TV Tuesdays - Suit up!

First off, started on my Capstone yesterday, have written a little over 1500 words so far, so at least 3000 more to go. Actually found three questions I really liked, which makes it a lot easier. Having made some nice progress on my first day, I felt no guilt in watching my full complement of TV last night.

So much to review, so little time . . .

Gilmore Girls: I know some of my co-workers were a bit disappointed by the season premiere, but I loved it. Laughed all the way through (except, of course, at the really sad Lorelei part at the end), especially at the scenes with my two favorite supporting characters, Paris and Kirk. Paris's reaction to Rory's dropping out was priceless, especially when she started echoing Luke's opinions. And Kirk's friendships with little old ladies just fits perfectly into Kirk's strange little world.

Supernatural: Very well done first ep. Creepy, well written, engaging characters. Guess the real test is going to be how long they can sustain the central mystery of the show, and if the solution of that mystery will help or hinder the show in the long run.

Bones: Another new show that I really enjoyed. Loved the total social awkwardness of Dr. "Bones" as she was confronted with numerous pop culture references, resulting in my new catchphrase, "I don't know what the means." I also enjoyed seeing David Boreanez getting to flex his comedic muscles a little bit. And the "Where have I seen him/her" award for the week goes to Michaela Conlin, who played the breast-flashing assistant. Was never able to place her unaided, but thanks to the wonders of IMDB, I finally realized that I knew her from her stint as Dr. Maggie Yang on the unfortunately short-lived MDs.

The O.C.: While I applaud the addition of Eric Mabius to the show, I hated just how over-the-top evil he was. That final shot of him and the tattletale staring daggers at Marissa and Ryan's backs was so cheesy. But as usual the likeability of Seth, Summer, and Julie Cooper (one of the ultimate love-to-hate characters) helps me push past the melodramatic soap opera elements. Plus, I have to confess a strong curiosity about what exactly is going on with Jeri "Seven of Nine" Ryan.

Twins: Despite my better judgment (and the warnings of practically every TV critic there is), I subjected myself to the new WB sitcom starring Sara Gilbert. Gilbert was always the highlight of Roseanne for me, and she has proven to be equally as compelling with her recurring roles on 24 and ER. Of course, on all of the aforementioned shows, she had some strong material to work with. Here, on the other hand . . . well, let's just say that while Gilbert was able to elevate the show above its sub-par plot, she still wasn't enough to salvage this overly predictable shipwreck.

Threshold: Man, I really, really wanted to like this one. Cool concept, cool cast, some cool effects, but the show itself: not so cool. It felt like they tried to cram too much into the pilot, so everything was running along at breakneck speed. Because of that, the editing was choppy, character development was uneven, and the logistical lapses were staggering. But while the pilot left me underwhelmed, I saw enough potential to give it another try. Maybe I've just fallen under the spiral pattern's spell as well. And if he's not careful, William Mapother's going to get typecast as some sort of creepy psycho. I'm not saying that because he was a creepy psycho on this and on Lost; I'm saying that because he's Tom Cruise's cousin.

Arrested Development: Man, do I love this show. Gob Bluth is one of my all time favorite characters, and Jason Bateman has the perfect dry delivery.

Kitchen Confidential: Really enjoyed the first ep, made me laugh out loud a lot, but that may be the lack of sleep talking. I liked the "new guy," especially since he stood up for himself before the ep was over. Sure, it wasn't effective, but A for effort. I can foresee the head chef/owner's daughter rivalry grating on my nerves quickly, though.

Out of Practice: Christopher Gorham + Paula Marshall = lucky if the show lasts a full season. Nothing against either of them, they're both veterans of some really great shows. But sadly, they were really great shows that never caught on (I still mourn the passing of Popular and Cupid), so both Chris and Paula have a bit of the "kiss of death" feel about them. Of course, maybe the fact that this wasn't a really great show means the curse might be broken . . .

Two and a Half Men: Apparently the writers of TaaHM decided to celebrate their move to the highly desirable Raymond timeslot by creating the worst episode of the series ever. For more on my reasons for hating this ep, please see yesterday's post, paying particular attention to my mention of how I feel about "excessive physical comedy." In addition, I plan to update my list of "pain inducing themes" to include "kids acting like pushy, self-absorbed, obnoxious brats with no consequences." Plus, there was no Rose, and it's just not a quality ep without Rose. I like to think that the actress read the script and then requested to be written out of it on the grounds that she has a moral objection to appearing in total crap.

Stargate: SG-1: Pretty good mid-season cliff-hanger, not a lot to say about it, other than I wasn't too keen to see the creepy kid from Godsend and Birth show up. Seriously, I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares. *shudder*

And last, but certainly not least:

How I Met Your Mother: Definitely my favorite new show of the season so far, if for no other reason than Neil Patrick Harris's hilarious turn as the smarmy ("Lebanese girls are the new half-asian girls"), self-involved ("I thought I was your best friend? Say I'm your best friend!"), suit-obsessed ("How can Carl get a Lebanese girl? He doesn't even own a suit!"), Lazer Tag playing ("Hey, loser, how's not playing Lazer Tag? Because playing Lazer Tag is AWESOME!") Barney. He had all the best lines. "Look at you, you beautiful bastard, you suited up. This is totally going in my blog!" Priceless. And the rest of the cast ain't half bad neither. Here's hoping for a long and successful run.