My Weekly Wonders: House

A couple weeks ago I talked briefly about the show House in my post called Too Much Drama, but now I would like to dedicate a whole blog post to this wonderful show. In it's eighth season and House is still one of the best shows on television. with it's innovative, creative, and exciting writing I will continue watching until it ends.

House is centered around a narcissistic, pill-popping, genius doctor named, you guessed it,  House.  He has horrible bed side manner and yet he is one the best doctors in the world.  From there the writers embellish.  The contrast of interesting medical mysteries with the major conflicts that House causes brings a whole new drama flavor that you don't see very often.

First off, Hugh Laurie, the actor that play House, is really amazing. Every year he blows me way with his almost effortless way of getting deep into the thinking of Gregory House.  With his fake American accent, his fake limp with a cane, and his fake self-serving tone, he is a true actor and rightfully deserves any praise given to him (including the many award nominations and a few wins).

The characters and their interactions with each other are so great.  The fact that a jerk like House can have both a best friend and a dean of medicine who cares deeply about him is so surprising when you watch the show. But as become more acquainted with the character you come to this realization that he's really not that bad of a guy.

Under that hard self-serving shell, you find a mushy center and the fact that he's not so self-centered after all. In fact most of his actions are for his patients.  He gets himself in a lot of trouble as he breaks protocols trying to what's best for his patients.  One episode in particular stands out to me where he has a patient that needs an organ transplant (I can't remember what). During the episode, before whatever organ fails, House puts her on the registry.  Soon after the organ dies and his associate doctors are wondering how we knew to put her on the list.  It turned out that he found pills in her bag suggesting that she tried to commit suicide and that is why her organ failed.  This is bad because when he trying to get her higher up on the donor list, the fact that she tried to commit suicide would cause her to get rejected.  House ignores this a lies to the donor board. Although he had nothing to gain, House risked his job, the one thing in life that he is accomplished at, for this one patient.

House obviously has a lot of complexity and depth, and that's what makes him so interesting.  Hi friendship with Wilson (an oncologist at the same hospital) is also quite fun to watch.  Their relationship is literally like a roller coaster, often having ups and downs throughout the seasons.  One low in particular that I think most people remember is when Wilson's girlfriend Amber died. It's probably the on episode of House that I've cried the most in just because it so heart wrenching.  Wilson was very happy with his long-term girlfriend Amber, who we get to know through the length of almost two whole seasons.  But one night House gets really drunk and calls Wilson to come pick him up. Unfortunately Wilson is at the hospital working late, so Amber comes to get him instead. To get back home Amber takes him on a bus, where all of a sudden they get into a huge car wreck where many of the passengers are injured.  House loses much of his memory and wakes up in a strip club, which is where the episode starts, and tries to piece back his memory.  It's a really great episode and it really shows how far House and Wilson's relationship can really go.

This season in particular is interesting because the finale of last year's season House drives his car into Cuddy's (dean of medicine) home.  Now Cuddy is gone for good (no she wasn't written out, apparently she wanted to move on) and Wilson is very angry. He expressed that him and House are no longer friends.  We all know this isn't going to last because House and Wilson were destined to be together. It's like Holmes and Watson! Yeah, it's not a coincidence. House and Wilson were modeled after the crime solving duo.  But how is it going to happen? I'm not sure, from the looks of now, it seems as is either House is going to have to do something big, or it's just going to take a really time for Wilson to get over it.

Lastly I just want to emphasize that this is not like other medical shows.  House is a unique character because he solves the most complex cases. Therefore the patients are always very interesting and the answers are never simple.  It's not Grey's Anatomy where they just have a complex surgery with some romantic drama. No, there is so much more.  These cases take some hardcore digging, whether it's breaking into the patient's home, punching the father in the face to get a certain reaction, or doing some crazy procedure that isn't allowed to test a theory.  All is fair game, and it's really what keeps the show so intriguing to the large fan base.

