Note: I'm aware that this was posted almost four hours after midnight on Saturday, and that I didn't get a TV Week post done on Friday. This one counts as the Friday post because a) I've yet to go to sleep, so it is still Friday night to me and b) I turned my imaginary clock back to before midnight, all Illinois General Assembly style. Besides, as this is about SNL, it seems appropriate I post on Saturday.
Ask anyone which years of SNL were there favorite and you are likely to get many different answers. If they were born before 1964, it almost assuredly will be the "classic" edition (1975-1980). If they were born after 1964, then it will almost assuredly be the years that fall between when they were 11 and 17. It doesn't matter if that six season blocks includes 1980-1981, 1985-1986, or 1994-1995*. You'll stick up for the years you watched in that age group. As such, I have a soft spot for both the Farley/Sandler/Spade/Schneider years, as well as the beginning of the Ferrell/Morgan/Shannon years. However, for people a few years older than me it would be Lovitz/Hartman/Carvey**, and a few years older than them it would be Murphy and Piscopo. I would guess those who just became legal drinkers fondly remember the Poehler and Myers, as kids just going into high school are sad that Forte, Samberg, and Wiig are no longer on the show.
Anyway, the point of this isn't to discuss which is the best, but to state that I've begun availing myself of the SNL episode runs on Netflix streaming. I actually had started several months ago, but only made it through the first season. After letting it sit in my queue for months, I decided to start back up, with the goal of going through every one up to the most recent in the list.
Unfortunately (of fortunately, depending on the season), only the first five are uncut. From season six on the episodes are edited and cut, most likely removing any sketches and musical acts that would create rights issues. Some episodes appear fairly intact, others are cut to the bone (I saw one latter day episode cut to 17 freaking minutes). On the plus side this will let me get through them quicker. On the minus side, however, I'll miss out on the complete experience, whether good or bad.
Don't worry, I won't be blogging every episode, because that would be far too much. But I might pop in here and there to write about it, particularly as I reach the end of the various cast runs. Expect opinions on whether the "Classic" episodes hold up***, the notorious troubled seasons, and much more.
So stay tuned, and remember in a different timeline I could be talking about thirty-eight seasons of Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell/Dan Dierdorf****
* The usual consensus for the three worst seasons, at least from the 20th century
** Truth be told, this is my favorite group, particularly 1987-1990. I caught the tail end of them, but enjoyed their reruns the most when they aired SNL sixteen hours a day on Comedy Central during college. However, my heart is still with those slightly later groups. My favorite season from that run is actually probably 1995-96, which had a few holdovers from the previous group (Spade, Macdonald, and Meadows) while introducing Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, and Cheri OTeri.
***One season and four episodes in it's been good, but not earth shattering. I didn't expect it to be, considering how what was totally brand new in 1975 is now the bedrock for most of my favorite comedy, and thus rather commonplace. The Muppets kind of suck, though. I think they might deserve their own post at some point, possibly quite soon.
****Of course, in our timeline this show was gone after a season or so, and NBC's Saturday Night was able to add "Live" to its title, giving us our beloved SNL. Since Howard Cosell would probably be dead or retired by now in that alternate timeline, I imagined Dan Dierdorf would take over for him. No basis of fact, I just thought it was funny. It's almost 4AM....why?
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
My Favorite Seasons of TV: Part Two
The Simpsons: Season Four
This was the toughest one of the bunch to pick. Frankly, any of seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 would be worthy for this list. However, one of them stands above the rest just enough to represent what is quite arguably the greatest TV show ever. That season is season four.
Why? Because this is the season with "Marge vs. the Monorail" and "Last Exit to Springfield", two of the most cromulent episodes of the entire run of the show. And other than maybe the clip show, every other episode in this season is top notch. This is the season of "Mr. Plow", "A Streetcar Named Marge", and "Whacking Day". It is the season that began with "Kamp Krusty" and ended with "Krusty Gets Kancelled".
