In our culture, there's the archetype of the Nice Guy. A guy who's kind and helpful and supportive and reliable. He's kind of boring but still an ideal and there just doesn't seem to be any of his kind around anymore. Then there's the men who fancy themselves to be the "Nice Guys". The guys who try to get the girl by being there for them and being their friend and being nice. The guys who grumble when the girls aren't interested in them and complain that "girls just don't want nice guys", as if the girl owes them for being nice. Their niceness has expectations and strings attached and completely ignores that maybe the girl they're after has a right to choose whoever she wants. It's the dark side of being the "nice guy" and something that was explored to great effect in Cactus, an episode of Man Seeking Woman that aired a couple weeks back.
Back Up. What's Man Seeking Woman?
Man Seeking Woman is a half-hour comedy on FXX (FX's comedy-centric station) currently on it's second season. If you're in Canada like me, you can find season 1 on Shomi. Created by Simon Rich and starring Jay Baruchel, it's an incredibly surrealist show about Josh Greenberg (Baruchel), a 20-something guy going through life trying to get by and looking for love, along with his womanizing best bro Mike (Eric Andre), and his sister Liz. Each episode contains a series of semi-connected sketches of a regular dating or life situation (Your ex is dating the worst person in the world but no one sees it, going to a destination wedding in a bad locale, spending time with your S.O.'s closest friends when you don't know them that well), and blows them up to absurdist extremes (The ex is dating an elderly Hitler, the wedding is literally in Hell, Josh's girlfriend and his friends lived through a slasher movie and keep going back to the cabin where the undead lumberjack is waiting). These heightened situations are presented as actually happening and are played totally straight by everyone involved, as if Japanese Penis monsters and war counsels on how to send a girl the perfect text were everyday things. Loosely serialized narratives run throughout the season (season 1 had Josh trying to get over or get back with his ex, while season 2 has him fall for Rosa (Rosa Salazar), a girl at his work), but the episodes essentially stand alone. It's not a perfect show by any means. The nature of it means if something doesn't work or you don't like a particular idea, you're stuck with it for 5 to 7 minutes until the next thing. Putting it all through Josh's worldview also means that sometimes the woman characters aren't well-defined beyond objects of Josh's desire (Though the show has been taking more steps to correct this as it's gone on and will shake things up from time to time with a "Woman Seeking Man" episode that follows Liz or Rosa and shows their perspective). But when the show works, it really, really works and Cactus was a highlight of a season that hit a lot more times than it missed.
So What Went Down?
Cactus kicks off with Josh bringing Rosa a coffee with extra soy (which she likes) and discovering she has broken up with her longtime boyfriend (who was literally Jesus in the complete opposite of the Hitler scenario). Josh comforts her, while trying to hide the fact that his body is trying to dance for joy. He has liked her for a while now and finally has his chance to make a move. He reassure his sister they are soulmates "Rosa loves coffee. I love getting her coffee. Rosa loves Juno Diaz. I, for a long time, have really wanted to read something by him or her". He goes onto say how he knows Rosa isn't "flashy like the Maxim Magazine type that most guys are into" but that's kind of what he loves about her. It's like he's "the only one who can see how special she is". It's a sentiment straight out of a terrible Rom-Com and it immediately gets debunked when he runs into a massive line of guys waiting to ask her out, all of whom are "the only one who can see how special she is". Josh might love Rosa, but he's not the only one and their connection wasn't unique. Except for one thing. Josh is able to bypass the line by informing the bouncer that he's "a friend". After this is vetted by security, he's allowed through where he uses his status as her friend to offer to help her move out of her ex-boyfriend's house.
So he helps her move, despite not really being that good at it and getting poked many times by Rosa's cactus (both the episodes title and a metaphor for all Josh is doing for a chance with Rosa). They bond a bit over their shared love of Must Love Dogs, which coincidentally comes on the television as Josh is about to leave (though neither one really wants him to.). So they sit to just watch the first bit. A while in though, they're still watching and getting very close. That's when the movie is pre-empted for a news report announcing an asteroid is going to wipe out the earth in 7 minutes and everyone needs to stay where they are and make the most of their time. Josh hems and haws, even as the newscasters start making out and Rosa seems to be giving every indication she wants Josh to make a move. So as the asteroid barrels toward earth he goes to kiss her. And then she turns him down. It's not a horrible rejection. She apologizes for giving him that impression. She tells him he's so great but she wants to be his friend so bad (which is the highest level of intimacy). It's not the end of the world (literally as the asteroid gets destroyed at the last minute). But it's still a rejection and now Josh is left to his own self-pity to deal with it.
