Farscape Series Review

On my journey through the wild world of Farscape I had a friend constantly ask me if it was better than my beloved Battlestar Galactica. I still cannot give a definitive answer because they are such fundamentally different shows. They're like night and day. Yet very few shows, sci fi or otherwise, are so willing to go as far as Farscape does. It's world-building is consistently impressive, it's characters well-written, it's effects crafted with deft care (courtesy of the Jim Henson company) and it's stories expansive and complex.

Not what you'd expect from a show featuring a farting alien.

Telling the story of John Crichton (Ben Browder), an astronaut shot through a wormhole to a distant part of the universe, Farscape tells stories of immense beauty, heartbreak and hilarity. If i may be so bold: it is to science fiction, what Buffy is to fantasy. It is never what you expect it to be. You thought you'd see a show about space hijinks where everything is reset by the end of an episode? Here, have a several seasons long arc with ridiculously impressive continuity. You thought your lead was an infallible hero, ala Luke Skywalker? No, not at all. John Crichton is a flawed human being who makes tough choices and loses people he loves in the process. Aeryn Sun is just a love interest? Screw you buddy, Aeryn Sun will kick your ass and look good doing it.

And it all takes place on a living ship named Moya. It is a wonderful ship.

With a cast consisting of talent like Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Virginia Hey and Gigi Edgely (all Aussies by the way!) this show doesn't lack for acting prowess. These actors have given me many emotions, especially Black, how she doesn't have a bigger career i will never understand, the woman just knows how to act. Simcoe brings both physical and emotional power to Ka Dargo and makes the audience feel his pain even through all those prosthetics, Virginia Hey brings kindness and subtle badassery to Zhaan, as you would expect from a Mad Max alum, and Gigi Edgely is a gloriously physical performer, a true character actress.

It is especially impressive that the latter three must act through full body make up/prosthetics. The show can also boast some great guests, Magda Szubanski, Bruce Spence, Rebecca Gibney and Rebecca Riggs all make appearances.

Along the way Crichton gains and loses friends, gets involved in a galactic war and comes face to face with some true horrors. But what viewers will take away from Farscape is its willingness to go all the way with its storytelling, it pulls no punches and takes its characters to daring places. I don't just recommend Farscape as a science fiction, i recommend it as an adventure, a fantasy, a comedy, a tragedy, a romance and an epic.

CG discovers Leverage... Will die of lack of sunlight

So i just got around to watching the TV series Leverage, for those of you who have lives this is a relatively episodic show that is ALL ABOUT HEISTS. It's cast features Oscar winner (or was that nominee? does it matter? Jennifer Jason Leigh has neither) Timothy Hutton, Coupling's Gina Bellman, Beth Riesgraf (current queen of my heart), Aldis Hodge and Christian Kane. Kane's hair apparently always looks like that and was indeed not a bizarre character choice for Angel, which i sort assumed it was. I love it it so much and i want to touch it lovingly. Dat mane...

Alright so I've not completed it yet but here are my thoughts so far:
- it's rather hilarious (Bellman as a nun in a movie about werewolves = dying.)
- It's shockingly poignant (some of the characters have hilarious and entertaining backstories. Others have backstories like Nate and Parker's and i am going to curl up into a ball in the corner.)
- The actors have great chemistry, which is always a plus.
- The rising amount of neuro-atypical characters on television warms my heart and Parker is a great addition to the fold, even if it's not technically a disorder in her case but rather a horrible childhood (ball in corner.)
- The plots are inventive (let's steal a movie! let's steal a court case!)
- It's so damn fun.

I look for fun in my shows, it should be clear from things like Fringe and Buffy, both of which - despite punching me in the heart several times- are pretty laugh out loud funny. So something like Leverage should have been a no-brainer, but I didn't get around to it until very recently (I speak only of episodes in the first season in this post.)

I'm looking forward to completing more of this and here's hoping that maintains this level of enjoyment throughout it's five season run.

Why You Should Watch Battlestar Galactica

I went into Battlestar Galactica expecting something cheesy. I expected sub-par special effects, wooden acting and bad dialogue. Sort of like Star Trek: Voyager i suppose. If pressed to say why i ended up watching it i probably would have just said that it was to say that i had. After all- what could a show with a name like Battlestar Galactica offer?

