2015: Dual Redundancy's Year in Review

Somehow 2015 was even a busier than 2013 and 2014 combined!

This year we did 34 podcasts with four different hosts, well five if you count Dopey the Dick. One of which was our historic 100th podcast where in true meta fashion we looked at how other shows’ celebrated their 100th episode.

In 2013 we introduced the weekly wind down podcast and the number of shows we have been covering only seems to go up. 2013’s number of 26 has nearly tripled plus we covered numerous movies, a video game and one very horrific Lifetime movie. These shows included canceled freshman shows like Best Time Ever, The Brink, The Comedians, and Wicked City plus one time special events like The Wiz Live and A Very Murray Christmas! Finally, we tried to stay on top of all the changes in late night including James Corden, Trevor Noah, and Larry Wilmore’s debuts, Jon Stewart’s farewell and Stephen Colbert’s return!

Besides our usual weekly wind downs and prediction specials, we also had a variety of notable episodes including a two hour Survivor series retrospective and a 30th Anniversary Back to the Future podcast (where we eclipsed the runtime of the actual movie). In March we of course had our annual March Madness bracket. After looking at television shows, movies, and film actors we decided to find out who was “top of pop.” It was a big year for Taylor Swift who easily beat Justin Timberlake in the finals for favorite artist in pop music.

From all of us here at Dual Redundancy thank you so much for making 2015 so great. We can't wait to see what 2016 has in store! A 30th anniversary podcast on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? An in-depth look at Fuller House  and whatever happened to the milkman and paperboy? A president who once hosted a reality show on NBC? Only time will tell!

2014: Dual Redundancy's Year in Review

If we thought 2013 was a busy year for Dual Redundancy, 2014 takes the cake!

This year we did 40 podcasts, which, to put things in perspective, is nearly the same amount we have done in the first two and a half years! Topics ranged from our annual Emmy predictions to that guy from Even Stevens putting a paper bag over his head as he walked the red carpet.

In March we had our third annual March Madness bracket. After naming Arrested Development and The Shawshank Redemption the best TV show and movie respectively, we tried naming the best film actor or actress. In the final match, Leonardo DiCaprio was snubbed once again and it was awards show favorite Meryl Streep who took the crown.

Last year we introduced the weekly wind down podcast and while we only covered 26 shows in 2013, this year we hit 57 different shows, numerous movies and one very addictive podcast. These shows included fall pilots of A to Z, Selfie, Mulaney, and Gracepoint (all of which will not see a second season). Other cancelled shows include Enlisted, Trophy Wife and Community- until Community was revived for Yahoo. We even did a first ever clip show for Orange is the New Black's second season, where we discussed every episode in one very colorful podcast.

Besides the weekly wind downs and prediction specials, we also had a variety of notable episodes including a Super Bowl recap show, a top 10 Halloween TV episode countdown, and a 30th Anniversary Ghostbusters podcast. The latter of which was the longest podcast we have ever recorded. With a runtime of nearly two hours we eclipsed the length of the very movie we were discussing!

The blog was also very busy too. Not only was this the spot to find out about new podcasts but DR related news (like now being available on Stitcher) also dropped here. Mike even recapped every episode of a great Survivor season last spring while David named his ten biggest Emmy snubs.

From all of us here at Dual Redundancy thank you so much for making 2014 so great. We can't wait to see what 2015 has in store especially when he finally hit episode 100!

TV News: The Newsroom's Final Broadcast

By: David Allen (@eastwoodmcfly)

While many may say the newspaper industry is dying, one thing we do know for sure is that HBO’s The Newsroom is now dead.

Earlier today HBO announced that The Newsroom, starring Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, has been renewed for a third and final season, four months since the season two finale. Back in September Daniels prematurely announced via Twitter that the show was renewed but later had to retract this announcement.  As for how Aaron Sorkin and the team will wrap up the series remains to be seen but HBO President of Programming Michael Lombardo is positive that “this farewell season will be one to remember.”

Along with the final season, Sorkin is currently working on a Steve Jobs biopic for Sony and Daniels (who surprisingly won an Emmy for Will McAvoy in September) is wrapping up production of Dumb and Dumber To (the sequel to the 1994 film).

Dual Redundancy is now on Stitcher Radio!

Don't like YouTube or iTunes but still want to listen to the podcast? You are in luck! As of today Dual Redundancy is now on Stitcher Radio!

Stitcher is a great way to stream all the latest in news, sports, talk, and entertainment radio anywhere, on demand! There are already 20,000+ radio shows and podcasts on Stitcher and now Dual Redundancy is one of them!

Every single episode of the podcast is available right on the Stitcher DR show page. You can also download the Stitcher app to listen on the go. Links are available on the show page as well.

Here is a direct link to our Stitcher page: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/dual-redundancy?refid=stpr

2013: A Dual Redundancy Flashback

2013 has been a busy and exciting year for Dual Redundancy!

