Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola) Declaring Her Love

Like the stellar Glee episode I recapped last time, The Vampire Diaries’ “The House Guest” was the final episode for February sweeps and also like that episode, it is likely one of its series’ best. I’ve talked about TVD quite a bit lately and if you’re sick of hearing about how great this show is, take comfort in the fact that it’s on hiatus until April 7. Truth be told, I need a break myself.

I sat in front of my television expecting a standard edition of The Vampire Diaries, which usually includes a bit of yelling at the screen, but this was no ordinary episode. By the end I had pretty much run the emotional gamut. I cooed at Caroline and Matt’s romantic reunion, watched in horror as young warlock Luka burned alive, ached for Caroline when Matt accused her of hurting his sister and, I kid you not, fell off my couch screaming when I thought Matt died. I was utterly spent after that hour-long emotional roller coaster and I need the hiatus to recuperate.

Though “The House Guest” offered many reasons to make me talk to my television as if I could affect the outcome, the most compelling developments dealt with Caroline Forbes (the continually surprising Candice Accola). Caroline has only had eyes for new werewolf Tyler (Michael Trevino) for the last few weeks, but after his betrayal and her kidnapping and torture, it was nice to see her just be a young girl in love.

Caroline has been on a roller coaster ride this season and I previously mentioned that her development from vapid teenager to confident, caring vampire is my favorite aspect of Season 2. When the season began, sweet human Matt and Caroline were deeply in love, but after Caroline accidentally attacked him, she decided he was safer without her and they broke up. Since then, Caroline has quietly pined for Matt, hoping they could somehow fix their relationship. However, there was a big obstacle: Tyler. Since Caroline and Tyler were both newly supernatural and struggling to control their monstrous sides, they clung to each other and the inevitable first sparks of romance appeared. All hope for Matt seemed lost until Tyler made one stupid mistake after another first allowing his new werewolf friends to kidnap and torture Caroline, then not immediately coming to his friends’ aid or acknowledging his mistakes. By the time Tyler left Mystic Falls and bid farewell to Caroline by looking at her one last time through her window rather than explain himself, it seemed Matt was back in the picture.

However, just because Tyler is gone does not mean the problems that divided Matt and Caroline in the first place no longer exist. Matt was still one of the few characters left who did not know about the supernatural dangers surrounding him and Caroline’s biggest conflict in this episode was whether or not to bring him into that world. Critics have questioned the wisdom of keeping characters in the dark for weeks and many have argued that they might be safer knowing. Tyler’s unfortunate reactions to discovering Caroline’s deception certainly argued for honesty and when Elena (Nina Dobrev) suggested that keeping secrets for others safety just leads to hurting them anyway, Caroline declared her love by interrupting the band playing at the local restaurant and and the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame”. Though the scene initially felt a little like One Tree Hill, Accola played the moment with a genuine sweetness and shyness that even my cynicism couldn’t dampen the feeling. Matt reacted by jumping onstage and dipping Caroline into a kiss. Sure the moment had significant cheese, but after weeks of pain for Caroline I couldn’t help but swoon at the unbridled romanticism of it all. Take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSAR_D35NqM

That happiness, however, was short-lived. Upset at his son’s death at the hands of the vampires, powerful warlock Jonas attacks the restaurant and when Matt tries to stop him from hurting Caroline, Jonas breaks a bottle and stabs him in the neck. And that, dear readers, was the moment that literally knocked me off my couch screaming. In the subsequent commercial break I literally stood in front of my television willing the show to return, struggling to decide if I wanted Matt to live. On the one hand, his death would shatter Caroline and I absolutely did not want that guilt for her. On the other hand, with Matt out of the way Caroline would be able to further cultivate a relationship with Tyler, if he ever comes back that is. For me the choice was simple: I want a vampire-werewolf love story and I’m tired of Matt’s belittling superiority. Matt has never missed an opportunity to call Caroline neurotic and petty and he always seems to operate on the idea that Caroline is not as emotionally evolved as him. Most importantly, Matt is ill prepared to deal with the hardships Caroline’s vampire life entails—something the pair’s final scene made abundantly clear.

When Matt awakens in Caroline’s room confused, she happily explains that her vampire blood healed him and now they can finally be together because she can tell him everything. The look on Caroline’s face and the hope and joy in her voice make Matt’s reaction all the more heartbreaking. His first thought is his dead sister Vicki whom he thought died of an overdose, but really died because she couldn’t control her bloodlust as a new vampire. Matt immediately accuses Caroline of hurting his sister and when she stops him from leaving he angrily shakes her asking what she did. The scene left me both heartbroken and excited.

While I don’t want to see Caroline in more pain, the dynamic Matt’s anger over Vicki will create will undoubtedly be fascinating. Will he forgive Caroline, and all of his friends for that matter, for keeping secrets because of his love or will he take revenge and make everybody’s lives more difficult? If Matt turns on Caroline will the guilt of knowing that she destroyed his life destroy her? The possibilities are endless and I cannot wait to see how their story progresses in the rest of the season—with one reservation.

The writers’ decision to let Tyler leave town to figure out his new life initially annoyed and saddened me, but I trusted in their vision. Now seeing that Matt may reject Caroline’s love after so much deception once again ignites my annoyance. Caroline is going to need a friend as she copes with Matt’s anger and who better than Tyler? The dynamic of Matt being the nice guy who cannot relate to Caroline’s vampirism and Tyler as the possible lover dealing with the same problems would only be deepened if he were still around. Those relationships would develop into a very compelling love triangle and I fear that The Vampire Diaries may have made its first ever plot mistake in letting Tyler go. Tyler’s presence would have created some gripping stories and it’s a shame they won’t have the chance to be explored. As of now, I can’t see the whole picture and maybe the direction the writers are headed is ultimately better. So I will hold my judgment until the season finale, but if Tyler does not return by then or the Matt storyline does not end in a truly spectacular fashion, I’ll be one angry TVD fan.

Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) Killing Ke$ha's "TiK ToK"

I’ve been hard on Glee for numerous reasons over its limited run, but the February 22 episode “Blame It on the Alcohol” literally seemed written to address everything I dislike about the show. At the root of my occasional disappointment with Glee is the fact that it seems unable to live up to its potential. Despite having talented actors like Lea Michele (Rachel) or Heather Morris (Brittany) and a seeming blessing from the network to make the show’s pop culture observations as racy and biting as the writers wish, the show lacks focus. Is it an old fashioned musical that focuses more on numbers than plot? Is it a pop culture satire that doesn’t really deal in realism? Is it an afterschool special that wants to make its young viewers into better people? The show never really seems to know what it is and instead of trying to have a singular direction, it tries to do everything. Usually Glee’s inability to know itself leads to episodes with wildly varying tones and meaningless, contrived plots, but “Blame It on the Alcohol” didn’t suffer the same weaknesses.

Though the episode once again expressed creator Ryan Murphy’s desire to give the show a slight afterschool special feel the message wasn’t delivered in a heavy-handed, preachy fashion as in the past. McKinley High was in the grips of an underage drinking epidemic and not even New Directions remained unaffected. Previous “afterschool special” episodes have been an uneasy mix of lightness and dark. In “Grilled Cheesus” Kurt almost seemed punished for his atheism when his father had a heart attack, so I half expected to see one of the New Directions kids end up in an alcohol related car accident or die of alcohol poisoning. However, rather than create a warning against alcohol that used overly dramatic consequences or made unrealistic demands about alcohol safety, the episode treated the subject with a light touch that was both amusing and memorable.