Battlestar Galactica deeply touched and affected me in a meaningful and inspiring way.

If the amount of tears you shed during a show determines your favourite then Battlestar is the best show I have ever witnessed. I have cried more times than i can count in this series, from times of deep sorrow to times of utter elation. I believe that no other television show has ever held such an emotional grip on me. There is something so intensely beautiful within this series and it's mythology. You see I made several mistakes at the beginning of this series, chief among them was I thought the characters might be two dimensional (I was wrong) and that the Cylons were out and out bad guys. The latter was so horribly wrong that I just slapped myself in the face.

At first I was ready to vilify the show, I thought it was going to demonize religion in some way, hey i may not put much stock in it myself but I'll be damned that I watch someone be asses about the subject. But I was quick to the trigger, I was foolish and stupid, I didn't understand what this show was doing or where it was going. My sincerest apologies, really. I had never seen a show like you before BSG, I was looking for flaws because you were too great, it was making me uneasy. That i was forming an opinion on this aspect so early tells me that I had rather different expectations of the series - namely that i didn't expect this religious or spiritual theme at all. This really played with my expectations (and i loved it). Of course i dropped that 'are the Cylon's meant to be christianity? that seems rather insulting' thought pretty quickly. The shows intent became a far loftier one and yeah I feel like kicking myself for actually having that thought.

Battlestar Galactica created an entire mythology for humanity. One that took inspiration from so many pieces of literature, scripture, myths and religious ideologies that it would take a much smarter person than I to map it out for you.

It's not like this shown will gives you the meaning of life or anything, but it has enough emotional resonance and smarts to be able to tell a story that seriously asks what it means to be human.

But do you know what impresses me more than complex mythologies that actually give us answers? (Whether you accept them or not is down to personal preference). Characters I can completely fall for. Laura Roslin, William and Lee Adama, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Gaius Baltar, Athena - anybody. Not a single one of these characters were without layers or richly told stories that weren't handled with deft care and love.

It's a military show, it's a space opera, it's a drama (with some very funny moments strewn in) and it's rich with political, war and religious allegories. Battlestar Galactica might just be one of my favourite shows ever. It also holds the ability to make me break down in tears in the space of a few seconds.

This is one of the most perfectly orchestrated (and i mean that both literally and figuratively, Bear McCreary's music is bloody fantastic) television series' in history. I also now realise why Sci Fi's (i'm not spelling it that stupid way) movies and many of their shows are terrible: they sunk all their money and talent into Battlestar Galactica and they're still getting over it. It's a work of pure joy, warmth, sadness, intelligence, spirituality and profound humanity.

And don't even get me started on the frakking special effects.

My Top Five Favourite Dollhouse Episodes

So, I like Joss Whedon. I think it's fairly obvious at this point. The earliest I was exposed to his work was most likely the first Toy Story, and then he and I didn't cross paths again until I saw a couple of episodes of Dollhouse back in 2009 (i don't count my dabbling in Buffy one bored holiday break as a thing anymore, especially since i stopped right before shit got real.) I liked it for the most part but I lost track of it and I simply didn't bother seeking it out. Then i saw The Avengers, Cabin In The Woods and Firefly (though granted, not in quick succession) and I stopped dead in my tracks. Firefly was a defining moment in my television obsessed 'hobby', a hobby that had already caused me to examine, re-examine and question aspects of the world. I saw Buffy and Angel not long after that and again I found myself emotionally enthralled in another universe filled with characters i adored.

Much of the effect of Whedon's work lies in how he handles real situations and emotions in outlandish settings. The way he addresses issues like identity, loneliness, abuse, corruption, sexuality, friendship, family and heartbreak within the parameters of fantasy and science fiction using characters that you will be invested in startles me. Every single thing I just mentioned has been present in his television shows and it is a rare gift to be able to talk about a few, let alone all of them, in a manner that doesn't seem a little condescending or schmaltzy in some way. Perhaps this is why I fell so completely in love with Dollhouse. Do I think it's the best Whedon show? Hard to tell, but I do think it deserves to be talked about, analyzed and discussed in the same way that his other shows so often are. Perhaps even more so in some respects.

