A Fraudulent Life (Television Thoughts: Younger Season One Finale: The Old Ma'm and The C)

After watching the season finale of "Younger," I realize the series has to be redefined a bit for Season 2. I guess the first season is for Liza to fully know herself, and we as a viewer did as well.  It dealt with ageism, and how youth centered our society can be. It defined Liza and her relationships - first with Josh, then Kelsey, her boss, even her daughter. At the end of the season, we see her firmly standing ground - even staying above fray to keep her dignity (with regards to dealing with an ex-colleague blackmailing her, for example.) I was kind of expecting some kind of big cliffhanger, but we only get quiet ones. It was nice to see her in a better place with Josh. I don't think they are going to rush back to them having their relationship back right away, but it should be interesting to see where they go from here, with Josh knowing her "secret."  Liza's daughter coming home should also widen the net for Season 2. I wonder, for example, how she would deal with Josh. I can imagine her being attracted to him as well, and that could provide more conflict between mother and daughter. A lot of questions that set us up for season two, and I cannot wait till January. I must say that Sutton Foster is great here, showing strength, and vulnerability at the same time. I like that they are using how awkward Sutton is to fit her character - I never get that Liza is ever truly glamorous, for example. I feel she will always have some kind of insecurity in her. I think I have written before that I feel Hillary Duff is somewhat wasted - weren't they setting her character up to be some kind of doormat for her boyfriend? I guess that went nowhere. I hope she gets to do a little more next season. Al in all, I love this show, though, and you know I will be there January.

The Tonys Thoughts

Well, another year, another Tony Awards. This season was a pretty good one, with some real good theater, and there were a couple of tough tight fights in some major categories. My thoughts on this year's Tony's:

1. As hosts, Kristin Chenowith and Alan Cumming did a good job. They were zany and wacky most of the time, and I just wish there was an equal balance of elegant and class. But, they kept the show going at a great speed, and I felt bad for Kristin losing. I was rooting for her anyway, but to see her work her ass of and come home empty handed was heartbreaking. But Kelli deserved it, too, and yeah that whole she finally won a Tony thing.

2. I had no real horse between Fun Home vs An American in Paris thing. Though I am slightly for the latter. Fun Home is deeper work, but I found the score a little less tuneful. I would have voted for Kander & Ebb myself. 

3. The numbers from the musicals were all good: I thought "A Musical" from Something Rotten was a good opener, and the medley from "the King & I" touching. But the standout number for me was "On The Town," where you saw the real breadth and scope of the production. Out of context, the numbers from "On The Twentieth Century," and "The Visit" were just good. The "Fun Home" number was touching and brave: middle america needed to see that. 

4. The "In Memoriam" number was hyped but fell short, in my opinion. I would have wanted real Broadway singers (the house was full of them) Instead we get Josh Groban, who while competent, was just there to promote his new album.

But I may bitch and moan, still I look forward and enjoy teh Tonys every year.

I'm Confessin That I Love You (Television Thoughts: Younger S01 E11, Hot Mitzvah)

Well, with one episode to go, I guess some revelations have to happen - it's been a slow burn in that department - and you have to thank Molly for that. No, not Molly Shannon, though I could really see her in a role in this show. Liza took "Molly" (MDMA) and in a fit of honesty, confessed to Josh that she is really a 40 year old housewife from New Jersey. This after a very sweet moment when Josh, also high, says "I Love You" to Liza. Is Molly really a truth serum that forces these characters to be honest with each other? I don't know if I like the pacing of this particular story line. I can imagine Liza carrying over her secret to the second season. I mean, the show hasn't really explored that fully, in my opinion. (i never read the book so I don't know what happens next) Josh, at the end of this episode leaves the party dejected and forlorn, so I guess we will see that development next week, at the season finale. I wonder if the secret will spill over to Empirical. My only other big thought on this episode (and this series, actually) is how Hillary Duff's role has been thankless - that was it for her? She had an affair, and after a mutual confession with her boyfriend, everything is fine? Hmmm, Hillary, you got the short end of the stick.