Over the course of the year we have done 21 podcasts with topics ranging from Academy Award predictions to Michael Bay being attacked by a flying air conditioner. Much to our displeasure we even talked about Glee at least twice.

In March, after Arrested Development was named the best TV show the year before, we held another bracket putting Oscar best picture winners against Oscar snubs and runner-ups. In the final match-up The Shawshank Redemption, literally found redemption and won over the godfather of classic movies, The Godfather.

You also voted every week on what shows we would cover on the weekly wind down podcast. In just nine episodes we covered 26 different shows including The Walking Dead, Parks and Recreation, Survivor, Scandal, The Good Wife, Homeland, and Masters of Sex. We even did an episode focusing solely on Netflix's programming from 2013 (House of Cards, Arrested Development, and Orange is the New Black).

However, one of the biggest shows of 2013 received its own weekly podcast. Starting in August every week we broke down the latest episode of Breaking Bad's final season. It was not only hard for us to say goodbye but you also had trouble since it was highly ranked in two separate categories in our yearly wind down special.

While we talked for hours and hours about entertainment this year, we also wrote a lot of it all down. Over here on the Dual Redundancy blog we had recaps on shows such as Big Brother, Girls, and Whodunnit? We also ranked the best shows of 2013 and some of the best American Idol performances as well. Finally, we became your one stop destination for entertainment news covering stories like Ben Affleck being named the next Batman and how Katy Perry possibly stole a song and liked it.

From all of us here at Dual Redundancy thank you so much for making 2013 so great. We can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!

Dual Redundnacy Turns Two!

On August 30th 2011 in their Ithaca College dorm, David and Mike (along with their audio expert John) recorded the first episode of Dual Redundancy. Since then their television and entertainment podcast has morphed into a web show, ICTV show, and blog. Despite all these changes one thing has stayed the same: their opinions (which are exactly the same)!

To celebrate this special anniversary, all day today on Twitter we will flashback to some of our favorite moments. Head over to our Twitter page or follow along using the hashtag #DualTurnsTwo.

Thank you to everyone who have been with us these last two years. We can't wait to see what year three has in store!

TV Review: Big Brother 14x04: Straight Talkin'

Warning: The following article may contain spoilers. Reader discretion advised.


ML- I used to think that Survivor was the greatest game ever created. In it, you must vote out your opponents, and, in order to win, convince the eliminated on the jury to pick you over someone else. Lately, I've been more on the side of Big Brother being the greatest game, because it is designed to allow for constant shifts in power every week. And after the absolutely chaotic week in the house, we saw an absolute reversal of fortune. Game on.

Kara came out of the PoV ceremony claiming she was "all cried out" and ready to secure the 5 votes she needed to stay in the game. Frank, too, battled for his spot, making friends with his betrayer Willie under the assumption Willie had Frank's best interests in mind. Unfortunately for Frank, Willie only has Willie's best interests in mind, all the time. So when Willie subscribed to the plot of sending Janie's team's votes to Frank to re-focus his target on them, and Frank then found out, the Fruit Loops were bound to hit the fan.

BUT FIRST (Seriously, Emmy voters, why keep snubbing Julie Chen for Reality host? She's hilarious!) Britney had an egregious moment of paranoia and shared her suspicions of the coaches entering the game, on the basis of coaches having key holes in the memory wall, with Willie. Willie then called a "No Coaches Allowed" house meeting with the newbies to share this info. Wil at one point declared he was taking a 24-hour break from the game, which Willie later mocked to Frank using an effeminate voice and flamboyant hand motions.

Next, Joe spilled to Frank Willie's plan to pin the votes on Team Janelle, which Frank felt nullified their agreement. He then told Joe about the mocking, which spread like wildfire through the house and made it back to Wil. Britney, now convinced of Janelle and Dan working together, told Willie of his new image in the house. Willie confronted Frank, and the season's first blow-out went down in the backyard.

On one side, Willie "Grown Ass Man" Hantz, who was accused of making homophobic comments by many (not Frank), which I don't actually agree with. I'd mock Willie's voice, I'd mock Wil's voice, and JoJo's, and Danielle's, and Ashley's, because these people are characters chosen for their distinct voices. Wil is, in fact, gay and expressive. Was it nice of Willie to mock him? Absolutely not. But was it blown out of proportion by Frank, Joe and the rest of the house? Absolutely.

That brings us to Frank "Straight Talkin' Mother F*****" Eudy, who made a bold move standing up against bullying in the house which gained him great favor from Wil and Team Janie. Usually, advice is to avoid confrontation to get by, but in this case, Frank made many allies and cemented a leadership status in a new voting block determined to weaken Willie by keeping his greatest enemy around.

