A few words on "The Lion and the Rose"

****SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES ARE FOUND BELOW****

Recap of the Emmy Awards

So, yeah....the Emmy Awards aired last night. Granted, most of the time I was primarily focused on the Bears vs. Steelers game, which was at first much less painful, then became far too close, to the point that I turned it off because I didn't care to watch them blow a 3 TD lead. Of course, some of the weird filler crap at the Emmys was so bad that it made me want to turn back to NBC to see Roethlisberger pick apart Chris Conte again. Death seemed to hover over the entirety of the broadcast, with long tributes to various actors that died in the last year, plus Carrie Underwood singing "Yesterday" (Released in 1965) to commemorate the broadcast of Kennedy's assassination (1963, of course). This was in addition to the usual "In Memoriam" segment. Now remembering these actors, who are gone but not forgotten is not a problem. However, could you have shown some of their work?

I don't know why I care about these awards (or any awards) for that matter. They should matter to me about as much as they do Ron Swanson*, although perhaps they'd mean more if the right people won them. In some cases they did (Tony Hale, Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad), in other places the wrong person/show won (Modern Family for anything it won, Jeff Daniels), and others someone won who deserved it, although in the process shutting out someone who also deserved it (Julia Louis-Dreyfus beating out Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Lena Dunham, and Laura Dern for Best Actress in a Comedy).

I still can't believe that Amy Poehler and Jon Hamm have yet to win an Emmy. Part of the problem is tough competition, especially with Hamm. Having to go up against Bryan Cranston almost every year is never an easy thing to do. With Poehler, I wonder if the character of Leslie Knope is just not the type of character that tends to win these awards. Both Mad Men and Parks & Recreation, home to two of the best ensembles on TV right now, have never won a single acting Emmy. I'm not sure how that happened, but there it is.

I suppose it's nothing new. It took until this year for Bob Newhart to win an Emmy (for guesting on The Big Bang Theory). The characters of Leslie Knope, Don Draper, Ron Swanson, and Michael Scott have exactly zero wins to their name. The Wire was never even nominated for Best Drama. Of course, animated series are completely ignored. I'm sure you can go back through the years and find many other examples (such as Bob Newhart).

So another year is down, and we can forget about the snubs, while remembering the few that they actually got right for a little while longer. Then next year, when the nominations come out, we can gripe again how Nick Offerman was criminally ignored, Modern Family is over-represented, and figure out who's going to beat Jon Hamm and Amy Poehler...again. And hopefully, the awards show won't take place the same night as the penultimate episode of the Best Drama winner's series, and a Bears game.

*A character that has netted Nick Offerman no nominations, let alone wins. One of the best comedy characters out there can't get a nomination because it's apparently guild rules that 67% of the spots go to Modern Family actors.

Abed's Happy Community College Show: a Review

At last! At last! Community has returned to us! And to...semi-disappointed reviews? A slight bump in ratings? Oh...that doesn't sound good.

A lot has happened since Season 3's finale; Creator Dan Harmon was fired by Sony, prompting the hiring of two new Showrunners, Chevy Chase finally showed himself out, NBC only ordered the front half of a season, making Community's 4th season a sure 13 episodes long. Talks of cancellation were abound, and fan groups banded together to spread the word about the show. Adding insult to injury, the show's cries of "we're not too meta and high concept to be enjoyed by everyone!" were drowned out by another "lol look at nerds they're so nerdy! NERDS!" joke on the Big Bang Theory, which gets all the ratings ever.

A lot of the criticism behind the Season 4 opener "History 101" had to do with the "feel" of the show. Now, full (yet possibly redundant) disclosure: I actually haven't watched the episode yet. I wanted to get down these feelings of anxiety and anticipation after hearing word that OMG COMMUNITY ISN'T THE SAME ABANDON SHIP!

That's not fair. I'm going into this, my beloved show, with the hopes that the episode isn't on par with the season as a whole if it is truly bad. On the other hand, I've heard people say that the quality is equal to that of some of Harmon's weaker episodes, so that gives me a little insight as to what to expect.

