Enjoying refreshing TaB's while indulging in some really good and really bad television.
I waited a bit because Monday and Wednesday only had one show and Tuesday had nothing and it's a sad little post with only one paragraph. So here's the recap of a whole lotta crap:
Hostages, Coven, Big Bang Theory, Parenthood, Reign, Greys, The Crazy Ones, The Michael J Fox Show, Sean Saves The World. Did I miss anything?
In case you're not sick of Thanksgiving television yet, I have a few other randoms that you can watch to keep yourself occupied while everyone else is watching football. Just a few of my other favorites that may not fit a specific category.
Gilmore Girls - Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving
No one can really eat like a Gilmore girl so of course they have four dinners to attend. I wish I had their metabolism.
Full House - The Miracle Of Thanksgiving
The family's first Thanksgiving after losing Pam. It's really touching even if the turkey didn't turn out. Poor DJ.
Grey's Anatomy - Thanks For The Memories
When this show started I really liked Izzie and felt really bad that no one wanted to show up at her Thanksgiving. I think she was shafted and they all knew of her cooking skills so it surprises me that people weren't begging for an invite.
How I Met Your Mother - Belly Full Of Turkey, Slapsgiving, Slapsgiving 2: Revenge Of The Slap, Blitzgiving
Next to Friends, HIMYM really gets it right when it comes to Thanksgiving episodes. Waiting for a slap (a few times), The Blitz ruining the holiday by keeping everyone away from Ted's dinner and Barney donning an apron to feed the homeless. That's warm and fuzzy right there. And of course there is still an active countown to Slapsgiving even if it is overdue.
South Park - Helen Keller: The Musical!
It's exactly like it sounds.
Roswell - Max In The City
There isn't a lot of Thanksgiving in this episode but the fact that aliens ditch their human families to travel to NYC with duplicates of themselves and risk missing a festive meal keeps it on the list.
The OC - The Homecoming
Seth running around trying to please two ladies, Caleb Nichol (THE ULTIMATE) bringing home a busty blond to seduce Ryan just for Marissa to see! NO, but yes. Oh and the start of Kiki's boozy adventure with, one of my favorite TV lines of all-time, "FRESH MARGS!"
Saved By The Bell: The College Years - A Thanksgiving Story
Overall not sure you can go wrong with helping inner-city kids eat a Thanksgiving dinner complete with cameos from Jonathan Brandis, Jenna Von Oy, Brian Austin Green and Mr. Belding, all of which are still totally relevant. I may be the only one that loves the college years, but oh I do.
Felicity - Thanksgiving
The story of a girl named Felicity. Wants to go home, stays and drama ensues, including her making out with her spoken for RA!
Happy Turkey Day, I'll be off doing whathaveyou for the next few days and since the next few days doesn't have much tv I'll do a lovely post about it all probably Friday morning so enjoy REBECCA BLACK FRIDAY (of course I'll be back for that, duh, best holiday).
Enjoying refreshing TaB's, while indulging in some really good and really bad television.
Oy with the Thursdays already. Luckily some of these gems showed up early in my life. We have Sean Saves The World, Parenthood, The Crazy Ones, The Michael J Fox Show, Glee, Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy and oh yeah, Reign.
Enjoying refreshing TaB's, while indulging in some really good and really bad television.
Thursday roll call! Glee, The Crazy Ones, Sean Saves The World, The Michael J Fox Show, Reign, Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood and Big Bang Theory! Sound off!
Enjoying refreshing TaB's, while indulging in some really good and really bad television.
The only night that basically EVERYTHING is new and it's a holiday. Really, television gods? Honestly? Grey's, Reign, Parenthood, Sean Saves The World, The Crazy Ones and The Michael J Fox Show...here we go. Oh and I threw in a little Glee.
Enjoying refreshing TaB's, while indulging in some really good and really bad television.
The busiest of nights. We got Parenthood, we got Grey's, we got Sean Saves The World, Michael J Fox and The Crazy Ones and thanks Big Bang Theory for giving me all the feels. And then there was Reign.
Enjoying refreshing TaB's, while indulging in some really good and really bad television.
Thursday. Busy night. Seriously. Between all of the sitcoms (Michael J. Fox, Sean Saves The World, The Big Bang Theory and The Crazy Ones) and all of the dramas (Glee (but not tonight), Parenthood and Grey's Anatomy) and one new show Reign there is a lot going on. But honestly tonight was so right on, I wasn't upset with ANYTHING. And that's rare.
