Monthly Archives: November 2014

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (11/23 – 11/30)

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This holiday week in television began on Sunday with another fun episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and a very emotional midseason finale of The Good Wife. On Monday, a champion was crowned on Dancing with the Stars, and Esposito found himself in the middle of a hostage situation on Castle. Tuesday featured another Thanksgiving celebrated by the gang on New Girl and another exploration of Danny’s relationship with his mom on The Mindy Project. And, of course, with Thanksgiving comes the TV trifecta of the Macy’s Parade, the National Dog Show, and plenty of fun football games.

In a week that celebrates the things we’re thankful for, one thing I’m thankful for is the amount of dancing I get to see on TV. I don’t talk about my love for Dancing with the Stars a lot on here, but I’ve been a devoted fan of the show since its first seasons. And this season, Alfonso Ribeiro captured my heart like very few contestants have. His freestyle with Witney perfectly summed up everything I loved about watching him dance: his pure talent, his feel for the music, and his innate sense of joy. I love when you can see in someone’s body language and stage presence how happy dance makes them, and that kind of enthusiasm for dance was written all over this routine.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: The Mindy Project 3.09

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I apologize for the delay in getting this post up, but I hope all of you who celebrate it had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Source: fox.com

Source: fox.com

Title How to Lose a Mom in 10 Days

Two-Sentence Summary Mindy attempts to get Danny’s mom back into the dating game in order to get her to be a little less involved in Danny’s life. Her plan backfires, however, when Annette starts dating Morgan, who was dumped by Tamra.

Favorite Line “You’re a saint, Ma, and not the BS kind like Mother Teresa.” (Danny)

My Thoughts “How to Lose a Mom in 10 Days” was a good example of the way The Mindy Project can get away with even the most ridiculous plots because there’s always an undercurrent of sincerity in the show’s storytelling and acting. This episode’s plot—with Morgan dating Danny’s mom—seemed like a story straight out of “Absurd Sitcom Writing 101,” but somehow it worked. It was funny, it was sweet, and it was surprisingly emotional. In other words, it was a good example of what The Mindy Project does right.

I think a lot of opinions about “How to Lose a Mom in 10 Days” were made or broken based on what people think of Morgan as a character. Sometimes I struggle with him when he’s in his own plot, but when he’s integrated with the main cast—especially Danny—I love him. There’s something wonderfully comedic about the interplay of Ike Barinholtz and Chris Messina’s acting energies. It’s like watching a golden retriever try to show affection towards a grumpy cat that wants nothing to do with him. And that was used perfectly in this episode.

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Fangirl Thursday: Feeling Thankful

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On this day set aside for giving thanks, I wanted to take a moment to once again count my fangirl blessings. I have so much to be grateful for as the creator of this website, a website that continues to fill me with joy, pride, and excitement every day. After over two years captaining the good ship NGN, I am grateful for the fact that this little labor of love has grown so much and yet still feels as deeply personal as it did the day I started it.

When I take a step back and look at NGN, more than anything I am grateful for the people who have made this website a place that I am so proud to call mine. Because, for as much as I say NGN is mine; it’s really yours, too. All of you who comment here and so generously share your thoughts and feelings have created a space that feels like a home and a family for so many fellow fans who haven’t felt that in a long time—if ever—myself included.

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TV Time: Castle 7.08

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This week’s Castle post is brought to you by the lovely and talented Heather!

Source: tvfanatic.com

Source: tvfanatic.com

Title Kill Switch

Two Sentence Summary A government worker tries to start a pandemic for monetary gain and manipulates an Occupy Wall Street activist to help her do so. The activist takes Esposito and a subway car full of people hostage, and the experience helps Esposito realize that Lanie is the person he wants to be with.

Favorite Line “Don’t trade what’s real for something that isn’t.” (Marisa)

My Thoughts This seems to be a Castle season of unusual plot turns that provide great character moments. Once again, I’m not sure this was a case that worked for me on its own. I was interested the whole way through and was surprised by the extent I felt for Jared at the end, but that was a lot of plot twists to pack into 45 minutes.