The episode set the tone with a mordantly funny party at Rachel’s house where the whole glee club gave themselves over to inhibition-less drunkenness. As Far East Movement’s party anthem “Like a G6” played in the background, the camera showed the characters acting just as their personalities would dictate. A hysterical Santana accusing her boyfriend of still loving his ex one minute and begging him to kiss her the next. Brittany tearing off her clothes and dancing like a stripper and Rachel becoming needy and overly loving. The scene not only parodied pop culture archetypes of female drunkenness, but flawlessly grafted them onto the characters in a way that was believable and utterly hilarious. The scene was pure fun and though it noted the risks of alcohol consumption—namely bad decision-making skills and an exaggeration of personality to the point of becoming abnoxious—it did so in a playful way.

Just as enjoyable was the final number of the night, Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK.” Ke$ha’s basically made a career on songs about sloppy, mad partying and it was the perfect song for New Directions to sing at the height of their alcoholism. Taking a swig of perhaps the worst jungle juice ever conceived (ingredients included cough syrup, ground up Oreos and wine) the club embodied the constant state of inebriation/hangover the song glorifies and seemed to hold it together, that is until Brittany projectile vomited on Rachel’s face. The performance was already great with trained dancer Heather Morris recreating Ke$ha’s brash performance style to perfection, but to suddenly mock the very life the artist’s song glorifies by showing how it can devolve into sloppy hangovers and displays that make even friends embarrassed was inspired. The scene showed not only the fun that can accompany a life of partying, but the often pathetic and shameful results and served as a fitting warning against alcohol abuse. The show rarely manages to both deliver a message and stay lighthearted and I hope future afterschool special episodes manage to strike the same balance.

Just as admirable was the episode’s character development. I mentioned previously, that I am continually disappointed with Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Rachel’s (Lea Michele) development. By involving both characters in the same storyline, the show finally made them multi-dimensional again. During a game of spin the bottle, Rachel kisses Kurt’s love interest Blaine (the wonderful Darren Criss) and they feel some unexpected sparks. Kurt, driven largely by his naked jealousy, attacks both Blaine and Rachel for their subsequent decision to explore their relationship and becomes pretty unlikable in the process. When he cruelly tells Rachel that Blaine is just the first of many of her boyfriends who will turn out to be gay, his words stop being funny and becomes viciously unwarranted. Glee often makes the mistake of glorifying Kurt’s struggle to live as an open gay man and in previous episodes that has meant making other characters’ emotions seem less important than his own. At his core, Kurt is still a fundamentally selfish character and exploring that aspect of his personality doesn’t make him a villain, it makes him real and believable.

Just as remarkable was Rachel’s return to believability. For most of the second season, Rachel has been little more than a needy girlfriend and I missed the strong, confident Rachel of the past. She finally returned in this episode when she repeatedly chose not to become the victim. She first avoided a pity party when Finn was a needless buzz kill and called her the “needy, overly-affectionate” drunk. Rather than dwell on his rudeness, she initiated spin the bottle and decided to have fun rather than let Finn’s thoughtlessness spoil the party. She again refused to be the victim when Kurt insulted her. Rather than dwell on his bitchy jealousy, she took it as a challenge and decided to kiss Blaine to see if the sparks remained without alcohol. And when that kiss inevitably ended without sparks, rather than pity herself and whine that no man wanted her, she realized her brief romance with a gay man was perfect songwriting grist. Rachel’s drive to succeed and overwhelming belief in her talent are what make her so interesting and to see her return to that confidence by believing in her worth despite disappointments was a surprise after so many months watching her exist simply as Finn’s girlfriend.

“Blame It on the Alcohol” is unquestionably one of my favorite Glee episodes to date. It mixed excellent musical numbers that were relevant to the plot with believable character development. The show may actually start living up to its potential and I could not be happier.

Since my last recap, Glee returned from hiatus with a vengeance with three solid episodes and the music in each was delightful. The Fox musical dramedy has always chosen great music. In fact, if anything, show creator Ryan Murphy, music supervisor P.J. Bloom and the writers are almost too dependent on the music to forward the plots. However, the last three episodes had superior plot development that was only complemented by the excellent musical numbers.

Perhaps my favorite example came during the February 15 episode, “Comeback.” In her depression at forfeiting a cheerleading competition, Sue, the show’s villain, decides to sabotage New Directions from within by pitting its two resident divas against each other. Sue tells Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Rachel (Lea Michele) that each girl thinks the other is not that talented so the girls decide to settle the dispute with a diva-off. The last time Glee had a diva-off, the contestants were Rachel and Kurt and each sang a rendition of “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway musical Wicked. While I enjoyed that diva-off, I always found it a bit disappointing that by splicing together the two separate versions, the show deprived the audience of seeing the characters actively compete and play off each other.

Rachel and Mercedes singing "Take Me or Leave Me"

This time the show solved that problem by choosing “Take Me or Leave Me” from the Broadway musical Rent. As an avid Rent-head, I’ve been waiting for Glee to do a song from the show from the very beginning and my expectations were not only met, but exceeded. In the play, two lesbian lovers sing the song, begging each other to accept their partner’s flaws and just realize that their relationship is too important to end over petty squabbles. Mercedes and Rachel’s fight is basically about the same thing and though they are not lovers, it perfectly describes the state of their friendship. The song allows them to realize they can both be bitchy divas sometimes, but the most important thing they can do is encourage each other and remember that their friendship is more important. The song ends with Rachel and Mercedes realizing their friendship is too important to fight—which adds an interesting spin since in the play the lovers separate at number’s end. The number allowed two great singers to really show off their talent and also used a song that not only enhanced the plot, but used the source material to give the song an extra level of intertextuality.

While I love Glee best when it uses songs to complement plot developments, I also love when it finds a unique way to make a song its own. Perhaps the best example came in the post-Super Bowl episode “The Sue Sylvester Shuffle” with the mash-up of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll.” The writers knew they needed to do something big and memorable and nothing fills those requirements like Jackson’s classic “Thriller.” However, no matter how well the New Directions version may have been, there is just no competing with Jackson; the record is perfect and any cover would just be a disappointment next to it. So rather than automatically fail, the show smartly spliced it with “Heads Will Roll” and created an upbeat and playful number that still respected the originals, but altered them to fit the show’s style. It was on of Glee’s most delightful numbers to date and the song is certainly one of its best. Take a listen:

While I enjoy how Glee uses music, some of my favorite music moments often come from shows that integrate either an original score or songs from various artists into a soundtrack. Truth be told, I get a majority of music by hearing it in a television show or movie. Nothing makes me want to buy a song more than having it linked in my mind to a great moment in a show or movie. I’ve found some of my favorite artists through television shows—Alias’s music supervisors are basically responsible for my taste in music—and many of the shows I watch now expertly incorporate music into every episode, especially The Vampire Diaries.

