Top 5: Shows I Actually Need to Finish

Haha, what right do I have to talk about the proper ending of a TV show when it turns out that I have not gotten around to watching the finale of some of my most beloved shows?

Sometimes life gets in the way and you get behind on a show and it feels like you'll never catch up.  Or sometimes a show just really goes downhill and you have to give up or you will lose all your good memories of when the show was not sucktastic.

But it's pretty clear to me (and why don't I share it with you) that I have a few projects hanging over my head: shows that are done and complete that finishing my own viewing will provide me with a little peace of mind.  Or at least spare me the embarrassment of having to say "yeah, I didn't finish that..."

Friday Night Lights
Last Episode I Watched: Season 5, Episode 1
Why I Stopped Watching:  I just couldn't cry that much.  No seriously, that is the reason.  Knowing that  by the time it aired on NBC Friday Night Lights was officially and forever over, that there would be no more, that the fat lady had most definitely sung, made it kind of impossible for me to watch without just sobbing uncontrollably.  So much crying.  So I decided I didn't want to cry that much.  So I didn't watch.  Maybe I should put on my big girl pants...

Lost
Last Episode I Watched: Season 6, Episode 5
Why I Stopped Watching:  Do I need to say why?  Juliet was dead.  It was boring.

Chuck
Last Episode I Watched: Season 4, Episode 1
Why I Stopped Watching: I've made no secret of my ambivalence toward Sarah.  I've never really warmed to her and I get super annoyed when a show tells me how much I am supposed to love someone that I find kind of boring and selfish.  (This is one of my most pet of pet peeves.  I HATE it when a show, through dialogue, tries to impart upon me a singular opinion of a character that either isn't or can't be established through that character's action.  Hence my unending fury with Kate from Lost or Don from Mad Men.)  So when Chuck became pretty much completely about Chuck and Sarah's relationship, I just couldn't really work up much enthusiasm for watching.  I wanted to want to watch it, but I just couldn't take yet another discussion of their love.

The Wire
Last Episode I Watched: Season 3, Episode 7 (I think)
Why I Stopped Watching:  Because I thought my heart was going to explode.  In the scene where Stinger tells Avon that he had Avon's nephew killed in prison, I literally thought that I was going to have a heart attack, it was so frakking tense.  And that is always what it feels watching The Wire.  So I decided I needed a break.  And that break has turned into a year and a half.

Greek
Last Episode I Watched: oh my frakking goodness I have no idea!
Why I Stopped Watching:  It would seem after my rant-y-ness about Chuck that I wouldn't in any way endorse a show that really had no plot movement aside from who-is-getting-together-with-whom, but I really enjoy(ed) Greek.  It's simple, sweet, and surprisingly funny.  Time.  Time is why I stopped watching.  Each episode is 42 minutes, and it just never seemed to fit into the time that I had to watch it.  But I think I can work with that.  I mean, I know how it ends for Cappie and Casey (is there really any question about that?), but I would like to know what happens to everyone else.  To the Netflix!

The TV Girl

Greek: EVAN CHAMBERS I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

“The Day After”

No joke if I could find a way to reach into my computer and strangle a fictional character I would end the existence of one ex-rich-boy named Evan Chambers. I am sure that there is a rational part of my brain that would say he made a somewhat decent point that Cappie and Casey have certain incompatibilities and that the possibilities of it not working out in the end might be hurtful for future-Cappie, but I don’t care about rational right now.

Okay, I am going to breath and then maybe my brain will be able to form the words that will result in a recap of events. After blowing off his make-up lab to hang out with Jordan at the End of the World Party, Rusty had to enlist Casey’s help to get into the locked lab, because if he didn’t he would fail out of the honor’s physics program. Finding out about this from Dale Cappie decides to help Rusty, who he thinks is acting distant, which is accurate since Rusty is mad at Cappie because he thinks Cappie’s instigation is the reason that Casey broke up with Max therefore causing Max to move back to England (in one night mind you). He helps by sacrificing himself to campus security when all three are about to be caught in the building, but not before Casey sets Rusty right about who-pulled-who-into-the-closet at the party. Dale is feeling guilty about having sex with his girlfriend and decides that the way to make it right for his conscience is to propose to her. Like any good cougar, she breaks up with him. Witnessing his dilemma, Calvin decides to take it slow with Grant, who is adorable btw. Pressured to reveal her mystery hook-up, Rebecca offers to pay the now broke Evan to pretend to be her crush so that no one finds out SHE HOOKED-UP WITH FISHER at the party! Yes, that’s right, Ashleigh’s boyfriend Fisher. And that was happening while Evan was convincing Cappie, who finally decided to take Ashleigh’s sage advice and be with the love of his life, that Casey will dump him at the end of her senior year, frightening Cappie, therefore disappointing Casey’s hopes for a fairy-tale ending.

