amensisterfriend

Wow, this really is bizarro world South Park: Butters as an angry, bitter, mobilizing leader of menimists, Cartman as a smugly enlightened, super liberal Social Justice Warrior, relatively benign Gerald as one of the show's primary antagonists. I'm torn between liking and appreciating it and kind of wanting them to get things back to 'normal'---South Park's wonderfully warped version of normal, that is :) I'm also ambivalent about the serialized format---it makes for an interesting change to see a lot of the same themes and storylines span across so many episodes like we've seen for the past couple of seasons, it allows for more depth, and fortunately it's not like you really HAVE to have seen prior episodes to understand and appreciate that week's episode. But part of me also misses the far greater variety of past South Park seasons. I've been rewatching S7 and S8 (probably my personal favorites!), and I love the way each episode tackled a whole different topic, highlighted different characters and ideas, etc.

I started quoting all the points I agreed with but ended up exceeding the limit, so just know that I agree with the majority of your posts so far! I'm a definite fan of Luke and his incredibly adorable dog. I agree with whoever wondered if they were trying to set the stage for an Emily/Luke romance or even just vaguely suggested romance down the road, and maybe they are, but then they had Emily and Rossi exchange awkward lines about how well "Mark" is treating Emily and how happy they are. Though maybe Mark will disappear now that Emily is going to be back in the US full time. Or maybe they're trying to hint at a possible Luke/Garcia thing instead. Personally, I'm hoping they don't go in either direction, but that's just me :) Even as a Prentiss fan, I have to reluctantly agree that a lot of her line readings while conversing with the other team members seemed really off to me---too loud, forced and awkward, though parts of Emily's personality are kind of supposed to be loud and awkward and tries-too-hard-ish, so maybe I can be charitable and pretend that's deliberate...?! I'm also not sure about Luke's "you like control" assessment of her character that we're supposed to think was so spot on---was that really a facet of Emily's character? Her character was often written kind of inconsistently, so who knows?! I like Tara well enough, but I barely noticed her absence. I continue to like JJ more this season. I share the fondness for Reid's cardigans :) The case, as many of you have pointed out, was dreadful---all clunky exposition, lacking in interesting characterization, themes, insights or solid profiling. I'm optimistic that next week's will be an improvement. It can't be worse, right?!

Ha! I tell myself that the wigs and costumes on this show were deliberately hideous because that kind of fits with the show's sense of camp, goofy humor and unapologetic over-the-top-ness ;) Random question that someone on Tumblr asked: Do you guys prefer Morality Bites or Pardon My Past, often regarded as two of the season's (series'?!) best episodes and both of which involve time travel, which for some reason I think Charmed does really, really well?!

I've been sick and nothing cheers me up like rewatching this show, so unfortunately for you guys I have a few more UOs :) 1) My deep and occasionally irrational love for Phoebe---especially but definitely not only the Phoebe of earlier seasons---is well-documented, but I recently realized that I actually think Alyssa Milano is my (presumably unpopular!) pick for the show's best actress. Maybe she was just an ideal fit for that particular role, but she adds such warmth, sincere charm and lovability to a character I would otherwise feel more ambivalent about, and I think she does such a phenomenal job with comedic material. 2) So keeping some of the very insightful posts here in mind, I can't stop wondering whether the series would have been better without Leo. As I've said, it's not like I hate Leo---it's always refreshing to see a genuinely nice guy as a TV love interest, though the writing and acting combine to make Leo awfully bland sometimes. But as others have pointed out, having Leo as a kind of panacea---he knows all, can magically heal all, is there to 'guide' them etc---often robbed us of the opportunity to watch the sisters explore, research and uncover things on their own. Instead of taking a more proactive role in figuring things out and getting into situations along the way that we might have found interesting, the show so often reverted to having them just repeatedly shout Leo's name and wait for him to provide the answers in clunky exposition or flat back up to consult with the elders (who I'm not sure needed to be a part of the show either, by the way!) I mean, I get that the alternative often would have entailed just watching the sisters consult the Book of Shadows, which isn't necessarily any more interesting than having Leo reel off exposition about the magical world, but if given a choice, I would have liked to see our empowered Halliwells figure more out on their own. And then there's the theory that Piper's storylines, relationships and even overall character/personality could have been even more enjoyable and interesting without Leo around. I get that she was very relationship-oriented and wanted a 'normal', traditional life with a husband and kids, so I'm certainly not against her having a long-term relationship for so much of the series, but I think maybe her personality could have been highlighted more if that relationship were with someone a little more charismatic and interesting. And the writers' need to keep creating conflict and drama in their relationship might have reared its head no matter who Piper was dating, but the whole 'constantly discontent and nagging Leo while she's with him, even more negative and miserable without him' thing just gets tiring to watch, and so many of her storylines end up almost exclusively about Leo rather than other aspects of her character that might have been more interesting. 3) So I recently rewatched S2's They're Everywhere, and I'm now in possession of the very unpopular and downright obscure opinion that Phoebe had more chemistry and a natural sort of connection with Eric Bragg than any of her other love interests. (I realize that normal non-me people probably have no recollection of who Eric Bragg even is :) He was Phoebe's potential love interest in that one episode!) If you ever see a lone, random Phoebe/Eric-who-no-one-else-even-recalls fanfic floating around, you guys will know I wrote it! At least now I totally relate to how people started rooting for Piper/Mark Chao after just one episode and why some even still wish they'd ended up together. Maybe some of us tend to fall for characters and potential romances that aren't around enough for TV writers to ruin?! 4) From Fear to Eternity, which I don't think I've ever seen mentioned on any of our 'best of...' lists, has become one my top 2-3 favorites of S1. The parts with Piper and the random love interest who she drives away due to excessive superstition is pretty dumb---and Piper in general seems out of character that episode, since even when she's more generally anxious/vulnerable/insecure in earlier seasons, she's still pretty grounded and pragmatic IMO---but I really love the rest of it. 5) It's kind of pathetic just how much I love this show despite its flaws :)