The CW and former WB are known for incorporating a significant amount of popular music into their shows and while TVD carries on that tradition, music supervisor Chris Mollere does an excellent job of choosing songs that are not only good on their own, but that enhance the scenes they accompany by bringing another level of meaning. Perhaps one of the show’s best music moments came in the February 11 episode “Crying Wolf” in which my beloved newly transformed werewolf Tyler (Michael Trevino) left Mystic Falls to learn to live with his new powers. After half a season of sympathizing and falling in love with the character, the final scenes in which he said goodbye to his friends and family were already pretty emotional, but the choice to play Matthew West’s “Family Tree” over the scene was brilliant. Take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF1CrG_-5Eg

The song’s lyrics and West’s tragically hopeful voice strike exactly the right emotional chord. Tyler is leaving because he needs to understand how to live as a werewolf. He is scared and needs guidance and though everyone he loves is in Mystic Falls, he knows that in leaving he may spare them, especially his mother and friend/potential lover Caroline (Candice Accola), more pain. After some pretty cowardly actions in the previous episode (namely allowing his new werewolf friends to torture Caroline) he becomes a hero by allowing the people he has hurt to move on. As the lyrics say, “yesterday does not define” Tyler and though he “didn’t ask for this” he is making the right decision and taking his first steps toward becoming a better man. The song so perfectly describes Tyler’s situation it almost seems written for him. It is a positively brilliant combination of music and image and a perfect example of how soundtrack can enhance a scene.

As a bonus for my long absence here is another instance where TVD perfectly used The Script’s “This=Love” to contrast Stefan and Elena’s relationship (genuine love) with Katherine and Mason’s (manipulative, false love). The song aids the already smart dialogue and expert editing to create a scene that fully expresses the intended meaning. I promise I’ll be back to regular weekly entries next week even if it is Oscar weekend.

Each time I attempted to drop The Mentalist, Simon Baker’s performance—especially his bantering dialogue with costar Robin Tunney—convinced me to return. However, I finally decided Baker’s performance, while still engaging, cannot make up for the fact that the show will never be as good as I want it to be. Instead of becoming more sympathetic Jane has somehow become less likable and more of a caricature. He continues to push everyone’s buttons without impunity and I have simply grown tired of watching the same formula each week.

The strong shows in the rest of my lineup were what finally convinced me to move on. Like my former affection for The Mentalist, there is always one part I love most about my remaining programs, but unlike that show my favorite aspects are simply one part of what makes those shows great. So for this article I will focus on the small elements of my favorite shows that keep me coming back each week.

I would be remiss if I didn’t explain that I abandoned The Mentalist primarily because it had the misfortune of coming after two of the most exciting shows in my schedule: The Vampire Diaries and Nikita. I have fawned over TVD a lot lately and I’m about to do it once more because this week’s episode “Daddy Issues” validated my devotion. In my article on the Best Show of 2010, I mentioned that newly turned vampire Caroline Forbes is quickly becoming my favorite character. That is thanks in no small part to Candice Accola’s performance. Though Accola only had a handful of roles prior to starring on TVD, she gives Caroline such depth and believability that it is a wonder her résumé is so limited.

This week’s episode saw Caroline kidnapped and tortured by a pack of werewolves and while those scenes were heart wrenching, my favorite moments came when Accola interacted with Paul Wesley’s Stefan. Accola and Wesley had little interaction in Season 1, but since Caroline’s transformation, Stefan has helped her acclimate to vampirism. Their first scene together came in the second episode “Brave New World” after Caroline killed a man in bloodlust. Stefan helps a hysterical Caroline clean blood off her face and teaches her to control her thirst. At the time, I remember thinking the actors had a strangely palpable chemistry. Though no romantic connection was supposed to exist between them, something about the way they interacted just gave the scene an extra something. Take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W890UkPc3uw

They have had some great moments together since that initial scene, but this week’s episode really showcased their chemistry. After saving Caroline from her torturers, Stefan takes her home and asks if she would like him to stay so she does not have to be alone. Once again something simmers just below the dialogue. I doubt Accola and Wesley actively cultivate that chemistry, yet there it is. I for one blame Accola. For some reason, she seems to have chemistry with every person on the show. She just has a certain appeal that makes Caroline’s interactions with every character seem interesting and real. I never once considered a Stefan/Caroline pairing before this season, but now I almost cannot wait until Stefan’s girlfriend Elena inevitably has a dalliance with his brother Damon. Who better to comfort Stefan than his beautiful, caring best friend Caroline?

Alex and Nikita looking badass

Nikita, like its lead-in TVD, has incredible pacing and creative storylines and that CW double whammy always had me so on the edge of my seat that by the time The Mentalist started all I could think was, “Wow, this is boring.” Thanks to years of devotion to Alias, I’ll watch pretty much any spy show that appears and with a similarly strong female lead, Nikita perfectly satisfies my need for high-stakes espionage. I approached the show expecting little more than a showcase for Maggie Q’s sex appeal, but throughout the season I’ve been surprised by the show’s dark, dangerous tone. Nikita, much like Patrick Jane, lives for revenge and while that is her defining feature, Maggie Q has endowed the character with so many powerful emotional layers that it is wonderful to watch the character each week.

Perhaps the most engaging part of the show is Nikita’s relationship with Alex, her contact within Division, the sinister organization she has sworn to destroy. As Alex, Lyndsy Fonseca delivers a performance just as believable and compelling as Maggie Q and their scenes together are truly fantastic. In a lesser show, their relationship would probably be written between a man and woman. Nikita would be the protective male nurturing Alex to become a great spy and Alex would be the naïve girl who fell in love with the man who saved her. I’m glad the show instead created two strong female characters who depend on each other and work together to achieve a common goal. Not a lot of television programs show a supportive friendship between two powerful, independent women so I admire Nikita for managing to create kick-ass women who also know how to be vulnerable.

Finally, there is Community. I previously mentioned that Community was one of my favorite shows of 2010 and this week’s episode “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons” reminded me why. Above all else, Community is an ensemble piece. Each actor brings something different and they are each necessary to making the show work. That fact was especially clear as the characters played a game of D&D. By far the best scene came when the group’s resident good girl Annie (the stellar Allison Brie) pretended to seduce an elf maiden in the game. As Brie and Danny Pudi, who plays Abed, acted out the encounter, I was positively howling with laughter because the scene was brilliant on so many levels. First, there’s the fact that the supposed “good girl” described a sexual encounter so intense that the elf maiden ended up tied up. However, the scene would not been nearly as funny without the other characters. Jaded cad Jeff stared at potential love interest Annie in admiring disbelief, conservative Shirley looked shocked and slightly appalled and dumb jock Troy took notes. It was brilliant and certainly the funniest moment in my TV schedule this week. Take a look below:

Finally, I want to make a special mention of Chuck. I was pretty tough on it last week and of course the very next episode did exactly what I least expected: it wrapped up an uninteresting storyline and moved onto a new chapter. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong about a show. That’s the kind of daring I want from my whole schedule and I had to commend Chuck for being as great as it can be because moves like that are the difference between tuning in and abandonment.

Let’s start with Chuck, which has been very impressive for most of its run. The show’s conceit of a regular guy suddenly thrust into the world of espionage only works because the eponymous hero seems so very normal. He freezes in fear during dangerous situations, seriously questions killing people even when doing so is probably best and struggles to keep his spy life from ruining his personal life. For the most part he’s very believable, which is thanks in no small part to Zachary Levi’s performance. Levi makes Chuck personable and sweet yet also strong and capable.

However, Chuck has a few flaws and while they were once quirky or even endearing, this season they have become tiresome. Most of Chuck’s flaws relate to his relationship with his superspy girlfriend Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski). Typically, that means dealing with his sense of inadequacy over and over and over again, but another side of that has been doubting Sarah’s devotion. After all, Sarah is such an excellent spy because she compartmentalizes her emotions and dedicates herself fully to the job even to the detriment of her own emotional well-being. Yet no matter how many times Sarah professes her love or risks her life to save him, Chuck always retains the capacity to doubt her. Early in the show, Chuck’s fears seemed legitimate. He was, after all, an electronics store employee with no hope of advancement and she was a superspy. However, Chuck, thanks to the supercomputer implanted in his brain, has become a formidable spy himself. Furthermore, Chuck can no longer doubt the strength of their relationship because Sarah told him she wants them to be together for the rest of their lives. Yet despite all of this, the most recent episode, “Chuck vs. the Gobbler,” once again ended with Chuck doubting Sarah.

