Looking Ahead in 2013: Television

For several of my favorite shows, 2013 will be a year of goodbyes. 30 Rock will be wrapping up in a few weeks, while The Office will end its run in May. Odds are this will be the final lap for Community as well. And of course, later this year we'll be getting the last eight episodes of Breaking Bad. For a while at least my viewing mix will get a bit smaller.

However, for many other shows it will be business as usual, and one show will be coming back, this time in Netflix form! Starting here in early January, and going on throughout the rest of the year it'll be an interesting ride.

The show I am looking forward the most to is Game of Thrones, which will begin it's third season on March 31. I've read all of the books that currently are out there, and have watched both seasons of the TV show, and I'm really excited. Sure, A Storm of Swords is split between two seasons, but that is because it is the most action filled of the books. I'm curious exactly what we'll be seeing in the season, and how they'll have to change it around to fit the constraints of television. Apparently they've added extra minutes to each episode, so there will almost be eleven episodes, once you consider the sum total of running time. I'm especially curious to see where they'll cut off the episode. I've got my theory of what will be the end of the tenth episode, although I wouldn't be surprised if that ends up at the end of episode nine, considering how they've done the first two seasons.

Of course, Game of Thrones is not the only HBO show I'm looking forward to seeing come back. Enlightened and Girls are coming back this month, and The Newsroom comes back in June, warts and all. Also at some point Veep may be coming back, so that's good.

Outside the world of HBO, another thing I'm cautiously looking forward to is the return of Arrested Development, as it makes its Netflix exclusive debut later this year. Perhaps it will be a disappointment, an affirmation that sometimes the end of a series isn't a bad thing. Hopefully it won't be, and will be something worth watching.

As for shows that aren't yet ending, but aren't beginning (or are not on HBO), there is a lot to look forward to. Archer premieres a week from today, the same day as Parks and Recreation comes back from the holiday break*. Mad Men will build upon it's great season five, coming back sometime later this year. Futurama will be starting the back half of season seven this summer. Although not as great as it's initial run, the show is still good for many good episodes, and a couple great ones each season.

It's too early to tell what new series might show up next Fall, at least in regards to the usual broadcast networks. As it stands, I've not followed any of the shows that premiered last fall, and only occasionally watch ones such as New Girl that are in their second season. Part of it is because the new shows are rather dire, but part is there is just too much good TV to watch. Especially since It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The West Wing are on Netlix now. Man, I need to really catch up on Bob's Burgers. You know what, I'll get back to you in...oh...December.

*Hmmm...do you think there might be a regular Thursday night wrap-up feature starting in a week? Perhaps.

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".

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.

Politics in my TV: Veep and Parks and Recreation

Holy Crap, has it really been a year since I posted on here? Looks like nobody has exactly missed my screeds. Anyway, I've built up a year's worth of thoughts on all things TV, Movies, and Books, as well as the usual bloviating and story ideas. Expect me to post more frequently from now on, or at least post a few half-assed things about Leslie Knope and Brandon Marshall, and then go quiet for another year.
SPOILER ALERT FOR BOTH PARKS & RECREATION AND VEEP. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

I like politics. Well, I'm not exactly sure I like politics. Politics is basically a colossal mess of horseshit, interspersed with a few miniscule diamond flakes of transcendent beauty. Even if you or your candidate wins the election, they then have to try to govern. In this day an age trying to govern is like putting out a bunch of fires, as others start more fires around you, or pour gasoline on the existing fires, or parade through the fires setting off fireworks fueled by their petty grievances. If you get one thing accomplished, change one mind on either the campaign trail or while in the clusterfuck that is governing, you can consider it a good day. Frankly, it's wearying just following it all, especially when too often your side seems to be the ones getting burnt. To actually be a part of it would take almost superhuman energy and an preternatural ability to ignore failure. And that's just to tread water.

In much fewer words, politics is a drug I can't quit. Thinking about it consumes far too much time for a sane human being, but I just can't pull myself away from it. Hell, it might get so bad at some point that my fevered thoughts will end up spilling onto the pages over at August Prairie. Because I spend so much time obsessing over this most crucial yet somewhat irrelevant part of everyday American life, you'd think my entertainment choices would be less demanding, less related to politics.

Ha!

My favorite show on television right now is Parks and Recreation. Of the new shows that debuted either last fall or this spring, my favorite by far is Veep. Both deal with politics and government, the former with local government and the latter with Washington. There tones couldn't be more dissimilar, as Parks is rather genuine, while Veep is incredibly cynical. Still, I think both demonstrate very well what an uphill battle it is to get things accomplished in this day and age.

