Blue Castle

This season is really bothering me. Debbie sexually assaults someone? Mandy leaves? Sheila leaves? And just the ever-present casual misogyny that so many of the characters exhibit but which the show never deals with (unlike say, The Sopranos, which spent a large chunk of its 3rd season delving into the misogyny in the characters' lives). How often in real life does a 14 year-old girl sexually assault a grown man? When is this a thing that happens? And this is like the second time they've had a teenage girl do this! (Karen to Frank in season 1). I'm just fed up. I feel like they've thrown out character development or even plausibility in order to be "shameless" or whatever the hell they think shameless means. It's just so stupid.

I find that After Ellen interview kind of confusing. I feel like they're trying to find an angle so they're building Svetlana up into this complex lesbian character--but I don't think the writing's there yet. I know a lot of people liked Svetlana in the last episode, but to me she almost seems like "the magical hooker" character. She breastfeeds! She cuts incredibly cute haircuts! She dispenses sage advice! I love the actress (she brings so much to her scenes beyond what's on the page--especially last season) and I think she almost always has great scenes with Mickey--but I have no idea what the writing is doing with her. She often seems different to me week to week in how they write her. This show has also had a problematic way of depicting lesbian and bi woman characters (Jasmine, Monica, and I think the entire thru line of this present season is going to be about a lesbian couple attempting to gentrify the neighborhood) and I wished After Ellen had got into that a bit more. If they actually do end up depicting Svetlana and Nika in a more complex and consistent way--well, then that will be great.

I thought the second episode was much better than the first and I think this show has a lot of potential. I don't really enjoy the 100 (too bit-ty for my taste) and I agree that limiting the panel to three people and one discussion would make that half of the show better. I really liked the writer from Ebony Magazine (blanking on her name) and I thought she made a lot of good points and I appreciated her personal story in regards to Cosby (being inspired to go to Howard because of him, but then being severely let down by him)--she was my favorite panelist last night, actually.

Svetlana: Can you take baby to funeral? Mickey: No, it's illegal in this country.

Maybe I'm weird but I thought the "Fiona is bad idea jeans" thing was kind of overblown in this episode. I don't think taking her 14 year old sister to a small club to see a band she knows personally is all that bad? They weren't drinking, they were just dancing and listening to music. The only issue i had with Fiona was when she left Debbie to dance on stage (especially after she knew there was a creepy guy there). She should've stayed with Debs.

I thought this was a pretty pointless episode except for the Fiona and Debbie scenes. Seemed like a placeholder and a lot of the characters felt like they were written by someone who'd never watched the show before (who was the writer?) This scene bugged me a lot, actually. All the stuff with her boss bugged me. I feel like the show is trying to pigeonhole Fiona into this "chaotic" person but she's really someone who normally is pretty stable. The whole point of last season is that she spiralled for the first time in her young life (and that's another thing--she is young. She's had a huge amount of responsibility on her since she was about six years old, but sometimes she acts her age and does stupid things.) I feel like the episode's final scene was implying that Dermot Mulroney was right about her and her choices--but to me he just seemed like a jerk who was blaming a woman's "chaos" for his own chaotic behavior. Like when he was saying a chaotic woman was reponsible for him shooting up the first time? Ugh. Take responsibility for your own actions, guy. Mickey and Ian don't "allow" her to do anything--she's an adult, she's her own person, and she does what she wants--even if it is self-destructive. I'm not sure what they're supposed to do about the situation beyond calling the cops on Kenyatta or kicking both Mandy and Kenyatta out of the house--and I can't picture Mickey ever doing either of those things.

Oh, joy, more Sammi antics. And more wasting Sheila on this pointless conflict. There are also a lot of spoilers/rumors going around (I think based on a Nancy Pimental interview?) that Debbie is going to drug Matty and then have sex with him while he's incapacitated. Which is so awful for so many reasons that I might have to take a break from the show if it's true. Ugh, this fucking show sometimes.

That was a joke Mike made about her age. She's 23.

Yeah, she actually said she's 23 in the finale last year. I think Ian will probably have a birthday this season (although it is ridiculous that he's been 17 since season 3). And although the show's been on tv for 4 years, it's only been 2 1/2 years on the show.

Despite all the stuff about Lip getting into MIT in season 3, it was established last season that Lip attends the made-up Chicago Polytechnic University (which I believe The Good Wife also references a lot--which means maybe they're set in the same fictional universe which kind of blows my mind).

This could be because I grew up in various Chicago suburbs (but not the City itself) but I heard plain "Jewel" far more than "The Jewel". But like I said, I never lived in the city and the closest I ever got was Evanston, so I really don't know Chicago all that well (and especially the South Side).

