Decking the Halls Before the Snow Falls: A Defense of Early Holiday Celebrations

This is a topic on which the majority of folks will either wholeheartedly agree or disagree with me.  There's really no middle ground to be found when it comes to the age-old debate over just how early one ought to launch into a full-scale celebration of Christmas.  I've heard the arguments on both sides, and I can understand even the people who are most militantly against the mere mention of reindeer, sleigh bells, and old St. Nick prior to December 24th (maybe the 23rd if they're feeling extra generous).  However, I think these views are far too heavily influence by the presence of holiday hoopla in the media and most particularly in advertising, with commercials promoting Christmas specials have been known to appear before people have even decided on their Halloween costumes.  I'd therefore like to present a defense, an appeal of sorts, really, on behalf of those of us who like to get in the holiday spirit as early as possible each year. 

My reasons for embracing the spirit of the season early and fervently are primarily personal, but I think I'm right in assuming I'm not alone in many of them.  For me the biggest factor is the unrelenting stress and dreariness of much of the rest of the year.  So many days fly past without any of us taking pause to just breathe and enjoy the simple beauty of something like the weather, or the way the city looks at night.  For some reason, these things become so much more acceptable and even expected once snow has made its first appearance, or once the Christmas lights and decorations have been hung.  I've always found that people are almost inadvertently kinder, more patient the nearer we draw to the big day (I am of course exempting shopping malls on Black Friday, that is a beast entirely its own), and I absolutely thrive on it. For a few weeks of the year, it really does feel like maybe, just maybe, we're all in this together.  And can you really blame a girl for wanting to prolong that feeling as long as possible?

There are other, more specific benefits to the little features of the holiday season.  Christmas music may be repetitive and sometimes over the top, but it's also soothing in its familiarity, and in the overall sentiment found in most of its lyrics.  I will take wishes for peace on earth and good will toward men, decking the halls and sleeping in heavenly peace over angry, hyper-sexualized Top 40 tunes any day of the week.  And while there are some singers for whom a holiday album is a grievous offense against humanity (Bieber, I'm looking directly at you), I challenge you to listen to Vince Guaraldi or Sufjan Stevens' holiday tunes and tell me honestly that they don't warm your heart just a bit.

Gift giving is another one of my favorite things about Christmas.  It has always made me happier to see the smile on someone's face opening a gift from me than receiving anything of my own.  I love shopping for my friends and family, challenging myself to find the gift that fits them best.  It's like a yearly test of how well you know your loved ones, and ever the over-achiever, I always strive for a perfect score.  And ignoring some of the tedious logistics of the actual shopping (the mall can actually be a pain-free experience if you're careful about choosing non-peak hours and days, and if you have clear objectives in mind before setting foot inside), buying the gifts is just plain fun.

I could go on forever about the joys of things like holiday movies (I will argue till my death that Love Actually is legitimately the best rom-com of the last 20 years), holiday foods, sending holiday cards, and experiencing the tranquil beauty of a white Christmas, but I won't.  What I will say is that even if you are something of a Grinch when it comes to celebrating prior to Thanksgiving, you should still respect that some of us are just trying to make the joy last as long as we can.  We won't force you to sing along to our favorite carols with us (we won't even make you listen to them if you don't want to, because that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do), but please don't try to make us all out to be overzealous consumer-bots who only respond to early holiday stimuli supplied for us by big business and the media. The holidays are a time to remember our capacity for generosity and kindness toward our fellow man, and like it or not, that includes you too.

And hey, Thanksgiving?  When you come out with some awesome music/movies/decorations/traditions other than eating my weight in food for your day, maybe we'll be less inclined to count it as merely a step on the way to the real event.  Ball's really in your court on this one.

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother 7.11-- The Rebound Girl

I have to say, as much as I love NBC's lineup, if there is a November sweeps MVP this year, it's got to be How I Met Your Mother.  This show has pulled out every conceivable stop this month, throwing viewers on a roller coaster ride that I, for one, was not entirely expecting.

Speaking of expecting... (see what I did there?), we should probably talk about that teeny tiny little line that ended the episode and threw us all for a loop.  Our favorite former commitment-phobe, Robin, is pregnant!  Or at least, she seems to think she is.  She also seems to think Barney is the father, as he is the recipient of this cut-to-black bomb drop. 

This episode's first twenty or so minutes were pretty hilarious, and this would have been an okay installment even without that last-minute cliffhanger.  We see Marshall and Lily wavering in their decision to sell the house in the suburbs left to them by Lily's grandparents, contemplating the virtues of leaving city life behind to raise their kid.  Robin is adamantly against this possibility, absurdly so until you put it together with her later revelation.  She locks herself in the bathroom in protest, while Lily and Marshall wait for a sign from the universe that they ought to uproot their lives to make way for baby.

Also contributing to the laughs, Barney and Ted drunkenly lament their woes with women, first wishing they could just be gay together, and ultimately arriving at the conclusion that they should adopt a kid together and embark on a happy lifetime of "bro-parenting".  It's perfect-- all of the great parts of having a kid, with none of the romantic drama!  The plan veers out of control right around the time Barney shows up at Ted's with a mystery baby he appears to have stolen (don't worry, it's later revealed to be his niece, whom his brother asked him to babysit), and both Ted and Barney come to the conclusion that they really do want families, but with the "right" person.