The Underdogs

There are some shows, whether they are on big networks with overflowing supply of money, or simply an effort by the channel to get some more viewers, that just don't get enough credit.  I acknowledge the fact that most shows that have originality and are genuinely well done are well recognized.  But there are so many that just don't make the cut.  Maybe a nomination once in awhile, but never a win.  These shows have the talent, but not the street cred.  They put in the work, but they aren't getting the grades they strive for.

Underdogs of the television world are often seen as "not good enough." If not winning an Emmy every year, they are just not as good.  But it's all a matter of opinion.  Many people fail to look at the idea that some shows just don't have the budget or the resources that others have.  Some have great writing but not the best actors. Others have great actors, but not the best writing.  When I look at these so called underachievers, I don't see failure or inadequacy. No, I see potential.  A word I probably mention far too much.  Television is bursting with potential. Writers are just trying to make a name for themselves.  They write with a vigor to make their protege shine.  And when it doesn't, it gives the whole show a feeling as if it's hopeless.  Maybe not to the viewers, maybe no to writers, but the aura it presents shines with hopelessness.

I think that's why shows don't always prosper, even when they are doing well.  As they continue with their seasons, the less they are recognized, the less it becomes meaningful.  It evolves from a project to a job. I just want to urge everyone, whether you are a fan of television or not, to give every show a chance.  I know it's difficult at times, but it's really what lets the business prosper, when the audience keeps and open mind and enjoys it for what it is.  It may not be good, it may not be bad, but you won't know until you try it.  Try the green eggs and ham, I know I will.

Fake News at its Finest

If you've ever seen The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, or even Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, you have experienced the enjoyment of transforming current news into comedy. A concept that has been around for quite some time. But why do we enjoy laughing about happenings going on around our society? It's a question most people probably don't think about. 

I think major reason these kinds of jokes amuse is mostly due to the fact they are relatable.  We can understand our own culture, and these jokes are literally ripped from the headlines. 

Many people argue that the youth today are getting their news solely from these comedy-based news shows. I'm not denying that.  I find myself, especially during the summer when I have more time to watch these shows, hearing about most things from this.  It's not necessarily a bad thing though. Yes, I might pick of opinions or criticism that might of not been picked up from more factual and neutral news.  But the fact that I'm learning at all about current events that I wouldn't normally learn, must be at least kind of good? No? Well then at least I can make my own opinions because I'm fairly educated and I know a thing or two about politics. No I can't do that either? Well, at least they aren't pushing some information but not all to support their own opinions...

The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, though may not be the best source for news, are just focusing on comedy.  They don't have a agenda that supports a certain party or certain ideas, they just want to make us laugh!  So what if Stephen Colbert acts like an extreme conservative and slightly makes fun of them, so what if The Daily Show gets accused of being "too liberal" by FOX news, it's all for comedy! They aren't a real news station!

If this little debate sounds familiar to you, you probably watch The Daily Show, and you proabably saw the episode where Jon Stewart and O'Reilly get into a somewhat heated argument about this exact same argument. O'Reilly accuses Stewart of being too liberal on his show, Stewart counters with the fact that O'Reilly is conservative and they are supposed to be reporting actual news, not comedy.  If you haven't seen this, it gets a little awkward, but it's definetly enjoyable.  Here's the first clip (you can find the other two on Hulu.com).

But it's not just fake news shows that get all the fun current event jokes, most (if not all) late night talk shows do the same thing.  Shows with hosts like David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Craig Ferguson.  You proabably have heard of and even watched one of these at least once in your life.  Maybe noy as obsessively as me, (yes I am in love with Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) but they are on every night you I'm sure most people have turned on their TVs at least once past 10 o'clock.  These shows, instead of reporting like they are actually a news station, talk about the current events in a stand-up comedy fashion. This a tradition passed down from each late night talk show, and it seems to have always been popular. Plus, it's not really inserting any opinions, it's strictly just making jokes about anything news, whether it's political or not.