Well, this was...not an episode I'll feel compelled to rewatch. That's putting it kindly ;) Like many of you, the best thing about this episode was that it validated my decision not to watch New Girl. The good news is that next week's Halloween episode will probably seem even more awesome when contrasted with this one...I tend to love all of B99's Halloween episodes and, because I have no life at all, am already excited!

Thanks for posting that, raven! For some odd reason I'm just seeing it now. I actually agree with a lot of their picks for standout episodes. I'd have included a bunch from my beloved S3, of course, but unlike the more disciplined writer of this article, I would feel compelled to include a minimum 20-30 favorite episodes rather than a mere 10 :) Speaking of which, what 15ish Charmed episodes would you guys have singled out as favorites? And you know I have to ask again about how you'd rank the seasons from your favorite to least favorite...my own order has changed a lot, so maybe other people's rankings have as well?! I snark on S2 a lot due to the (IMO, obviously) endless, dull Leo/Piper/Dan triangle (it felt like she was caught between two identically dull guys, the triangle did nothing to make anyone more likable and interesting, and, to make it even more pointless, the ultimate outcome was never really in doubt), Piper suddenly owning and running a 'hip' nightclub when I'd never seen her as the type who would even want to ATTEND a hip nightclub irks me somehow, and Jack Sheridan, while not a bad idea in theory, is profoundly obnoxious and annoying. I have to concede that I kind of love S2 more than I always think I do, though---Phoebe is eminently lovable this season, there's a ton of classic sisterly bonding (maybe more than any other season...?), and S2 has a handful of the best individual episodes of the series. Morality Bites and Pardon My Past tend to get mentioned the most, and understandably so, but I find myself wanting to rewatch Murphy's Luck more than almost any other episode. Even as a HUGE fan of this show, I have to admit that in many episodes the lessons/meaning/themes are either 1) less subtly conveyed than one would expect from an After School Special or 2) not really there :) But Murphy's Luck, in addition to just being engaging, entertaining and all the other things I associate with a good Charmed episode, is actually a surprisingly nuanced look at luck/fate, depression, how every person out there is vulnerable, the degree to which perception and what we tell ourselves/let ourselves hear affects reality, etc. It's an episode that forever makes Prue more nuanced and relatable to me. As much as I love Paige and a lot about the later seasons, this is one of those episodes that makes me get why many feel the first 2-3 seasons were of higher quality and more substance overall.

http://www.inquisitr.com/3574656/ranking-every-season-in-preparation-for-the-gilmore-girls-revival/ Do you guys agree with these rankings? Disagree? Agree with the actual rankings but not necessarily the reasons behind them? As always, I'm eager to read people's thoughts :)

My beloved Paige!!! For those of us who initially struggled or even still struggle to get a handle on who her character is supposed to be, I came across these classifications of her as an ENTP that really worked for me. Even if you don't put much stock in Myers Briggs/MBTI in general, I think a lot of these descriptions nicely capture the core of her character. I plan to refer to them when---let's face it, IF---I ever muster the discipline and talent to write Charmed fanfic :) http://funkymbtifiction.tumblr.com/post/135073461514/charmed-paige-matthews-entp http://mbtinpopculture.tumblr.com/post/145728401457/paige-matthews-entp

