Morning Coffee (4/1/14)

I hate April Fool's Day. To the best of my knowledge, none of the following links are pranks.

The Bomb Girls movie is coming to the U.S. on May 26th! Yay!

The How I Met Your Mother finale was last night and it was terrible. Here's Alan Sepinwall on how they conned us all.

Happy opening... week? Whatever. Here’s How Much It Costs to Propose at Every Major League Baseball Stadium. Tip: JUST DON'T.

I joined my buddies at Ahoy Mateys to record a commentary for the Veronica Mars movie, if such things interest you.

David Duchovny is doing a 1960s-set cop show about the hunt for Charles Manson. Intriguing.

This interview with James Middleton (brother of Kate) about his marshmallow business (no really) is pretty great.

Oh good: Glenn Beck Sued for Defamation Over His '212 3B' Boston Marathon Bombing Conspiracy Theory

Okay, this one is a joke, but it's not pretending not to be: Dirtbag Anne of Green Gables

Morning Coffee (3/31/14)

I've got lots of videos for you today . . .

Look! It's my mom being smart about vaccines!

Josh Charles went on Keith Olbermann's show and basically reenacted Sports Night and I have a lot of feelings.

How I Met Your Mother ends tonight. Here are Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel doing a duet from Les Miserables.

Speaking of Les Miserables, Hugh Jackman Performs "Wolverine: The Musical."

I am here for Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley and Hailee Steinfeld and Catherine Keener and Adam Levine's beard, dear Lord.

This competing to marry fake Prince Harry reality show is ridiculous because anyone who'd care enough to do that should know the palace would never okay this, among about 5000 other issues.

Speaking of reality shows, E!'s new programming slate is quite the commentary on . . . something.

An important political voice: Kermit the Frog adds croak to 'no' campaign over Scottish independence

Morning Coffee (3/19/14)

L'Wren Scott Was Remembered As a ‘Girlfriend’

Important for people interested in publishing: Judge Rules for HarperCollins in Open Road E-Book Dispute

They're finally making The Incredibles 2!

Veronica Mars: One of TV's Realest Depictions of Wealth Inequality

Wow: A Brooklyn Woman's Colorful Quilt, Illustrating Her Experience of the Civil War

How I Met Your Mother's fake scotch doesn't really bother me, but this piece is still fun.

Extremely important journalism: Tyler Hoechlin Is The Hottie Dork You’ve Been Waiting For

Andrew Garfield Will Be Emma Stone’s L.L. Bean Boyfriend

A thought on last night's HIMYM...

(Sorry for the vague title. This is your spoiler warning!)

I've known for a while that I care about Barney and Robin's relationship on How I Met Your Mother much more than I do about Ted and the mother, but last night's huge episode got me thinking about why that is. And I know this is ridiculous to say in the wake of an episode focusing on an elaborate, impossible scheme, but Barney and Robin just feel more real. I suppose this is yet another way of saying that, after years and years of Ted's interminable mother-meeting story, it just feels like a gimmick, rather than an important thing in the life of a character I care about. On the other hand, even given all the artifice of Barney's scheme and proposal, Barney and Robin have had plenty of character moments that feel completely genuine, up to and including the rooftop scene.

I actually loved the way that played out, because I thought making "The Robin" Barney's last big play was the perfect way to let his character move on to the next stage of his life - because his schtick was getting thin - while remaining true to the character and not changing him too much too quickly. (He had, of course, been changing gradually for years.) And "The Robin" also left room for Barney to use his lying and scheming skills in the future toward ends other than making strangers sleep with him. Ted and Marshall considering un-jinxing him to get him to lie them out of a bad situation was another nice nod to this potential future. Sure, Barney's single antics are over. But I'm looking forward to seeing what antics Barney and Robin can get up to together.

I also, by the way, love this song that played over the end scene.

What I Watched: Castle, Gossip Girl, & More

HIMYM, "Who Wants to Be a Godparent (EP804)" - I actually really liked this episode, not because I thought it was funny but because I thought it was emotionally real and touching, and um, obviously I have Comedy Issues. And goodness, those children playing Marvin were ADORABLE.

Gossip Girl, "High Infidelity (EP602)" - I am completely bored by Blair's fashion storyline, but liked much of the rest of this. Georgina is delightfully evil, and I kind of love the idea that Dan has been so disillusioned that he just wants to burn everything down. The Chuck/Lily/Bart dynamic always gets me. And of COURSE Serena and Nate are dating a father and daughter. And no one sees any real problem with this. Dear Matt Camden: DO NOT TAKE PARENTING ADVICE FROM SERENA.

