Revolution...Revolving

I started off really being interested in the whole concept of NBC's Revolution. I loved the idea of a world without power and technology. I liked the idea of bows and arrows, swords and knives. I bought into the Monroe Militia ruling everything. I also liked the journey of our characters venturing out in this world.

Then the 2nd half of season 1 happened...and it was all going great with flashbacks and Rachel on the loose. But the last few episodes have taken away a lot of the things that were great about the show in the first place. They found power way too easy...and then found the Georgia Federation. Which was a crazy cilvilized world with fancy clothes....and now they have all the guns they need. - What happened to the ammo shortage?!
I'm loving the Rachel and her quest to get to the tower with Aaron. Aaron being in this 'journal' is a little weird, but not completely crazy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the show. I love Miles, Rachel, Aaron, Monroe, and even Charlie has grown on me now that she's not pouting so much.
But they seem to have lost the history. They have stopped including flashbacks, of how our characters got to where we found them at the start of the season. One of the biggest questions I have is why Miles left the Militia. Because that seemed to be important once upon a time. But we seem to have skipped over a lot of stuff. I was interested in how people settled and lived after the power outage. The action packed stuff is nice, but I miss the swords and arrows.

This week's episode did not thrill me. We seemed to have moved too fast, and we are skipping over stuff that should be dragged out.
Firstly, Nora was being held hostage for 20 something days...and Miles was sitting on his ass?! We don't know because they never showed it. I was disappointed in him for not rescuing her sooner. I mean...they found Danny!!! I bet if it was Rachel or Charlie he would have fought harder.
Anyways...also that could have filled a whole episode. But nope it was over in 13 minutes!
Then they ventured off to Colorado in a helicopter to save Rachel (and Aaron... : ( but nobody cares about him sadly) from Monroe who flew there with Randall and an army. - Good plan...also pity nobody gave Rachel a helicopter!

Then they are running out of fuel, and have to land...and then one of them is killing them off one by one...again this could have been a whole episode in itself. It turns out to be Miles' old buddy Jim who really isn't that important or interesting...and he's dead.
So then Miles is back on his way to Colorado....where Rachel walks into Monroe's tent in uniform with a grenade with the intent on blowing up Monroe so that Aaron can get into The Tower.

It was a lot for 1 episode. And I know they wanted to move things along...but I worry its going too fast. Bring back the flashbacks and the human interest that it started with.

Anyways..there were some good things in the ep. "MILF-y sister in-law" might be one of the best lines in a while.
I also loved 'The Others' inside the Tower. Who the heck are these people?!
Elizabeth Mitchell steals every scene she's in. Rachel's stuff is the best thing by far in every episode. 

Here's hoping next week's episode is better.

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Carlie

LOST Finale Relived & Other TV

So Ness and I finished rewatching LOST on Saturday night. The ending was bad...probably worse than I remembered. But for me it was still worth all of it for the scene with Sawyer and Juliet! They got points for bringing back Boon and Shannon and Charlie. But the whole ending was crazy. They should have just left it on the island and let them go home. Oh well...it was still a great show on a whole.

In other more recent tv news...

Revolution has not been as good the last two weeks on a whole. They have split up the group into Aaron and Rachel, and Miles, Charlie and Nora...and occasionally we see the Nevilles and Monroe.
Last week Rachel went to find yet another old friend that is involved in this power outage mess. -Wish they'd stop doing the...oh Rachel happens to know another random person that knows how to turn the lights back on...thing. Its getting old.
I agree with people complaining about these 2 bit characters they keep bringing in...we don't care. If its not about the main group/s, or involving them a lot it doesn't matter to me.
I don't care about Aaron's wife....sorry, but I don't. But maybe now that Aaron has run into her again, he can get over it and stop being such a whinger.
Speaking of Aaron...Elizabeth Mitchell was pretty much a glorified extra this week. Seriously...more flashbacks please...explaining what the heck was going on with Rachel back in the day, and Ben and Miles...Its a mess! Plus I want to know more about why Bass kept her hostage.
Didn't care about the Miles/Bass/Emma storyline much....maybe the fact that Monroe has a son will have some impact on the rest of the season...but the rest was kinda boring. Miles went alone as ordered...the others turned up of course and saved his hide...
Notes for this week - where did Rachel and Charlie find the hairbrushes and shampoo...and hairdryers?! -why the heck do the people in Georgia dress like they are going to the office/church after all this time with no power and how do they keep them clean and pressed?! - Hurry up with the backstories!