At the live vote, Frank expressed loyalty to his new side, while Kara sold someone out by saying they made a final 2 deal with Frank. Who was she referring to? We'll probably find out next week.

In the end, Danielle stood by her teammate and Shane and JoJo stood by Willie to vote out Frank, but Jenn/Ian from Team Boogie and Joe/Wil/Ashley from Team Janie had the numbers and eliminated Kara 5-3.

Last week, I predicted someone from Team Dan would go and chose Danielle instead of Kara. I picked Frank as the winner, and still think he can win the whole thing after surviving this crazy week.

My belief was strengthened at the HoH Competiton, Big Brother Break-In, which asked questions about videos the house guests were shown of a "burglar" breaking into the house and causing detail-oriented trouble. Shane was out first, and then with one question about shaving legs, it was down to Wil and Frank. At that point, it was a foregone conclusion that this new alliance would have the power no matter what. I think Wil threw the challenge so Frank could win, but whatever really happened, it proved that this game is so unpredictable and so entertaining that truly anybody can win.

Julie also announced a new twist to the Coaches' Competition- the winning coach can either save one player from nomination, as was true last week, OR trade one team member for one from another team, HoH excluded. I don't expect any coaches to do this, as there would be no camaraderie between the coach and either their disposed or claimed player.

Who will Frank nominate for eviction? Find out Sunday at 8! Thanks for reading.

Pick to Win: Frank
Next Evicted: Willie


Episode Grade: A
Episode MVP: Frank Eudy
Original Airdate: 7/19/2012

LIVE FEED SPOILERS AHEAD- SERIOUSLY STAY AWAY!!
Those predictions were made Thursday night immediately after the episode finished, before the publication of this article. At this point, one prediction has already come true- kind of. Willie went absolutely nuts, swearing at everyone and slamming doors, and entered the DR for a few hours, during which the feeds were down. By the time the Live Feeds came back on, Willie had been expelled from the game. That's right, folks, Willie Hantz is gone.

Janelle won the Coaches Comp and saved Ashley from nomination. Frank remained HoH and made his nominations- Shane and JoJo, both from Team Brit. Apparently the target is Shane, but if he saves himself, they're going to get Danielle out to eliminate Dan from the house.

TV Review: Louie 3x03: "Miami"

ML- I think it's fair to dub last night's episode of Louie an "instant classic".

Aside from reminding me of Curb Your Enthusiasm, as it usually does, tonight's episode gave me vibes of Larry David's other hit sitcom Seinfeld, specifically, the episode "The Contest." In this Emmy-winning episode, the characters make a bet revolving around masturbation without actually saying the dirty word. Everybody knows what they're talking about because it's so grained into the subtext.

"Miami" takes this idea and builds upon it, or rather, breaks it down, because it takes away the subtext by removing the text, as dialogue, from the episode's climactic scene. in doing so, CK demonstrates comedic genius that gives the audience great a payoff, even though/because it's the one they saw coming.

The episode starts with Louie's plane landing in Miami for a couple days of gigs. I like to imagine the idea for this episode springing from the real CK just acting on a whim to shoot in Miami, like the crazy rebel he is, but the television-radio student in me knows all of these locations had to be secured weeks in advance, so that's likely not what happened.

The best episode of Louie (and, really, are there bad episodes?) feature Louie as a fish out of water. "Duckling", last season's brilliant 1-hour special, brought Louie all the way to Afghanistan to entertain the troops. Here, we got a much more familiar, relatable experience as Louie reached the shores of Miami, and realized he did not fit in with the lean, tan bods that littered the sands. He thinks twice about taking his shirt off, and instead heads inside.

Some people might take this as a sign to get fit or find another fun, fully clothed thing to do. It says a lot about Louie that instead he chows down on a big sub and waits until the cool kids all scatter, and all the out-of-shape outcasts can enjoy their time in the (quickly setting) sun. He's like the runt of the litter when he doesn't have to be, but his insecurity keeps him from fully taking what he wants.

This all changes when he finally swims out into the water and a man on the beach mistakingly snatches up Louie's chair. He waves from the water for the man to stop, and the lifeguard takes this as a signal for help. He rushes to Louie's aid, who continuously mentions that he's not drowning. The lifeguard, young, fit Ramon, saves him anyway, and the two head back to the lobby for Louie's set.

Immediately, I began thinking "gay storyline". My suspicions grew as Louie bought Ramon a drink. It was too obvious, I then deduced. There's gotta be something more at play here.

The two bond more over Louie's stay, and Ramon shows his out-of-place friend around the city. After seeing Louie splurge on the motorcycle as a sign of renewing his manliness, it was great to see him riding on the back of Ramon's bicycle. This truly is a different world for him, and he experiences it fully as he spends the night at a party hosted by Ramon's Cuban family. Ramon draws his attention to the nearby hotel, and how those people, though they'd lived in Miami their whole lives, also didn't know the world he lived in. Louie again notes that he wasn't drowning, but he's glad Ramon saved him. From all the subtext, we know he's not talking about the beach.

