Finale Roundup

Here are some thoughts on some recent finales and the seasons accompanying them:

Community Season 4

I have...mixed feelings on everything involved with Community this season. I wanted to like the Harmon-less era. I really really did. But while the show wasn't terrible, it really wasn't the same. It just wasn't. And as such, while I kept an open mind and tried to like every episode, there was only so much I could do before each episode left me with a feeling of 'meh'. I was obsessed with Community last year. I rewatched every episode multiple times. I don't think I rewatched a single episode this season. I think the finale really demonstrated where the season went wrong. There were quite a few laughs throughout the episode (mostly brought on by Troy. In fact, Donald Glover has been one of the few consistently awesome things about this season), but the episode was also trying so hard to be like the past seasons that it was just too much. The darkest timeline AND paintball AND Jeff's existential crisis about graduating were all competing for time, that nothing got the attention it deserved. They didn't even give Pierce a proper sendoff! Just one line about how he decided to graduate. The episode wasn't bad, but it also wasn't what I wanted either.
When Community got renewed for a 5th season, I was surprised at my reaction, because it wasn't immediately joy. I go into next season with trepidation and that makes me sad. Last year if Community had been cancelled, I would have been devastated. Now, I just hope that the writers all learned that they don't need to recreate the Dan Harmon-era. They are never going to be able to. They need to create their own vision for the show and run with it. And preferably give Jim Rash A LOT of episodes to write.

Vikings Season 1

Vikings! Yeah! *breaks stuff*
I started watching Vikings because I had the History channel on and a commercial came on for the show and it looked like a historically-accurate-Game of Thrones and I was like, "Self, how are you not watching this show?!" So I did. And I liked it!  It's a good show. Often really good when it lets itself. It also does remind me of Game of Thrones, although not quite as violent and naked-y. That's not to say it isn't without violence of course. Turns out vikings were pretty hardcore, and the action scenes on this show reflect that and are kind of incredible. It's also visually gorgeous and just really well put together (and that credits sequence! My god!).  Huge huge props also to Travis Fimmel's Ragnar Lothbrok who carries the show with a constant mischievous grin and an intensity that makes him one of the most fascinating lead characters on TV right now.
As for the actual finale, well....it felt a little rushed. Actually, kind of a lot rushed, which I'm assuming was because there were only 8 episodes and they didn't know if they were going to get another season or not (they are! Yay!). As such, Ragnar seemingly choosing Aslaug over Lagertha felt like it happened too fast and was also super disappointing. So much of the reason why this show is so great is because of Ragnar and Lagertha and their strong relationship, and now I'm super bummed. And the finale could have used a lot more Athelstan, who has had such an interesting arc, and I was still kiiiiind of holding out for that Ragnar/Lagertha/Athelstan threesome that was teased at in the earlier episodes. And now it might never happen! Also, I wish Rollo would stop making terrible decisions because he is really hot, and I would like to just like him without feeling guilty about it. In conclusion, the finale wasn't that great, but the rest of the season was, and I am highly recommending it if you're looking for just some pure entertainment.

New Girl Season 2

I can't be objective about this show at all. I just love it so much and it brings me so much joy and I totally loved the finale. I always enjoyed New Girl in the 1st season, but it wasn't until towards the end of that season that I think it really started to live up to its potential, and Season 2 has just been fantastic pretty much all throughout. It might be the best live action comedy on television right now and Nick Miller may be the funniest character on TV. And Nick/Jess so far has been handled extremely well.  Their scenes together are often serious and emotional, but they also are frequently dysfunctional and hilarious, much like the characters. There's a good balance there. And I think the finale demonstrated that balance well. I was kind of annoyed at their initial misunderstanding (although laughing my ass off at all "Cotton Eyed Joe" humor), but they moved past it pretty quickly, and their actual fight later in the vents was realistic and ultimately made them uncalling it at the end that much sweeter.  Besides that though, I laughed consistently throughout the episode mostly because Winston being terrible/over-enthusiastic about pranks is one of the best things in the entire world. Actually Winston killed this entire episode. The character doesn't really have much to do most of the time, but the actor is consistently hilarious and I loved everything that came out of his mouth this episode. I kind of couldn't care less about Schmidt/Cece at this point, but I really like Elizabeth and I thought that the resolution of Cece's wedding was well done, with a surprisingly hilarious Taylor Swift cameo. I'm going to miss this show this summer.

Bob's Burgers Season 3

I had to put that New Girl was the best "live action" show on TV right now because Bob's Burgers is probably the best comedy on television at the moment period. I'm not sure I can think of another show that makes me happier than Bob's Burgers. Not only is it consistently hilarious, but the characters are appealing, good people, who genuinely like each other. I think one of the best things about the show is it's not mean-spirited at all. The Belchers may be kind of dysfunctional, but they love and support each other no matter what. Not to mention the show is so weird and creative! There are always tons of things going on in the background (the reveal of the "Burger of the Week" is half the fun of every ep), and now every episode incorporates both a new song AND a brand new end credits sequence.
As to the finale, it was another great episode, incorporating wackiness, like Tina becoming addicted to espressos (which was so great. So. Great), with heart, as the family came together to help Gene succeed at baseball. And omg how happy was I that Regular Sized Rudy showed up again in the finale?! He instantly became my favorite supporting character when he was introduced in the field trip episode, and his positivity and perseverance in the face of crippling asthma has brought me so much joy.