Well, everyone, give me your hands, show me the door, I cannot stand to wait anymore:

"History 101"

The cold opening was genuinely pretty good; a multi-camera sitcom whitewash (complete with laugh track) that relied completely on identifying things and saying that they were things while whacky hijinks ensue (like everyone showing up with the SAME HIPSTER GLASSES!). I'd like to believe this was a not-so-subtle "Fuck YOU" * to NBC, the Big Bang Theory (as Abed makes some sort of half-hearted nerd joke the likes of which Sheldon Cooper would utter), and maybe the whole idea of the generic Sitcom formula that seems to thrive these days despite having been done to death. We go on to find out that this is Abed's "happy place" inside his mind - he'd started out with a babbling brook, but decided to incorporate aspects of his own life into it. As Abed is established as seeing things through rose colored tv-trope lenses, the show cuts to a meta version of the opening credits (referenced in the title of this blog post). Abed's internal happy place aside, I'm sticking to the idea that the cold open was definitely a message of some sort - would it take Community selling its soul to finally get the ratings it deserves? WOULD THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY, NBC?

Now, that being said, the tone itself does feel a bit off. Not Multi-cam laughtrack off, but there's something happening here that I can't put my finger on (and I'm not talking about Dean Pelton in a dress riding through the cafeteria in a chariot announcing "The Hunger Deans"...that's pretty normal). It's not Jeff's admission of his graduating "early", or New Jeff at all, or Abed's brink of mental breakdown at the idea that the Study Group has only a limited amount of time together. Is it the directing? The lighting? The cinematography? Was the catering spread subpar?

Is it because the group dynamic is broken up so early in the episode? The Study Group is barely in one place at the same time, instead opting to show Pierce and Abed side by side, Annie and Shirley together pulling pranks, Britta and Troy being progressive and making wishes, Jeff doing...the tango. Even the "Greendale babies" segment wasn't that out of the ordinary...but at the same time it wasn't hilarious.

Heart? Is the episode missing heart? The organic kind of feeling that this is actually a school, where it took people time to get to, and the people in the background are trying to get to class or eat lunch, and things happen in a way that's only meaningful to the Greendale 7 (and therefore to the audience as well)?

Okay, the ABED TV Blinde/Blonde promo was pretty funny.

"Can somebody tell me what the hell we just did?" I'm kind of confused, too, Pierce. For once, we're on the same page. I mean, the plot makes sense. The jokes are there. But nothing seems finished, or fleshed out. Jeff's characteristic "speech" at the end seems wasted because the episode wasn't set up correctly for it. The reviewers were right; it wasn't a great episode. It could have been so much more, and it should have been.

For all the people I've been bugging to get into Community, I urge you not to judge the series on this episode. Thank you for tuning in and giving it a shot; if possible, please go back and watch the first three seasons. You'll see why I love the show and really want it to thrive to Six Seasons and a Movie, but not at the cost that the latter half of the series loses what makes it so special in the first place.


* Sorry, dad, for the language.

There Goes the Funcooker: Saying Goodbye to 30 Rock

In 2006, two shows premiered on NBC. One was Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the other 30 Rock. Both shows dealt with the behind-the-scenes happenings on sketch comedy shows. Studio 60 was Aaron Sorkin's return to television, while 30 Rock was Tina Fey's first big project since leaving Saturday Night Live. Sorkin's show was riding a lot of buzz generated by its excellent pilot that brought to mind Network. The pilot for 30 Rock, on the other hand, was roundly panned as being rather mediocre bordering on bad. I hadn't seen the 30 Rock pilot, but I loved the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip pilot. I thought for sure that Sorkin had hit gold again, and a deserving successor to The West Wing had been found. If I even thought about 30 Rock, it was how it was likely to run through 13 episodes, maybe even a full season because of Lorne Michaels sway, and get cancelled.

Blergh, was I wrong.