But of course, the focal point for me is Robin's announcement at the episode's end.  I kind of wish she would have apologized to Barney for her behavior last week, or at least tried to explain, but it's clear that she's got more than a few things on her mind at the moment.  What does a Robin pregnancy mean for the rest of this season, for the overall arc of the show, and most importantly, for her and Barney?  Let's look at our options, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

1) It's a false positive.  This would be almost too easy, and kind of a huge let down after the way the set up the reveal.
2)  It's Kevin's.  Unlikely, since Kal Penn's arc on the show is almost over with no additional episodes contracted (of course, that can easily change); and I can't really see him walking away from his kid.  Also, he just doesn't mesh as well with the gang as he could, and I feel like Ted would have given us some kind of indication in his narration that Keven is part of Robin's future if that were the case.
3)  It's Barney's.  This is the one I think many fans are rooting for, but it will not be an easy road even if it turns out to be true.  Several factors are working against our favorite couple here, the first being that a casting announcement was recently made about a new long-term love interest for Barney with episodes beginning in January.  I personally am predicting that he may rush into a marriage with this girl in order to "compete" with Robin's pregnancy (assuming she keeps the baby), and that's the wedding we saw in the flashforward in this season's premiere.  Remember that Barney was feeling slightly conflicted in those scenes; that could easily be because he's still torn about lingering feelings for his friend (and possible baby-mama) Robin.
3a)  It's Barney's, and Robin is the girl he's marrying in the flashforward.  And everyone lives happily ever after.  And then we meet the mother, which shifts the focus back to Ted full time.  Actually...this could maybe, just maybe, be a real possibility.  Maybe the writers (and future Ted) have set up the story in a way that sort of "settles" everyone else's lives before launching into the endgame tale of Ted meeting his own future bride.  Then again, this show and many of the fans seem to thrive on Barney/Robin drama, so I'm not sure they're willing to give that up any time soon.

There are a hundred possible ways this story line can unfold, and my predictions may be way off target.  However, I do think this is part of the "huge season" for Robin that the writers were mentioning back in the summer, so I do think she'll go through with the pregnancy, whoever the father may be.  It's possible she'll simply go it alone for now, and any development with Barney or another suitor will come along later.  Based on everything they've done so far, though, one thing is certain: I trust the writers to tell this story, and I can't wait to see what they do next.

TV Review: Parks and Recreation 4.08-- Smallest Park

Finally, I have time to discuss this episode!  I've re-watched it a couple of times now, which was necessary, because my initial reaction was something along these lines:

Inner Voice 1:  Leslie and Ben are getting back together!  Did anything else important happen in this episode?
Inner Voice 2:  Nope.  I don't know that anything else happened in this episode, period.

Thankfully, I've managed to distance myself a little bit and appreciate this episode as a whole.  I will acknowledge that "Smallest Park" is not my favorite overall episode of the season in terms of delivering uproarious laughs, but it does a whole lot of character development in 22 minutes, with a care and swiftness of which few shows are capable.  Also, I've concluded that I think this should be (at the very least) a serious contender for the episode Amy Poehler (and Adam Scott, if at all possible outside my imagination) ought to submit for Emmy consideration.  But more on that in a minute; let's review what went down in Pawnee this week.

First we get a generous dose of Tom struggling to walk the line between his entrepreneur persona and the role he has returned to in the Parks Department, working alongside Jerry to re-design the department's logo.  This may have been similar to the attitude old Tom so frequently displayed, but I like to think his decision at the end to go with the retro "throwback" design is indicative that he really has grown and maybe, just maybe, learned a little something from his time working with Jerry (cue hysterical laughter from everyone present in the office).

Also making baby steps forward:  Andy and April.  The focus this week is Andy's foray into community college, shopping for classes and trying to find one that will best allow him to expand his horizons.  Along for the ride as a chaperone/mentor is Ron, who pushes Andy to challenge himself.  I have to say, I think Ron and Andy's friendship runs a close second to Ron and Leslie's for my favorite friendship on the show, because it gives us such a great glimpse of Ron's capacity for selflessness and compassion, despite the tough-as-nails facade he always puts on.  In the end, Andy decides to take a Women's Studies course (which yes, is every bit as hilarious as you're imagining), and Ron offers him an exclusive "scholarship" to kick-start his education.

Did I forget anything?  Oh right.  There is also some major stuff going on with Leslie and Ben in this episode.  Major. Stuff.  They're working together on the smallest park in Indiana (which has to be one of my favorite Leslie projects so far), but Ben insists it will be the last time they work together, as it's just gotten too difficult to be around one another following their breakup.  Leslie , in typical stubborn fashion, refuses to accept this (though she pretends to understand), and strives to prolong the project's duration as long as she possibly can.  Luckily, we get a reprieve from the Ann and Leslie friendship drought this season's been enduring, just in the nick of time.  Ann lets Leslie know, finally and in a necessarily blunt way, that she is a "steamroller" and fails to take the feelings of others into account. And because Ann is the one person Leslie will always allow to talk her down, she concludes that this assessment must be correct, and sets out to show Ben that she's capable of changing her ways.

And then the best scene ever happens.  Seriously, if nothing else, watch Leslie and Ben's faces during that last exchange; it is mind-blowing how good the acting is, and there is no moment more deserving.

Like I said, I think that this is an ideal episode for Amy Poehler to submit because it literally showcases all the nuances of the amazing things she's doing on this show.  We get some always funny Leslie-craziness as she tries to put off the park's opening, a carefully constructed and realistic arc for her character as she realizes the damage she's been doing to her relationships, and some genuine but not over-the-top emotion in that last scene with Ben.  It's everything a sitcom actress ought to be doing on a show like this, and while I would have been ticked about it before, Amy Poehler getting snubbed for recognition after an episode like this one is an absolute crime.

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother 7.10-- Tick Tick Tick

Every so often there is an episode of a television show where I'm sure the writers have targeted me personally.  "Andrea," they hypothetically say, "we decided to write 20 minutes of television with the sole intention of taking your heart, squeezing and releasing it a hundred times, and ultimately shattering it into a million pieces."  This is that episode.

Needless to say, if you haven't watched it, I'm about to have a lot of detailed, spoiler-filled thoughts about it, so you probably shouldn't keep reading.