Good Bitchin' (Television Thoughts: Vicious, Season Two, ITV)

I don't think I ever got a chance to write about the first season Vicious, but I did watch every single episode.  I didn't love it, but it was a fun mindless sitcom, and hello, it is always a treat seeing Sir Ian McKellan and Derek Jacobi being bitchy and mean to each other. Yes, they are old bitter queens (and I know the series got a lot of flack for that) but honestly, they would be the type of companions I would want to have at a dinner party.  As the second season starts, you can see the ease these actors have in handling their roles. I feel like they are more relaxed, and the audience knows these characters well now, and we are just waiting for the punchlines to come. Not all of them land, but McKellan and Jacobi deliver them with perfect timing that I can't help but laugh anyway. The first episode of the season, "Sisters" was great episode: full of zings, mistaken identities, role-playing that you can't help but get taken by its infectious energy. I look forward to the season.

Got To Be Real (Television Thoughts, UnREAL, Monday nights on Lifetime)

You don't have to be a "The Bachelor(ette)" fan to enjoy "UnREAL."  I have only watched snippets of the popular ABC show myself, to be honest. "UnREAL" is a drama/dark comedy from Lifetime that goes behind the scene of dating show titled "Everlasting," and it is riveting. This show revolves around the character of Rachel (Shiri Appleby) who is a producer. She is back after having a nervous breakdown in the middle of shooting the finale of the previous season. After charges of grand auto theft and DUI, she is subjected to therapy and community service, and is thwarted back at the show. We see the inner workings of how a dating show is taped for maximum drama, as Rachel is the master manipulator, a trait that is best used in producing for these kinds of shows. I don't know if "UnREAL" is real or an exaggeration, but it is great television, and I have instantly put it on my DVR. Aside from "Project Runway," I don't think I have anything on there from the Lifetime network, and this show promises to bring a lot more sizzle to my summer.

Lies Lies Lies (Television Thoughts: Younger Episode 9: I'm With Stupid, Episode 10: The Boy With The Golden Tattoo)

I was a little bit disappointed with the past episodes of "Younger" and was draging my feet watching Episodes 9 ("I'm With Stupid") and Episode 10 ("The Boy With The Dragon Tattoo") but seriously, these two episodes are exceptional, and forward the story more. On "I'm With Stupid," Liza begins to have insecurities with his relationship with Josh. One of Josh's close friends mentions to her that she thinks he is dumb, and that idea permeates in her mind. The snob in her comes out when she finds out that he doesn't like to read. (He rightly explains that as an artist, he is a more visual person)  Meanwhile, a manuscript from the slush pile catches her eye, and she uses her old book club in New Jersey to get feedback on the book. Everyone loves it. On Episode 9, ("The Boy With The Golden Tattoo") we find out that the author (Ana Gesteyer in a great guest spot role) plagiarized the piece. Liza's doubts for Josh comes full circle here as well, when she gets introduced by him to his friends as a girl who he is "just hanging out" with. At the end of the episode, he proves his mettle by showing Liza he got a dragon tattoo (to symbolize the year of his birth) Both these situations give pause as Liza realizes the lie she is living with. With two episodes to go, I am curious and intrigued as to how the season will end - will the lie come out, or will it continue to the next season?

All We Need Is The Girl (Television Thoughts: Pilot, Supergirl, CBS)

The first sign that I knew the Supergirl pilot was going to be good? Laura Benanti! I mean, Laura Benanti of Broadway! She was Maria, she was Louise! And here she plays not only Supergirl's mother, but also evil sister of Supergirl's mother! I just had a feeling this is going to be a good show. And based on the pilot, all points towards it being spectacular. Melissa Benoist! I didn't much like her anorexic character on "Glee" but here she finds her groove: cute, vulnerable, and when she dons her superhero outfit, kind of bad ass! She carries the episode like the supernaturak human being she plays. And I know Calista Flockhart has been getting flack for her role as Cara's boss, but I thought she was fine: equal parts loathsome and camp. That twinkle in her eye shows that she knows how to not play her role too seriously. And Cara has sizzling chemistry with James Olson. Even though it may not be the case, they would make a combustible couple. And well, let's go back to Broadway and we have Jeremy Jordan, who plays Wynn, Cara's friend/confidante. The best line of the show was when he asked, "Are we superfriends?" and she quipped, "We don't use that term here."  Okay, so maybe the action parts were not my favorite, but that is just me anyway: what will have me coming back for more here are the human storylines: how will she conceal her identity? can she survive her Miranda Priestly-ish boss? how will her friendship with Wynn evolve? will she fucking fall in love? Come Fall, I will be there with popcorns on.