Awww, please do it anyway if you're so inclined! I have a lot of unpopular opinions too, and diversity of thought is what keeps places like this fun and interesting, so please don't think you'll be judged or mocked :) Speaking of fairly unpopular opinions, suddenly I've become a huge S2 fan, maybe even to the point where I'd name it my personal 'best'...? It's generally regarded as the worst of the show's first four seasons, but it may have more of my individual favorites than any other season. It does have a few clunkers and I personally dislike Reid's mercifully short-lived addiction storyline, but the cases tend to be so engaging and thought-provoking this season, we get both Elle AND Emily (a definite plus in my book, especially since S2's 'dorky' Emily is the version of her character I love best), and any season that gives us gasses-wearing Reid and some of his (IMO) best hair of the series has to rank high up there for me.

Yes, you and HMC have lured me here...but since Piper is such a talented baker, I was kind of hoping the dark pro-Piper side would have cookies. Oh well. ;) ITA---that's some A+++ acting by HMC, maybe her best of the entire series. I've probably rambled about this before (bear with me, you guys---it's been a tough day week year!), but HMC just has this way of conveying such a massive depth of feeling and a variety of complex emotions to me underneath those often measured line deliveries and fixed facial expressions. In my head, she's someone kind of prone to depression and especially anxiety, which explains her fear of change, her cynicism, her nervous insecurities, her fear of hoping/expecting too much, her seemingly excessive irritability when things don't go according to plan, etc. Despite being considered the "least special" and memorable of her sisters (Prue is the super strong, confident, driven overachiever; Phoebe is so charismatic, bold, vivacious and eventually locally famous; Paige is the only one who's half-whitelighter so has extra powers and gifts and has talents for art and music, etc) she's actually a very unique kind of character: introverted, kind of shy and eschewing the spotlight but with a quiet, unwavering strength and sense of self; extremely kind, caring and nurturing yet snarky and guarded in ways that might keep most people at a distance, somehow really calm and soothing yet very emotionally intense and neurotic at the same time. The more I watch, the more I appreciate what a layered character she is and really enjoy being in her company. And my envy of her hair knows no bounds!!!

Much to my own surprise, I really loved it too! My complaints about JJ have centered around still not feeling like I had any sense of who she was supposed to be, how/if she was really affected by things, her core personality traits, what makes her tick etc. Fortunately, this wasn't among the (too many!) CM episodes where a specific character gets a lot of screentime without revealing anything about him/her: I actually feel like I know JJ better after this episode and like and appreciate her more. This was also possibly the first episode where I really liked Will and her relationship with him. And as someone who's been very critical of AJ's acting over the years, I have to say that she did a phenomenal job here. I'm actually more hopeful about this season than I've been about any CM season for a long time. I like Luke so far, I'm liking the slight variations in storytelling and format, and I'm cautiously optimistic about the energy that Prentiss's return will add to the group dynamic and overall show!

I missed you, kohola! Let's see if any other brave souls show up to play :) Meanwhile, I had you in mind when I posted in the Piper thread last night, as you're one of the main reasons I love and appreciate her a lot more than I used to!

Which of the season finales do you guys like most and least?! I just rewatched the series finale for only the second time and sobbed my way through the entire thing :)

Ha! I'm back now if any voters are...?!

What do you guys think are some of the best Piper-centric episodes (or even just episodes where you really happen to like her)? There are a lot of choices, but after just rewatching and crying through the series finale, I'm not sure I ever love her more than I do in that final episode!

April is often pointlessly, unnecessarily mean to literally every character except maybe Andy, not just Jerry. It's an unfortunate similarity she seems to share with Gina, although at least with April you can kind of blame some f it on her being young and maybe, as some have generously fanwanked, having some sort of social anxiety. Plus, you're right that April does occasionally show some basic human kindness in her actions. Gina is just consistently, relentlessly awful for the hell of it. I get that---obviously mileage will always vary as to what people consider funny, as I made clear in my original post. Personally, I thought the assistant being gross to Amy was just another predictable example of Gina being a mean-spirited you-know-what and getting a total free pass on it because...reasons! There are actually a number of times where they support her, and they always include her in social out-of-work activities despite how much contempt she shows for them. What bugs me more, though, is that the WRITERS adore their April/Gina type of characters, often showing them to be the ones who are right when others are wrong, giving them tons of 'wins' that they neither earn nor appreciate, and consistently showing that they can get away with nasty, bullying behavior with absolutely zero consequences ever. It's like the writers feel pointlessly vicious people don't get enough love and are intent on rectifying that on their shows. Again, it probably wouldn't bother me so much if I found them funny, clever, witty, etc---but I don't.