After last week's twist ending, I was pretty sure HIMYM couldn't outdo itself this week.  But it really, really did.  "Tick Tick Tick" is perhaps one of my new all-time favorite episodes, because it did almost all of the exact things a comedy needs to do during sweeps.  There was conflict, with Barney and Robin fretting over how to tell their respective partners what they'd done; there was a gradual increasing of the stakes (Barney's speech about them getting back together floored me.  I think that was the most open he's ever been with Robin and possibly with any character on this show thus far, and it was absolutely amazing.  This is how you develop a character, folks.)  There was a dramatic ending (not necessarily a "twist," since you knew the moment they set that midnight deadline that something would go awry), and potential for weeks and weeks of fallout (that I can't wait to see).  And as the icing on the cake, there was a hilarious B storyline seemingly designed solely to diffuse the tension of the Barney and Robin goings-on in the A story.  Ted and Marshall and drugs will always be funny to me.

I think this episode, when it wasn't amping up the drama between them, really gave us a good look at where Barney and Robin are individually as characters.  It was interesting to see Barney be the one to ultimately confess his transgression to Norah, who promptly dumped him, while Robin, who they both seemed to agree was less of a mess than Barney, got miraculously let off the hook by Kevin (who I personally think came off as kind of a pushover in that last scene), and didn't have to fess up at all.  I think Barney is in a place now where he wants to try his best to not be selfish, whereas Robin will still take the easy way out if given the opportunity (granted, in this case it was pretty much presented to her on a silver platter), and I think that has given us an intriguing and fresh imbalance in their relationship.  Dare I say that Barney is now the more mature of the two, willing to step up and confront what's really going on while Robin hides behind her boyfriend?  This has some definite potential, especially in contrast to season 4 when Barney was pining after Robin but afraid he wasn't good enough.

Also, that scene at the end, where Ted saw Barney in Robin's room, cleaning up his would-be romantic gesture?  Not only was that a heartbreaking moment, but I think it is also the very beginning of the conflict between the three of them that Ted alluded to in the voiceover of the episode earlier this season, when Victoria insisted the three of them couldn't all be friends.  Ted knowing that Barney is pursuing/wants to pursue Robin again is something that I think will play an increasingly significant role the rest of this season.  I only hope that it doesn't go the same way as the season 3 arc following Barney's initial tryst with Robin, where Ted held a grudge for entirely too long. 

If there's an episode next week we might get another dose of this sweeps goodness before Turkey Day, if not I'm expecting more of a focus on Ted when the show returns.  I love the Barney and Robin stuff, I really do, but this season is also supposed to show us Ted actively trying to find his wife, and so far we haven't seen much of that.  I think it'll be good to see a renewed energy on that end of things while Barney and Robin simmer in the background, at least until she inevitably breaks up with Kevin (it is inevitable, right?  Right?).

NBC's Thursday Night Shuffle

Apparently this kind of thing only happens when I've vowed to avoid the Internet for a few days.  As you may have heard/read/seen, NBC released its spring schedule today, and there are some questionable choices that appear to have gone into it. 

The Good:  Whitney is finally being yanked from the Thursday lineup (after half a season spent hyping it above and beyond the other three shows), and transferred to the Wednesday night opening slot, where it will meet its true ratings fate.  This made space for the charming Up All Night to mosey over to Thursday night, where it will trail The Office and close out the evening's comedy.

The Bad:  I know many of us have been wondering where exactly 30 Rock would land when it came time for its mid-season premiere, and now that we have our answer, to say it's disappointing would be an understatement.  Tina Fey and company will lead off the night on Thursdays beginning in January, with Parks and Recreation following in its current timeslot.  What this means, unfortunately, is that quirky favorite Community has been left out in the cold.  NBC's official line is that the show has been "benched" rather than cancelled, but it remains unclear what, exactly, that means for the Greendale gang.

Thoughts:  I understand the need to make changes; after all, there just isn't room on Thursday night for six comedies (although if I were in the decision-making chair, I might have petitioned for a third hour of comedy that night rather than tacking on a new drama at 10/9c.  I am absolutely excited to see 30 Rock back, but I didn't consider that it might cost me another one of my favorite shows.  And while I am obviously concerned about the future of Community (will it come back in the summer? will we have to wait until fall to see the rest of season 3? are webisodes of some kind an option?), I take a little bit of issue with the lineup of the remaining shows as it stands.  The goal here is ratings (which is the chief reason Community was the show to get the boot), and I don't know if these shows are in the order that will most benefit them.  30 Rock has never led the night before, and given that it's been missing all of fall, it might lack the momentum it needs to succeed there.  I personally would have put Up All Night at the 8/7c spot, which is where it's been doing a consistent job on Wednesday nights.  If NBC is going to move forward with 30 Rock as the starter, they are going to need to hype the crap out of it (I have yet to see any evidence that this is in the works at all), much in the way they failed to hype any Thursday show save for Whitney at the end of the summer.  One good thing this arrangement has going for it is that it might give Parks and Recreation the ratings bump it needs, because so many people are fans of both that show and 30 Rock.

The Verdict:  We'll have to wait till January to see how it all pans out, but in the meantime I'll be interested to see how the folks over at Community handle this bump in the road.  They've now got 3, maybe 4 episodes before this "benching," during which they might just be able to do whatever the heck they want (and I hope they do).