The Good Wife wrapped up for the season this week. In a great twist Alicia made out with Will then agreed to team up with Cary to open a new firm. Its gonna be sooooo good next season! I was also cool that they brought back Martha Plimpton. Her character is great fun. It was also great to have Mamie Gummer in the show the other week. The Good Wife has THE BEST and the most guest stars!

Smash has been really good lately too. Which sucks cause it is probably not getting another season...but I would be sooooo happy if it did!
I love Jeremy Jordan, but Jimmy is really annoying. He doesn't really seem to have any good qualities..and I find myself not caring about him at all.

 The Big C is back. Its good that they are doing double length episodes. But there are only going to be 4 eps to wrap it all up. The first one was sad, but great. Can't wait to see how it all fits together in the last 3.

I finished off Parenthood season 3 this week too. I love the show, but on a whole its not the kind that I watch episodes over and over. However it was fun to rewatch it all, and will fill the void till its back later in the year. - thank goodness its been picked up for another season!

I also borrowed Significant Others from Vanessa and watched all 6 episodes this week....just for a little more Elizabeth Mitchell overdose. Jennifer Garner was sooo little...I forgot that it was that old, 1998 is a million years ago! I thought it was around 2000. Anyways...good cast, and had good moments, but overall was slow and the stories didn't connect that well. I had a few notes that I thought of while I was watching: 1) With Jennifer, Elizabeth, Michael Whetherly, and Eion Bailey - I thought give them all guns, it would be interesting - based other shows they have all been in. 2) Between LOST and Revolution I wish Elizabeth's character wasn't married to another BEN! Sorry Tim Guinee...but Michael Whetherly is way prettier than you! lol. 3) Even though I watched it years ago back in the mid 2000's I remembered a fair bit of it.

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Carlie

Revolution/ER/Brothers & Sisters Connections

Pretty much watching nothing but ER these days...but I have slowed down a little bit. I've just finished season 7. Which has some great Abby stuff with Sally Field guest starring as her crazy mother. 
It also means I've finished with Elizabeth Mitchell's eps, so that will make it easier watching Revolution. Not that she was in ER that much anyways for being in 17 eps....but it was still good. But not her best character, and all the making out with Laura Innes was weird.
Now I'll have to drag out season 8, cause I don't want Mark Green to die!

Speaking of Revolution. It is still awesome after the 1st ep back. Plenty of good Rachel stuff, but also good Miles, Charlie and Aaron stuff. I don't care so much about the Neville family stuff. But the line from this week's ep by Jason was my fave line of the year. "What's a boy band?"
It was good to get an explanation of what made the power go out, but it still didn't exactly say why...and I'm more interested in the why...and the flashbacks that should tell me. I want to know what went on with Miles and Bass, and why Rachel went willingly as a prisoner?!

Raising Hope has wrapped for the season. The finale was okay, but it was the 2nd last ep that I loved. The not really a musical musical ep. "I'm gonna rock the Torah" is still stuck in my head.

Smash finally got better...meaning Ivy is back as Marilyn, but it looks like season 3 is a pipe dream. But this season has not been great. I blame Hit List...2 musicals is fun in theory, but Smash was at its best when it was about building Bombshell, and Ivy vs. Karen.

Here's hoping Nashville gets a 2nd season. The last few eps have been great. If only they could get rid of Avery...he's annoying and there are way too many characters with non-connecting storylines.
Yay for more Lennon and Maisy Stella singing. Those little girls kick ass!

The Good Wife and Once Upon a Time are off for a few more weeks. But my comedies are starting to wrap up too.

Mad Men is back, the first ep was kinda boring. I don't like Megan. Betty bores me.
I liked having Kerris Lilla Dorsey in an ep. Thought it was cool having her and Max Cotton's little brother in a scene together...almost a Brothers and Sisters reunion. 
I also didn't recognize Linda Cardellini  at first, which seeing as I'm watching ER.....I felt bad about.