Studio 60 ended up being far more "Bad Sorkin" than "Good Sorkin", and ignominiously bowed out after one season. These days it is rarely brought up, other than as evidence along with The Newsroom to show how "Bad Sorkin" has taken over his TV projects. The only time I think about the show is when Jeff Daniels is bitching about those young folks and their technology, when I remember how stupid it was Nate Corddry's parents didn't recognize Abbott and Costello, and when I listen to the admittedly great version of "O Holy Night" from the Christmas episode*.

Meanwhile, 30 Rock became one of my favorite shows, with Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy becoming two of my favorite characters of all time. Yeah, the pilot was not great, but it very quickly gathered its momentum, and was firing on all cylinders within a few episodes in the first season. The unhinged craziness of Tracey Morgan and Jane Krakowski worked wonders in contrast to the grounded craziness of Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin and the weird cheerfulness of Jack McBrayer. Beyond the big five characters, the rest of the group, including Scott Adsit and Judah Friedlander, helped flesh out the show. If those still weren't enough, the show had many great guest stars, ,such as Dean Winters, Jon Hamm, Will Arnett, and many others. Oftentimes it was the funniest show on television.

The core of the show was the relationship between Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon. It was a special relationship, and fairly unique in that it was a friendship between a man and a woman character that didn't descend into "will they or won't they" nonsense. This seems to be a pretty rare thing, although more frequent in recent years with others like Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson, or Don Draper and Peggy Olson. I'm glad they never tried to force that situation, because it worked so much better as a platonic friendship.

And now, after seven seasons, it's time to say farewell to the show. Although I am sad to see it go, I am happy to say it is leaving strong. Unlike many shows, such as The Office, it is going out on its own terms, before it gets too stale. Although the show did get a bit weak (at times) in the middle of its run, it has rebounded to be consistently great the past couple of seasons. Of course, they have yet to stick the landing, so perhaps you'll see me on here tomorrow decrying the awfulness of Seinfeldesque proportions of the finale. Given the show's track record, I'm confident that won't happen.


*As annoying as the show could be, this was still a pretty great moment. Oh, the episode Allison Janney guest starred in was pretty good as well, if I recall.

This Week in TV Marathoning

The current marathon of Doctor Who that Erin and I have been going through with various levels of intensity is almost over, as we've switched from Netflix to DVR to watch the episodes from the fall. After going through six series, plus the tenth doctor specials, plus a couple episodes from the current one, I have to say I've enjoyed the show. My favorite overall was probably the fourth series, and I like David Tennant the best of the three doctors. That isn't to say I've not enjoyed the adventures of Amy, Rory, and the Doctor, but I think the Tennant era was just a bit better. I also liked the first series with the ninth doctor a lot as well, even with Rose, who I am not a fan of for the most part. All in all, I'll be sad to finish up the current episodes, as that will leave yet another show to anticipate coming back.

The past couple of nights I finally gave in and started Portlandia on Netflix. There are only sixteen episodes and one special on Netflix, so this will be a pretty short marathon, considering I've already gone through eleven of them so far. I've enjoyed it so far. It's not exactly rip roaring funny, but it's a fun show. My favorite episode so far is the one involving a Battlestar Galactica marathon taking over the life of a couple characters in the show. Not only is it a pretty funny episode that includes guest spots by a couple of the actors from the show (and Ron Moore), I can relate to it because I believe I downed the entire series in about a two week span. Basically, if I wasn't working or sleeping I was watching BSG. Fortunately, I did not lose my job nor convince someone also named Ronald Moore to write another episode of the show.

I'm still working through Saturday Night Live on Netflix as well, having reached the 1988-1989 season. Mike Myers made his first appearance a few episodes before where I am now. I know that the rights and financial issues are too prohibitive, but I wish they'd add complete episodes beyond the first five seasons. Some of the best sketches are being left out because of this, and it just bugs my completist side. Still, it's a good thing to put on while I'm working, cleaning, or making dinner.

After I wrap up Doctor Who and Portlandia, I'm not sure what I might do from there. I have some other shows that have been sitting in my queue for a while, so it might be a good time to check them out. Of course, there are also a lot of movies I have queued up as well, both streaming and on disc, so perhaps I'll switch gears for a while. I guess we'll find out next week.