TV Review; Parks and Recreation 4.07-- The Treaty

All right, writers of Parks and Recreation, you know us too well.  I can't speak for everyone (though I'm pretty sure my opinion is in the majority), but if I can't have Leslie and Ben actually being together, I will gratefully accept a heavy dose of them being nerds together and arguing (UST, anyone?), which is exactly what "The Treaty" gives us.  It also has a pretty amazing model-UN story, with Andy and April tagging along to help out (and be hilarious).  Throw in Tom and Ron interviewing the worst candidates ever for the former's position in the Parks Department, and a Chris storyline that manages to minimize his annoying factor (mainly because Ann and Donna tell him a bunch of things that make him annoying), and you've got a fantastic episode (directed by Jorma Taccone, no less, who seems to be everywhere these days).

The Model UN project is perfect because it is right up both Leslie and Ben's respective allies, plus it gives them both a chance to gain some perspective on their maturity, which takes a significant plunge in this episode (particularly after Leslie's declaration of war against "Peru").  As a side note (but very important), I loved April and Andy's contributions (if they can be called that), lightening up what could have been another very cringe-worthy Leslie meltdown.  I do like that they make it up to the kids in the end with the kind of Leslie Knope, pulled-from-nowhere solution we've come to know and love.  Oh, and I also adored the scene with Leslie and April by the lockers, because it is a great moment between the two of them, and we haven't gotten one of those in a while.

I'm glad Tom will be re-joining "Tommy's Place" (which is what he has officially dubbed the department), because I miss having him around, and I'd also like to see him take a larger role in Leslie's campaign without the distraction of Entertainment 720.  The video he made for Leslie in "Meet n Greet" shows that he's capable of doing the exact kind of schmoozing/propaganda she's going to need (especially when she gets a rival candidate, which is supposed to happen soon), and I'd like to see him do something productive for his friend and show his growth following his failure as an entrepreneur.

The Chris storyline is kind of boring except for the opportunity it affords Ann to show the transformation she's made from last season.  Also, I tend to agree with her stance on jogging:  "Jogging is the worst!  I mean, I know it keeps you healthy, but God, at what cost?"

Overall a strong episode, very funny and full of some truly great character moments.  It didn't quite reach the scope of last week's epic installment, but it made some important steps forward.

Book Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

This book is fabulous.  And yes, that really is the only and most appropriate adjective to describe it, because it came out of the mind of Mindy Kaling, which far surpasses me in genius but which in this book proves to look at the world in a startlingly similar way. 


Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is a humorous anecdote-based half-memoir, half-manual for living in the vein of Tina Fey's similarly hilarious Bossypants, which I reviewed a few months ago.  Kaling has some similarly awkward tales from her past (I think it's probably no coincidence that I identify most with women who were extremely awkward in adolescence and didn't really come into their own until much later), but a bit of a different journey and stylistic tendencies.  It's hard to really sum up the book in a linear fashion, so I'd like to first implore you to read it at your earliest possible opportunity (it's a quick read, and I'm 99% sure you won't regret it), and then include some favorite passages and a little bit of rambling about why they're awesome.  Bear with me.

"Being called fat is not like being called stupid or unfunny, which is the worst thing you could ever say to me.  Do I envy Jennifer Hudson for being able to lose all that weight and look smokin' hot?  Of course, yes.  Do I sometimes look at Gisele Bundchen and wonder how awesome life would be if I never had to wear Spanx?  Duh, of course.  That's kind of the point of Gisele Bundchen."
She writes a whole lot about the experience of being a fat/chubby girl, which, as a formerly fat and currently chubby ("thick" if we're being generous) girl, I appreciate.  There's something uniquely tough about it (especially if you're like both Kaling and me in that you've tried many things to become acceptable looking) that those effortlessly skinny girls will just never be able to understand.  I appreciate her frankness, but more than that I appreciate her acceptance of her body (which, at a size 8, I don't consider fat at all, despite what Hollywood may think), not just for my own sake but for that of any impressionable younger women who might be reading this book.  I love that she says insulting her intellect or sense of humor would be a much graver offense than a comment about her weight, because I think it's important to have that level of perspective and confidence.


 The Entirety of the "Don't Peak in High School" Chapter
It's just so very accurate.  And hilarious.  Especially the bit about how she would re-write "Jack & Diane."


"...though I have the voice of an eleven-year-old girl, I have no natural rapport with children. I'm not one of those women who melts when a baby enters the room and immediately knows the right age-specific questions to ask. I always assume the wrong thing and offend someone.  "Does he speak yet?  Does what he says make sense, or is it still gurgle-babble?"  Also, I'm always worried I'm going to accidentally scratch the kid with my fingernail or something.  I'm the one who looks at the infant, smiles nervously, and as my contribution to small talk, robotically announces to the parent, "Your child looks healthy and well cared for."
I have almost this exact same reaction around children.  Except I'm usually not even courteous enough to try and ask questions about someone's baby. Just glad I'm not the only one.

The entire chapter detailing the "Matt & Ben" show,and her resulting big break
Because it's hilarious, and also how did I not know this existed?  

"Someone Explain a One Night Stands to Me"
Her concerns about going home for the night with a stranger are blunt and funny and absolutely valid.  I really like that she is unafraid to write this kind of criticism, especially when her own industry spends so much time glamorizing these kinds of often unwise encounters.  Also, in her mock conversation, I am absolutely the friend killing the recently-sexed friend's buzz by wondering about logistics and security measures.

"I would rather have someone read my diary than look at my iPod playlists.  It's not because I have embarrassing playlists called "Setting the Mood for Sex-Time" or whatever.  My playlists are humiliating because my workout mixes have dorky titles like, "Go For It, Girl!" and "You Can Do It, Mindy!"  You might also see that some of my playlists are simply two songs on repeat fifteen times, like I'm a psycho getting pumped up to murder the president."
This.  I makes the world's most embarrassing playlists on my iPod, because they're all completely random, stream-of-consciousness compilations of the five songs I want to listen to at a given moment.  I then listen to the playlist on repeat for days (sometimes weeks) and promptly forget its existence.  And then I look back and just cringe at some of the combinations that have occurred because of this process.  Also, I'm admittedly something of a music snob, but when it comes to working out I am all about the terrible repetitive beats of Top 40.  Embarrassing, but true.

