DearEvette

That is true and would be a fascinating look at flipping the script sorta like the film Something New where in the interracial relationship had the BW in the role of the upper class person with the money while her white male love interest was blue collar and out if place in her more high society world. But I also see that if she is going to explore the issue of colorism in an honest way, that is needs to be done under the rules that currently exist. Basically in the way that we are discussing it now as inherently problematic with advantages tilted toward the lighter skinned.

Although not explicitly stated in the first season of Queen Sugar, I think Charley being lighter skinned is a very deliberate decision. We know she had a different mother than Nova and RA. Also that her father left their mother for Charley's mother and came back to Nova & RA's mother. You also get the impression that her mother has or came from money. So I think QS is actually playing to the trope, not just blindly falling into it through pretty casting. My sense is that Charley's status in relation to Nova and RA is definitely tied to colorism and that is something that will be further explored. But I also would not necessarily qualify Charley as well adjusted. Not any more than Nova who is an activist, journalist and well respected in the community and her weed-dealing ways isn't just run-of-the-mill criminality but a modern day manifestation of the voodoo queen who was often seen as a community wise woman who administered spiritual and physical healing through potions, powders, and gris-gris etc. There are quite a few scenes of Nova acting in this capacity. As far as desirability is concerned when it comes to skin tone, I think QS subverts that as well. The very first scene shows Nova, her skin blue-dark, being worshiped by her lover, the same man who leaves his white wife for her. Meanwhile Charley's husband cheats on her with a hooker he has on speed dial and facilitates her rape. And even in that storyline the show makes a smart observation about colorism when Charley speaks to the lawyer: And finally, RA being a felon isn't just a fall back on a black man in jail, but again a deliberate choice by Ava Duvernay, imo. She is incredibly passionate about prison reform. The entire show has a palpable social justice vibe. It hits on a lot of things, migrant workers, sex workers, the prison system, rehabilitation, drug addiction. I think some of things being included in the show are done by design not just a fall back to old stereotypes.

Oh man. We didn't get in BB until after S3 had already aired so we got to watch the first three seasons semi-bingeing on Netflix. There was a point in season 3 when my husband and I would look at each other after watching an episode and say "just one more?" After having already watched two or three in a row.

Normally I would agree with you. But TER is such a great comedic actress! Honestly when the show started I was in fear of them defaulting to the sitcom trope of the husband being the wacky-loser-manchild and the wife being the sensible-wise-straightman so much that we wouldn't really get to see her stretch comedically. But I really do see Tracee as a Lucille Ball type. So for me, letting her be a little more wacky even at work feels really good for me. And we have seen her be very competent at work in the past so I don't necessarily see these small glimpses as being really indicative of her abilities.

Her reaction was so over the top. God, I wonder why they insist on making her so insufferable all the time? They've managed to redeem Will, maybe they can do the same for her. I would hate for her to be my doctor, she is always in her feels. I loved the Choi/MMM fighter storyline. Went somewhere I didn't expect. Nicely acted. Also liking the April storyline. It is probably going to lead to a tragic ending both for the baby and the relationship, but it is a good dilemma for them to delve into. And I agree, good lord, what are they doing to Charles? And his continuing animosity toward Rhodes can't just be because of his relationship with the Robyn right? Tell me there is some backstory we haven't gotten yet? Cuz otherwise they seem to just be willfully assassinating his character.

HBO and Alan Ball have a new show as yet untitled about a couple played by Holly Hunter and an as yet uncast actor for her husband who adopted children from Vietnam, Colombia and an American born child of Somalian parents and then had a child of their own later in life. The adopted children -- they are adults when the show airs -- are played by Raymond Lee (American actor of Vietnamese descent), Daniel Zovatto (Latino actor from Costa Rica) and Jerrika Hinton (African American Actress) and the biological daughter is played by Sosie Bacon (Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon's daughter). Looks interesting, I like family dramas and I like the descriptions of the characters. The article is Here

I enjoy her work. I keep stumbling across her in shows I watch. She was on Misfits -- that was where I first saw her and really liked her in that. Then I came across her in this show called Love/Hate. I wasn't crazy about the show but I liked her. I tuned in for Preacher just for her and she is fantastic as Tulip O'hare in that. She is my dream cast for River Tyburn if they ever get around to making Ben Aaronvotich's Rivers of London book(s) into a series. I also thinks she looks like Mildred Loving and I also think they did a good job of casting Joel Egerton because he also closely resembles Richard.

Stevens has always been a privileged rich white guy, but some of the early eps this season they feel liked they crossed a line from just 'clueless' mild racism with Stevens to something a little more explicit and virulent. Imo, it was jarring and a lot of people seemed to notice it.

