I Am John's Stomach Pains.

On The Precipice of Mediocrity, Teetering

Thursday, October 19, 2006

The Alien Sitting In My Home IV: Geek In Love  

When last we left our hero, he had no TiVo, lofty goals for cutting his TV watching, and no girlfriend. I still have no TiVo. The goals I placed really didn't pan out. But I do have a girlfriend, so all those worries about me not meeting someone when I'm stuck in front of my master were for naught! What does this mean for this season of TV viewing? By some chance, will I be able to cut-down my load to under 24 hours per week? Let us see...

Sunday... The calm before the storm, as our hero stocks up on the comedy-carbs needed for the journey ahead

Prologue: A Night At Home
8:30 - American Dad & Family Guy - Still some of the funniest 22 minutes on TV, and it's good to see American Dad actually beginning to surpass it's predecessor at times. BTW, if you are a fan of the shows and you haven't picked up the album Family Guy in Las Vegas, you are seriously missing out.

10:00 - Brothers & Sisters - The first new show on the agenda, and while it doesn't look like a show I'd usually enjoy, it's from Ken Olin, who I certainly enjoyed with Alias, and it's got a killer cast that certainly looks to be trolling for Emmy gold. Caught the first ep and was unimpressed, so consider it dumped.

Monday... to the surprise of our hero, he is faced with three arc-heavy shows immediately... will he (and they) survive? Plus, the subplots begin!

Arc Overload!
8:00 - Prison Break - The first season may have lagged a bit after the mid-year hiatus, but it ended strong, and the first couple episodes have kept me glued every week. As it's looking like the show is pretty much cornered into 2 seasons, I'm afraid they won't be able to get around to bringing down President Patricia Wettig, which is too bad.

9:00 - Heroes - Let's see, a TV show that's basically X-Men: Before They Were Stars? Yeah, as you can imagine, this is my new favorite show on TV at the moment. The Hiro character is easily the best, and I like how they've slowly been leaking the connections between everyone, and unlike Lost, I think they creators have a clear plan on how they connect to eachother.

10:00 - Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - A show I had high hopes for, and one I'm still watching, but at the moment, I'm unimpressed. Perry and Whitford steal the show, with Nate Corddry surprising the hell outta me. But the problem is the "comedy" just isn't funny at all. I'll stick with it, but I have a feeling it won't last the rest of the season... maybe I'll just watch my Sports Night DVDs after the show is cancelled, it's far superior.

Tape - Laughing at The Eye
8:30 - How I Met Your Mother - Only reason I watch this show is 'cause of Barney, and even then, it's starting to lose it's appeal. Oh well, not a must-watch for me, but always good for a laugh or two.

10:00 - CSI: Miami - The funniest thing about this show is how much they try and differentiate themselves from Las Vegas. This show isn't just bright, it's hyper-bright, with constant sun shots and reflections that come close to blinding the viewer. Still, I do like to watch because the murderers are so embarrassingly flamboyant in their exploits. And it's good to know that nearly every person in Miami has their DNA in a computer system that can match be matched to in less than an hour.

Tuesday... In the face of a plague of 5 stations, our hero says goodbye to a past love... but is it for good?

Dramedies Make Me Laugh Tears
8:00 - NCIS - Still missing Sasha Alexander, but Cote de Pablo's Ziva has stepped up to the plate of a good foil for Tony. The show has the ability of making me laugh without it feeling forced, and the team camaraderie feels pretty genuine. Lauren Holly still isn't doing much for me, but I can deal... the only problem I have so far this season is the unexplained (at least in my mind) animosity between Gibbs and Ducky. And for a 'season of secrets', there hasn't been much in the way of shocks so far

9:00 - Veronica Mars - Still one of the best shows on TV and y'all are still idiots for not watching *sigh*. Oh well, the show is starting strong, utilizing the college setting well off the bat, much better than Joss & Co did with Buffy S4. I find it a bit cliche that almost everyone is going to the same college, but really, that's a problem for all shows that start in high school and have to move on. Keep putting out great product Kristen Bell, and I'll forgive you for Pulse.