Um...excuse me. The season dealt with issues both thorny (faith) and well-trodden (young love, both done excellently. It is the season of "Can't sleep, clown'll eat me. Can't sleep, clown'll eat me." and "Iron helps us play!"
Hell, even Ralph has his day in the sun, reaching deep down and using heartbreak and humiliation to give one heck of a rendition as George Washington. Sure, some day he'll bend his wookie, but for one episode he was truly more than a joke.
Of course, there are several more great moments, but I don't have much space. Instead, enjoy music clip from "Last Exit to Springfield".
(That oughta hold the little SOBs)
Futurama: Volume Four
Frankly this season would be in the running if "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" and "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" were the only episodes in this season. However, there were many other episodes, such as the beautifully trippy "The Sting" and "Farnsworth's Parabox". The vitriol towards Fox (or network TV in general) can be felt from "Bender Shouldn't Be Allowed on TV", or the superhero parody "Less Than Hero". Oh yeah, can't forget about "Leela's Homeworld", particularly the ending.
Yep, a truly great set of episodes.
Oh, and we can't forget about this, can we?
Parks and Recreation: Season Three
We are conditioned to think more is better. So when we here a show has its episode count cut, we are worried about how that will affect the show. It has caused problems for some shows, including one that will appear later on this list. However, for Parks and Recreation, I think the abbreviated third season was an asset.
The season can be broken into two parts: the first part which resolves the Harvest Fest arc (filmed at the end of season two), and the nine other episodes, leading up to Leslie's big decision. Somehow the Ron, Leslie, Ben, Chris, and the P & R gang pull off a Harvest Fest, an impromptu wedding, and a beautiful memorial service for a Pawnee institution in those sixteen episodes.
My favorite part of the season has to be how Leslie just totally fights through her flu to give one hell of a presentation for the Harvest Fest. Somehow, I was as pumped watching that as Ben seemed to be, both simultaneously remembering Michael Jordan's lit-er-ally ill performance in the NBA Finals. Of course, I remembered this was a TV show, and that wasn't real. Unless Amy Poehler was actually sick during those scenes. If so, that would totally be method.
Community: Season Two
Each season of Community has had its moments. I'm sure even the upcoming Harmonless season will have great episodes and scenes. But by far my most favorite of the three currently produced seasons is season two. I suppose it is because this season had the greatest number of favorite episodes.
What can I say? "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" has made my annual holiday show and film rotation. I'm a sucker for fake clip shows, like "Paradigms of Human Memory", and any show that promises a Pulp Fiction take-off, but delivers My Dinner With Andre instead is a winner (especially if the episode is good). And that is before I even mention "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", which achieved that precarious balance of nerd wanking that was also heartfelt and earnest. Yep, no one can say season two was part of the darkest timeline.
The West Wing: Season Two
The second season of The West Wing picks right up where the first season left off, as we discover who had been shot outside the Newseum. It doesn't stop until the "Cliffhanger that wasn't really a cliffhanger, didn't you see Jed put his hands in his pockets?" In between, a friend helps Josh find his way out of a hole, and the White House celebrates the pursuit of science, even if the scientific mission failed. A noble senator stands up for his grandson in a far more sympathetic filibuster than most of crap that happens in real life. And all the while, Toby figures out the big secret 17 people know, and we're off on the road to "Two Cathedrals". It is my opinion that "17 People" to "Two Cathedrals" is the best five episode run of any show I've ever seen. If you've watched them and disagree, I can respect that. But if you haven't because you are afraid or can't be bothered, then I don't even want to know you.
Arrested Development: Season Two
I have to admit, this show is hard to sell to people. On the surface it's "plot" (a formerly rich and powerful family rebuilds after the head of the family goes to jail) isn't that enticing. Much of the humor is so densely packed, that it requires multiple viewings to get so many of the jokes.* Unless you've watched it so often that you've almost memorized it, it requires attention. I get all that, but it doesn't matter. This is the best comedy of the 2000s, and one of the best ever.