Castle, "Murder He Wrote (EP504)" - Castle and Beckett take a trip to the Hamptons, and this episode basically felt like fanfic, but I mean that in the best possible way, I swear. They are somehow still adorable together without being TOO perfect or the relationship being too easy/flawless. I love the way Ryan figured out about the relationship, and I can't wait to see what he does with that information.

Copper, "A Day to Give Thanks (EP109)" - It's Thanksgiving but Corcoran is NOT FEELING VERY THANKFUL because he found his wife but she's insane or drugged or something and may or may not have murdered their daughter. So that's all fun. And hey, John Wilkes Booth shows up, so that won't possibly end badly.

What I Watched: Bones, Castle, HIMYM, Gossip Girl

HIMYM, "Nannies (EP803)" - This was a cute episode, and the nanny stuff was all funny and in character. (And I'm always happy when we get to see Marvin a lot.) And the rest of the episode did a good job of laying the groundwork for the upcoming breakups, though I'm a little concerned that we're in for another round of Robin and Ted before either of them actually make any progress.

Bones, "The Tiger in the Tale (EP804)" - This was . . . not my favorite episode. The case itself was, I don't know, fine I guess, but I didn't enjoy the rest. The stuff about Brennan running for president was just silly, and this was one of those times when they suddenly wanted us to believe that she had literally no idea how the world works. Since they kept messing with Sweets and Daisy, I'm just as happy that they went ahead and broke them up, but it wasn't done very well. And the conflict between Hodgins and Angela just seemed manufactured and out of the blue.

Gossip Girl, "Gone Maybe Gone (EP601)" - Oh, I don't know. At this point I'm trying to think about this as little as possible and just enjoy what I can from the last handful of episodes. I hate what they've done to a lot of the characters, but there were several really funny lines in this premiere. And Barry Watson was an interesting addition.

Castle, "Secret's Safe with Me (EP503)" - This was a fun episode - I liked the case, and the relationship stuff is still adorable but believable. I was happy to see Martha and Alexis back, and the scene with Alexis and Castle at the end made me cry. It was nice to see the human side of Gates, too. Overall, this felt like an episode from the early seasons, with the added bonus of Castle and Beckett being together.

What I Watched: 666 Park Avenue & Revenge Premieres & More

(I realized that I completely left the premiere of The Mentalist off yesterday's post. It was . . . fine. I have very mixed feelings about that show at this point. The cases of the week are fine, but they've sort of lost me with the Red John stuff.)

666 Park Avenue, "Pilot (EP101)" - This wasn't great, but it was pleasantly creepy and very pretty. You can read my take at TheTelevixen.

Revenge, "Destiny (EP201)" - This was a solid premiere and I'm so glad the show is back. I love Nolan living with Emily, because he's my favorite. The Charlotte stuff is all quite interesting, though I didn't think it was exactly a surprise that a certain person wasn't really dead. But they played it well, anyway, and set up enough intrigue that I think they'll be able to get through another year of Emily's revengenda without rehashing much.

Copper, "The Hudson River School (EP107)" - The dynamic between Corcoran and Annie is probably the most interesting part of this show, so I was thrilled that this episode focused on it so much. And I love that Corcoran isn't going the obvious route of thinking Elizabeth can do no wrong.

How I Met Your Mother, "The Pre-Nup (EP802)" - There was an unattractive patina of misogyny over all this, of course, but that's sort of Barney's schtick, so I'm not really expecting it to change now. And hey, there was actual plot progress, and an adorable Barney/Robin moment, so I won't complain too much.

Castle, "Cloudy with a Change of Murder (EP502)" - This was our first "normal" episode since Castle and Beckett got together, and I thought they played the relationship stuff perfectly. It reassured me a lot about the season's tone and trajectory. My full recap will be up at TheTelevixen soon.

Homeland, "Marine One (EP112)" - Wow. This was an intense, amazing finale. I knew one outcome given that I was watching it knowing whether certain people were in season two, but that didn't really detract from seeing how they got there. And the phone scene between Brody and Dana was just astonishingly good.

What I Watched: HIMYM & Castle Premieres & More

How I Met Your Mother, "Farhampton (EP801)" - Can I tell you how much I do not care about Quinn OR Victoria? So I'm not so invested in . . . a good deal of this, I guess. THAT SAID, I am very invested in Robin and Barney, and now that we have confirmation that they will get married, I'm willing to be patient to see how it plays out. And I still love Marshall and Lily, and would like to see more of adorable baby Marvin, please. I no longer care much about stupid Ted and the stupid mother, but yay for progress on that front, anyway. Oh, and Barney's 60-second summary of the whole plot was the best thing ever. As was his storage unit.