After a frantic race to a show, Louie decides to stay in Miami another few days and calls his ex-wife Janet to confirm she can watch the kids. She can tell something from the sound of his voice (another nod to subtext)- he's met someone. She thinks it's a romantic thing, which he tries to dismiss, but it's true that he has "met" "someone", and clearly this person is the reason he wants to spend time in Miami rather than with his daughters.

This is the second week in a row gay panic has been a theme addressed in the show. Last week was when Melissa Leo's guest character used calling Louie gay as a method of exploiting him for sexual favors. We've also seen the motif of the motorcycle/bicycle play throughout these first three episodes. Is CK developing more season-wide themes that will build to something and later pay off, or are these just coincidences?

By the third act both Louie and Ramon know there's something going on in their chemistry, and they sit down at a bar (after swimming together all day) to discuss it. Ramon starts and implies he knows something about Louie, who denies it and tries to explain where he's coming from. Except neither of them actually say anything. In their entire conversation the actual words don't come up once. When Ramon says "I have a cousin, Manny...", Louie stops him short, because he knows why Ramon is brining up Manny.

This is the most manly conversation about homosexuality I've ever seen on television.

It ends with Louie doing stand-up, where he finally can bring the point home- heterosexual men are the only group of people who care that people identify them as such. Gay people, he says, aren't worried someone might mistake them for straight. It's rare that shows can make us honestly feel sympathy for the straight man, or the white man, or the educated man, but Louie does so without saying anything that offends anyone. As it turns out, he doesn't have to say anything at all. And it's wonderful.

Episode Grade: A
Episode MVP: CK
Original Airdate: 7/12/2012

TV Review: Big Brother 14x01: Cruel Summer

ML- To paraphrase the great Janelle Pierzina, "Hi hi, bitches!" Welcome to America's favorite guilty pleasure life consumer, Big Brother, which began its 14th season with a bang- that bang being the sound of Jodi's face smacking against the animatronic bed over and over again.

The game has already taken an incredibly drastic change with the addition of four legendary (Copyright Barney Stinson, CBS) coaches to guide the noobs through the game, which is a good thing because it seems as though none of them have watched much Big Brother in the past. These coaches will be playing their own game; whoever mentors someone to victory will pocket $100,000 of their own.
The coaches are: Mike "Boogie" Malin, BB2 & BB7, Janelle Pierzina, BB6 & BB7, Dan Gheesling, BB10 and Britney Haynes, BB12.

I'd say the first three choices were spot-on, but the addition of Britney nearly ruins the plan. Despite being a diary room goddess and one of the funniest house guests in history, she (admittedly) played terribly last time and shouldn't have been considered as a mentor over the likes of Jun, Danielle or Dani Donato. Hell, even RACHEL would have been better at mentoring, but Britney proved tonight that she's at least going to give the other coaches a run for their money.

Before we continue (or should I say BUT FIRST) let's go over the 12 newbies and quick first impressions of them from their awful, fake "key finding" packages.

FRANK- Frank is unemployed, something Jodi was 98% sure was a lie. Unfortunately, the margin of error tonight was 1.9%, or something. Ian would probably explain it better. Anyway, Frank is a BB super fan who doesn't fit the stereotypical BB super fan mold, a dangerous combination for the rest of the house. Frank was the first choice to join TEAM BOOGIE.


DANIELLE- My first thought was "Jordan 2.0", which isn't a bad thing at all. She's cute and has that southern drawl that makes everyone seem just an ounce more likable (unless your last name is Hantz). She decided to lie about her job, saying she's a kindergarden teacher rather than admitting to being a nursing student. A risky move, as it'll be easy to slip up while in the house for so long and instantly lose  people's trust. Danielle was a second round pick for TEAM DAN.


SHANE- He flips houses for a living, so I can't wait to hear all the puns of him "flipping" the house around once he gets on the block. I don't expect that to take too long, as his physicality and apparent lack of strategic game will make him a prime target for some early nominations. So of course, he was the first pick for TEAM BRITNEY.

JODI- "Too normal", my reality TV-addled brain warned as she came upon my screen. She doesn't have perfect features or a perfect body. How did she manage to sneak into the house and fool everyone, even the great and powerful Chenbot? Despite that (or perhaps because of it) she came across as down to earth and eager to play, which, in the Big Brother world, gets you picked last of everyone, ending up on TEAM DAN.

