Wednesday, May 16, 2012

What I Watched: Gossip Girl Finale, Cougar Town & More

Live-ish: Cougar Town, "Square One (EP312)" & "It'll All Work Out (EP313)" - The show's been doing a really good job recently of dealing with serious issues and major life changes while keeping things funny. They're being more thorough than I'd feared about the changes Jules and Grayson's marriage will bring, and I also like that they're finally dealing with Stan a bit. The second episode's cold open about not knowing if they'll be back in the fall was amazingly meta. And at this point, if they don't get Travis and Laurie together eventually I may set something on fire.

The L.A. Complex, "Other Side of the Door (EP104)" - I know I say this every week, but this show just keeps getting better, and why aren't more of you watching? The soapy stuff is fun, of course, but the characters all have a surprising amount of depth. Raquel is particularly fascinating, and Tariq and Kal's relationship is quickly becoming one of my favorites on TV. (Are there any other black gay couples on network TV? I can't think of any, offhand.) The show is much better than I expected, and if the CW doesn't pick it up beyond the first six episodes, I hope the rest at least hits Netflix eventually.

Live+7: Gossip Girl, "The Return of the Ring (EP524)" - I was dreading watching this finale because of all the outrage I'd heard about it, but . . . I was not outraged. I might even have liked it. I'm going to think about it a little more and write a separate post, but basically: even when the characters were making decisions I didn't like, I thought they were acting in character, and that's what matters to me. And they've done an interesting reset - I loved the echoes of the pilot, and especially the Campbell Apartment - and I'm curious to see how that plays out in the final season.

Catching up: Gossip Girl, "Raiders of the Lost Art (EP522)" & "The Fugitives (EP523)" - I am writing this before I watch the finale, to get my real reaction (even though my finale reaction is above this in the post). I actually mostly enjoyed these two episodes, since they revolved around a) scheming and b) Chuck's abandonment issues, which have always been my two favorite parts of the show. At the same time, though, I'm worried about Dan and Blair, because they are obviously better for each other than Chuck and Blair are. I don't know. And Bart is back! I fear that spells doom for poor Rufus. And Blair's diary... sigh.

Missing, "A Busy Solitude (EP106)" - Either this show is getting better or my expectations are dropping, and I'm honestly not sure which. Of course, the show has not been renewed beyond this 10-episode season, so the question is academic at this point. This episode got Becca and her son into almost the same place again, but what I really want is for them to find Paul, who by this point has been set up to be by far the most interesting person in the family.

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