Castle, "After the Storm (EP501)" - I loved this premiere, especially how adorable Castle and Beckett were together and how honest they were with each other. I'm very excited about this season going forward. My full recap will be up soon at TheTelevixen.

Bones, "The Partners in the Divorce (EP802)" - And on the flip side of what I just said about Castle, I loved that everything WASN'T happy and adorable on Bones. Booth and Brennan are actually fighting and confronting their problems and I love it. I've always liked this show, and them, but I've been feeling way less invested in it recently, and these first two episodes of the season have gotten me back on board.

Partners, "Pilot (EP101)" - My goodness, this was AWFUL. I don't think I smiled once. I know I didn't laugh. Review up tonight or tomorrow at TheTelevixen.

The Mob Doctor, "Family Secrets (EP102)" - I'm actually really enjoying this one, not that that's going to do me any good, since it will presumably be cancelled at any moment.

Major Crimes, "The Shame Game (EP107)" - I started watching this show purely because I love Mary McDonnell, but it's become very solid. I can't say I tend to care very much about the cases of the week, and this episode was no exception there, but the team dynamic is fascinating and I love the Rusty story.

How HIMYM Made Me Care Again

I've been watching How I Met Your Mother faithfully this season, but more out of habit and to spend time with characters who now feel like old friends than because I've actually been all that invested in the show. But last night, with two-part finale "The Magician's Code," the show did the one thing it could have done to pull me back in. But first, we had the super-sweet birth of Marvin. I'm a sucker for birth episodes, and that was a nicely executed one. And I liked that the show met the "how will they hang out at a bar with a baby?" question head-on by having Marvin's first outing be... to the bar. (It's also helpful that Marshall and Lily are now the ones who live above the bar. Running downstairs with the baby when necessary is a lot more believable than if they had to actually make plans and take a cab or something to go to MacLaren's.)

It was the second half hour that got me, though. Unlike a lot of people, I still like Ted, but I really couldn't care less who the mother is. She's an abstract concept, an unknown. What I care about is the characters we already know and love. And Barney and Robin's relationship is one of the best ideas the show has had in recent years, even if the actual execution was bungled. Barney and Robin just make sense together, and the actors have amazing chemistry. So when they teased that we would find out the identity of Barney's future wife in the finale - well, I'm not the type to say "If such-and-such happens, I'll stop watching the show," but if they had Barney marry Quinn or someone else other than Robin, I'm not sure the show would ever be the same for me. But now that we know he is marrying Robin, I'm actually really eager to watch everything play out. Well played, show!

What I Watched: Bones & HIMYM Finales & More

Live-ish: Bones, "The Past in the Present (EP713)" - WOW. I didn't have any particular expectations going into this finale, and I was blown away. The tension throughout the episode was marvelous, and almost all the characters had wonderful, heart-breaking moments. I did find myself hoping that they were going to pull a Roger Ackroyd and have Brennan actually be the killer after all, but I suppose that's unlikely. Regardless, I can't wait to see where they take things next season, and what the dynamic is like with Booth and Brennan in different places rather than directly working together (though I expect that won't last long).

How I Met Your Mother, "The Magician's Code: Part 1 & 2 (EP723-724)" - This was another finale that made me really excited for next season. I'll have a post about it up in an hour or so.

Live+7: Sherlock, "The Hounds of Baskerville (EP202)" - I didn't like this episode quite as much as the last one, but it was still a lot of fun, and Sherlock's self-awareness and comments about how he doesn't have friends - by which he meant he just had one friend - were heart-breaking. I will now start saying "I need to go to my mind palace" at every opportunity.

Catching up: Gossip Girl, "Salon of the Dead (EP520)" & "Despicable B (EP521)" - I've been fairly spoiled on the rest of the season, so catching up at this point is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. That said, I continued to enjoy the Dan/Blair stuff in these episodes (while it lasts...), but I'm worried about Rufus and Lily and wish the whole inheritance mess was just gone. Though I wouldn't necessarily mind keeping Lola, I guess.

How I Met Your Mother, "Good Crazy (EP722)" - This was a cute episode that served as a nice bridge to the finale, with everyone going a little crazy in the face of major changes. I especially liked the bits with Ted and Robin, and Ted's realization that a friendship like that is worth keeping even if it means dealing with some pain.

On the list: Gossip Girl, Lost Girl

What I Watched: Vampire Diaries & Secret Circle Finales & More

I was home sick yesterday, and after sleeping for half the day it meant I managed to catch up on some things . . .