IAN- Ian and Cochran from Survivor were probably in the same pile of applications sorted at CBS, as both fit the stereotypical "nerd" slot. Unlike Cochran, Ian may be getting some action soon, as Ashley has showed interest in him, because he "wears glasses." Girl really knows how to pick 'em. His excitement at the sight of Boogie, Dan and Janelle made me smile, as it's exactly how I'd be if put in the house. Except I wear contacts, so I'd have no shot at an Ashley showmance, so I guess he knows what he's doing. He was the second choice for TEAM BOOGIE.

WIL- With 1 L. Guys. 1 L. There's already a Willie, this is Wil. Jeez. The "Southern gay" (who was an American Idol reject that I actually remember) tried making a hair alliance with Frank within seconds of entering the house. He could be a very up-front player, which makes for great TV, but often doesn't lead to the big bucks. Hopefully he will find some great tutelage as first pick under TEAM JANELLE.

JOJO- Or should I say JowwJoww, BB's answer to the Jersey Shore stereotype (because we have all forgotten Enzo, yes? Yes.) She's from Staten Island and there to do New York proud, whatever that means. My expectations for her as a player are low, so I hope she gets drunk and fights with Janelle a lot. She was the final pick for TEAM BRITNEY.

WILLIE HANTZ- Yes, Russell's brother. No, he probably won't win, unless producer Allison Grodner deems it fitting, then which case he absolutely will. He's actually a lot more likable than Russell, but everybody was onto him within minutes (Ian gave it a 99.9% certainty rating- nice going, Ian!) but he's still trying to play dumb. Absolutely foolish, he should own up and say he's nothing like Russell, because literally, I thought it was Russell when he stood outside the door. Actually, since he's taller, it looked like Russell standing on a smaller Hantz' s shoulders. Brush that Hantz off yo' shoulder, Willie, and do TEAM BRITNEY proud!

KARA- The Playboy model has many assets that will help her succeed in this game, but unfortunately, they're out for everyone to see. I'm pointing to her boobies. She's dated rockstars in the past, so all I have to say is: Haaaaave you met Jenn? (Copyright: Barney Stinson, CBS). She's looking for a showmance, which has benefitted BB girls the past few seasons, so perhaps she's got more going on than we've all seen on NSFW sites? Now we know why she was chosen for TEAM DAN.


JOE- The chef, who only made it into the house because another contestant quit, doesn't seem to be someone who can relax and chill with all of the young kids in the house. Cooking is a good skill to have, however, and his age could also be a benefit if they deem him as out of his physical prime. Hopefully he can find strengths from his qualities and be a good player for TEAM JANELLE.

JENN- The tattooed rockstar says she's either loved or despised, which means she'll probably go sooner rather than later in the house. People want to put up people that the majority of people are against, to seem like less of a bad guy. If half the house hates Jenn, it'll be easy to find the numbers to oust her. Can her personality shine through the unique appearance enough to form strong bonds? That's a task for her mentor on TEAM BOOGIE.

ASHLEY- The mobile spray tanner has a personality disconnect that I noticed with Porsche last year- everything she says seems staged or scripted or fake. Maybe it's just her weird baby voice? Is the house really going to be "yummy"? I don't think so. Hopefully her mentor, a friend of Porsche's, can direct her in the right way on TEAM JANELLE.


So there we have it, 12 people on 4 teams- except by the end of the night, Julie warns, one of them would be leaving. Bonkers.

The challenge is different from a regular Big Brother competition: The team that comes in first will let their mentor choose one of them to be HoH, and the team that comes in last will force its mentor to eliminate someone that night. This twist definitely favors Team Britney, which has arguably the two most athletic guys in the house in Willie and Shane, and takes a lot of power out of the contestants hands and into the coach's. This is not the Big Brother we all know and love, this is an exhibition match to see which coach can take down the others. I both hate and love it at the same time.

The challenge involved house guests hopping in pajamas onto spinning and bucking beds to retrieve teddy bears for their slumber party, Frogger-style. (Never thought I'd write that sentence in my life). Each houseguest had to retrieve one bear, then send one person to the other side to hit the buzzer. If, at 20 minutes in, a team had not completed, a coach could substitute another player to run the course.

The competition was pretty even throughout, with the men dominating way easier than the ladies. That didn't bode well for Team Dan, who actually seemed like a good coach (considering he is a coach in real life) but couldn't muster the same inner power that Coach Taylor could manage from his Panthers. Clear eyes, busted lips, sure to lose?

I ranked the teams as they were announced as Boogie > Dan > Janelle > Britney, and wouldn't you know it, my last place team came out on top. Physicality won out and Britney's team was able to take control of the house for week one. It'll be interesting to see who she advises her HoH to target, considering she loves Janelle as much as I do. But I'm getting ahead of myself- the other teams were neck and neck, but Dan's team played like a bunch of girls (a joke, because they all are girls, not a commentary on females in sports- have you SEEN the Williams sisters?) and, unfortunately for the Renegade himself, he placed behind both Janelle and Boogie's teams.