Once Upon A Time Season 2

I'm not even sure what to do with this show. Weirdly enough, I thought the first half of this season was kind of good. And some of the middle episodes with Cora were interesting. But I don't know, this back half has just been so...dumb. It's frustrating however, because there have been little glimpses of good. Peter Pan being an evil shadow monster was interesting and I kind of like Emma/Neal? I think. And the best part of the finale was surprisingly the relationship between Hook and Baelfire. I liked seeing the softer side of Hook, even when I always expected it was there. But when every answer to every problem is "MAGIC!" it gets really repetitive, really fast, and just so so dumb and cheesy. And is Regina evil or not?! Every time the show looks like they're leading her towards redemption, they have her do something so horrible it seems like no one could possibly forgive her. Yet all of the characters continuously cut her so much slack. It's just so frustrating! And I totally screwed myself because I kept waiting and waiting for Mulan and Aurora to come back every episode and was continuously disappointed. So when we finally had confirmation that they would appear in the finale, I got really really excited and then was HORRIBLY LET DOWN when they only had one tiny scene and Mulan didn't even get a line and fucking Phillip was there. Sigh. At this point I'm kind of on the fence on whether or not I'll continue with this show next year. We shall see.

Supernatural Season 8

Wow, I really really liked that finale. Actually I've really liked this entire season. It's a general consensus that the best seasons of this show were the first 5, as they followed the original creator of the show's, Eric Kripke, overall story-arc. And I definitely agree, as while there have been moments of Seasons 6 & 7 that I've enjoyed, there was a lot of wheel-spinning going on and it felt like there was just...something missing. So imagine my surprise at how much I've really enjoyed Season 8! It started off kind of shaky with the brothers not getting along again, but they saved it with the introduction of Benny the vampire and a mind-controlled Castiel. And I've always been very interested in the show's dealings with myth and religion and fate, so everything with the angels and the tablets and Kevin and Crowley and the trials was fascinating to me. Finally, the boys had a clear-cut goal to strive towards, and finally they were both working together and were functioning in a healthy relationship. Not to mention the Men of Letters thing was an ingenious addition to the show, and their new home-base was much needed.
So I'm glad to see the season end on a high note. There were twists and turns and excitement throughout the episode, but of course the most affecting scene was Sam & Dean's teary confession and hug at the end.  They still get to me! It's why I'm not sure I'll ever quit this show. As long as Sam & Dean keep eliciting these feelings in me, I'll be there to the end. Also, a potentially sorta-redeemed Crowley helping out the boys and Human!Cas next season would make me so so happy. Make it so!

The Office Season 9

If I attempted to write out all of my feelings on the The Office and just how much the show has meant to me throughout the years, I would never stop writing. So I'll try and keep this short and to the point. I love The Office. I've loved The Office since I watched my first episode back when Season 2 was airing. Between Seasons 2 and 5, The Office was one of my favorite shows on television, and not only was it appointment viewing for me, I pretty much got everyone I knew into the show as well. Yes, The Office declined in quality. Yes, some of the later seasons you could even describe as "bad". But I still loved The Office. Even through all of that. Even after Michael Scott left and they kind of ruined my favorite secondary character Andy and all the weirdness with Robert California. I still loved it. Because The Office consistently brought me so much joy throughout those earlier seasons (which spanned the entirety of my college career), that I forgave it everything. I loved it. And I always will.
The Office is over now. And I can't argue that it wasn't time. The show's been past its prime for a while. But I'm still sad. And it was still hard letting go this Thursday night, even though it ended so perfectly. Each character beat in this episode felt right, and I cried because I was so happy to see everyone get a special moment, but also because I was going to miss everyone so much. It was sappy and emotional and there was an overabundance of montages, but dammit, it was so good! If nothing else than because Michael came back. And him and Holly had kids! And he was so proud of his other "kids" for growing up and marrying each other. And he got to deliver the greatest "that's what she said" joke in the history of the series. It was perfect. And everything I wanted. And I'll never forget this show and what it meant to me ♥

Supernatural mid-season finale, but mostly a lot of other stuff

I was going to do a season finale/mid-season finale recap of Boardwalk Empire, Supernatural, and Once Upon A Time. That was until I realized I just had TOO MANY FEELINGS regarding the Boardwalk Empire finale and couldn't even begin to coherently share them with the world. So I scrapped the idea. Before doing so however, I did end up writing a review of the last episode of Supernatural before the break. It's sitting on my harddrive, so I thought I'd post it anyways.

I will say this about Boardwalk Empire however, I thought the finale was actually a great episode of television that wrapped up an exciting, engrossing season. The Jimmy Darmody storyline was executed wonderfully and Michael Pitt has never been better. HOWEVER, I'm not sure I'll be watching the show anymore. The moment that Jimmy died was the moment I realized he was the only character I truly cared about on this show. I enjoy watching so many of the other actors and characters, but only really on a surface level and not on the deep level that I cared for Jimmy. The only character who comes close is Richard, but so many of his interactions came between him and Jimmy or Angela (and Jimmy/Richard was the OTP of the whole dang show, let's be honest). Jimmy dying actually made sense and in a way was a nice wrap-up for a character who was so damaged and lost, but ultimately found a sense of peace and closure in the end. But why, WHY do it this season? Why kill your most interesting character only 2 seasons in? I don't mind Jimmy dying, but save it for a series finale! I just can't imagine this show without Jimmy and I'm not sure I'll really want to. I'm grateful to this season for being so entertaining and for Michael Pitt being amazing every week, but my desire to continue watching might have just died with Nucky pulling the trigger.

Once Upon A Time starts back up this week and I'm excited for it, but still mourning slightly foreign, sexy sheriff Graham. Not only will I miss his face, but his episode was by far the best episode of the series so far and I'm disappointed they got rid of the character right as he was learning the truth (although I do concede that with the nature of the show, there's a strong possibility he could come back or be seen again). Damn those Lost producers and their penchant for killing off attractive characters in first seasons *cough*Boone*cough*. Without going into any detail, I still think the show has its problems, but ultimately it's a fun ride with appealing characters, actors I like, and enough mystery to make it interesting. I'm sticking with it for now!