5. Briar Rose (Season 1, Episode 11)
I've given up trying to predict Jane Espenson. The woman has written episodes that made me laugh my ass off and ones that smashed my heart into pieces. I have given up. Briar Rose had me on the edge of my seat for it's whole run time. Alan Tudyk managed to wipe Wash from my memory in a single scene and I will forever love this mans acting. This was tense, this was exciting this, was the episode that sat me down, looked me right in the eye and said: 'we are not going back. Dollhouse is going to stay this good for a long time and you'd better be prepared.'

4. The Attic (Season 2, Episode 10)
The Attic is one of the most insane hours of television I've had the pleasure of witnessing. It sets the final few episodes up brilliantly, leaves room for some nicely screwed up ideas and shocked me with it's innate ambition. It's not like any Whedon show has ever lacked for ambition really, but what impresses me about Dollhouse is that it took an already ambitious concept and didn't stop there, it kept going and even proved that it didn't always have to take place in the present or even the real world to be intriguing and suspenseful.

3. The Left Hand (Season 2, Episode 6)
I was only vaguely aware that Summer Glau was in this show and I did an internal happy dance when she appeared. And if it weren't for the slight sociopathic tendencies Bennet would be adorable (okay, she still is).  Look, her and Topher guys... I can get behind that (except for that whole... well you know what i'm talking about.) Also: Alexis Denisof was on this show, I had no idea, despite knowing he is American I can still never get used to his natural accent.

2. Man On The Street (Season 1, Episode 6)
There are some episodes that I would explicitly point to in a show where I can say with confidence that this is where the show becomes truly great. With Buffy I can point to Innocence, with Angel I can point to Five By Five, Fringe I can say There Is More Than One Of Everything. For Dollhouse it is Man on the Street. I don't believe you need to look any further for an episode that can introduce this show to a new viewer. Both plots work well, but I have to applaud the slightly understated (and all the more disturbing because of it) B plot involving Sierra. Good lord I think my stomach literally churned when I found out where it was going. Riveting stuff (and Patton Oswalt you guys!!)

1. Epitaph One (Season 1, Episode 13)
Remember when i said Man On The Street is when the show gets great? Remember when I said Briar Rose is when the show looks you dead in the eye and tells you to strap in? Well Epitaph One tells you you don't know anything. That you had the show pegged all wrong - that you were about to have your mind nuked. And your emotions, don't forget those. In one episode the scope for the show expanded vastly and it never paused for thought afterwards.

Dollhouse is a show that will never have the following Buffy, Angel or Firefly does. I don't quite understand why, but I am confident in that statement.  Of course that doesn't mean it's not worthy of your time. In fact I'd argue that if you want some of the most thought provoking sci fi that isn't the ones people usually suggest then go for this one, I don't think you will be disappointed.

My Top 20 Favourite Buffyverse Characters

I'm not letting this go and I don't think i can let go of this until I've exhausted literally every fibre of my vocabulary on it. The Buffyverse made me go through such a gamut of emotions that I don't think any other show will replicate it (except for my beloved Fringe, of course.) Point being: i need to work through my feelings on this universe, but let me lay down some rules first -

- This is my favourite characters, not the best
- I will be including characters that are both prominent in the shows and ones that are not
- I will not be including the leads of either show, so Buffy and Angel don't get to be rated.

20. Sister Sunshine/Chanterelle/Lily/Anne Steele (Julia Lee)
Here's the thing about the Buffyverse that I may or may not have mentioned before: due to the admittedly ridiculous research I do on television shows before i watch them I felt pretty confident that i knew what would happen in the 'verse. I was a foolish and unprepared mortal. That said though, despite knowing a fair amount of major plot points I had no idea that these shows would take the time to give recurring - and seemingly one off - characters real development, so when Chanterelle of 'Lie to Me' showed up in Buffy's season 3 premiere I was pleasantly surprised. But i thought that would be the end of it, she's learned to take care of herself after being inspired by Buffy (and takes her middle name, Anne, as a sort of tribute) but then she showed up on Angel and I just sat back and said: "well played." She goes from a vampire worshipping cultist, to a homeless youth to a helper of the helpless on the streets of LA. And she teaches the kids to never invite anyone in, you go Anne.