As heartfelt as the victories of Leslie and the rest of the gang in Pawnee are, they weren't easily won. To get that pit filled in, or get the harvest festival off the ground, or win a seat on the town council, Knope had to work hard. She had to suffer the fickle nature of her fellow Pawneeans, a boss who diametrically opposed her agenda, and employees that ranged from apathetic (April) to self-absorbed (Tom) to incompetent (Andy and Jerry). Whether it was an antagonistic or brain-dead media, the glacial pace of a modern bureaucracy, or the anarchy of one Greg Pikitis, she fought through it all. And she did it all with a smile on her face. Not because there was riches or glory in it for her, but because it was her job and because she believes in the town and in the parks.

Sure, the raccoon problem is merely contained and not solved. Eagleton still looks down upon the town, and the budget woes that brought Mr. Traegar and Mr. Wyatt to town are still there. The Parks department will still have to fight for every penny they need, and Tammy #2 and the rest of those dastardly librarians will sit in their stale halls full of books, plotting their next move. As she moves to the City Council, that battle will become tougher, as there will be more mouths to feed, and she will have to make tougher choices. After all, they play with live ammo there. If she isn't careful, the pressures of the job may overwhelm her, and snuff out that enthusiastic love of accomplishment and public service. Eventually Leslie might view getting elected, rather than governing, as her primary occupation.

A few levels of government up and a quarter of the country to the east, the office of Vice President Selina Meyer serves as a cautionary tale for Councilwoman Knope. Throughout Veep there have been hints that at one time Meyer was principled, talented, and effective in her job. Now, as the person one heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the world, she is not exactly effective nor powerful. What fire and drive she might have had has clearly been driven out by the soul-grinding world of Washington politics, made worse by being relegated to a do-nothing position in the current Administration.

To be fair, the Vice Presidency is not an office to which power is naturally given. Sure, there have been powerful veeps like Dick Cheney or Al Gore, but far more often they've been relegated to playing a rather pointless Robin to the President's Batman. To her credit, Meyer does try to get a clean jobs task force started, as well as championing filibuster reform. Unfortunately, the feckless world of Congressional politics renders her first priority toothless, to the point she is basically forced to vote down her pet policy when the Senate ties and she has to exercise one of her few Constitutionally mandated roles.

If that wasn't bad enough, she has to do deal with a sensationalistic media and a staff that often borders on complete incompetency. It is hard to get anything done when you have to spend all of your time dealing with "crises" that dominate the news cycle, especially when the President sends some low-level caveman looking flunky to ride herd on you. It's totally unfair when just dealing with the process and horse-race obsessed media. And that is before you get to their sexist double standard, going overboard to create controversies between the First Lady and the Vice President, or how they would have torn her apart if her pregnancy had been discovered.

Granted, the world of Veep seems much colder, much meaner than Pawnee. Of course, it is the major leagues of politics, while Pawnee is at best a tee-ball league. The main characters, from Chris, Ben, and Ron, on down to April, Andy, and even Jerry seem to like and respect each other. In contrast, outside of Gary and possibly Amy, Selina doesn't really have much in the way of a support structure of friends and co-workers. I suppose it is true that if you want a friend in Washington, you have to get a dog.

In the end I prefer the slightly more optimistic bent of the little show in Pawnee, even though I suspect reality is far closer to the crushing pessimism of Veep's Washington. One of my favorite stories from last season was April's pet adoption fair. In the end only one dog was adopted, while some heartless woman dropped off two additional cats. The event was a failure based upon almost all metrics, as it resulted in a net gain of abandoned animals. April felt justifiably discouraged, and was completely ready to give up. However, Tom convinced her the effort wasn't in vain, as because of her efforts one young girl received a new friend, and one dog received a new home. It wasn't much in the big scheme of things, but to that girl and that dog, it meant everything in the world. Truly it was a good day's work. If every day our leaders and civil servants were so effective, maybe things would be better.

Or at least it would be, if that fucking secret service agent would stop smiling. You better make sure he gets reassigned. Now excuse me, I have to go deal with Yoghurtgate and go vote my conscious, which my staff will help me decide on during the drive over to the Hill. And by the way, make sure NOAA changes the name of that fucking hurricane. Did the President call?

The Part Where I Encourage you to Watch These Shows

Veep is wrapping up its first season on HBO this weekend. If you have HBO, go check it out HBOgo. If you want more political fun by the creator of Veep that makes you laugh because it hurts to cry, check out In the Loop or The Thick of It. Parks and Recreation will return in the fall, and can be viewed on Netflix and Hulu Plus. If you gave up on its weak first season, or have yet to watch it, do so now. I SAID DO IT. There is no reason zombie The Office should have higher ratings than it.