It's The Real Thing (Television Thoughts: Mad Men Series Finale, Person To Person)

Mad Men's series finale starts with a mini montage of scenes from the series set to Paul Anka singing 'Times Of Your Life,"  and I always tear up whenever I hear that song anyway (I know... ) but it gave the episode a little more texture. What was I expecting for the series finale? Honestly, I was expecting something artsy, as only Matthew Weiner could deliver. And as the episode started to wrap up its characters, I thought I was wrong. Characters were rounding up their story lines pretty conventionally - Pete gets a fantastic job in Kansas and moves there with Trudy and his daughter, Roger ending up with Megan's mother (finally, someone his own age) and Joan starting her film production business. Most of it seemed to be crowd-pleasers, with the biggest one - Peggy finding love and success with Stan - kind of bland and boring. I thought, well, this is nice, but this isn't what Mad Men stood for the entire time. Until we get to Don storyline - which has really been bizarre for the past couple of episodes. He leaves New York, and McCann Erickson, to drive cross country and now he ends up in California at some type of commune. As we get to the end of the series, we see him backlit by a sunset, and then doing a yoga pose with fellow hippis. Until Weiner slams us with that iconic Coke commercial from the 70s, "I'd like to teach the world to sing," and with Don's last smile to the camera, I found myself laughing: what a great wink to the audience. After all of what Don has gone through, he ends up delivering the commercial that best describes that decade. It is brilliant - and exactly how I envisioned this series to end. I'll miss this terribly, there has been nothing like it.

Broken And Babysitting (Television Thoughts Younger S01 E07 Broke And Pantyless, S1 E8 Sk8)

I haven't had a chance to write about the past two episodes of Younger (Episode 7: Broke And Pantyless, Episode 8: Sk8) so I am consolidating them on one post. On "Broke And Pantyless," Liza finds herself with a financial dilemma: her ex-husband is not fulfilling his share for their daughter's college tuition so Liza has to find cash, and quick. The first solution? To sell her soiled panties to fetishists. Ew. I think I remember reading a review of the show where the writer was saying how the show was obsessed with vaginas, and now I cannot get that out of my head. I honestly am not too fond of this part of the storyline either. And poor Sutton Foster - I kind of feel bad for her filming scene where she takes off her panies, wads them in a ball and hands them to a pervy man. Thank God the episode doesn't  linger there and she finds other ways to make money. And it even has a soft epilogue, when her boss Diana gives her a check for the money. 

I prefer Episode 8, where there are no stories about soiled panties. Instead, we get to see Anton win the PEN Award, and her wife surprising him. This is too close for comfort for Kelsey, and the situation is exacerbated by the fact that Anton has been writing about hsi affair with Kelsey and have been sending the manuscripts to his wife. So when Liza picks up the wife at the airport, the wife assumes it's Liza who is having an affair with her husband. At the dinner later that evening, Kelsey confesses to the  wife. I thought this part of teh story was a little unbelievable, and Duff's acting is a bit too wooden to make it work. Meanwhile, we see Liza babysitting Charles' kids, and obviously she connects with children, and we start to see romantic tension between Liza and Charles. Hmmm.. I kind of see the end game for this story.