19. Charles Gunn (J August Richards)
I really liked Gunn, but the writers never gave him a clear enough direction as a character which means that he got overshadowed a lot by his co-stars. Sure, give Richards an emotional scene and he will sell it but unfortunately he was never quite given enough development for me to rank him higher. He was however a wonderfully down to earth comrade to Angel and he never failed to bring a good laugh.

18. Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne (Seth Green)
Oh Oz, you were a pretty awesome guy. He played guitar in a band named Dingoes ate My Baby, he was a werewolf, he was actually pretty reasonable as a person and, perhaps best of all, he was so cool he could see the coolness of Willow while everyone else looked through her. Plus, who doesn't love his "we fight the mayor with hommus" line? People with no souls that's who.

17. Drusilla (Juliet Landau)
Speaking of no souls - let's talk about the most bat shit insane vampire to ever grace the screen. Literally everything about Drusilla was purely entertaining, hilarious and creepy. Landau's eyes could slice you in half were she to look at you just so, and the funny thing is - you would never look away. That's how she got Kendra. Too soon?

16. Allan Francis Doyle (Glenn Quinn)
He may have only given us nine episodes but Doyle's impact can be felt even in the shows final year, who doesn't well up in "You're Welcome" when they watch that tape? Doyle had a short but signifcant arc in Angel's early days and despite knowing where this character ends you'll never not be interested in this half-demon looking for redemption.

15. Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov)
Lilah Morgan was sassy, funny, damn near evil and pretty damn tragic. There's a moment in season four finale that sums up all you need to know about Lilah - she's got a contract that extends far beyond her death but it genuinely means something to her that Wesley tried to free her of it. Anyone got a tissue? No? I'll just sit here and gulp awkwardly then.

14. Tara Maclay (Amber Benson)
Let's all bow down to Tara Maclay, one of the most resilient, kindest and loyal people to ever appear on Buffy. Here is a girl that came from an emotionally abusive household at best, could barely bring her voice above a whisper in Hush (what a coincidence), forms a true connection with Willow and essentially caused one of the most important stories in the Buffyverse - Willow and Tara are totally gay and it's not a big deal! I love that the show treated them like any other relationship, it wasn't sensationalised, nor was it objectified (except for Xander's dream which, to be fair, makes sense). Let's all talk about how she realised that Willow was manipulating her and abusing her magic and told her to get her shit together - that's a brave thing to do when you're in a relationship like that. And can i just cap this off with one thing? Amber Benson refused to return in season 7 as The First impersonating Tara because she didn't want the fans' final impression of the character to be negative. Personally I like to think Tara was just too good to be imitated by pure evil.

13. Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon)
If you had asked 12/13 year old me (back when i first saw the series) who my favourite character was I'd have said Xander because I had a rather unreasonable and now completely unbelievable crush on him. Xander was cute but nowadays I'm more of a Giles gal. Still, the X-man was the heart of the gang, 'the one who sees' as it was put in season 7, he was the everyman who watched while his friends gradually became more powerful than him and he still struggled to find his place in the world. Yet in spite of all this Xander fought, Xander lost his eye fighting the battle against evil, Xander lost the woman he loved and you know what else? Xander saved the whole damn world because he loved his best friend enough to be able to reach her. He wasn't always in the right (I'm sure the "kick his ass" line will forever be debated) but he was there til the end and that counts for something.

12. Harmony Kendall (Mercedes McNab)
I have a rather shocking amount of Harmony feelings. The strange thing is that there's really no need for me to do so, it's not like she's deep as person/vampire and she certainly never showed true remorse for anything. But Harmony also desperately craved acceptance, which actually puts her decision to fight the Mayor in season 3 into perspective - she probably only did it because everyone else was. When she was vamped at her own graduation she didn't become a vampire that just wanted to maim and murder for all eternity - she was just Harmony but with bloodlust. She had no idea how to be a vampire and what's more is that most of the time she didn't seem that happy as one. You constantly see her acting like she just plain isn't a vampire. Harmony was a hilarious, dim, valley girl that got saddled with vampirism and it was sort of sad but very genius and rather funny.