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-Carlie

Time for a Revolution

Revolution finally came back this week, and the first episode back did not disappoint!

We picked up right where we left off...with the our gang escaping after rescuing Danny (and Rachel) and Monroe has power...and helicopters with guns. -Thanks Rachel! - But yay for having Elizabeth Mitchell doing more stuff.

So Rachel's alive, and is pretty much responsible for everything that has happened....except for the part that belongs to Miles.

 ...Anyways..Rachel comes up with a plan to get our heroes power from an old friend who was in the know. (Did his name have to be John?!...we already have Miles, Aaron, Daniel, Charlie, etc.... -Its a little too LOST)
Oh yeah, and he's played by Leland Orser who was in ER with David Lyons... - oh and the thing with the sonar gun thing...was very LOST sonar fence/time travel flashes....I think I've got LOST on the brain.
-So the friend is working for Randell. Who is one serious bad/mysterious dude. Lucky this guy sucks at tying people up..yay for Miles!

-Not really caring about the Neville family drama...I find that kid kinda annoying, but at least Charlie didn't let him join them.

Meanwhile the rest of the gang are fighting with the rebels against Monroe's militia and his guns. Rachel and Miles come racing in with serious fire power at the 11th hour and Miles attempts to fire at the helicopter...but gets blown back. Danny seeing an opportunity, gets the rocket launcher and boom, bye bye helicopter.
Sadly the guns were fireing as it went down...right through Danny's chest.

I knew someone was going to die...I had 4 guesses as to who it would be, Nora, Aaron, Danny and Jason. The ones that don't really matter too much to the overall story.
While it does suck that we spent the whole first half of the season attemtping to rescue Danny...what that was really leading to I guess, was a means of finding Rachel. But also the fact that Danny was the reason Rachel did whatever she did -that made the power go out...to save baby Danny in the first place...makes me kinda want to pull my hair out...but oh well.

Speaking of pulling things out...Rachel after grieving for the son she barely knew, cuts him open and pulls something that flashes out of him..WTF?!

Can't wait for the next ep and the rest of the season. PLEASE let them get a 2nd season!
 
So questions answered....Miles did NOT know Rachel was still alive...he thought she was dead.
Oh and also...they have totally had a thing in the past. - which makes all the Nora/Miles stuff complicated! -Ouch.
-I'm still sure that Rachel and Bass had a thing back in the day too...or at least some serious Stockholm syndrome stuff going on. -Rachel you floozy!

But pretty much all the other questions are still unanswered. I've heard why the power went out is coming up in the next few eps.
I'm still waiting for the 'why Rachel left in the first place?' answer...and what her history is with Miles, and Bass and did Ben know what she was doing?
Also why Miles left the Militia and why he tried to kill Bass?

 -Not at all important...but where do all these clothes come from...I kinda imaging after 15 years there wouldn't be much left...especially shoes!


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-Carlie

March TV

A lot of shows have been on and off for the last few weeks. Nashville seems to be only on every 2-3 weeks. I've lost track of Modern Family and Suburgatory's schedules. Luckily there is still plenty to keep me entertained.

Smash is back. Its good, but I gotta admit I'm a little disappointed in this season.
It doesn't leave me thrilled at the end of each episode the way it did in season 1. There is not enough Bombshell, or Ivy, or singing.
I mean I love Jeremy Jordan and Krysta Rodriguez...but their characters are kinda annoying, and Krysta doesn't really get to sing.
I miss Jessica and Bobby and Marilyn. I miss Ivy's Marilyn. I know the ratings are not as good this season...and I think part of it is that they've lost too much of the original concept. These other musicals in progress are taking away from Bombshell, and from the main characters. There is less singing and dancing. I miss the dancing. And no matter how hard they try, I just never accepted Karen as Marilyn. Team Ivy all the way.
It looks very likely that Smash will not be coming back for a 3rd season...and I wonder if they has stuck with just Bombshell and that one musical process, they might be doing better.

