“Listen, if someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives, could you then kill that child?” This question drives the two-part opening of “Doctor Who” season 9. In a manner perfectly suited to the show’s timey-wimey nature, these episodes provide a splendid example of how sci-fi can explore deep questions rather than just showcase explosions and mayhem (cough, Star Trek: Into Darkness, cough).
Category Archives: Television
Yay / Ugh: 2015 Emmy Nominations!
The Emmy nominations are here, and as always I’ve forgotten not to care about them. Every year I am annoyed by every awards show, but I still follow them faithfully like a sad, hungry dog that will never be properly fed. If you are in the same position, enjoy this guide to the major categories!
Fresh Starts: Great Pilot Episodes
The first episode of a TV show is a welcome, a please come in, a sit down and make yourself at home. It’s a new start, a fresh group of people to know. These characters have a lot more to tell you about themselves and you should probably listen because this relationship might last for years.
Why I Couldn’t Even Make It Through the First Commercial Break of The Bachelor Pre-Show
Buzzfeed listicle with puppies. Buzzfeed listicle with gifs. #PrinceFarming. Engagement. Engagement. Thoughtcatalog article on relationships. #PrinceFarming. Thoughtcatalog article on being in your twenties. Thoughtcatalog article on having the best twenties EVER. Thoughtcatalog article on not worrying if you suck at your twenties and eat ramen for every meal because it will get better. Bill Cosby article. New Baby. #PrinceFarming… The rest I had seen a million times, but who was this “Prince Farming” plaguing my newsfeed? Continue reading Why I Couldn’t Even Make It Through the First Commercial Break of The Bachelor Pre-Show
An Affair to Forget
The Affair knows that it is retreading well-worn ground. Adultery has been covered so extensively across all forms of media that it’s hard to imagine a new TV drama adding much to the conversation. For the first few episodes, though, it seemed like Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi had achieved the massively unlikely. The show actually felt original, with a fresh angle on its main characters and an innovative storytelling style. It’s unfortunate that by the tenth and final episode of the season, that freshness had all but disappeared into the many clichés of infidelity fiction. Continue reading An Affair to Forget
A Touch of Crass: The Transcendent Vulgarity of The Eric Andre Show
In 2015, in an era when Office-style cringe comedy is the norm, where the President can appear on Between Two Ferns, and Tim & Eric’s basement public access style has become a Madison avenue fixture, The Eric Andre Show‘s ferocious assault on conventional comedy manages to stand out as something entirely new. Continue reading A Touch of Crass: The Transcendent Vulgarity of The Eric Andre Show
I Sacrificed Three Hours So You Don’t Have To
With Dean’s Date rapidly approaching, I gave up an eighth of a day to watch the Golden Globes and even more to report on them here. I did that for you, readers, so I hope you forgive me if we disagree about any of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s decisions. Unlike the ceremony and Michael Keaton’s speech in particular, I’m going to keep it concise. Here, then, are the noteworthy moments from the 72nd Golden Globes!
Continue reading I Sacrificed Three Hours So You Don’t Have To
The Newsroom Season Three: Don’t Overthink It
I’ve always defended The Newsroom.
Continue reading The Newsroom Season Three: Don’t Overthink It
True Blood’s Demise: The Final Nail in the Coffin
My 7-year relationship with True Blood lasted longer than any relationship I’ve been in, and yet still managed to end the same – with a boot print on its butt and a firm “Good riddance!” on its way out the door. The title of the finale was “Thank You,” though I think an apology would have been more fitting. Continue reading True Blood’s Demise: The Final Nail in the Coffin
Black-Ish: If You Insist
That The Hollywood Reporter calls Kenya Barris’s new fall comedy Black-Ish “one of fall’s strongest comedies” of the season is a telltale sign that networks need to produce stronger comedies. Set around the daily routine of an upper-middle-class African American family, Black-ish introduces audiences to a quaint, and at times even funny, family of six who just want to navigate this brave new world of living large in a predominantly white environment.
At its best, Black-ish could facilitate a much-needed alternative to the current landscape of primetime comedy, which often scurries over more serious issues of socioeconomic status, race, and gender. Ironically, in its painfully overt desire to address these issues from a new perspective, Black-ish fails to broaden the representation of minority characters and instead perpetuates the flat, uninspired stereotypes that drove demand for something different. Enough with the ‘ish’ – it’s time to just be black. Continue reading Black-Ish: If You Insist
Steven Universe and the Art of Heartfelt Heroism
When I use the word “superhero,” certain images may spring to mind: the outrageously defined muscles and superfluously nippled armor of Batman; the solid jaw and immovable hair curl of Superman; or even the smooth, pendulum swooping of your friendly neighborhood Spiderman. What isn’t expected from the primary-colored plethora of superheroes is a tubby, overeager goofball of a kid who can only use his powers after he eats novelty cat-shaped ice cream sandwiches. Nevertheless, Steven Universe, the title character of Cartoon Network’s new cartoon, fits that description and he has quickly become my new favorite superhero.
Continue reading Steven Universe and the Art of Heartfelt Heroism
Lawless Lawyers: Murder is the Best of the (Il)legal
Confession Time: Law does not interest me. In fact, I’d be more likely to gouge my eyeballs than watch a legal procedural show (then again, both are essentially the same thing). Murder, however, does interest me. I suppose that, with a title like How to Get Away with Murder, it’s the best of both worlds.
Continue reading Lawless Lawyers: Murder is the Best of the (Il)legal