11. Lorne (Andy Hallett)
Can Lorne be my best friend? Seriously, Lorne is the best. Not only will he bring the roof down with 'Lady Marmalade' but he'll give adorable nick names to you and do it while lending a sympathetic ear and dry wit to the proceedings. I always felt awful for Lorne was put through in Angel's fifth season, he had so much of his happiness and gusto stripped away until finally he simply couldn't take it any more. But we'll always have Lorne and the Lornettes right?

10. Joyce Summers (Kristine Sutherland)
Oh, dear... How to explain the fact that originally Joyce Summers wasn't even intended to be a character? She was meant to be some vague presence in the show that we rarely if ever saw. I can't say how much it would have impacted the show except that without Joyce Summers we wouldn't have The Body. And that's a pretty big loss. Joyce was a good hearted, good natured and very sweet person who had sex with Giles on the hood of a police car, trolled Principal Snyder and snarked Faith while she was being held hostage by her. Joyce, you were a delight.

9. Darla (Julie Benz)
From getting dusted in the first season to being part of one of the most emotionally exhausting stories in Angel Darla never failed to captivate an audience, to make them laugh, make them nervous or indeed make them sad. That moment in Angel's third season where she talks about how she doesn't want to lose the ability to love her son will forever be etched into my psyche, Julie Benz - where are you Emmys?

8. Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head)
Of all the characters so far, bar Harmony and maybe Joyce, Giles is the character who changed the least. That's not to say he had no development, of course he did, but he was also a very consistent character who came into the show with a clear focus - guide Buffy. The fact that he ended up a surrogate father to her, Willow and Xander was never part of the plan and yet he took it all in his stride. He had to deal with a lot of stuff through the shows run, but Giles remained such a strong fixture of the show that his absence was always felt. And damn, he really was a beautiful singer.

7. Faith Lehane (Eliza Dushku)
Buffy had gone to dark places before (Angelus) but we'd never been shown how far a person can be pushed into darkness by circumstance. Faith was edgy to begin with, she had a pretty awful life even before she became a slayer, but as season 3 progressed and after she accidentally killed Allan Finch she seemed to have fallen straight into the other side of the fight. Of course, it didn't help that the Scoobies never seemed to offer her the support she so sorely needed while Mayor Wilkins was... well that was a rather sweet father/daughter relationship. It was a shame about how evil he was. But Faith got her act together and stood proudly at the fall of Sunnydale.

6. Spike (James Marsters)
I am going to freely admit that the first time I saw Spike I wondered if he'd been hyped too much, that maybe people's love for him was almost entirely based on him being really freakin' good looking. But James Marsters also turned out to be one hell of an actor . His is first scene in Buffy season 2 portrayed him as a deviously fun antagonist, while in his final appearance (on both shows) he was a bonafide hero. Spike had a big journey, and I loved every second of it. His coat was also awesome.

5. Anya Jenkins (Emma Caulfield)
She was strangely literal, she had a fear of bunnies, she was a savvy business woman and she probably caused the Russian Revolution. And yet underneath her literal mindedness and brutal honesty there was a woman trying to understand a world she felt out of place in, that she thought was stupid and that humans were stupid for fighting for. But she respected and embraced it in ways that no one would have ever expected from a character that was originally only meant to make a couple of guest appearances in the third season. Anya lame-ass-made-up-maiden-name gave her life for the world but not before she slayed a bunch of vamps and pretended they were fluffy, hoppy bunnies.

4. Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter)
Cordelia Chase is a legend. She began life as a self absorbed grade-A bitch and ended it a benevolent sass-machine. Before his death Doyle kissed her and gave her visions she neither asked for nor wanted, they caused her such tremendous pain that she kissed Wesley as soon as she saw him to try to get rid of them. But then she saw how much pain was in the world and she sums up exactly what she thinks about it: "we have to help them." Perhaps the best example of how Cordy grew is "Birthday," in which she is close to death and her spirit is outside of her body, yet you know what she does? She tries to tell Angel how to help the girl in her vision. In that same episode she's given the opportunity to have the life she always wanted but then gave it up to help her friends. But the visions were still killing her, so when she's told she can tolerate the visions if she becomes half demon she looks at Skip and tells him to demonize her already. Basically "Birthday" is one big Cordy-pride parade.