All three seasons have plenty to offer, but clearly season two stands above the others. Season one was just a warm up, whereas season three started to get a bit sloppy, although still quite sharp. But season two...season two is like all the juice you can drink.
My favorite episode of this season is "Good Grief", which is nestled in the early middle of the season. My favorite part of the episode (and this was tough to pick) is probably George Micheal's sad walk set to "Christmastime is here".
I'd include more clips, but I'm pretty sure after a while I'd include the entire episode, plus most of several episodes around it. Just go check them out for yourself, OK? As your resident maritime lawyer, Chareth Cutestory recommends it.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: TNG: Season Four, Star Trek: DS9: Season Five, Newsradio: Season Four, Louie: Season Two
*It took me several times watching to realize there was a Henry Winkler "jumping the shark" joke in one episode. And this was one of the more obvious ones.
This was the toughest one of the bunch to pick. Frankly, any of seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 would be worthy for this list. However, one of them stands above the rest just enough to represent what is quite arguably the greatest TV show ever. That season is season four.
Why? Because this is the season with "Marge vs. the Monorail" and "Last Exit to Springfield", two of the most cromulent episodes of the entire run of the show. And other than maybe the clip show, every other episode in this season is top notch. This is the season of "Mr. Plow", "A Streetcar Named Marge", and "Whacking Day". It is the season that began with "Kamp Krusty" and ended with "Krusty Gets Kancelled".
GABBO!
GABBO!
GABBO!
Um...excuse me. The season dealt with issues both thorny (faith) and well-trodden (young love, both done excellently. It is the season of "Can't sleep, clown'll eat me. Can't sleep, clown'll eat me." and "Iron helps us play!"
Hell, even Ralph has his day in the sun, reaching deep down and using heartbreak and humiliation to give one heck of a rendition as George Washington. Sure, some day he'll bend his wookie, but for one episode he was truly more than a joke.
Of course, there are several more great moments, but I don't have much space. Instead, enjoy music clip from "Last Exit to Springfield".
(That oughta hold the little SOBs)
Futurama: Volume Four
Frankly this season would be in the running if "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" and "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" were the only episodes in this season. However, there were many other episodes, such as the beautifully trippy "The Sting" and "Farnsworth's Parabox". The vitriol towards Fox (or network TV in general) can be felt from "Bender Shouldn't Be Allowed on TV", or the superhero parody "Less Than Hero". Oh yeah, can't forget about "Leela's Homeworld", particularly the ending.
Yep, a truly great set of episodes.
Oh, and we can't forget about this, can we?
Parks and Recreation: Season Three
We are conditioned to think more is better. So when we here a show has its episode count cut, we are worried about how that will affect the show. It has caused problems for some shows, including one that will appear later on this list. However, for Parks and Recreation, I think the abbreviated third season was an asset.
The season can be broken into two parts: the first part which resolves the Harvest Fest arc (filmed at the end of season two), and the nine other episodes, leading up to Leslie's big decision. Somehow the Ron, Leslie, Ben, Chris, and the P & R gang pull off a Harvest Fest, an impromptu wedding, and a beautiful memorial service for a Pawnee institution in those sixteen episodes.
My favorite part of the season has to be how Leslie just totally fights through her flu to give one hell of a presentation for the Harvest Fest. Somehow, I was as pumped watching that as Ben seemed to be, both simultaneously remembering Michael Jordan's lit-er-ally ill performance in the NBA Finals. Of course, I remembered this was a TV show, and that wasn't real. Unless Amy Poehler was actually sick during those scenes. If so, that would totally be method.
Community: Season Two
Each season of Community has had its moments. I'm sure even the upcoming Harmonless season will have great episodes and scenes. But by far my most favorite of the three currently produced seasons is season two. I suppose it is because this season had the greatest number of favorite episodes.
What can I say? "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" has made my annual holiday show and film rotation. I'm a sucker for fake clip shows, like "Paradigms of Human Memory", and any show that promises a Pulp Fiction take-off, but delivers My Dinner With Andre instead is a winner (especially if the episode is good). And that is before I even mention "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", which achieved that precarious balance of nerd wanking that was also heartfelt and earnest. Yep, no one can say season two was part of the darkest timeline.
