What I Watched: Magic City Finale & Common Law

(I think I missed a What I Watched post at some point in the midst of my funeral-related traveling, but I assume you'll all find a way to go on without listening to me say yet again that I like Dyson and Sarah Linden's sweaters. I think the only particularly noteworthy thing I watched that day was the Cougar Town finale, and I'll have a separate post about that show up soonish as part of a new series.)

Live+7: Magic City, "Time and Tide (EP108)" - This finale was a little quieter than I expected, with no huge surprises, but the show stayed solid all season, even if the storylines were a little uneven and occasionally confusing. I probably won't spend a lot of time thinking about this show while it's off, but I'll definitely be happy to pick it up again when it comes back next year.

Common Law, "Soul Mates (EP103)" - I'm liking this better as we get to know Wes and Travis as more than just caricatures, though I'm definitely caring about Wes a lot more than Travis so far. The case of the week was fine, but I do wish they would do more to show just why these two detectives are amazing enough at their jobs to make it worth putting up with their nonsense.

What I Watched: Magic City

Catching Up: Magic City, "The Harder They Fall (EP106)" & "Who's the Rider & Who's the Horse? (EP107)" - I am finally caught up, just in time for next week's season finale! (This and many other Friday were off last night because of the long weekend.) I'm still intrigued by the show, but I'll admit I'm a little more into the mood and setting and character dynamics than the specific plot points, which can get a little confusing. It doesn't help that there are lots of moody, poorly-lit shots and several characters are the same basic physical types, so if you look away from the screen for a moment, you can look back and have no idea which body is in the pool, say. (Yes, I should just pay better attention.) But aside from that caveat, I'm loving it, and the addition of Meg the past few episodes has been great.

10 Reasons to Catch Up on Magic City

I love Magic City, and I can think of literally no one I know who watches it, and why is that? You should jump in! Really! The first season is almost over, but it's already been renewed, and Starz is replaying all seven previous episodes starting tonight in preparation for next week's season finale. So it's the perfect time to join in the retro, soapy fun. I already wrote about why I liked the pilot, and here are a quick ten reasons why you should give the show a chance:

1. Jeffrey Dean Morgan doing "morally ambiguous and kind of scary"
2. Gorgeous 1950s costumes
3. Mob drama
4. Great period music
5. Complicated family dynamics
6. A glitzy hotel setting
7. Culture clashes involving various minorities negotiating how to achieve mainstream success without losing what they value
8. References to and cameos from historical figures like Sinatra and the Kennedys
9. Historical events like the Cuban Revolution affecting people's lives
10. Delicious rugelach as an actual plot point

If I've convinced you (Rugelach! As a plot point!), you can see when each episode is playing right here.

What I Watched: Awake Finale, Men at Work Premiere, & More

Live-ish: Awake, "Turtles All the Way Down (EP113)" - I'm so, so sad that this show is over, but I think the finale was fitting, and I'm glad that it provided a form of emotional resolution but didn't give pat answers to the central mystery. Though, frankly, I'm still not sure what to make of it. But maybe that's the point.

Men at Work, "Pilot (EP101)," "Heterotextual Male (EP102)" - I watched this to review for TheTelevixen, so I'll link once that piece is up. Spoiler: This show is awful.

Live+7: White Heat, "The Dark Side of the Moon (EP103)" - I'm finding the 1970s stuff less interesting than the 1960s stuff was, and some of the interpersonal plot lines are a little hard to follow through the time jumps, but I'm still liking this enough to want to see it through.

Catching Up: Lost Girl, "Fae Day (EP109)" - I loved this episode because of all it revealed about fae culture, and because of all the good Dyson time. I liked both that Dyson started to admit his feelings and that we discovered he's keeping secrets from Bo, too. Everything will have to blow up eventually! Whee!

The Killing, "Stonewalled (EP108)" - Linden's still only on her fourth outfit for the series, not that I'm counting. And I love that we're learning more about Holder. Their dynamic is really interesting, not least because it's a break from the usual will they/won't they or even one serious/one goofy, because they're both serious, just in different ways.

Magic City, "Atonement (EP104)," "Suicide Blonde (EP105)" - This is still a lot of fun and I'm still annoyed that no one I know is watching it, so I'll have a post trying to convince you to try it up at noon.