3. Winifred 'Fred' Burkle/Illyria (Amy Acker)
The opening scene of "A Hole In The World" sees Fred assure her parents that she was going to be a safe, boring grad student - smash cut to her brandishing a flame thrower. I laughed but then I felt something else that I don't think I ever felt so clearly for a TV character before: it was pride. I felt proud of Fred. She went from a half way to crazy town slave in Pylea to a valuable member of Angel Investigations, to a strong willed revenge seeker (and technically is the hero of season 4), the head of Wolfram & Hart's science division and then she's cut down by an ancient Goddess and it just isn't fair. And then there is Illyria. I think there is a legitimate argument to be made that Acker is even better as Illyria than she is as Fred, though such an argument could be seen as practically moot when you see her switch between a pseudo-Fred and Leery (hey, that's Lorne's nickname and it's just so cute I had to use it). It would be easy for either, or both, of these characters to be gimmicky or unlikeable but they just aren't, there's a great amount of nuance to be found here, especially in Illyria, who can feel so threatening and so sympathetic from moment to moment. I want to watch A Hole In The World/Shells again. Is there something wrong with me?

2. Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan)
I was close to putting her at number 1, but no cigar. No one can say that Willow didn't end up being the most powerful character in Buffy. Over the course of the show she became so confident and in control, she became a powerful witch, she came out as gay, she brought Buffy back from the dead, struggled with her own dark side (understatement) and ended on the side of pure good. Sure, Willow began and ended on the same side, but she grew and matured as she progressed until finally she saved the world. Which I'd say is a nice way to make up for trying destroy it last time.

1. Wesley Wyndham-Price (Alexis Denisof)
No character in the Buffyverse goes through the kind of development that Wesley does. Anyone who first laid eyes on him would say that he was definitely vampire fodder, yet it was only in Angel's final episode that he was laid to rest. A goofy goody two shoes watcher to a morally complex man with nothing left to live for - Denisof made us believe in Wesley's journey every step of the way.

Wesley is not just my favourite Buffyverse character be he's also, in my opinion, the most well-written, well-developed and, possibly, outright best character. Oh and this guy also ended up marrying Alyson Hannigan. So apparently he's the best at life too.

So that's it. Maybe i issed a few, and i know that i struggled with the lack of The Master and The Mayor but I think i've made a solid list here.

Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil - Series Overview

When i have to explain what this show is I usually say "it's Buffy's stoner cousin who lives in Canada." Whether this is accurate depends on your own perception, but for my money it's pretty close. Following Todd (Alex House) as he and his friends battle against the eponymous Book of Pure Evil this was a show that was unafraid to have a lot of fun, expand it's own mythology, develop it's characters and even give us two musical episodes in the process. I love musical episodes and I think Todd does it almost as well as Buffy. Almost. Point being: there is a lot to love about this show.

The Practical Effects
An unrelentingly gross show at some points that kept it's monsters in live action as much as humanly possible. It's a shame that in this day and age the fact that a guy actually IS walking around with a monster penis rather than a CGI one is somehow noteworthy. I just read that sentence and I love it.

The Cast
House does well in the lead role while Maggie Castle (Jenny), Bill Turnbull (Curtis) and Melanie Leishman (Hannah) bring the main cast to maximum amazing. But I missed someone, could it be... ah yes, Mr Chris Leavins as Atticus Murphy. Atticus is a comic creation that is pure unfiltered excellence, his line readings are joy. JOY. Honestly, I could go on and on about this cast, everyone gets to bring the funny here and there's even room left over for some genuine acting too. And singing, dear god the singing, they really lucked out with this cast.

There Are Two Musical Episodes
I've already said that I love musical episodes but i need to mention it again because here are some songs you will legitimately hear in those episodes: 'Freak Love', 'Being Horny Makes Me Horny' and 'Metal Dude Wop.' Even if you aren't a fan of musicals (what's wrong with you?) there's still enough humour and character work in these episodes that will keep your attention.

This happened. This happened and it was beautiful.