The West Wing: Season Two
The second season of The West Wing picks right up where the first season left off, as we discover who had been shot outside the Newseum. It doesn't stop until the "Cliffhanger that wasn't really a cliffhanger, didn't you see Jed put his hands in his pockets?" In between, a friend helps Josh find his way out of a hole, and the White House celebrates the pursuit of science, even if the scientific mission failed. A noble senator stands up for his grandson in a far more sympathetic filibuster than most of crap that happens in real life. And all the while, Toby figures out the big secret 17 people know, and we're off on the road to "Two Cathedrals". It is my opinion that "17 People" to "Two Cathedrals" is the best five episode run of any show I've ever seen. If you've watched them and disagree, I can respect that. But if you haven't because you are afraid or can't be bothered, then I don't even want to know you.
Arrested Development: Season Two
I have to admit, this show is hard to sell to people. On the surface it's "plot" (a formerly rich and powerful family rebuilds after the head of the family goes to jail) isn't that enticing. Much of the humor is so densely packed, that it requires multiple viewings to get so many of the jokes.* Unless you've watched it so often that you've almost memorized it, it requires attention. I get all that, but it doesn't matter. This is the best comedy of the 2000s, and one of the best ever.
All three seasons have plenty to offer, but clearly season two stands above the others. Season one was just a warm up, whereas season three started to get a bit sloppy, although still quite sharp. But season two...season two is like all the juice you can drink.
My favorite episode of this season is "Good Grief", which is nestled in the early middle of the season. My favorite part of the episode (and this was tough to pick) is probably George Micheal's sad walk set to "Christmastime is here".
I'd include more clips, but I'm pretty sure after a while I'd include the entire episode, plus most of several episodes around it. Just go check them out for yourself, OK? As your resident maritime lawyer, Chareth Cutestory recommends it.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: TNG: Season Four, Star Trek: DS9: Season Five, Newsradio: Season Four, Louie: Season Two
*It took me several times watching to realize there was a Henry Winkler "jumping the shark" joke in one episode. And this was one of the more obvious ones.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
TV Week begins: My Favorite Seasons of TV
From Tuesday through Friday, I'll be writing a post each day about TV. Why? Because I like writing and thinking about TV. Oh, and it's about time for new shows to return to the big four networks (and NBC*). Also, because Blogger's stats have shown people like reading my TV posts.**
Anyway, we begin with a list of my favorite seasons of TV.
For most TV shows, even in this age of serialization, a season is merely a business unit. A production schedule that says when new episodes are aired, and when they are replaced by reruns or a inconsequential and terrible summer reality show. Most people look at a show, and judge it on an episode to episode basis. Occasionally, some people will comment if a season was particularly full of great episodes, or was a complete departure from a previous season (good or bad). And of course there are the shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones which are heavily serialized, so a season is like a book and its episodes are a chapters.
Being that I am not most people, I have a tendency to obsess over not only episodes, but seasons. This is true even for shows that aren't (or weren't) serialized at all, like The Simpsons or Newsradio. I like to compare a particular season of a show with another season, or occasionally compare a season of one show up against the rest of the seasons of TV I've ever watched. I am not a huge fan of ranking shows from best to worst, most to least, or some other metric. However, I do like creating collections of seasons that I consider the best of the show as a whole, or even the best I've ever seen.
It is with this in mind that I share my list of favorite seasons of all time. The rules are few and fairly simple.
1. Only one season per show. For some shows (Arrested Development) this isn't too hard, but others (The Simpsons), it can be pretty tough.
2. When I think of a TV show, the season has to stick out in my mind. As much as I love Breaking Bad and Mad Men, not a single season on either show separates itself from the others. This is not a bad thing, as it means all of the seasons are of a considerable high quality. It just means that I don't have a favorite.
