Tag Archives: TV

For the love of TV

Will and I watch TV together during that time between about 6 when he gets home from work and 7 or 8 when we revert to individual hobbies (reading for me, video games for him). Yes, we eat in front of the TV most nights. I know we are supposed to feel all guilty and bad about that, but oh well.

There are certain programs we watch together throughout the year: The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family. But what about summers when TV is in hiatus? What do we do when we miss Leslie Knope so much it hurts?

We’ve had good luck with the Brits. They can make some quality programming (hello, they thought of The Office first). Here are two other gems we’ve found and liked:

Little Paris Kitchen - So yes, the idea that I like a show set in France is not surprising. British-born Rachel Khoo (who is adorable) lives and cooks in her wee Parisian apartment. She takes traditional French dishes and breaks them down to make them less intimidating. Along the way, we meet the artisans who make the fresh cheese, local honey, and fancy chocolate she uses. Her recipes are all online so you can try at home. I haven’t made any of them yet, but I fully intend to.

School of Hard Sums - Yup, it’s about math. You know what, though? Math is fantastic. Math is EVERYWHERE! This show is set up as a “brains versus brawn” competition to solve common problems – one episode featured the math involved in being a lifeguard, for instance. The host tries to solve the set of problems mathematically while the guests do real-world computation (like swimming around in a pool in the lifeguard episode). Oy, it’s so much cooler than I’m making it sound so just pretend I never said the M word and go watch.

The problem with the Brits, though? They kill shows off super-early. School of Hard Sums only has eight episodes. Little Paris Kitchen only had six!

Earlier this year, I soaked up all the Law & Order SVU I could get my hands on. Now, I’m caught up to “real time” and have to wait for the new season to start. Jerks.

Will and I devoured Better Off Ted – a hilarious show that only lasted three seasons. We knew we only had three seasons when we started, but it was hard to ration the episodes out to make it last as long as possible.

Now, Will and I are watching Psych. It fits our general requirements in that it’s entertaining but doesn’t require our complete attention so we can wander around cooking dinner and talking about the workday while we watch. Plus, we are only on Season 1 and the show is still going strong, so there’s no need to ration episodes.

What are your favorite shows? Any recommendations for Will and I?

 

What I Hope Happens on The Bachelorette Tonight

Now that my sister lives right around the corner, we have a little ritual. One day a week, we meet at one another’s place to eat dinner, drink beer, and watch The Bachelorette. For the uninitiated, The Bachelorette is a dating show wherein the contestants go on over-the-top dates and amazing trips to see if the current ABC-selected Bachelor or Bachelorette is their one true love. It’s heavily orchestrated. It’s unrealistic. It’s fantastic.

Our current Bachelorette is Ashley. Oh, were you hoping it would be Emily? Yeah, Ashley was worried about that. In fact, there is little that escapes Ashley’s self-doubt and perpetual worry. She’s gorgeous, tiny, has amazing abs, and is being paid a quarter of a million dollars to live in an amazing house in LA/travel through southeast Asia while being pursued by some pretty-decent looking men. I know that true happiness is much deeper than that, but it seems Ashley would be getting a healthy dose of that external validation she so craves.

So, Bentley. No story of Ashley’s lack of self-confidence would be complete without a mention of our favorite villan, Bentley.

I know. I don't get it.

Those of you who are caught up on your episodes know that Ashley is mad-crazy pining for Bentley, a guy who, in a bit of dramatic irony, has stated  that he’d rather be “like, swimming in pee” than thinking of a future with our fair Bachelorette. Ashley, of course, does not know this and continues to think that Bentley is the best thing ever. Two weeks ago, Bentley left the show to go take his douche circus on the road, but it tonight’s episode, he’s back.

Now, pause. You’re expecting me to say I want Ashley to tell Bentley to take a hike. Well yes, I do. But not for any “Rah, rah! You go girl!” kind of reasons. Sure, it would be nice to see Ashley get it together and stand up for herself, but, personally, I want Bentley off the show because he’s freaking boring. He chose to play the pompous jerk. Clever, Bentley. I’d rather spend time with that weirdo who wore a mask for three weeks.

Better than a pee-swimmer.

That said, my official advice for our lovelorn Bachelorette:

  1. No further mentions of “letting the guys down” by either A) not being Emily, B) not being attentive enough because you are too caught up on Bentley, or C) any other reason you concoct. The guys just got a free trip to Thailand. Even if they are “in it for the wrong reasons,” they are “in it for the wrong reasons” in Thailand.
  2. Bentley. Ok, Ashley, don’t freak out, but you are kind of letting me down with your continued pursuit of that idiot. Seriously. I mean, hello, J.P.
  3. On a serious note (despite the un-serious premise of looking for love on a reality TV show), if you don’t think you’re pretty enough, it will never matter how pretty other people think you are. It may be time for some self-help books.

 

 

 

The Closet Script

Will and I have a pretty steady evening ritual. He cooks dinner (with me acting as sous chef) and then we bring plates and napkins over to the couch where we eat in front of the laptop, our favorite shows streaming on Hulu. There are certain shows we never miss (The Office, Parks & Recreation), some we catch when the location is interesting (No Reservations), and a lot of HGTV-type shows as filler in between. Lately, it’s been a lot of filler.

Now, I love the bejeezus out of HGTV. My family will call one another when our beloved city, Chicago, is featured in House Hunters or My First Place. In college, my friend Jen and I worked our class schedules around Trading Spaces (which, yes, I know, was on TLC but whatever, it’s home-and-garden-y and yes, I know I just outed myself as someone who went to college before the advent of Tivo). Home and Garden is my thing. Big time.

There’s just this one small thing about the people who show up, episode after episode, on shows centered around the couple-finds-new-house premise. I call it The Closet Script. The scene replays itself, invariably, the moment the couple first lays eyes upon the master bedroom closet.

If closet is deemed “small” - Man (to Woman): Oh no! Where will you put all your shoes?

If closet is deemed “large” - Man (to Woman): Wow, this might actually hold all your clothing!

This is not to say that just the male homeseekers are quick with the cheap laugh-lines. The script can be flipped. A Woman-Seeing-a-Small-Closet may tell her Man he needs to find space elsewhere in the home for his clothing as she needs the entire small-master-bedroom-closet for her shoe collection. Conversely, a Woman-Seeing-a-Large-Closet will exclaim, “My clothes might actually fit in here!”

(Cue Laugh Track)

We get it. Women have a lot of shoes. Women have more clothing than men. Women, well, women be shopping.

I’m not going to get into whether or not the stereotype has basis in fact as the who-has-more-shoes game has a different winner in each relationship. Any truthfulness behind this eye-rolling comment is not the point. The point is that it’s predictable.  It’s trite. It’s adding about as much to the dialogue as another comment on Boehner’s tan or Trump’s hair.

Now, I know that people agreeing to be featured on national television undergoing what is, arguably, one of the most stressful purchases they will ever make are not likely looking to advance the gender equality dialogue. They are likely going for a quick chuckle or a playful punch-on-the-shoulder (coy, knowing winks optional). The issue is that they know they can get it with a one-liner about how the lady-half of the equation more lady-stuff than the closet in question may hold. The issue is that this tired jab never seems to end up on the cutting-room floor. Both homebuyers and the HGTV editing staff know to lean on the “women be shopping” line for a quick moment of levity.

I’m not advocating any kind of drastic action here. Lord knows I could never boycott HGTV. I’m only suggesting that we think before resorting to stale laugh lines.