All About Jane (Television Thoughts: Younger S01 E06 , Shedonism)

This week's "Younger" episode. "Shedonism" puts Liza in a situation: a party situation. She gets tasked to organize a party for author Annabelle Bancroft, played by Jane Krakowski. That's always good news - Krakowski is one of my favorites - but I just wished they had a little more imagination as to what character to give her, as I feel her Annabelle Bancroft is not much different from the characters she played in 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. But no matter, she can play this role perfectly even in her sleep. She steals the episode here with a great mix of character and physical expertise - the scene where she bangs her face in glass to get to her coke dealer is comedy gold.  Elsewhere, Liza's ex-husband shows up and she has to deal with him and more monetary problems and Hillary Duff's character starts going deeper and deeper into an affair with the Swedish author. But I hardly noticed all the other stories, it was all about Jane last night for me.

Bears Repeating (Television Thoughts: #Repeat After Me, ABC)

Everything old is recycled again. Once upon a time there was Candid Camera, and the idea of a hidden camera foisted on unsuspecting people came about. Over the years there have been variations to this set-up, and the last one I remember was Ashton Kutcher doing "Punked" for MTV.  "#Repeat After Me"'s premise is more or less the same, with the twist here being that celebrities are the ones paying jokes on unsuspecting people, with the orders barked by the host, in this case it is Wendy McLendon-Covey. My initial reaction was, wasn't this idea initiated by Ellen DeGeneres? Then I saw the credits at the end of the show and it did say that one of the executive producers was DeGeneres. In any case, I found this show hilarious - good natured humour, and the episodes I saw (Episodes 7 & 8) never crossed the line to cruelty. If for anything, the jokes were more on the celebrities than the people they were playing a joke on. Believe it or not, I found myself squirming with laughter at some of the situations, and one that really got me was Josh Groban at the Fredericks of Hollywood store sniffing negligees. Who says nice doesn't make it anymore?

You Gotta Have Friends (Television Thoughts: Younger S01 E05 Girl Code)

Is it just me? This episode seemed rote. While it had a lot of good things - Debi Mazar gets more than one scene! - it was just a bit predictable. So Liza hasn't been spending a lot of time with Maggie and they plan to go out, in this case, go to an art opening at the gallery showing Maggie's art. And then we see a little bit of conflict - Kelsey and her friends naturally do not initially warm up to Maggie. I kind of thought that was the predictable part. I think maybe it should have been better had they got along. Later on, of course, they all help Maggie, because of the "girl code," and I thought that reaction was just as predictble. A little "friction" between these freinds - who obviously have differences - would have given more dramatic possibilities for Liza (I can see episodes of her just juggling both sets of friends) But it was also nice to see Liza and her younger boyfriend "advancing," although that also is going the way of boring. I hope next week's episode gets better, for me a least. 

Three's Company A Crowd (Television Thoughts: One Big Happy)

"One Big Happy," whether intentional or not, made me think of the classic sitcom "Three's Company." It has the modern day equivalent set-up: Luke and Liz have been best friends for years, and they made a pact that by age 30, if they are still both childless, they would have a baby. Enter Prudence, a British illegal alien who has a quick affair with Luke, and they get married. We now have the set up of the sitcom with all three of them living under the same roof. Hilarity ensues, right? The pilot was just okay, and I gave it a chance - Eliza Cuthbert as Liza has a nice goofy charm, and Nick Zano is funny in a John Ritter kind of way(he even looks like him, kinda) But whatever charm they have cannot salvage the idiotic scripts they have to work with. I swear I did not even crack a smile by the third episode - they are put in tedious situations with predictable gags. I wish it was even offensive but they were just kind of lame and corny. Executive produced by Ellen de Generes, I bet this show bites the dust by the end of Springtime. 

White Man (TelevisioN Thoughts: Happyish, Showtime)

Oh, the white man mid-life crisis - that's not a well documented phenomenon, is it? Well, looks like we have another new television show that - if the pilot is to be believed - will focus on it. Steve Coogan stars as Thom in "Happyish," where he stars as a 44 years old man who resists the changing of the times. Here it deals specifically with how a Gen Xer has to adapt to a world dominated by the digital age and social media. He resists it, even as the advertising company he works for is bought by young Swedes. Coogan is good, delivering the right amount of angst. The role was originally intended for Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and I do think Coogan is a much different actor that I wonder if the tone of the show was changed after he took over. The supposrting cast is wonderful - Bradley Whitford stars as Coogan's boss, and the wonderful Carrie Preston (from The Good Whife) is his co-worker. If the show evolves to something beyond the white man angst, I could just be interested more. 