I've got a few. Sammi saying she bought something at "Jewel Osco" last season. People from the area almost never say that, you just call it Jewel. Fiona not knowing who The Fridge was. Maybe this is because I'm older than her, but I really do think almost every Chicagoan knows the names of the starting lineup of the Superbowl team. I mean i've never sat through an entire football game in my life and I know most of their names. Ian pronouncing the word 'aunt' like 'ah-nt' instead of 'ant.' (This actually sounds sort of pretentious to Illinois ears!)

I’m so glad to have this show back. And I enjoyed this episode, too! (I have such a weird love/hate thing with Shameless. I’m borderline obsessed with it, but it often really bothers me.) This was one of the better season openers, I thought. Almost all the storylines were interesting and made sense for where the characters are right now (except the Sammi stuff. Admittedly, she was slightly crazy last season, but suddenly she’s having sex with gross old men to piss off her dad? And in front of her son? And she’s a grown woman in her 30s? The only way this storyline makes sense is if she had some sort of brain trauma during the hiatus.) The Mickey and Ian moments were tres cute. They are my favorite TV couple right now. I also adore that they’ve worked things out with Svetlana and they’re all getting along in a co-parenting, semi-commune type of household. I love that Fiona has landed in a good place. Her co-workers all seem great and the diner thing reminds me of the club waitressing job she used to have. I can see her building a career in the restaurant business (and actually I think that suits her more than the office cup job). After all the crap that happened last year, it’s good to see her so happy and purposeful. Frank annoyed me as per usual (his shitty comment to Fiona, his shitty dismissal of Sammi who essentially kept him alive last year) but at least he wasn’t in it that much. And I continue to wish that they’d give Joan Cusack better material, but whatever. Yeah, she was in the car with him last year. How do you mean?

I think it will be available for a while-(at least it was last year).

Sorry, I didn't see a thread for this topic and I wanted to post that they're airing the premier early tonight at 9 PM PST on YouTube and the Showtime website (available to everyone, not just subscribers).

Finally caught up with series 8 (still haven't seen the x-mas special, though). This is the first time since I started watching DW in 2008 that I didn't instantly watch episodes as soon as possible. I caught the first few Capaldi eps and then my life got in the way, but more than that I just wasn't that interested. This makes me sad because I used to be obsessed with this show. Anyway, so after watching episodes 4-12 over the past few days, I have to say the show was better than I'd been expecting. (It's always easy to be more forgiving when you're binge watching, though). It was surprising (and funny) to read the comments in this thread because I had no idea Clara was so disliked...so intensely. I actually liked her a lot more in series 8 than in series 7 because at least she had a personality in this series. She was a cipher in series 7--I had no idea who that woman was. In series 8 I thought she was much more fleshed out--and while she wasn't always likable, she did at least seem like a person. I think in order for me to watch/like this show I have to "watch around Moffat"--I have to grasp the themes and ignore all his bullshit dialog and irritating quirks. He's always going to think that smug shouty-ness equals "strong female character"--that's a given. He's fond of romance and couple-dom and he LOVES having the guy sacrifice everything for the girl while said guy is also part-robot (at least Danny is cuter than Rory). He also likes having the men be "smarter" about the Doctor than the women--and for them to know what's in their girlfriend's best interests. If I ignore all of this (plus a lot of other annoying stuff) there's a story in series 8 about Clara making the Doctor more human and the Doctor making her more time lord. They have this weird co-dependent, borderline unhealthy relationship that's pretty interesting. And I sort of like that story--especially how it ends with the two of them lying identically and walking away alone. It wasn't an uplifting season--and it was very weird to dislike the Doctor in most of the episodes--but this season did seem far more emotionally cohesive than series 6 or 7.

I agree with this. For me, I've always seen her arc as being about sacrifice & love and determining when/how you should set limits on that sacrifice. I also think a large part of her story is about proving herself. And she is forced to prove herself again and again in a way that the other companions didn't have to. I actually think this is why she gets so much crap from some parts of the fandom. I think certain viewers like Rose because they prefer to identify with her (shop girl whisked away by the most amazing man in the universe and then he thinks that she's the most amazing woman in the universe, too) and they don't like to identify with Martha (probably the smartest and most selfless companion) because she loved a man who didn't love her back the way she wanted him to. I mean, I've seen posts on tumblr that label her as "weak" and "pathetic" because she kept loving him when he didn't love her. But a big part of her story is that it didn't matter if he loved her or not--she loved him. And her love for him (plus her love for humanity and her family and just her general awesomeness) helps her to save the world.

