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| "Mad Men" kicked ass recently. Same with Pete for scoring on Trudy | Credit: Mad Men |
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Boardwalk Empire
Season: 1
HBO started their latest gangster TV series last year and it was a good take on how things were in the 1920’s. Fresh from watching “Mad Men” Season 4, I was psyched to go on a time warp again. This series is about how powerful people transformed into notorious gangsters. In 1920’s, liquor was banned like drugs are these days. The show’s frontrunner is Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, a rich, charismatic politician who made under-the-table business to buy and sell liquor as he controlled the Atlantic City. Steve Buscemi, amidst his not-so-attractive appearance gave us the dimension of how charisma was back in those days. He was diplomatic, poised and he always showed that he cared for the public. The pilot episode was a major description of how he ran things – he was an honored friend of the anti-liquor society. He had strong connections from across the border and in other major cities but these became issues when things escalated and murders and betrayals had to happen.
“Boardwalk Empire” featured exquisite ironies (i.e., Nucky and his brother Eli) and engaging conflicts that shaped the clever Nucky and his men into organized gangsters. The show boasted of slow-paced but well-written story arcs. I still preferred how “Mad Men” gives you the 60s feel, but “Boardwalk Empire” was well produced when it comes to cinematography as well.
The only concern for “Boardwalk Empire” is that it sometimes gets boring. As much as I love slow-paced dramas, this show sometimes still made me dozed a lot of times that I needed to replay various parts of it. But for what it’s worth, “Boardwalk Empire” produced one of the best quotes of the year. This is why Nucky is a charismatic guy!
Memorable Quote: “We all have to decide for ourselves how much sin we can live with.” – Enoch Thompson
Grade: B
Mad Men
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| Kiernan Shipka was one of the numerous bright stars in "Mad Men" | Credit: Mad Men |
Hands down, this is the best TV series this season. Since I already wrote a three-part write-up about how excellent “Mad Men” was last year, I will just summarize how amazing the season was. It featured one of the best TV episodes ever where we watch majority of the show putting its two lead actors in the spotlight (which would probably give Jon Hamm or Elisabeth Moss an Emmy win this year). “Mad Men” shifted into a different dynamic this year as it focused more on the company than Don Draper’s family. This season featured the downward spiral of the show’s main character, which was played very well by Jon Hamm. Heck, even a child star (Kiernan Shipka) shone this year with her heartwrenching portrayal of Sally Draper in “The Beautiful Girls.” The finale initially appeared shakey, but I eventually understood it in the end.
The saddest thing, though, is that there would be no “Mad Men” until March 2012.
Grade: A+
The Walking Dead
Season: 1
AMC went mainstream with “The Walking Dead” last year. This post-apocalyptic story about a zombie-infested world was well-paced and realistically written for most parts. I liked the fact that they did not abuse the zombie action scenes whenever they can (or in short, they avoided the Heroes Style). They kept the show at a cautious, solitary but psychological all at the same time because you would not know when the zombies would come attacking. I also liked how the characters begin to change their morals and ethics in order to survive.
However, it felt that it was missing something in the end. May it be the lack of a better story arc or a barely believable (and weak) explosion scene in the finale. It was also better if they killed a pivotal character in the end (this is supposed to be a show that features a lot of character deaths, right?). Lastly, I think they could have focused further on character development (it is not lacking but it could have improved). Building a character up and putting him in alarming danger always heightens suspense. Therefore, that would have been good TV.
Either way, it was a solid effort for a show that was limited to just six episodes.
Grade: B
Entourage
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| Amanda: How'd you like my cleavage now, Ari?! | Credit: Entourage |
This was supposed to be the bounce-back season for Ari Gold and his boys (Vince sucks, that is why I am not naming it Vince and his gang). It was surely better than Season 6 – that I overrated last year. But because of a steeper grading scale, this season will have a lower rating. “Entourage” Season 7 was all about the collapse of Vince and Ari. Turtle has transformed into a total parasite. If Johnny Drama turns out to be the most likeable character at the end of the season, you know that there is something wrong. Season 7 was not mediocre, but it just felt more of a Part 1 to the show’s final season.
Downward spirals make good TV and it somehow helped Adrian Grenier portray Vince better. At the very least, Season 7 was intriguing because of how the 180 degree turn unfolded. The characters were doing out-of-the-box things from time to time. Hey, “Entourage” is built to be a “somehow guilty pleasure” show with the Hollywood glitter and extravagant lifestyle. It just happened that the first few seasons were excellent and engaging.
It was a rollercoaster season. Lizzie Grant (Autumn Reeser) and Amanda Daniels (Carla Gugino) were bound to be featured to be one of TV’s hottest duo but it never actually happened. Drama’s road to self-awareness was well-done but Turtle’s tequila storyline was full of crap (that or I just hate Turtle). I thought Sasha Grey’s storyline showed promise but it did not. And if you are telling me that, “Hey Sasha was nude!” All I can say is that, there are tons of porn sites out there. You can always see her nude body in there. After three episodes, Sasha became insufferable (it was also horrible PR on her part as an actress). Bad acting…
…then comes good acting.
Good acting, huh? Yup, I will just refer to one scene: Ari Gold’s verbal fight with Amanda and her cleavage. Ari humiliated himself there. Enough said.
I expect “Entourage” to have a roller coaster finale but I will surely be there for the ride. This is my guilty pleasure. Chicks have their “Gossip Girl.” I have “Entourage.”
Grade: B-
The League
Season: 2
Speaking of guilty pleasures, this tops “Entourage” easily. OK, I might be misusing the term “guilty pleasure” because there is nothing lame watching both shows. “The League” is the show that fits my demographic – young professionals who are addicted to fantasy sports and who occasionally do stupid things.