10:00 - Boston Legal -Spader & Shatner are still the best comedy duo on TV, and it was utter crap that neither was nominated this year. Anyway, the new additions to the cast are impressive, especially Craig Bierko, who I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to take seriously after Scary Movie 4. The show might be a bit too liberal at times for some viewers, but oh well, they can suck it. One of the coolest things about this season though is seeing multiple Star Trek actors appear on one show... Shatner, Odo, Neelix, Quark... can Brent Spiner be far behind?

Procedurals Are Good For Taping
8:00 - House - One of the few shows I can miss and not freak out, but it's always good for watch late at night. Nothing jaw-droppingly impressive about the show, but also rarely disappointing. Consider it a pallete cleanser for the arc-heavy shows to come for the rest of the week/

9:00 - L&O: Criminal Intent - Got into this Law & Order spinoff late, and it's still not a must-see, but I've come to really like the leads on the show, and the back-and-forth style of leads is unique for the viewer.

10:00 - L&O: Special Victims Unit - Still the best of all of the L&O's, and while I was afraid that the loss of Mariska for the beginning of the season would prove hard to get over, Connie Nielsen's run has been fun to follow, if a bit heavy-handed at times. Noticing an absence of Ice T that's hurting a bit, but we'll see if he gets to shine soon.

You may notice that my past love, Gilmore Girls is not included on this list. I told myself at the end of last season that I had an out because it had fallen apart so much, and I could stop watching, and it looks like I need to take it... the question is whether I'll be able to resist the temptress... so far, I have.


Wednesday... after the brutal battle with Tuesday, our hero comes faces to face with old foes, surrounded by new faces

Characterisplosion!
8:00 - Jericho - Life in a small town after a nuclear holocaust... interesting premise, but I was afraid it wouldn't be able to live up to it's potential. Thankfully, the first few eps have kept me coming back, with the cliffhanger of the U.S. retaliation of this week hooking me in for good. As with any ensemble show, there are certainly characters I could do without (Ashley Scott, you haven't made me feel any regret for Birds of Prey's cancellation), but overall it shows serious promise. I'm betting on Hawkins' evilness being a red herring, but we'll have to see. It'd be weird if the *one* minority on the show was evil.

9:00 - Lost - Still a huge fan, still addicted to every story, still completely confuzzled every Wednesday at 10:02. The premiere this season made me question many of my theories, reinforced others, and made me make up new ones (my latest: The Others are actually the descendants of the Survivors, sent back in time, ala the ST: Deep Space Nine episode Children of Time. We'll see if it will hold any credence.

10:00 - The Nine - Hasn't completely sunk it's nails into me yet, but it has me intrigued. A great cast of C-listers that I recognize from nearly every show I've ever watched also helps. I'm worried that they'll keep the events from the bank secret for too long though... I think the more interesting story to follow is the post-traumatic stress they'll feel for the next few years...

Clinging To Life
8:00 - 30 Rock - Funny so far, but on a bad night... not much more to say, other than the funny is already better than Studio 60...

10:00 - Kidnapped - Cancelled already, so wary to include it here, but Night Nurse & I both enjoyed the show alot, and will miss it... hopefully they'll air the first 13 episodes sometime.

Thursday... we come to our climax, as our hero comes to a crossroads as a sacrifice may be needed, all for the love of a woman. The Choice will be hard... which will he take?

Watch - For The Boy
8:00 - Smallville - I think the amazing thing about this show is that while there are bad episodes, the show has never lost the appeal for me... I love the story of young Superman, and the cameos of future DC characters (so far this season Jimmy Olson & Green Arrow) makes the geek in me squeal with delight. And if you've never read a recap of the show on TWoP, you are missing out on some of the funniest (not to mention Gayest) writing on the web.