Ok, so I guess I did have more to say than I thought. Trust me though, I could have said A LOT more. And with a lot less coherence.

One final note however, I just caught up on Breaking Bad. Watched the Season 4 finale a few days ago. And THERE IS SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS SHOW BUT HOW DO YOU EVEN SAY IT?! A;SLDJKF;ALS;DKJF;ALSDFJALSDKJF SO GOOD. SO. GOOD.
I thought about writing posts for it, but I'm pretty sure they'd just devolve into keysmashes and paragraph after paragraph on how Jesse Pinkman is the greatest character ever. Also, Zozizzle is now starting her Breaking Bad watching and I don't want to risk spoiling her. So for now, no BB posts, but maybe one day! And hopefully with Zozizzle in tow! :)

Finally, my Supernatural review of 7x10, "Death's Door":

This is the best episode of Season 7. That's not really saying much since season 7 hasn't been that good so far. But I think I'll take it one step further and say it's one of the best episodes of the entire series. Certainly for me, one of the most memorable episodes of the past 2 seasons and the only episode this season that sticks out for me at all. And this is coming from someone who was never a huge fan of Bobby. It wasn't that I disliked the character, I just hated the show's over-reliance on Bobby as a fact-getter/problem-solver extraordinaire in the later seasons. Relying on Bobby for answers every once and a while is fine. Relying on Bobby for answers every single episode made Sam and Dean seem lazy. I longed for the days when they had to search dad's diary and figure things out for themselves. It was too easy! Still, this episode put the focus on Bobby and showed that the show still has the ability for great character development, interesting storytelling, and the ability to make me cry. Too often this season has told us what characters are thinking and feeling without any explanation as to why. Sam and Dean's "development" this season has felt extremely unsatisfying. I'm not buying their character arcs at all because it feels like the writers keep tacking on "issues" without any logical progression. Not to mention a storyline with the Leviathans that while it has potential, has never really felt like anything new. Sadly, the show had to kill off a main character to get interesting again, but ultimately I think it worked because it believably showed us exactly the kind of man Bobby is.
As Bobby lies dying from a gunshot wound to the brain, we get to quite literally go inside Bobby's head and take a journey through his past. Each flashback leads us to a deeper understanding of Bobby as a character and each one is more powerful than the next,  leading to the devastating scene of young Bobby shooting and killing his abusive father.
Flashbacks aren't exactly a new concept, but structurally this episode found really interesting ways to tell the story. The episode as a whole was visually beautiful, as the darkness, or "death", slowly crept up on Bobby, swallowing his memories. I enjoyed how Bobby was at times a passive observer to the memories and other times actively interacting with his friends, helping Rufus solve a case until even he started helping Bobby along to meet his darkest fear.
It was just a well written episode overall that was entertaining while still being character driven. More than anything though, this episode reminded me of what it feels like to be emotionally invested in Supernatural again. I'm just a casual viewer now. I'm not obsessed like I used to be. I'm not even really a "fan", to be perfectly honest. I watch now mostly out of a loyalty to a show I used to love so much, not because of any great enjoyment I'm getting out of this season. But every once and a while a scene will come along like the one that ended this episode, with Bobby looking on fondly at his two adopted sons, realizing he did alright for himself after all, and I remember what made this show so great.

Supernatural 5.10 Abandon All Hope...

ASLKDJF;LSDJF;LSDKJF;LSDJF;SLDJFA;SLDJFSAOD;JF;SLKDJXLCKNV;SLAKDFJ

KEYSMASH!!!!!!!!!

Holy molee, I love this show so much. It just keeps getting better and better. I don't think you all believe me. I don't think you believe how good this show is. But good god, it's fantastic. This last episode (the last one until January ;_;) was probably my favorite of the season and one of the best eps of the whole show. For fear of keysmashing again, let's just use bullet points, shall we?

• MARK SHEPPARD! MARK SHEPPARD! MARK SHEPPARD! Oh Mark Sheppard, why are you in all my favorite TV show? Pretty sure the dude has been in every single TV show I've ever watched and I love it! What I love even more? That he played a good demon! Who made out with guys! Ok, so that last part was kind of weird, but Mark Sheppard brought his dry wit and awesome accent to the part of Crowley and I'm really hoping he'll come back. I love him.

• MARK PELLEGRINO!!! Also known as Lucifer, also known as...Jacob! Watching how amazing he is on Supernatural makes me sad they killed him off of Lost. Knowing Lost however, he probably won't be permanently gone, but tbh, I'm glad Supernatural scooped him up, because he's awesome! He plays Lucifer perfectly. Lucifer is actually friendly, matter of fact, and convincing, with just a hint of underlying malice. His scenes are always fascinating and creepy and I look forward to ever single scene he's in.

• CASTIEL!!!! Castiel...I've always liked Castiel, but I don't think I've really ~embraced him like the rest of the fandom has, but he was great this episode. First being his usual awkward self and doing shots with Ellen and ruining the picture, but later with his fantastic confrontation with Lucifer. Especially when it seemed like Castiel was starting to realize that actually, Lucifer was making a lot of sense. I may not always ~love Castiel, but I always always love Misha Collins. He's amazing.

• I thought this episode was great with the creepy factor. The part with the reapers was really really creepy, and I love the way they do the hellhounds. The fact that you can't see them, makes them all the more terrifying. Also, the realization at the end that Lucifer killed everyone in the town was really disturbing. Not to mention Death coming back. That can't be good.

