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Sunday
Jul012012

Why Do I Bother With True Blood? (with spoilers)

No, seriously, why do I bother watching True Blood? It was interesting at first. At first I liked it. It was interesting. It was a different take on Vampire Mythos and there was mystery involved in the series of murders. I liked it. And the second season came along and I liked that too. It expanded the Vampire heiracrhy and there was the anti-vampire church.

But the second season also brought Maryann. And then the third season happened. We got werewolves, werepanthers (What the hell?) and fairygodmothers. Season four brought more of the same, with the addition of witchcraft. By that point it was a convoluted mess. I'm a fan of multiple storylines weaving into an overall story (see previous post about The Wire,) but this was too much. There was too much going on and the weaving together of plot lines was sloppy and seemed forced. There were too many characters, and too many mythical species.

And I think they realized this. So at the end of Season 4, they killed off a bunch of people. I was psyched. Especially at the death of Tara. Then they had to screw it up and turn her into a vampire. Maybe it'll make her a better character, but I doubt it. I'm already 3 episodes in and considering quitting. So why don't I? Because I'm a sucker for this Vampire Lilith Mythos. But I swear if they start bringing up other monsters like mummies or weretigers, I'm out.

Somebody hold me to this. Please.

Friday
Jun292012

Re-Watching The Wire: Seasons 1 & 2

I somehow forgot just how good The Wire is and just how much it influences great modern TV like Breaking Bad.

The Wire, especially Season 2, is a great example of how separate plot lines in a show can come together to tell a great over-arching story while still proving that no character is too small. If you want to know about character development look at anyone in The Wire. Even the smaller characters. The bit parts are amazingly well-rounded.

The show was one of the first that I can think of that started to really move away from focus on one or just a few main characters. Each one became important, even if they were only in a few episodes in the season. Bubbles and Omar are good examples of how minor characters can steal the spotlight and grow.

The Wire wasn't afraid to put any or all of its characters through the gauntlet. McNulty getting put on harbor duty. Lieutenant Daniels getting sent to the basement. D'Angelo Barksdale getting killed in prison for trying to go his own way. No one was safe. That gave the show realism. Bad things can happen to the characters you like. And good things can happen to the characters you hate.

It's a show that isn't only about drugs and police work, but it successfully did more and talked about politics, the City of Baltimore, and the state of the nation after 9/11. One of my favorite things about the show so far is that the investigation of Season 2 started over petty jealousy on the part of Major Valchek over a guy who throws around a little more money at church. Not only is it a show about bigger things, but it's also about people - both good and bad. The line is constantly blurred between the two and we see the positives someone like Omar has, and the negatives of the cops like Herc and Ellis. 

The Wire manages to fit all this in - the huge cast of characters and their development, the varying storylines, the big picture, the little picture - without being convoluted. It's a show you have to pay attention to, but as long as you pay attention, you are well rewarded.

Sunday
Jun172012

What I've Learned From My Dad

In honor of Father's Day, here's a collection of what I've learned so far from my dad. Some are what he's said, some are his examples. Some are serious, and some not so much. All are important though.

1. Keep your eye on the ball.

2. Follow through.

3. A man will do whatever he has to to help out and pick up the slack. Even if its dishes and laundry.

4. Family is most important.

5. You're not going to be perfect at everything you do. But if you try your best, then you can be proud.

6. When you make a mistake, understand it. Know what you did wrong.

7. Drink straight liquor. When it starts to taste good, you've had enough.

8. Take responsibility. You make a mistake, you own up to it.

9. There's a lot you can do for yourself before you need to ask for help.

10. Measure twice. Cut once. If you do it the other way, it usually doesn't work.

11. Righty tighty, lefty loosey.

12. It's okay to talk to yourself. It's okay to argue with yourself, but if you argue with yourself and lose, then you have a problem.

13. It's okay to disagree, just know why you disagree.

14. Johnny Cash is good music.

15. Don't go to bed angry.

16. Leave work at work, so it doesn't affect your family when you get home.

17. Be a good brother, son, husband and father. It makes a difference.

18. Take your son in the pool and try to get him to swim. Even if it doesn't take.

Sunday
Jun102012

Summer Draping

Tonight brings the finale of Mad Men. A sad day indeed. There are times when I applaud shows like Mad Men for having a shortened season of 13 episodes. Consistantly good episodes for the season, too, instead of a season of 23 mediocre episodes. And then there are days like today when I'm upset that things have to end so quickly. 

Mad Men is like that girl you see for three months in the summer when you go to the beach with your family, or you go to sleepaway camp. At the start of the relationship, you think you have all the time in the world. Then, all too quickly, everything is over and you're apprehensive about the end of it. You think nothing has happened, but later when you'll look back at it, you'll realize that a lot changed over the course of those months. 

At the end of the summer you go your seperate ways and it's really sad at first. You think school won't be fun and you won't find a girl back home like her. But then you kind of do (Breaking Bad, Dexter, Justified) and over time you forget about the summer girl. And then spring happens and summer starts to draw near and you get anxious to see her again. 

Basically, what I'm saying is that Mad Men is Olivia Newton-John.

Friday
Jun082012

Lament for A Gaming Past

The other day I talked about how excited I was about Assassin's Creed games and my mediocre involvement in E3 Coverage. And it got me thinking about how much I used to be into videogames. Time wasn't an issue. I was more invested in gameplay than storyline and cinematics.

It was a lot of fun back then, when I could spend a lot more time with a controller in my hand. But these days, I don't have that kind of time. There's too much going on, too many things that adulthood requires which prevent me from dedicating more than a couple hours a week, or a few hours a month to a game. I used to get pissed when I'd get a game in the old days and I beat it in a week. Now I rejoice because I know I'll actually be able to finish it.

I had to start Fallout 3 twice because life forced me to take such a huge break from it, that I completely forgot what was going on. My friends have all recommended Mass Effect and Skyrim, but I don't have that kind of time. Mass Effect is a 3 game series and Skyrim is so massive, I hear that people have spent a weeks worth of time (150+ hours) playing it and are barely half way through. If I had that kind of time, I'm sure I'd love the game, but I really don't. Plus I'm afraid of a Fallout 3 repeat where I get so far and then don't get to play for months, at which point I have no idea where I was at and the story even falls apart on me.

Sure, I could just dive right in and make the time, but I know everything else is going to suffer. About 6 months after World of Warcraft came out in 2004, I got the game. All my college buddies were playing it. And they were playing it a lot. I figured I'd get in on the action. Three months later, I quit. Too much was going on that I was missing. I was losing out on time with other friends, actual time with friends that were playing, and time from the girl I was dating at the time. Not only that, but I knew my schooling was suffering too.

I went cold turkey on WoW and I'm doing alright, but I don't plan on getting addicted to any game like that ever again. Although sometimes, I really wish I had that luxury because Skyrim looks awesome.