From it's success we can see that fake news is popular.  Current events are important to us, and when they are a part of comedy, it only makes them better.  This may be a way of being misleading and inserting your own opinions, but I don't think anyone has really taken advantage of that.  So everyone needs to just take a deep breath, calm down, and enjoy comedy at it's best.

My Weekly Wonders

Because premiere weeks are almost over, I figured I would need something else that I could do weekly.  In that spirit I came up with the idea that each week I would talk about one of the many favorite shows that I have.  It seems kind or narcissistic that I would think anyone would be interested in my favorite TV shows, but it's okay because this is a blog, and blogs are just a little bit self-centered anyway.

In these posts I will discuss what the show is about, why it's amazing, and why you should watch it.  This week I was going to talk about House, which is probably one of  my most favorite shows, but ended up not having enough time.  So next week I will be discussing House.  But other shows I will discuss include but are not limited to Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, The Office, Modern Family, Saturday Night Live, Psych, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Middle,  Glee, and any other show I can think of.  I probably won't get through all of these, and I may swap them out for a different show that I didn't think of, but you get the gist.

So stay tuned for my weekly post on the wonderful shows of television!

Is Internet the New TV?

As our society advances further and further into what we call the technology age, the internet is becoming more and more a part of our lives.  Whether we realize it or not, the internet is slowly taking over everything.  Websites such as Hulu and Netflix are becoming very popular, and some are questioning whether it's sites like these that will eventually take over what we now know as television.

When I first thought of the idea of getting rid of my television set and switching over to the computer, I was very skeptical.  The internet could never replace the wonderful feeling of sitting down on a lazy afternoon and skipping through the channels trying to find something good to watch. Or having the TV on weekday nights and catching random bits of the local news.  What will happen to the random shows that you catch on the vast array of channels that nobody watches? I'm not sure, and if everything is on the computer, it will never be the same.

But it's not a bad idea.  A couple years ago my parents wanted to get rid of our home phone.  Surprisingly enough, the only person that didn't want to get rid of it was me.  Our home phone had always been the one phone we always used, and it felt like without it nothing would be the same, or that we wouldn't be able to function the same. I was definitely wrong because we were able to transfer our home phone to my dad's cell phone and honestly I haven't even noticed the difference.  It hadn't really occurred to me, but every call I ever make is done through my own cell phone and I didn't even need the home phone.

This may not be the best analogy, but I hope you see my point.  Although it seems as if switching to an all internet based television would be very different, most people, including myself, already watch most of their TV online.  Yes, the random channels that I watch occasionally will be missed.  But is it really worth paying the hefty cable bills?  Should we really be paying this much when nine times of ten you could've watched the same thing you just did for free on the computer?

I read an interesting article online (Should you cut the cable TV cord?) that discusses this very subject.  Many people responding to this subject talked about the various websites that they use instead of cable.  In fact many of them canceled their cable all together.  If I was in a situation where I couldn't afford cable, of course I would get rid of it.  The fact that there are so many places to watch television for cheaper is a great reason to ditch it. But also the fact that most cable companies are totally ripping us off? Well, I feel like they'll get a little taste of their own medicine when Netflix buys them out. But as for a family who is financially stable. I'm not going to be one of those uptight moms who never lets their kids go on the internet, but I don't want them to be spending all their time on the computer! I mean, I know television isn't the greatest way for families to bond, but it's better than the whole family sitting around a computer screen.

But what about those television computers? (computer televisions?) That solves all your problems right? No! I don't know about you, but I always loved the nights where my family would sit in the living room and surf the channels until we found a random movie or Law and Order episode. It's those moments that really make television special.

So is television as we know it changing? Of course, but probably never in the way we will expect. It way be completely internet in the years to come, but who knows, maybe cable companies will give their services through the internet. I'm not worried. Whatever happens, as long as I can watch my favorite shows, I think I will be happy.

