TV Randoms

• Extras, Ricky Gervais' new BBC/HBO show that debuts in a week or so in North America, while not as compelling as The Office (UK) delves more into an examination of Gervais' character from the protagonist point of view and comes out an interesting study between Andy Millman and David Brent. Whereas Brent's narrative was furthered by a better understanding of the character's interior monologue illustrated through his need to verbalize everything, Millman becomes more fascinating as a person through what we learn of him from his conversations with others. He's able to not only able to run the point in terms of his interaction with peers, including the delightful Ashley Jensen, but also able to provide apt social colour commentary of his situations as he carries through with them.
• Entourage finished its second season strongly, Curb Your Enthusiasm is back in a few weeks, Sopranos kick still going strong with new episodes coming soon. It's amazing how much you can enjoy HBO without actually being able to subscribe to the channel. Cultural integration in Canada usually begins the assimilation proces 8 weeks to half a year for anything not broadcast over the air.
• The second episode of the OC was much more interesting than the first, even with less happening. However they're quickly going to a) find some new storylines involving unknown characters and b) make said characters appealing. The Jeri Ryan one is atrocious. As I write this, I wonder why I even bother in the first place.
• Gilmore Girls (indeed MitM does watch it) picked up strongly right where it left off, and it will retain more interest the longer they're able to keep Lorelai and Rory separate from one another. Obviously it's inevitable they'll reconcile, but ideally the writers can tease it out and explore how this impacts other characters who have become more integral to the show overall.
• Rescue Me is a show with lots of promise, but thin on substance. They try to overcome a lack of character development by constantly layering events on top of one another without tackling the emotional fallout from the previous ones. Flashbacks and Jesus apparitions can be tolerated as a creative vision, but the startling lack of resoluteness to important plot events is leading to a waning of interest in the show overall. Quit brushing over what's happened until it's been properly dealt with, and then move on.
• A previous vice had been reality shows, namely The Amazing Race and Survivor. However given that they amount more to surreality than reality, the more that is understood about the behind the scenes workings and details of such shows has reduced the capacity to enjoy them. A show never watched, Canadian Idol, got their newest idol a 5 minute desk interview on the 6 PM news 15 minutes into the hour on the most watched broadcast in Toronto. The story before her gushing puff piece was about the Prime Minister's visit to the United Nations- if that doesn't tell you about the sequence of priorities (or lack thereof) that local news stations have, television isn't exactly something you should be consuming.