Friday, September 30, 2011
Pilot Thoughts: Suburgatory
I'm not even calling this a review because I'm a little too braindead for that at this point, but wow, I loved this pilot. Tessa, the teenaged narrator, was snarky and precocious without being obnoxious or two unrealistic, and I love the dynamic they're setting up between her and her single dad (Jeremy Sisto, who still always terrifies me a little because of Six Feet Under). He's the "cool dad" type but also fairly strict, and they clearly love each other a lot, whatever current problems they're having.
I expected to like those characters (and Alan Tudyk!) but I was delightfully surprised to discover that some of the supporting characters were fairly nuanced already. The client/love interest/suburban supermom Dallas Royce seemed initially set up to be superficial and awful, but she almost immediately gave George some really decent parenting advice. And sure, maybe her primary motivation is trying to sleep with George, but she also honestly seems to want to help Tessa, and there's an argument to be made that it is helpful for a girl to have someone in her life who makes it clear that she's open to discussing things like bras. (We don't know yet whether Tessa already has someone playing that role in her life.)
Of course, a lot of the suburb stuff is a caricature, but this episode suggested that it's not an unthinking one, and that - as on Community - there might be enough heart to back it up. I'm very hopeful.
I expected to like those characters (and Alan Tudyk!) but I was delightfully surprised to discover that some of the supporting characters were fairly nuanced already. The client/love interest/suburban supermom Dallas Royce seemed initially set up to be superficial and awful, but she almost immediately gave George some really decent parenting advice. And sure, maybe her primary motivation is trying to sleep with George, but she also honestly seems to want to help Tessa, and there's an argument to be made that it is helpful for a girl to have someone in her life who makes it clear that she's open to discussing things like bras. (We don't know yet whether Tessa already has someone playing that role in her life.)
Of course, a lot of the suburb stuff is a caricature, but this episode suggested that it's not an unthinking one, and that - as on Community - there might be enough heart to back it up. I'm very hopeful.
Vampire Legal Issues: Maybe Mystic Falls Just Doesn't Have CPS
THING NAUGHT POINT FIVE: Oops.
Last time I forgot that Jeremy and Elena also each own one half of their father’s office building. Add that to the balance sheet!
THING ONE: I cannot state this strongly enough: ALARIC IS NO ONE’S GUARDIAN.
Underline! Boldface! Italics! Flashing lights! Emotionally, I agree that it makes sense for Alaric to be Jeremy and Elena’s parent figure. They’ve lost so many relatives, and Alaric knows about the supernatural world they inhabit. He’s obviously got issues [Naughty Alaric], but he’s still the best option they’ve got. However, being guardian to a child is a legal role, and except in the case of the child’s parents, it requires court authorization.
[The following citations are all to Virginia law; the other states with which I am familiar are all substantially similar.]
Jeremy- well, how old is he? Sixteen or seventeen? Jeremy still needs a guardian, and he can request that Alaric be appointed his guardian. However, that appointment must go through a court first. [cite] I don’t know how likely a court would be to appoint Alaric; Jeremy’s wishes would be considered but they are not controlling.
Now, all of this is probably academic; if no one notifies the appropriate authorities that the Gilberts are living on their own, the courts probably won’t step in. Jeremy will turn 18 soon, and we can pretend that Jeremy and Elena will get control of their inheritance at 18, though that’s unusual. Anyway, point is: ALARIC ISN’T THEIR LEGAL GUARDIAN.
THING TWO: This is my regularly scheduled inquiry about house ownership and invites. BEEEEEEEP.
Kate and I watched the season premiere together, and when Damon walked into the house in Tennessee where Stefan killed those girls, we had the following conversation:
Last time I forgot that Jeremy and Elena also each own one half of their father’s office building. Add that to the balance sheet!
THING ONE: I cannot state this strongly enough: ALARIC IS NO ONE’S GUARDIAN.
Underline! Boldface! Italics! Flashing lights! Emotionally, I agree that it makes sense for Alaric to be Jeremy and Elena’s parent figure. They’ve lost so many relatives, and Alaric knows about the supernatural world they inhabit. He’s obviously got issues [Naughty Alaric], but he’s still the best option they’ve got. However, being guardian to a child is a legal role, and except in the case of the child’s parents, it requires court authorization.