I'm halfway through season 5 of ER...George Clooney's last ep made me cry...again. I like him in movies, but Doug Ross was a great character.

Revolution is finally coming back on the 25th, so I have watched the whole series so far this week. I still love it, and am totally stoked for it to come back. I've got a list going to questions I want answered, and also I heard someone is going to die in the first ep back...my theories are -Aaron, Danny, Rachel, Nora, or Neville's kid. I hope they don't kill Rachel - cause Elizabeth Mitchell is awesome and while I like flashbacks, its going to be fun to have the family back together.

Speaking of Elizabeth Mitchell...Ness and I finished season 5 of LOST the other week...and I cried. Those last few eps are so depressing. Although it was the 1st ep of season 6 that really made me cry. Poor Juliet and poor Sawyer. -So glad for their reunion in the series finale.
Sooo excited for the LOST tour when I go to Hawaii in June!!!

Nothing else has been noteworthy really...everything is just puttering along fine.

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Carlie

Changing Things Up

So in the past few months I have given up a few tv shows.

I watched a few eps of The New Girl before deciding I wasn't paying attention and so I stopped downloading it for a while and never missed it.
The same goes for Revenge. After the new year, I just never felt like watching the ep I had...and didn't really find myself liking it. Don't miss that one either.

I have been watching ER from the beginning this year. I'm currently up to season 3. So it'll take me a while to get up to season 15. But I loved that show. Its fun to go back to George Clooney when he was younger and a little less serious.
But I keep getting into trouble watching eps on the same night as The Good Wife...Julianna Margulies from 1996 to 2013...bit of a age difference. At least the different hair helps.

Ness and I are currently watching Season 5 of LOST. We keep dragging it out, so that sucks, cause there is good stuff in season 5. I loved Sawyer and Juliet.  But I'm glad we're dragging out the end of season 5....cause Juliet's death will make me cry again. -tooooooo sad!
As long as we finish season 5 before Revolution starts back again at the end of March...cause I can't deal with too much Elizabeth Mitchell...it will confuse me. -Cause I'll be up to eps of ER by then at this rate!
Speaking of confusing me, Once Upon A Time last week could have been called The LOST episode. Jorge Garcia, Alan Dale and Emilie DeRavin were all featured. There were references to a mysterious island, and to Ajira Airlines (which is the one the gang used to get back to the island in season 5)....I mean COME ON! 

30Rock finished up the other week. The end was really good, some nice sentimental stuff, and a bit of fun. The end was a little weird though, there wasn't any Liz and Jenna stuff. But the Liz and Jack stuff was good.

Community finally came back. Its not my fave show, but its still good fun to watch.

Haven't given up on Glee yet either actually....guess I still kinda enjoy it. I just wish Rachel was less annoying. She's getting too big for her britches!


More to come.


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Carlie

Back in Action

Okay so I've been MIA for a long time, haven't posted anything since the Emmys back in October...since then the new season has been in full swing and is now on winter break till the new year.

Revolution has become one of my new fave shows. I'm oddly hooked to it. Maybe its cause I've watching LOST again(which I will talk about later). Or maybe because I'm just glad Elizabeth Mitchell being back on tv (without aliens). Anyways...I love it. Its not the best show in the world, but its very intruging and I find myself always wanting to watch it before Bones...sorry Bones, but you're not one of my faves.

Private Practice has gotten AWESOME. So since I last posted, the triplets have been born...well the 2nd two were about to be born in the mid season finale...I can't believe there is only three episodes left. EVER!!!! Its going to be really sad when its gone, because this season has been awesome. Season 5 was really the only time it wasn't great. I'm gonna miss those crazy bunch of people....I wish we could have a Charlotte, Cooper and Amelia spin off...
Grey's is still going for now, I hope that wraps up soon, even though its good, its not great and needs to end soon. ESPECIALLY since PPP is ending. The Arizona stuff has been great this season, and the new interns are actually not annoying! They are okay I mean, lets not get carried away, they are kinda boring and take time away from the good characters.

1 big change so far this season, is that I gave up on The New Girl. I just found that when I was watching it, I wasn't paying attention, so I stopped once I got back from overseas.
I keep saying I'm going to stop watching Revenge, but I keep watching it, might give up if I don't love it when it comes back on.

