I think it’s time for me to cancel HBO, at least until Treme comes back. Boardwalk Empire is just a little too violent for my taste, as much as I like a little Kelly Macdonald in my life.

I guess it would be bad timing to pick up Showtime now?

SPOILERS, PROBABLY, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ALMOST EVEN ANY OF HOMELAND

there is a thing on nymag about how homeland ~might~ end. i wondered, the woman whose bf got shot?, who went on the run & got called in by mandy potemkin or w/e that guy’s name is: will she figure? she seemed to get a lot of close-ups when we were zipping in and out of the felt-tip coloured-wonder-wall of claire danes’ mind

i didn’t read the nymag thing btw. i can wait

so.... first three eps of sons of anarchy and i am hooked like a guppy

there is one real obnoxious bitch on top chef this year

sometimes, the bf says that i have job ptsd from my old job. this chef reminded me so much of someone there who made my life hell for quite some time—appearance, demeanor, mannerisms, etc—that i actually flashed back. it was really scary!

so.... first three eps of sons of anarchy and i am hooked like a guppy

first 2 seasons of that are real good. think I’m done with it now after the s4 finale (I only watched 4 sporadically after not being too into 3)

s2 is great until the sucky finale. s3 sucks but has a solid finale. s4 is great until the crap finale...

Can we talk about Its Always Sunny because WOW. At first I thought the episode was kinda shitty but the last five minutes just blew me away. The dance and the Mac reveal had me genuinely crying with laughter, with actual tears.

haha i am watching it right now and it is just like whoa

Wow, I’m about 2 seasons behind.... Guess I should catch up.

<i>Good Wife</i> on a tear lately, but a question for you deists. Having grown up in a heathen household, is Alicia’s reaction to Grace’s religion-seeking a big surprise/over-reaction?

Its Always Sunny felt like a step too far during the dance routine but I enjoyed it

I always like Good Wife

Sons of Anarchy is an up and down show but when it’s on it’s on, and i felt like this season had a lot of payoff — not sure what people disliked about the finale so much, it was obviously lower on excitement than the last few episodes that preceded (and would almost HAVE to be) but it worked for me.

Sutter was saying that he split the finale into two parts because he wanted people to see the whole thing and not some hacked up 90-minute version that was originally intended. He’s admitted that maybe he shouldn’t have, because the first hour was always going to have the big action and the shooting and the final bit was always going to be a wind down.

I think people’s problem was the lack of follow-through (Clay needed to die, basically, but they’ve kept him around) and the sudden cartel revelation that felt like a reason to keep Jax there when he would have just left.

yeah, i can see that. i just thought it was obvious that Clay was going to live and thought the cartel thing, while kind of a transparent device, worked for me on at least a thematic level of setting up the next season well (although i hope that’s the last season since things have already come to a head so much at this point).

that nearly the WHOLE damn thing ended up feeling like more set-up, instead of something compelling in its own right, was what frustrated me. oh, and what the hell was up with Gemma’s behavior in the last few eps? Segal is so good, and was so chilling when she insisted that Clay be killed “by a Son/son,” but she did basically nothing to actually make that happen.

<i>Good Wife</i> on a tear lately, but a question for you deists. Having grown up in a heathen household, is Alicia’s reaction to Grace’s religion-seeking a big surprise/over-reaction?

i dunno but, man, wendy scott-carr...

Good Wife is easily the most consistent pleasure on TV for me—rarely transcendent (last example would be “Executive Order 32444” or whatever that was called) but it’s always at least a little compelling in some respect.

(although i hope that’s the last season since things have already come to a head so much at this point).

Sutter’s hoping for 7 seasons, and unless the ratings drop precipitously, it’ll happen.

i feel like one of the few people these days who isn’t in a rush to see their favorite shows go off the air before they jump the shark, but that is kinda crazy. i don’t even know how they could make the current art last for more than one more season, let alone 3. hopefully they’ll find new ways to utilize the whole ensemble instead of killing off more and more secondary characters.

anyone watching the slap?

Watched the first couple of episodes. Felt a bit rote

The Killing II finale => Anyone see it?

Buch turned out to be p/gd in this: looked like a man condemmed at the end w/his glance at his secretary/civil servant.

i saw it, enjoyable but there were some huge plot holes imo

I’ve mainlined the first SoA season, and I’m mostly through the second. My favorite episode in the show so far is the one in which the vote for Jax to go rogue is reversed by his mom’s admission. The scene at the kitchen table with Jax, Clay, and Gemma was so goosebumps and lump-in-the-throat good, and earned.

