Category Archives: US TV

WTF of the Week – Of Hannibal and silly blondes

Posted on by

Image: NBC.com

Dear ladies and gents,

y’all know by now I can be a bit of a silly blonde sometimes. Yes, I can be dense. Frustratingly so at times. And nowhere it is more apparent then when I’m watching Hannibal.

On paper Hannibal is my type of show. Totes goriffic (gore+horrific – and yes, I made up that word just now), with compelling leads and interesting storyline (although the first few episodes were a bit slow for my taste). And yes there is plenty of gore. And tons of serial killers, which what the what surely it is not possible that serial killers are lurking around every corner? Be as it may – it’s an interesting show, I should be able to focus for some 40 odd minutes, right? Wrong.

The minute I switch it on, it’s like I have turned into an individual with a severe case of ADD.

To give you an example here is how my brain works once Hannibal is on – oh cat! must pet the cat! hmmm I got the munchies, what can I eat? Cake/almonds/fruits/crisps (it all depends on the day) A moment of calm and then… I’m thirsty, I need water (am on strict regime of 2 liters per day) Dog! Must pet the dog! Oh forgot to check whichever website! On and on it goes.

I know, I despair of myself sometimes (and before you ask this only happens when any given show is extremely boring and I just give up after one episode).

And then what happens is that I obvs (OBVS) lose the plot. Between Will Graham’s hallucinations and my whatever it is that I just described up there, it’s no wonder I can’t tell what’s happening. Does the FBI even suspect Hannibal (played brilliantly by Mads Mikkelsen I might add) is a serial killer? Does Will Graham suspect? Surely he must, isn’t that the whole purpose why he was hired, because he KNOWS these things? And surely someone with a name Hannibal who is sooo extremely particular about his food should be a suspect from the get go? I know.

But. I am not giving up. I will see it through all the courses. Because damn it, I need to know what happens.

In Bed With Joan

Posted on by

Image: In Bed With Joan

Dear ladies and gents,

I love me some Joan Rivers. I remember watching her daytime talk show ages ago and she would always, without fail have me in stitches. Sure for some she is an acquired taste, sometimes she can be a bit mean-ish, but she is also clever, has wonderful timing and you know… she is hilarious.

I saw her in different stuff over the years (Celebrity Apprentice anyone?), but it was her documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work that made me… erm whats the adequate word… admire her? If you haven’t had the chance to see it, I *think* it is available to stream on Netflix. And here you can read Roger Ebert’s review, which I think is totally spot on (OT but I’m sure I’m not the only one who is all like – lets see what Roger Ebert thought of movie X and then I realize I can’t check anymore. That man is sorely missed).

But I digress. Yes, Joan. Admiration. And total respect. That is one tough, hard working bird. It is refreshing to see someone so talented working so hard when nowadays many want the applause/money/respect for just showing up (see all of the Kardashians, contestants on any given talent show). It would be easy to take potshots because of her age (which I personally think is something to be proud of, not something to be embarrassed about), or because of her plastic surgery, but you can be sure Ms Rivers has thought of (and used) that joke before.

Anyhow Ms Rivers has a new online talk show called In Bed With Joan and I like it very much. Some of her guests included Margaret Choo (loved that interview), Ru Paul, Anthony Jeselnik and Nick Kroll. It is very intimate (it’s in her bed after all!), very funny and very uncensored (all good things me thinks).

But best of all – there is no geo-cock-blocking nonsense going on and you can watch it regardless of where your IP might be located. It is also available on iTunes and YouTube.

WTF of the week – The Good Wife

Posted on by

Image: CBS.com

Dear ladies and gents,

another good WTF of the week.

To be honest – I’ve been watching the Good Wife out of habit. And not because I find the storylines particularly interesting. The cases were meh at best and Alicia – Will – Peter love triangle has been boring me to tears. Yes, I know the Good Wife is all about the nuance and whathaveyou, but come on!

Also (and this is just my opinion) – in their pragmatism all of them were getting a bit predictable. Of course Alicia was going to take the partnership when it was offered to her. And of course she was going to ditch Cary and the other associates and any and all plans to start a new firm. And of course she was going to smile, shake hands and thank the other partners for the opportunity. Of course. And that is expected in real life. But this is a freaking TV show! Shake things up a little bit for crying out loud!

And finally (FINALLY!) – in the season finale it happened. A total game changer. FINALLY!

Alicia decides to leave Lockhart/Gardner and start a new firm with Cary.

If the writers go through with it (if being the operative word, because it wouldn’t be the first time the writers have pulled the old bait and switch – think House), the landscape of the series will change so drastically, it should be fun and interesting to watch, no?

Am I the only one who is excited by the prospect?

Things that make me go mmmkay

Posted on by

Dear ladies and gents,

as I mentioned a number of times before, we try not to discriminate at Couchslobs. But UK shows have been popular forever. And Scandinavian shows are the.hottest.thing. at the moment.

So why are we all of sudden turning our noses at… let’s call them mainstream shows?

That is not to say all of them are crap. Not at all (I watch plenty). And obvs there is an audience for it, otherwise their numbers wouldn’t be so great. I’ll be the first to admit I like tuning into CSI because you can do just that – tune in at random, get the gist of it fairly quickly and guess the killer about 10 minutes in. There is a kind of comfort in that, no?

And that is not to say you don’t get some duds coming out of UK either (see Mayday. Or rather – don’t see Mayday).

But yes, let’s take a look at some of the things that can be erm irksome when it comes to mainstream shows.

Let’s get the shallow out of the way, mmmkay? Because a) that’s how we roll and b) you know I can be a shallow bish sometimes.

- people look normal. Women, men, children. And by normal, you can see wrinkles, or crooked teeth (the horror!), regular boobs, faces move. You know, regular people. And I’m not saying these actors are ugly, far from it, Idris Elba for example, a hunk of a man. Lena Endre (Wallander) is gorgeous. David Tennant, Matt Smith, Suranne Jones, even Cabbagepatch (I know an acquired taste, but whatever), Martin Freeman, Olivia Colman, the list goes on. All shapes, sizes, ages, colors.

- the styling. For example – character A will go to a hair salon. With a fresh blow dry. And she goes out looking exactly the same. I don’t know how you roll, but by the time I do go to the hair salon, my hair usually looks like I’ve been dragged through the hedge. Backwards.

Or you have a character B. Who goes to walk the dog in some type of a get up that looks like something fresh off the runway. O RLY? Sweatpants, manky t-shirt, trainers. Moon boots in the winter and feel free to judge, there was half a meter of snow where I am at. Even if I feel adventurous and wear something oh I don’t know clean, chances are I will end up covered in muddy dog prints.

Or my favorite – CSI white pants. Which can be worn to the worst crime scenes imaginable and still they stay snow white and perfectly pressed. Great job of keeping it real!

Ok, on to the more serious reasons.

- good writing. See, the story is kind of important. That is not to say if the story is rubbish, people will not watch (how else can you explain Two and a Half Men). But yeah, give me a story I can sink my teeth into (see any given Scandinavian show).

- this ties to the above reason – I hate it that the producers think we are stupid. I’ll be the first to admit I have my slow days, but I mean, come on! Want to know how you can tell if they think we are stupid? Something will happen that is sorta important to the plot. 5 minutes later there will be a discussion of some sort and they will show you what happened 5 minutes previously (usually in black and white). As I said, I can be slow, but come on!

Ok dear ladies and gents tell me – what are the things that annoy you as a viewer?