It Just Gets Better
There are some shows that simply lose steam. It's not always the fault of the writers or show runners, they just lose it, Todd though? Todd never had the chance to lose it. I'd say we should be sad about never getting a third season, but what we have right now is a quality cult classic and I'm happy about it.

It's Hilarious
There is not a single thing this show hasn't mined for comedic gold. There is wolf rape in this show, people. It has a song and everything.

"Who's an awesome guidance counselor?"

It's Quotable as Hell you Ass-taxi
"If you don't control German herpes, German herpes will control you."
"We're so wasted."
"Do you wanna make a bay-bay?"
"Todd, don't let go of Mr Murphy's penis!"
"As your guidance counselor - which is what i am."
"I'm Scooter and I'm from the wrong side of the tracks."
"Shit rooster"
"Now you're just a bunch of pussies with no balls"
I could go on but i think you see my point. This show will give you a quote for any occasion and I feel you should take the opportunity to experience such quotable bliss for yourself.

I implore to check out this wonderful little show. An animated movie is also coming in the future that will tie up loose plot threads from the show.

Celluloid Geek Works out Her TV Show Feelings

I have a lot of DVDs on my 'To Watch' pile, some are shows, most are movies. I was flying through them only a week ago but then i stopped. I'm unsure why, I'd certainly finished The Buffyverse by then so that wasn't distracting me, Breaking Bad season 2 was coming a long at a moderate pace and the UK Office wasn't taking much of my time, it's not like it's a big commitment to watch that show. So why the sudden complacency? I have a good idea why: picking something to watch is tough. You don't want to pick the wrong thing because then you might have to miss/postpone the right one. That sucks. Now, i tend to pride myself on good taste (I suppose everyone does, if you thought you had bad taste you'd probably make different decisions) but sometimes I just can't get my head out of my ass to see what works best at this exact moment. As a result of this Chuck season 3 has been languishing on my shelf for months, I know i want to watch it. I enjoy Chuck immensely. But it's tough when my list (yeah, i have a list too) and my 'To Watch' pile don't always see eye to eye. Let's talk about my 'list' shall we?

Battlestar Galactica (Re-imagined)
I'm a fan of sci fi, one need only take a cursory look at my movie/tv collection to see that. I'm prepared to watch this show, I watched the miniseries (which definitely got my attention) and after Fringe I'm looking for the next sci-fi show that will make me sit up and say "fuck yes." I see it whenever I'm out prowling for movies, i wander through the TV show aisle and the whole series is right there just begging me to buy it. Yet I resist. Why? Because my 'To Watch' pile is still too large. Plus Christmas sales might mean that the collection could go down in price, what can I say? I'm cheap.

Game Of Thrones
Shut up. I know, i know i need to watch GOT both as a television fan and a fantasy fan. I know this. But I also know that very often the shows everyone else raves about do not hook me in the way they do others, case in point: Breaking Bad's first season left me underwhelmed and unimpressed. This was the show that everyone was raving about? I gave the second season a try because I trust the taste of the person who recommended it, I'm certainly happy I stuck with it but I'd rather not have a repeat experience with GOT, if it grows on me fine, cool, but if it doesn't then thats about ten hours gone you know? TIME. The first three seasons are sitting right there. I'm looking at them right now. I will watch it at some point though, if only so i can make a joke about Cersei Lannister being the fucked up alternate universe version of Sarah Connor. I feel like there is definitely fanfiction for that.

Orange is The New Black
This is something I'm really just taking a leap of faith on. I don't know if i'll enjoy it at all, I tried to watch the first episode (it was fine) but I was in the middle of a TV show run through at the time and I found it hard to enter a new universe. So I don't have any opinion on the show itself yet. I know that there are individual elements I'll enjoy (for example I like Natasha Lyonne well enough), but I don't know if i'll ever get around to this show.

The Americans
Similar to OITNB I'll have to take a leap of faith on this one too. It played in Australia so I could have watched it week to week, but it didn't pique my interest enough for me to tune in. But when i found out how lauded it was I felt compelled to check out the show I didn't even take time to dismiss, but rather just completely went through my day without once giving a shit that it existed. So I hope to redeem myself.