Brit selected Willie as her first HoH, a smart move to secure the rest of the house doesn't get into Shane or JoJo's ears about knocking the Hantz out of the game. He equate this "victory" to winning a national championship. Hear that, Olympians? Ain't nobody got nothin' on Willie Hantz!

As Dan debated his options, I came to my own conclusion- boot Jodi. Yes she's likable in a dorky kind of way, but she just doesn't belong with the rest of the fame whores in the house. And Dan agreed, sending Jodi packing as the first casualty of the summer, and weeding his team down to only Kara and Danielle.

What should Willie do? One strategy would be to pick Kara and Danielle as nominees. That way you don't piss off any other coaches and are one step closer to ridding Dan from the house. Or does he go after bigger threats like Frank and Ian on Team Boogie? I'm ecstatic to see how this twist plays out, and especially to see what "new power" will be introduced into the game. Also, what's the over-under on when the mentors can enter the game as actual house guests? I love the idea of Janelle having no consequences of getting into drunk fights with everyone, but it'd be much sweeter to se her finally walk away with the oversized check.

Well, that's it for me this week! Before I go, I'll begin with this BB blog's tradition: player most likely to win it all and player most likely to go home next.

Most Likely to Leave Next: Danielle
Most Likely to Win It All: Frank


Another note: I will be watching the live feeds and Big Brother: After Dark this year, so this may be the first night where spoilers don't come into play in the reviews. I'll try to limit conversation to only CBS info and maybe use the end for spoiler-y discussion? If you care at all, let me know in the comments! Hope you guys keep reading, it's going to be a long, fun summer!

Episode Grade: B+
Episode MVP: Janelle Pierzina
Original Airdate: 7/12/2012

TV Review: Weeds 8x02: "A Beam of Sunshine"

Warning: The following may contain spoilers. Reader discretion advised.


ML-"I think I was a bad person."


Never did I ever expect to hear Nancy Botwin utter those words. Never! She was the worst person imaginable, but never seemed to give a damn about it. Getting shot in the head must early change a person.


Or does it? I posed a similar question in my True Blood review as well. What does it take to cause a person to change their ways? Nancy may think she's on the path to righteousness, but she's still technically dealing marijuana. How long before the reality of her hospital bills set in (did you notice they were at around $420,000?) and she reverts back to her dark and twisty ways?


My guess is not long. As Shane so thoughtfully pointed out in his little colorful diagram, she has plenty of enemies that still want her dead. If Nancy is going to get vicious against a clown imagine what she'll do when confronted by Guillermo again. She thinks now they can be the "After Botwins", like the people in the Before & After ads on TV, but she seems to have forgotten she already tried changing her identity as a Newman last year. 


Mary-Louise Parker is having a blast in this new season, and I'm happy for her. She's done a brilliant job of portraying Nancy and creating a complex character. She was never afraid of playing unlikable, and nails those scenes just as much as she can the comedic ones. She truly is a beam of sunshine in this show.


Speaking of sunshine, a weather analogy factored heavily into Andy's story this week. As he fooled around with Jill, Scott, her estranged husband, returned to visit the kids and spread his newfound zen energy (and cookie dough bars) with his family. He notes how when the sky is gray, it's not the sky, it's the clouds. The sky is blue the whole time, you just can't see it until the clouds pass. This is a lovely thought and gives me hope for the Botwins as the series comes to a close, as maybe they can find a way to break through all those clouds (like a beam of sunshine) and have nothin' but blue skies from here on out.


Andy made a big step as he barged in on Jill's dinner with Scott. He was clued in by the twins' pre-emptive packing, as they told him whenever mom and dad have dinner, they reconnect. This is a great scene that shows how in-tune children are with their parents; often, kids know their parents better than the parents know themselves. Silas and Shane have spoken more truths of Nancy than she ever has. So jealous Andy distracts Jill from Scott's plea to screw in the bathroom of a chinese restaurant. "this is more than just sex", he tells her. Again, is he changing, or is his love for Nancy just transferring over to her sister? 


Doug definitely hasn't changed, as he bought into the "tri-kini" product that will problem spell bad things for him down the line. Silas didn't have much to do other than spank his agent in some S&M, 50 Shades of Hunter Parrish's Hair business. Shane managed to track down the shooter, Tim Scottson, after noting how 85% of all male juvenile offenders come from fatherless homes. This is the true test of whether people can change- will he bring Tim to justice using handcuffs or a croquet mallet?


Grade: B+
MVP: Mary-Louise Parker
Original Air-date: 7/8/12

TV Review: True Blood 5x04: "Let's Boot and Rally"

Warning: The following post may contain spoilers. Reader discretion advised.

ML- It's funny: for most of last season, my biggest complaint was that the writers of True Blood seemed lost in all of the stories they were trying to tell with their ridiculously massive cast of characters. Now, as the show's footing is getting steadier once again, the writers actually do get Lost, by adding a freaking smoke monster to their supernatural cache.