That being said, this wasn’t a bad episode by any means. I love Esposito, and I am always up for an episode that gives one of the supporting characters the focus. We got to see him express concern over what he wants for the future and what that means for his relationship with Lanie. We got to see him under pressure once again, and we got to see him reunite with the people who love him most. We didn’t necessarily learn anything new about him as a character (besides his pizza order), but we got to see his personality and history showcased in a way we don’t often get to see.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (11/16 – 11/23)

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This week in television kicked off with a two-hour episode of Once Upon a Time, the Thanksgiving episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and a perfectly tense hour of The Good Wife. Monday featured a fantastic semifinal of Dancing with the Stars and Castle and Beckett’s honeymoon on Castle. On Tuesday, Jess got closer to a gorgeous new teacher on New Girl, and Danny read Mindy’s diary on The Mindy Project. Wednesday’s Nashville made me angrier at Luke than ever before, but that was balanced with a whole bunch of happy Avery/Juliette feelings. And Thursday’s night of “TGIT” midseason finales gave us an episode of Scandal filled with crazy twists and the revelation of Sam’s killer on How to Get Away with Murder, and both episodes featured cliffhangers to keep us talking and guessing until their hiatus is over.

There were so many great moments on TV this week—from Alicia and Peter in the limo on The Good Wife to Avery and Juliette finally holding hands again on Nashville. However, my favorite moment of the week came from Once Upon a Time‘s two-hour extravaganza. This show has made a point of showing how all kinds of love are equally strong and important, and in “Smash the Mirror,” another kind of love was put in the spotlight: loving yourself. Learning to love yourself for exactly who you are is such an important lesson that doesn’t get shown to people—especially women—enough in the media, so I’m thrilled that Once Upon a Time took such a major episodes and used it to show the beauty and magic inherent in accepting and choosing to love yourself. Emma faced the parts of herself that scare her the most, and she chose to believe that she could save herself from that darkness.

It was wonderful to see the push she needed to do that come from Elsa, a woman who has faced her share of self-doubt and fear, but has finally come to accept herself and love herself. To see Elsa, a character once defined by her fear, help Emma stop being afraid, was beautiful. It was a moment of huge growth for both women, and it was a moment that showed what genuine, true friendship is all about—supporting someone as they work through the growing pains of learning to love themselves. It was such a powerful moment, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who was incredibly inspired by its message of self-acceptance and the power we all have to be our own saviors.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: The Mindy Project 3.08

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This week, the lovely and talented Heather was kind enough to handle reviewing duties while I attempt to shovel out from under the five feet of snow that’s been dumped on Buffalo.

Title Diary of a Mad Indian Woman

Two-Sentence Summary Danny finds, reads, and accidentally spills wine on Mindy’s diary and discovers that she is hoping for a proposal before Christmas, or she may have to walk away from their relationship. Meanwhile, Mindy fulfills her job as teacher in the practice’s affiliated teaching hospital.

Favorite Line “Good evening, fine pupils … I am honored, elated — nay, overjoyed — to man the helm of this exquisite ship of your education.” (Tamra)

My Thoughts There are some shows that I just enjoy watching and The Mindy Project is one of them. It always makes me laugh, and this episode in particular was fantastic for that. So many different moments in Mindy’s teaching subplot cracked me up—from Tamra’s overly flowery speech and Mindy’s reaction to Peter whispering in her ear to Jean’s reaction to Mindy saying that the person she mentored the most was herself. It was funny, and that’s often what I want most from a comedy.

It was nice to see Mindy try to teach the residents and in particular, I liked seeing Mindy try to improve Candace’s confidence because I think it was actually coming from a good place. Shy and timid will never be words used to describe Mindy Lahiri, and her confidence has gotten her very far. So it seems natural that it would be something she’d want to encourage in others. From a comedy perspective though, I loved even more that she was utterly unsuccessful. I was not expecting Candace to very confidently tell Mindy she didn’t want to be like her while not improving as a doctor at all. Mindy may have failed as Candace’s mentor, but she was surprisingly good with T.J. during their conversation at the gym. And of course, I love that Mindy will always be Mindy and bask in the things she did well and ignore everything that she didn’t because that’s just who she is.

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TV Time: Castle 7.07

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Title Once Upon a Time in the West

Two-Sentence Summary Castle and Beckett visit an Arizona dude ranch to investigate the murder of a young woman. The trip serves as a honeymoon for the couple, who also face the wrath Ryan and Esposito for not inviting them to their spur-of-the-moment wedding.

Favorite Lines
Castle: We did it, Mrs. Castle!
Beckett: We certainly did, Mr. Beckett!

My Thoughts “Once Upon a Time in the West” was the perfect follow-up to last week’s big Castle wedding episode. “The Time of Our Lives” had all of the emotion a great wedding episode should have, and “Once Upon a Time in the West” had all of the fun, sex appeal, and adventure a great honeymoon episode should have.