Yvonne Strahovski as "Evil Sarah"

In an attempt to save Chuck’s mother, Sarah pretends to betray the CIA and goes undercover to work for this season’s villain, Alexei Volkoff (former James Bond, Timothy Dalton). Becoming “Evil Sarah” doesn’t just mean a change in look to match the pop culture idea of a bad spy—namely black hair, dark eyeliner and a leather cat suit—but more importantly Chuck has to perceive some change in Sarah’s character that suggests she may not be just playing at villainy. During the episode, the writers ham-fistedly pushed the idea that Chuck should fear that undercover work would change Sarah. Of course, by the end of the episode Sarah pushed fellow spy Casey out of a building window to show her loyalty for Volkoff. While the audience knew Casey told Sarah to push him to avoid blowing her cover, Chuck didn’t. He just saw Sarah push Casey through a window thus leaving him in a coma. So we left Chuck in a state of emotional turmoil wondering if the life that had changed his mother had also changed his girlfriend. While I understand Chuck’s fear, I still have to wonder if he doesn’t owe her more confidence.

This isn’t the only time Chuck has dealt with Sarah doing something questionable in the course of her work. It’s happened before and each time Chuck came to understand that what Sarah did in the course of her job did not necessarily define who she was. So it seems somewhat contrived to have him fear yet again that she has become a villain. If we’ve learned anything about Sarah Walker, it’s that she is unwaveringly loyal and always does what’s best for Chuck and for the job. Sarah has evolved tremendously in the course of the show so it is inexplicable to me that Chuck has not experienced the same evolution and learned to trust Sarah implicitly. Even though he has doubted her commitment to their relationship before, her spy work is irreproachable and knowing that, Chuck should not even entertain doubting Sarah.

In typical Chuck fashion, I’m sure this will just be a hiccup in Chuck and Sarah’s relationship, but if the audience knows Sarah is innocent and Chuck’s concern isn’t believable then why waste an episode even developing it? Sure I buy that long term undercover work can change someone, but Chuck should have faith in Sarah if he’s seriously considering proposing to her. She really is as wonderful as she seems and Chuck should know that by now. I expect a much higher level of writing from Chuck and to see such a disappointing storyline is just beneath the show.

The newbie doctors of "Off the Map"

My second major problem this week is ABC’s new medical drama Off the Map. After three episodes I still can’t quite decide how I feel. Though executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who created Grey’s Anatomy, insists it is not simply that medical drama set in the jungle, unfortunately, I can’t agree. In fact, everything I hated about Grey’s appears in Off the Map.

When I left Grey’s in its third season, I did so for various reasons. First, there was the over-written dialogue that was too snappy, too quotable, too everything; it had no connection to the way people really speak. Then there were the overly dramatic plots that could not possibly happen at the same hospital. Seattle must be the most absurdly dangerous city in the world if Grey’s is any indication. However, the most unbearable element was that each character was so one-dimensional and melodramatic that I couldn’t bear to watch anymore. They didn’t seem like real people, but archetypes in a simplistic fable that lacked a meaningful moral. Each character only existed to manipulate emotions and engage in meaningless, melodramatic romance. It’s plot for the sake of melodrama and it quickly grows dull.

Off the Map has many of Grey’s problems and while the absurd medical plots are silly, the characters are the real issue. The character problem fall under two very linked categories. The first sparks from the older, seasoned doctors whose experience in the jungle has made them jaded and condescending. These traits are embodied in Dr. Otis Cole (played by a solid but unvarying Jason George) who barely seems to have time to speak politely to the new doctors let alone bear to teach them anything. Yet every time he appears onscreen he is lounging around uttering insults, flirting or cultivating a serious sweet tooth—apparently his coping mechanism for sobriety the back story of which I’m sure the audience will have to endure in some teary confession emphasized with flashbacks of tired addiction stereotypes. The character represents a jaded attitude that borders on aggression. He is always disgusted by the new doctors’ inexperience, but not once does he teach them. Rather he casually points out their defects then walks off in some dramatic show of superiority.

Cole’s unnecessary rudeness would be bearable if it weren’t directed at the second category of character problems: a seeming disdain for self-confidence and emotional reserve. Once again, these traits can be summed up in one character: Dr. Mina Minard (played by an engaging but under-used Mamie Gummer). However, unlike Dr. Cole who is the perpetrator of the problem, Mina is the target in this case. In fact, Dr. Cole is the character guiltiest of inflicting Mina with disdain, though the other characters are just as critical. Like Grey’s Dr. Cristina Yang before her, Mina is the doctor who is so focused on succeeding at her job that she often comes off as rude or worse unfeeling. Mina is focused solely on the work. She doesn’t get wrapped up in romantic entanglements and she has a mania for not getting emotionally involved in cases; so like Dr. Yang before her, Mina must be punished. While the other doctors operate while on zip-lines or battle anacondas she stays at the clinic, kept from gaining the experience she deserves simply because the older doctors don’t like her. Sure the show attempts to suggest that Mina is unlucky or in the wrong place at the wrong time, but there are two very distinct reasons she does not get the fun, sexy cases. The first is the other doctors’ perception of her as emotionless and a bit uncivil. Mina can certainly border on rude, but really she’s just attempting to be professional. While the rest of the doctors are off fornicating, she focuses on the work and since this show is a glorified smutty romance novel, she’s looked down upon for not partaking.

Second, and more importantly, Mina’s resistance to becoming too emotionally involved (with patients or her fellow doctors) is a cardinal sin in this type of melodrama and she must pay. To fully understand how Mina is punished, let’s look at all the ways her foil Dr. Lily Brenner (Caroline Dhavernas) is rewarded. First of all, Lily is rewarded for carrying on a casual flirtation with her boss Dr. Ben Keeton (Martin Henderson). Whenever Keeton goes on an exciting case, he always chooses Lily to accompany him, which of course always leads to a moment when Lily and Keeton share longing stares as their patient languishes in the corner. Most of Lily’s advancement in the clinic thus far has been due to her possible romance with Keeton. Not once have we seen Lily save someone through her expertise. Instead in every case we see her become so emotionally involved with her patients that it nearly compromises her judgment as a medical professional. Even when indulging a patient’s emotions might harm them, she insists they satisfy their desires before their medical needs. A patient needs to be airlifted to a better facility or he will die? Too bad, we have to let him scatter his wife’s ashes first even though it endangers his life. Not once have her superiors chastised Lily for not thinking of the patient’s medical needs first, rather Keeton gives her an admiring glance and the show glorifies her as some big-hearted angel. She is the impetus for most of the show’s emotional moments, which only reinforces the idea that she is the “best” doctor of the group. Mina on the other hand is always professional and has done much of her work autonomously, yet she is still the most disliked and criticized. In every case she is told to become more emotionally involved and her patients are often made to suffer because she focuses on medicine not emotion.