This is when nice guy syndrome kicks in and the episode goes from fine to something I haven't been able to stop thinking about weeks after air. Josh vents to his friend Mike about how not fair this is. He put in the man hours, got her coffee, listened to her relationship problems, and helped her move. What more does she want? He concludes that girls just don't want to date nice guys and wishes there was a law that would make girls date the guy who's nicest to them. This is an obviously terrible idea that would completely ignore and reject the girl's feelings and ability to make her own decision but it sticks in Josh's head and he goes off to State supreme court to plead his case to a group of judges. The judges (nearly all of whom are men) agree with Josh. It seems reasonable and the girl would get something out of it: they'd get to date a nice guy. The one dissenter is a female judge, but her comments about how absurd this all is and how the law doesn't work like this keep on getting condescendingly dismissed and ignored with a "That's a good point, Louise". The "nice law" is passed and from now "if a guy is really, really nice to you, he gets to be your boyfriend". A victory has been won for superficially nice guys who think they should be rewarded for basic human decency everywhere. Josh walks out into a world where men can enter a relationship on the flimsiest of pretences and it's beautiful. For men anyway.
Then things take a turn. Josh is let into his apartment building by a homeless man, who he thanks while he attempts to reach Rosa. The homeless man (Kevin Mcdonald) follows Josh to tell him he's welcome and get confirmation that what he did was "very nice". Then he follows the law and unzips his pants. After all, "if a guy's nice to you, he gets to be your boyfriend". Josh tries to explain to the homeless man whose name is Chainsaw that's he's gotten the law confused. Josh made the law because there was a girl named Rosa who he was very nice to who he really liked. Chainsaw counters that he was very nice to Josh and he really likes Josh. So Josh tells Chainsaw that he seems nice but he thinks they'd be better off as "just friends". It's then Josh gets it. Just because he was nice to Rosa doesn't mean she has to sleep with him. She can sleep with or not sleep with whomever she wants and Josh just has to live with it. Josh might be a nice guy most of the time, but he hasn't been a very empathetic one. It's taken him being put on the other side of his own law for him to get it. Chainsaw thinks he's really learned something, as do the police. Of course that doesn't mean Josh gets to escape the consequences of his actions. Repealing a law is a lengthy process so until it's official, Josh resigns himself to dating Chainsaw.
By the time this happens, Josh and Chainsaw have settled into an odd kind of domestic bliss, but Josh takes the first out he gets (Though he agrees to attend the wedding they've already RSVP'd to as friends.). And it's given him enough time to be friends with Rosa again. Actual friends this time with no strings or expectations attached. He probably isn't completely over Rosa (the episodes end has sparks fly between her and Mike, which will cause issues with Josh for the rest of the season) but he's done trying to control her feelings. He's seeing her as an actual person for once. He still has a lot of growing to do as a person, but this is a nice start.
Monday, 14 March 2016
Monday, 7 March 2016
You Should Really Watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Yo!
Some shows are easy to describe. A tight-knit group of friends go through life together. A mock documentary captures day-to-day life of workers in an office and their immature boss. Law enforcement of some kind stops criminals of some kind. A group of people crash on a mysterious island where they wind up in the ultimate battle of good and evil (Ok, Lost is a bit more complicated than that). Other shows defy that kind of simple description and make it harder to pin down why they're so appealing. Like The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a musical comedy in the middle of it's first (and hopefully not last) season which is one of my favourite shows currently airing. It's possible to sum up the premise in a sentence but there's so much more to it than that.
So What Is It About? And That Title's Supposed To Be Ironic, Right?
Yes, the title's ironic. Even the theme song points out it's a "sexist term". That theme song (embedded above) probably does the best job of summing up the premise, while also showing off a bit of the show's tongue-in-cheek tone, female perspective, and musical ambitions, but I'll give it a shot. Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom, who also co-created the show) is a hardworking New York lawyer who is very accomplished, but very miserable and depressed. One day she runs into Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), her one-time boyfriend from summer camp 10 years ago, which was maybe the last time she was truly happy. She learns he's about to move back from New York to his hometown of West Covina, California but he tells her to hit him up if she's ever in SoCal. Following this encounter, she impulsively quits her job, moves to West Covina, and gets a new job at a small, local law firm. But she didn't move there for Josh, as she repeatedly attests in West Covina, the first of many musical numbers on the show.
