Stuff--Mostly TV and Sports

Hey everyone!

This is just going to be a general chatter post about all kinds of things!

First--just some general info.

*Orphan Black is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. So if you are a Prime subscriber, now's your chance to catch up before April 19th. Orphan Black has been doing a really fabulous job with promotion, they are a fan's dream come true. From releasing snippets on Instagram, posters full of clues, a trailer, a weblog of the new clone (who is adorable and heartbreaking) to having fan contests on tumblr, etc, I'm really impressed! Also, it looks like the events of the finale will be playing a huge role in Alison's arc, YAY.

*Rectify is available on Netflix! I wrote a little bit about Rectify here...if any of you end up watching it, please let me know! Season 2 starts in June and will be ten episodes long.

*Speaking of Amazon Prime they are raising the price 20 dollars. Blergh. Also, they are trying to tell us that they are offering us so many more things but...like maybe they could just not make original TV shows? I tried watching three of their pilots the last go around and they all were kind of terrible. And lol they've all been ordered to series which makes me a little sad because I think some of the talent tied up in these shows will be wasted. But who knows maybe they will improve. Anyway, my renewal doesn't come around for awhile so I will reassess then!

The Walking Dead

So, I've always thought The Walking Dead was the worst show to ship on (yes omg I am still going on about this, but I have no other outlet so, hello blog!) because the threat of death is imminent, but Norman Reedus said something in an interview this week that I just absolutely loved. (by the way I don't blame his frustration with shippers because this guy gets it the worst from fans, I think. Like, people are really obsessed with him.) When talking about Daryl/Beth he said,

[The characters] are just trying to find people who aren’t trying to kill them, who they can hang out with. They’re finding out who they are through other people. I get that all the time.

Ugh, I loved that and I think it's why I'm drawn to some of the relationships on this show. Sure, this show has romantic relationships but they aren't very convincing in the setup. Rick and Michonne are so easy to ship because of how good you know they'd be together, how many strong parallels the show has drawn between them, and the respect and trust they now have for each other. Daryl and Beth were more overtly romantic, but I just can't get over how much better it was in comparison to Bob and Sasha--it was all show don't tell. So like...even if the show doesn't ever "go there" all the potential and possibility was satisfying on its own? I have no idea if this makes sense, but it does to me! Also, the Daryl/Beth ship reminds me a little bit of Sawyer/Juliet from Lost (even the way I'm going on about it on my blog, omg). Anyway, I like the idea of discovering who you are through other people because it's really true.

Anyway, speaking of TWD, I AM SO EXCITED for tonight's episode. So excited! They've really done a brilliant job of building the anticipation for this, I mean the seeds were set in episode 3! Bring it on, show!!

A Few Other TV Notes

*Norma Bates you guys. It's so funny because A&E released this funny video at Comic Con where Freddie Highmore got all upset because the writers had so many more notes for Norma, but...well that is the way the show goes? Like they get her so well and they have her heart and soul in every episode. I actually teared up this past episode when she did the singing audition because it was so perfectly her. And there's a rich sense of dramatic irony and increased pity because you know that no she will never win. The dynamic between Norma and Norman is also spot on. It's a good thing because I have no idea what is going on during the plot of the show, it's a mess!

*I think I'm done with The Originals. I wasn't surprised by the announcement of Claire Holt leaving...I mean, I was surprised but not really because the story had taken such a dramatic shift since returning from hiatus. I think they wanted to write her out well, but unfortunately to me it was at the detriment of the rest of the show. When the show first started it felt very mysterious and I liked it a lot, but all that has faded and the episodes feel like a chore to get through, so for now I think I'm done!

Sports!

*Spring Training is well underway and it's been exciting. This is the first year I followed my team through the offseason...and it's really fun to watch how all the moves that were made and the players that were added are coming together. The Cardinals don't really have a lot of roster competitions, but it is exciting to watch the battle for the starting rotation because we do have a lot of great pitchers. It's also been so exciting to see Kolten Wong excel. After Game 4 of the World Series last year, I was rooting for him big time and then I read about his mom dying this winter and how hard he was working and I just...aw, <3 I'm a fan. So once he started hitting, things got really exciting, I'm super excited to follow him this season. I haven't been able to catch nearly as many spring training games as I'd like since I'm pretty dependent on whatever MLB Network shows, but they are so fun! I love how it's basically all about training or practice so whatever happens, happens. Baseball is almost here for real you guys! ♥♥♥ *I've decided to keep up with figure skating as well despite my disappointment over the judging at the Olympics. I think I will mostly follow the careers of the skaters I grew to like this season, since time is limited and watching skating is difficult--it's all livestreams and youtube videos. So Junior Worlds were this week and one of the junior ice dance teams I like, won! Wheee! You can catch them here. To be honest, I'm rooting for their coaching team to take over dominance since I like so many of their skaters. Worlds is in a few weeks and very few Olympic medalists are showing up so it will be interesting to see what happens! If I manage to watch any of it, I will blog about it! Perhaps I can convert you all into Cardinals and skating fans? :)

One last random link not related to TV or sports (yes I know...there will be bookish chatter soon!) HT to Lady Business for this, You Have to Be Kindest to Yourself When It Seems Least Deserved really struck a chord with me, particularly the opening paragraph:

We have an itch to be aware of what other people could deem unworthy and insufficient. So we dwell on every possible flaw someone could rip apart and use against us. But it never makes us stronger. It doesn’t make us immune to someone doing so simply because we got there first. Believing what other people could say before they say it doesn’t give us a defense against it.

I really related to this. I like the idea of being kind to ourselves, though I did think the piece sort of lost direction and I'm not sure what to make of the conclusion.

Hope you are all having a wonderful March!