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ariadnes_stringH50 1.15
I loved this one! I got a huge kick out of the plot (lots and lots of lovely plot): faking a natural disaster seemed topical and deeply creepy—especially the contrast between the scenes of panic-shopping and crowds and the shots of empty streets and the deserted harbor—all the chaos coming down to a girl sitting alone with earphones and laptop.
And I loved all the team stuff—everyone determined to stick by Steve and shoulder responsibility equally.
Some other things I loved:
*That natural disasters pose similar problems no matter which state you live in. To wit: disruptions in one’s normal childcare routine. The expression on Grace’s face when Danny told her she had to go with Kamekona so that he could catch bad guys during the tsunami warning was exactly the same expression my kids wear then I tell them they have to spend their snow days doing x, y and z so that I can go do my infinitely less glamorous job. They say “but I wanna be wich chu” in exactly the same tone. Except in Hawaii they only seem to cancel school when a twenty-foot wave of water is bearing down on them, whereas, where I live, they cancel school at the mere threat of a snow flurry. Still, I could relate. Maybe I should teach the boys poker—it seems to be a good life skill in such situations.
Nb: I loved Danny calling Kamekona brother when he picked Gracie up.
* Catherine. That has to be the most elegant and no-fuss solution to establishing a character’s canon heterosexuality without messing up the plotlines ( and slash vibe) I’ve ever seen. I love that the show is completely down with the fact that they spend all their time together indulging in straight-up, angst-free nookie. They seem to like and respect each other, but not to be looking for more. And it seems so much more in character for Steve to have a smart, sexy fuck-buddy with a career of her own, than to be involved in some mushy romance, or to go for random hook-ups with a lady of the week.
* Kono solving the case by paying attention to garbage for the second time in fifteen episodes.
* Danny’s “Oy vey.” Y’all might be counting the “babes” and “Stevens”—and I’ll grant you those are awesome—but my personal H50 drinking game involves yiddishe!Danny. And he’s been coming through for me every week lately. First, “schmuck,” now “oy vey, a tsunami.”
* And, finally the righteous stand this show is making for men without manscaping (and the ladies and gents who love them): first AOL’s consistently gorgeous display of chest hair, now SC’s adorable rug of a belly. Please let them be a role model to all TV-land.
And, catching up on last week:
White Collar 2.10
I don’t have anything very enlightening to say about this one, except that it pretty much encapsulated everything I love about White Collar. Along with the usual beauty and cleverness of everyone involved (oh El!), I love the straightforward loyalty and affection people express towards each other on this show—from Neal sleeping at Mozzie’s bedside (and pushing him around in his wheelchair) to Jones saying “Peter needs us” to Hughes, to the Neal’s expression when Peter got on that horse.
Also, many t-shirts, polo shirts and dark colored button downs were worn.
And, in conclusion, Peter caught the guy by riding him down on a horse. That may have been the best thing ever.
Southland 3.03
And, um, for a somewhat different take on masculinity.
This one broke my heart. Or rather, Ben broke my heart. Though I did appreciate the paralleling of Ben’s situation to Sammy’s somewhat less tragic one.
You could say that both were struggling--not with forgiving unforgivable things--but with the even more basic problem of whether forgiveness—or even the process of moving on—was the right response. Because, okay, Sammy should clearly get over Tammy. But what would it mean for Ben to forgive his mother’s rapist? To stop making her rape the foundational moment of his identity? To forgive his four-year-old self for not protecting her (especially since he now knows she let the guy in)? Who would he be then?
And I admire the show for showing that a very typical (and very masculine) response to that kind of emotional hurt and shame is a vicious, scattershot rage—even for guys who are otherwise good guys. A rage so stoked up it can be ridiculous (Sammy breaking the windows) or just plain scary (it taking three men to drag Ben off the suspect).
Ouch, that’s all I have to say: ouch. I hope both characters dig their way out….
Also—I loved the stuff with Josie and Lydia and Russell. How it was kind of impossible to put your finger on the dynamic going on between Russell and Lydia….And Josie being an asshole, but no less compelling a character for it.