While “The Time of Our Lives” was filled with moments that demanded deep analysis, “Once Upon a Time in the West” was decidedly lighter—nothing but campy fun. As such, in lieu of my usual review format, I’m just going to list my 10 favorite things about this episode.

1. Lanie’s reaction to the wedding. Every episode of Castle is instantly improved by the presence of Tamala Jones, and this was no exception. Lanie’s reaction was exactly right for her character—from the sass to the sweetness. More than anything, I loved that she was genuinely happy for her friend. In the end, what mattered most to her was that Beckett was happy, but she got to give Castle a hard time about it, too, which is all I could have asked for from her reaction.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 4.08

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ELIZABETH LAIL, GEORGINA HAIG

Title Smash the Mirror

Two-Sentence Summary After Emma goes to Rumplestiltskin to get rid of her powers (not knowing he plans to have her sucked into the sorcerer’s hat), Hook and Elsa lead the charge to stop her, which leads to success for one of them and disaster for the other. Flashbacks reveal how Elsa ended up in the urn, which was a byproduct of Ingrid first casting the Shattered Sight curse on Anna, a curse she later let loose on all of Storybrooke.

Favorite Line “You have to love yourself, Emma, the good and the bad. The only way to ever truly be in control of your powers is to embrace them—because this, this is who you are.” (Elsa)

My Thoughts I think we all figured “Smash the Mirror” was going to be an emotional two hours of television, but I had no idea just how intense my reactions would be to what was going to happen. It’s amazing how—after years of watching not just this show but so many shows that featured every twist and turn in the book—Once Upon a Time still manages to surprise me in incredibly creative ways. I had so many predictions and theories about what was going to happen in this episode, and all but one (which was pretty obviously going to happen) turned out to be wrong. And I love that. I love that I don’t want to make predictions and theories for the rest of this half-season because, as this episode showed, the most fun I have as a viewer is watching all of the surprises this show can throw at me unfold.

“Smash the Mirror” did an excellent job of building on the major themes of this season in order to set the tone for the climactic final episodes before the midseason finale, which is aptly titled “Heroes and Villains.” This was an episode about heroism and villainy: how we define it, how we classify ourselves into those categories when life isn’t quite so black-and-white, and how we can change the way the world sees us and how we see ourselves by being brave. And in the world of Once Upon a Time true bravery comes from love, belief, and hope, which was never more clear than it was in this episode.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (11/9 – 11/16)

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This week in television began on Sunday with another emotional hour of Once Upon a Time, another hilarious episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and another captivating hour of The Good Wife. On Monday, Castle and Beckett finally got married. Tuesday gave us an episode of The Mindy Project filled with more great guest performances, and Wednesday’s Nashville gave me hope for Juliette and Avery for the first time since last season. Finally, Thursday’s Scandal featured more double-crossing than perhaps ever before, and How to Get Away with Murder was basically an hour-long lesson in “Why you shouldn’t trust your husband.”

For as much as I loved the acting in the interrogation scene between Emma and Ingrid on Once Upon a Time, if you thought I was picking anything other than Castle and Beckett’s wedding as the best TV moment of the week, you must not know me very well. It was everything I could have hoped for as someone who has loved this couple since the pilot and spent six years following their journey. It was simple, intimate, and perfect. And it’s still making me cry numerous re-watches later.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

Fangirl Thursday: I Always Cry at Weddings

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There’s nothing like a great TV wedding. I’ve been very fortunate to have watched more than a few of my favorite TV couples get married onscreen, and there’s no better feeling as a devoted fangirl than watching a couple you’ve rooted for through all of their ups and downs finally get that perfect wedding episode.

Some of my favorite TV episodes of all time are wedding episodes because they are instant doses of happiness I can come back to whenever I need it. They’re reminders to never stop hoping and believing in happy endings (or, really, happy beginnings), and I love stories that make me feel hopeful and happy.

This week, I was lucky enough to get to watch another one of my favorite television couples—Rick Castle and Kate Beckett—tie the knot in an excellent episode of Castle.

The joy I felt watching their vows on Monday made me want to reflect back on my other favorite TV weddings.

Leslie and Ben (Parks and Recreation)

I’ve talked about this wedding so many times, but I feel like I can never talk about it enough. I’m not sure any moment I’ve ever watched on television has made me as happy as this wedding. It’s my go-to episode when I’m in need of some TV comfort food, and I still cry happy tears every time I watch it. Every detail was perfect—from the location and the dress to the beautiful vows and the clips that accompanied them, reminding us of the journey these two characters took to get to this place where they could both so beautifully say, “I love you and I like you.”

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