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.

In Defense Of: The West Wing Season Five

There is no accounting for taste. Everyone has a favorite movie or TV show that they like despite the general consensus being otherwise. Sometimes we come to this opinion upon a revisiting, as perhaps our new experiences and perspective opens up new ways to be entertained. Other times we've enjoyed it from the first time we saw it, and we still love it, damnit. We begin with season five of The West Wing, considered the weakest of the entire series.

There is no denying that The West Wing was weaker after Aaron Sorkin left. Even when the show rebounded during the Santos vs. Vinick election storyline, it was still missing something, that "Good Sorkin"* element that seemed to tie together the show so well. This can be best felt in the Zoey Bartlet kidnapping arc, half of which was under Sorkin, half of which was not. "Commencement" and "25" are tight, well written, and balance the drama with the tension really well. The juxtaposition of Toby's joy at the birth of his twins and the President and First Lady going through the utter hell of their daughter being kidnapped is spot on. Although the fourth season had some of the troubles of later seasons, it certainly ended with a bang.

"7A WF 83429" and "The Dogs of War", on the other hand, aren't bad, but they just aren't great. Instead of having that focus on the interpersonal drama surrounding the kidnapping and Bartlet's subsequent temporary recusal from the Presidency, it seemed far more concerned with the political aspects of the situation. That isn't to say there isn't a place for that, just that it wasn't as well balanced. The end of "7A WF 83429" tries to go for the emotion of "Two Cathedrals" or "Commencement", but it just feels overblown. To top it off, the conclusion of the kidnapping just seemed a bit perfunctory, like they forgot they needed to end it and just stuck it in there. They were pretty good television, and would have been great for many shows. But for a show like The West Wing, they just weren't good enough.

The other twenty episodes are about the same. They are nowhere near the awfulness some people seem to claim, but they are also nowhere near the heights of Bartlet's first term. Martin Sheen is great as always as President Bartlet, as is most of the rest of the cast. Season five marks a big step in Donna's development as a character, as she tries to become more than just Josh's faithful assistant.

My two biggest problems with the season are what they did to Leo and Will. In the first four seasons, Leo was the President's right hand man. He was powerful, he was wise, and he was competent. Sure, he often tempered the President's more quixotic side, but he knew when to slow things down, and when to let Bartlet be Bartlet. However, in season five, he becomes Mr. No. I suppose in the early part of the season it was because Bartlet wasn't quite back in the game from Zoey's kidnapping, and his subsequent estrangement from the First Lady. By the end of the season, his attitude veered between reticent gatekeeper and deluded warmonger. I suppose it was done to show the President's growth in self-confidence at being able to do the job, but it just makes Leo look terrible. On top of it all, it sets up what happens at the beginning of season six, the true nadir of the series.**

As for Will, why bring him on to be Sam 2.0 when you turn around and marginalize him by making him Bingo Bob's chief of staff? I suppose they felt it would create "drama" between Toby and Will, and also it would set up the election storyline in later seasons, but that assumes they were thinking that far ahead. Will vs. Josh works fairly well, particularly with Donna in there, but that didn't happen until season six, and Will could have conceivably jumped over to Bingo Bob's campaign a season later.

Those complaints aside, I still enjoyed the season. "Shutdown" and "The Supremes" are two of my favorite episodes, perhaps because the West Wing staff actually accomplishes something. "Han" was a surprisingly good episode, although much more somber than most of my favorite episodes. Finally, the show is astute in showing the dynamics of how dysfunctional the government can be when you have a far right wing Congress mixed with a centrist liberal White House. I was surprised how similar some of the situations were to our current mess.

In the end, I don't think season five deserves the scorn often heaped upon it. True, it had some hard to swallow stuff such as Toby saving Social Security in one day, and it had problems with some of the characters. Sure, none of the new characters in the season made an impact, or even lasted beyond the season***. But it still was The West Wing, which meant it was one of the best dramas on broadcast TV at the time. Now that the entire run is up on Netflix, I suggest you give it a shot if you've never seen it, or a second chance if you have.