Running In Charleston (Television Thoughts: Southern Charm Season Two, Mondays on Bravo)

I liked the first season of Southern Charm, I have to admit. Seeing these entitled Southerners act stupid was entertaining. I mean, they're rich but dumb so it levels the field, right? And here they are now, back. I just watched the first four episodes (they've been sitting on my DVR)  and I have to say that the show is more entertaining than ever. I mean, Thomas Ravenal is running for Senate (against Lindsay Graham!) I mean, who would even a think Ravenel, who been in jail, and impregnated a twenty one year old young woman, has a chance on winning on this very conservative red state? (Although, I myself would voe for him against the execrable Graham) Also, why senator? Couldn't he aim a little lower (Councilor, perhaps?) But here we are, and we see him campaigning, and of course there's drama: Kathryn feels left out in campaign decisions, and their friend Whitney is producing funny-yet-inappropriate television commercials. I get the sense that Ravenel is not taking this too seriously, like he is doing it for the benefit of the reality show. But whatever, the storyline is immensely watchable. It was laughable that he has fundraisers and you can see just dozens of people attending - probably just fans of the reality show. And Kathryn's sense of entitlement is hilariously infuriating, without any sense of irony at all. Elsewhere, Craig has been partying too much and there's a new young woman Landon, who moves to a houseboat after a divorce. Theya dd some little accents but really, the thing to see here is Ravenel, and it makes for compelling (reality) television. Bravo got me hooked yet again.

The Road To Getting Younger (Televison Thoughts: Younger Season One, Episode Three and Four)

I am really starting to love "Younger," and episodes three ("IRL") and foru ("The Exes") both solidify my affection for it. As the series moves on, the "feel" of the series is resembling "Sex And the City" more and more. For example, there is a subplot in episode three that could have come out from SATC: when Liza's boss joins an internet dating site and gets photographed with her rare Judith Lieberman bag, and gets a "match" and then gets catfished by someone who only wanted to see (and get that selfie) with that bag. If this were SATC, that would have been a storyline for either Samantha or Charlotte. Of course, Liza is teh "Carrie" here and we get to see the progression of her relationship with tattooed Josh. They finally have sex on episode four, and even break his bed. But all is not well when she catches him with another woman. I was expecting the storyline to go on the "safe" side (I was imagining that the woman is his sister) but the series goes one step further when he confesses that she is his ex, and they are in a kind of friends-with-benefit arrangement. Liza seems a little too mature to just accept that - I was expecting her character to be more stubborn. Epsiode Four focuses a little more on Kelsey, and Hillary Duff isn't charming enough (right now) to get away with her character's flaws that I foudn myself getting irritated by her actions. Maybe I need to get used to her character more, and I think I am on that path. I cannot wait for the next episodes!

This Side Of Forty (Television Thoughts: Younger, Tuesdays on TV Land)

Darren Starr, of Sex And The City and Melrose Place fame, is back with a new show, a one-camera sitcom titled "Younger." Starring Sutton Foster, it is about a woman named Liza Miller who is 40 years old, recently divorced, suffering from an empty nest (Her daughter decided to go to Mumbai)  She decides to go back to work, but realizes that because of her age, she cannot go back to the level of job she left before he got married. So she pretends she is 26 years old, gets the publishing job as an assistant to a bitchy woman, and even starts dating a twenty something tattoo artist. I get hot and cold on Foster, but for the most part, I can take her. She still has her ticks here that annoy, and she recited dialogue liek she is on an Amy Sherman Palladino script, but I found her better here. She looks pretty, and convincing as someone younger, and I like the fact that she shows her age by maturity, not by slapstick. (It would have been an easy trap for Foster to fall into, since she is a physical actress) I have only seen the first two episodes and I am already intrigued - it feels like an old-fashioned sitcom (Perfect for TvLand) and middle agers like myself can easily relate to her character. Hillary Duff and Debi Mazar play her friends (on their corresponding age spectrums) and they don't have to do much yet, so I hope Starr uses both of them throughout the run. I will be watching.