3. Shows must have at least three seasons to qualify. In other words, I apologize in advance to any aggrieved Browncoats***.
4. For the purpose of this list, season whatever I associate more to be a comprehensive season. This should be known as the Futurama rule. In the case of that show, the "fourth season" means the fourth volume of the DVDs. These episodes were actually was split over two actual broadcast seasons. However, I became fully acquainted with them on the DVDs, and as such that is how I will treat them.
5. It should go without saying that this only applies to shows I have watched in their entirety, their currently available entirety, or at least a large enough body of their entirety to make an accurate assessment.
With those rules in mind, let's get started!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Three
Some people feel quite strongly the show went downhill after the Scoobies graduated from high school. While there is still plenty to recommend about the last four seasons of the show, there is no doubt that season three was the high point for the show. A big part of this is due to the season having the best big bad of the bunch in The Mayor. Unlike other seasons of the show, season three was consistent in tone, character traits, and quality. Also, this season had one of my favorite episodes, "The Zeppo", so that counts for something.
Angel: Season Five
Many shows get canceled well before their time, leaving fans to commiserate about what might have been****. Other shows hit the opposite extreme, limping along from season to season until every character has been married, won the lottery, or died of a heart attack*****. It is a rare show that ends it runs on a high note. After an enjoyable, but at times messy fourth season, Angel rebounded with a vengeance. It made troublesome or borderline annoying characters from BtVS awesome (either again or for the first time). It had that wonderful Whedon mixture of humor and senseless tragedy. It promised demon fighting brothers who were also Mexican wrestlers, foul mouthed demon puppets, and a not-annoying Connor, and somehow delivered on all three. And the ending of the last episode...that had to be one of the most thematically appropriate endings to a series I've ever seen.
The Office (US): Season Three
Yes, young ones, there was a time when Jim and Pam's relationship wasn't incredibly dull, and they were actually likeable. There was a time when Dwight wasn't such a cartoon, and was occasionally even sympathetic. Hell, Andy was even occasionally funny, but nowhere near as funny as that clueless Michael Scott. The awful British lady and fat James Spader were nowhere to be found. Ryan was still a dick, but a relevant dick. There was no Gabe, and Dunder-Mifflin was an independent company, with corporate officers who were actually interesting. Ann Perkins from Parks and Recreation was on the show, and she actually brought complications to Jim and Pam's relationship, which wasn't as yet consummated. Sure, Creed and Stanley were still funny, but so were Angela and Kevin on occasion. The show was funny, the cast was likeable, and it was well written, directed, and produced. So when we reminisce about those days, as that god-awful The Farm enters its sixteenth season, please turn off your holoproj of Office Babies and watch this crusty old video and see what we mean.
Moral Orel: Season Three
For two seasons, Moral Orel was a funny, often pointed and biting satire of fundamentalist Christianity. It centered around a young sinner named Orel, who in all respects seemed to be a genuinely good person who tried to be a good Christian, as well as a good son, brother, friend, and citizen. Even if that meant raising the dead, drinking his own urine, or helping the "slow" kid unlearn all that sciency crap. While Orel, and a few other characters as well, were treated with sympathy, the townsfolk and his parents were mainly their as foils, used to show the hypocrisy of extremism and absolutism, no matter the stripe. If those two seasons were alone, it would have still been an enjoyable Adult Swim show.
And then the third season happened.
In many ways, the seeds were sown from the beginning, as the first episode aired by Cartoon Network, "The Best Christmas Ever", was incredibly depressing. But the two part second season finale, "Nature" took it up another notch. Frankly, that was one of the darkest pieces of television I have ever seen.
Season three took it from there, weaving a connected story of the people of Moralton through its thirteen episodes. There are long parts of most episodes where there isn't much that is funny. Instead, we see into the lives of the people, and the vast majority of them are lonely, troubled, and in need of serious help. So many of them try to live up to the ideals of their church and society, despite it causing them so much grief and self-doubt. Even Orel himself comes to have doubts, wondering (justifiably so, given the events of "Nature") whether or not there is anything about his father that is worth honoring. Though few and far between, there are a few moments of clarity and healing for some of the people of Moralton. However, these require the people transcending the strictures of their extremist society and taking a more open and compassionate view towards their fellow man.
