1600 Penn

Another TV show review!

"1600 Penn" is a new NBC sitcom featuring the ups and downs of the family of the White House. While I appreciate this idea in theory, the show, so far, sucks. I think there's been like, 3 episodes? They kind of all blur into each other.

I'll start with the good.

• I like the fact that the First Lady is the step-mom of the president's children. I don't know if that's ever been the case in reality before, but either way, there's some diversity and good stuff there. I'm not sure why the biological mother of the children isn't a character in this show, or why she hasn't even been mentioned, though. Her appearance could make for some good drama/ emotional family learning experiences.
• I like that the oldest child isn't the super uptight responsible child you might picture for the president's children. 
• I like the actors. 
• I like the clothes.
• I like that in the last episode I watched, there may have been a hint of a relationship between the president's oldest daughter and the guy in charge of the press relations. A White House family-White House staff relationship could be awesome (if it isn't the whole "prince and pauper" trope).
• There is some comedic potential in the president bringing his personal, family issues into his top-secret military meetings, and all of the stuffy generals discussing it together.

Really, the place where everything falls short is the characters themselves. They are all SO FUCKING FLAT. The president is only the protective father who has to learn that he can't always use his secret service to save his poor daughter. The first lady is only the poor frantic woman who is trying to hold everything together, but ends up breaking all the china that symbolizes the relationship between Austria and the US. The oldest son is only the hippie? Pothead? Whatever. Lazy free spirit who would rather do magic than be responsible. And so far, the oldest daughter has only been freaking out because even though she's usually really responsible and uptight, she had a one-night-stand and now she's pregnant. 

I just really don't care about these characters at all.

I swear to God, every female in the show is making the clenched-teeth "oh noes!" face. All the time. This one:

See the face Dharma is making? See?!

So unless you want to watch NBC's fruitless attempt at appealing to audiences with shows that aren't anything like "30 Rock," and "The Office," - or unless you want to watch a show that makes you feel like you need to go to the dentist after for teeth grinding - don't watch this.

Also, can't we let the first lady and the oldest daughter wearing something other than super tight dresses and super high heels that makes it difficult for them to even walk??? Can't they wear a pantsuit?

Just don't watch it.

The Carrie Diaries, Episode 1

I need to disclaimer this review by telling you all that I have never watched Sex and the City ever. I saw a commercial that involved four women talking about Brazilians and shoes and had no interest in it after that.

With that being said, I actually really liked the premiere episode of the prequel series The Carrie Diaries. I saw it on accident one night, or really, I watched it because I only have 10 channels and I absolutely hate Everybody Loves Raymond. 

The show features AnnaSophia Robb, the brilliant young child actor, as Carrie in high school. 

Things I liked about the show:

1. There is some diversity of characters, beyond just the token ethnic friend in the group.

2. Carrie generally takes her setbacks and makes them work for her, such as the incident with her mom's purse.

3. Carrie does have a teenage crush on the cute boy, but it's because she has previously spent time with him and gotten to know him, and not just because he's hot, new, and instantly popular.

4. When Carrie's friend (I forget her name) reveals that she had sex for the first time this summer, she describes it as "trying to fit a hot dog in a keyhole." I like that realistic depiction of young, first-time sex A LOT. I hate Hollywood glamorization of the first time you have sex with someone when it's really more like this:  

5. When Carrie has the choice between a new, exciting adventure (that we know leads to her eventual career) and going to a high school dance where her crush will be waiting for her, she chooses the adventure over the boy. She knows that things with Sebastian (her crush) will work out later if they are meant to. When she sees Sebastian with the popular girl later that night, she does not regret her decision, nor feel like this is a tragedy akin to the apocalypse. 

6. Carrie is a good friend, sister, and daughter. 

7. Even when she makes the reckless decision, she still is responsible enough to go home on time. She cares about her grades and swimming, and is excited about a new internship. 

8. When her dude best friend who is dating her other girl best friend (I know, it's confusing, but whatever) reveals that her girl best friend was lying when she said that they had had sex, Carrie does not act all gossipy about it. Carrie also respects her dude best friend when he confides that he wants sex to be something special (I forget what he actually said), a sentiment stereotypical of women, not men. 

9. Carrie, her family, and her friends have real problems, not just stupid high school problems. 

10. Awesome '80s clothes and music. Come on, who can resist that? 

You can watch the full episode here for free (at least for now. Sometimes they change that later. Sorry if things have changed!): CW's The Carrie Diaries.

How I Met Your Mother

Another hilarious TV show I love an recommend is How I Met Your Mother. It is funny and smart, but I also really like that older story lines aren't ever forgotten. As a story, it is really well written.

I also want to talk about this point from a feminist standpoint. Because YAAAYY!!! I love feminism.

