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television...again
Mar. 29th, 2010 01:43 amSo the other day a friend asked me what it would take to cheer me up after an early morning of teach/grading and I really only had one answer, waffle though I may: TV. Maybe some coffee. A hamburger if I'm lucky. But mostly TV. So if I tend to fixate, sue me. It's where I find my jollies.
(I really do sort of mean "jollies" as in "laugh like a bowl full of jelly" kind of jolly)
So.
I would like to make a point about the Mentalist. It's like three different USA shows put together (80% Psych---my GOD is there a lot of Psych, 10% White Collar--because where else do you find that dynamic level of pompousness?) ...
Back to my point. This "Jane" fella is a less poised Neal, an un-funny Shawn, and the utmost run-of-the-mill version of every slightly quirky detective this side of Columbo. It's like this show was aiming for all of the shows that succeed solely through charm but removed all of the charm -- an impressive feat since I don't know where the "charm" gland is in a TV show. I appreciate anyone who'll hire Sarah Pailey (that's a The Craft reference for those who were not teenaged girls in '96), so that's nice and all, but COME ON. What have you done with all the charm?
Which is my other point. USA is a fine network -- if I was speaking instead of typing, you'd have heard how I was accentuating the "fine" in that sentence. If I could mack it to a network, that's the one I'd be going home with. I would so stop it at a bar and say something like, "Do you know karate? Cuz your body is really kickin'" and then do the whole half-nod-smirk-thing. It would be fierce.
So. Back to the first point. I have officially given The Mentalist a shot. I watched. I nearly gagged, but I watched it. Psych is all about Shawn and Gus being awkward and talented in some ways but mostly oddballs and children in disguise. The Mentalist is all about this blonde dude being right all the time and all sadpants about whether "the other side" exists or not and how important religion is for people to be good and kind and rainbows. And that may be how primetime rolls but I'm all about USA. And the BBC. And, you know, thousands of other TV shows and networks. But I am still mad impressed by USA.
(I really do sort of mean "jollies" as in "laugh like a bowl full of jelly" kind of jolly)
So.
I would like to make a point about the Mentalist. It's like three different USA shows put together (80% Psych---my GOD is there a lot of Psych, 10% White Collar--because where else do you find that dynamic level of pompousness?) ...
Back to my point. This "Jane" fella is a less poised Neal, an un-funny Shawn, and the utmost run-of-the-mill version of every slightly quirky detective this side of Columbo. It's like this show was aiming for all of the shows that succeed solely through charm but removed all of the charm -- an impressive feat since I don't know where the "charm" gland is in a TV show. I appreciate anyone who'll hire Sarah Pailey (that's a The Craft reference for those who were not teenaged girls in '96), so that's nice and all, but COME ON. What have you done with all the charm?
Which is my other point. USA is a fine network -- if I was speaking instead of typing, you'd have heard how I was accentuating the "fine" in that sentence. If I could mack it to a network, that's the one I'd be going home with. I would so stop it at a bar and say something like, "Do you know karate? Cuz your body is really kickin'" and then do the whole half-nod-smirk-thing. It would be fierce.
So. Back to the first point. I have officially given The Mentalist a shot. I watched. I nearly gagged, but I watched it. Psych is all about Shawn and Gus being awkward and talented in some ways but mostly oddballs and children in disguise. The Mentalist is all about this blonde dude being right all the time and all sadpants about whether "the other side" exists or not and how important religion is for people to be good and kind and rainbows. And that may be how primetime rolls but I'm all about USA. And the BBC. And, you know, thousands of other TV shows and networks. But I am still mad impressed by USA.