*To me, Aaron Sorkin has two sides to his writing. Good Sorkin is some of the best writing found in TV or films. Good Sorkin can be found in movies like The Social Network or most of season two of The West Wing. Bad Sorkin can be absolutely awful. He can be misanthropic, smug, and just downright wrong. For this, see most of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, good portions of The Newsroom, and any time he trolls Internet users in The West Wing.

**Good lord is the first part of season six terrible. Between the hatchet job they do to Bartlet and Leo's relationship and Leo's subsequent heart attack, it's just not good. Only once Santos and Vinick show up does it get better, with "King Corn" and "Freedonia" being the start of a much stronger portion of the season.

***Other than Elizabeth Bartlet, who shows up during the Santos/Vinick arc.

Secondary in Name Only: Milhouse Van Houten

I spent a long time \trying to figure out how to start this piece about Milhouse Van Houten, Bart's perpetual sidekick on The Simpsons. I considered going deep into the social hierarchies and niches of Springfield Elementary School. I envisioned going through each layer, from the bullies at the top, all the way down to the perpetual victims like Ralph and Martin Prince. I would have used this to point to where Bart and Milhouse sit, which is somewhere towards the lower middle of the hierarchy. It would have taken several paragraphs, but it would have left you with a very accurate picture of who exactly Milhouse is.

Instead of doing all of that puffed up nonsense about a fictional schoolyard, I found this clip.



Besides giving me one of my favorite quotes, that clip from "Mom and Pop Art" totally shows what kind of character Milhouse is. My work here is done.

...Oh wait, you mean I need to write a bit more? Well, crap.

From that clip, you can tell that Milhouse is both eternally optimistic, choosing to focus on the appropriateness of his pants rather than the disaster of his house flooding and a big dork, as only big dorks would have flood pants. All you need to round out his character is toadying up to Bart and swooning over Lisa.

My favorite episode involving Milhouse likely has to be "Lemon of Troy". I was't able to find my favorite Milhouse clip from the episode, where he imagines his camouflage working much better than it actually does. However, my second favorite Milhouse does have a clip.



I love how angry he gets about the "Shelbyville Milhouse", who clearly is just stealing his personality from Milhouse. Of course, what makes that so much better is how when they finally confront each other, they fight at first, until discovering how similar they each are, and commiserate in their shared troubles.

Another great episode for Milhouse is season seven's "Radioactive Man". In this episode, Milhouse becomes the ultimate sidekick, playing the role of Fallout Boy in the movie version of Radioactive Man. Of course, he ends up hating acting and abandons the set, leading to one of the greatest (often-misquoted) lines of the show ever.



Sure, he's not part of that scene, but it all happens that way because he wasn't there. In the end, in part because Springfield robs the production blind, and in part because Milhouse decides not to act, the movie is a total disaster.



Of course, I could continue going for many more paragraphs about my favorite episodes, showing clips which may or may not have a damn thing to do with Milhouse. But as this is not the "Let's endlessly talk about The Simpsons" feature, I will spare you that.

If the character of Milhouse did not exist, The Simpsons would still be a great show. However, there is little doubt it would be as great as a show as it is if he weren't there. Making a good show great, while not being essential to making it good, is the hallmark of secondary characters. Milhouse fits this idea perfectly.

Reasons Why Erin Loves the Whedonverse #15

Reasons Why Erin Loves the Whedonverse: Dances of Pylea

For humans, the hell dimension of Pylea is not a great place to be. At best you are worked to death as livestock, unless you have visions, then you are well-fed livestock puppets of the ruling religious leaders. For the other residents, however, it's just there home and place to live. Not necessarily a great place, but a place nonetheless. There's no music, but there is dancing. As long as you are not human and like a world of moral absolutes, Pylea isn't so bad. In other words, Angel loved it, at least until he realized that he'd involuntarily turn into a full-fledged vampire demon thing.