We’re all in agreement that ‘The Firm’ will likely be terrible, right?

unless wilfred brimley reprises his role, yes

Would watch it if that happened.

caught up on this season of it’s always sunny, “chardee macdennis” was the peak, the reveal in the finale was pretty obvious but still made me laugh my ass off.

DO WE HAVE A SANDBOX BREAKING BAD THREAD BECAUSE I HAVE CAUGHT UP AND OH MY FUCKING LIFE WHAT THE SHIT I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT AND WHEN I SAY TALK ABOUT IT I MEAN SAY HOLY SHIT OVER AND OVER AGAIN

i just watched homeland finale. wowww. so pissed i have to wait for a new season now!

I’m not sure how I feel about the finale to be honest, a lot of it felt like a copout.

OK THATS GREAT AND ALL BUT IM COMING MONTHS LATE TO THE BREAKING BAD FINALE AND SHIT WENT DOWWWWWWWWN

I PRESUME IF ILX EVER RETURNS AND I GO BACK TO WHEN THE FINALE FIRST AIRED IT IS HELLA AMOUNTS OF CAPSLOCK IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO TALK ABOUT IT

yeah the homeland finale was kinda sucky i thought, i mean not bad in particular just didnt really live up to my expectations

I think it accomplished the not-inconsiderable task of actually making a second season plausible, while not betraying itself much in the process. Also, the final shot was agreeably messed up.

i dunno but, man, wendy scott-carr...

GANG. STA.

Simon otm, i didn’t love the Homeland finale but i don’t know what else they could’ve done that would’ve been better, all things considered. worst thing about the finale was that the ads Showtime aired for it pretty much gave away 90% of what happened in the episode, which really sucked a lot of the air out of actually watching it.

I think Breaking Bad’s reckless tendency towards constantly painting itself into a corner makes me respect Homeland’s apparent reluctance to do so a little less. The seams are showing a bit and, acting aside, I can’t help but feel like the second season is likely to be relatively disappointing.

second seasons are usually an improvement—given how strong their s1 was, relatively speaking, I think they’ve earned a bit of trust.

true, but a LOT of shows blow their load the first season, especially if it’s a premise like this that has a particular arc and doesn’t really lend itself to being an episodic series for years and years. i’ll give them the benefit of the doubt but it’ll be an uphill road.

Also, I thought this season was a good model for how to blow through way more plot than viewers might be expecting while still managing the pace nicely; hell, when it started, I was pretty sure we’d be spending the whole season with Carrie watching Brody through those hidden cameras. They went down in episode, what, five?

Homeland finale was great, I thought. Such prolonged tension, but really well done. And Carrie not knowing what she did is messed-up but also great.

Ahoy hoy I was kind of communicating totally in caps lock after the BB finale! For some reason I have a lot of friends who just finished season 3 and are like ‘wow’ and I’m just RELISHING the thought of them finishing s4.

See Breaking Bad had always been a bit of a drag to me, with v. good moments thrown in. I kinda just, not gave up, but not felt the need to go any further from the middle of s4. And then I couldn’t sleep, had nothing to do that didn’t involve sitting down (wrapping presents etc.) and thought what the hell... AND SHIT YES WAS IT WORTH IT.

Some classic gifs in the Real ILX thread iirc

im with the second mr. stevenson here—see for example damages, which definitely dropped in quality for s2 (but recovered in s3)

the problem is that the SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER nick-brody-is-secretly-a-terrorist is only sustainable as a thing for at best another half season before it starts to feel like the show isnt going anywhere. like not enough has changed about the core character dynamic “crazy carrie, brooding brody” for there to be forward motion—it feels more like the season finale of a network show, where something MIGHT change but you know within a couple weeks itll get back to more or less the same dynamic as before

Bored to Death canceled

name becomes super literal description

Hung, hanged. How To Make It In America, not gonna make it

sad about bored to death

Enlightened renewed. I need to catch up with it.

I’m a little more than halfway through s1 Game of Thrones and liking it. latest ep I watched (#7?) was totally epic

see for example damages, which definitely dropped in quality for s2 (but recovered in s3)

hm I felt like that one just got progressively more ridic as it went along and all their little tricks and quirks started to seem so stupid. not sure if I’m fully caught up to s3 though.

great job hbo!

i thought s3 was pretty good! definitely better than season 2. i doubt very much theyll ever live up to season 1 but thats okay

sad about bored to death getting canceled but i cant believe a show that weird and location-specific ever made it to three seasons in the first place

i doubt very much theyll ever live up to season 1 but thats okay

i kinda think the format of the show makes it impossible for them to top that first season, i dont really think they have anywhere left to go its just variations on a theme or w/e now

i d/l a bunch of homeland episodes btw thread hyh

yeah damages is one of those shows that makes me wish cable networks were more open to the bbc style “just one season”/“miniseries” thing

why do you always hate on damages season 2, max, it hurts my feelings

tim olyphant marcia gay are you made of stone???