[The following citations are all to Virginia law; the other states with which I am familiar are all substantially similar.]
First of all, Elena has turned 18 and doesn’t need a guardian. She is legally an adult. Even if Elena were not an adult, Alaric would not be her guardian because he has no legal relationship to her. Isobel was probably not legally Elena’s mother at any point, because she was not listed on the birth certificate. A woman who gives birth to a child is legally presumed to be the child’s mother. [cite] How do we know who gave birth to a child? Well, for starters, she’ll be listed on the birth certificate. Therefore, there is a legal presumption that Miranda Gilbert was Elena’s biological mother. Elena is essentially adopted, except that there were never any adoption proceedings. She is not legally an adopted child. Is this shady? Absolutely. But you’re going to be hard-pressed to convince a judge to run a DNA test at this point.
Furthermore, even if Isobel were Elena’s legal mother and had never given her up for adoption, Alaric would not be Elena’s presumptive guardian unless he had adopted her or was named her guardian in Isobel’s will. [cite; cite; see also definition of child.]
Jeremy- well, how old is he? Sixteen or seventeen? Jeremy still needs a guardian, and he can request that Alaric be appointed his guardian. However, that appointment must go through a court first. [cite] I don’t know how likely a court would be to appoint Alaric; Jeremy’s wishes would be considered but they are not controlling.
Now, all of this is probably academic; if no one notifies the appropriate authorities that the Gilberts are living on their own, the courts probably won’t step in. Jeremy will turn 18 soon, and we can pretend that Jeremy and Elena will get control of their inheritance at 18, though that’s unusual. Anyway, point is: ALARIC ISN’T THEIR LEGAL GUARDIAN.
THING TWO: This is my regularly scheduled inquiry about house ownership and invites. BEEEEEEEP.
Kate and I watched the season premiere together, and when Damon walked into the house in Tennessee where Stefan killed those girls, we had the following conversation:
Me: But how did Damon get in there? Didn’t someone inherit the house?Kate: You ruin EVERYTHING.And then again, watching “The End of the Affair:”
Me: I feel like I have the same problems every week.Kate: Like the part where you’re insane? Me: ...that could be one of them.
I really have nothing to say that I haven’t said before. So, to recap: HOW DID DAMON GET IN THERE? DOES NO ONE INHERIT HOUSES ON THIS SHOW MY GOD. Maybe we are pretending that everyone dies intestate? And if you die intestate, is the house in some sort of limbo, like when it’s a bank-owned foreclosure? How do vampires pay their property taxes? Do they compel the appropriate authorities to remove their residences from the tax rolls? If Stefan has been keeping his Chicago apartment for the last 90 years, has he checked in on it? If he comes back to find squatters, does he just eat them? Does Stefan own that apartment, or rent it? Does he pay fees to a homeowners’ association? Will he lose his security deposit when they find the list of victims he left on the wall?
This has been my regularly scheduled inquiry.
BEEEEEEEP.
THING THREE: Kids with assets.
If the Gilberts’ estate was planned the way I think it was, Jeremy and Elena are probably fine for money. My estate planning professor said that parents of dependant children should have a life insurance policy 20 times their annual income, so that if the payout only got 5% returns, the family would still be getting the deceased parent’s income. If the Gilberts did that, then Jeremy and Elena should have enough money to pay the mortgage, their presumably immense property tax bills, and for other stuff like food and utilities and new clothes. I’m sure Jeremy isn’t working to put food on the table.
I’d really love to know about the Lockwood estate, too; does Mrs. Lockwood own the house now, or is it in trust for Tyler? I’d guess that it goes to Tyler - Mystic Falls seems to enjoy male primogeniture - but maybe Mrs. Lockwood has a life estate.
(You don’t think about imaginary people’s estate plans? WEIRD.)
THING FOUR: Who loves the 18th Amendment? No? Mostly the 21st? Yes, Alaric, I know where you stand on that one.
In honor of this week’s awesome 1920s speakeasy flashbacks, here’s a friendly reminder that the newest Ken Burns documentary, Prohibition, starts this Sunday on PBS. Check your local listings and keep an eye out for Stefan!