Fairly Legal, "Shine a Light (EP204)" - My main problem with this show - and the reason why I'm so behind - is still that I'm not wild about the main character. More Lauren! More Justin! I'd rather watch a show centering on either of them than Kate.

On the list... Rookie Blue

What I Watched: The L.A. Complex, The Killing, & More

Live-ish: The L.A. Complex, "Home (EP105)" - This episode was almost painful to watch. THESE POOR KIDS ALL NEED HUGS. It was still incredibly good, though, and again, Jewel Staite blew me away. There's only one more episode on the CW, and I really really hope there will be some way for US viewers to see the rest.

Catching Up: Lost Girl, "ArachnoFaebia (EP107)" - Ah, the classic "everyone's secret issues with each other are heightened by spider-induced paranoia" premise! This was done well, because all the issues seemed completely organic, even if the extent to which they were bothering our heroes was exaggerated. Though I must say: I kind of just want to knock Bo and Dyson's heads together at this point.

Magic City, "Castles Made of Sand (EP103)" - This new plotline about Ike's dead wife's sister is intriguing, and I love the way this show is coming to revolve around the intersection of family, duty, and ambition. My main complaint is that I'm still having a little trouble telling all the characters apart. The scene at the end, in which Jeffrey Dean Morgan contemplatively eats rugelach, is one of my new favorite things ever.

The Killing, "A Soundless Echo (EP104)," "Super 8 (EP105)," "What You Have Left (EP106)" - It was cool and rainy yesterday, so I was in the perfect mood for this. I think my favorite thing about this show so far is the way the characters look and dress like real people. I'm enjoying the intersection of politics and the murder investigation, but am getting slightly sick of the "Linden's getting on a plane at any moment! Really!" thing.

What I Watched: Sherlock, Magic City, & More

Live+7: Sherlock, "The Reichenbach Fall (EP203)" - This episode was well-done, and it had a few moments and scenes that I loved, but it left me realizing that I'm just not as into this show as I want to be, or as everyone else in the universe seems to be. I think it's a little too self-conscious and gimmicky for my taste - especially my taste in mysteries. I think Moffat's dedication to showing how smart he is takes away from the traditional mystery aspects, and this episode, particularly, just came across as overwrought. I'll watch the next season, of course, but I like it rather than love it.

Catching Up: Lost Girl, "Food for Thought (EP106)" - This was a fun one, and I liked the way Kenzi's involvement in the fae-of-the-week story solidified her friendship with Dyson. They have a great dynamic.

The Killing, "El Diablo (EP103)" - Still loving it. I'm sort of still waiting to turn on it the way everyone else has, but right now I feel like I could happily watch Holder sulk around smoking fake weed and Linden looking disapproving but resigned forever. How much can I watch before I become obsessed with knitting oversized sweaters?

Magic City, "Feeding Frenzy (EP102)" - I was wondering why I haven't heard anyone talking about this show, then realized that the fact that I loved the pilot but hadn't watched any more meant I was really part of the problem. So I'm catching up! I loved this almost as much as the pilot, and especially liked the bat mitzah plotline and the continued Cuba stuff.

On the list... Lost Girl

TV Recommendation: Magic City

Starz's new show Magic City premieres tonight at ten, and if you're at all interested in the fifties, hotels, labor issues, the mob, or Jeffrey Dean Morgan, I urge you to check it out. I watched the first episode, and I can't remember ever being so excited about a show based on its pilot before. I'd expected the show to just be some soapy fun in retro costumes, but it surprised me by dealing with everything from union organizers to Che Guevara to civil rights to Frank Sinatra to the struggle of newly-wealthy Jewish and Italian families to be accepted in society. The ensemble cast is strong, and in tone it reminded me very much of Goodfellas* mixed with an actually dirty version of Dirty Dancing. Starz has already renewed Magic City for a second season, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Random observation: This is the fourth current show I love that takes place in my least favorite state, Florida. Huh.

* Note: This is a good thing. Some people who know me quite well were surprised last night when I said Goodfellas was one of my top five movies of all time, so I figured I should clarify.