She also spends a long chapter talking about working on The Office which is mandatory for anyone who considers themselves even the remotest television nerd.  And after that she talks about a brief stint writing for SNL, which includes the first of two segments spent gushing about my all-time favorite funny lady (and person I think absolutely needs to write a book of her own, or five), Amy Poehler.

Kaling is a fantastic writer (just take a look at which episodes of The Office were penned by her for evidence), and the book is laugh out loud funny.  Seriously, people were giving me weird looks on the train.  And that, in my opinion, is the very best kind of book.

TV Review: 2 Broke Girls 1.07-- ...And Hoarder Culture

First, let's just get this out of the way:  I love Han.  And everything he does.  "I have ended my bromance with your boyfriend Johnny."  If he had his own spinoff, I would totally watch that.

There are some good things going on in this episode.  Caroline trying to get a second job (sidenote:  I think people who write for TV want Craigslist to be a lot sketchier place to look for a job than it really is; some of us plebeians have to use it, okay?)  She stumbles upon what looks to be a hoarder's place.  Here's the thing, and I do not think I'm alone in this:  I will always be fascinated and mildly disgusted by hoarder culture.  I just don't understand it.  And as long as there are things about it on television, I will be there to watch them.  Also, kittens!

We also got a few steps forward on the Max and Johnny front, which usually pays off for this show. I particularly like how absolutely every other character is all up in their business, and there isn't even business to be up in yet.  But...oh no, plot twist!  Johnny has a girlfriend, as Max unfortunately finds out just after she's decided to go for it.  This revelation is followed by a rare dose of sincerity, which usually doesn't happen on this show between anyone other than Max and Caroline.  It was...interesting.  Yes, it felt a little cheesy, very much like the cliche Katharine Heigl movies they repeatedly referenced, but it was also a step forward for Max's character, one that I hope will stick.  She's definitely enjoyable in her current sassy state, but that can only be maintained for so long before she softens up just a little bit, and I think we saw the potential beginnings of that here.

I like that this episode cut down a little on Max and Caroline's time together and played up the supporting cast a little bit more, because they all have more potential than they've gotten credit for thus far.

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother 7.08-- Disaster Averted

This entry should be read with an implicit November sweeps SPOILER WARNING.  Remember that time when I said this show was gearing up for some changes during sweeps?  Yeah, I won't bore you with the gloating, but I was right!

"Disaster Averted" contains not one but two fully realized stories:  one takes place in the present, with the gang at MacLaren's, the other is a flashback sequence to the week when Hurricane Irene threatened to flood New York City.  Both stories had equally fulfilling elements, and some very funny moments.

In the present, Barney is obsessed with getting Marshall and Lily to revoke their decree that he wear the ducky tie every day for an entire year.  He comes up with the genius plan that they can trade the wearing of the tie for additional slaps in the "slap bet" made by Marshall and Barney so many moons ago. 

Meanwhile, in the coverage of the gang's storm watch, we get a healthy dose of Ted being a huge nerd, which tends to be the times I like him best.  He is in full boy scout mode, prepping for the impending disaster, donning some lovely fuschia rain boots, and attempting to convince the gang to evacuate.  Through some patented Barney manipulation, they all wind up stranded inside his apartment instead.  This bit is a stroke of genius because it gave us a bottle episode experience without the entire episode having to take place locked in Barney's living room.

Back in the present, Kevin riddles out the reason Barney is suddenly so dead set on removing the ducky tie:  he's scheduled to meet Nora's parents in a few days' time.  Marshall and Lily sympathize (and also reveal that their son-to-be was in fact conceived in Barney's bathroom the day of the hurricane), and agree that Barney can remove the tie in exchange for three additional slaps. two of which Marshall doles out on the spot.  For those keeping score at home, the remaining slap count is now 2.

The best part of the episode (in my heavily biased opinion) comes in the final five minutes, after just about everything else gets wrapped up.  Barney and Robin share a cab home, and Robin asks Barney if he's ever mentioned the "other thing" that "almost happened" during the storm.  We then got a flashback revealing that Barney and Robin had a bit of a heartfelt moment, not to mention an almost-kiss.  Now, having known going into this episode that these two were going to have a "moment," I thought this was all we were going to get, and was more than happy with it.  However, the show zagged when I expected a zig, and at the last moment we went back to the present to see Barney and Robin, both now engaged in serious relationships with other people, share a pretty heated kiss.

What does this mean?  Are these two and their respective significant others headed for trouble, or will they bury this incident, chalking it up to poor judgment?  It seems too good to be true that we're headed for a genuine Barney and Robin reunion, and so we'll have to wait and see how they manage to steer themselves in the wrong direction.  And of course, Barney's wedding and mystery bride are always in the back of my mind-- does this kiss give us further evidence it could be Robin, or will Barney re-commit to Nora even more seriously after this misstep?  Time will tell, but if this is the kind of episode the writers of this show have up their sleeves for the rest of November, I say bring it on.

Movie Review: Like Crazy

If you've seen the trailer for this movie, in a way you've kind of seen the whole movie (except the trailer is kind of better, what with the great music and all).  Like Crazy is charming and full of angst and an overuse of montages, which of course makes it indie-film-junkie heroin.  I enjoyed the film on the whole, and I grant that the two lead actors (especially Felicity Jones) compensate for a lot of plot problems with their undeniable charm and chemistry.  However, they don't make up for how frustrating the very premise of this film becomes if you're like me and you start really thinking about it right there in the theater.

