Tag: ben mckenzie

Three TV Deaths I Rather Enjoyed

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I don’t wish death or unfortunate situations on anyone…in the real world that is. Television characters, on the other hand, there are some occasions where I root for the earthquake, for the brain tumor or for the villain. Okay, that made me sound like a horrible person, but I think everyone has that one character they wish would just curl up and die. I have multiple, but here are my top three. And in all of these situations, I feel like I am in the minority of people who were thrilled when these three characters went into the light.

So here they are, three tv character deaths that made me a highly satisfied viewer. Click the images for videos of the moment they met their maker.

3. Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell), LOST

Elizabeth Mitchell is a wonderful actress, but I never liked Juliet. She was a wedge between my precious Jack and Kate, I could never get myself to trust her character and her soft, monotone voice always pissed me off. When the magnetic forces surrounding the swan worksite started to pull her down the tunnel of doom, I got giddy. When Sawyer couldn’t rescue her from the tunnel of doom, I was overly excited. And when she finally bit the dust in Sawyer’s arms, I was the happiest Lost fan on the planet. As Juliet got sucked down into the darkness, I distinctly remember saying, “I always hated her.” I was met with looks of horror and disgust from my viewing mates and thus received a chorus of “You’re such a bitch!” in return. A ‘bitch’ I may be, but that didn’t change the fact that Juliet was dead.

2. Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), The O.C.

Marissa was one of those characters I hated from the start. I never saw the appeal of her character. But most of all, I hated her relationship with Ryan. She was no where near good enough for him (Taylor&Ryan FTW). So when Volchok ran the car off the road and the car went up in flames, (as much as I love Ryan) I would have been fine with both of them exploding if it meant Marissa was gone. But luckily, only the rich bitch bit snuffed it. Side note, other than her time in the slammer, what has Mischa Barton been doing lately? She seems to have dropped off the map, although, I admit that “The Beautiful Life” had potential to become a guilty pleasure of mine.

1. Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Grey’s Anatomy

In my opinion, Denny Duquette is the worst character they have ever introduced on Grey’s and that’s including Teddy & Owen. According to many featurettes and interviews I’ve seen, Denny was originally intended to only have a 3-4 episode arc, but Shonda Rhimes & Co. saw the potential of a relationship between Denny and Izzie and kept giving the little bastard material. Did it make for an interesting story line? Sure. Did it make for a drama-filled finale? Definitely. But did Denny need to keep reappearing for ghost!sex, “go in to the light” moments and other random times? Hell no. The moment Denny finally flatlined is still my most satisfying Grey’s moment to date.

Seven Favorite TV Bromances

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When you think of television BFFs, it’s common that the strongest non-romantic relationship on a show will be between two females (i.e. Brooke & Peyton, Blair & Serena, all the girls from Sex and the City, etc.)  Then you’ll find the pesky male-female friendships that almost always turn romantic. And last but not least, there is the bromance. I for one love bromances. I find nothing more entertaining than two guys dishing out their feelings and crying on each other’s shoulders. It’s guy love, that’s all it is. In no particular order, here are my favorite television male-male platonic friendships. [Again, language warning for the Skins dialogue]

 

Tony Stonem & Sid Jenkins / James Cook & Freddie McLair, Skins (UK)

I just couldn’t separate these two because their friendships are very similar and I love them equally. Both Tony & Sid and Cook & Freddie are odd pairs, one typically gets used as a doormat (Sid & Freddie) for the other (Tony & Cook) and their friendship is rocked by the fact that they are both in love with the same girl, Michelle & Effy. They seem at odds the majority of the time and they don’t mind throwing/taking a punch every now and then. But their make-up scenes are always precious and they aren’t afraid to drop the L-bomb to each other. Aw. And besides, everything sounds better in English accents.

your bromance is showing…

Tony: Three things, Sid. One. Get rid of the hat. Two. I always loved you the best, Sid. Three…I can’t think of a three. [Tony hugs him]

Cook: [after Freddie head butts him] I really fucking love you, you bastard.


Cory Matthews & Shawn Hunter, Boy Meets World

Even though Shawn was essentially the third-wheel to the Cory & Topanga wagon for the majority of their lives, it never seemed that way. These perpetual class clowns have kept their friendship strong despite romantic complications, cultural differences and even psychotic nightmares. What’s left to say about this pair, really? Besties, cradle to grave.

your bromance is showing…

Cory: What do I do now?