I mean, Lorne's cousin seems to enjoy adventuring in a world of clear cut morality. And his brother Numfar (the Mose Schrute of the Deathwok clan)* seems to enjoy his life as the family's dancing fool. Had Lorne not developed the ability to sing and appreciate music, he probably would have been content with the simple life of Pylea. Of course, that isn't how it went, so it was fortunate for him he got sent to our dimension, where cocktails and music are plentiful.

The visit to Pylea for the Angel gang was important for many reasons. It introduced Winifred "Fred" Burkle, the Groosalugg, and fleshed out Lorne's backstory a bit. In addition, it conveyed the idea that demons weren't necessarily actively evil. It had been hinted before on Buffy and Angel, but would become far more prevalent as time went on.

Still, as important that series of episodes were, they are still favorites of mine because they are pretty damn funny. And of course, the funniest part of those episodes were the dances. So dance on, Numfar, do the dance of Honored Thanks for our accolades, as I will join in with the Dance of Joviality.

ALSO: Check out Erin's "bonus" reason, #15.5: Dr. Horrible/Loki.

*Interestingly, Numfar was played by Joss Whedon, while Mose is played by Michael Schur. I like how these two favorite show creators/writers of mine played small, yet hilarious, bit parts on their shows.

The Art of Lying: Elim Garak

This is the first of a twice weekly series of posts about our favorite secondary characters from TV series. Any character who spent time on a show as a recurring character, even if they later became part of the main cast, qualifies. We start with Elim Garak

SPOILERS FOR A 20 YEAR OLD SHOW ARE BELOW, SO BEWARE I SUPPOSE

Exile is a theme of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, especially in the middle seasons of the show. At one time in season five, three main characters and one recurring character were official exiles from their people and their homeworld. Worf lost his hard-won status in the Klingon Empire because he refused to support its war against Cardassia. Quark was exiled from Ferenginar because he broke a contract to save his life. Odo was banished from the Great Link of the Changelings and forced to be solid because he broke their one great commandment by killing one of his own. And Garak the Cardassian tailor, hmm....well he was banished from Cardassia for letting some Bajoran children go free. Or wait, as he banished because he accidentally killed the daughter of a prominent Cardassian leader? Actually, I think he might have been framed for letting prisoners go. Honestly, I doubt we'll ever find out why he was in exile. And that is one of many reasons why Garak is not only one of my favorite characters from the show, but one of my favorites from any show.

Garak, portrayed excellently by Andrew Robinson, was only in thirty-three episodes of the series. Like all great recurring characters, however, his impact far outweighed the relative lack of screentime. Name a great episode of the show ("The Wire", "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast", "In the Pale Moonlight", amongst others) and it's likely Garak was a central character in it. His friendship with Dr. Bashir was a highlight of the show, as it always was a treat to listen to Julian try to get the truth out of Garak about something, and never quite succeed. One of my favorite conversations of theirs revolved around the old story about the boy who cried wolf. Naturally, Garak took away a different moral from it than was intended.



To Garak, dissembling and "truthiness" was a way of life. It was a prefessional skill, something that had to be constantly honed and refined. Another favorite scene involved him doing just that, this time with Worf, a character who is pretty much unable to lie.



Although Garak clearly enjoys lying, as well as many of the other aspects of his previous career as a member of the Obsidian Order, he is without a doubt a professional and a Cardassian patriot. Behind all of the lies, the half-truths, and his nearly implacable sunny disposition and smile is a man with a definite moral code. Sometimes that morality is far different than the morality of the Terran, or a Klingon, or a Bajoran, but it still is there. He clearly is hurt by Cardassia joining the Dominion, and not just because his rival Gul Dukat benefited from the agreement. When he confronts the Female Changeling* about potential survivors of the joint attack by the Obsidian Order and Tal Shiar against the Dominion, his facade temporarily breaks as she tells him they are all dead. Sure, some of that was his feelings for his mentor (and later to be revealed father) Enabran Tain, but also pain at hearing his beloved Cardassia being trampled upon by the Dominion.