“The League” Season 2 was able to maintain the momentum it had in Season 1. The guys still did the funny stuff and Jenny is now part of the fantasy league (I was hoping she does more “usual bets” but it did not happen). There were some weak storylines though. Adding that freaky guy in their league was a total waste of airtime. Andre’s boobs story was also bad. The finale where the douchebag Ruxin ended up winning was horrible. But other than that, it was all fun. If you are craving for swearing and cussing (Ari Gold of “Entourage” has toned down), “The League” has an episode about that where even the kid was saying bad words.
Grade: C+
Friday Night Lights
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| Aimee Teegarden made Julie Taylor tolerable even with a crappy script. Did she do that in 'Prom' as well? | Credit: FNL |
Best “Friday Night Lights” season ever. Season 5 showcased the good road to redemption as the East Dillon kids bonded like brothers and resolved the Vince Howard “I am better than the team” issue. 13-episode seasons are usually better than the 22-episode format but Season 5 felt like it needed more than 13 episodes. The shift from the team-oriented storyline to the community-centric storyline felt a bit rushed. Either way, I liked how they ended it. The season tackled values, team spirit, and the importance of family. I wrote a whole journal about this season but to sum up things, everything seemed A+ with stellar acting performances of Kyle Chandler, Michael B. Jordan and Connie Britton. The only clunkers that blemished this spectacular season were Julie Taylor-teaching assistant and the Epyck (fail) storylines.
Grade: A
Game of Thrones
Season: 1
Six years ago, I began reading George R.R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” as one of my college buddies suggested it to me. Upon reading it, I was astonished. It was a smarter, more realistic and emotional version of “The Lord of the Rings.” It tackled on various perspectives of the numerous characters in Westeros. It engaged more into politics and inner human emotions than milk on its fantasy world. I spent more than two thousand pages in less than half a year (that marked the last time I got to read that much – OK, I read thousands of pages when I studied for SAP certification last year but that’s not a novel). Up to this day, the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series is the best series of novels I have read in my lifetime. It dwelled in the gray areas as I began to understand and forgive the supposed villains in earlier chapters. The series also showed how flawed the supposedly good characters were and how they could do wrong decisions.
Thus, I was really psyched when HBO filmed “Game of Thrones” this year. I did not know how they could pull off the multiple first-person perspectives (which they did not proceed on doing). At first, I could not help but compare the books to the TV show. Obviously, the books were better because they are on a better pace. The TV series may have done well when it focused on introducing the characters in the pilot episode but the way the scenes unfolded seemed fast for me. I eventually accepted the fact when I learned that it was just a ten-episode season. As the episodes went by, the pacing became better. The characters were able to progress as nicely as they were in the books. The nudity increased tenfold – way more than in the books (because this is an HBO series and they love showing nude body parts).
“Game of Thrones” (the TV series) was a success because of superb acting. The actors made their roles and their progression believable. Sean Bean (Eddard Stark) has the aura of nobility that makes it easily acceptable to the audiences that he was the focal character despite the throng of other vital ones. He played Ned well especially in the final moments (his eyes and facial expression upon learning and accepting that he will be put to death was remarkable). Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) made Tyrion appear likeable and smart by being comical but calculating. It is significant to make this midget well-loved because of his eventual roles in the next season(s). Lastly, Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) was just astounding as she transformed a young, naïve Dany to a woman of power and conviction in just a few episodes. It took me longer to view Dany in the books as such.
My biggest disappointment, though, is that they did not make Cersei Lannister extremely hot. She is the Queen Bitch. Although, Lena Headey at least made us dislike Cersei (which should be the point) with her coldness. I just think that it would be much better if they made Cersei more attractive and yet, so mean because it would put the series into another level. It is also frustrating that Cersei has shorter sex scenes (yes, in a series that had excessive sex scenes) when she is supposed to have one of the most (aside from Daenerys) because you are supposed to see her as the cheating, monogamous queen.
As for the story, of course, it is a ten. They based it from the book, after all. The thing that I liked about it though, was how the writers chose which quotes to use. They used (and emphasized) all of my favorite quotes in the book (i.e., things I do for love; a Lannister always pays his debts; the quote on the game of thrones were you win or you die).
If you were extremely shocked when Eddard was killed in the penultimate episode, just think of how flabbergasted I was when I read it. It shattered all my preconceived notions on books (to be honest, this was not the first novel that I read where the supposed main character died prematurely but this was the first book where the main character prematurely died in a series – where you expect more books). And with that, I have to admit that I still felt the huge emotional moment – like I was watching it for the first time – in the TV series. Amazing execution (no pun intended).
Best new TV show. Hands down.
Grade: A-
TV Recommendations in the next few months:
It is still a long way to go until September (for the network shows), but there are lots of things to watch when you are bored at home or if you just want to unwind and relax after a hard day’s work. Here are my brief recommendations:
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| Heisenberg!!! | Credit: Breaking Bad |
This show is a must watch for everyone who wants quality viewing. With “Friday Night Lights” gone and with Michael Scott leaving “The Office,” “Breaking Bad is the sole competitor of “Mad Men” for the best TV show (I still need multiple seasons from “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire”). “Breaking Bad” Season 3 was a gigantic season (I say it almost equals “Mad Men” Season 3) because of the great plot twists and major character developments. The last two episodes also made me shout “Holy Shit!” and left me speechless after I watched them.
Entourage Final Season – Three Stars
This is a must-watch for “Entourage” fans who endured bad seasons like me. However, I do not know how good it will do for the first-time “Entourage” viewers. I guess if you like seeing attractive ladies like Emmanuelle Chriqui and some new gorgeous actresses, then you will find the last season a good watch.
Damn, I just realized that’s all I could recommend. Go and watch movies, instead! Enjoy.
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