The biggest issue I have with it is that the entire central problem of the film arises because Jones' character Anna, makes an extremely stupid decision.  If that were all I could maybe forgive it, but she knows exactly what she's doing when she does it, and is just (apparently) dumb enough to not consider the possible consequences.  The basic gist is this:  Anna is an immigrant from England, in Los Angeles on a student visa.  Her visa expires upon her graduation, and she has to spend two months in England for the summer before she can come back to her beloved boyfriend of one year, Jacob.  As anyone who's ever dealt with a visa or even looked into it, you know that these deadlines are not by any means flexible, and the consequences of violating a visa deadline are extremely severe (I'm also certain they impress this upon you many, many times in the application process).  Anna, however, decides even after she and Jacob have accepted this necessary two-month hiatus that she'll just stay in the States through the summer.  Who's going to notice, right?  Wrong.

Because these two are absolutely stupid for each other (and I mean that in the least flattering way possible), Anna gets herself banned from the US indefinitely because she can't bear to spend 8-10 weeks away from her boyfriend (and of course he idiotically agrees to anything she says).  The rest of the film is basically them as an on-and-off couple, with Jacob visiting intermittently as they try to get the ban lifted (and never once realizing that he could simply move to London until Anna is allowed to leave; his flimsy excuse is that he sells furniture in LA, which apparently is impossible in any other country).  They whine and cry (a lot, there are a ton of tears in this movie), and date other people and send each other letters, and the entire time I cannot bring myself to root for them because of their shared stupidity. 

Eventually they decide to get married, but even that doesn't immediately succeed in getting Anna's ban lifted.  And then, naturally, their relationship begins to really unravel due to jealousy and of course the angst of being two idiots in love.  The film ends on a somber note, with Anna's ban lifted at last, and her coming to LA to stay with Jacob (presumably indefinitely, though it isn't clarified).  In their last scene together it becomes clear that a great deal of the initial magic of their relationship is gone, and maybe all this struggle wasn't really worth it after all.  And I would absolutely feel sympathy for them, if it weren't for the fact that Anna could have gone on that two month break to England and they could've realized the staying power (or lack thereof) of their relationship years earlier than they ultimately do.

But hey, the cinematography and the soundtrack are pretty great, so I can see why it was a favorite at Sundance.

TV Revew: Once Upon a Time 1.03-- Snow Falls

To be honest, I wasn't crazy about last week's "The Thing You Love Most," which felt underwhelming (and over-hyped) following a stellar pilot, but this week's episode, which centered on how Snow White and her Prince Charming met in their world and their less-than-perfect reunion in ours, sucked me right back into the magic this show has to offer.

These writers did exactly what needed to be done at this point, which is giving us someone else (or a pair of someones, and their star-crossed romance) to root for.  I think I struggled last week because it was difficult for me to sympathize with the villain so early on in the show's run.  If that episode had waited a few more weeks, allowing us to gain a better understanding of the Queen/Mayor as antagonist, it might have been a lot more intriguing.  That said, I think this week's Snow White-driven tale came right in the nick of time. 

The focus shifted from Emma and Henry to lean heavily on Ginnifer Goodwin's Mary Margaret, and the latter delivered an endearing, believable performance.  She was funny and kind of an unexpected badass as Snow White in the flashbacks, but then she was also compassionate and downright heartwrenching as things unraveled in Storybrook.  I have to admit, I was not expecting to get so invested in a romance on this show, given my usual dismissal of the fairy tale ideal, but I like the way the writers have subverted the original version just enough to keep it compelling.  And the soap opera-esque twist of John Doe's "wife" returning had me almost embarrassingly dismayed.

Though the episode was heavy on this plot, we did get a few little steps forward, and new questions raised.  I am interested to see what Mary Margaret does next, now that she is beginning to believe Henry's story could be true (at least, that was what I took away).  Emma too seems to be experiencing a kind of shift in her beliefs-- she's by no means converted yet, but she might not be as closed off to believing as we thought.  I see in her a reincarnation of Jack from LOST:  she's going to stick with science/rationality to explain everything, until she absolutely can't fight faith anymore.  And the slow transition only indicates that when she is converted, the change will be all the more rewarding. 

I'm also wondering about the Mayor and her role in Storybrook.  She seems to have her hands in everything (and being the villain, as well as one of the only people who knows their true identities, it's understandable), and to hold a lot of sway over just about everyone.  But she doesn't seem terribly bothered with keeping this a secret, which makes me wonder if she hasn't slipped up in front of anyone else all these years.  Is there anyone else in Storybrook who doesn't fully trust the Mayor?  If so, Henry and Emma could stand to gain an incredibly valuable ally.

Overall this show is progressing in the way I expected, but that has certainly not proven to be a bad thing.  I am interested to see next week's episode, which will introduce an entirely new character (Cinderella, but with a kind of twist that appears to link her to Rumpelstiltskin), and how that will tie into the larger story.  The writers have done a good job getting us invested and immersed in this fictional world, now it's time to populate it with more of our favorite fairy tale characters, and allow us to see just how high the stakes are for them.

TV Review: Parks and Recreation 4.06-- The End of the World

This episode is yet another puzzle piece in what has been a very emotionally-engaged season.  I have been enjoying Season 4 because it really does feel like the next natural phase in the evolution of Parks:  we've spent three season now getting to know these characters and their (many, many) quirks and coming to care very much about them (some of us, myself included, maybe a little too much).  And now we're getting the payoff of all that foundation-building in episodes like "The End of the World," which has each of our favorite Pawneeans taking a long look at something significant in his or her life.  An episode like this only works when there is genuine investment in each character's happiness, and I think the impact of this episode is a testament to how well this show has bred that emotional investment.

