TV Archives : dispatches from the loony bin

Lazy Sunday

I spent most of the day knitting.

I did basically nothing today. It was gray and rainy outside and I woke up late, and tired, dealing with low levels of pain from the moment I got up. (Wisdom teeth problems like these are not something I would wish on my worst enemy.) I’m alive, though. I have an arsenal of painkillers to get me through the day.

I spent most of the day knitting. I’m working on this currently; the pattern calls for endless stockinette until one binds off, at which point the exciting bit happens. (I’m not sure if you need to log into Ravelry or not to see the pattern. It’s a drop stitch pattern, which means when you bind off, you drop stitches to create a laddered look. I’ll post pictures when I’m done.)

While knitting, I watched things on Netflix. Stockinette is tedious as hell; it helps to do something else with your brain. I tried to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but I managed to start up one of the less racially sensitive episodes and just decided…nope. Not watching a retelling of the conflict between settlers and aboriginal people told via ponies and buffalo. Not after watching the clusterfrack that was the “Voodoo zebra!” episode.

So I switched to Torchwood, which mom heard a bit of while it was on — she’s intrigued! I have another show to make her watch, when we’re done with Grey’s Anatomy.

We’ve been watching a lot of Grey’s since I got here. Got her all the way through season 4; now working on season 5. She loves the show. I love watching it with her. It’s a good time.

Tonight mom is out at the movies. I am knitting some more and getting my word count down, though I might not hit 411 words today. That’s okay. I hit my monthly goal of 15,000 words yesterday. I can take it easy today (but not take a day off), and tomorrow I’ll be back up to speed.

So, with that, I’m off to knit some more and possibly eat dinner. When mom gets home, we’re watching more of Grey’s.

Tomorrow we’ll actually get things done. I swear.

The Secret Circle

Season 1 of The Secret Circle is on Netflix. I’ve been giving it a watch, as I’ve been snowed in at the Ogre’s place for two days. It’s pretty good; I’m enjoying it so far.

It apparently got canceled, but according to IMDB season 2 starts in January — so perhaps it got picked up again? I don’t know. I hope so, because it is an enjoyable show, and — more importantly — it’s filmed in BC (at least partially). I support almost anything that gets filmed here.

Good things about the show:

It passes the Bechdel test consistently. The teenage characters are remarkably mature while still being believable as teens, which is nice — I get so sick of badly-written teenage characters *cough*Dawn from Buffy*cough*. It doesn’t shy away from darkness — that is, the danger these kids get into is real, and obviously real, early on in the show. The kids are pretty good about discussing consent and boundaries! The way they talk about energy and how it works is fairly accurate, to this witch’s eye, which is nice. At a point where one character suggests using an indigenous headdress as a Halloween costume, the main character shuts her down, saying it’s not cool. (Cue me dying of shock.)

Things that make me give it the side-eye:

Mainly the magic. Yes, it’s nice to see non-Hollywood ways of talking about magic and energy in a show. But. The way these teens do spells is…kind of silly, so far. I’m only about 6 episodes in. Their way of doing spells seems to consist of looking or glaring at things and saying random phrases, seemingly made up on the spot, that…don’t sound too powerful. I guess I just want it to be a little more Hollywood, you know? Use some Latin at least. Something.

The other thing is the opening. When the title comes on the screen the “music” they have with it is the MOST ANNOYING sound ever. It’s a kid, I guess, going “la la la la, la la la la.” ARG.

In fact, here — I found a video of the opening. Give it a listen.

Is it just me? Or is that spectacularly annoying?

Those are really the only huge negatives with the show, so far. I’ve just started episode 7 and will likely finish it later, as it’s time to cook dinner. If everything goes south and the show does a death-spiral with flames y’all will be the first to know.

I’m happy Grey’s is ending.

So far I don’t think there’s been any official confirmation that the show is ending with Season 10 — just rumours borne of the main cast contracts ending at the end of this season. Sandra Oh isn’t renewing her contract. She’ll be gone at the end of Season 10 regardless of actual series end. Which means the show will basically be over, at least for me.

I’ve loved Grey’s Anatomy for 3 years now. I’d seen an episode here or there since it first came out, but I didn’t start to really watch it from beginning onwards till 2011. I marathon-watched all the seasons already released and then continued to watch current seasons as the episodes came out, getting them however I could. I have cried buckets of tears over the characters. I have been drowned by the feels. I have been angry when characters have been assholes, but forgiven them later. Usually. I got my mom hooked on the show this summer and she adores it; we drink wine and watch it together. I think it reminds her of happy memories of her sister, who was a doctor, and in some way watching Grey’s Anatomy with mom is like spending quality time with both her and my aunt.

So I was looking forward to this latest season. I was looking forward to as many more seasons as they wanted to give me.

Was.

(spoilers below the cut)

Continue reading “I’m happy Grey’s is ending.”

Our relationship, in a nutshell

Just in case you were worried this blog had gone all serious business and long posts, all the time.

I don’t actually remember when this conversation took place or even if I’ve shared it before; I found the screenshot of it when I was browsing through pictures on my phone. Pretty sure it happened when I still lived on the Island, though.

In other news, this weekend I became obsessed with New Girl and Gossip Girl, because apparently I’m on a TV-shows-with-‘girl’-in-the-title kick. Gilmore Girls is on my list, too, because my friend lent me her DVDs of Season 1 (but I stupidly left them at Ogre’s or I’d have started watching them already). So far Gossip Girl (three episodes in) passes the Bechdel test and New Girl (24 episodes in) does not. Just as a note of interest.