AND MY HOPES!

I am glad that Cappie and Evan are friends again, I think it is best for both of them and that storyline was getting a bit old, but what terrible advice to give. I am so mad.

Not just at Evan. How dare Rebecca and how dare Fisher! Ashleigh is so sweet and kind and she has actually been a friend to Rebecca and a good girlfriend and she doesn’t deserve to be cheated on. Well, no one deserves to get cheated on, but Ashleigh is going to be devastated. At least this time Rebecca seems to feel bad about her not-so-good behavior.

I’m not mad at Cappie for getting scared, since anyone would freak out if someone told them they would end up dumped. And Casey isn’t giving up, so, yay!

Poor, sweet, newly-un-virginal, Dale. At least his downfall has helped Calvin realize that he wants a relationship with Grant and not just sex. Of course, having a real relationship is a bit difficult with Grant still in-the-closet-ish, but at least it is a step towards Calvin’s future happiness. Happiness that is will be the opposite of how Ashleigh will feel.

Now I am getting all upset thinking about how upset Ashleigh is going to be.

The TV Girl

Greek (5): My Semesters Ended With Finals, Not Spring Break.

But to some extent, we don’t watch TV to see the life we already know and have experienced. So, I forgive this little show for skipping most of the school parts of college.

The finale episode aired almost a week and a half ago, and I didn’t really feel like writing about it for a couple of reasons. Actually, I didn’t even see the episode until last Thursday, so it has been less than a week of my internal debating. Mostly, I didn’t want to say anything, because I didn’t really like it.

I know that since Rebecca’s father has been implicated in a prostitution scandal (nice use of semi-current events by the way) I am supposed to have some level of sympathy for her, but I really just do not. She is a spoiled, selfish, manipulative tramp who hen-pecks her boyfriend and treats everyone around her as if they are her property. Cappie is a fool if he thinks her drunken tirade was only about her father; she meant what she said, she just wouldn’t have said it under other circumstances.

Even so, Casey has got to stop making snide comments about Rebecca being overweight. It is petty, ugly, and unpleasant. Furthermore it discloses and perpetuates society’s unbelievable misconceptions about body image.

Okay, enough complaining, because there were good things about this episode.

Casey and Cappie kissed, and it was natural and sweet. And Casey, in a round about way, called him her soul mate. So freaking adorable! I like the less-prone-to-stressing-out Casey. It was good to see her realize that enjoying time with her best friend was more important than recounting boy problems; inside she knows everything will be okay.

Evan and Frannie’s hook-up conversation was probably the most honest either has ever been. Nice that the appropriately matched people have found one another.

There is a potential love interest for Ashleigh next season. It is about time this girl got a romantic plot of her own.

The best event was, of course, the reunion of Rusty and Calvin. I hated them not being friends, and it was about time that they had the sense (or maybe no other choice than) to listen to Dale (who has to be one of the most underrated characters on TV, because he is hilarious). Their house affiliation shouldn’t be the most important thing and if they don’t want others to judge them for being greek, they shouldn’t judge each other for being in rival houses. Dale has my undying gratitude for settling their differences, and for reminding us that it was the 80’s when ambition became a bad thing.

The TV Girl

Greek (5): Is It Really A Lie If...

Can you see my dance of joy that Evan has been exposed as a jerk? Okay, you can’t, but that doesn’t mean that I am not. I kind of feel sorry for Casey that she seems to end up in relationships with guys who don’t feel they can be honest with her about what they want (but Evan’s transgression is way more serious than Cappie’s).

