I was pretty sure that I was never going to forgive ABC after they cancelled "Brothers and Sisters" one of my favorite family dramas last spring all the while allowing "Grey's Anatomy" to continue on as they recycled the same tired will-they won't-they story lines over and over again (yes I still watch it anyway...see my blog post on "The Office" for further understanding of my contradictions). However, our relationship has totally been repaired because they have brought me one of my new favorite shows of the fall, "Revenge".
So even though Meredith and Derek are still in turmoil over at Seattle Grace, ABC is really delivering with this new drama featuring Emily VanCamp as Amanda Clarke, a daughter back with a new identity set on avenging the unfair conviction and ultimate death of her father.
Amanda Clarke now goes by the name Emily Thorne to avoid any suspicion from the seemingly endless group of people she is targeting for being responsible for unfairly putting her innocent father in prison. The first episode begins with Emily's engagement party as she is set to marry the son of one of those very targets. We immediately go back to five months earlier and it seems like this season could culminate with those first few, very intense, minutes of the pilot episode.
This show is flawless. It has it all, strong acting, strong writing, beautiful set design and a fresh take on the idea of revenge...sometimes it just might be justified.
VanCamp, who I have loved since her days on "Everwood" (check it out on Netflix if you haven't seen it) and my beloved fore mentioned "Brothers and Sisters" has a way of making you root for her, even as she ruins lives and wrecks families...now that's talent. She is the perfect balance of vulnerability and strength and watching her take down both men and women of power and wealth simply with her brains, tenacity and a little help from her pretty large inheritance, is extremely enjoyable.
Also perfectly cast is Madeleine Stowe as Victoria Grayson, the Queen of the Hampton's who was deeply involved with the situation with Amanda's father. Seeing VanCamp and Stowe in scenes together, the passive aggressiveness and tension is palpable and for some reason it really reminds me of 80's dramas like Dynasty...but in a good way. Fortunately though, I don't think we will see any swimming pool cat fights on Revenge, these women are much too smart for that. I'm loving watching them in scenes together and I can't wait to see how this progresses as Emily gets more and more involved with Victoria's family.
And, if there are any other "Gossip Girl" addicts out there (what? It's a guilty pleasure, try it, you might like it), wondering where brother Van Der Woodsen has disappeared to, he's been spotted in the Hampton's.
Watch this show. All of the previous episodes are available now on ABC.com so there really is no excuse, well I guess unless you don't have internet...but then how would you be reading this blog?
Showing posts with label Everwood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everwood. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tivo or Forgo...
Ok so it's that time of year again when my tivo and probably yours is bursting at the seams with all of the new Fall pilots. So far, some have been great and some have been...not so great (I'm looking at you "Free Agents" and "Whitney"). Well don't worry I'm here to help and watch some of this crap so you don't have to. Here are two of my recommendations to either tivo or forgo. I'll give you the bad news first...
Charlie's Angels
I don't even know where to start. Ok, the pilot started with a predictable car bomb killing one of the original angels and leaving the door open for none other than Lyla Garrity (if you don't get that reference for the love of God please watch Friday Night Lights, what the hell are you waiting for)...ahem I mean Minka Kelly, Derek Jeter's ex and the kind of beautiful that keep the rest of us going to the gym every day. Minka is one of the three ridiculously beautiful (and tiny) angels. The least they could have done is cast some women that look like they may be able to kick a little ass (e.g. Eliza Dushku) so when they start throwing around giant men, it might be slightly believable.
The acting is terrible, almost laughable at times, and not in that intentionally cheesy Aaron Spelling way that made the 70's version a huge hit. Lines like "we're angels" that worked when Farrah said them, just seem silly now...and Bosley isn't supposed to be hot.
When they jumped into the ocean and emerged with perfect makeup...I didn't think it could get much worse, until Carlos Bernard, my beloved Tony Almeida ("24", see note above about Friday Night Lights) showed up as a child trafficker with a terrible, I think Columbian, accent.
The plot was confusing at best, and I never found myself caring whether they made it out alive or dead...probably not a good sign. The only good thing about this show was that they kept the old theme song. I don't understand why Hollywood can't learn from it's own mistakes...did "Melrose Place" and "Knight Rider" teach them nothing?