Technically, its an ifrit, a beast probably familiar to Final Fantasy players, but both the visual and sound effects totally copied off of the Man in Black's smokey state. If anyone had "ifrit" on their supernatural bingo card, congrats. Have a shot of peach schnapps.

The episode began with Alcide about to get some fairy tail as he and Sookie made their way to the bedroom. I'm sure the Magic Mike team is quite happy Joe Manganiello continues to take his shirt off here, as it can only help their business. Unfortunately for Alcide, Sookie made like the episode title suggested and "booted", probably because she's as sick of her sexcapades as the audience. As if that weren't enough to end sexy time, Bill and Eric appeared at the door looking to recruit Sook in their mission.

Sookie and her men set out to find Russell Edgington, who, from the glimpses she got in her mind-reading of bumbling Doug, looked a lot like Voldemort in the King's Cross scene of the last Harry Potter movie (which, side note, HBO labels as "Harry Potter 8". The nerve.) She also discovers that a female Authority member was seen uncovering him. Bill is quick to accuse Nora, Eric's "sister"/lover, but since we have learned that Bill is rarely right about anything ever on this show, it seems more likely that Salome is the vamp responsible. That's going to be awkward when Roman finds out.

The mystery gang then makes their way to an abandoned asylum, and Sookie refuses to stay outside, on the grounds of feminism, basic horror movie logic and having to "pee something fierce". Paquin is way more enjoyable when she's playing a drunk, which means Sook needs to hit up Merlottes more this season. Also, don't you think Sookie should get her own Medium-style spin-off where she tracks bad guys using mind-reading and microwave fingers?

Doug lives up to the horror trope of scaredy fat guy and bolts before the going gets tough, leading them to a room full of captive people Russell plans on draining. When they finally confront the big man himself, he's in much better shape than his bloody Voldemort-self, but still looks weak. How a weak but ancient vampire compares to Bill or Eric, I'm not sure, but I doubt he's going to go down without a fight. I also doubt Denis O'Hare, who salvaged the train wreck that was season 3, is going to disappoint here.

Getting back to the ifrit at hand, Terry and Patrick are held at gunpoint by their crazed friend, who asks "Did anything follow you here?" This immediately reminded me of Lost season 1, when Rousseau held Sayid captive, but little did I expect things to get all smokey up in that bitch. Flashbacks revealed that after their shootout in Iraq, a dying Muslim woman that Patrick ordered Terry to kill cursed them with the ifrit, which rose up from the pile of bodies as it burned. If anyone is looking to be a dead body extra, this sure is the show for you, as long as you don't mind rats or gasoline.

Meanwhile, Jason had a trippy dream in which he was a kid again rocking a He-Man onesie and his parents were still alive. Things turned weird fast, as blood began spurting out into their breakfast cereal and his mother offered him a blow job, because he deals with his problems by using sex. Really, true Blood, we're getting incestuous? Leave that to Game of Thrones... and Boardwalk Empire... and Bored to Death...

When he woke he was butt naked, as was Andy, and neither remembered getting blinded by the light by the fairy bouncers the night before. (True Blood spin-off idea 2: Andy and Jason have Hangover-style adventures!) They meet up at the crime scene of Sam's dead shifter friends and Jason lets Andy know his lady friend was a fairy, to which Andy responded with the line of the night, "I don't care if those ladies are fairies or leprechauns or fuckin' ewoks!" They notice the shooter(s) used wooden bullets, a sign that they're targeting supernaturals in particular.

It seems like Jason is regressing back to his season 1 attitude towards vampires, now convinced that they had a hand in the death of his parents. As frustrating as this can be to watch it makes sense- people don't really lose their prejudices, they just get better at keeping them to themselves. It also fits with the episode's theme of pondering whether people really change (funny enough, that was also Weeds' theme tonight, which I will be reviewing right after this.)

The theme was handled with Tara, who has gone from the show's biggest problem to its freshest storyline. She looked damn good bar tending at Fangtasia under Pam's orders, and commented on how she's basically a slave now. "The more things change, the more they stay the same", she laments. Given her history with joining creepy cult movements, I can see her becoming a Sanguinista in the coming weeks.

Tara is just the type of tragic character that Alan Ball excels at creating- someone so unhappy that she just wanted to die, who must now live forever. I'm still not sure if this makes me genuinely like Tara after all these years of her sucking the fun out of everything, but she's in a good place now.

Her scene bonding with Jessica was my favorite of the night, mainly because Deborah Ann Woll is a hidden gem and deserves to be a crazy successful movie star. She brings real chemistry in their conversation, something Paquin and Wesley were never able to find together. Jess gives her the "it gets better" speech and offers for them to be "girlfriends". She advises her that the urges she's feeling may seem wrong, but really, they're awesome.