From this starting point, a lot of things happen. Rebecca befriends Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin), a paralegal at her firm who becomes Rebecca's confidante, champion, and enabler in her pursuit of Josh (not that Rebecca will admit a pursuit), living vicariously through Rebecca to avoid confronting how dissatisfying her home life has become. She connects with Josh and they become friends, despite the disapproval of Josh's long time girlfriend Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz). Inserting herself into Josh's life also leads her to meet and bond with Josh's best friend Greg (Santino Fontana), an embittered bartender who can't help but fall for Rebecca, even as he becomes increasingly wary of her and her intentions. Also pulled into Rebecca's orbit are Darryl (Pete Gardner), her affable boss who is going through a divorce, and Heather (Vella Lovell), her cool, young, apathetic neighbour who can't help but be fascinated by Rebecca and her erratic behaviour.
So Why Do You Like This Show So Much?
Well for starters, it's surprisingly deep and complex. A musical comedy about a woman who follows her old ex-boyfriend across the country in an attempt to be happy doesn't seem like a sustainable premise for a ongoing TV show beyond a few episodes but the show makes it work by not being afraid to explore the full implications of that premise. What Rebecca's doing isn't healthy human behaviour and the show knows it, and isn't afraid to have people (including Dr. Phil at one point in a surprisingly great guest spot) call her on it, but it also doesn't judge her and has total empathy for why she's the way she is and why she does the things she does. Rebecca isn't just some wacky one-dimensional cartoon person. She has real issues in her past thanks to her overbearing, overcritical mother and her father walking out on her when she was young. She struggles with depression (continuing a nice trend right now of interesting and nuanced portrayals of depression on television) and self-hatred, among other things and you can see why a remembrance from a time when she was happy might cause her to take such drastic action.
The supporting characters also aren't just props solely around to bolster Rebecca's story. They all have real depth (even Valencia eventually) and lives of their own. Greg wants to go back to school but feels obliged to take care of his sick father. Paula has her marriage problems and is tempted by one of the firm's clients. Darryl starts to discover new things about himself following his divorce. Heather dates Greg for a bit, opening herself up. Even Josh, who initially seems like just a nice guy who's not too bright or ambitious and not right for Rebecca, starts to gain more depth and shading as we start to realize why he actually might be what Rebecca needs right now.
The music is super great too. Every episode feature around 2-3 songs, of a full variety of musical styles, Broadway and otherwise (I'll share some of my faves in a separate section.). The songs, depicted as taking place in the heads of the characters (usually Rebecca, but also the other characters from time to time) rarely advance the plot, but will usually either provide great insight into the characters or provide great satirical commentary on society, the style of song getting spoofed, or both. "The Sexy Getting Ready Song", for instance is a club song that depicts the great lengths women go to to get ready in full, unglamorous detail. "I Love My Daughter (But Not In A Creepy Way)" looks at those Country songs about fathers and daughters and how weird they can get. "Put Yourself First" is a Pussycat Dolls or Fifth Harmony style number about the mixed messaging those groups can have about being empowered, while still trying to get the guys attention. On the character and plot side of things though, "Settle For Me", is an old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-style musical number where Rebecca envisions Greg imploring her to settle. "Cold Showers" is a Music Man-style number where Rebecca manipulates people and sensationalizes a small issue as part of a scheme to spend time with Josh. And "You Stupid Bitch" is a heart-wrenching ballad as Rebecca sings about the depths of her self-hatred to an imaginary audience, who happily cheers it on and sings along. In true musical style, songs will also reprise themselves too, some in the episode they first appeared, but some several episodes later when you least expect it.
Lastly, the show is incredibly well-written and super funny in all aspects. Even at it's most heart-breaking (You Stupid Bitch), there's a clever line that'll have you smiling. The world of West Covina is a heightened place and there's a bunch of great minor and one-off characters from White Josh (a friend of Josh and Greg's who becomes more complex than he first appeared), to mute paralegal Mrs. Hernandez, to the rapper from the Sexy Getting Ready Song, who is so traumatized from what he saw, he decides to go "apologize to some bitches". The theme song is often expertly deployed after a character wonders why Rebecca is there or where she came from. The post-episode tags often take some throwaway joke from the episode (wondering what a Vampire Weekend is, a probate judge calling for a wildly inappropriate police escort) into comedy gold. Even the butter slogan that plays a part in Rebecca's move to West Covina (When Was The Last Time You Were Truly Happy?) turns into an incredible joke when you discover what motivated the copywriter to come up with that slogan (that in itself has become a running gag that becomes funnier every time it comes up).
