Premier Week

Happy Thursday! The week is finally over! Not that I'm sad to be past this set of classes, of course, but if you must know, World Lit is a lot more fun when you're not handing in papers late.

Ok, I feel fully justified in spending this Thursday discussing television. Firstly, because that's what I do all week anyhow. For college credit. Yes. Envy me. And Secondly, because THE OFFICE IS ON TONIGHT. I'm starting this thing ahead of time (it's currently 20:16), so that I can talk about things coherently before the event, and not so coherently afterwards.

Chuck
NBC, Mondays at 8/7c
Premise: "a one-hour, action-comedy series about Chuck Bartowski -- a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government's most vital secret agent."
I regrettably have class Monday nights, but I caught the pilot Tuesday morning at NBC.com. There were a number of things that I wasn't expecting. For instance, I had no knowledge that it was not a sitcom--I'd forgotten that hour long shows could be comedies, too. Also, I was not expecting Chuck the character to be as cute/endearing as he is. Both of these, of course, are pleasant surprises. The show as a whole, too, is unexpectedly catered directly to my tastes. Lead character is a sweet nerd who wears Converse and coded video games in college. Then there's the whole CIA secret agent angle, which we all know and love. Also, there was definitely a ninja fight. Dead serious. And a creepy guy who winked.....and then winked again with the other eye. How deliciously terrifying. Happy to see Adam Baldwin in a steady role here, since he is well loved around these parts for playing the part of the Man They Call Jayne from back in the Firefly days. And Zachary Levi as Chuck is just too perfect. He's very sincere in his delivery of emotion. Also, he totally went to my high school. So, I love Chuck. Looking forward to more of this.

Journeyman
NBC, Mondays at 10/9c
Premise: A man suddenly pops around through time for no apparent reason, and mucks about with the timeline. And if you're curious about the network-sanctioned tagline, you'll find mine approximates it quite well.
BORING. I hated it since I heard about it, since I have a very clear idea about how timetravel should work. It's a little long-winded for this post, but I'll be happy to prattle on about it upon request. Suffice it to say, I devoutly believe that even if one were able to travel to the "past," one would not be able to "change the future." Which is, I say again, the premise of this show. But moving on from that, I wasn't sold on any other aspect of it. I wasn't watching very closely, but it was very confusing and disjointed (although I suppose spontaneous, inexorable time travel is prone to have that effect).

I just want to pause and say at this moment, Clark Kent is fighting himself in slow motion, and it's still not very good television.

Where was I. Journeyman. Megan was all YEAH about it, 'cause the actor was apparently amazing in Rome. He's pretty boring in this, though. The one coolish moment was when he had gone back to 1997 or whenever, and met up with his dead (I think she's dead in present time) woman friend, except it turns out that this particular girl is ALSO going through time, and then the actual one that belongs to that timeline busts through the door a moment later. So that was mildly intriguing. Worth watching it? Nah.

Smallville
CW, Thursdays at 8/9c.
Premise: Clark Kent as a teen.
I didn't mean to watch this season premier, I just settled for it because I wasn't expecting The Office to be on at 9. Here's what I had to say to my friend about it so far:
Aya kun Rose: wow, smallville's got way jacked since I last saw it
Aya kun Rose: lex is arrested for killing lana, lois is drowning with an unconscious cloe, clark is fighting Bizarro
Aya kun Rose: fake rocks are shattering
jbev009: LANA WAS KILLED?
jbev009: are you effing kidding me?
jbev009: noooo
Aya kun Rose: probably not
jbev009: haha. yay fake shattering rocks
jbev009: oh good
Aya kun Rose: you can never tell on this show
jbev009: true dat
Aya kun Rose: holy no
jbev009: did we find out who the girl super chick was?
jbev009: what??
jbev009: what?
Aya kun Rose: innocent fisherman? running away from the wall of water coming down from the broken dam? trips on some SAND and knocks himself OUT
jbev009: hahaha
jbev009: HAHAHAHAHA
jbev009: i hate when i do that
Aya kun Rose: I love hating this show
jbev009: hahaha
jbev009: good.
...
Aya kun Rose: oh no! Lex is going to drown!
Aya kun Rose: yeah right
Aya kun Rose: like I'm really worried for him
jbev009: hahahahahahahahaahah
Aya kun Rose: some kind of effing water fairy is here to save him
Aya kun Rose: bizarro set a guy on fire with his eyes
Aya kun Rose: you know, Tom Welling sometimes does that to people
jbev009: thats nice of her
jbev009: hahaha
Aya kun Rose: being a model and all
jbev009: i hear that
Aya kun Rose: now there's a spooky child
Aya kun Rose: I think the green goblin just stole away lionel's drowned body
Aya kun Rose: even though the goblin is spiderman fare
jbev009: ooohhh
Aya kun Rose: hahah, that spooky child might have killed chloe
jbev009: hey, ive gotta go
jbev009: enjoy hating smallville!!
jbev009: see ya
Aya kun Rose: ok!
Aya kun Rose: oh lex
Aya kun Rose: he's fine, if you wanted to know

And it didn't get very much better after that. There was a hilarious bit where Chloe was literally looking back and forth between Clark and Lana's death certificate (don't worry, she seems to be alive and well in China, we just saw), and it was just so overdone I just laughed and laughed. And I just don't know what's wrong with this show. It's like they don't even try. Perfect for mockery. It's a pastime of mine. Oh, and we still don't know who stole away Lionel. Although it was Wonderwoman who saved Lex. Thought it was Supergirl or something until just now, when she put on this bracelet and put her fists on her hips. Then she flew away.

OFFICE TIME

OK not going to lie. The very first shot of The Office made me shriek in laughter.

I'll see you in fifteen minute intervals for the next hour.

Um hey wow. I'm loving it. What I'm also loving is the fact that we can hear other apartments laughing at the jokes. For reals. It's amazing. Like a movie. We all have a lot of Office love.

While it's the commercial...

The Office
NBC, Thursdays at 9/8c (but probably 8 or 8:30 in a few weeks)
Premise: The everyday life in an office of a small branch of a paper company.
Definitely my favorite show. Don't bug me right now.

GUYS. If you've seen the episode, you'll know what I mean. The entire A court actually CHEERED just now. 9:30. There's totally guys' voices in these laughs, too. Everyone loves the Office.

Zoh My Gosh. People. Did you see how he was BLUSHING. I can't. I just cannot believe how wonderful this show is. GAAAH.

Speaking of 30 Rock, I'm wondering when that is coming back? I want to watch that so bad. That, and New Amsterdam, which I hear is premiering mid-season. Oh, tv says 30 Rock is next Thursday. Good news.

It's ooooooooooooooooooover now!! Awww man. Hap-py Thursday, people.

Oh, the other thing I wanted to tell you this week was about my new phrase I invented in my sleep. We started watching season one of Lost this week (dude, guys, it's so much better than present-day), and so of course Locke et al made appearances in my dreams. And so Locke made up this phrase, to say that something is or is not your "hat." Like, in the same vein as something being or not being your "cup of tea." Except "hat" means the thing you are interested in, or your area of expertise.

For example, I like to think of writing as my hat. Dancing is up my alley, but it's not quite my hat. Math, however, is certainly not my hat.

I hope you'll take this and spread it to the ends of the English-speaking earth.

-Steph