Chuck Season 3
This is the only season I have listed, the rest are complete shows. Why make a special note for this? Well I've not seen a single scrap of footage from season 3 of Chuck. It will be an entirely new experience, not even with the Buffyverse did I have this luck, I did have that luck with Fringe though, for which i am eternally grateful because it seriously made everything so rewarding. Anyway: Chuck was a show I simply fell for, season 1 could be a bit rough and a little broad in it's humour but season 2 was a complete and utter pleasure to watch. I don't expect season 3 to top it, but I do expect to like the season. I'll watch this, I swear. It's just a matter of when.

Cowboy Bebop
This is the only anime currently on my list, which is unusual considering how many people have recommended me Neon Genesis Evangelion. I actually have watched a few episodes already but I was sick that day and I knew that i couldn't watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia the whole time so I watched some of this. I actually liked it a lot so this is very likely to be completed. To be honest I watched those episodes for something to do and the show wasn't on my list, I put it there afterwards to make sure i finished it.

Twin Peaks
God I have so much to say about season 1 of Twin Peaks. Most of them go like this: "what. what. This music is really pretty. what. BAHAHA. what. what. what. This show is insane. Dale Cooper is the greatest man ever. what." So I pretty much loved season 1 of Twin Peaks. But I know that season 2 is bad. As in, bad. I try to be a completist in just about everything, but when a show has a bad season, especially if it's a bad final one, I always wonder if it's worth it. I hate it when a show loses its way. It's why I'll never watched Sliders and it's why Twin Peaks is giving me such greif.

The Comeback
With The Comeback making a comeback this year (or next? i haven't been following the news on it) it's jolted my memory of the one season wonder. Similar to Battlestar I'm pretty confident I'll enjoy this show, but I seem physically incapable of buying it every time I come into contact with it. Stupid brain trying to be responsible with money.

The X-Files
Unlike a good majority of shows i'm interested in this is a big commitment. Nine seasons, two movies and probably a lot of internet scouring to see if the mythos makes any kind of sense. Yeah i may have only seen three or four episodes of this but i'm aware of Chris Carter's 'as you go' approach. I have to ask myself if I should really watch it all. But I want to make references to the show that no-one else gets and then feel all superior! Yeah I may have some issues to work through. This is the only show on the list, except perhaps for Twin Peaks, that I'm genuinely unsure about ever watching in it's entirety.

Deadwood
I don't know much about this show except that it's meant to be an underrated gem.

Dollhouse
I never got to complete Dollhouse when it first ran on television so I'd love to get it done, plus once i own this I will own all of Joss Whedon's shows, which I guess could be a nice topic of conversation if that ever came up. Ever. I'll wait.

Farscape
Battlestar, Firefly, Fringe. What do these three shows have in common? They're acclaimed sci fi that try to emphasize realism in a world unfamiliar to our own. Regardless of my love for Firefly and Fringe (as you know I've yet to watch the Battlestar series) I do enjoy a slice of pure sci fi entertainment that gives me some bloody aliens. Aliens made by the Henson company? Well that's just icing on an already delicious cake. I don't know if Farscape is as beloved or acclaimed as any of the shows i mentioned above but a show doesn't need to be perfect in order for me to love it. The Buffyverse sure wasn't perfect and I loved the hell out of that. I hope to pick up this one and display it proudly one day.

Doctor Who (2005 - Present)
I know that classic Who is just as worthwhile to get into, but New Who (some say NuWho, it probably isn't important how one says it) simply piques my interest more. I've seen various bits of all the Doctors (minus Capaldi) and for the most part I like them all, but I love Christopher Eccleston. But then he's series one, and I've seen more of that so it could just be a familiarity. Point is: I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy this series, maybe not as much as certain other sci-fis on this list (though the more I think about Who and read about it it sounds more akin to fantasy than anything) but i'm sure i'll feel the same level of emotional investment in Who that I will/do in most other shows I manage to get wrapped up in.

That's everything I'm trying to watch. for the most part I'm able to keep on top of shows I follow, Orphan Black and Hannibal (you could cut the UST in that show with a knife and Hannibal totally did) being an example of that, but these ones sit there begging me to view them. Not to mention the fact that I'm seriously considering adding The Wire to my list. Oh god my life is going to become just endless screens.