plus it’s still all about the patty-ellen relaysh which season 3 is kind of less about

which was the season that closed with a wicked cover of leonard cohen’s ‘everybody knows’? i think thats still my fave damages moment~~

i think the storytelling in s2 is p incoherent, they do a bunch of things that dont make much sense and fuc w/the characters for the sake of ~twists~

yeah it’s hard to argue with that but the, i don’t know, EMOTIONAL PACING is still compelling

the storytelling is at least a little incoherent in all the seasons

“everybody knows” is season 3, i think

season 2 was still super watchable and gripping, it just wasnt season one which is still one of my favorite tv seasons of all time

they do a bunch of things that dont make much sense and fuc w/the characters for the sake of ~twists~

Yeah that’s what pissed me off about it. I still love Patty and Ellen though so I’d watch it all for those characters.

sad about bored to death getting canceled but i cant believe a show that weird and location-specific ever made it to three seasons in the first place

it was like watching a mini buddy comedy every week. sad. love danson is so good in it!

danson also great in damages. waiting for netflix to get latest damages so i can catch up. but yeah, season 1 is by far the best, but it was SO good that i’m willing to put up with the other seasons.

i think the patty + ellen relaish in s3 is really complicated and exicting w/o feeling too artificial and it also has some gnarly performances from danson marting short and lily tomlin

dansons been having such a great late career renaissance, so proud of him, i met him once, gave him directions, seemed like a nice guy?

‘thanks for telling where to find animal collective, max, and thats a handsome looking top hat’—actor ted danson

*must not rehash how badly Damages went to shit in s2*

ugh i hate you all

i think the patty + ellen relaish in s3 is really complicated and exicting w/o feeling too artificial and it also has some gnarly performances from danson marting short and lily tomlin

― R.I.P.iest (Hungry4Ban) (є(٥_ ٥)э), Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:55 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Permalink

martin short is a total genius in damages season 3, it’s true. to the rest of your comment i say whatever.

fucking hell, i knew it was a risk reading a general tv thread

shit, i’m sorry!

i won’t protest too much. I wasn’t hugely invested in Homeland anyway but i just read a vicious Boardwalk Empire spoiler elsewhere and i’m still reeling from that one. I really should keep up with the broadcast schedule of these things

the rest of your comment i say whatever.

i was praising the show!!!

i know. now i am just being a jerk.

:/

i don’t really get season 3 (though i like it fine) and i’m all defensive about season 2.

but did i know that you knew, thats the qn... or did you know i was pretending not to know that i knew that knew

have you been drinking, like i have?

what kind of a name is Aissa? do you guys think it’s supposed to be Isa, the Arabic version of Jesus? that’s pronounced “Eee-sa.”

s2 and s4 have the most... problematic... ‘ellen likes rough trade’ storylines i think

have you been drinking, like i have?

yes... :((((

i haven’t even seen season 4 and am afraid because people said it was so bad.

I think it’s a bad mispronunciation of isa

I didn’t watch any tv forever and then I discovered Parks & Recreation and I love this show!

yeah so grimm which was never great to begin with obv has pretty much lost me at this point, its bad when yer monster of the week show gets kinda tedious

on the plus side started watching detroit 187 on netflix streaming and its pretty dope.

this got cancelled too i bet.

it did

someone should give christopher moltisanti another vehicle because he’s cute

I didn’t watch any tv forever and then I discovered Parks & Recreation and I love this show!

hooray! the other day my sisters and i made our mom watch like six episodes from season 2 (basically any episode louis ck was in), and now she’s a total convert, too. so excited for her to get to season three and see “ron and tammy 2”.

also my youngest sister has got us watching the whole series of avatar: the last airbender. i had heard good things about it secondhand, but i’m really charmed and impressed by how fun and funny it is without being pandering or try-hard at all.

av clubs top 30

oh man homeland huh this is really p good but gd lynne reed ;_;

god i know that fucking storyline. this show is p depressing imo.

srsly... everyone is so broken and desperate. but i was impressed that they made a p minor character seem so impt in just a couple of episodes partic bcuz she was so obv doomed after the stupid chief signed her death warrant. (cmon claire danes gets results!)

That A.V. Club list is one of the more interesting I’ve seen this year, and I definitely agree that their top four are the four best shows currently(-ish) on TV (if, perhaps, in a slightly different order). I’m a little puzzled by the Boss diss, but I’m glad to see Men Of A Certain Age show up. It was a quality, low-key show that’s sadly probably going to be lost to the ages after two brief and, y’know, low-key seasons.