Amy: Go find the person you love.

Cory: That would be Shawn.


Mark Sloan & Derek Shepherd, Grey’s Anatomy

You’d think that Mark sleeping with Derek’s wife and essentially ruining their marriage would have been the be-all end-all of this friendship. It definitely took a while to get there, but now the pair is back and bringing the man love in full force. The fact that they both have great hair and are charming as hell should be enough to warrant a friendship. And if Mark ends up marrying Lexie, they’ll actually have a legit “bro”mance.

your bromance is showing…

Mark: I thought it was just going to be you and me. I have been patient. I have waited when you partnered up with these chicks, but now they’re over. And it’s supposed to be just us. You and me; two guys on the prowl, on the hunt. Women are everywhere. I only have one person I can talk to.

Derek: That’s sweet.

Mark: Shut up.

Derek: No, it’s really warm and fuzzy.


Ryan Atwood & Seth Cohen, The O.C.

When Ryan became the Cohens surrogate son, not only did they both get a brother in the process, they got a best friend. Kid from the wrong side of the tracks + the geeky comic book nerd = true bromance. These two even each other out perfectly. Ryan’s the quiet, brooding one and Seth’s the guy you can’t shut up. Ryan has a tendency to punch people and Seth talks to his plastic horse, Captain Oats. Match made in heaven? I think so.

your bromance is showing…

Ryan: Well, you know, I’m not going. So if you want to hang out, rent a movie…

Seth: Ryan, I love you. But if I have to spend my senior prom playing video games with you, I’m going to kill myself.


Aidan McCollin & Josh Radcliff, Being Human (North America)

Unlike Edward and Jacob, this werewolf / vampire duo have managed to become best friends. Sure, their friendship has seriously been tested, they are rival mythical creatures for crying out loud. And they fight with each other like an old married couple, but when one of them is in need, the other is always there.

your bromance is showing…

Aidan: Does your mom cook with garlic?

Josh: Seriously? Is that a thing? For real?

Aidan: Yes or no Josh?!

Josh: I guess so. Does it kill you?

Aidan: No, no it doesn’t. It just makes us, us.

Josh: Okay, so stop being you! How do we do that?

Aidan: Feverfew.

Josh: Is that a band?

Aidan: It’s an herb, Josh!


J.D. & Turk, Scrubs

In many ways when these two are together they digress back to school boys. They congratulate each other for their sexual conquests. They have matching friendship bracelets. They call each other Vanilla Bear and Chocolate Bear. And they have their own song.

your bromance is showing…

Turk: It sounds like you’re asking me out on a man date.

J.D.: Turk, why are you so afraid of loving me?

Five Best TV-Music Moments

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You know those moments when the right piece music comes together with the right scene and it creates a blend of auditory and visual perfection? I live for those moments. Music has always been a big part of my life and it always plays a part in my overall assessment of a film or television program. These are the scenes that I constantly replay for the fabulous combo of acting and music. I literally got goose bumps and teared-up while re-watching the YouTube videos…for the millionth time, yes, I know how pathetic I am.

Hide and Seek, The O.C. –> Marissa shoots Trey to save Ryan. Cue Imogen Heap



Lean On Me, Glee –> The gang shows their support for Finn & Quinn


http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid398.photobucket.com/albums/pp68/caseycarlson/lean-on-memovff.mp4

Stumbling to Bethlehem, Joan of Arcadia –> Joan believes that she has been imagining her encounters with God
(starts around 4:35)



Stolen, Scrubs –> Elliott gets engaged, drama ensues



Angel, Dawson’s Creek –> Jen records a video for her daughter



Best Characters: Comedy Edition

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Entertainment Weekly recently featured their 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years, and while I agreed with some (i.e. Harry Potter), there were others that had me scratching my head (Homer Simpson is number one?!) While I obviously couldn’t possibly make a top 100 list without it becoming ridiculously redundant and biased to sparkly vampires and pop musicals, I have selected my three favorite characters when it comes to comedy (drama, sci-fi and horror to follow).

1. Eric Matthews, Boy Meets World

Starting out as simply the girl-obsessed older brother, we didn’t get truly introduced to the pure idiocy and comic genius that is Eric Matthews until about season 5 of Boy Meets World.  From the countless FEENY calls to his dimwitted attempts to earn Rachel’s affections, his simple one-liners can floor anyone with a sudden fit of the giggles. Eric Matthews was once and to this day remains the television character that can make me laugh and marvel in his stupidity for days on end.