• And how can I go any further without talking about Ellen and Jo? Because if I'm being honest, the death of those two characters was what made this episode so damn powerful. I've cried at this show before, but never as hard as I was crying when the realization hit me that Jo wasn't going to make it. The funny thing is, I was never really a fan of Jo or Ellen. I didn't hate them like a lot of people did, I just didn't really have much of an opinion on them. But their deaths were done in such a powerful, heartbreaking way that I found myself sobbing all alone on my couch. Huge props have to be given to Alona Tal and Samantha Ferris as they did absolutely beautiful jobs in all their scenes. I think what this show does so well is go into the emotional core of every scene. Even when the show is about hellhounds and ghosts and demons, it always finds the emotional beat to every situation. In this case, even though I may not have been that connected with the characters of Ellen and Jo, the fact that these two women were the closest things to family that Sam and Dean had, and that even if it wasn't ~romantic love between Dean and Jo, he really did love her, was so powerful and sad and kind of devastating. Especially with the fact that Dean and Sam failed in the end.

Well that was longer than I thought it was going to be. I just have a lot of feelings about this show, ok?

I'm in a Supernatural mood

Need a laugh? Watch this.

Supernatural 5.03 "Free To Be You and Me"

I fail with keeping up on my Supernatural watching. I'm always catching up with episodes days late, which is a dirty shame, because this season so far has been fantastic.

I'll admit that I can be a little easy on Supernatural sometimes. I do think it really is a good show, but I also forgive it's cheesiness at times, because I love it so. But these past three episodes have been kind of, well, amazing. I think last season took a while before it hit it's stride, but this season started with a bang and kept on going.

The show is still going along with it's apocalypse storyline started from last season, but has added a whole new dimension. Not only do we have angels and demons, but we have angels who actually started the apocalypse in order for their quest for paradise, fallen angels trying to desperately fight back, Lucifer risen, a God who's missing, and Raphael and Michael the archangels making an appearance. And at the center of it all, Sam and Dean, who have been thrust right smack in the middle of this situation against their will. The show so far has found a really interesting way to introduce all of this religious mythology while still staying true to the show. There may be angels and God in this story now, but there's still rock salt, and classic rock, and Dean being sarcastic, and Sam getting into fist fights, and the Impala, and everything good about this show.

Speaking of Sam and Dean...ay carumba! Sam and Dean! They are tearing me apart here! It's maybe no great surprise that to me, the greatest part of this show is the relationship between Sam and Dean. It always has been and it always will be. Things this season are a bit tense however, and the last episode saw Sam and Dean separated and doing their own thing willingly. Dean, off with Castiel on his quest to find God, still following his path as a hunter. Sam, shamed by his role in releasing Lucifer, tries to form some semblance of a normal life, working in a bar, and lying to the people he meets about his true nature. In the end however, Sam realizes that lying about who he really is ("a freak" he calls himself), can never work, because he will always be drawn back in. Dean claims to Castiel that he's happy that Sam isn't in his life anymore, that he feels free from not having to concern himself with Sam's life, but is he really telling the truth there? With the revelation at the end of the episode that Sam is really Lucifer's vessel, and the reveal in the first episode that Dean is Michael's vessel, the show seems to be setting up a Sam vs. Dean scenario. I, however, have absolute faith that they will come together again. This show is built on the foundation that family and love will conquer all, and you know that Sam and Dean are going to realize that in the end.

For now, I'm just enjoying a super awesome season of Supernatural, that I can't wait to see where it's headed. Start watching, y'all!

Supernatural Season 5

It's really here y'all! Season 5 premiers tonight at 9 on the CW!

Kick-ass promo. No seriously, watch this promo. It's amazing:


IS THIS REAL LIFE?! Season 4 was really really good and ended on one hell of a cliffhanger. I keep telling you how good this show is. Why not try it out tonight? I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

TV Season Recap Podcast Adventure!

Ashitakas Angels Podcast #3 - Ashitakas Angels

Long time no podcast, dear readers. That's right, Mind Grapes and I decided to do another podcast. This time around, we decided to do a sweeping season recap! Exciting, I know. We basically talk about all the shows we watched (in part or in total) and give our general impressions (plus bonus haikus! yay!). Just be warned, it's a long one. So, do whatever you need to do to settle yourselves in...grab your favorite beverage, pick your favorite chair, etc., and let the beautiful yet (hopefully) entertaining chaos that is an Ashitaka's Angels podcast overtake you.

ETA: Please ignore the random musical interlude around the 4 minute mark. Don't really know what happened there. Oh yeah...we're professional.

Finale Roundup, Part 2

Some more thoughts on some recent finales.

Supernatural 4.22 "Lucifer Rising"-
Fantastic. Fan-fucking-tastic! I was a little skeptical about this finale because I wasn't too crazy about the episode prior, plus, I was unsure about the whole angel/demon war storyline brewing this season, but I really liked this. It was exciting, thought-provoking, and emotional. Supernatural generally really impresses me with its finales, and while I don't know if this was my favorite of all the seasons' finales, I found that it came together really well. So much of the show this year has been devoted to the growing rift between Sam and Dean, and while this episode exploited that a lot, it also reinforced more than any other episode this season, just how much those two really love and care for each other. I expect things might be a little tense between them next season, but there was never any doubt watching this that things will be OK between them eventually. I also thought the mytharc stuff with the 66 seals/Lillith/the angels/Chuck the prophet/Azazel was really cool. There are times that storyline turned me off this season because it was confusing, but it all made sense in the end and had a really fascinating conclusion. It's interesting that even now the show is still bringing together the mythology of Azazel and the "special children" from season 1. It's also interesting that Ruby was a bad guy all along. I was unsure how I felt about it at the time because I've always liked Ruby, but the more I think about it, the more I like it, because it finally gave Ruby something to do of importance, instead of just being Sam's "sidekick". Don't really know where they're going to go next season with Lucifer rising and all, but I'm excited about it all the same. I heard that next season might be this show's last, and while that saddens me, I'm happy that the show can go out on top. Because as of right now, it's one of the most rewarding, creative, and fun shows on television. Y'all need to start watching!