Premiere Week #5

The end is very near to my premiere week blog posts.  This may or may not be my last one.  This week, some shows such as The Walking Dead, Man Up!, Boss, and Once Upon a Time are beginning their seasons.  Because Once Upon a Time was premiering tonight, I might blog about it next week, but it's definetly one I would like to discuss at some point.

Going back a month or so, a show called Whitney aired it's pilot.  I was just recently talking with a friend who is just as addicted to TV as I am.  He was telling me how awful Whitney was.  So I decided that before I judge it myself I should watch the show and see if he was right.

Whitney is a fictionalized version of the real stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings.  In the show she lives with her boyfriend she has been seeing for three years and the show is based around their relationship and the friend group they associate with.

Whitney in real life is actually pretty funny. I've seen some of her stand-up routines on late night shows. But her show just isn't as good. There are many instances where I can definetly see her comedy routines, almost too much. It's as if she's trying to insert her stand-up into real life scenarios. It's pretty clear that when she is rambling it actually doesn't make sense, and it becomes fairly obvious that she is just trying to insert more and more jokes into her show.

Also, the vibe I got from the "taped in front of a live audience" thing is awkward.  Yes, the traditional sitcom has an audience, live or not.  But this is not traditional! Why does there have to be an audience?  I feel like there is a lot of potential but it's almost being wasted, as if Whitney is trying to play safe.  I honestly think her show could do well if she took a route more like Tina Fey in 30 Rock. With multiple camera shots it enables you way more flexibility and from my perspective makes it feel less awkward and forced.

So is Whitney awful? Maybe. Is the writing terrible? Probably not, I did laugh a few times and I'm not one to laugh at much.  Will it fail? Not if it doesn't change! As I said earlier it definetly has potential.  Right now the characters are not really in their groove yet, the plot is a little shaky and the writing is not at it's best, but that can change.  Like I've said multiple times on this blog, first impressions in television are not set in stone.

Premiere Week #4

This week Psych premiered it's season on USA and Last Man Standing premiered it's pilot on ABC.  Both of these shows I watched. Psych, because it's probably my most favorite show on USA currently, and Last Man Standing because I was very curious to see how it would do.

If you haven't heard of Last Man Standing, it's a traditional sitcom starring the very funny Tim Allen.  I was so surprised when I heard that Tim Allen was going back to sitcoms. I remember watching Home Improvement when I was pretty young, so my first reaction was "isn't he kind of old?" The answer is yes, he is kind of old. But it's okay because the three daughters he has on the show are fairly old as well, which makes it a bit more believable.

I was really scared to watch this show.  I had a really bad feeling that it's was going to be terrible.  That it would be awkward, or forced, or something that would ruin my ideas of Tim Allen. So what did I find when watching the pilot? I'm not really sure.  It wasn't very funny, the dialogue too good, and of course like any sitcom the acting is not superior.

Because I was kind of confused as to what I thought about the show, I looked up some reviews.  I was astonished by the result.  Almost every critic hated it, saying it just plainly was not funny.  But the audience disagreed.  According to this Washington Post article the show got a whopping 13.2 million viewers for the pilot and an even more surprising was that they had even more for the second episode.

Last Man Standing may not be your cup of tea (or bottle of beer if we're going along with the manly analogy), but it certainly is gaining some attention.  I don't think I will continue watching, but if anyone else is interested it's on every Tuesday night at 8pm on ABC.

Too Much Drama

When someone asks me what my favorite TV shows are, there are some that I am definetly excited to tell them about. (30 Rock, The Office, The Daily Show, etc.) But there are some shows that don't really have the reputation for being very... good. I hesistate to even list these shows in fear that somehow my non-existent reputation will plummet.  One show in particular that I would like to talk about is Grey's Anatomy. Let me just start off with saying this show is not that bad.  Many of the actor's have been nominated and won Emmy's, Golden Globes, Screen Actor's Guild Awards, and more.  Okay, so maybe the writing seems a little too soap opera-y, but it definetly has it's ups and downs.