As much as I loved this scene, it represents my biggest problem with True Blood as of late- the preachy, thinly-veiled analogies for all of the issues going on in the world. It's always been metaphorical, since the first title sequence where "God Hates Fangs" was displayed, but as of late Ball and co. have really been laying it on thick. Not only do we have the vampire/gay connection, but we also have the whole Sanguinista/fundamentalist Christian gimmick that I've found myself rolling my eyes at. People don't watch True Blood for the social, political and religious commentary, they watch it to see sex and violence and Anna Paquin's gap tooth. Just toning it down a hair would really do the show some good.

Things between Tara and Jessica fell apart fast once Jess discovered Tara and Hoyt going at it in the bathroom stall next to her. Hoyt tells Tara that "people change", but she doesn't buy it. Just cause he's got eyeliner on doesn't mean he's changed. Tara, however, is changed fundamentally, because she's no longer a "people". This sad fact doesn't bode well for Roman and his posse fighting for equality.

It doesn't look too good for Sam, as his attempts to reconcile with Luna were foiled by shapeshifter haters in Obama masks (again, more subtle political commentary) who shoot down Sam and Luna and nearly get her daughter, too. I'm sure Sam will be fine, but Luna took one to the gut, so I'd say the prognosis is negative for her.

Lastly, Lafayette tried to deal with his literal inner demon by smashing religious figurines and praying to Jesus (not the Catholic one, the dead gay Mexican one). All that did was give him and Tara's mom equally creeped-out dreams of a beheaded, mouth-bound Jesus wobbling around in distress. What does this mean? Lord knows.

Grade: B+
MVP: Deborah Ann Woll
Original Air-date: 7/8/12

Movie Review: Ted

The following article may contain spoilers. Reader discretion advised. 


ML- It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV, but where are those good, old-fashioned values on which we used to rely? Luckily, there's Ted, the R-rated comedy by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane that utilizes many of the shows's signature quirks, with varying degrees of success. The movie is built upon the classic coming-of-age story that has found great success with audiences as of late (most recently, the spectacular Toy Story 3), and decorated with pot smoking and fart jokes and pop culture references galore. It targets all aspects of a guy's personality, but in doing so, loses much of its charm.


We open in 1985 Boston, where lonely young John Bennett uses his Christmas wish to grant life to his new stuffed bear, Ted. Ted (voiced by MacFarlane, who uses the same voice as Guy's Peter Griffin, something the movie makes note of) becomes an overnight celebrity, but remains friends with John (Mark Wahlberg) into adulthood.


The two do what any guys in their early 20s do- smoke, drink and watch Flash Gordon reruns. The only problem is that John isn't 20, he's 35, and his immature ways start becoming too much for his perfect girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) to handle. John must kick Ted out, putting him in danger of a creepy super fan (Giovanni Rivisi) who has been obsessed with the bear since he, too, was a boy.


The film suffers from being too formulaic: the cliched narrator is annoying and unfunny, the characters fit the roles of every guy-oriented romantic comedy of the last ten years. Joel McHale does his best as the skeezey, spoiled boss, but he can't make the part special because there's nothing there to enhance. Rivisi nails the creepiness as he sways his hips to Debbie Gibson alone in his living room, but there could have been much more development into his psychosis. 


I don't mean to be too critical, because the movie is funny. Unfortunately, the funniest scenes were all in the trailers, so those who watched them over and over again in anticipation may have been disappointed in the theater. Some of the best bits included a topical jab at box-office rival Katy Perry, flashbacks to John and Lori's first encounter, and cameos by Norah Jones, Sam Jones (no relation), Ted Danson and Ryan Reynolds. These moments weren't enough, though, to carry the weight of the rest of the film.


Wahlberg creates a believable character, the guy who just needs to grow up and realize he's got the catch right in front of him, but his performance is nothing revolutionary. That being said, most of his scenes consist of acting against an inanimate bear, and he managed to nail that chemistry. Kunis plays her part, too, one that left me with one major gripe at the end of the film: how come a young boy needs it to be a Christmas miracle to get a bear to come to life, and all Mila Kunis has to do is bat her overly-made up eyes and the shooting stars give her just as much precedence? Seems unfair and contrived to me!


Ultimately, I ask myself: How different is this movie from the rest of the stoner rom-coms, aside from the talking bear? Cast Seth Rogen as the loser friend and I feel like I've already seen that movie three or four times before. The premise of a man dealing with adulthood by abandoning his maladaptive childhood vices through the use of actual toy bear character is clever, no doubt, but the movie fails to take full advantage of the unique idea and instead settles into the safe, established confines of the genre. MacFarlane relied too strongly on the good, old-fashioned values of moviemaking  to create something extraordinary. Mike's Grade: B.

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