Peace out,
Christine
PS - Have any of you ever driven through Virginia and Tennessee? I have, and I can tell you from personal experience that it takes a long time. In “Rose,” the props department conveniently labeled Mystic Falls on the map, and it’s supposedly a bit southwest of Charlottesville. (Yes, I looked it up. I have a lot of spare time. Shut up.) Getting to any part of Tennessee from Charlottesville will take at least three hours (and it will feel like an eternity). The gang is bouncing back and forth like they’re going to Starbucks.
PPS - Do we know how old Klaus is? I suppose what’s important is that he’s clearly old enough to know what an arms race is. Build an army so big no one will challenge it. HA. Nice plan, doofus. At least now we know he has an enemy in mind.
Haven Recap: "Business As Usual"
Tonight is the Haven finale and I'm REALLY excited. If you'd like a refresher on what's happened so far, my recap of last week's episode (and the whole season) is up at TheTelevixen.
This episode had perhaps more conflict than we’ve ever seen before between Nathan and Audrey, but don’t worry – it really just grew out of their love and worry for each other. They’re reacting very differently to the Rev’s death and the growing tension in Haven. Nathan is terrified that Audrey will wind up in jail, so he’s determined to follow the letter of the law and simultaneously trying to hide as much of the Troubled-related activity as possible. Audrey, meanwhile, is growing increasingly desperate to get answers and help people, no matter the cost – partially because she thinks her ability to help the Troubled is her, not Lucy or Audrey.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
HIMYM, "Ducky Tie:" Unreliable Narrators
I am not particularly a Victoria fan, but I thought she made a great point this episode, and was utilized well to illustrate what I think this show does best, mother nonsense aside: showing unreliable narrators. More after the cut . . .
Premiere Season Fatigue
I was going to say that premiere season is about over, but that's not quite true: there are a bunch of premieres in October. I think what I mean is just that I AM DONE. I have hit that wall and all I can think is "OMG I JUST WANT TO READ A BOOK AND COOK A REAL MEAL AND MAYBE CLEAN MY HOUSE." So. This is basically to say that my thoughts on a bunch more pilots will trickle in, but otherwise we're going to try for some sort of balance around here - instead of making myself write about a million shows, I'll narrow that down a little and resume reviewing books and posting about food and all that.
Shows I will probably write about regularly: Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, Community. I'll keep checking in on Ringer, for now, and maybe add Terra Nova to that list. Possibly Hart of Dixie. And whatever else catches my interest on a given week. That sound reasonable?
Shows I will probably write about regularly: Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, Community. I'll keep checking in on Ringer, for now, and maybe add Terra Nova to that list. Possibly Hart of Dixie. And whatever else catches my interest on a given week. That sound reasonable?
Book Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
In case you don't want to read the rest of this, here's what you need to know: The Name of the Star is out TODAY and I LOVE IT and you should read it. If you want to get a taste first, you can read the first 78 pages at that link.
(First of all, let me say that I realize I am in no way impartial when it comes to Maureen's books, because I work for her. I will also point out, though, that the work I do for her is not directly related to the books at all, and that she was basically done with this one before I started working for her. BUT STILL. I am completely acknowledging my bias.)
All that said, I have to tell you: The Name of the Star is my favorite of Maureen's books so far. By a lot. As I've been telling people, it has all the awesomeness of her other books, WITH ADDED MURDER. And ghosts. And a British boarding school, and I love boarding school stories. But let me back up and tell you a little about the book. Our heroine, Rory, is an American girl who arrives for a year at a boarding school in London just as someone begins to mimic the Jack the Ripper murders. Her school happens to be right in the middle of Ripper territory, so she's thrown into the middle of it all. And then the ghost police show up, and things get really interesting.
And now I will give you a list of reasons why I love this book, because who doesn't love a list?
1. Rory is a great heroine - not annoyingly perfect or The Most Special Girl Ever, but certainly not boring either. She goes through a lot and learns and changes but remains realistic amid all the crazy stuff going on.
2. The setting: London! I love London! And schools! As I've mentioned!
3. There's a guy named Alistair, and I can't tell you much about him without ruining things, but he wears a trench coat and listens to The Smiths and lounges around the literature section of the library and I LOVE HIM MADLY.
4. I also love Rory's roommate Jazza. And some of her other schoolmates. And the folks on the ghost police force, actually.
5. The whole ghost and ghost police thing is really well done. I like my paranormal elements to have rules and be internally consistent and MAKE SENSE in context, and these did.