The show’s consistent suggestion that emotional involvement is what makes a good female doctor is why I find Off the Map so repugnant. By glorifying Lily and villanizing Mina, the show essentially says that good female doctors must focus on emotion over medical concerns. Women should be controlled by their emotions and to take on any characteristics traditionally attributed to men, like subdued emotions and focusing on the job, means inferiority. It’s like the feminist movement never happened. It’s insulting to think that a show created by a woman and produced by a woman could be so disdainful of a female character who is self-confident and devoted to her work, especially when the actress playing that character is working so hard to deliver a layered and engaging performance.

I’m still going to give Off the Map a few more episodes because Mamie Gummer really is doing some terrific work. I just hope the writers start giving her material worth her talent and stop punishing a female character for being strong.

This year alone I was engrossed by a number of cable programs. The latest season of AMC’s Mad Men was arguably the show’s best, what with its lovable yet hatable anti-hero Don Draper becoming somehow both more controlled and more self-destructive. Likewise, the same network’s The Walking Dead, even with only six episodes to its first season, managed to introduce a varied and layered cast of characters all while giving audiences disgusting and horrifying zombies. My cable standout, however, was Showtime’s Dexter. I devoted the month of August to blasting through every season and became completely hooked. I was at once terrified and enthralled by how the show’s writers continually and fearlessly push the story. Not only do they write the unexpected, but also the exact plot twists I think can never be allowed to happen. Can’t imagine Dexter’s life without his wife Rita? Watch Rita go in one of the most poignant television deaths of all time only to be spellbound the next season when Dexter connects with a woman who allows him to find his humanity again. For me, strong, daring writing and believable, vibrant actors characterize each show. But they’re not the Best.

The Best show has all of the characteristics of a cable program—daring writing, brilliant actors who embody their characters, strong production values and its most distinguishing feature, the most wickedly breakneck pacing of any show on network television. The Best show of 2010 is….

The Vampire Diaries

Damon, Elena and Stefan showing just how much sexual chemistry can exist in a love triangle

I first declared my love for The Vampire Diaries back in May when it aired probably the best finale of last season. At the time, I applauded TVD’s willingness to continually take risks with every storyline and this second season has not only sustained that drive, but heightened it. Every episode progresses the story along at such an exciting yet believable pace that they all seem like season finales. The Vampire Diaries has managed to burn through as much story in half a season as it would take many dramas at least a season if not more to present. Unlike something like Lost or Bones or even CSI:NY, when TVD hints at something, it doesn’t wait until a season finale or sweeps to address it, it plunges headlong into that conflict and shocks you with how brilliantly it can forward a storyline. Like the great cable shows I mentioned above, it has a focused vision, but rather than keep that pace going for a truncated 13 or even six episode season, it does it for a full 22.

Perhaps the two most interesting developments this season have been the appearance of the evil vampire doppelganger Katherine (played with terrifying allure by Nina Dobrev) and Caroline’s (played with delicate charm by Candice Accola) progression from sweet, insecure cheerleader to kick-ass yet selfless newly turned vampire. Though the show often delights in literally exposing its attractive young male cast, the female characters are the real driving force behind The Vampire Diaries.

Nina Dobrev as Katherine Pierce

Dobrev’s Katherine loomed over the first season like a dark specter, always threatening to come to the small town of Mystic Falls and wreak havoc on our beloved characters. Katherine was the vampire who turned our human heroine Elena’s saintly vampire boyfriend Stefan (Paul Wesley) and his mischievous brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) into vampires back in 1864. Initially, Katherine was only shown in flashback and I couldn’t imagine how the writers could bring such a dangerous character into the fold. As written, Katherine was pure evil, ruthless in both violence and selfishness. How could they possibly bring in such a volatile character without completely throwing the whole TVD world into chaos? Not to mention the strain on Dobrev, who plays both Katherine and her doppelganger Elena. And yet they did it anyway and that was the last time I ever underestimated just how daring The Vampire Diaries can be.

Katherine has certainly created utter bedlam in Mystic Falls this season and watching Dobrev play her each week with such delectably sinful relish has made it a joy. Katherine’s capacity for evil is precisely what makes her so fascinating. The changes she draws out of every character have brought the show to a new level of excellence. Stefan spent much of the first season as the monster with a heart; he was not only the perfect boyfriend but also a model vampire who abstained from human blood. But there’s just something about Katherine that brings out the predator in him.

Katherine and Stefan in "Masquerade"

During the seventh episode “Masquerade,” Katherine confronts Stefan trying to force him to give her an item. Dobrev and Wesley have always had a sweet and romantic chemistry as Elena and Stefan, but when Dobrev becomes Katherine, everything changes. Suddenly love and hatred intermingle to create these sexually charged and dangerous scenes that nearly put a stop to the whole show. During the scene, as the characters dance, Katherine casually swings between threat and flirtation and Stefan buries the attraction that surely must exist by exhibiting nothing but disdain. It’s never completely clear whether Stefan’s hate is really just twisted love, but it will be fascinating to see where these characters end up. As Katherine once responded to Stefan’s declaration of hate: “That sounds like the beginning of a love story, Stefan, not the end of one.” Just when Stefan thinks he’s in control, Katherine reminds him and the audience just how cruel she can be by brutally killing another character. It is precisely Katherine’s unpredictability and her heedless regard for human life that make her such a compelling force onscreen and she is the perfect manifestation of the writers’ willingness to constantly push the story even if that means killing characters.

That willingness to kill even the most beloved characters is part of what makes The Vampire Diaries so daring. It is truly a show where it seems nobody is safe and that sense is what makes it so thrilling. Katherine has killed a number of characters this season, but her most shocking and horrifying kill was Elena’s friend Caroline Forbes. While watching Katherine prowl around like a dangerous predator has been entertaining, Caroline’s transformation from neurotic, vapid teenager to brave, selfless vampire has been my favorite part.

Vampire Barbie aka Caroline Forbes

In Season 1, Caroline basically embodied the stereotype of a blonde cheerleader. She was jealous of Elena, petty, insecure, selfish, but you still wanted to root for her. Though she rarely said or did the right thing, she meant well. In the May finale, Caroline’s life hung in the balance when she fell into a coma after being injured in a car accident. At the time, the development was more distressing for what her death would mean to her boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig) than any serious concern for her. When the second season started, her condition hadn’t improved and in order to save her, Damon gave her some of his blood because in TVD’s world, ingesting vampire blood can heal humans. However, it’s also one of the steps in turning someone into a vampire. So, just to show the characters and viewers she meant business, Katherine killed Caroline and started her transformation into a vampire.

Once before a character had turned into a vampire only to die a few episodes later because she couldn’t control her bloodlust. It seemed impossible that Caroline, who barely had the self-control to avoid saying something insulting in every conversation, could survive as a vampire. However, Caroline has not only met that challenge, but become perhaps the most fascinating character on the show. As Caroline has struggled with becoming a monster, she has found her strength. Something about becoming a vampire—whether it is her commitment to retaining her humanity or perhaps the simple knowledge that she no longer needs to be neurotic since she will be young and beautiful forever—has allowed Caroline to evolve into a brave and selfless hero.

In the TVD world, when someone becomes a vampire, their personality traits intensify and while Caroline’s jealousy and neuroticism took over for a time, eventually the fierceness of her love for others became her defining trait. The most important example of Caroline’s growth is her relationship with Tyler Lockwood (a surprisingly good Michael Trevino) who recently triggered his family’s werewolf curse when he accidentally killed a classmate. Like Caroline, Tyler spent much of last season as little more than a stereotype. He was the dangerously aggressive jock who cruelly abused everyone who cared about him, but also like Caroline, becoming supernatural changed him for the better. Caroline, identifying with Tyler’s fear and not wishing him to struggle alone, decided to help him through his first full moon transformation in the most recent episode “By the Light of the Moon.” It was truly one of the most horrifying and emotionally poignant plot developments the show may ever produce.

