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proggrrlSo I am catching up on all the magic my DVR has been storing up for me for the past few weeks, including the late summer shows and the newest preems for the fall. Time to dump a week and a half’s worth of TV absorption on y’all…enjoy. Here is part one...OF FOUR. *g*
CALIFORNICATION – The subject line quote for this post is a line from the 9/10 episode, during one of the more beautifully-written breakup scenes I’ve witnessed in a long, long time. In any medium.
I’m not one to read tons of TV reviews, so all I’ve seen is Mo Ryan’s dislike of the show – mainly because she finds the sexy-loser-that-women-can’t-resist mode tiresome, and questions why any woman would go for a guy like Hank in this day and age.
Yet the show itself answers this question so well: Hank is the quintessential Woman’s Man. This show is treading much of the same ground as a 1981 film by Federico Fellini called CITY OF WOMEN (here's a clip). We have a man here who adores women, there is a never-ending parade of them as Hank hangs on for dear life as female tides rise and flow, tossing him over the side and into the drink. Yet women, and life, are ultimately a complete mystery to Hank.
The scenes with Hank and his daughter Becca are so sweet – yet by the second to last ep, she’s basically telling her dad to frak off. Meanwhile, women and their needs dictate every decision Hank makes, every time he lets someone down, even which side of the bed (or floor) he will wake up on any given morning (or afternoon). The other guys on this show are barely half the man that Hank is – although I do adore his manager Charlie (played so well by Evan Handler, who I haven’t seen since SEX AND THE CITY). Sidenote: that SuicideGirls tattoo on the horny secretary may be the best product placement since…well…probably since a gifted Tivo box was used as foreplay on TELL ME YOU LOVE ME. But I digress.
Hank is a loveable loser, with a penchant for words (his mockery of netspeak “LOL” and so forth was priceless), a reluctant blogger….as his newest mystery chick from last week says, Hank is “an analog guy living in the digital age.” The show is trying to deal with that tension, as well as two other big ones: what does a slacker womanizing novelist do in Hollywood nowadays, with women being so MODERN? And, when will Hank and Karen ever get back together? I’m crossing my fingers. The finale is coming soon, and I will miss this frank, raunchy, sweet little show. It makes me laugh out loud. And sometimes the writing makes me swoon. I’m thrilled this got renewed.
TORCHWOOD – I’m hanging in there. It’s not great, but it is GOOD. Being that I was never a big X FILES fan, that aspect of the series is not making me any more excited. Any of you out there who are fans, you will definitely enjoy this show. What is drawing me in is novice Torchwood staffer Gwen and her huge eyes. And her Captain Jack (and Owen, a bit). The show’s adult, gritty feel has me hooked for now. This may have to go over the side later in October when my DVR is so bogged down it can hardly stay afloat.
SAVING GRACE – This, CALIFORNICATION and MAD MEN are the three new summer shows I insist you take a look at.
The season finale (of only 8 eps! *sniff*) was as much a delight as the rest. I love Holly Hunter, and this show was a great little summer surprise for me – it was a shock how much I enjoyed it, seeing as my remote rarely rests on TNT for more than 30 seconds at a time. The promos say TNT is re-running the entire series again now on Monday nights – you MUST try it.
Hunter is a ball-busting, hard-drinking, sexed up little firecracker, with a gaggle of tough cops all in love with her and the prerequisite messed up family. Laura San Giacomo is delightful as her equally wise(-cracking) pal at the coroner’s office. They solve lots of crimes, natch. Oh there’s also an angel, and plenty of talk about redemption. Cannot wait for next season.
I’m not one to read tons of TV reviews, so all I’ve seen is Mo Ryan’s dislike of the show – mainly because she finds the sexy-loser-that-women-can’t-resist mode tiresome, and questions why any woman would go for a guy like Hank in this day and age.
Yet the show itself answers this question so well: Hank is the quintessential Woman’s Man. This show is treading much of the same ground as a 1981 film by Federico Fellini called CITY OF WOMEN (here's a clip). We have a man here who adores women, there is a never-ending parade of them as Hank hangs on for dear life as female tides rise and flow, tossing him over the side and into the drink. Yet women, and life, are ultimately a complete mystery to Hank.
The scenes with Hank and his daughter Becca are so sweet – yet by the second to last ep, she’s basically telling her dad to frak off. Meanwhile, women and their needs dictate every decision Hank makes, every time he lets someone down, even which side of the bed (or floor) he will wake up on any given morning (or afternoon). The other guys on this show are barely half the man that Hank is – although I do adore his manager Charlie (played so well by Evan Handler, who I haven’t seen since SEX AND THE CITY). Sidenote: that SuicideGirls tattoo on the horny secretary may be the best product placement since…well…probably since a gifted Tivo box was used as foreplay on TELL ME YOU LOVE ME. But I digress.
Hank is a loveable loser, with a penchant for words (his mockery of netspeak “LOL” and so forth was priceless), a reluctant blogger….as his newest mystery chick from last week says, Hank is “an analog guy living in the digital age.” The show is trying to deal with that tension, as well as two other big ones: what does a slacker womanizing novelist do in Hollywood nowadays, with women being so MODERN? And, when will Hank and Karen ever get back together? I’m crossing my fingers. The finale is coming soon, and I will miss this frank, raunchy, sweet little show. It makes me laugh out loud. And sometimes the writing makes me swoon. I’m thrilled this got renewed.
TORCHWOOD – I’m hanging in there. It’s not great, but it is GOOD. Being that I was never a big X FILES fan, that aspect of the series is not making me any more excited. Any of you out there who are fans, you will definitely enjoy this show. What is drawing me in is novice Torchwood staffer Gwen and her huge eyes. And her Captain Jack (and Owen, a bit). The show’s adult, gritty feel has me hooked for now. This may have to go over the side later in October when my DVR is so bogged down it can hardly stay afloat.
SAVING GRACE – This, CALIFORNICATION and MAD MEN are the three new summer shows I insist you take a look at.
The season finale (of only 8 eps! *sniff*) was as much a delight as the rest. I love Holly Hunter, and this show was a great little summer surprise for me – it was a shock how much I enjoyed it, seeing as my remote rarely rests on TNT for more than 30 seconds at a time. The promos say TNT is re-running the entire series again now on Monday nights – you MUST try it.
Hunter is a ball-busting, hard-drinking, sexed up little firecracker, with a gaggle of tough cops all in love with her and the prerequisite messed up family. Laura San Giacomo is delightful as her equally wise(-cracking) pal at the coroner’s office. They solve lots of crimes, natch. Oh there’s also an angel, and plenty of talk about redemption. Cannot wait for next season.