This was funny. I love that for all her precociousness we were reminded just how young Diane is and that looking at sexy things on the computer freaked her out completely. Her reading the old encyclopedias "Who is Ronald Regan and why does this say he is the current president" was funny. And so relatable because I think our family set of Encyclopedia's are just right around when Bill Clinton became president. I also appreciated that we got to all the breadcrumbs that led Diane to seeing porn -- especially when she walks into the house and sees Junior and Zoe and asks them 'what is sex?' and they simply say 'Google it" very disinterestedly. and she shrugs and says "ok." I absolutely feel that Dre's work scene was most definitely a bit of fan service. Pointedly telling us that Lucy got fired to make way for Stevens' son. And Dre speaking as an aside about the out of control racism. And Stevens and Son were still very toned down. But it was still funny because Charlie's freak out over realizing it was Diane they were talking about instead of Zoe was worth the entire scene and I like how the new woman who was obviously sent there to control them got sucked into the drama immediately. LOL. Also, glad that we are seeing more of Bow's workplace as well.

I love it. But.... it took me awhile to get into it. The first episode is rather a slog and my first time out I gave up because it felt a little too expositiony. But I came to it again after the show had aired all of its episodes and I was in a different mind-set and I binged it. I think this is a show where bingeing works to its advantage. It builds momentum and you get to know the characters real well and the storyline -- disparate seeming at first -- converge very nicely toward the end. If you already have Prime then I say go for it. I am re-watching in prep for season II.

I agree with the issues the article brings up. Altho i do wonder why editorialize about it now? The triangle hasn't really had an on screen presence since ep 4. There are other sites that do include editorializing and non-objective opinions in their recaps that have brought up issues with the triangle (usually negatively), but Tvline really doesn't do that. Their recapper tends to re-tell rather than opine. Honestly, as much as I hate the triangle -- and I really do -- it isn't the the thing I'd write about if I were writing a critical editorial about the show. To me it is a clumsy, misguided way to create romantic tension for Mer/Riggs while introducing a angst for Mer/Maggie. It is basically Grey's embracing their soap opera roots and in the end it is a plot string that can be resolved in a snap. No, if I were going to take the time to criticize a direction of the show that had the potential to be more problematic long term it would be the Jo's past storyline. There is so much wrong with it from its conception to its execution (not to mention the crater wide plot holes involved with her identity issues) that a really good article could have wrestled with a lot of the issues we've all brought up on these boards.

SYFY just cast the character of Bobbie Draper in their show The Expanse. In the books Bobbie is a tall, imposing amazonian soldier of Polynesian heritage. They cast an actress named Frankie Adams who is a 6 foot tall amazonian boxer of Samoan heritage. I haven't read the books but from what I hear the casting is spot on. Good on them. The Expanse is already light years ahead of many shows in their ethnic diversity across the board.

So I finished and I must say I did like the later episodes and the series seemed to find a groove. - I loved Marcy's reset. Poor David though. Poor guy. Out of all the people they have encountered (minus the baby -- but more on that later) as part of their host lives, he is the most sympathetic to me. - Honestly, Carly leaving asshole boyfriend to deal with a shooting of a teenage girl is a pretty damned elegant way of dealing with him. I actually cackled and hoped she wouldn't turn around. Agree that her situation is the most problematic. My biggest issue with the show is how it is handling her motherhood. There is no context for her to be so concerned with the baby. It sounds heartless but she should have just let the kid go with asshole dad. If the show were better written that is what would have happened, imo. When she is away from baby mama drama (sorry, had to say it...) she's actually a good character. - I like that they toned down Phillip's need to save people. But again, I think the show relies so much on plot that the characters get short shrift. We should have seen Phillip's struggle with heroin in a different way. He isn't addicted to it, his host body is. Phillip seemed to be simply portrayed as someone who is a heroine addict and dealing with addiction. Instead of someone who knows he isn't addicted but has to deal with the physiological & psychological affect is has on his host. It is a small distinction, but an important one. I mean they did the same thing with Marcy in a way. Her host was developmentally disabled but Marcy wasn't. She worked to compensate on the physical issues with the brain, but her consciousness overwrote the real Marcy's developmental issues. Not sure why they couldn't have explored something similar with Phillip. But maybe I am asking too much. - Loved the arrival of Grace and Ellis. It seems that with the last few episode the show found a glimmer of a sense of humor and those two, especially Grace were a breath of fresh air. - Liked the dilemma in the end of now knowing what to believe and of course they completely fucked up the future. Cuz of course they did. LOL. - Trevor is my favorite. His whole spiel in the woods with Grace was perfectly played. - Hated McLaren's feelings for his wife. God I hate when shows do that. She's annoying and boring. This is probably why I liked the Grace character so much. She is on task!

Heh. This tickles me greatly because 3x01 was 'We're Good People Now'

I agree. There isn't really a plot that goes from one show to the next and each episode is a different vibe. If there was a central plot it was following hapless Earn (Glover) in his efforts to be the manager of his cousin Paper Boi a rapper. But that is a really lame description. Honestly It feels almost like an anthology because each episode is so different. And there are whimisical elements. Glover said he kinda used Twin Peaks as an influence and you can see it. It did give me one of my biggest gut laughs of all year though with As far as prestige show, I also agree it is in the eye of the beholder. I mean, it seems to be a cable show that critics seem to like because it has an antihero, graphic sex and/or a level violence that can't be shown on network tv. Give it a big budget but also make it an intimate portrait of a central character. It almost feels arbitrary. So many of them just seem like male-centric volent soap operas. Which is why, even though I don't watch it anymore, I always give a side eye to critics who dismissed Scandal in the early days as just a Shonda Soap opera that they felt flummoxed by people calling Olivia an anti-hero and comparing her to Walter White and Don Draper. Because to me it followed the same pattern as all the stuff they were applauding except it wasn't written by a white guy on cable and centering a white male character.