For anyone who loves drama, cheesy or not, should watch at least one episode of Grey's Anatomy.  Each season  has crisis, after crisis, after crisis.  There is no relent! This fictional hospital has had patients with bombs inside of them, a mass murder shooting, and several of the surgeons suddenly die or vanish (many of them shot, George gets hit with a bus, Izzie gets cancer and almost dies but then dissapears, and Burke and Hahn also just dissapear from the show).

So why do people like this show? Why I do like this show? After not watching this show all summer I began to ask myself that question.  That is until I watched the season premiere, and everything came back. It's drama.  It may be corny, but I honestly I start crying in almost every single episode.  And the thrill! I mean come on! The things these fake surgeons have to do is pretty intense, it does make for a very exciting and somewhat addicting show.

The writers definetly know how to appeal to their audience. They know they aren't writing to people who are analyzing it or validating it. No, their audience are people like me who solely watch it for the adventure it takes  them on. Whether it's the fast changing romances, the quick-paced emergencies, or just the whole story line going on a roller coaster, it's pretty exciting.

But at some point we must ask is there too much drama? Does this show really need to have some freak accident killing thousands every episode, or can it survive with just day to day hospital problems.  I think it's a little bit of both.  Look at the show House for example.  They rarely ever have huge disasters that Grey's Anatomy periodically has, and yet they are just as or even more successful.  But there are other conflicts that don't have to do with the hospital but instead are surrounded by House's narcissistic, pill-popping life.  So it's more like half and half.

Apparently for dramas to succeed these days there has to be some thrill. It may be a little unbelievable, but it's what gets the viewers.  If all dramas were about normal things that happen on a day to day basis, I'm pretty sure they would be a lot less successful and popular as they are today.

Breaking Bad?

If you know anything about modern television, you know Breaking Bad is good.  People are constantly talking about it! It's won numerous awards, and apparently has a good reputation for having really awesome season finales.  Despite all the hype, I have yet to get into the show.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to start watching it.  I mean, I am blogging about television, I should be able to talk about the current famous TV shows.  It's simply a question to myself of "do I really want to get addicted to another show?" I mean do you realize how much television I already watch?  Too much.  Honestly, for the amount of homework/volunteering/extra-curricular activities I do.... okay maybe not so much the last one but definetly the first two!  So maybe I center my life a little too much around Hulu.com, but it's okay because I have a blog about it, therefore it justifies my addiction.

So if you have never heard about Breaking Bad, which is pretty sad if you haven't and you should probably start slacking off a bit more and get involved with pop culture. Anyway, Breaking Bad, though I have only seen the pilot and small snippets of other episodes, is about a high school chemistry teacher who basically quits his job to start a meth lab.  This is after his diagnosis of cancer which apparently caused him to make this huge lifestyle change.  I can't really say much more than that, not because I don't want to spoil something from the plot, but because I literally don't know anymore about the show.

Reason number one of why I'm hesitant to watch the show:
Basically what I've already said. I have too much on my plate. Once I start a show, I have this sickening obligation to finish, and finish it fast. I have to keep watching. I have to see how it ends.  I just keep watching, and watching, and...

Reason number two:
I watched the pilot with my parents. Can I get an "awwwkward..."?  First of all there is a lot of swearing, which honestly doesn't even bother me, that's not even the bad part. No, the real culprit for the uncomfortableness was the sex.  I think I can just leave it at that because that is the most awkward thing to watch with your parents.  Just picture a Sunday night with my mom and dad. We're all snuggled up in the living room and we decide "hey, let's watch this show that is on Netflix instantly!"  As we watch suddenly the "scene" comes on and I immediately try to pretend I'm doing something else. Anything else.  I began spontaneously typing on my computer.  I try to make them think I don't notice what's going on, or that maybe I don't understand? No, they know I understand and that I'm fully aware of what is going on.  There is a long silence that seems to last forever.  When the scene was over we all sighed a breath of relief.  Metaphorically speaking. I think that would just make it a lot more awkward if we all just went "ahhh" after it ended. So let's just say this almost completely ruined the show for me.  It's kind of like it you ate a large number meatballs and then puked them back up.  Are you still going to be a fan of meatballs? Probably not.