Honesty was the connective theme for the episode: being honest about what you want, honest about why you want it, honest about the difference between what you want and what you need, and most importantly being honest about who you are. We got to see a whole new level of honest about Evan. Knowing he was wrong, he quickly lashed out at Casey, behaving childishly and giving her cause to be angry with him when she had been rather understanding. I have to wonder why Frannie wants him.

Frannie’s action, convincing Ashleigh to confront Shane knowing full well why he backed off Casey and knowing that Ashleigh would tell Casey the truth, poses one of those little metaphysical questions. Have you really done the right thing if you do it for the wrong reason? Inexplicably, she wants Evan, so she needed Casey to find out what he did, but she couldn’t be the one to tell her because Evan would be angry with her. Evan acted badly and should not have been allowed to continue to manipulate Casey, Casey needed to see Evan for what he really is so that she can decide what is best for her, and Frannie and Evan are kind of perfect for each other, therefore Frannie’s choice will have positive results for all. Does the end justify the means? I propose that if Evan and Frannie find long-term happiness together then the show is affirming that the end is paramount in matters of ethical concern.

But the long term is a bit much to ask of college students, which is why credit companies are able to make a killing. Ashleigh’s foray into the wonderful land of unstoppable charging is far too common a story, much to the chagrin of many parents and the low credit scores of many 20-somethings. One of those mistakes you just have to make, no matter how forewarned the lure is too great. I think that we should all take a moment and give at least a golf-clap for Amber Stevens. How this young woman manages to perform with a straight face while cover head-to-toe in plastic, flowers, cherries, hearts, and other various shinny fabrics/accessories is a mystery to me. Kudos to her.

Rusty got the reality check Ashleigh has to look forward to. After inciting an argument that looked to prevent a marriage, Rusty realized that you can only borrow (in his case someone’s identity) for so long. Will this stop Rusty from using Chad Stewart’s ID during Spring Break next week? Probably not. Or maybe he will use someone non-song-writery.

A Rebecca-less episode, how refreshing.

The TV Girl

Greek (5.5): If He Seems To Good To Be True…

No “possibly” “maybe” “probably” about it: he (simply) is.

Casey learned this sad lesson with the pre-med boy who kissed like Richard Gere in the preview of First Knight (okay that might be too obscure a reference, but Kathleen should get it). Evan didn’t have to send Calvin to sabotage her male prospects, because the males themselves did all the work.

Speaking of people shooting themselves in the feet, seems to me that Rebecca made a big mistake telling Cappie he would eventually have to choose between her and Casey. More than the fact that anyone with two brain cells to rub together can tell that he would/will pick Casey (wow, if he picks Rebecca I am going to be so embarrassed), this was not a bright move on Rebecca’s part because it makes her look like an immature shrew. Making the demand in the first place puts her in the position of being an undesirable option.

Undesirable could have been the tagline of the episode. Little Rusty has now experienced another first: first STD. What a wonderful display of the male ego; Rusty was convinced that she kept calling because she wanted to have sex with him that badly when really she wanted to tell him he had been exposed to crabs and shouldn’t be having sex with anyone.

The beginning (Cal and Michael, so cute) and ending (Evan, get over Casey!) of romantic relationships aside, here is the big question: is Cappie realizing that he and Evan are more successful as friends than as enemies? They are good enemies. But, Evan used his argument to win over the board and get the restrictions lifted, thereby structuring Cappie’s thought for an audience that doesn’t think like him. Evan needs someone in his life to show him how to be less of a drama queen (and therefore less of a binge-drinker). Like friends should, they (could and used to) compliment each other, helping each other be better versions of themselves. So am I seeing something not there, or is this feud about to be put to rest?

The TV Girl

Greek (6.5): You Have Got To Be Kidding Me!