Despite all the darkness, the grief and the loneliness, the series ends on a hopeful note. Apparently there were seven scripts that were never produced, the show canceled before they could get any further. To me, that's a damn shame, although I probably represent about 17% of the fan club for the show.
=============
This is getting much longer than I intended it to be. In the interest of staving off
"tl;dr"s, I'm going to pick this up again tomorrow. Don't worry, this won't count as tomorrow's piece. Also, don't worry about this list being front-loaded. Many of my all time favorites will be in the list tomorrow as well.
*BURN! Oh wait, a few of my favorite shows are on NBC, and they are about to be canceled. Now I made myself sad.
**Or they like bouncing immediately elsewhere, because there are no nude photos of stars of a tagged show.
***But hey, two other Whedon shows qualify! And wasn't The Avengers a damn fine movie?
****Freaks and Geeks, Firefly, Luck
*****The Office (US), Family Guy, and Roseanne. The Simpsons should probably be on this list, but while far from the quality of their golden years, it still can sometimes knock a homer out of the park.
Anyway, we begin with a list of my favorite seasons of TV.
For most TV shows, even in this age of serialization, a season is merely a business unit. A production schedule that says when new episodes are aired, and when they are replaced by reruns or a inconsequential and terrible summer reality show. Most people look at a show, and judge it on an episode to episode basis. Occasionally, some people will comment if a season was particularly full of great episodes, or was a complete departure from a previous season (good or bad). And of course there are the shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones which are heavily serialized, so a season is like a book and its episodes are a chapters.
Being that I am not most people, I have a tendency to obsess over not only episodes, but seasons. This is true even for shows that aren't (or weren't) serialized at all, like The Simpsons or Newsradio. I like to compare a particular season of a show with another season, or occasionally compare a season of one show up against the rest of the seasons of TV I've ever watched. I am not a huge fan of ranking shows from best to worst, most to least, or some other metric. However, I do like creating collections of seasons that I consider the best of the show as a whole, or even the best I've ever seen.
It is with this in mind that I share my list of favorite seasons of all time. The rules are few and fairly simple.
1. Only one season per show. For some shows (Arrested Development) this isn't too hard, but others (The Simpsons), it can be pretty tough.
2. When I think of a TV show, the season has to stick out in my mind. As much as I love Breaking Bad and Mad Men, not a single season on either show separates itself from the others. This is not a bad thing, as it means all of the seasons are of a considerable high quality. It just means that I don't have a favorite.
3. Shows must have at least three seasons to qualify. In other words, I apologize in advance to any aggrieved Browncoats***.
4. For the purpose of this list, season whatever I associate more to be a comprehensive season. This should be known as the Futurama rule. In the case of that show, the "fourth season" means the fourth volume of the DVDs. These episodes were actually was split over two actual broadcast seasons. However, I became fully acquainted with them on the DVDs, and as such that is how I will treat them.
5. It should go without saying that this only applies to shows I have watched in their entirety, their currently available entirety, or at least a large enough body of their entirety to make an accurate assessment.
With those rules in mind, let's get started!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Three
Some people feel quite strongly the show went downhill after the Scoobies graduated from high school. While there is still plenty to recommend about the last four seasons of the show, there is no doubt that season three was the high point for the show. A big part of this is due to the season having the best big bad of the bunch in The Mayor. Unlike other seasons of the show, season three was consistent in tone, character traits, and quality. Also, this season had one of my favorite episodes, "The Zeppo", so that counts for something.