*Slight spoilers if you're not current on a lot of television
Sunday was the first day this entire week that I was able to get a full eight hours of sleep. I went to bed semi-early, and slept in all the way until nine am. That doesn't happen. I'm up at seven thirty whether I have to be or not, it's something I struggle with. I know, I know, it's a difficult ailment but I'm doing my best. I appreciate all concern.
The reason I have been lacking in slumber is really silly. It isn't homework or actual work, for that matter. It isn't that I'm sick or depressed or actively writing the next great American novel (but I should be). It's because this week the majority of the television I've followed for years has began and I have entirely too much to watch that it takes me forever to catch up.
In past years, the plan has been to watch some when it airs live, then finish up the rest streaming at work the next morning (*I feel I must say that I do work while at work. One of the things about my day job is that if there is downtime we can stream Hulu or watching DVD's as long as they're considered appropriate (no boobs)). However as of late, day job has been uncommonly busy for this time of year so I've gotten used to not having any downtime. That poses a little bit of a problem due to the fact that on a given night I have at least two things to catch up on, and this year, of the fourteenish shows that I actively watch, six of them are on Thursday nights (Grey's Anatomy, The Crazy Ones, Glee, The Michael J Fox Show, The Big Bang Theory, Parenthood) so basically that took me all weekend. I really appreciate the stations making Grey's Anatomy two hours, and MJF and Big Bang Theory an hour. That didn't help.
Monday it was an hour of How I Met Your Mother which was completely worth it because of THE MOTHER. I gave Hostages a shot, because hello Tate Donovan. Mom was pretty good as well, you can't go wrong with Allison Janney. You just can't. So sleep came at about midnight.
Tuesday I have New Girl and sort of The Mindy Project but I'm honestly not really committed to either. I'm sorry, I am one of the few that just really does not enjoy Zooey Deschanel unless she is singing, because then she is amazing. But other than that, I'm just over it. However Schmidt is the sole reason to watch that show. And maybe Winston. Tuesday wasn't bad, I think I fell asleep about eleven.
Wednesday brought Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Fifteen freaking seasons and this show is still pulling strong and this premiere was no exception. I had a bit of a life on Wednesday night so I didn't get to it until later and it, of course, was two hours, but totally worth it. Probably the best premiere I witnessed this season hands down (#savebenson). That took me well into one in the morning, but again, TOTALLY WORTH IT.
Thursday, as I mentioned, was a bit of a nightmare. I got through two shows before I had no choice but to crash, so Thursday's collection carried on through Saturday and finally on Sunday morning I got my Friday's in, Shark Tank and Masterchef Juniors. Both reality and amazing though I think I'm more excited to see pretentious foodies helping kids learn to plate shrimp than a bunch of billionaires try to find the next big thing (though that breathalizer app was pretty badass).
Sunday, the day of rest, carries Revenge one that again, I'm not too invested in anymore, however I'm really eager to see how it's all going to end, so I press on. The life I lead, the sacrifices I make. Sunday also carries Breaking Bad BUT WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT NOW. We just aren't. And that clearly will not be an issue any more.
And oh! Game Of Thrones and Girls will be back and that will just continue to add more. But it's like crack, it's addicting and I like it. I thrive on it, actually.
But for now, the week is over. It's over, finally and shows will no longer be two hours, and I'll be able to start getting into a routine and go about life the way that I live it. I love television and I love writing about it. I love critiquing it and I love being surprised by it, so I make the time. It's my baseball. It's my video games. It's also my book club and a comfort object. If I would write television from Utah I would apply in a heart beat, but for now I will remain a spectator because it's still a really good place to be. Even if all I want to do is take a week to recover and just fall asleep.
I have recently fell in love with a blog, yes it's true. This post had me laughing ridiculously hard because it is something I can totally see myself doing. I've discovered Melanie's blog through endless discussions/emails/collaborations for Alt Summit and I cannot wait to meet her in January! So today as I'm reading through my blogroll, this gem pops up. How could I not read it? That is DENNY FREAKING DUQUETTE. Oh how I loved Denny and how I miss him terribly each day. This post made me feel like he was back again, if even for a moment.
Oh, Denny.
From Inward Facing Girl - Silliness From My Old Life / Letters From Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Please click the link above to read, you'll be glad you did, and while you're there enjoy Melanie's bloggy!