Reason number three:
I haven't really figured out exactly why people like this show.  There are the obvious elements. The great acting. The great writing. Etc. etc.  But as I watched, nothing about it really grabbed me.  I didn't not have the sudden urge to watch the whole season after viewing the pilot. But it did make it curious. It might be set for a different kind of audience, I mean maybe I'm not mature enough to understand? What ever the reason is, because I'm so new to the show, and so many people are obsessed with it, I'm pretty sure I can already say that it's going to be good if I do start watching.

It may be a little strange, or quite frankly a little sad that I can write a blog solely on my contemplations of whether I should begin watching a show. That's high school in a nut shell. Trying decide if I can get my homework done if I join one more AP class, or if I will stress myself out too much if I start another extra-curricular activity.  The sad thing is there is a very likely possibility that I will start watching Breaking Bad.  Whether it's next summer, or maybe even during one of our breaks, there's definetly a chance that I will add it to my list of TV addictions.

TV in Iowa

Because I'm over my word count already this week, I thought I would show show you guys a clip.  The show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to West Union, Iowa! It's a really great cause, and it's so awesome that they were able to help a family in need right here in Iowa.

Here's a clip from KCRG who covers the story:

Premiere Week #3

I'm sorry to break the news, but sadly premiere weeks are almost over.  Most shows have already started off their exciting seasons.  This week only had a few premieres of note, Dexter and House.  And the shows that began their first seasons include American Horror Story, The League, and Homeland.  I'm actually really interested in seeing pilot of The League, but I think I will post a review of that in a week or two because it hasn't been put on Hulu yet.

Before I talk about the pilot I watched this week, I just wanted to mention how "out" of the TV world I felt this week(Can you imagine?).  I walked downstairs to where my dad was watching a show, and I looked up and saw it was my all time favorites, House.  I stopped for a moment to see what episode he was watching, hoping maybe I could ruin the ending for him or something.  To my astonishment I realized I hadn't seen that episode, and it was in fact the first episode of the season.  To my discontent I realized I had already missed half of it, and even if I had remembered, I had too much homework to watch anyway.  So I have still yet to see the exciting premiere, where House is supposedly in jail, but I'm sure I will be visiting Hulu very soon to check it out.

So I know I already talked about a pilot this week, but just so I could make another post about premieres, I watched another one. This week I watched Up All Night which actually came out with it's pilot almost a month ago. If you're wondering, yes I'm pretty behind on watching television.  But it's okay, because that's what internet is for!  Anyway, Up All Night stars the great comedians Will Arnett, Christina Applegate, and Maya Rudolph.  Arnett is probably most famous from playing Gob on Arrested Development, and if you were wondering, he's also married to Amy Poehler who I love (if you haven't guessed from my previous posts about Parks and Rec.) Maya Rudolph is best known for acting on Saturday Night Live.  She also starred in the very funny movie Bridesmaids which came out this summer.  I'm a really big fan of both of these actors, so as you can see, I was really hoping this show would do well. But as most shows coming out these days do, it disappointed me.  Rudolph, who had definite potential to be the star of the show, seems to have more of a role that feels like an after thought.  As if the writers sat down with the idea of "let's make a show about all the stereotypical events that happen when you have a baby, and let comedy go from there" and then later realized that "oh, maybe we should show the mom going to work?" That's when they decide to add Rudolph in as the crazy boss that just adds to the chaos of the family's life.