Caroline and Tyler

Unlike the werewolves in Twilight who transform in a burst of fur, werewolves on The Vampire Diaries experience a painful, hours-long process that turns them into animals stripped of anything but the desire to kill. Though Caroline knew werewolf bites could kill vampires, she stayed with Tyler throughout his transformation. As Tyler endured hours of excruciating pain and let out one gut-wrenching scream after another, Caroline comforted him. She held him as he writhed in pain and refused to leave even though each minute she stayed put her in more danger. Gone was the selfish Caroline of Season 1 and the vampire that replaced her was giving, compassionate and devoted. Even when Caroline finally left as Tyler completed the transformation, she sat outside the door crying his name only wishing she could do more to help. And in the moments after he had returned to human form and she rushed back in to hold him as he wept, it was evident how that shared experience will connect Tyler and Caroline forever.

There have been tiny hints of a possible romance between them for weeks. Not just in scripted moment mind you, but in the palpable chemistry between Candice Accola and Michael Trevino as well. They are stunning together and their performances this season are exactly what keep me so riveted. The fidelity of feeling they portray and the brilliant writing that allows them to create it are unparalleled. Though Matt broke up with Caroline weeks ago, there is still the possibility of a relationship between them, but after watching Caroline and Tyler connect on such a profound level, I doubt that can happen anymore. Caroline and Tyler have shared an experience Matt simply can’t understand. These characters found their humanity the moment they stopped being humans and they found it together. They need each other because their relationship is the only thing stopping them from giving into their monster instincts. It is a lovely and moving part of the show and let’s face it, how could I resist a Romeo and Juliet type of love story between a vampire and a werewolf? I cannot wait to see where the writers take that storyline and how Accola and Trevino play it.

Well, there you have it. That’s my choice for the Best show of 2010 and I will stand by it until the end of time. Not a single show has consistently given me such excitement and intellectual stimulation each week and I think it’s a shame that nobody has taken notice. If The Vampire Diaries were on HBO or AMC, the quality of the writing and acting would make it a shoe in for Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. On the one hand, I’m sad that the fact that TVD airs on The CW keeps people from taking a chance on it, but maybe it’s also what allows it to be so great. Since it’s on The CW and the creators know nobody takes them seriously anyway, they write with creative abandon. The only way to get people to acknowledge a CW show is to write the best damn program possible and that’s exactly what they do. They have nothing to lose so they go for broke. So I encourage anyone reading this to take that chance because I promise The Vampire Diaries will not disappoint.

Booth, Bones and the "other woman" Hannah

Bones
When Bones aired its divisive 100th episode last April, I defended it wholeheartedly. The episode was romantic and tragic and I completely accepted the idea that forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (the constantly surprising Emily Deschanel) wasn’t ready to take a leap of faith with her FBI agent partner Seeley Booth (a solid David Boreanaz) and believe in the possibility of love. Skip ahead a month to the finale and I was willing but wary of the direction the story was headed. Maybe a little time apart would finally help Brennan understand how much she really did love Booth.

When the current season started I knew what was coming. Rumors of a new and very serious girlfriend for Booth had floated around the internet for months. Plus that’s just the way dramatic television works. What better way for a character to realize they are in love than to see the object of their affection in love with someone else. The “other woman” character is never easy to portray, especially when the central couple is so beloved, but I hoped Bones would be able to meet the challenge. Thus far, that has not been the case.

When it comes down to it, there are a number of problems with Booth’s new girlfriend, Hannah Burley (Katheryn Winnick). First is a question of chemistry. I’m not sure I buy the character’s chemistry with either Booth or the rest of the cast. Winnick has certainly played the part with a surprising amount of complexity and managed to make Hannah somewhat likable, but there’s just a spark missing in her scenes with Booth that can’t compete with the chemistry that permeates every moment Booth and Brennan spend onscreen. I don’t mean to unnecessarily criticize Winnick in this situation, rather I think the fault lies in the writing.

For weeks the characters and actors have tried to sell Hannah and Booth’s connection, as well as some silly friendship between her and Brennan, as deep and real. However, rather than show the strength of those relationships, the writers simply have the characters say over and over that the relationship is real. Not that there haven’t been a few moments where the connections have seemed genuine. However, each time one of those moments happen, it’s as if the writers undercut their own work. On the one hand, they want the audience to believe in the Booth/Hannah relationship, but each time they write a scene to show the fidelity of their connection, they write a stronger scene between Booth and Brennan.

Perhaps the best example of this came in the episode where Hannah attempted to connect with Booth’s son Parker. Despite having trouble dealing with children, Hannah finally manages to get Parker to open up and the episode ends with Booth, Hannah and Parker having lunch with Brennan. Parker talks excitedly about something Hannah has showed him when suddenly he begins to brag about Brennan directly to Hannah, first asking her to bring up some obscure fact and then asking if they can all swim in her pool. Though the moment shows Hannah has managed to create some measure of rapport with Parker, his admiration for Brennan—especially the fact that it’s meant to impress Hannah—clearly suggests that his connection to Brennan is far stronger. It’s as if the writers are saying through Parker that Hannah can never replace Brennan in Booth’s life. And if the writers can’t convincingly write it, why should the audience believe it?

While Hannah herself is representative of the show’s many problems this season, the real problem is Booth. Nary an episode passes without Booth insisting to anyone in earshot that he is in love with Hannah and he is completely over Brennan. It’s as if Booth is trying to convince himself just as much as he’s trying to convince the audience. From the beginning I found it almost absurdly unbelievable that Booth, who had spent so long loving Brennan, could get over her so easily. I know a lot can happen in seven months, but even in TV land how could someone be that deeply in love and completely move on seven months later? That’s called denial ladies and gentlemen.

However, not only is there an element of denial to Booth’s conviction that he is over Brennan, but more stunningly, a hint of aggression. Each time a character asks him how he’s coping with working with Brennan again he brusquely insists he no longer loves her and doesn’t wish to continue the conversation. However, his aggression is most clear in his interactions with Brennan. During the season premiere, “The Mastodon in the Room,” Brennan asks Booth, after he asks first, if he’s found anyone special and the almost defiant way that he talks about Hannah and says their relationship is “serious as a heart attack” displays not only that sense of aggression and defiance, but suggests that it sparks not only from his denial but from a desire to almost punish Brennan by insisting how happy he is.

This is never clearer than in the most recent episode, “The Doctor in the Photo,” in which Brennan finally realizes she missed her opportunity to love Booth. When Brennan, hoping he may still love her, cries to Booth that she wishes she had been brave enough to forward their relationship, he responds by saying he’s with Hannah now and that she is not a “consolation prize.” Boreanaz uses an almost defensive and slightly accusatory tone while delivering the line, as if Brennan had directly said, “I’m better than her and you will never love her as much as you love me.” It’s telling that though Brennan never mentions Hannah, Booth’s first reaction is to defend his decision. Surely he must be doing so more for his own good than Brennan’s.

However, Booth’s cruelest moment comes moments later when he asks Brennan if he can call anyone to be with her after his rejection. When Brennan rejected Booth in the 100th episode she comforted him, but in the reverse moment Booth decides to go home to Hannah, enforcing just what Brennan decided to give up through her rejection and thereby punishing her with loneliness. Deep friendship and caring has always characterized Booth and Brennan’s relationship and for him to uncharacteristically sacrifice that friendship indicates just how truly the writing and progression of the relationship has gone awry. Booth just wouldn’t do that.