So in the end, all of those elements I've mentioned above (and plenty I probably haven't. I don't think I even mentioned how Rachel Bloom won a Golden Globe for her performance as Rebecca) all add up to create a uniquely delightful television experience that engages and amuses me every week. If any of what I have written above appeals to you at all, you should definitely check it out. And if you need more convincing...
Obligatory Song Section
Sometimes seeing is believing. I was going to seed these songs throughout my post more organically but I decided saving most of them for the end is best. This is a selection of songs I think help capture the show's appeal. So here we go:
First is "Feeling Kinda Naughty", a song from early on when Rebecca is trying to befriend Valencia. It starts as a pop song in the vein of "I Kissed A Girl" or "Cool For The Summer", before taking on a much more sinister turn as Rebecca's obsession takes a dark turn.
Next is the aforementioned Settle For Me, presented in black and white for that authentic touch.
Then there's "I'm A Good Person", which is from a time when Greg calls Rebecca a bad person and she goes to great lengths to prove to him that isn't true.
Then there's "Textmergency", a hair band number from a group of people who get caught up in Rebecca's drama when she sends Josh an incredibly compromising text message in a later episode.
Lastly, there's "You Stupid Bitch", which is definitely one of the most heart-wrenching things I've seen on television this year so far.
So that's just a taste. This show just keeps getting better and better with every episode and with luck, it'll hopefully be around for a while at least. So check it out, yo!
So What Is It About? And That Title's Supposed To Be Ironic, Right?
Yes, the title's ironic. Even the theme song points out it's a "sexist term". That theme song (embedded above) probably does the best job of summing up the premise, while also showing off a bit of the show's tongue-in-cheek tone, female perspective, and musical ambitions, but I'll give it a shot. Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom, who also co-created the show) is a hardworking New York lawyer who is very accomplished, but very miserable and depressed. One day she runs into Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), her one-time boyfriend from summer camp 10 years ago, which was maybe the last time she was truly happy. She learns he's about to move back from New York to his hometown of West Covina, California but he tells her to hit him up if she's ever in SoCal. Following this encounter, she impulsively quits her job, moves to West Covina, and gets a new job at a small, local law firm. But she didn't move there for Josh, as she repeatedly attests in West Covina, the first of many musical numbers on the show.
From this starting point, a lot of things happen. Rebecca befriends Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin), a paralegal at her firm who becomes Rebecca's confidante, champion, and enabler in her pursuit of Josh (not that Rebecca will admit a pursuit), living vicariously through Rebecca to avoid confronting how dissatisfying her home life has become. She connects with Josh and they become friends, despite the disapproval of Josh's long time girlfriend Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz). Inserting herself into Josh's life also leads her to meet and bond with Josh's best friend Greg (Santino Fontana), an embittered bartender who can't help but fall for Rebecca, even as he becomes increasingly wary of her and her intentions. Also pulled into Rebecca's orbit are Darryl (Pete Gardner), her affable boss who is going through a divorce, and Heather (Vella Lovell), her cool, young, apathetic neighbour who can't help but be fascinated by Rebecca and her erratic behaviour.
So Why Do You Like This Show So Much?
Well for starters, it's surprisingly deep and complex. A musical comedy about a woman who follows her old ex-boyfriend across the country in an attempt to be happy doesn't seem like a sustainable premise for a ongoing TV show beyond a few episodes but the show makes it work by not being afraid to explore the full implications of that premise. What Rebecca's doing isn't healthy human behaviour and the show knows it, and isn't afraid to have people (including Dr. Phil at one point in a surprisingly great guest spot) call her on it, but it also doesn't judge her and has total empathy for why she's the way she is and why she does the things she does. Rebecca isn't just some wacky one-dimensional cartoon person. She has real issues in her past thanks to her overbearing, overcritical mother and her father walking out on her when she was young. She struggles with depression (continuing a nice trend right now of interesting and nuanced portrayals of depression on television) and self-hatred, among other things and you can see why a remembrance from a time when she was happy might cause her to take such drastic action.