9:00 - Supernatural - I've missed a few eps form this season already because of softball, but oh well, it's still a fun watch, with some impressive scares. I still think the show is missing something without a permanent female lead, but the continuous revolving door of hotties under 25 seems to work for them.

Tape 1 - For The Girl
8:30 - The Office - The funniest show on the air, hands down. I'm missing the PamiJ interaction, but hope they'll have remedied the problem by November sweeps (if they wait until February - or God forbid May - I'll be seriously pissed).

9:00 - Grey's Anatomy - Liked it, didn't like it, then got back into it when Kris and I started dating. I still hate Meredith, but I will admit she is *finally* starting to grow on me. I can do without all the McStorylines, but otherwise the show is still a good watch with my girl.

10:00 - Six Degrees - I have no idea why I'm watching this show. I do like it, but I don't know why. It doesn't seem as if it's going anywhere, and the writing is... not boring, per se, but meandering. Oh well, I won't be surprised when it's cancelled, but I'll be sad to see it go.

Tape 2 - For Both
8:00 - Survivor - ALL OUT RACE WAR! Tracey Morgan called for it on SNL years ago, and it is here! Okay, not really, but the first few eps were damn fun to watch with a group. Anyway, I haven't watched Survivor in a while, but I can say I'm enjoying this season... my pick... probably Yul, he really seems to be playing the best gate there, as does Nate...

9:00 - CSI - So last we left the show, they had given us the cliffhanger Gil & Sarah were a couple. And since then? Not a mention, aside from some little pepperings... interesting choice. There seems to be some cool character bits this season that we haven't seen too much from the show, and I hope they return to the diorama murder-mystery from the premiere.

Friday... just when our hero thinks he's done, he comes face to face with the two Wolves (Bad & Dick), and the battle for all humanity

The Wolves at The Door
8:00 - Doctor Who - Amazingly haven't been able to catch this season yet, just too busy, still, I'm looking forward to catching up.

9:00 - Battlestar Galactica - The best show on TV? Possibly. The best sci-fi show of the past decade? Easily. This show is producing some of the most visually stunning, and thematically challenging drama on TV, and their doing it on a Sci-Fi channel budget. Is the show pro-terrorism? Obviously not, but it certainly is presenting a thoughtful look at the Iraqi insurgency that many people won't like. No wonder the show won a Peabody...

10:00 - Law & Order - Almost an also-ran, I can't see the show ever ending... there are millionaires on TV now who don't even know of a world without Law & Order. Just weird. Anyway, it's always good to watch on tape while cleaning...

Saturday... in which our hero returns home, for a well-needed rest.

So what is that... just under 27 hours? That's less than 20 hours if you take out commercials. We'll just ignore Comedy Central's additional 4 hours of Stewart & Colbert... Not bad! And the good thing is that only 17 hours of that are must-see (and yes, if you're wondering, I've color-coded which in a spreadsheet).

...amazingly I spelled the word season wrong three times above, in the same fashion, as 'seanos'... funny.

Labels:

posted by Holz | 5:20 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (6)

6 Comments:

My God!! Is it really 27 hours? I find that hard to believe. I guess it is a good thing I work the PM shift at work and only catch the last half hour or so of your nightly shows (with the exception of the few you record for me). As far as having a girlfriend goes, you can thank your roomie for that. He basically made you go on the blind date with me. You didn't "find" me, I was basically found for you! :)

By Blogger Night Nurse, at 10/19/2006 9:29 PM  


Battlestar Galactica is the best. Colonel Tigh turning into a monster is fantastic. He's just limping around, one eye staring, smoking, ordering everyone to their deaths. Great acting, production, writing, the whole deal. I was cracking up when I saw that Apollo spent the last year sitting around on the couch and eating chocolate bonbons.