Despite disappointment, I will continue to watch Bones—despite horrifying rumors of a proposal in Hannah and Booth’s future. I just hope that the writers finally stop being afraid of a Booth/Brennan relationship and take the story to its natural next step. If they don’t, I’m not sure I will still care when they do.

I’ll be wrapping up my series soon with my pick for the Best Television Show of 2010. It might be a bit of a surprise, but let me tell you right now, there are few shows on television with as much daring and intelligence. Hope you’re ready.

Hawaii Five-0's Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan

Hawaii Five-0
I usually like to have at least one light, procedural crime show in my line-up to sort of balance out my typically drama-heavy television week. Up until the current season, CSI: NY filled that void, but since my favorite character, Stella, left when actress Melina Kanakaredes rightfully decided to exit the rather thankless role for better opportunities, I needed something new. Enter Hawaii Five-0.

The way I see it, Hawaii Five-0 is basically a show devoted to beauty, whether it be of the human form or nature. Sure the absurdly attractive Five-0 team solves an outrageously implausible crime each week, but that’s just icing on the cake really. The appeal of the show, and really that of most crime procedurals, is the formula. Each week viewers can tune in knowing that the team will discover some out of the ordinary crime and Steve McGarrett (the gorgeous Alex O’Loughlin) and Danny “Danno” Williams (the hilarious Scott Caan) will banter like an old married couple while the beautiful Hawaiian landscape lounges behind them. The formula itself comforts and entertains because it always meets expectations and allows viewers to engage in the action without requiring them to actively think about any type of mythology. Certainly, Hawaii Five-0 succeeds in executing a formula, but the writing and acting quality truly distinguish it.

Somehow in the midst of the crimes and the images of beaches, the writers and actors have managed to create an intriguing central relationship in McGarrett and Danno. From the pilot, they are set up as opposites. McGarrett is the shoot-first-ask-questions-later tough guy and Danno is the quick-witted straight man. From that personality conflict comes a natural argumentative quality that makes their interactions sound more like a Howard Hawks romantic comedy than a police partnership. While O’Loughlin plays the tough guy well, the real star is Caan.

I’ve been a fan of Scott Caan, son of actor James Caan of the Godfather films, ever since I saw the delightful piece of trash, Into the Blue, in which he almost saved the film through sheer charisma. In fact, he was the main thing that first interested me in Hawaii Five-0 and he certainly hasn’t disappointed. While McGarrett can be rather one note, each week Caan manages to make Danno an interesting and complex character. Though Danno, via Caan’s perfect comedic timing, often infuses the show with dry, ironic humor he also delivers much of the show’s heart through his relationship with his daughter. Danno may be a tough cop, but he’s also a loving father and a caring friend. Typical cop drama characters tend to be easily defined by one trait. On the original CSI, Gil Grissom was cop-philosopher devoted to the truth. On Law & Order, Jack McCoy was the ruthless prosecutor. Danno continually defies solid definition and it’s what makes him and the show such a delightful surprise.

The cast of Community

Community
I was recently converted to Community this season after critical praise finally convinced me to tune back in. I originally watched the Community pilot when it first aired because I’m a huge fan of Joel McHale on The Soup. I’ve pretty much watched The Soup from the beginning and I was so excited to see a sitcom finally showcase his dry, biting humor. While McHale delivered all I wanted and more in the pilot, I found the supporting characters mostly uninteresting and in some cases annoyingly over-the-top archetypes. Abed (Danny Pudi) was especially problematic. His nerd stereotype with what seemed like Asperger’s Syndrome was so overused in those first few episodes that I simply couldn’t stand to continue watching.

Imagine my surprise to discover, upon watching the Season 2 premiere, that not only had Abed’s social ineptitude been toned down, but all of the characters had been refined into subversive variations on archetypes. As the season has progressed, Community has continually surprised me in its ability to skewer and parody pop culture while somehow still making its own characters interesting. Community manages to be just as meta and critical of pop culture norms as The Soup while not allowing itself to reduce its characters to those same norms.

The episode that made me a Community devotee for life was the brilliant Halloween episode entitled “Epidemiology,” which was essentially a zombie movie parody. Every moment of the episode was a brilliant mockery of the zombie movie formula. McHale’s Jeff was the self-serving ass who is punished when he’s bitten. Good girl Annie (the terrific Alison Brie) figured out how to save her fellow students, but turned zombie anyway in a shocking zombie bust through wall moment. The show even mocked the horror movie standard of having an animal jump out and scare the heroes for no reason by having a feral cat jump across the screen multiple times and even having the characters comment on the absurdity of that moment. I watched about 20 horror movies that month and seeing such a perfect send up of the genre was an absolute joy.

Though the episode exploited the archetypes the characters represent, it also furthered their development. The Abed and Troy (Donald Glover) relationship is especially important in this respect. Dim, popular Troy and nerdy Abed have developed an unlikely friendship and their relationship took a serious leap in this episode. They coordinated costumes with Abed as the Alien and Troy as Ripley from Aliens. Troy initially thought the costumes were great, until he was ridiculed and ignored by a group of girls. So he decided to dress as a vampire, which to him is a type of Dracula. By doing so, Troy essentially tried to deny his nerdy qualities and therefore turned on his friend. By the end of the episode, Troy and Abed are the only characters left and in order to save everyone, Abed sacrifices himself so Troy can go on. It is the ultimate act of friendship and Troy, realizing that he was a fool to turn on Abed, takes up his Ripley costume once again to save his friends. The moment not only refers to the moment in the film, but shows Troy’s growth. He has accepted who he is and because of that he has become not only a better friend, but a more admirable person.

With such fantastic episodes this fall I expect nothing but the best from Hawaii Five-0 and Community and I’m sure that’s exactly what they will continue to deliver. My next two posts will be my choices for the Best and Worst Television of 2010. Hope you’re excited.

Rachel and Kurt Singing "Get Happy/Happy Days are Here Again"

Glee
I’ve been a big defender of Glee from the beginning. From the moment the pilot aired, I knew it was something special and while the show has had some great moments, after a season and a half, my overwhelming feeling toward the show is disappointment. It should be perfect. At its best Glee has an enormously talented cast, solid production standards and smart, witty writing. At its worst it’s preachy and uninventive and unfortunately a lot of the second season’s episodes have had those qualities.

I could sum up my problems with the show via two characters: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer). I’ve written before stating my thoughts on why I think the writers have greatly mishandled Rachel’s personality—and Michele’s talent for that matter—but the show’s second season has added a new flavor of discontent. As I mentioned previously, I’ve always found it odd that Rachel would give Finn (Cory Monteith) the time of day. Sure he’s the popular jock, but he’s also a bit of a fool who has never been as aggressively over-achieving or confident as Rachel. Certainly opposites attract, but why these opposites?

On some level Rachel seems more attracted to the idea of Finn than the actual man. More than anything Rachel is a lover of pop culture and its archetypes and expectations, so surely some of her attraction to Finn must be rooted in her pleasure in thinking that their very relationship fits into one of those archetypes. She’s the unpopular girl who, against all odds, gets the popular boy. When understood from that perspective, it seems unsurprising that Rachel could love Finn. It is precisely because Rachel believes in Finn’s potential to be her ideal that she can look past his shortcomings and simply accept who he is. Finn, however, does not afford Rachel the same luxury.