Agreed! And I liked the multi-talented Renaissance man who's good at smoking meth AND snorting meth :) I enjoyed the Coral Palms scenes WAY more than the B99 scenes. A lot of those characters are starting to feel so one-note to me, even my Amy, who I absolutely adored in the first season and have been a little less enamored with since. I totally get that it's a sitcom, so most characters will have just a few salient traits that are exaggerated over and over for comedic effect, but it starts to feel like Amy's role in every single plot, her lines and reactions are almost exactly the same in every single episode, though that's true of other characters as well. And.. She's just infuriating to me. Not funny, not interesting, not fun even in a 'love to hate' way---just an extraordinarily annoying presence to me. I've rambled before about the many ways in which I think this show is similar to Parks and Rec, and one is that both shows seem intent on having a character who's so egregiously, pointlessly awful: rude, narcissistic, unjustifiably mean, completely unfunny, and just extraordinarily annoying, etc. who's inexplicably supported and loved by everyone anyway (April on that show, Gina on this one). And, again, it's not like either is remotely FUNNY in their awfulness to me, which I could much more easily deal with because, after all, it's a sitcom :) It sounds dumb, and obviously I don't have to enjoy every character to love a show overall, but in this case both characters and the way they affect their shows' overall dynamics actually made me like both shows less overall. So I'm actually enjoying this time in Florida and feeling weirdly ambivalent about returning to Brooklyn. Part of me wishes they could just start a spinoff where Jake and Holt have to go undercover to solve crimes in a variety of different communities across America with very frequent appearances by Boyle and maybe slightly less frequent appearances by Rosa and Amy instead of returning to the real B99 :) All just my own weird opinions!

1. Prue/The Power of Two/ She kills herself to be able to destroy a ghost 5. Piper/Awakened/A terminal disease, Oroya Fever 6. Phoebe/Morality Bites/ Incinerated in the future for killing Cal Greene 7. Piper/Coyote Piper/Killed (stabbed) by Prue in order to get a spirit out of her body 9. Prue/All Hell Breaks Loose/ Blasted through a wall by Shax 10. Piper/Saving Private Leo/Piper was stabbed by Leo's ex Army buddies, then with the help of Phoebe and Paige, she recited the ghost vanquishing spell 12. Paige/Sympathy for the Demon/Beaten and stabbed by Phoebe, who was under a spell put on her by Barbas 16. Piper/I Dream of Pheobe/A demon wished on a genie for her to die 17. Paige/Soul Survivor/She signed a pact to trade her soul for an innocent's 20. Paige/I Dream of Phoebe/A demon wished on a genie for the Charmed Ones to die 21. Phoebe/I Dream of Phoebe/A demon wished on a genie for the Charmed Ones to die 22. Piper/Styx Feet Under/The Angel Of Death killed her and gave her the job of collecting souls 23. Paige/Styx Feet Under/In a change of events, she was killed by a demon 24. Piper/Someone to Witch Over Me/Killed by a demon 25. Phoebe/Someone to Witch Over Me/ Killed by a Celerity Demon 27. Piper/Seven Year Witch/Put in a coma by a group of demons 29. Phoebe/Kill Billie 2/ Killed after the manor exploded I'll go with 15, 18 and 19, so those are history as well. It doesn't seem like there's as much interest in playing this anymore, but of there is, could someone else run it for the next few weeks or so?! I'd be eternally grateful :)

What did you guys think of her with Ollie? I have a lot of thoughts on Chloe and Chlark and how even when I try NOT to see it I honestly see Chloe as closer to my conception of Lois Lane and Smallville's Lois Lane as immensely grating and unlikable, but you all have heard them all before :)

3. Lorelai assures Emily she hasn't lost them and talks her out of buying a jet to fill her emptiness (The Prodigal Daughter Returns) 4. Jess gives Rory a copy of his book and tells her he couldn't have done it without her; she says she always knew he was capable of great things (LMHYBRO) 7. Richard leaves the dollhouse on the porch for Lorelai 8. Jess says he knows Rory and knows "this isn't YOU," clearly getting through to her (LMHYBRO) 17. Rory introducing Luke as her stepfather to be at her 21st and the look on Luke's face. 20. Luke giving Rory his mother's pearls for her 21st birthday. 21. Mrs. Kim pulling out her secret hooch to have a talk with Lane. 25. Luke comforting Lorelai when Paul Anka is sick. "You are not a bad mother." 5 and 15 are history, and the next round is open! And if anyone could take over this game for the foreseeable future, I'd be eternally grateful!

