoyed every second of it.

2. Battlestar Galactica

My husband and I watched all 5 seasons of the new Battlestar Galactica series–new as in from a couple years ago. It took us about a year to get through–we took our sweet time. There is definitely violence, and definitely some weird sex/torture themes a couple times during which I plugged my ears and shut my eyes. So this is not for the young ones out there!

Even though I never watched the original Battlestar Galactica show, my husband tells me that this new show has some very interesting differences and twists, especially as it relates to the cylons (the evil machines that have tried to destroy humankind) (or ARE they evil?? chan chan chaaaaaan . . .)

My favorite characters are Admiral Adama and the President, Laura Roslyn. Their relationship as they try to rally the survivors and keep the fleet together becomes one of trust and ultimately love.

They are definitely some ‘filler’ episodes that were just duds (we actually skipped a few of those), but overall, the plot is going interesting places, and the last season kept us on the edge of our seats.

We also watched this on Netflix instant play. And no, this whole post is not a covert advertisement for Netflix.

Sign up for Netflix . . . sign up for Netflix . . . [hypnotically rhythmic voice is making you feel veeerrry strange]

3. Parenthood

parthehood

This is the only show of the three still airing. I’m late to start watching it, but am knee-deep now in Season 2 (again, thanks to Netflix instant play) and loving it. It’s a drama/comedy thingy which centers on 3 generations of the Braverman clan. What happens in this show, you may ask? Well, people go to work, hang out together, raise kids, maybe they get married, or don’t get married, they sometimes cry, tell their daughter not to date so-and-so–you know. Life stuff.

It’s sentimental at times, and (gotta be honest) really overdoes the feel-good ending to episodes in which the whole family is gathered in a heart-warming game of basketball, dance-a-thon or something, but . . . hey, I like feel-good games of basketball and dance-a-thons, so I don’t have a problem with the repetitive emotional stroke.

Overall I love the characters, the subject matter–the whole shindig. Plus, since Lauren Graham is in it, it’s like getting a taste of the Gilmore Girls back.

Oh, and, right–sign up for Netflix–ba dan ba dan ba dan–sign up for Netflix–ba dan ba dan ba dan . . . hmmm, it’s kinda hard to get the whole hypnotic thing to work through a computer screen, but they can’t say I didn’t give it my best shot.

“They”? Who’s “they”? Uh . . .

Over and out.

Fashion vs. Trucking: behind the scenes of a marriage

When I started dating my husband, we were both 18. Babes at sea, I think now. One of the things that I loved about him was that he didn’t have an especially boy-centric taste in movies or books or music. He wasn’t a fan of shoot-’em-up flicks, and didn’t rush out to see the newest Sylvester Stallone movie (insert affectionate nudge nudge to a certain You-Know-Who)

(and I don’t mean Voldemort).

Instead, my then-boyfriend enjoyed his share of quirky movies like The Royal Tenenbaums, or chick flicks like Love, Actually or even Sense and Sensibility. Wait–did I take a vow of silence on that one? I can’t quite remember . . . oh well, too late.

The point is that for a long time, I thought that in the realm of entertainment-centered marital conflicts, I had gotten off scot-free. I heard other women talk about little spats with their spouses involving what to watch on TV, or what movie to pop in on a Friday night, and I chuckled to myself inside, feeling smug and superior.

Oh, does pride ever come before the fall.

Because then, 10 years into our relationship, while in Alaska, the show Ice Road Truckers entered his life.

The 3rd season of this show centers around the runs that drivers working for Carlile Trucking make from Fairbanks to DeadHorse, over a road literally made of ice.

Look! We spotted a Carlile truck just south of Fairbanks!

Anyway, there we were in Alaska, and my husband’s excitement about this show was gushing forth. We watched a couple episodes, I learned some interesting things, and that was that. I wasn’t a huge fan. But the next evening:

“Let’s watch another episode of Ice Road Truckers!” he exclaimed enthusiastically.

“But . . . I don’t even like that show! What about Design Star?”

“But what about Ice Road Truckers?”

“What about Project Runway? You like Tim Gunn, don’t you?”

“But the Polar Bear is about to make his first run to DeadHorse! And Jack is in the middle of a snowstorm with an oversize load!”

“But it’s just dudes in a truck, over and over again!”

Oh my word. I was in the middle of a little entertainment friction. And I couldn’t believe my own ears.

So let it be known: if you’re just beginning your relationship with a man-type person and you think he’s just into quirky indie films and chick flicks like you, beware. One day he’ll decide that he only wants to watch Ice Road Truckers. And Ice Road Truckers alone will he watch. And watch he will only Ice Road Truckers. And you’ll have to have a small show-down about whether you’re watching Ice Road Truckers or Project Runway. And you will savor a nice piece of a dessert called ‘Humble Pie.’

“But honey,” I tried to reason, “all the episodes are the same! It’s just a bunch of people driving!  And they just create all this drama from silly stuff–like that time that Lisa just slips on the ice but they make you think she’s dead or something just to hype things up before the commercial break! The drama is totally made up!”

And then I rememebr the silly drama on this season of Project Runway between Bert and everyone else . . . and I can’t really continue to debate the thing along those lines. I try to think up a different tactic. And then I remember that I married a man.

And I’m a woman.

And dude . . . we’re different. But that’s okay.

“I’ll watch Ice Road Truckers,” I’ll finally consent, “but I need to pop some popcorn, lie on your lap, and you need to give me an avalanche of back skritchies to get me through it!”

And then we’re both happy. I guess I’ll do anything for some good back-skritchy laden snuggling.

Plus, he’s kinda cute . . .

. . . I think I’ll keep him.