During the final two episodes before the hiatus, Finn broke up with Rachel because she had essentially cheated on him with Puck. Rachel, in response to Finn lying about a previous liaison with Santana, had made out with Puck hoping to take some small manner of revenge on Finn. While Rachel eventually forgave him, Finn could not forgive Rachel’s deliberate act of retaliation. While I’m not saying Rachel’s infidelity is justified, considering the number of times Finn has made mistakes it seems almost hypocritical. Finn’s anger highlights perhaps the biggest difference between them. On the one hand, all of the mistakes Finn has made have sparked from passiveness and fear of confrontation, while Rachel’s have come directly from her decisions to act. It is precisely Rachel’s intent and decisiveness that Finn cannot abide. Finn has always struggled with what he perceives to be the dramatic qualities—her jealousy and vindictiveness—in Rachel’s personality and her decision to hurt him is what he truly cannot accept, so instead he refuses to deal with her. Surely a character as fascinating and unique as Rachel deserves better. Yes, she is abrasive and rude, but at least she accepts who she is and lives according to that knowledge.

While many fans and critics seem to enjoy the Kurt Hummel character, to me he represents just about everything I dislike about Glee. Though Kurt’s struggle to live as an out gay man despite societal pressures can be touching, his storylines often seem too cloying. I speak mostly of show creator Ryan Murphy’s drive this season to give the show a sort of afterschool special quality. Kurt’s storylines are the biggest expression of this tendency and that is perhaps why I find him so tiresome. Though it’s important to emphasize equality and acceptance, Kurt’s occasionally aggressive and often preachy brand of superiority is especially problematic. I’ve written before about my dislike for Kurt and while my concerns about his aggression were addressed in a recent episode I now find Kurt’s holier-than-thou attitude even more aggravating. Last season, Kurt had so vigorously pursued Finn that the latter reacted by hurling anti-gay slurs. While that behavior was by no means forgivable, Kurt failed in that instance to see how his own actions had led to the situation. Kurt is chronically unable to acknowledge his own self-centeredness and the episode where Kurt and Finn’s parents marry displayed the extent to which that was true. Everything from the parents’ vows to Finn’s struggle to accept that his mother was remarrying was centered on Kurt and once again the character seemed to come out as a saint. Though Kurt plays at being a complex character he is simply one thing: the pious martyr looking down on his peers. Certainly television shows should strive to make a point, but that doesn’t mean they should do so in a melodramatic and simplistic way.

Though I have numerous complaints with Kurt and Rachel there was one development late in the season that showed promise. I’ve always found it rather odd that these two self-centered diva characters weren’t friends. Some of that surely sparked from the fact that they are each other’s main competition for solos in the group since they have similar range. However, when Kurt faced some tough times this season it was Rachel who came for comfort. Perhaps the highlight of their friendship was the moment they recreated Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland’s mash-up of “Get Happy” and “Happy Days are Here Again.” It was truly magical and represented the promise Glee has. There was no dancing and no plot point being played out through the song, just pure unadulterated singing. Moreover, it was especially powerful because it gave the characters a chance to seriously embody the two icons who they most resemble. Rachel, in essentially mimicking Streisand’s persona, and Kurt, by copying such a gay icon like Judy Garland, carry on their legacy while also making it their own. It is positively one of the show’s greatest numbers and if the writing in the rest of the season can be this strong Glee may just redeem itself. Below I’ve pasted a video from some genius person on YouTube that combines both the Glee performance and the original from The Judy Garland Show. Enjoy and look for my next post soon.

However, before I look ahead to all of the great TV to come, I want to acknowledge some of the great television that happened in 2010 (as well as a couple of massive disappointments.) So I’m going to post a few articles on the shows that stood out to me this year. Let’s start with the THE GOOD.

Lauren and Pasha's Argentine Tango

So You Think You Can Dance/Dancing with the Stars
Probably the most unfortunate side effect of my hiatus is that I didn’t get to recap the latest seasons of my favorite dance shows. Let’s start with SYTYCD. Though the new format initially seemed a problem I was shocked by the quality of dancing. It actually might be my favorite season yet. The final two dancers, Kent Boyd and Lauren Froderman, especially impressed me. Once my beloved Alex Wong exited due to injuries, Kent and Lauren quickly became my favorite dancers on the show and delivered arguably the best performances of the season. Lauren was especially surprising considering I’d been so disappointed with her earlier in the season. About halfway through the season, Lauren danced a hip-hop routine with all-star Twitch that was so hard-hitting yet somehow sexy that it was shocking that this goofy cheerleader could pull it off. (I’ve pasted the link below since embedding isn’t allowed.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_502176&v=KaaWzr9FPvc&feature=iv

She’s positively on fire in that performance and her ability to match Twitch’s skill came as a complete shock that was just a hint of the incredible skill and energy Lauren could deliver on the dance floor. She was unstoppable no matter the dance style and while that routine certainly became one of the season’s highlights, arguably Lauren’s best routine was an Argentine Tango with Pasha. Part of Lauren’s appeal as a dancer is her ability to express a casual sexuality without making it trashy. This was never more apparent than in that Argentine Tango near the end of the season. The chemistry is incredible between Lauren and Pasha in the performance and you can almost see the passion radiating from them. I’ve always loved the Argentine Tango and I have to say this will probably always remain my favorite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_686832&v=fV_guyyl9pY&feature=iv

While I loved Lauren and fully thought she deserved to win, I also loved Kent Boyd and though he didn’t quite deliver as consistently, when he delivered he was hard to beat. My favorite routine of the season came on one of the final performance episodes when Kent danced a contemporary routine with all-star Allison to my favorite song, “Sundrenched World,” by my favorite artist, Joshua Radin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&v=L6jBZipjAW8&annotation_id=annotation_716389

Kent struggled with bringing gravity to his performances throughout the season and this was the dance that showed the audience just how much he’d grown as a dancer. Kent’s unscripted choice to say “Get off of me,” at the end of the dance was a shocking expression of his commitment to the routine. His passion is utterly stunning to watch and even without knowing the storyline, the pain and anger Kent and Allyson infuse into their performances make it clear we’re watching a couple slowly implode. It was the type of routine that elevates SYTYCD from reality competition show to art.

Jenougher's Argentine Tango

Just as interesting, if less impressive, as SYTYCD was this season of DWTS. I’m going to forget the whole Bristol Palin debacle—which was absolute heaven for this lover of the absurd twists celebrity and pop culture can sometimes take—and focus on Jennifer Grey’s big comeback. Grey, who played the iconic role of Baby in Dirty Dancing, was an absolute delight to watch each week and she was a phenomenal dancer to boot. It was pretty much obvious from the moment it was announced that Grey was paired with two-time winner Derek Hough that she would win the season, but who knew that journey would be so utterly enthralling? The 50-year-old Grey struggled with injuries throughout the show’s run and her commitment to the show and sincere thankfulness for being given the opportunity to dance was incredibly endearing. But more importantly, she could DANCE. Pretty much every performance she gave was a highlight, but my favorite was her fierce and technically strong Argentine Tango in Week 4. It was everything an Argentine Tango should be: fun, sexy and powerful.

I had never seen Dirty Dancing before seeing Grey’s comeback (I know, travesty), but you bet I watched it after and I’m glad DWTS reminded people what a delightfully luminous presence Grey can be.

That’s all for now, stay tuned in the next few days to see my other picks for the best and worst television of 2010.