There are actually some interesting feminist points that are brought up in some of the episodes in the show. The one that stands out the most to me is in season two, an episode called "Single Stamina." In this episode, the female friends, Robin and Lily, complain to the men, Ted, Marshall, and Barney, about the sexual harassment they receive in bars and clubs. The men scoff at them, saying, "Yeah, it must be terrible having guys want to sleep with you and buy you free drinks." All of them go to a gay bar, where the women are happy they are not getting hit on and the men start out being flattered that they are. Eventually, the men realize that it's actually quite annoying and bothersome to be constantly solicited by men.

Of course, all of that is kind of undermined when the girls end their time at the gay club by saying that they miss getting hit on. BUT STILL. I think that it helps that a popular show is putting ideas like that out there for people to think about and question.

At the same time, the show also does many stereotypical things that perpetuate harmful societal norms. Barney is an exaggeratedly disgusting pig who will do anything to trick "dumb bimbos" into sleeping with him. (It's funny because the actor who plays Barney, Neil Patrick Harris, is very gay.) He is extremely stereotypical, which makes him more of a caricature, but I don't know if your average audience really catches onto stuff like that. Instead, they see the whole twins fantasy as legitimate. (Tangent: THIS IS INCEST. HOW COME SOCIETY HASN'T CAUGHT ON TO THAT YET?!)

The characters on the show make a point of calling Barney's behavior disgusting and wrong and do not condone it, so that helps.

Another thing that bothers me is when Robin is accused of being a slut in season four, an episode called "The Naked Man." In this episode, Robin brings home a first date. While she is on the phone, he gets naked and waits for her. It's a "play" the man uses to get women to sleep with him. Women see it as a confident and funny move. Robin comes back to find her date naked, and does, in fact sleep with him. Later, Marshall accuses her of being a slut.

I guess one of the good things about that is that there isn't a double standard with genders. It's not like Barney is being celebrated for his conquests while Robin is being judged. But the difference is that Robin had consensual sex in a situation where both parties understood that it was only meant to be a casual, one night event. Barney tells women that he wants to be in relationships with them, then leaves when they're taking their after-sex shower.

So I guess the moral of the story is, watch it because it's hilarious, but be aware of its pitfalls. Right?

Game of Thrones

Colby and I are currently obsessed with Game of Thrones. I got hooked onto the HBO series (because I absolutely love dramas that contain soft-core porn and Lord of the Rings-like settings), and then I convinced Colby to read the books. He quickly went from the books to the show. I guess it's fun to compare and contrast them.

If you've never seen it, just watch this intro:

If that epicness and awesome map art and Medevalish music doesn't get you going ... I don't know what will.

The thing that's amazing about this franchise is FUCKING EVERYTHING.

Okay, I'll scale back a little.

The thing that most impresses me about this story is the characters. The characters are amazing. Of course you've got the characters you love to hate, and the ones you love to love. But what truly impresses about them is how ROUND they are. These are some of the most fleshed out characters. It helps that the books tell a different character's perspective with each chapter; that also helps the story to stay interesting and for the audience to know all stories, even though the characters are often very physically far from each other. 

These characters all have wonderful depth. Take the Starks: Ned Stark, the brave and honorable father and husband, has always been loyal to his wife, Catelyn, except the one time he went to war and thought he'd never see her again and had a child with a prostitute. He does the honorable thing and brings his bastard son, John Snow, back with him and raises him the same as his other children. Catelyn, who is praised for being the perfect mother figure, actually hates John Snow. Though she is one of the "good guys," she snubs his character and treats him like an evil step-mother would. 

Then there's the Lannisters. The Lannisters would probably be the "bad guys," except for Tyrion, who is not only smart, but also very ahead of his time. Tyrion is one of the most loved characters of the franchise, which is why it is so hard to want the utter defeat of the Lannister family. His sister, Cersei, is a fascinatingly complex character. She is an absolute lioness, and, coupled with the fact that she is happily in an incestuous relationship with her twin brother, makes her an antagonist. However, she is also such a loving mother that it comes to a fault. The part I love best about her is her behavior towards Sansa Stark. To her, Sansa is the daughter of one of her enemies. However, because Sansa is betrothed to her son, Joffrey, she frequently takes pity on the young teenager.

I don't think I've given away anything, and even if I have, you still have to check out this show. I warn you that it is one of the most graphic shows I've ever seen, both in terms of gruesome, bloody violence and sexual situations and nudity. In fact, this funny chart shows that: 

Yup.

This show is so full of twists and surprises, and there's more to come! Colby is ahead of me in the story because he's reading the books, and I have to YELL AT HIM to keep him from spoiling it for me!

Go watch!