Overall this show is a definite forgo, but if I know America...and I think I do, it will stick around for awhile because people like to watch pretty girls do ridiculous things.
Hart of Dixie
And for something completely different..."Hart of Dixie" is definitely one of my favorite new shows of the fall...and not just because of Jason Street (seriously, Friday Night Lights, it will change your life) but because this show is, well for lack of a better word...heartwarming. The pilot is based on a fresh out of medical school doctor played by Rachel Bilson who wants to follow in her fathers footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon in New York City, but when her life plan starts to become more difficult than she imagined, she finds herself working as a plain old doctor in Bluebell, Alabama.
Although I wasn't necessarily a huge fan of her before this show, by the end of the episode Bilson had completely won me over and I think she is perfect for this role. Surrounded by an interesting cast of characters in a small southern town, you can't help but want to get to know Bilson's character Zoe better and hope the best for her, and it's really nice to see a show that takes place in the south and doesn't feel like a parody.
If someone threw Felicity, Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek and Everwood in a blender, "Hart of Dixie" would be what you end up with. It feels like a show that should have been on the WB and I am officially in love with it. It's definitely a tivo recommendation, because if nothing else, this show will make you feel good and in a world that is full of crime shows, vampires, mobsters and disturbing reality tv...who couldn't use something a little wholesome and heartwarming?
Charlie's Angels
I don't even know where to start. Ok, the pilot started with a predictable car bomb killing one of the original angels and leaving the door open for none other than Lyla Garrity (if you don't get that reference for the love of God please watch Friday Night Lights, what the hell are you waiting for)...ahem I mean Minka Kelly, Derek Jeter's ex and the kind of beautiful that keep the rest of us going to the gym every day. Minka is one of the three ridiculously beautiful (and tiny) angels. The least they could have done is cast some women that look like they may be able to kick a little ass (e.g. Eliza Dushku) so when they start throwing around giant men, it might be slightly believable.
The acting is terrible, almost laughable at times, and not in that intentionally cheesy Aaron Spelling way that made the 70's version a huge hit. Lines like "we're angels" that worked when Farrah said them, just seem silly now...and Bosley isn't supposed to be hot.
When they jumped into the ocean and emerged with perfect makeup...I didn't think it could get much worse, until Carlos Bernard, my beloved Tony Almeida ("24", see note above about Friday Night Lights) showed up as a child trafficker with a terrible, I think Columbian, accent.
The plot was confusing at best, and I never found myself caring whether they made it out alive or dead...probably not a good sign. The only good thing about this show was that they kept the old theme song. I don't understand why Hollywood can't learn from it's own mistakes...did "Melrose Place" and "Knight Rider" teach them nothing?
Overall this show is a definite forgo, but if I know America...and I think I do, it will stick around for awhile because people like to watch pretty girls do ridiculous things.
Hart of Dixie
And for something completely different..."Hart of Dixie" is definitely one of my favorite new shows of the fall...and not just because of Jason Street (seriously, Friday Night Lights, it will change your life) but because this show is, well for lack of a better word...heartwarming. The pilot is based on a fresh out of medical school doctor played by Rachel Bilson who wants to follow in her fathers footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon in New York City, but when her life plan starts to become more difficult than she imagined, she finds herself working as a plain old doctor in Bluebell, Alabama.
Although I wasn't necessarily a huge fan of her before this show, by the end of the episode Bilson had completely won me over and I think she is perfect for this role. Surrounded by an interesting cast of characters in a small southern town, you can't help but want to get to know Bilson's character Zoe better and hope the best for her, and it's really nice to see a show that takes place in the south and doesn't feel like a parody.
If someone threw Felicity, Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek and Everwood in a blender, "Hart of Dixie" would be what you end up with. It feels like a show that should have been on the WB and I am officially in love with it. It's definitely a tivo recommendation, because if nothing else, this show will make you feel good and in a world that is full of crime shows, vampires, mobsters and disturbing reality tv...who couldn't use something a little wholesome and heartwarming?
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