Seriously, need I say more?

2. Seth Cohen, The O.C.

Witty, sarcastic humor; snappy comebacks, utter obliviousness to the world around him; and an affinity for emo bands, all wrapped up in a lovable comic-book geek. Seth Cohen has to be the most adorable self-proclaimed nerd to grace our television sets.

3. Sue Sylvester, Glee

Haters to the left. If there’s one good thing that came out of Glee, it’s the character of Sue Sylvester. Her compulsion to be utterly frank with just about anyone she meets be it about their hair, social status or ethnicity has made for some of the best comedy this past year. My roommate and I were in tears after watching her latest Sue’s Corner.

Three Reasons Why Television Shows Fail

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As I sit here watching last week’s exceedingly uninteresting new episode of One Tree Hill on Hulu, I can’t help but feel an extreme sense of loss. This program used to be so freaking good. Circa seasons 2-4, One Tree Hill had some of the most powerful and creative story arcs on television. Now what has this program come to? They’re bringing back the cougar and young guy story line, a psycho comes into the picture and pretends to be someone they’re not, and ugly ass Mouth is somehow the only one getting tail in Tree Hill. Remember basketball? The voice-overs with quotes from famous authors? The original 5 characters that we have come to love?

There comes a time in the life of every television program where the writers and executive board hit a road block. Some shows find a way to rise above and continue to produce good television. Others fall by the wayside and they become syndicated history. In my opinion, there are a few main reasons why good shows fail, they are as follows:

1. The characters go off to college: Chances are pretty slim that you and your 5 closest friends all chose the same college to attend. So this puts the writers in a dilemma: how do we keep the chemistry between our actors when they are all at different schools? Eureka! We’ll create a new school that is in their hometown (or close by) and have them all attend there. There is no actual Penbrook University, the college  Cory, Shawn, Topanga, and Angela on Boy Meets World all magically chose to attend. And in sheer coincidence, that’s where Jack and Eric also go to school AND where Mr. Feeny happens to end up. Joey Potter gets accepted at the uber prestigious and uber fake Worthington College on Dawson’s Creek. Jen and Jack go to school at the equally as fake and half as prestigious Boston Bay College. Where do both of these fake institutions happen to be located? Boston (I guess I kind of gave that away), which is conveniently 15 minutes away from their fake hometown of Capeside.  Dawson then loses his way (of course), drops out of USC (idiot) and moves to where? Boston. Shocker.

Most shows that document high school fail when the characters transition to college. All of the family dynamics are lost, presumably because the parents don’t follow them to college. A bunch of new characters are introduced which takes screen time away from the characters we’ve formed a connection with. Most of the time the circumstances that bring all main characters to the same place are stupid and usually involve some sort of loss of faith, death of a family member, or being kicked out of school for ridiculous circumstances.

2. A main character is killed off / leaves: Getting rid of an essential cast member is one boat that should not be rocked. Yes, Marissa was annoying on The O.C. But she was the source of a lot of drama and half of the beloved pair of Ryan and Marissa. Were the writers missing broody and angry Ryan so much they needed to kill off his girlfriend to get him moody again? It’s common knowledge that I loathe the character of Peyton on One Tree Hill, but her and Lucas’ departure from the show have killed it. Ever since Dr. Burke left on Grey’s Anatomy, I can’t imagine Cristina being happy with anyone else. Any story line pairing her with another guy makes me cringe. Grey’s hasn’t been the same for me since Burke left, and then they have the nerve to kill my beloved George?!  FML. I am so not looking forward to tomorrow’s Lost, where I have been told that losties just start dropping like flies.

3. Story lines get recycled: How long can a couple play-out the “will they / won’t they” before the audience explodes? Apparently Friends can do it for 10 years. How many times can someone attempt to kill Dan Scott? How many times does Clark Kent have to save Lana Lang before she realizes he’s got magical powers? Seeing the same thing over and over and over again gets tiresome. The program eventually becomes so predictable that it’s not even worth watching anymore.

Alas, I have a sinking feeling this will be the last season of One Tree Hill. It didn’t even get to redeem itself. I am praying that the CW will give OTH one last chance to make things right aka bring back Leyton, ditch the newbies, and start showing the geniusness I know the writers still have.