Sunday Night TV Wrap Up
Well, holey moley, welcome to Sandy’s new regular Tuesday morning Sunday night TV wrap up.
And by Sunday night TV I mean Mad Men and True Blood. (Spoilers ahead. Seriously.)
Honestly, I expected to be waxing profusely about how great Sunday night’s premiere was. Only I can’t because I’m not really feeling it.
Okay, could it possibly have been more precious and melodramatic to start with Don’s painful memories of his prostitute mother? I’m as a big a fan as any of Don’s long, silent exquisitely evocative moments, but, geez, what happened to story momentum? And, ultimately, what did we learn to take things forward? (And we all know where Don stands on the importance of moving forward.) So, we learned that Don is still a player. That those stewardesses were good time gals. And that Don is cool with Sal’s homosexuality.
But where were Joan and Peggy and Betty? And who can believe that my favorite moments in the episode were Pete (that slimey snake!) and Ken-related?
Which all leads me to the ultimate question: Do we think that mayhap somebody is taking all the praise (rightfully) heaped on the show a bit too seriously?
I’m hopeful for another great season and have immense faith in the creative talent behind the show, but we’re not off to a great start.
Now, on to the real entertainment this week: True Blood. Well, color me gobsmacked.
I bow down to the sheer cleverness behind finding a way to get Sookie in bed with Eric without all the moral ambiguity. And can I add that it was beautifully shot and long enough that it made a satisfying payoff to those of us who have been waiting?
Also loved the appearance of Vampire Spokesperson Extraordinaire Nan Flanagan. Very sly. (And I love sly.)
With only three episodes left to go (sob!), for me this season has been about ten thousand times more satisfying than season one.
Which leads me to my other Big Thought of the day. It’s time to take a moment here and acknowledge that Alan Ball was clearly listening to all the belly-aching and whining and kvetching in which we all engaged last year because – let’s face it – everything we complained about is gone. And, even better, he found a way to bring about what many of us wanted without sacrificing Sookie’s character.
Bravo, Mr. Ball. Bravo.
-Sandy AAR
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At this point, I think Sookie has been royally trashed. As stupid as she can be, she’s honestly in love with Bill, but Eric not only doesn’t care about the relationship, he doesn’t respect those under him, and he’ll do what he wants to get her attention. There’s no true love, there’s no attraction, and it all becomes about how Eric can sleaze and worm his way into her emotions.
If that’s the way the relationship starts, can the emotions ever be real and meaningful? There’s a big cloud of doubt over them if he has to lie to get her, and if her emotions aren’t ever her own.
I watched seasons 1 & 2 of “Mad Men” on DVD in the off season, so this was my first experience watching the show in “real time.” I enjoyed the season premiere, while feeling frustrated when it was over that I couldn’t immediately go on to the next episode. It’s early, but I can see how it could be setting up a great season. The office dynamics were interesting. Time will tell. I think perhaps I was especially prepared for watching the show one episode at a time to be different from devouring a season all at once, so my expectations, oddly, were lower.
Whew! Glad it wasn’t just me with Mad Men. I watched it last night and was sooooo frustrated. Hopefully will pick up next week.
I’m way behind on True Blood, but watched on Sunday, and enjoyed it. Must go back and fill in the blanks.