TV! Borgen, The Originals, The Good Wife, etc.

Long overdue, I think?

Anyway here are some thoughts on TV including Borgen 3x01 which OMG.

New Shows

I tried a few new shows, but nothing was really grabbing me. I probably like Blacklist best of them all, it's most engaging, but it's not like I'd be sad if I suddenly realized I couldn't watch it anymore. I'm still recording Sleepy Hollow as well. And perhaps most surprising of all, I'm watching The Originals and I think I'm going to like it. Here's why:

1) I actually think this sort of supernatural show is more in line with what I like...vampires being allowed to be evil and backstabby and all kinds of supernatural entities, etc. In theory, The Originals should be fantastic. In execution, well...it will probably disappoint. But I'm kind of looking forward to it. I loved the opening of the first episode with the originals arriving in New Orleans back in the day and being well...vampires.

2) I was sick to death of Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah (except that brief Stebekah they gave me in Season 4) on The Vampire Diaries because they didn't belong on that show. It never made any real sense why they were around, etc. In fact, I really believe they ruined it. But on their own show, I can just sort of relax and almost enjoy their completely messed up family dynamic. I do find every other character more interesting than Klaus, but what can you do. He serves his own purpose. I didn't watch TVD, but it sounds like that show has also been able to relax more into what it should be about.

3) I find Hayley's storyline compelling. No, Phoebe Tonkin can't do an American accent. But I like that she has a sort of typical male storyline in which she must confront her own ideas about family since she's going to be a mother. It's annoying that she's not really being given a choice about the baby, but it falls into line with the ancient royal power structures--her worth to them is pretty much solely dependent on her carrying Klaus's child. I laughed at Elijah vowing to protect her and then being daggered like two seconds later. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, Hayley. Also, hints of Rosemary's Baby which..well you know how I feel about that :)

4) The episode was really hilarious when you think about it...Elijah all proper waxing on about family, the title "Always and Forever" recalling their cheesy family vow, but the real truth of the title was Klaus daggering Elijah at the end...always and forever they are messed up!

Anyway, I like it, anyone else watching?

I also watched the Michael J. Fox show which I thought was really bad the first two episodes, but the third episode was super cute!

Returning Shows

The Good Wife!!

I really liked how the first episode picked up where last season left off. I liked that the episode wasn't about the overt drama of Alicia and Cary leaving but all the undercurrents. Their plans to leave, trying to figure out how to make it happen, Alicia doing a terrible job of acting cool while being two faced, even the moment at the end where she sort of hoped she could get a reprieve from leaving just as their client did from death. (btw I totally did not understand how that plan worked!) Also, Robyn being the key to figuring out some things for the case was interesting to watch since she'll be going with the new firm. Of course, I'm excited for the actual real drama but I did really enjoy this episode as a way to ground the audience in the emotions of the characters before launching into it.

Borgen!!

I kind of sort of love what they're doing with Birgitte. I mean the first season was about her being thrust unexpectedly into the role of PM and learning how to handle the pressures of the office, the second was about making the necessary compromises and decisions to find life balance...in a way taking back control of her life, so it's only appropriate that the third season will be about remaking Birgitte. She's reentering into politics because she senses a real need for it. It's like a ground floor, gut passion, and I like that. In typical Borgen fashion, they brought back an earlier political maneuver to be her nemesis.

And she's working with Katrine!! <3 (I assume this continues) I love it! Katrine as the busy, single mom is so different from single career minded Katrine, and I love it. Saaaad about her and Kasper and his demotion from series regular and the fact that we got ONE LINE of POV from him, but alas. I don't really care about Torben, but I suspect watching him fight for his job will be interesting and a nice parallel to Birgitte's storyline. Basically, I love this show and my heart swelled with happiness at the theme music. Summer Shows

I ended up really enjoying Broadchurch, but I'm annoyed that they're making an American version. No need. In any case, it fit nicely into my year of crime fiction/TV and its central theme...that "you never really know another person, not really," is definitely one to think about.

The Bridge

In my opinion, this show did a terrible job of adapting the original source material's mystery. I'm not exactly sure why, but my best guess is that they were just not that into it. The real mystery they wanted to tell was the Girls of Juarez and they should have just done that along!! I feel like the episodes following the serial killer reveal were a bit better as they were all fresh material. The finale felt a bit odd, but I may tune in next summer to see what's happening anyway.

But there's one major thing I wanted to mention, which is about the difference between Saga and Sonya. I stumbled across an interview with the writers of the original and they said they didn't intend for Saga to be a character with Asperger's but only realized after creating her that she fit the profile. And I think this really really shows in the two shows approaches to this character. Bron/Broen treats Saga's idiosyncratic behaviors with amused affection. As a character, she completely pops off the screen, she's vibrant and alive. Whereas the Bridge feels much more serious with Sonya, like they've been attending carefully to writing her to make sure she fits the certain profile. She's much more seriously written and almost feels less full...it's kind of hard to explain what I mean, but you can sort of tell that Bron/Broen wrote a character, and The Bridge wrote a character of a certain group.

Anyway! Looking forward to Witches of East End tonight and The Walking Dead next week!

Update me on your TV lives, friends!