The supporting characters also aren't just props solely around to bolster Rebecca's story. They all have real depth (even Valencia eventually) and lives of their own. Greg wants to go back to school but feels obliged to take care of his sick father. Paula has her marriage problems and is tempted by one of the firm's clients. Darryl starts to discover new things about himself following his divorce. Heather dates Greg for a bit, opening herself up. Even Josh, who initially seems like just a nice guy who's not too bright or ambitious and not right for Rebecca, starts to gain more depth and shading as we start to realize why he actually might be what Rebecca needs right now.
The music is super great too. Every episode feature around 2-3 songs, of a full variety of musical styles, Broadway and otherwise (I'll share some of my faves in a separate section.). The songs, depicted as taking place in the heads of the characters (usually Rebecca, but also the other characters from time to time) rarely advance the plot, but will usually either provide great insight into the characters or provide great satirical commentary on society, the style of song getting spoofed, or both. "The Sexy Getting Ready Song", for instance is a club song that depicts the great lengths women go to to get ready in full, unglamorous detail. "I Love My Daughter (But Not In A Creepy Way)" looks at those Country songs about fathers and daughters and how weird they can get. "Put Yourself First" is a Pussycat Dolls or Fifth Harmony style number about the mixed messaging those groups can have about being empowered, while still trying to get the guys attention. On the character and plot side of things though, "Settle For Me", is an old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-style musical number where Rebecca envisions Greg imploring her to settle. "Cold Showers" is a Music Man-style number where Rebecca manipulates people and sensationalizes a small issue as part of a scheme to spend time with Josh. And "You Stupid Bitch" is a heart-wrenching ballad as Rebecca sings about the depths of her self-hatred to an imaginary audience, who happily cheers it on and sings along. In true musical style, songs will also reprise themselves too, some in the episode they first appeared, but some several episodes later when you least expect it.
Lastly, the show is incredibly well-written and super funny in all aspects. Even at it's most heart-breaking (You Stupid Bitch), there's a clever line that'll have you smiling. The world of West Covina is a heightened place and there's a bunch of great minor and one-off characters from White Josh (a friend of Josh and Greg's who becomes more complex than he first appeared), to mute paralegal Mrs. Hernandez, to the rapper from the Sexy Getting Ready Song, who is so traumatized from what he saw, he decides to go "apologize to some bitches". The theme song is often expertly deployed after a character wonders why Rebecca is there or where she came from. The post-episode tags often take some throwaway joke from the episode (wondering what a Vampire Weekend is, a probate judge calling for a wildly inappropriate police escort) into comedy gold. Even the butter slogan that plays a part in Rebecca's move to West Covina (When Was The Last Time You Were Truly Happy?) turns into an incredible joke when you discover what motivated the copywriter to come up with that slogan (that in itself has become a running gag that becomes funnier every time it comes up).
So in the end, all of those elements I've mentioned above (and plenty I probably haven't. I don't think I even mentioned how Rachel Bloom won a Golden Globe for her performance as Rebecca) all add up to create a uniquely delightful television experience that engages and amuses me every week. If any of what I have written above appeals to you at all, you should definitely check it out. And if you need more convincing...
Obligatory Song Section
Sometimes seeing is believing. I was going to seed these songs throughout my post more organically but I decided saving most of them for the end is best. This is a selection of songs I think help capture the show's appeal. So here we go:
First is "Feeling Kinda Naughty", a song from early on when Rebecca is trying to befriend Valencia. It starts as a pop song in the vein of "I Kissed A Girl" or "Cool For The Summer", before taking on a much more sinister turn as Rebecca's obsession takes a dark turn.
Next is the aforementioned Settle For Me, presented in black and white for that authentic touch.
Then there's "Textmergency", a hair band number from a group of people who get caught up in Rebecca's drama when she sends Josh an incredibly compromising text message in a later episode.
Lastly, there's "You Stupid Bitch", which is definitely one of the most heart-wrenching things I've seen on television this year so far.
So that's just a taste. This show just keeps getting better and better with every episode and with luck, it'll hopefully be around for a while at least. So check it out, yo!
Saturday, 5 March 2016
Rebirth?
Previously On Kenny Sage Talks TV, Yo!...
Once upon a time there was a guy who loved TV, watched a lot of it, loved reading about TV, read about a lot of it, and who had way too much time on his hands. So he decided to start a blog where he would talk about TV and try to review it, like all those websites he read. And it was fine at first. He enjoyed it. Even early on, when his computer access became very limited through unforeseen circumstances he kept at it. Until he stopped.