His love of Cardassia explains his pragmatic decision to embrace working with the Federation. That does't mean he ever particularly liked it. My favorite scene of his, and arguably my favorite scene of the show overall, comes from the season four premiere "Way of the Warrior". In it, Quark and Garak commiserate over having to rely upon the protection of the Federation as the quadrant moves ever closer to war with Dominion. Never before or again would root beer be such an apt metaphor for something.



In the end, Garak is able to go home, albeit a Cardassia that has been wrecked by years of war, strife, and occupation. There is little doubt Garak will help pick up the pieces, lying through his ever-smiling mouth the entire time. I doubt he would have it any other way.

*That is the closest to a name the character has. She tended to be closest thing to a leader of the Dominion the show had, even though the entirety of the Changelings were the effective leaders.

When to Say Goodbye

Next year. The Office, 30 Rock, and Breaking Bad will all be wrapping up their runs. 30 Rock and Breaking Bad are going out before they get tired. The Office is leaving well after its creative peak, although this last season has gained back some of its spark. Meanwhile, shows like South Park and The Simpsons keep chugging along, the former still at times pretty strong, while the latter mostly settled into a comfortable rut of mediocrity.

One thing fans of shows like to mull over is the lifespan of a show. Not exactly meaning how long the show actually goes, but how long it should go. Some shows were cancelled too soon, as any Browncoat still in mourning will attest. Others lived on well past their "sell by" date.

While we fans of good TV lament those shows cancelled before their time, we tend to focus far more on the shows that go on too long. How many pages of words have been spent in forums and blog comments on the post golden age episodes of The Simpsons*, or seasons 4-7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or season 7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation with its iguana cats and ghost orgasms.

Very few shows get to go out while at or near the top. For every Seinfeld leaving at the height of its popularity, there are many other shows like Roseanne or Scrubs that became shells of their former selves. If the ratings, particularly those in the ever important 18-49 bracket, are still good, the network has no real reason to cancel it. Neither does the production studio, particularly after it hits the magic number for syndication. As long as the salaries of the cast don't outweigh the potential revenue, there really isn't an financial reason for a show to end. This is especially true on troubled networks such as NBC, where even moderate ratings are cause for celebration.

Of course, shows on premium and basic cable have somewhat different rules than the broadcast networks. Many of these shows have particularly powerful executive producers who have definitive ends in mind for their shows. Shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and others end because that is when their creators wanted them to end. Ratings and cost still matter (see: Deadwood), but the economics is a bit different with 10 or 13 thirteen episodes instead of 22 or 26.

A rare but increasingly more common occurrence is a show that was cancelled to soon, brought back, and then becomes a show that lived on too long. The best example of this is Family Guy, which was cancelled initially by Fox, got great ratings for reruns on Adult Swim, and then was renewed by Fox. Its second run has dwarfed the first run in quantity, while oftentimes lacking in quality. Another example is Futurama, which came back with new episodes on Comedy Central after four (mostly) wonderful seasons on Fox, and four good but not great straight to DVD movies. We'll have to see if Arrested Development, resurrected by Netflix, will suffer the same diminishing returns.

Regardless of the timing, it is hard to see a show go. I'll be sad when The Simpsons, even if probably should have ended long ago. Likewise, I'll be sad when another favorite show (such as Parks and Recreation) leaves the air, whether too soon, too late, or exactly the right time. When that last episode ends, that's it. Never again will it be able to disappoint, or rise back up to its highest highs. Like life, saying goodbye to a TV show is always hard, if far, far less painful or difficult.


*The definition of The Simpsons "Golden Age" is subject to debate. Some consider it over after season 8, while others argue for seasons 9,10, and even occasionally 11. For what it's worth, I think the "Golden Age" started with "Radio Bart" in season 3, and ends with "Behind the Laughter", the season 11 finale. Sure, there are great episodes before ("Lisa's Substitute", "Krusty gets Busted") and after ("HOMR", "Trilogy of Error"). However, that wonderful, giddy balance between heart, satire, and absurdity is at its peak during those 8+ seasons where it's at its peak.

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.