24 7.23 & 7.24 "6:00 AM- 8:00 AM"-
I haven't been blogging about 24 at all this season, but I have been watching and enjoying season 7. I didn't like this season as much as previous seasons, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that each season of 24 loses a bit of its luster. I was obsessed with 24 back in the day, and I think the first 5 seasons of the show are some of the best seasons of television ever. Season 6 however was....not good, and then the Writer's Strike made us wait 2 years for a new season, so I lost my obsession, but I think I'll still always like this show. It's just so exciting! How can you not like Jack Bauer kicking ass and taking names? Although, surprisingly, the finale made me get emotional on more than one occasion. Particularly anything with Tony. Oh Tony...I was so happy you came back, but my emotions kept getting toyed with as you went from bad to good to bad to maybe good in the end. I like that Tony was just doing everything for revenge, and that while he did extremely bad stuff, maybe he wasn't entirely evil. He also survived! Was not expecting that. Tony was, and I think always will be, my favorite character, and as such, this season was a roller coaster for me. I hope that he becomes good again and him and Jack can be best friends forever like old times! I also liked that Olivia got her comeuppance in the end, but was extremely sad for President Taylor because of it. I like her. I think she may have ended up being one of the better presidents on this show (also, was the show setting up a little Taylor/Ethan? Eh? Eh?). Overall, I liked the finale, even though I found the ending of the episode a bit strange. There wasn't a huge cliffhanger like a lot of seasons have, but a lot of little cliffhangers. That last shot with Kim and Jack was sort of anticlimactic, and we still have no idea what happened with Renee and Wilson. Still, I'll probably be watching again next season. I just can't quit this show!

Supernatural 4.18 "The Monster At the End of This Book"

Love. So much love.
Because there was no new Office or Grey's, I got to watch Supernatural live tonight! And it was glorious! The meta and in-jokes were totally spot on and hilarious! Being a fan of this show for a long time, I caught every single reference they threw out there. They even referenced the username of a person who posts at a messageboard I frequent. Crazy! Although I think my favorite part was the publisher gushing over how the best parts are when they cry, hee! It's um...kind of true.
Of course, the cool thing about this episode was the incorporation of the mytharc. I loved how they integrated everything into the episode while still making it funny. Castiel giving Dean subtle hints in order to help him was great (I think I may be in love with Castiel, seeing as how I shrieked when he came onscreen) and Chuck the prophet was awesome and hilarious. I also thought the stuff with Lillith was really intriguing and set up so much Sam goodness. Sam can be kind of scary and this episode really hit home how much he's begun to fall. I thought the Sam and Dean dynamic in this episode really worked, both their fear for each other and their anger at each other's actions. I thought that this episode was a really clever way to further the mytharc while still doing a service to the characterization.

This is why Supernatural is so awesome. I don't really write about Supernatural too much, but I always enjoy it. Always. I started watching this show at the end of its first season and I was downright obsessed with it for all of its second season and much of its third. My love isn't at quite the levels of intensity it used to be, but I still love this show for all that it is. I don't think its given enough praise at all. It's consistently funny, emotional, and scary, with two great actors and characters and tons of creativity. I've never watched a show (besides Lost) that has been so consistently daring in its storytelling. This season alone has had an episode take place entirely in the past, one that was all in black and white and featured Dracula ordering a pizza, an episode with a giant suicidal teddy bear, one entitled "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag", and one that featured an alternate reality where the two main characters were desk jockies. I'm extremely happy that the ratings this season are up and that it already got picked up for a 5th season, but I still don't think this show gets the credit it deserves. I urge anyone reading this blog to give it a try, I guarantee you'll like it!

Thursday night television recap: This sh*t just got real

The Office 5.21 "Two Weeks"-
I really liked this episode of The Office. It didn't have as many laugh out loud moments for me, but I thought it was really well written and offered up a lot of implications for the weeks to come. I totally bought that Pam would want to leave and not be a receptionist. I think they've been building that up with her character for a long time. BUT I thought it was pretty stupid that she would go with Michael of all people. She has to know there is no way he's going to get his business off the ground, right? I like that she decided to take charge, but that was also a really impulsive thing to do, and I'm not sure where they're going with it exactly. Still, I can't wait to see more, and I think that's why this episode succeeded. Also, Michael's attempts to get people to come to his company and people's rejection of said attempts allowed for some pretty funny moments, heh.

30 Rock 3.16 "Apollo, Apollo"-
Great episode! 30 Rock can be hit or miss for me sometimes, but I really enjoyed this episode. I love Jack and Liz's relationship and I think this episode highlighted it very well, while also hitting a kind of sweet emotional chord with Jack becoming a kid again. Aw. My favorite part of the episode though? Seeing the world through Kenneth's eyes. Muppets! I really do wish I could live my life like that! :)




Supernatural 4.17 "It's a Terrible Life"-
I thought this was a really nice episode. The past two weeks have been super serious and mytharc-y so it was nice to get a more lighthearted episode for change. Although, it seemed that the episode was going to be completely stand alone, and then they turned that on its head at the end. I liked that while it was a fun ep, it also connected into the mytharc somewhat, and I liked the implications behind Zachariah and trying to get Dean to buy into his destiny. My absolute favorite part of the episode however, was the return of the Ghostfacers! I don't know why, but I love them! "It's illegal in some states" "All states" "Possibly all states" LOL. I hope we get another Ghostfacers-centric episode soon!

