This was a slightly lighter week than normal for my TV viewing schedule, thanks to some World Series baseball, the CMA Awards, and my choice not to watch Saturday Night Live last night. That gave me some time to start Aziz Ansari’s Master of None on Netflix. I’m halfway through the first season’s 10 episodes, and I already want to go back and re-watch “Parents” about 10 more times. It also gave me a chance to watch the early streaming of the pilot of Starz’s new series Flesh and Bone, which was everything my high expectations were hoping it would be.
As far as my normal TV schedule goes, Sunday featured an episode of Once Upon a Time that put the focus on Belle (and Rumplestiltskin, but I was far happier to see the spotlight on Belle, to be honest), as well as an episode of The Good Wife that reminded me why I’ve had a crush on Jeffrey Dean Morgan for almost a decade. On Monday, Supergirl continued bring some entertaining action to the start of my week. Also, the contestants paid tribute to people they admire on Dancing with the Stars, and the dancing fun continued over on Jane the Virgin. (Although it was less fun to feel my heart break over the latest twist in what’s probably the only good love triangle on TV.) Finally, Tuesday’s episode of The Muppets brought Kristin Chenoweth into the mix, Fresh Off the Boat tackled the topic of representation in great way, and The Flash made me love Patty Spivot and her adorable relationship with Barry more than ever.
Looking back, there was a lot of dancing on TV this week, and I loved all of it. However, no dance made me feel more deeply than Nick and Sharna’s contemporary performance on Dancing with the Stars. Everything about it was beautiful: the song (“Can’t Help Falling in Love with You”—a personal favorite of mine), the choreography (Sharna is doing amazing work this season.), and the execution (Nick looked like a real dancer out there in those side-by-side sections.) But what I’ll remember most about that dance was the emotion Nick and Sharna poured into it. The dance was dedicated to Nick’s wife and the baby they’re going to have, and the love the came through in every moment of that dance was stunning. It was such a vulnerable, honest moment for Nick, and it showed me how much Sharna cares about her partner and telling his story. This performance is what dance is at its best—it’s an expression of all the things you feel but can’t say with words; it’s emotion and passion and total honesty. It’s a thing of true beauty, and I’ll never get tired of watching it.
What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?
Nerdy Girl Notes 
Contemporary pieces somehow always end up being my favorite on DWTS. So many tears were shed because of this dance — no joke. This was Nick Carter at his absolute best!
I always love the contemporary dances too. I’m so glad to know I wasn’t the only one who cried while watching this dance!
Your description of everything that dance was made me cry again. Because I have apparently not been emotional enough over this lol.
Sharna is such a beautiful choreographer and the two times she’s gotten to create something this season in honor of someone special to either her or Nick, she has brought an amazing performance out of him. Sometimes we all just need to stop thinking and let our emotions guide us and that’s what Sharna allows him to do through these dances.
My BSB fangirling was out in full force this week. I’ve cared about these guys for so long and all I’ve wanted is good things for them. And lbr, Nick was kind of a mess there for a while. His childhood and parents were a disaster and then he’s been famous for so much of his life and hasn’t always coped the best. So to see him talk about Lauren and how she saved him and stabilized him was so beautiful to me. Especially in light of their happy news! So in one performance and interview package, I got to see a gorgeous dance and be full of proud fangirl feelings that nothing else topped this week.
Not that things didn’t come close 😉 Jane and Lina dancing to “Hot in Here” was all sorts of wonderful, as was the intense cuteness that was Patty and Barry. It was also a phenomenal episode of Fresh Off the Boat that tackled representation so perfectly as well as the inherent awkwardness and confusion that comes with crushes in middle school. And of course, there was the fact that Dr. Ansari is incredibly adorable and I’ll never be over the fact he got to act with his son.
I love so much about what you said here, but since it’s 12:22 am and I should get some sleep soon, let’s focus on Sharna. 😉 I’ve loved her for years, and I was waiting for her to get to show what she can really do as a choreographer. This season has allowed her to do that, but what it’s also showed is what a beautiful person she is—inside and out. The comfort and safety she gives Nick allows him to be vulnerable, and he does the same for her. They’ve created such a beautiful partnership and friendship, and it’s been a true joy watching it develop this season.