6. A truly frightening antagonist. I don't need ALL books to scare me, but I like when murder mysteries scare me at least a little.
7. Jack the Ripper was one of the first big cases really covered by the tabloids, and this update of what that sort of media coverage would look like now was really fascinating. (Some of the media reports get rather info-dumpy, and slow things down a bit, but if you have to have an info dump, I guess that's really the best way to do it.)
8. There's a sort of cliffhanger, but it's not the kind that is annoying or makes the book any less satisfying. It's the good kind that just adds a layer of awesomeness and makes you really eager for the next book.
Intrigued? You can find links to many places to get the book right here.
(First of all, let me say that I realize I am in no way impartial when it comes to Maureen's books, because I work for her. I will also point out, though, that the work I do for her is not directly related to the books at all, and that she was basically done with this one before I started working for her. BUT STILL. I am completely acknowledging my bias.)
All that said, I have to tell you: The Name of the Star is my favorite of Maureen's books so far. By a lot. As I've been telling people, it has all the awesomeness of her other books, WITH ADDED MURDER. And ghosts. And a British boarding school, and I love boarding school stories. But let me back up and tell you a little about the book. Our heroine, Rory, is an American girl who arrives for a year at a boarding school in London just as someone begins to mimic the Jack the Ripper murders. Her school happens to be right in the middle of Ripper territory, so she's thrown into the middle of it all. And then the ghost police show up, and things get really interesting.
And now I will give you a list of reasons why I love this book, because who doesn't love a list?
1. Rory is a great heroine - not annoyingly perfect or The Most Special Girl Ever, but certainly not boring either. She goes through a lot and learns and changes but remains realistic amid all the crazy stuff going on.
2. The setting: London! I love London! And schools! As I've mentioned!
3. There's a guy named Alistair, and I can't tell you much about him without ruining things, but he wears a trench coat and listens to The Smiths and lounges around the literature section of the library and I LOVE HIM MADLY.
4. I also love Rory's roommate Jazza. And some of her other schoolmates. And the folks on the ghost police force, actually.
5. The whole ghost and ghost police thing is really well done. I like my paranormal elements to have rules and be internally consistent and MAKE SENSE in context, and these did.
6. A truly frightening antagonist. I don't need ALL books to scare me, but I like when murder mysteries scare me at least a little.
7. Jack the Ripper was one of the first big cases really covered by the tabloids, and this update of what that sort of media coverage would look like now was really fascinating. (Some of the media reports get rather info-dumpy, and slow things down a bit, but if you have to have an info dump, I guess that's really the best way to do it.)
8. There's a sort of cliffhanger, but it's not the kind that is annoying or makes the book any less satisfying. It's the good kind that just adds a layer of awesomeness and makes you really eager for the next book.
Intrigued? You can find links to many places to get the book right here.
Tonight's TV Premiere Reminders: 9/29/11
For these first few weeks of fall TV, I'll have quick posts up at 9am each day reminding you of which shows start that night, with times and channels and maybe a quick thought or two. Remember, you can see my whole fall TV spreadsheet here. (All times Eastern.)
8:30 p.m.:
How to Be a Gentleman series premiere, CBS
It seems that this is pretty much what it sounds like. But hey, Emily Deschanel's husband!
10 p.m.:
Private Practice season 5 premiere, ABC
I had given up on this last season but wound up missing it, so I'm trying to catch up. We'll see.
8:30 p.m.:
How to Be a Gentleman series premiere, CBS
It seems that this is pretty much what it sounds like. But hey, Emily Deschanel's husband!
10 p.m.:
Private Practice season 5 premiere, ABC
I had given up on this last season but wound up missing it, so I'm trying to catch up. We'll see.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
2 Broke Girls & Up All Night: I'm out.
Two shows are joining Charlie's Angels in being deleted from my TiVo's future plans: 2 Broke Girls and Up All Night. I'm sad about both, for different reasons. There were some things I liked in the dynamic between the two main characters in 2 Broke Girls, but I just couldn't take watching something so racist, classist, etc. etc. (Don't know what I mean? Go read Alyssa.) And while I really liked the premise of Up All Night, I spent the entire second episode cringing, horribly embarrassed for all the characters. And that's just not the kind of TV I enjoy.
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