Grey's Anatomy 5.19 "Elevator Love Letter"-



You guys! You guys you guys YOU GUYS! Listen! I actually watched the entire episode of Grey's tonight! I didn't just wait to watch YouTube clips of Kevin McKidd the next morning. I actually sat down to watch the whole episode and I'm glad I did, because um....it was pretty good. I actually thought that stupid Meredith's and stupid Derek's proposal scene was pretty sweet. But most importantly, seeing all the Cristina/Owen stuff in context just made it that much better. Dear sweet god! I kind of feel sorry for people who haven't been exposed to this couple yet. They. Are. Epic. And tragic! YOU GUYS! I am getting emotional just thinking about them. I had heard they were going to go to a dark place this episode with Owen's PTSD, but even I wasn't expecting that scene with them at the beginning. Extremely disturbing. But that scene, plus the hug scene afterward were so unbelievably well acted and emotional and ugh...they are amazing! And then the sex scene! Oh my. I don't know if I have words for that yet. It was both incredibly hot and incredibly sad all at the same time. These are two people who desperately want to be together, but can't because of things outside of their control. I thought Sandra Oh and Kevin McKidd did an amazing job this episode, and while I'm crushed they broke up, I am happy that Owen is going to get help.
Lordy, I just read over what I just wrote and I sound like a complete and utter crazy person, but I'm going to post this anyways, because people need to know how great those two are. Look at what you've turned me into, Grey's! You have turned me into a raving lunatic! I think I may need help.

Supernatural Returns

New episodes of Supernatural start up this week!

Promo for tonight's episode "Death Takes a Holiday":



Kick. Ass.

Supernatural 4.09 "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and 4.10 "Heaven and Hell"

I cannot believe how good this season of Supernatural has gotten.  I've always thought it was a good show, but this season seems to find every episode reaching even greater heights than the one's before.  It's been a while since there was a true two parter on this show.  They have cliffhangers every once and a while, but these last two episodes "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Heaven and Hell" really felt like two parts to one whole.  It's why I saved talking about "Last Summer" until I had seen both episodes, because both played off the other.  While "Last Summer" was a Sam-centric episode dealing with what Sam went through while Dean was in hell, "Heaven and Hell" was very Dean-focused, where we finally learned about his time in hell and his connection to the new demon on the block, Alastair.  There were a ton of parallels in both eps.  Sam connected and slept with the demon, Ruby, while Dean hooked up with the angel, Anna, an interesting commentary on where both boys' stories are at at the moment.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" was definitely the setup episode of the two.  We got the intro for Anna the angel whisperer, Alastair, and Castiel and Uriel bringing the vengeance.  But this episode also had some great payoff in the form of flashbacks to what Sam did while Dean was in hell.  And it wasn't pretty.  I loved this episode for the exploration into Sam's character, something which has been lacking so far this season.  His hurt, hopelessness, and grief was painful to watch and Jared played those scenes wonderfully.  I happen to be in the minority in that I love the character of Ruby, all the way from when she first appeared and was played by Katie Cassidy (who I still love better than the new girl, even though she's starting to grow on me).  So I really liked seeing how she found Sam and helped him.  I still don't know if we're supposed to fully trust Ruby or not yet, but I get the feeling from her that she really,  genuinely is in love with Sam.  That she really wants to be a "good" demon and that Sam is the only person who she feels connected with.  I bought their sex scene because it was angry and wrong and hot, and Sam was so completely at rock bottom that he just wanted to feel something, anything to take away the pain over Dean (compared to Dean and Anna's sex scene which I felt was totally unbelievable and gratuitous.  It just seemed to come out of nowhere).  Not to say I want a permanent Sam/Ruby pairing, she is a demon after all, just that I bought the scene and thought it added to the evidence of just how messed up Sam was when he lost Dean.

As far as "Heaven and Hell" goes, there were a few things I had some trouble with.  I'm not sure how much I bought Anna as a fallen angel who turned into a human or the stuff with her grace and the necklace.  I was also a little disturbed at the implication that heaven and God?  Not so great actually.  What the episode did do extremely well however, was setting up tension throughout.  The whole episode was filled with a sense of dread for both the angels and the demons coming for the Winchesters, so when both sides finally did meet, I was on the edge of my seat, heart pounding in my chest.  It's been a while since an action show like this has made me really, truly excited (I'm looking at you Heroes), and to sound undignified for a moment, I was absolutely freaking out, holy crap!  The showdown was particularly good because of all the characters involved.  I admit to absolutely loving both Castiel and Uriel.  They both bring so much to every scene they're in.  Castiel's calm sadness mixed with Uriel's aggressive bravado is so fascinating to watch, and I absolutely loved their fight scenes, especially the first one where you can really see both their personalities come through, with Uriel physically attacking both Dean and Ruby while Castiel calmly puts his fingers to Sam's forehead and knocks him out.  And then there's Alastair.  I'm always for the show adding new demons, I think they do a really good job with that side of the supernatural, and this new guy was suitably creepy.  That scene where he was torturing Ruby was really disturbing.  That actor really sold it and I totally bought that this was the head punisher of the underworld.  The big showdown ended with neither side really coming out the victor, and I liked that.  I like that Alastair presumably got to live to see another day, and that Uriel is clearly not going to forget everything that went down this episode.  And poor Castiel, he always has that conflicted, lost look on his face.  I wonder if they're leading towards him becoming a fallen angel as well.  There seems to be hints there.  

