Monday night TV

[rubykatewriting]

HEE! The more I watch this show, the more I realize how truly it speaks of my generation. Or at the very least, me. When I was growing up, my ideal car? Yep, you guessed it: the Fiaro. Growing up, a neighbor of mine used to drive one, and I can remember standing at my bedroom window watching neighbor drive into our little section of the complex, all but drooling. I even had a Matchbox version of the Fiaro - bright red and oh how it skimmed along the carpet. It is ridiculously impractical for Houston (and really Dallas for that matter, too), but when you're nine, practicality really has no purpose in your life.

And then you have the song. The Proclaimers' I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles). It was on the Benny and Joon soundtrack, and to this day, I still sing it at the top of my lungs, doing this weird bouncy dance and with the Scottish brogue (or at least my close approximation of a brogue).

I loved how they had the odometer at the bottom of the screen during each flashback. Also the fact that the Fiaro was the start of the best friendships between Ted and Marshall and Lilly and Robin. And the whole Barney driving lesson debacle. (Hahaha, the dog lying down in the middle of the parking lot! Barney flipping his shit COMPLETELY.)

Good times, all around.

So I wasn't impressed for the first half of the season, but now that they're mixing it up (as well as the pairings/groupings), I've really taken a shine to this show. I love the Kat/Ethan/Kyle dynamic, as well as all the variations thereof, but last night's winner was geeked out Kyle and Ethan. "We're really getting this whole trash talking thing down." Oh, geek boys, I TOTALLY dig you.

Then the whole Yonk/Richie/Duncan lunch storyline killed simply because of Jesse Tyler Ferguson. His line deliveries are fantastic. "How did that happen?" But then Jon Bernthal really surprised me with a couple of his lines, too, going for a more subtle delivery. VERY nice. I've already been spoiled as to how this season (series?) will end, so I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY hoping CBS green lights a second season. It's really only now hitting it's stride. Tptb actually did something about the characters and storylines that weren't working and fixed it. I think that deserves something.

Plus I cannot have this whole Kat/Ethan development turn into nothing (especially considering how the finale ends) because goddammit, I called it from the first episode and I want to see some making out. Jason and Lizzy are just too damn pretty for me to miss out on that.

I don't know if I can look at this episode objectively after that final scene on the bridge. I had heard about it prior to (not the details, just observations by those lucky enough to get an advanced viewing), but that didn't even come close to preparing me for it.

I have so many questions now, and yet they still managed to answer so many others. Hiro's father was the one to hand over Claire to Mr. Bennet? (HIRO WAS THERE?!) Then he’s not only part of the collective that Mr. Bennet works for, but a boss of some ranking, too? Is that why Hiro's father was so determined to end Hiro's hero-dreams? They took the Haitian when he was just a kid? (I like that it still didn't stop him from determining whose side he is on when the shit goes pear-shaped.) How exactly did Claude survive all those bullet wounds, or was it just my imagination that Mr. Bennet purposely shot him (multiple times, yes) so that none of the wounds were fatal? Claude's recognition at the mention of Claire after Peter's fall now makes sense. He was her protector once upon a time. And Matt. What about Matt? His entire arc this episode made me like him again (for once he was almost in control of his destiny), and then he gets sucked back in by the collective (OWI, correct?).

Ultimately, I'm left with what an enormous sacrifice Mr. Bennet made to protect Claire (and Sandra and Lyle). He gave up his memories of her. Oy. I'm actually tearing up all over again. No wonder Jack Coleman mentioned that shooting that scene stuck with him long afterward. I really adore the whole Bennet family, especially Mama Bennet when she found out Claire's secret. They were AWESOME and so protective of each other.

This episode was absolutely phenomenal.

I recorded The Black Donnellys as I'm really not that big a fan of Paul Haggis (I'm of the mind he is rather over-rated), but I've heard from multiple people on the flist that it's pretty damn close to perfection. Plus it has a few actors I've liked elsewhere, so I guess I'll give it a whirl this weekend.

ETA: iridescentglow posted a link to Herc's review over at Aint It Cool News, which includes MANY MANY MANY excerpts from reviews from multiple papers/magazines and they all read pretty much the same. It appears the only two actors who escaped relatively unscathed are Wilde and Tucker, and even then, it's still rather stunning, the critical response.

Comments

[being-fulfilled.livejournal.com]

was it just my imagination that Mr. Bennet purposely shot him (multiple times, yes) so that none of the wounds were fatal?

Yes! I totally thought that, too. When he was telling the Haitian where to shoot him, something just clicked in my brain, and I'm convinced that he shot Claude the same way.

What an amazing episode. Seriously. I... gah. Loved it.

[rubykatewriting.livejournal.com]

Good. Glad I'm not imagining things. I think it really goes to show (if that is in fact what happened) that Mr. Bennet was already starting to veer from the mission statement long before he discovered Claire's "manifestation." It's all well and good to have a certain stance on something when you hadn't worked with a hero all those years, or loved one as your daughter since she was a baby.

What an amazing episode. Seriously. I... gah. Loved it.
Yeah. That one is going to stay on the DVR for a while. It was really beyond even my expectations, which from all the spoilers and interviews and comments by those who had already seen it were at about an eleven by show time.

The Class has alot of it! LOVE IT!

[gooseysgabbings.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you appreciate the Class like I do--I was leary they were going to cancel it but just loved to watch Richie "I'm burping hooves" Velch. I agree totally with your consensus of how the group dynamic has really changed the flow of the show and I hope they continue to mix and match to make it that much more interesting! I'd be interested to see what you think about my thoughts on the show at gooseysgabbings.blogspot.com. Cheers!

Re: The Class has alot of it! LOVE IT!

[rubykatewriting.livejournal.com]

Richie (and JTF) made the show for a while there. His comedic timing is fantastic.

I agree totally with your consensus of how the group dynamic has really changed the flow of the show and I hope they continue to mix and match to make it that much more interesting!
Well it felt sort of contrived that the only pairings to come out of the whole “Ethan throws a party for his fiancée” storyline would be those with pre-existing relationships, especially since some had not seen each other for ten+ years. I’m glad they realized that because Richie and Duncan (with/without Nicole and/or Lina) really work for me. I like the idea of opposites coming together, and I adored Duncan and Nicole for supporting Richie through the whole Fern debacle.

[briary-flower.livejournal.com]

Haggis is from London, Ontario, where a family known as "The Black Donnellys" was involved in a long feud and eventually massacred in 1880. Seriously, dude. There is no way he couldn't know about it. We learn about it in school. I think his idiot TV show is in incredibly poor taste. If you're going to watch it read this first.

[rubykatewriting.livejournal.com]

Yes, apparently some people protested the series title to both Haggis AND NBC, but they chose to keep the name. It's just further proof Haggis is an opportunistic asshole.