Live-ish: The Vampire Diaries, "The Departed (EP322)" - I wasn't as blown away by this finale as I have been in previous years, but I thought it was good, and I'm THRILLED with what it set up for next season. I know a lot of people are upset about some things that happened, and I understand why, but this is definitely a time when I think my viewing experience is improved by not having a horse in the shipper race for this show. I particularly loved Jeremy and Matt in this episode, and I'm so glad that neither of them were killed off. Snarky Damon is my favorite Damon, and I can't wait to see what happens now that Elena will remember everything.

The Secret Circle, "Family (EP122)" - This finale was very strong, and led me to write the phrase "Witch Hitler Casanova" for the first time in my life, and this show has improved so much overall that I will be very sad if it doesn't come back next season. The finale set up some REALLY interesting ideas for where they could go with it.

Awake, "Say Hello to My Little Friend (EP111)" - THIS SHOW. Why is no one watching this show? I know everyone else was crying over vampires and witches, but this was the episode last night that really got to me. Jason Isaacs is astonishingly good, and I will never listen to "Bohemian Rhapsody" the same way again.

Community, "Curriculum Unavailable (EP319)" - I usually love Community's moments of darkness, but I watched this episode after the previous three shows mentioned last night, and I was perhaps a little too tired and drained for it. But still, it was very good, and I love when they "remember" things they never showed us (as in the "clip show") because the idea of characters having whole lives we don't see is one that knocks us off balance in an interesting way.

Live+7: Revenge, "Legacy (EP120)" - This flashback episode was fun, but it didn't necessarily do a whole lot to advance the plot or keep up any sort of momentum. Update: Nolan is still the bestest.

Veep, "Catherine (EP103)" - I'm enjoying this show more with each episode, and I thought newcomer Sarah Sutherland did an amazing job as the sort of uber-Ellie Bartlet. I hope she's back in future episodes, and I hope her interesting chemistry with Jonah is explored.

White Heat, "The Past Is a Foreign Country (EP101)" - Loved it. Quick Pilot Thoughts post will be up later today.

Catching up: Gossip Girl, "It Girl, Interrupted (EP519)" - I'm not sure how I got so far behind on this show, given that I think Dan and Blair is the best thing to happen to it in a long time. And I loved Nate actually scheming semi-successfully in this episode. Nate Archibald: Serious Businessman is such a thoroughly delightful surprise this season.

How I Met Your Mother, "Now We Are Even (EP721)" - I know exactly how I got behind on this one - Bones moved into its timeslot. Anyway, I liked this episode and especially the way it handled the Ted/Robin friction, but I am becoming ever more worried that on Monday we will discover that Barney is marrying someone other than Robin, and that is UNACCEPTABLE.

On the list: Scandal, Missing

Morning Coffee (5/7/12)

Happy Castle finale day! Immediately after the east coast airing, head over to TheTelevixen.com's chat to tell me what you thought!

Looking for an upfronts schedule? Here you go.

And in case you missed it, here's my TV news column from yesterday.

An appreciation of Robin Scherbatsky.

Of course someone is analyzing the D&D alignments of Game of Thrones characters.

I'm not completely convinced by Booktrack, but I'm intrigued and may give it a try.

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 . . .

HIMYM, "The Best Man" & "The Naked Truth:" Do I Trust the Show? Do I Care?

How I Met Your Mother returned for its seventh season last night, and . . . well, you know, it was fine. But the big "shock" was not actually that shocking, I don't think. Although the problem could be that I've basically given up on the central question on the show and the attendant mythology. Hmm. Read on!

Tonight's TV Premiere Reminders: 9/19/11

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 p.m.:
Dancing with the Stars season 13 premiere, ABC
I'm just happen they still haven't cast anyone I really love, so I don't have to try to fit this into my schedule.

How I Met Your Mother season 7 premiere, CBS
This show has been uneven in recent seasons, but I'm happy to have it back. Will probably do quick reviews here.

The Sing-Off season 2 premiere, NBC
There's, um, singing. Yeah. I don't watch this.

9 p.m.:
Two and a Half Men season 9 premiere, CBS
I've never watched this show in the past, and I'm certainly not going to start now.

9:30 p.m.:
2 Broke Girls series premiere, CBS
I haven't heard great things about this, but I'll check out the pilot and let you know what I think.

10 p.m.:
Castle season 4 premiere, ABC
This one ended on a huge cliffhanger, so I am more than ready to have it back. I'll be recapping for TheTelevixen.com, so I'll give you the links as they appear.

Hawaii Five-0 season 2 premiere, CBS
This is one of the fun-but-not-groundbreaking shows I decided I didn't have time to get into last season . . . but now I kind of want to catch up. So we'll see.

The Playboy Club series premiere, NBC
This has a bizarre marketing strategy and has been getting mixed reviews, but I'm intrigued enough to give it a try.