Angel: Season Five
Many shows get canceled well before their time, leaving fans to commiserate about what might have been****. Other shows hit the opposite extreme, limping along from season to season until every character has been married, won the lottery, or died of a heart attack*****. It is a rare show that ends it runs on a high note. After an enjoyable, but at times messy fourth season, Angel rebounded with a vengeance. It made troublesome or borderline annoying characters from BtVS awesome (either again or for the first time). It had that wonderful Whedon mixture of humor and senseless tragedy. It promised demon fighting brothers who were also Mexican wrestlers, foul mouthed demon puppets, and a not-annoying Connor, and somehow delivered on all three. And the ending of the last episode...that had to be one of the most thematically appropriate endings to a series I've ever seen.
The Office (US): Season Three
Yes, young ones, there was a time when Jim and Pam's relationship wasn't incredibly dull, and they were actually likeable. There was a time when Dwight wasn't such a cartoon, and was occasionally even sympathetic. Hell, Andy was even occasionally funny, but nowhere near as funny as that clueless Michael Scott. The awful British lady and fat James Spader were nowhere to be found. Ryan was still a dick, but a relevant dick. There was no Gabe, and Dunder-Mifflin was an independent company, with corporate officers who were actually interesting. Ann Perkins from Parks and Recreation was on the show, and she actually brought complications to Jim and Pam's relationship, which wasn't as yet consummated. Sure, Creed and Stanley were still funny, but so were Angela and Kevin on occasion. The show was funny, the cast was likeable, and it was well written, directed, and produced. So when we reminisce about those days, as that god-awful The Farm enters its sixteenth season, please turn off your holoproj of Office Babies and watch this crusty old video and see what we mean.
Moral Orel: Season Three
For two seasons, Moral Orel was a funny, often pointed and biting satire of fundamentalist Christianity. It centered around a young sinner named Orel, who in all respects seemed to be a genuinely good person who tried to be a good Christian, as well as a good son, brother, friend, and citizen. Even if that meant raising the dead, drinking his own urine, or helping the "slow" kid unlearn all that sciency crap. While Orel, and a few other characters as well, were treated with sympathy, the townsfolk and his parents were mainly their as foils, used to show the hypocrisy of extremism and absolutism, no matter the stripe. If those two seasons were alone, it would have still been an enjoyable Adult Swim show.
And then the third season happened.
In many ways, the seeds were sown from the beginning, as the first episode aired by Cartoon Network, "The Best Christmas Ever", was incredibly depressing. But the two part second season finale, "Nature" took it up another notch. Frankly, that was one of the darkest pieces of television I have ever seen.
Season three took it from there, weaving a connected story of the people of Moralton through its thirteen episodes. There are long parts of most episodes where there isn't much that is funny. Instead, we see into the lives of the people, and the vast majority of them are lonely, troubled, and in need of serious help. So many of them try to live up to the ideals of their church and society, despite it causing them so much grief and self-doubt. Even Orel himself comes to have doubts, wondering (justifiably so, given the events of "Nature") whether or not there is anything about his father that is worth honoring. Though few and far between, there are a few moments of clarity and healing for some of the people of Moralton. However, these require the people transcending the strictures of their extremist society and taking a more open and compassionate view towards their fellow man.
Despite all the darkness, the grief and the loneliness, the series ends on a hopeful note. Apparently there were seven scripts that were never produced, the show canceled before they could get any further. To me, that's a damn shame, although I probably represent about 17% of the fan club for the show.
=============
This is getting much longer than I intended it to be. In the interest of staving off
"tl;dr"s, I'm going to pick this up again tomorrow. Don't worry, this won't count as tomorrow's piece. Also, don't worry about this list being front-loaded. Many of my all time favorites will be in the list tomorrow as well.
*BURN! Oh wait, a few of my favorite shows are on NBC, and they are about to be canceled. Now I made myself sad.
**Or they like bouncing immediately elsewhere, because there are no nude photos of stars of a tagged show.
***But hey, two other Whedon shows qualify! And wasn't The Avengers a damn fine movie?
****Freaks and Geeks, Firefly, Luck
*****The Office (US), Family Guy, and Roseanne. The Simpsons should probably be on this list, but while far from the quality of their golden years, it still can sometimes knock a homer out of the park.
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