But after saying that I feel somewhat guilty. I mean this show could be great! The pilot didn't really do much for me.  But there's definetly room for growth.  It has a lot of room to change a and adjust to become something many people watch.  When watching it, it did make me laugh.  The writers are good, they have Lorne Michaels producing it, what more could they ask for?  In all, I really hope this show does well but I have a feeling it won't be received very well, at least in the first season, like Parks and Rec. did.  But look where that is now. I guess we'll just have to see.

Out with the New, in with the Old?

This week I watched a pilot of a new show called Revenge.  If you haven't heard of this show, it's based around a girl whose father was wrongfully sent to jail and now is getting revenge on the people who sent him there.  The show begins with what I thought was a clever saying; "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."  Basically throughout the show the main character is trying to kill off people who were associated with her father's false accusations. To me this sounds more like a movie plot, mostly because there isn't much wiggle room for a story line to go.  So, going into this show I did not expect much.  I didn't think it was going to be very good, and honestly was already planning on writing on this blog about how bad it was.  But it surprised me.  It's actually better than it sounds.  I'm not sure if it's a show that I will continue watching, but it definetly had an interisting set-up. 

One thing that really dissapointed me was how much they have away in the plot.  In the beginning I found myself aking questions and wondering when in the the season it will be explained.  This is a common tactic to get more viewers, kind of like in a book when authors end a chapter or a book in a series at a climatic section.  Honestly it was nice to see what was going on, but I think it would have helped them in the long run if they had waited to reveal some of those juicy secrets they were trying to hide in the beginning.

Going into watching this pilot, I knew there was going to be something about this girl killing other people.  So right away I thought about Dexter.  This makes me kind of sad.  Why do shows have to mooch off the success of other shows?  Revenge isn't necessarily copying Dexter, but it probably had the show's popularity in mind when creating it's own.  If you've never watched Dexter, it's about a serial killer who kills other criminals (mostly serial killers themselves.) Dexter works for the Miami Police Department in blood spatter analysis. This is a big help in getting away with his crimes.  But how is Emily in Revenge going to get by getting caught? I'm not sure because I'm still unclear as to what she actually does for living.  The show, though I may be forgetting something, made it seem like she lives off her inheretence in the Hamptons.  Also, throughout his life, Dexter was trained how not get caught by his dad who was also in the Miami police.  And yet, with all of this, Dexter almost gets caught in every season! So how is Emily going to commit her crimes and get away with it? I'm not entirely sure, but hopefully the writers will set up something to make it become a bit more believable.

I know I just made these shows sound fairly similar.  But wait! There are some differences.  Although they both seem like martyrs for a good cause, they sort of are, but in their own unique ways.  Dexter isn't killing people to get revenge.  He has what he calls his "dark passenger."  When Dexter was very young he experienced a very traumatic event (I won't spoil it if you haven't seen the show) that altered his mindset.  His urge to kill is involuntary, and he had no conscience to go along with it.  He also has a hard time with any emotions whatsoever. In fact, he often has to fake being happy for his sister Deb or co-workers. To justify his need to kill, his father created a "code" that he has to follow. This includes killing people that are 100% guilty of a horrible crime, so most of his victims either haven't been caught yet or somehow maneuvered their way out of going to jail.

Because I haven't seen much of Revenge, and I've seen many episodes of Dexter I can't fully compare the two shows.  What I have found is that Emily has specific people that she wants to kill. Dexter just kills anyone within his "code" to fulfill "dark passenger."  That is why revenge is focused around her obviously getting revenge.  Do you see now why this show might not have too many seasons? There really isn't too much to elaborate.  Dexter is constantly finding new victims whereas Emily will only have a set amount of people that caused her father harm.