Once Upon a Time has been really good this season, as has Parenthood (except for that whole Ray Romano thing). The last ep before Christmas killed me. I was bawling like a baby. Mostly cause I wasn't sure if Kristina was going to die or not, and also because it brought back some personal bad memories from my childhood. Her video to the kids was a tearjerker!

Parks and Rec is awesome as usual. Ben and Leslie are getting married, and Ron Swanson is dating Xena....

Can't wait for Smash and Bunheads to come back. As well as the next season of The Newsroom if that ever comes back!

In the meantime, I've rewatched the entire Studio 60 again...and Parks and Rec season 3. Now I'm wrapping up season 5 of 30 Rock - which will also bow out soon. Then I'm moving onto Smash!

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Carlie

OD-ing on TV

More tv came back this week, most notably Private Practice, which I was not really looking forward to based on a crappy season last year. But season 6 started with a bang and found the funny, found the old character traits and found the quality!
So Pete was removed, at first making you think he's run away and is a douche...and then found to have died...(poor Tim Daly, not cool ABC)
The season premire was spent focusing on a day from each character's (or set of characters) point of view. It was well done and the annoyingness of last season seems to have been fixed.

Charlotte is back to her old self, interesting again....and pregnant...with triplets....crazy! Poor poor Charlotte, she wasn't into it with 1 baby, let alone 3...and all I can think is how funny its going to be to see that tiny woman super fat!
Addison chose Jake...which is good -I was SOOOOOOO over the stupidity of them not figuring out that Sam and Addison wasn't working.
Sheldon is hooking up with his ex - there is more going on there, but not sure what yet.
Amelia kept very low key, and wasn't around the group really.
Mason is so far less annoying...but we'll see what happens when Char and Coop go house hunting and bring on babyland!

The New Girl is back, still not my fave show, but I'll stick with it for now.

Also good tv this week -  SNL. I was worried that without Kristen, Andy, and Abby that it wouldn't be any good. But this week's ep with Joseph Gordon Levitt was actually pretty funny. Vanessa Bayer is rocking it.

Ep 2 of Revolution was also excellent. Its my new fave show! Elizabeth Mitchell's character was revealed to be not dead (like I believed all along, very predictable). She seemed to kind of being held hostage...not sure what's going on there...but a family reunion is going to be good, sans poor Ben.


Since I was sick all weekend and had 4 days off, I finished season 2 of In Plain Sight. I listened to 2 commentaries with Mary McCormack and Fred Weller - they were very funny!
Continueing my West Wing people tv theme, I started Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip...for the kazillionth time.


Its only the 3rd week of new tv, and I'm already starting to feel stressed out trying to fit everything in! Its too much! Just wait till I get back from the big trip in November...its going to be crazy trying to catch up!


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Carlie

Elizabeth Mitchell and Shows I don't want to want to watch!

Ok....so you've all heard me go on about how I hated Juliet in LOST....yada yada yada....and how then I LOVED her....what can I say I'm not THAT set in my ways!

So she's become one of my 'people' that I have to watch interviews with, and will consider rewatching in old stuff, and new stuff.....that isn't LOST. -however her in ER still weirds me out....
Anyways stay with me here.....but she's kinda like a weird mix of Kellie Martin, Emily Procter and Jessica Capshaw.....or maybe they all just kinda look/sound similar. - She's very bubbly and nutty and hyper and talks REALLY fast which I can appreciate in a person! (Lauren, Emily P, etc)

Oh so now onto the shows I really don't want to watch....but have great people that I love in them.....it sucks...for example...I really don't want to ever watch V....especially now I know Charles Mesure is in it....
I also didn't want to watch CSI Miami or NY....
I mean there has to be a point where I stop watching things for 'my people'. Movies are okay, you watch it for an hour or 2, and then its done. But a tv show is much more of a commitment!

So from now on I'm making a pledge.....to only watch shows with multiple 'my people' in them, unless it genuinely interests me for other reasons than 1 member of the cast!

.....good luck to me :)

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-Carlie