I have to say, most of the gals I work with have been watching Grey's Anatomy with me for years, and whenever one of us comes to work sick, someone, without fail, states: Wait until you start seeing Denny, then you can worry. Oh the sick jokes we come up with.
This morning I came into work with full intentions of watching Grey's Anatomy on Hulu since I did not watch it last night. Worst idea ever.
I get emotionally involved with shows like you wouldn't believe. If you grew up with me we all remember my Roswell obsession and I have the tattoo to prove it. I was committed to growing up to be Kelly Kapowski, still wouldn't mind her hair, and I still would move to Stars Hollow in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.
There have been two television shows that have accessed the depths of my emotional soul: Six Feet Under and Grey's Anatomy. Today I'm going to talk about the latter though I'm sure at some point I'll re-watch the former and post about 9 times a day the tradgedy that was imposed upon my daily life by viewing it.
I don't even know how I got involved with this. Oh yeah, I remember. Roswell yet again. Katherine Heigl had finished with Roswell and got the gig of Dr. Izzie Stevens on Grey's shortly after. I gave it a shot for her. The first little bit of the show I don't recall feeling anything but the second season almost did me in. And from then on the third, fourth...and now into the eighth season I'm still getting dumbstruck week to week wondering how much more they can come up with? I figure instead of getting all boring and just professing my love for the show I may as well recap my top 9 (in a long series of my top 9's) most ridiculously emotional moments in my Grey's history. Everyone does top 10 lists, top 9 is just a little easier.
My Top 9: Most Ridiculously Emotional Moments In My Grey's Anatomy History-
**Keep in mind there may be spoilers.
9. Burke leaves Christina at the altar.
I love Christina for many reasons but I have to say I am so torn with her decision when this happend. I loved her and Burke and her freaking out about marrying him almost ruined their relationship for me. I thought he was good to her but at the same time, she wasn't good to/for him. I don't agree with how she went about things but I also understand why Burke did what he did. Either way, seeing her standing in that empty apartment while Meredith rips off her wedding dress is emotionally draining.
8. Meredith dies...and then lives.
I almost hate to put this on here for a few reasons: I really am not the biggest Meredith fan and I was weirdly joyful during parts of this. Most of what goes on in this episode involves emotional moments later on this list so I'm not going to dwell on it, but for those reasons it had to be on my list.
7. Izzie realizes that she has cancer.
After seeing Denny for days and days (to be explained later...ahem), Izzie finally realizes she has melenoma. WHAT?! Well, we all knew she was trying to get out of her contract but really? Cancer? Gah. She was the reason I started watching and even though she was far from my favorite character it was still a sad experience, mostly because I felt the relationship between her and Denny was so beautiful...but then as the cancer went on, it got too weird. Figures.
6. Izzie and Alex get married.
I absolutely love the way this scene plays out. I honestly never saw it coming. Here is Izzie planning an elaborate wedding for Derek and Meredith when to find out, Meredith has rigged it for Izzie and Alex. Alex has become one of my favorite characters and this moment proves that for me. I watched this on the computer while visiting my dad and I was visably sobbing, I remember him asking me if it was something real or if it was tv. Clearly it was tv.
5. The shooting.
These are the ONLY episodes Zack has ever enjoyed! That's a huge deal. Man, I had just reconnected with this show after a long break and this is what happened. I swear. The entire two episodes we were just on the edge of our beds, jaws dropped in silence. I barely remembered what had happened, I had to watch it again.
4. The train.
That's basically all I have to say and Grey's fans know what I'm talking about. This episde with get most of the skeptics hooked. It was the first emotional scene to really grace the show and it's what started the rollercoaster that was basically all of season 2. And it brings back some of the people that show up when Meredith dies. That's what got me.
3. Bomb/Bailey's husband in the hospital/Bailey gives birth.
I could almost not handle this episode. I remember it aired after the super bowl and I had to beg my dad to even let me watch it because he thought the show was stupid, but he let me turn it on as he cleaned up the 7-layer dip. Nice of him because I spent the next three hours in shock, awe and sadness. I think this was a two part so I had to wait until the following week to see the ending. That was even harder. So much going on, , Baily having her child while her husband is being operated on by Derek, George helps Addison deliver her baby and she names it after him and BOMB GUY. Wow. Again, another person who makes an appearance when Meredith croaks. And really, a bomb in a body? Really? That's just nuts.