I hope I'm wrong, and the show surprises me more.  It definetly has an interesting concept, and potential to do well.  If you're interested in watching, it's on ABC every Wednesday night at 9. Here's a clip of the promo:

TV Violence

Last week in AP Lang we had an in-class essay assignment that had to do with entertainment.  In this essay we had to defend, challenge, or qualify the statement that entertainment was "ruining society."  This got me thinking about my blog because I often talk about if I like or dislike something on TV but I never discuss the bigger issues of television itself.  It's actually a fairly controversial topic because there are so many things out there that are causing so many different opinions.  When I think about why this subject has gotten so much hype, I think about all the moms out there that are constantly complaining about the amount of violence on TV.  Which they definetly have a right to, there is a lot of violence, and it may or may not be affecting the youth.

I read a couple articles before beginning this blog to get an understanding of how violence is changing us.  A major argument I found was that it is "desensitizing us." This occurs because we keep seeing violence over and over again, and we being to stop reacting like we should.  This is a valid point.  I feel like in a lot of the shows I watch, when I see violence, I don't really react to it too much. But when my mom, who only watches TV occasionally, sees the same thing she responds with a gasp or a comment saying that it's awful to show on television.  But that's not all these articles are saying. Many go on to say that it's causing our youth to become more violent themselves.  Now I don't know about most people, but I find that hard to take as a legitimate reason.  I've been watching Law & Order since I was in elementary school and I'm pretty sure I've turned out okay. Obviously there must be some evidence to these accusations, and I'm sure they have some to show.  

The article Violence on TV: The Desensitizing of America points out some key research that highlights the cons to having these graphic images on TV.  This includes information such as 10% of violence in America is caused by TV.  One out of ten cases of violence are caused by television? Really? This seems so unrealistic to me. There are so much more factors that play into it, such as social, biological, and psychological factors, and yet people are focusing on the one thing that they can somewhat control. Another argument discusses how violence is glamorized or glorified. But I find that also hard to believe. I mean yes, kids are probably like "Oh cool! He can beat that guy up." But they aren't walking away saying "You know I bet I could do that. I'm going to go try it on a stranger."  

So yes, television will always be controversial in many aspects, but that's why it's called entertainment.  It will keep surprising us for years and years, and hopefully will never stop. If you're interested and reading more articles about the topic of violence in TV, here are some more articles that I found interesting/useful in learning about it.
Violence Formula: Analyzing TV, Video, and Movies 
Media Violence and Aggresion

Premiere Week #2

Another fantastic week of television premieres! Of course last week was the big week, so there wasn't quite as many new shows out.  Some good reoccurring shows that began their seasons this week include: The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, Mike & Molly, and Happy Endings.  The shows that premiered their pilots this week include: Terra Nova, Hart of Dixie, Suburgatory, and How to be a Gentleman. 

This week I watched the pilot of New Girl which actually premiered last week.  There are some shows that you see commercials for and you are just like "I know that's going to do bad." New Girl was not one of them.  I actually had high hopes for this show. One, because I actually really like Zooey Deschanel. She's quirky but also pretty good actress. And two, because the commercial made my dad laugh. Now, I know this is kind of an unconventional way to determine whether I will like a show or not, but the fact that my dad laughed at something, let alone a commercial, really surprised me as we were sitting one night watching TV.  As for the Zooey haters who say she's annoying, you're right she is.  But annoying in a cute, funny, and creative way.  I mean, if you saw the pilot, you can't say that you didn't smile at her naked pillow dancing, her awkward conversations with her roommates, or her loud and obnoxious singing. 

So what do I think of New Girl?  I think it has potential.  Honestly the pilot didn't completely make me love the show, but it definetly interested me to see more.  The show did have some awkward moments that seemed like it was almost trying too much.  But that's almost expected.  The show also had some really funny moments, like when Jess, (the "new girl" Zooey plays) gets stood up by her date so her roommates come to the rescue.  When they arrive at the restraunt the waitress questions them asking why Jess has so many dates and one of her roommates responds with "we're reversed Mormons." 

If you're interested in watching New Girl, check it out on Tuesday at 8:30 on FOX.