Of course, the greatest scene of either episode was the last scene of "Heaven and Hell", the boys sitting on the Impala, drinking a beer, like they've done a million times.  But this time, Dean, much like Sam in the previous episode, decided to stop keeping secrets and share what happened to him in hell.  And for those people who wonder why we're fans of the show, this is a scene I would point them to.  These emotional beats between the characters is what makes this show what it is.  Dean divulging the pain he felt over what he did in hell brought me to tears.  Much of that is due to Jensen Ackles' heartbreaking performance, but more is due to the connection we as viewers have made to Dean throughout these last 3 seasons.  We've come to know Dean almost as much as Sam does, and to see him in pain and to see Sam in pain over Dean, absolutely shattered me.  These are the moments that Supernatural does so well.  Because after everything, after the demons and the angels and everything else, this show is about the characters.  And when they cry, we cry, when they're happy, we're happy.  And it's reasons like this that I will always care about the show.  Because the show has crafted the characters in such a way that I will always, no matter what, care about Sam and Dean.

"There are only two things I like: everybody and television"

It's a Thursday night television roundup!

The Office 5.07 "Customer Survey"- Whenever you combine Jim and Dwight in any capacity, you can guarantee hilarity will ensue.  While I've been loving season 5 so far, this episode I think may have been the funniest one of the season.  Hell, the fake sales call with Jim, Dwight, and Michael may be one of my favorite scenes this show has ever done.  So funny!  I've also been slowly realizing that Kelly is one of my favorite characters.  Every scene she's in is brilliant, heh.  When watching this episode, my friends and I were commenting on how it's so nice that Jim and Pam are just being cute together and not having problems.  Then, of course, they had to end the episode with all that New York angst and I was sad again.  Mostly because, I don't know what they're going to do.  Pam can't stay in New York for the whole season, but yet, she isn't really going to want to move back to Scranton and be a receptionist again.  I don't know what's the best thing for the show to do, and it's scaring me.  I'm just going to trust the writers because they have never let me down, but Jim and Pam have a lot of decisions to make and they're not going to be easy.

 

30 Rock 3.01 "Believe in the Stars"- This episode was so much better than last week's.  I was really disappointed with the premiere, so this episode was such a relief.  I don't even know if I can go through all the funny parts of this episode because it felt like I was laughing the whole way through.  I will say though, that the amount of time Kenneth is onscreen greatly increases the likelihood that I will like an episode, and there was an abundance of Kenneth love in this episode.

Favorite quotes (besides my absolute favorite one from this ep in this post's title):

"I watched Boston Legal nine times before I realized it wasn't the new Star Trek!"

"I never get picked anyways because I wear my Princess Leia outfit"

"White people stole jazz, rock & roll, Will Smith, and heart disease!"

"I'll call you back.  I'm sitting next to Barpo!"

"Kenneth Parcel, you are one Latina fantastica." "Hola"

"Is Spongebob Squarepants supposed to be terrifying?"

Supernatural 4.08 "Wishful Thinking"- Wow, I absolutely LOVED this episode.  I'm a big fan of Ben Edlund episodes because they're always so wacky, and this one did not disappoint.  It was hilarious.  I can't even tell you how hard I laughed over everything with the little girl and her 7 foot tall, suicidal teddy bear ("Why am I here?" "FOR TEA PARTIES!") and Sam and Dean as teddy bear doctors ("lollipop disease").  But what I absolutely loved about this episode, was that even though it was funny, it was also serious, and it revealed a lot about both characters.  Hearing that what Sam would wish for most wasn't his old normal life back, but instead Lillith dead, was so interesting and telling, and to hear Dean say he remembered everything that happened in hell was surprising and horrifying and I can't believe that Dean is even functional.  But most of all, the reason why this episode was so good for me, was that it really felt like a Sam&Dean episode.  They were together in almost every scene, they were figuring things out together, sharing things together, and just being brothers.  And that, my friends,  is why I will always love this show.

9/29-10/2 Weekly Television Recap

Chuck-  Another reason why this show is so great?  They used a Flight of the Conchords song this episode.  Awesome!  As for the episode itself?  I thought it was really good.  Pretty much the same as what I come to expect from this show.  My favorite part of any episode is still Casey though (and he totally loves Chuck! Aw!).

Heroes-  I liked this episode better than last weeks overstuffed premiere.  I thought a lot of the story lines were pretty interesting.  Except Claire's.  Girl is REALLY starting to bother me.  The bank story line was OK, however I absolutely HATE what they're doing with Sylar.  If they make him at all sympathetic or try to redeem him in any way I am going to be so pissed.  I like Sylar because he's just straight up bad ass evil!  Not because he's this morally complex character!  Save evil-Sylar!

House-  I was really happy we got to learn about Taub this week instead of having Thirteen shoved down our throats like most weeks.  I actually liked his story line involving his wife too, and hope that they stay together because they both seem pretty cool (his wife was way prettier than him though).  This was probably the best episode of the season so far.  Jury's still out on the private investigator, but I thought it was cool that he found out Cuddy went to Michigan.  Shout out!

Fringe-  Walter is still the best thing about this show.  Everything he says is hilarious.  Root beer float, heh.  The lead actress still bugs which is disappointing.  Although the writing for her isn't really doing much help--Olivia is kind of a boring character.  Creepy bald guy is creepy, and I like that they've added a new mysterious villain (or is he?) to the show.  I didn't think this week's case was as good as some of the other weeks, but it seemed as though the episode was more for learning about Walter, having Peter buy into the program, and exploring the father/son relationship between the two.  Something which I'm surprisingly interested in knowing more about.  I like those two's dynamic.

Pushing Daisies- THIS SHOW IS THE MOST WONDERFUL SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF SHOWS!!!!!  I spent the entire episode with a giant grin on my face.  It is just AMAZING!  "He's stalking you" = greatest Emerson line ever, and if Lee Pace gets any adorabler I won't be able to stand it!  I LOVE THIS SHOW!

Project Runway- Wow, dudes, that was intense.  One of the most intense runway shows I've ever seen!  With the tears and the yelling and the insults.  Wonderful!  I'm a little ticked off however that Kenley wasn't eliminated.  It was so obvious that hers was the worst outfit, yet the producers want to up the drama by having someone get eliminated next episode.  Whatever.  I'm just hoping Jerell makes it to the final 3, because he's just so awesome!