Thought it could possibly cause the downfall of the free world, Evan and Frannie are two peas in a rancid pod. These two scheming egomaniacs deserve each other. How dare Evan pay Shane to stay away from Casey! Not that I want Casey anywhere near a guy who would accept money rather than spend time with her (or who once made a living portraying a Power Ranger), so I will be perfectly content to never see Shane again. Nevertheless, I cannot express how much I loathe Evan. It is despicable to go through the world solving your problems by throwing money at them; he dumped Casey and she is obviously better off without him since he is the kind of person that treats money and good judgment as interchangeable. Paying Shane off is especially snake-like because Casey was being nice and kind, not ambitious and compromising like she can be sometimes. Doesn’t Evan realize that by taking advice from Frannie he is acting in a way she would approve of, therefore is acting more like her, and she has not proven herself to be entirely trustworthy. The two of them just need to go off and have rich, evil babies somewhere else and leave Casey alone.

So that when Cappie and Rebecca implode, Casey will be able to be with the right guy. Okay, okay, I should be a bit kinder, since Cappie is bringing out the better side of Rebecca. The better side of her is still bratty. She apologized to Rusty for treating him badly, but she should have apologized specifically for her snipe about Jen K. Since, according to Frannie, Rebecca never had any intention of fulfilling the terms of the bet if she lost (she would have hired a maid service to clean the fraternity bathroom), her desire to win that caused so much misery (Beaver couldn’t even lift his beer, sad) and humiliation (it was cruel to make Rusty schedule her bikini wax) was only motivated by need to beat Casey. I think Casey-based insecurity will eventually get the better of the Cappie/Rebecca relationship, but maybe due to Cappie’s guidance she will be a better, it nor more pleasant, person when it all ends.

Calvin demonstrated that sometimes we are our own worst enemies in relationships. I respect his stance that just because he is gay that homosexuality should not be a necessary element in all of his choices (does being gay require you to go to GLBT film festivals?), but he is more likely to be happy in the long run since he recognized that he was the only one uncomfortable with Michael sending him flowers (and those were nice flowers by the way). I think Calvin's storyline, especially this possible new relationship with Michael, explores respectfully the idea that self-acceptance is more than identifying your sexual preference.

On a tangential matter, again I am confronted with the “Bro Code,” except here it is called the “Guy Code” but I am fairly sure it amounts to the same thing. On How I Met Your Mother, when the Bro Code was violated bro-ness ended, but here when Rusty violated the Guy Code by telling Cappie what a shrew Rebecca was being (I refuse to say “had turned into”), Cappie used the opportunity to overturn the Guy Code. Interesting.

I am a total English major dork, so I kind of squealed in joy when Cappie/Rusty started reciting “Troilus and Cressida,” the Shakespeare play that no one reads. Their plan to teach Rebecca a lesson by throwing the talent portion of the pageant went from necessary to hilarious by virtue of obscurity points. Thank you writers for not being lame and picking one of the plays everyone knows. But how could I not expect the unexpected from (/for) Cappie?

Shout Outs: Little Things To Know That Make Watching Better
To the TV savvy the two guest characters in this episode were known faces. Max Greenfield, formerly of Veronica Mars and Ugly Betty, played Michael and Michael Copon, once a Power Ranger and Felix on One Tree Hill (which I also watched last night), gave an (un)riveting performance as Shane. (I really kind of do not like this dude. He is Melba toast-ish.)

The TV Girl

My Weekend Fling: Greek, Season One (6)

There is a show that no matter what is going on in my life can lift my spirits. I had thought of Psych (which I will be talking about later in the summer when Season Three starts) as an anomaly; that there was no great chance that I would encounter another show that makes me so genuinely inexplicably happy. I became interested in Greek after seeing some snippets while channel surfing and reading some interviews on Watch With Kristin, but I did not expect it to be endorphins on screen. I haven’t smiled this much in a while.