I loved this one! I got a huge kick out of the plot (lots and lots of lovely plot): faking a natural disaster seemed topical and deeply creepy—especially the contrast between the scenes of panic-shopping and crowds and the shots of empty streets and the deserted harbor—all the chaos coming down to a girl sitting alone with earphones and laptop.
And I loved all the team stuff—everyone determined to stick by Steve and shoulder responsibility equally.
Some other things I loved:
*That natural disasters pose similar problems no matter which state you live in. To wit: disruptions in one’s normal childcare routine. The expression on Grace’s face when Danny told her she had to go with Kamekona so that he could catch bad guys during the tsunami warning was exactly the same expression my kids wear then I tell them they have to spend their snow days doing x, y and z so that I can go do my infinitely less glamorous job. They say “but I wanna be wich chu” in exactly the same tone. Except in Hawaii they only seem to cancel school when a twenty-foot wave of water is bearing down on them, whereas, where I live, they cancel school at the mere threat of a snow flurry. Still, I could relate. Maybe I should teach the boys poker—it seems to be a good life skill in such situations.
Nb: I loved Danny calling Kamekona brother when he picked Gracie up.
* Catherine. That has to be the most elegant and no-fuss solution to establishing a character’s canon heterosexuality without messing up the plotlines ( and slash vibe) I’ve ever seen. I love that the show is completely down with the fact that they spend all their time together indulging in straight-up, angst-free nookie. They seem to like and respect each other, but not to be looking for more. And it seems so much more in character for Steve to have a smart, sexy fuck-buddy with a career of her own, than to be involved in some mushy romance, or to go for random hook-ups with a lady of the week.
* Kono solving the case by paying attention to garbage for the second time in fifteen episodes.
* Danny’s “Oy vey.” Y’all might be counting the “babes” and “Stevens”—and I’ll grant you those are awesome—but my personal H50 drinking game involves yiddishe!Danny. And he’s been coming through for me every week lately. First, “schmuck,” now “oy vey, a tsunami.”
* And, finally the righteous stand this show is making for men without manscaping (and the ladies and gents who love them): first AOL’s consistently gorgeous display of chest hair, now SC’s adorable rug of a belly. Please let them be a role model to all TV-land.
And, catching up on last week:
White Collar 2.10
I don’t have anything very enlightening to say about this one, except that it pretty much encapsulated everything I love about White Collar. Along with the usual beauty and cleverness of everyone involved (oh El!), I love the straightforward loyalty and affection people express towards each other on this show—from Neal sleeping at Mozzie’s bedside (and pushing him around in his wheelchair) to Jones saying “Peter needs us” to Hughes, to the Neal’s expression when Peter got on that horse.
Also, many t-shirts, polo shirts and dark colored button downs were worn.
And, in conclusion, Peter caught the guy by riding him down on a horse. That may have been the best thing ever.
Southland 3.03
And, um, for a somewhat different take on masculinity.
This one broke my heart. Or rather, Ben broke my heart. Though I did appreciate the paralleling of Ben’s situation to Sammy’s somewhat less tragic one.
You could say that both were struggling--not with forgiving unforgivable things--but with the even more basic problem of whether forgiveness—or even the process of moving on—was the right response. Because, okay, Sammy should clearly get over Tammy. But what would it mean for Ben to forgive his mother’s rapist? To stop making her rape the foundational moment of his identity? To forgive his four-year-old self for not protecting her (especially since he now knows she let the guy in)? Who would he be then?
And I admire the show for showing that a very typical (and very masculine) response to that kind of emotional hurt and shame is a vicious, scattershot rage—even for guys who are otherwise good guys. A rage so stoked up it can be ridiculous (Sammy breaking the windows) or just plain scary (it taking three men to drag Ben off the suspect).
Ouch, that’s all I have to say: ouch. I hope both characters dig their way out….
Also—I loved the stuff with Josie and Lydia and Russell. How it was kind of impossible to put your finger on the dynamic going on between Russell and Lydia….And Josie being an asshole, but no less compelling a character for it.