With One More Look At You (Television Thoughts: Looking Season 2 Finale, Looking For Home)

Here we are, the last episode of season two, "Looking For Home," and just like Patrick, the audience is at a crossroad. Patrick starts to move in with Kevin, and then he finds out that Kevin is still on Grinr, and is logged on, this giving him more questions than answers. What we get is a half hour discussion between the two of them. I guess be careful what you look (wish) for, you just might get it. Is it a dealbreaker if your boyfriend is on Grindr, or is it just one of those things. As Augustine says, "we all have the app, it's what we do with it that matters"  The episode ends with Patrick still at a crossroads after all these months - in some sense he is still looking. Is this a metaphor that in life, we will always be looking?

It would be truly sad if HBO cancels this show. I purposely kept HBO just for this, and as a matter of fact, tonight I am logging on to my DirectTV account and canceling the service. But if it does go away after this season, ti was a great shot.

The Show Is Over Say Goodbye (Television Thoughts: Glee Season 6 Series Finale)

I was a GLEE fan from the start - before the hype, before it was fashionable to be a fan, before it was hip to be a Gleek. I went through everything it gave me, I stuck to it until sometime last season when it was just too much, when I felt it was so done. So in a sense, I already said goodbye to the show. But then this year, it apparently came back, for its last season, with a vengeance. I will binge-watch the earlier episodes one of these days but I just had to tune in to the two hour series finale. And I am still crying. This show broke so many barriers, it redefines musical comedy for television in so many ways that it was kind of tough to say goodbye to the show, and these characters who brought me so much joy in the past. All the goodbyes are here, maximized to squeeze tear ducts, and you know what, that's fine. Let's all grieve. The first half is a bittersweet look at how New Directions came to be, and gave us a glimpse at how the group was formed - it even showed us how Kurt and Rachel met, culminating with the two of them singing "Popular," from WICKED. (They have done every other hit song from the musical so it's a wink and a nod)  The second half hour has all of them saying goodbye, and that's when the waterworks started. From Mr. Schuster with his ukulele to Sue Sylvester singing "The Winner Takes It All" all emotions are laid bare, and when we fast forward to where the characters are five years later, we see their triumphs. I couldn't stop myself from bawling when Rachel Berry finally wins a Tony, and when Sue introduces the whole cast on stage to sing "I Believe" I think a temporary flood alert was broadcast in my building. The show ends with a plaque that says "See the world not as it is, but as it should be," a mantra that capsulizes what the show is all about. Thanks for the laughter, tears, and music, Glee. 

Living For Love, I'm Gonna Carry On (Television Review: Looking S02E09, Looking For Sanctuary)

Of course it had to happen - a show I love will be cancelled. I read an article last week that had a headline that read "Looking is the show that nobody is watching," and I think even the show knows it. Here we are at the penultimate episode of the second season and things are...well, they are wrapping up. We are getting to a point that these characters are no longer "looking." This makes me infinitely sad, because these are characters that I have grown to love, and I have enjoyed the time (albeit short) I spent with them. On this episode, titled "Looking For Sanctuary," we see Patrick maybe finally finding happiness - at the end of the episode, he makes a decision to move in with Kevin. This even after he gets the wrath of his sister, whose husband is very good friends with Jon, who is Kevin's ex. Yes, it has been a bumpy complicated ride to where he has now arrived, and he may finally be happy. And Eddie has also reached a similar place with Frank, wherein he stops trying to woo him, and gives him an ultimatum: are we or are we not? (They are.) There's even a frank discussion about Truvada. The only hanging thing, for now, is Dominick and Doris, but I think that is something that can be fixed by a trip to Pinkberry. It pains me to see another favorite show of mine close shop.