Jay

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/20/2006 6:18 AM  


As a Mother who needs Grandbabbies - I am thrilled with Night Nurse - thank you Kris you have raised my hopes of ever seeing John IV. Lets hope your hours never change or John will have to go into rehab for TV withdraw.

So - B.G.? this was the only TV program that your Father was addicted to that did not involve some type of ball. He was your age and thought it was the best thing he had seen since Star Trek (I)

I hope you all talk about it!

Love you AND Kris!!!

Mom

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/22/2006 9:13 PM  


I watch Survivor, Smallville, on DVD, and Lost. Good shows. I need to catch up on Smallville this season though.

By Blogger Stan, at 10/23/2006 4:27 AM  


As far as having a girlfriend goes, you can thank your roomie for that.

And I do daily :-)

He basically made you go on the blind date with me. You didn't "find" me, I was basically found for you! :)

I always said the girl for me would fall into my lap (possibly through the ceiling "leaky bathtub style" while watching TV... as it was Harry Potter that brought us together, that's closeenough for me.

Studio 60 is such a disappointment. Being that I don't have cable, the only new shows I really can rave about are Ugly Betty and Justice.

I agree that 60 hasn't lived up to the potential... they really need to get some ex-SNL writers for the sketch routines. UGly Betty held no appeal for me, and Justice, I didn't get into, b/c it was a Fox show that I thought woulda been cancelled immediately.

So - B.G.? this was the only TV program that your Father was addicted to that did not involve some type of ball.

Nope, I doubt he watches this version... it's basically the same show, except everythin that was crappy about the opriginal, they pulled out and replace with gold. So basically it's a new show :-)

I need to catch up on Smallville this season though.

I recommend searching for the eps on YouTube, there's a user who has each up before the next ep airs... it's an easy way to catch missed eps.

BTW, Night Nurse (aka Kristine above) reminded me I forgot Shark, which is quickly becoming a fave of mine. So just replace Six Degrees, which I gave up this week, and replace it with Shark.

By Blogger Holz, at 10/23/2006 9:29 AM  


gosh don't you keep up on "the office" lingo the pam jim ineraction is Jam!!

and smallville rules!

i suppose the penn state games on saturdays and nfl on sunday and monday nights count for nothing???

so 27 + 3 for psu + 12 hours of football on sunday= 42 hours!!!

and you know you watch as many of the commercials as you can.

oh, and is my blah-g a grandbaby blog, since you got stan started and he got me?

By Blogger daveT, at 10/24/2006 4:31 AM  


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Right Now I'm Probably...
Watching:
Lost, Heroes, 24, Criminal Minds
Listening:
Brobdingnagian Bards
Reading:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Playing:
Final Fantasy XII
Eating:
Healthy...er
Doing:
Running... hopefully
Wishing:
My Amazon.com Wish List
Comic Quote of the Week
"It's trying to end the suffering of everything. Do you want to discuss our options? Maybe together we can, you know, workshop?"

"Okay, best way to stop a ten-story godlike monster from destroying existence? I'm gonna go with hitting, you have anything?"

"You took mine."


Wesley and Angel, Angel: After The Fall #15



Who Am I?
Name: Holz
Home: Sonoma County, California
About Me: I'm a comfortador.
See my complete profile

AKA:
Ozymandias, DrOzymandias, Darth Angelus, Darque Feonix, Trip McNeely
Kicking ass for:
29 years
Job:
UWing Systems Design Specialist
Walking Theme:
Believe It Or Not by Joey Scarbury
Most watched movie:
The Princess Bride
Most read book:
The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King


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Blogs I Will Most Likely Steal Ideas From
The Past
Some of My Favorite Entries
"Let a man get away with fuckin' you once, you stay bent over so's he can fuck you again whenever he damn well pleases. An' if one man can do it? Another will too. An' another, an' another still. So's being fucked, that's yer life. 'Til who you were, you ain't. 'Cause all you are is an asshole."
100 Bullets #42