I'm not sure whether this is a credit to how much I love Holt, Jake and the dynamic between the two or how relatively 'eh' I've become on many of the other characters, but I absolutely loved last night's episodes and didn't find myself missing the others at all. I actually loved the new and obviously very temporary setting.

3. Lorelai assures Emily she hasn't lost them and talks her out of buying a jet to fill her emptiness (The Prodigal Daughter Returns) 4. Jess gives Rory a copy of his book and tells her he couldn't have done it without her; she says she always knew he was capable of great things (LMHYBRO) 5. Lorelai is ecstatic that Rory called the diner to follow up on the invitation to her birthday party (21ITLN), clearly hopeful for an imminent reconciliation 7. Richard leaves the dollhouse on the porch for Lorelai 8. Jess says he knows Rory and knows "this isn't YOU," clearly getting through to her (LMHYBRO) 15. Zack asking Mrs Kim to marry Lane, and writing a song together. (I'm OK You're OK) 17. Rory introducing Luke as her stepfather to be at her 21st and the look on Luke's face. 20. Luke giving Rory his mother's pearls for her 21st birthday. 21. Mrs. Kim pulling out her secret hooch to have a talk with Lane. 25. Luke comforting Lorelai when Paul Anka is sick. "You are not a bad mother." 10 and 16 are gone, and the next round is open. We're still voting against two!

3. Lorelai assures Emily she hasn't lost them and talks her out of buying a jet to fill her emptiness (The Prodigal Daughter Returns) 4. Jess gives Rory a copy of his book and tells her he couldn't have done it without her; she says she always knew he was capable of great things (LMHYBRO) 5. Lorelai is ecstatic that Rory called the diner to follow up on the invitation to her birthday party (21ITLN), clearly hopeful for an imminent reconciliation 7. Richard leaves the dollhouse on the porch for Lorelai 8. Jess says he knows Rory and knows "this isn't YOU," clearly getting through to her (LMHYBRO) 10. Luke taking care of Paul Anka and making him scrambled eggs after he gets sick. (UnGraduate) 15. Zack asking Mrs Kim to marry Lane, and writing a song together. (I'm OK You're OK) 16. Mrs. Kim telling Lane she's going to go to bed and wear earplugs during their wedding reception. (IGASOOY) 17. Rory introducing Luke as her stepfather to be at her 21st and the look on Luke's face. 20. Luke giving Rory his mother's pearls for her 21st birthday. 21. Mrs. Kim pulling out her secret hooch to have a talk with Lane. 25. Luke comforting Lorelai when Paul Anka is sick. "You are not a bad mother." 1 (my personal fave!), 9 and 24 are history, and the next round is open. We're down to voting against just two!

1. Rory and Lorelai reunite on the front lawn of the CS with a huge hug ("Oh, kid, you have no idea...) (TPDR) 3. Lorelai assures Emily she hasn't lost them and talks her out of buying a jet to fill her emptiness (The Prodigal Daughter Returns) 4. Jess gives Rory a copy of his book and tells her he couldn't have done it without her; she says she always knew he was capable of great things (LMHYBRO) 5. Lorelai is ecstatic that Rory called the diner to follow up on the invitation to her birthday party (21ITLN), clearly hopeful for an imminent reconciliation 7. Richard leaves the dollhouse on the porch for Lorelai 8. Jess says he knows Rory and knows "this isn't YOU," clearly getting through to her (LMHYBRO) 9. When Luke tells Rory that he and her mom are engaged. (Fight Face) 10. Luke taking care of Paul Anka and making him scrambled eggs after he gets sick. (UnGraduate) 15. Zack asking Mrs Kim to marry Lane, and writing a song together. (I'm OK You're OK) 16. Mrs. Kim telling Lane she's going to go to bed and wear earplugs during their wedding reception. (IGASOOY) 17. Rory introducing Luke as her stepfather to be at her 21st and the look on Luke's face. 20. Luke giving Rory his mother's pearls for her 21st birthday. 21. Mrs. Kim pulling out her secret hooch to have a talk with Lane. 24. Luke telling Lorelai she can pull sausages out of him. 25. Luke comforting Lorelai when Paul Anka is sick. "You are not a bad mother." 11, 14 and 23 are gone, and the next round is open! This is the last time we're voting against three :)

9, 14 and 23