I am up to episode 9 and that is one thing I would have liked too, to a least get some flashbacks or an entire episode st in the future. Especially now that we've met the Traveller who basically tries to "defect" from the future. It was that bad apparently. Also I would have liked a little more time to see the travelers acclimate to their new bodies. It is one thing for them to research the people they are traveling into, but once you are inside their bodies, then that becomes a whole other thing. If you got into the body of of someone taller, shorter, fatter, thinner, different muscle mass etc. wouldn't you have to take some time to figure out how to move in that new body? Wouldn't it feel alien to you? We get a smallish glimpse of the real Carly who is white and looks to be taller and thinner than the 21st century body she is in. They are so phenotypically different, why wouldn't we get a shot of her staring at herself in the mirror, touching her face, her hair, her lips? It would have been nice to have an episode of them really dealing with their new reality before jumping right into the action.

Holy shit. That poor family. Joely Fisher tweeted "God Speed Mama" like 3 hours ago so I wonder if it happened then and they only just announced it publicly.

So far I am on episode four and out of all their personal issues I am least interested in Phillip's. Not at all interested in his woobiness, his guilt issues, his wanting to save everyone or his need to manage his addiction. I like Carly as she seems very mission focused and honestly, if you are going to assemble a team to go on a specific mission like this at least have people on it who stay focused, but am not at all interested in her child care issues. I am intrigued by her difficulties with her domestic abuser police boyfriend though. Ditto Marcy. She seems pragmatic and mission focused. Her relationship with the social worker is a little weird, though. She's using the poor sucker. I like Trevor's personal situation the best but only because him dealing with high school bullies and his bitchy girlfriend have much more entertainment potential than the rest. Grant's domestic issues are interestingly awkward given he doesn't know how to deal with his wife and his hist being married puts a spike in whatever romance his real self had Carly's real self. But man does he not catch cues well. LOL. Overall I am liking it so far.

Honestly, I don't feel the cable critical darlings are all that darling. I have watched many a prestige show on cable and frankly outside of Breaking Bad, most of them I have found to be either or all: pretentious, badly paced, too much of a writer's vanity or self importance peeking through, not entertaining, too "twisty" for its own good, starts out great and goes steeply downhill after the first season(due to becoming pretentious, too twisty, or badly paced) , or is just plain old boring. I know critics sniff at network, but on the whole I think network tv is a lot more entertaining.

This year just felt really bad to me because Prince died. If I ever had a top ten list of favorite musical artists or celebrities ever he always would land in the top three at any given time. No matter when you polled me. So it really hit me. So his death along with Bowie's and so many other musicians like Maurice White, Rod Temperton, Colonel Abrams, Sharon Jones, Phife Dawg, Glen Frey, Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen, and or course George Michael... it just seems like the musical losses loomed so much larger for this year.

When I read that interview, hilariously I was immediately brought to mind of the maddening Mad Men previews of the next week's show. This was like the interview version of those previews. But really I have to wonder, outside of the weird "cheese" response to the Mer/Alex question what was so objectionable with how she answered those questions? Most of them sound like she is not trying to give anything away. I mean "is there going to be a wedding?' If she said no. And there is, then people will drag her later for lying. if she said "yes" then she will have given away a plot point she may not have wanted to. If she declined to answer it practically screams "yes" or people will get frustrated at another "declined" to answer response. I thought given that he prefaced it with she was super busy and answered by email it was a quick squeeze in type of thing. I follow her on twitter and she's been completely twitter silent since about the 16th of this month. So either she though she was doing him a solid and answering a handful of questions on her phone via email or she coulda just iced him completely. But some of the questions are just stupid. Come on, the guy is supposed to be a tv industry professional and with a handful of questions he comes up with a Callie question? Hadn't that been covered extensively? Even by his own site? Why even ask that? Sara hasn't even been off the show a whole season yet. I dunno, maybe it is my own bias because I am finding it harder to take that site seriously anymore. Frankly I think the site has devolved into more of a vanity fan site than a real industry information site. The Gilmore Girls coverage on that site went beyond reasonable coverage and straight into fangirl tumblr.

I love how in all the scenes, Marilyn wore that iconic white dress.

Nothing to add to the Rasheeda observation as I completely agree that your work demeanor is not your hanging out with your homies demeanour. But on a rather shallow note, I love Molly's work wardrobe. Professional yet soft. Always look great against her dark skin tones.

Anybody planning to watch Emerald City? Dorothy is Latina and much older. The cast is international and diverse and the story looks much darker. The visuals look pretty interesting.

Ok, I concede the Toby thing, heh. But I am gonna disagree on the William thing because for me that wasn't a WTF it was an interesting way to make me stop and question my own assumptions.