+Hello, Cruel World --Time After Time --Plucky 23 - Time After Time 22 - Slash Fiction 19 - Meet the New Boss 19 - Hello, Cruel World 13 - Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie 13 - Reading is Fundamental 13 - The Born-Again Identity Bibbed: Season Seven: Time for a Wedding! Shut Up, Dr. Phil Party On, Garth The Girl Next Door The Slice Girls Defending Your Life Adventures in Babysitting Out with the Old Survival of the Fittest The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo Of Grave Importance There Will Be Blood Repo Man How To Win Friends and Influence Monsters Death's Door The Mentalists

As much as I hate Bobby's death, Death's Door is one of my favorites of season 7--and of the whole series. I loved Bobby and Rufus working together, I loved the exploration of Bobby's marriage, I loved how Bobby has all this depressing shit whirling around his brain constantly but he just puts it aside because that's what he always does, and most of all I love it when he says "Kids aren't supposed to be grateful." And doing all of that work just to be able to help Sam and Dean one last time? Oh, Bobby. +Meet the New Boss +Hello, Cruel World --Time After Time 37 - Slash Fiction 33 - Hello, Cruel World 30- Time After Time 29 - Meet the New Boss 20 - Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie 18 - Reading is Fundamental 11 - The Born-Again Identity 02 - The Mentalists Bibbed: Season Seven: Time for a Wedding! Shut Up, Dr. Phil Party On, Garth The Girl Next Door The Slice Girls Defending Your Life Adventures in Babysitting Out with the Old Survival of the Fittest The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo Of Grave Importance There Will Be Blood Repo Man How To Win Friends and Influence Monsters Death's Door

I couldn't even finish that one. I can't believe it got made and that at no point during production SOMEONE didn't put a halt to it or rewrite it. There's actually a fair amount of season 8 that I like (Benny!) but that episode is definitely one of the worst (if not the worst).

+Hello, Cruel World (every time I vote for this episode I get the Mekons' song with the same title playing in my head. Not that I really mind because it's a good song!) --Time After Time --Plucky 41 - Slash Fiction 37 - Time After Time 31 - Hello, Cruel World 30 - Meet the New Boss 24 - Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie 20 - Reading is Fundamental 12 - The Born-Again Identity 06 - Death's Door 05 - The Mentalists 03 - How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters Bibbed: Season Seven: Time for a Wedding! Shut Up, Dr. Phil Party On, Garth The Girl Next Door The Slice Girls Defending Your Life Adventures in Babysitting Out with the Old Survival of the Fittest The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo Of Grave Importance There Will Be Blood Repo Man And, yes, feel better soon, 7kstar!

Yeah, this week was so depressing for late night TV. I'm actually feeling pretty down about Craig leaving and The Colbert Report being gone. And I sort of feel silly for being sad (cause they're tv shows) but they're things I watch a lot and even when I can't watch it was nice to know they were there. I did really love Darlene Love's last appearance and Craig's cold open, though. They were both fantastic. At least we're getting Larry Wilmore starting next month. I'm not a big fan of James Corden, though (I think he's a pretty good actor, but not that funny as himself). I wish they had picked someone else to take over for Craig.

+Hello, Cruel World --Slash Fiction --Time After Time 50 - Slash Fiction 45 - Time After Time 38 - Meet the New Boss 38 - Hello, Cruel World 26 - Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie 20 - Reading is Fundamental 13 - Death's Door 09 - The Mentalists 08 - How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters 08- The Born-Again Identity Bibbed: Season Seven: Time for a Wedding! Shut Up, Dr. Phil Party On, Garth The Girl Next Door The Slice Girls Defending Your Life Adventures in Babysitting Out with the Old Survival of the Fittest The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo Of Grave Importance There Will Be Blood Repo Man

Chaos Theory said in the Shameless in the Media thread: I don't know--William H. Macy is a great actor, but I think he's miscast as Frank. Or rather, the writers don't write the part to his strengths. Macy excels at playing sad sacks and down in the mouth type people. He plays the patheticness and bottomless need of Frank well, but the charm is never quite there. Frank should be despicable but there should be a spark in him that allows us to see why he gets away with what he gets away with. I find his character interesting only when he has a serious moment with Fiona, Lip, Carl, or Monica--but most of the time he's placed in these "humorous" stories/schemes where he's supposed to be outrageous and the spirit of pure id or whatever--but it falls flat 99% of the time. That type of stuff doesn't fit the way Macy plays Frank and the writers should've realized that back in season 1 or 2 and written to fit his strengths better but they never really did. ETA: well, I guess they kind of did in season 4 with Frank's cirrosis storyline--which is one of the reasons I liked season 4 Frank better than the previous seasons.' Maybe Frank's stories in season 5 will be better than I'm anticipating.

I'm going to reply in the Past Seasons thread because I've got a few things to say about Frank.