"The End of the World" gave us a chance to meet the remaining members of Zorp, a cult which took Pawnee by storm in the 1970's.  They have predicted, based on some very sound writings (wink wink), that the world is going to end, and want to use the occasion to hold a vigil in one of Pawnee's scenic parks.  Leslie indulges them, and as the word spreads about the impending apocalypse, everyone's evening takes a turn for the exciting and potentially life-changing.

First we finally got an indication of how Leslie is handling the fallout from her breakup with Ben, and it quickly becomes clear that she hasn't been handling it at all until now.  Forced to watch the irrepressible Shauna Malwae-Tweep flirting with her ex, Leslie enters a downward spiral of jealousy and awkwardness that rivals the cringe-worthiness of season one's "The Reporter" (also, curiously, heavily involving Shauna).  It is almost hard to watch Leslie's attempts to distract Ben, at one point driving him to an abandoned gas station just to keep him from going to a party with Shauna.  And when he reveals that he's known the whole time exactly what she's been doing, the interaction goes from painfully awkward to just painful.  I am so unbelievably thrilled that Leslie is getting a chance to run for office, but watching scenes like this I just want these two crazy kids to get back together, already.

Across town at the now former headquarters of Entertainment 720, Tom and Jean-Ralphio have decided to spend their final ten thousand dollars on a party for the end of the world.  Not only were we treated to another fantastic Jean-Ralphio appearance, but we got further indication that, while he may be a bit down in the dumps right now, Tom is going to be okay eventually (and bonus points for bringing back his former girlfriend Lucy to drive this point home).  I loved the little bromance moment we got with Tom and his erstwhile business partner, and I really hope that we'll still get a healthy dose of their antics in the future.

My favorite plot in this episode, though, is Andy and April scrambling to fulfill all the items on Andy's bucket list.  Every single activity is so undeniably Andy (hold a thousand dollars cash, make the world's best grilled cheese, be an action star), and it is only made better by April's absolutely unquestioning support.  I think the "movie" they made starring Burt Macklin is one of my new favorite things, along with, of course, the final scene when they reached the Grand Canyon.  Not only was this the perfect ending for the episode (especially with the addition of that song as the sun came up), but it was one of the best Andy and April plots we've seen in a long time, reminding us why we fell in love with the two of them in the first place.

What I love about this episode is that it really feels like a hinge in the season, an installment that sort of takes stock of where everyone's head is at and opens a lot of doors for developments in the weeks to come.  In other words, this is the ideal kind of episode to lead in to November sweeps, and the potential game-changers that entails.

November Sweeps: Picking Up the Pace

I've once again failed to review this week's episodes individually, and I think at least part of that has been due to the relative lull in excitement in their respective plots.  However, we are about to roll into November sweeps, one of the most wonderful times of the (television) year, and I have high hopes for all of our favorites.  After all, the pieces are in place for some major hilarity and development, they just seem to require a nudge in the right direction.  And I'm just about as lacking in concrete clues as the next person, but I am more than happy to speculate on what we might see over the next few weeks.

How I Met Your Mother:  The show has been just a little off its game the past few episodes, which I'm sure can be attributed to an unbalanced cocktail of somewhat awkward guest star appearances and trying just a little too hard for laughs in some cases (the storyline of "Noretta" stands out particularly in my mind).  However, if I were a betting man (this would require me, of course, to be both a man as well as someone who gambles), I'd say we're about to see no small amount of drama in Robin and Barney's respective relationships.  I don't think we'll get any hints of the two of them together any time soon, but I do think both of their liaisons are going just a bit too well at the moment.  I definitely think it would be interesting to see either Kevin or Norah (or both) have a reaction to the obvious continued closeness of Barney and Robin's relationship.  What I don't want is to see Barney cheat on Norah, though; I feel like last season made such a commitment to him moving past that part of his personality that it would be a huge waste to send him so many steps backward.  And as for Ted, I'd like to see something happen for him soon that feels like a concrete step toward actually finding the mother.  The Slutty Pumpkin episode definitely felt like an apt set up for something like this, so I'll be interested to see how they use it.

2 Broke Girls:  I have definitely seen an improvement in this show the past few episodes, and they have been gaining that forward momentum I was worried they might lack.  It has been nice to see the girls' business actually make tangible (albeit tiny) steps forward, rather than being a plot line that is forgotten and then picked up every once in while when it's convenient.  I'm still hoping that Max and Caroline will acquire another friend outside of their little duo (I'm hoping even more that it'll be Johnny and his newly introduced sidekick), because both of them play so well off of others and each other that it's fun to see them interact with new people.  I will also admit that I am pulling for that Max/Johnny romance to get off the ground (and what do you know? perfect bait for sweeps!), and for Caroline to meet someone of her own.  Also, I think I'd be happy with anything more involving their boss, Han, because he is just too adorable for words.

Up All Night:  This is a cute show that is cute.  That's what I've gotten from this season so far.  Maya Rudolph continues to pull the bulk of the comedic weight, but hey, I will continue to watch her do it because she's hilarious.  I'm a little bummed that they didn't do a Halloween episode; I would have thought that'd be a great potential scenario for the new parents, but maybe the week off means they're preparing for something big to come.  Actually, scratch that.  I don't need it to be big, I just need it to be charming and funny.  This show has lost it's way a little bit (I think having the flashback to the birth was kind of a jarring choice, honestly), but I do think that it can be steered back, and with no extraordinary strain. 

Community:  Okay, two hypothetical/fantasy based bottle episodes in a row stretched my patience a bit, I'll admit.  But I will be more than willing to forgive if this show delivers during sweeps.  From Community I don't necessarily want gimmicky plot twists for the sake of snagging attention, I just want to see some genuine development for the characters.  I feel like season three has seen almost all of them standing still, and it's got to stop soon or we're going to be facing a completely static season (and at some point, the situational comedy just won't be able to compensate).  We were promised a lot of development with Abed, particularly concerning his living situation with best friend Troy, and I'm hoping that this has been saved up for November so that we can get a sure to be humorous episode (you saw their apartment in the chaos theory episode, right?), with a dash of something just a little more serious.  Also, Britta's taken a bit of a beating lately, so I think it'd be more than okay to back off her for an episode or two.