Supernatural-   Mary was a hunter WTF?!  This was an awesome, awesome origin episode.  So many things were explained and in a totally meaningful way that made sense.  I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did, what with Sam being absent pretty much the entire episode, but it was...amazing.  And tragic!  It was so sad to see that Mary didn't want her children to grow up like she did.  And seeing John when he was young and cute and sweet and nothing like the hardened and bitter man we met in season one totally broke my heart.  Add that to the extremely brutal way in which Mary's parents were killed, and this was one depressing episode.  It also added a ton of questions to the mythology.  It really excites me that the yellow-eyed demon's endgame is still in effect, AND the forces of good are concerned for what's happening to Sam.  Is there a Sam vs. Dean showdown in our future? Probably.  And I'm not sure whether that makes me excited or breaks my heart.  I think both, heh.

My pick for favorite episode of the week:  Pushing Daisies!!! With Supernatural at a very close second.

Supernatural 4.01 "Lazarus Rising"

I  really just wanted to fill up this post by typing "OMG!" over and over and over again, but this blog is too classy for that.  So instead I'll actually try and coherently write out my thoughts.

If you couldn't tell, I pretty much loved this episode.  I thought it was fantastic!  Starting with the extremely creepy scene of Dean escaping from his grave, and going all the way to the ending with Castiel the ANGEL!  I never thought this show would actually go there with the angel talk.  So much of this show is filled with references to the other side: the demons, and the monsters, and all matter of evil things.  Only ever seeing the bad side, and not knowing if the good was out there on this show, was getting kind of depressing.  Because of that, I find it so refreshing that we're actually seeing the good side.    I'm extremely intrigued with the mythology they've created for the angels.  And of course, leave it to Supernatural to actually make the angels SCARY.  I find it fascinating that Castiel is SO powerful that normal mortals can't look upon his true form (or their eyes will burn out, ew).  And just why does God want Dean anyways?  What is this work they need him for?  This really, really did a good job of setting up this season.

Even with all the awesome angel stuff however, my favorite part was Sam using his powers.  I have been waiting since the show first hinted that Sam might be powerful in some way, all the way back in season 1, for him to actively bust out the powers.  And it's extremely satisfying that it finally paid off!  And that Ruby's helping him too!  Oh Sam, just what happened to you during those four months?

Other thoughts:

Sam and Dean's reunion hug was amazing!  Not gonna lie, I got a little emotional.

Also, OMG THE AMULET!  I cried at that part too.

I miss Katie Cassidy as Ruby.  I don't like this new actress as much (although I loved the twist that she really was Ruby all along).

Going along with that, are we supposed to believe that Sam and Ruby are doing it, or was that just an act?  Because if they are, that's pretty messed up, heh.

Castiel is hot (and he was totally on 24 too)!

I love Bobby.

Apparently, being in Hell does a body good. :)

Seelix from Battlestar Galactica played the demon in the diner!  That was exciting for me.

Greatest line of the episode:  "So...are you guys, like...together?"   ;)

It's CW day on Ashitaka's Angels! Part 1: Supernatural

danger...

Like my House post, I was planning on doing a "what I hope to see on this season" post for all of my shows when they premiere.  But I don't really know if I can do that for Supernatural.  Even though I like Supernatural more than House, I was able to do one for House because I have....opinions about that show.  For Supernatural, I don't really care what plot twists they throw out there, because it's come to be a show that I just straight up enjoy.  When it's on, I just...go with the flow.  I don't have any real complaints or problems with this show, I just love it.  It's a good, solid, scary, fun show that really doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

So, what do I hope to see on this season of Supernatural?  More of the same.  More of Sam and Dean and their brotherly bond.  More of the uber-creepy monsters of the week.  More of the Impala, and rock salt, and latin, and classic rock, and ghosts, and demons, etc.  

But most of all, I just want my show back! TONIGHT AT 9 ON THE CW, BITCHES!

TRAP!

As I was lounging around today, partaking in the viewing pleasure of the marvelous extras on my shiny new The Office Season 4 DVD Box Set, I came to a realization that my favorite extras on any DVD set are the gag reels.  I think it's because I'm interested in television and production, and therefore find it cool to see a sort of behind-the-scenes look of the show.  Of course, it's easy to love television gag reels, what with The Office DVDs having epic, 22 minute long gag reels that are many times as funny as the episodes themselves.  But when I thought about it, quite a few of my other favorite TV shows have AMAZING gag reels as well.  So great that I was inspired to make a post about them!  

The Office Season 3 Gag Reel:

Ok, so I couldn't actually find the entire season 3 gag reel on YouTube, but I did find this short Jim/Pam season 3 blooper that I love.  All of The Office gag reels are amazing, but there's something about season 3's that are so funny.  I think it's the Ed Helms factor.

House Season 2 Gag Reel

I'm actually surprised at how funny I find the House gag reels.  I like season 2's the best probably because of the Chase/House argument scene. :)

Supernatural Season 1 Gag Reel

All of Supernatural's gag reels are AMAZING!  So amazing that I really could have posted season 2 or season 3's and totally felt good about it.  I think they're so great because Jared and Jensen are extremely funny and natural together, which makes for hilarious hijinks.

Serenity Gag Reel

So this is cheating a little, because Serenity isn't a TV show, it's just based off of a TV show.  But while Firefly's gag reel is hilarious (especially the panning shot that Nathan Fillion keeps popping up in), the Serenity gag reel is probably the greatest I've ever seen before in my entire life.  There's a reason why I saved the best for last, and why it's the basis for the title of this post.  It's all because of Nathan Fillion too.  God, I love that man.