I kind of thought that an ABC Family show about kids in college would be super hokey and too ridiculous to bear. There are defiantly some overly “enthusiastic” elements to Greek. The best way to describe it would be as an hyperbolic tone: the election of “Omega Chi Sweetheart” is discussed as the New Hampshire of the election of Zeta Beta President; the only character with any religious affiliation, Dale (Clark Duke), is a hardcore Southern Baptist who has a purity group and listens to God-rock; every small difficulty is an opportunity for backstabbing. The exaggeration evidences an immaturity on the part of the characters, which is why I call it hyperbole: it would be unrealistic if college age kids did not take everything a bit too seriously and react a bit too extremely. The presumption of Greek is that moral relativism is not only the social standard, but that it is correctly so (“you left black and white back in high school, it is all shades of gray from here on out”; “there are no right or wrong decisions”). While this metaphysical understanding could be vexing, it is a fairly common stage of personal development, the part where in the name of developing you actually remain stationary, and it is definitely in full swing during college. Thankfully, the moralizing is kept to a minimum. It is not like Scrubs, which is just one long diatribe to justify poor choices and selfish behavior. The most irritating part of the show is the pop-culture referent range. ABC more than any other network set is riddled with show cross-pollination, and it drives me nuts. One of the girls quotes Mode magazine, which is the fake fashion magazine on Ugly Betty, the ZBZ girls reinterpret and reenact Grey’s Anatomy scenes, in the Pilot Cappie questions the cancellation of Gilmore Girls, which runs in syndication on ABC Family. It is not just that I find one of these shows more evil than communism, and it is not that I do not believe in cultural awareness. On Greek, as on many other ABC-affiliated shows, the references seem to stand out as forced, making me think there is some kind of bigwig-enforced quota. But I may be criticizing unfairly.

So now your asking yourself if you read my first paragraph wrong. I point out the shortcomings of Greek both in the name of just evaluation, as well as to establish the level of seriousness with which one should approach this show, if one so chooses. This is not groundbreaking TV, but the youthful exuberance of Greek is infectious.

In the Pilot we meet Casey (Spenser Grammer) and Rusty (Jacob Zachar) Cartwright, a Junior and a Freshman respectively, who due to personality differences (she is a social mobile beauty while he is an ultra smart dofus) do not have a close relationship. Casey is the darling of her sorority Zeta Beta Zeta, and her boyfriend Evan (Jake McDorman) is the rich golden boy of Omega Chi Delta. Rusty decides to participate in fraternity rush and accidentally discovers Evan cheating on Casey with Rebecca Logan (Dilshad Vadsaria), the Freshman daughter of a Senator that all the sororities are vying for. Knowing he cannot accept Evan's offer to pledge Omega Chi, Rusty tells Casey, who out of anger sleeps with her ex-boyfriend Cappie (Scott M. Foster), the fun loving president of Kappa Tau Gamma. The ZBZ president Frannie (Tiffany Dupont) convinces Casey it is “best” for her to take Evan back, but Rusty decides it is best to beat up Evan. Cappie offers Rusty a place at Kappa Tau, taking Rusty under his wing. In addition there is Calvin (Paul James), Rusty’s new friend who is pledging Omega Chi and hiding his homosexuality, as well as Ashleigh (Amber Stevens), Casey’s best-friend with a vivacious personality and loyal heart. From the Pilot the stage is set for the staples of the college experience: trying to balance school commitments with social engagement (classes vs. parties), the ebb and flow of relationships when close proximity prevents any kind of analytical distance (hook-ups and break-ups), roommate disagreements, and planning for the future. Since the show is (obviously) structured around the Greek system, the social/relational aspects predominate, but academics are not totally ignored.

As far as I am concerned there is no question that Casey and Cappie belong together. Infidelity issues aside, Evan is a dillweed: self-satisfied, entitled, and smug. The relationship between Casey and Evan is based on mutual appropriateness, rather than genuine affection. (I have already caught up on Season Two, which is currently airing, and no events taking place or information provided in this season change my above statement.) Rusty’s social development is sweet to watch because it is organic: Cappie teaches him to embrace his personality with confidence instead of requiring some kind of unnatural transformation that would violate Rusty's integrity.

I am going to be totally honest and admit that one of the reasons I find this show immensely adorable is that Cappie bears a strong resemblance to my friend Charlie (but thankfully without the voice impressions). I find a personal comfort here that may be too specific to transfer to other viewers.

I am not advocating Greek as a must-see; I do not actually think it would appeal to most of my (known) readers. While I would write about any show I spent the weekend with, I thought maybe you would be interested in what I was doing while my emotional distraction diverted my attention from my customary shows, which I will spend this week catching up on.

The TV Girl