Parks and Recreation:  I admittedly have a bit more intelligence on what's coming on this show than the others, solely because I have a habit of going hunting for tidbits when bored, but in this case it's a good thing, because the next three episode descriptions have me absolutely psyched for what's next.  We're going to see Pawnee riding out a potential end-of-days scenario, and Andy has a bucket list!  I cannot be the only person who sees so much potential hilarity in the possible items it contains.  Also ahead (I don't want to spoil everything):  we'll see more of Leslie and Ben interacting (finally), Tom's journey as Entertainment 720 meets its end, and a very small victory for one Leslie Knope.  As long as these stories are supplemented by a sharp increase in Ann screen time and a reduction of anything involving Chris, I think we may just have ourselves a couple of near-perfect episodes just in time for the holiday season.

Critical Decision Time: Part 1 of the Most Ridiculous Series You Will Ever Maybe Read

As I settle into the relative monotony of adulthood (and the slow, steep slope toward the time when my elderly person tendencies will become socially acceptable), many important questions make themselves known to me.  What do I want to do with my life, you know, on the chance that my pipe dream of becoming a novelist fails to pan out? (Jury's still out on that one.)  Am I employable?  (So far, survey says NO.)  What am I doing to be the best possible version of myself?  (Um...does having lots and lots of fleeting, halfhearted ambitions count?)

But (probably) most important of all:  Do I need to watch the Star Wars movies?

Laugh if you want; I am at least 40% serious.  I, as a devout connoisseur of all things film and media, have never seen the original three Star Wars films.  I know, I know, it doesn't add up.  "Andrea," you say, "Aren't you a huge nerd?  Then it follows than you can't possibly have missed out on this huge piece of nerd culture!"  But I have defied logic for over 23 years, and have never even attempted to watch one of the films from beginning to end.  Given my current wealth of free time, it would make sense to set aside a few hours for this momentous viewing; however I've recently found myself wondering, will it be worth the effort?

Think about it. If I want the full experience I'll have to track down the films on DVD rather than waiting for them to show up on TV.  And since they're old, not on Netflix, and I hate Blockbuster, I'm either going to have to go through the library or borrow them from someone who owns them (and I hate asking people to borrow their stuff, probably because I hate lending out my own...but that's for another time).  This will take time, energy, and effort on my part, and if these movies aren't everything I've ever heard them praised as, I'm going to be one deeply disappointed camper.  The arguments for and against are plentiful, but what I'm really looking for is the input of a Star Wars viewer (fan or otherwise) who can guide me to the right decision, and settle this question once and for all.  Here are some of my considerations:


I already know a lot of the story details.  This is just how popular culture works, especially with the explosion of the Internet and the fascination with being "Meta" in film and television.  I know Luke and Leia are brother and sister, and that Darth Vader is their father.  I know that Han Solo is kind of a tool, but that he's also one of the heroes of the story.  I know that Yoda's syntax is weird and I will probably hate listening to him talk.  I know that something called the Millenium Falcon and something else called the Death Star come into play at some point.  I know that "the Force" is something very powerful and almost as cool as having magical powers.  And I know that it's really hard to decide based solely on Google Images photos whether ewoks are cute or creepy.

They're old.  I'm not completely against watching a film that was made before I was born, because a lot of them are darn good.  Unfortunately, there are also a lot that are darn terrible.  And I may not be an expert on CGI or any other such nonsense, but I'd hazard a guess that the special effects in these films are shoddy looking at best, laughable at worst. It's also set in space, and was written prior to a lot of knowledge we've acquired since.  I mean, are they going to reference Pluto as still being a planet?  (Because that'll just be heartbreaking.)

They're important.  Like it or not, Star Wars is part of cultural canon.  And I am definitely a person who hates being out of the loop on frequently made references.  So maybe I owe it to myself to just suck it up and endure six hours of a potentially ridiculous story in the hope of filling in some of the gaps in my mental pop culture encyclopedia.

Hype.  This could go either way.  I've heard so many rave reviews of these films from all corners that it seems impossible they could be less than amazing.  However, that's just it-- what if all the hype has made it impossible for these movies to reach my expectations?  I'm expecting a lot from these films based on the derision I've endured at my admittance that I've never watched them, and the idea that this anticipation might backfire is, well...it's annoying.


Random reasons that probably aren't important to anyone other than me.  (1)  I have been told on a couple of occasions that I have a kind of resemblance to Carrie Fisher/Princess Leia (and no, it was never clarified if this was an appearance or personality based comparison, but I'm guessing the latter), and I'd be interested to know if I was being complimented or insulted.  (2)  I think watching it might shut up some of the fellow nerds in my life who've been appalled by the revelation that I've never seen these films.  (3) Last, but certainly not least, if I see all three of the original Star Wars films, I will be able to more successfully and accurately make my case that the Harry Potter books/films are, in fact, far superior.

So is this something I need to do to enrich my probably unnecessary knowledge of popular culture?  Or is this something that, once I've gone more than 2 decades without experiencing them, I can simply continue to let slide?  Can I coast by on my limited knowledge of the most well-known factoids and trivia indefinitely?  This decision may not be weighty, but I feel a need for a justification either way.  And let's face it, I'm not making any other life-changing choices at the moment, but that's no reason to break the habit of considering things from all angles.

Oh, and one last factor.  I did see whichever of the new movies was released in about 1999 or thereabouts, and it was awful.  I've been told, however, that this is irrelevant to my enjoyment of the original saga.  Fact or fiction?