2. Denny dies/Burke gets shot.
I almost want to cry just thinking about this. I loved Denny and all Izzie wanted to do was save him and in turn he has to go and die? Seriously? Denny the sweetest man on the planet who cared enough to tell Izzie she had cancer and to show up when Meredith died? He didn't deserve to die and I wish we could still see him sporatically on the show. In the meantime while trying to save Denny before he passes on Burke comes back with a heart only to be shot by another crazed patient. It just makes it all the more worse.
1. Discovering George is in the hospital...and then he dies.
I couldn't embed the video, go here if you'd like to see it.
I had the hardest time with this one. After telling the others he's enlisting in the army, they realize that George never scrubbed in for surgery that day. They've been busy dealing with a man who jumped in front of a bus to save a woman...only to realize that it's George. I did not see this coming in any way and I was floored. Literally, floored. This last scene had me going, Izzie on the table as well, it was just a lot to handle (again, I realize I am talking about a tv show). I think that's all I can say.
...and will also confirm my geekiness. Sometimes my dearface friend Star and I have weird conversations through text messages about television. Considering our friendship was based on pop culture it makes sense that our discussions often revolve around something in that vicinity.
I've been trying to convince her to watch Revenge because it is oh so good. Our other mutual friend Meg advised me to watch it, mainly because one of our favorite characters from our once favorite, now unknown show Roswell (aka that show that Katherine Heigl was on beforeGrey's Anatomy) had a leading role. That dude would be Nick Wecshler. Oh how much we loved his Roswell character Kyle Valenti. The sherrif's son, he was on the football AND basketball team, at first he was loathed and then he was love, especially after embracing Buddhism. By the time that series was over (long overdue after a really crappy 3rd season), he was one of the few characters I still liked, and I'd been wondering what had happened to him. Now I know...he moved to the Hamptons and got a job as a bartender. Let me back up...
Roswell was a show that began in 1999 on the WB. Some would consider the time that Roswell was on the air my "glory days" and actually, maybe they were. My friend Regina and I were basically obsessed with it, watching it every week, pretending we were the characters and dressing/acting like them daily, and watching the recorded episodes over and over each week (note that all of my recorded videos of Roswell are presently in my garage, I hope they never get stolen). We grew a bond with these characters and when the show ended I think we cried for days. That being said...the show was about four aliens (Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess) and their human friends that knew their secret (Liz, Maria, Alex, Kyle and the Sherrif, Kyle's dad). As the show came to an end, the aliens and their human counterparts (minus Tess and Alex because they were dead and the Sherrif because well, he needed to be the Sherrif) took off on a journey far away from New Mexico with no explanation as to what they were going to do for work, what kind of health care plan they received and if they bought a Subaru or a Toyota. So Regina and I and also my friend Star thought of the next logical step...we figured it out for them.
Clearly Isabel Evans (Katherine Heigl) went to medical school, changed her name and became Dr. Isobel Stevens (too much of a coincidence in that name). She moved to Seattle and eventually got cancer and then left.
Other resident alien Tess Harding (Emilie de Ravin) was resurrected from the dead and sent off to Austrailia where she re-learned her native tongue and got pregnant with a child only to crash on a freaky remote island and I think eventually die...again (I cannot confirm this).
Alex Whitman (Colin Hanks) was also resurrected into a born again psycho-Christian who now kills people in Florida. He is being stalked by the one, the only, Dexter Morgan. Eep!
That is really as far as it got, but now we know where Kyle Valenti ended up! He grew some facial hear, moved to the Hamptons and was adopted by a nice bar owner and acquired a dorky little brother. He also learned to sail. It is interesting catching up with him week to week, though I'm sad he did not contiue following the teachings of Buddha.
Now, that being said, I've been trying to convince Star that she should watch this show. Apparently she did not know that Kyle Valenti was on this show so I did my best to enlighten her.
Me: Have you ever watched Revenge?
Star: No, the actress on it has bugged me ever since Everwood.
Me: Oh she was on Everwood. BUT KYLE VALENTI IS IN IT.
Star: Kyle is in it? Please tell me he is not a parent.
Me: No, he is a badass bartender with shaggy hair and a slight scruff. He did well for himself.
And then when we recapped: No Revenge. But Kyle! Does Kyle have babies? No he has scruff. Rowr.
Aaaaaaand scene.
This is not the first time a conversation like this has happened and I am sure there will be many more. I had too much fun writing this.