Why? A combination of factors. Trying to do too much with too little and not being super great at thinking critically at the time, which led to not being happy with the quality of the work (you can read the archives before this post if you want, but I can't imagine why you would want to do that to yourself. It's largely terrible and doesn't really reach past fine), which led to increasingly not enjoying the work which led to stopping. Because if the enjoyment wasn't there, why do it? It was something he was doing just for fun and it wasn't fun anymore, So he stopped. But he kept watching TV and thinking about it and reading about it and talking about it to anyone who also cared about TV. And then he started wondering what could have been if he had just stayed with his blog. If he had cut down on coverage and kept playing with the format but kept writing, would he have found his voice? Would he start enjoying it again? If he started writing again, could he actually stay with it this time? He could never learn the answer to those first two questions. The third one though was a different story.
Which brings us to here. And the losing of that 3rd-person device (you're welcome). I've decided to start writing about TV again and this time, I hoping to not suddenly stop 8 months in (except for the summer, when I'll actually be off doing things that aren't watching TV. Updates will be minimal then.). I've decided to revive the old blog because it already exists and I don't want to sweep my old failures under the rug. I want to embrace them and hope that'll make me a better writer. That being said, I am not going back to any of my old formats. I'm going to be retooling things to make this easier to manage.
How? Well I'm probably not going to do weekly recaps. I might talk about a particular episode of something I really enjoyed but I don't want to feel constrained to do that every week, especially if I don't have much to say about it. What I am hoping to do is talk about shows I like in general. Shows that I think more people should be watching. I want to really go into why I like these shows so much and find things about these shows that might appeal to others. I'll mostly talk about shows currently airing (or streaming in the case of something like a Netflix show), but also hopefully older ones or more obscure ones (I know the world is clamouring for an entry about Danger 5). I also really want to talk about random episodes of TV I really like. Other than that, who knows? I'm keeping my options open. Maybe I'll even talk about non-TV things (how crazy would that be?).
All I know for sure is I want to start again. So whether you're an old reader (did I even have old readers? Never really figured that one out) or new, I hope you'll take this journey with me. Until I quit again. Just kidding. I hope.
Once upon a time there was a guy who loved TV, watched a lot of it, loved reading about TV, read about a lot of it, and who had way too much time on his hands. So he decided to start a blog where he would talk about TV and try to review it, like all those websites he read. And it was fine at first. He enjoyed it. Even early on, when his computer access became very limited through unforeseen circumstances he kept at it. Until he stopped.
Why? A combination of factors. Trying to do too much with too little and not being super great at thinking critically at the time, which led to not being happy with the quality of the work (you can read the archives before this post if you want, but I can't imagine why you would want to do that to yourself. It's largely terrible and doesn't really reach past fine), which led to increasingly not enjoying the work which led to stopping. Because if the enjoyment wasn't there, why do it? It was something he was doing just for fun and it wasn't fun anymore, So he stopped. But he kept watching TV and thinking about it and reading about it and talking about it to anyone who also cared about TV. And then he started wondering what could have been if he had just stayed with his blog. If he had cut down on coverage and kept playing with the format but kept writing, would he have found his voice? Would he start enjoying it again? If he started writing again, could he actually stay with it this time? He could never learn the answer to those first two questions. The third one though was a different story.
Which brings us to here. And the losing of that 3rd-person device (you're welcome). I've decided to start writing about TV again and this time, I hoping to not suddenly stop 8 months in (except for the summer, when I'll actually be off doing things that aren't watching TV. Updates will be minimal then.). I've decided to revive the old blog because it already exists and I don't want to sweep my old failures under the rug. I want to embrace them and hope that'll make me a better writer. That being said, I am not going back to any of my old formats. I'm going to be retooling things to make this easier to manage.
How? Well I'm probably not going to do weekly recaps. I might talk about a particular episode of something I really enjoyed but I don't want to feel constrained to do that every week, especially if I don't have much to say about it. What I am hoping to do is talk about shows I like in general. Shows that I think more people should be watching. I want to really go into why I like these shows so much and find things about these shows that might appeal to others. I'll mostly talk about shows currently airing (or streaming in the case of something like a Netflix show), but also hopefully older ones or more obscure ones (I know the world is clamouring for an entry about Danger 5). I also really want to talk about random episodes of TV I really like. Other than that, who knows? I'm keeping my options open. Maybe I'll even talk about non-TV things (how crazy would that be?).
All I know for sure is I want to start again. So whether you're an old reader (did I even have old readers? Never really figured that one out) or new, I hope you'll take this journey with me. Until I quit again. Just kidding. I hope.
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