"I'm into people" - Franky Fitzgerald (Skins Series 5) On asked if she was a lesbian/bi sexual.
Franky Fitzgerald as played by Dakota Blue Richards
Everyday we stumble under the weight of labels. I don't want to deny their comforting and reassuring power but god I do congratulate and celebrate the all encompassing ones that Franky Fitzgerald (so brave) subscribes to. Skins does get a lot of things wrong (I refuse to acknowledge the Season 4 ending) but they got this so right that it makes up for a somewhat wishy washy season. Almost.
Sometimes there's so much crap on TV (which I watch anyway) that as I watch I can feel my brain getting smaller and smaller andsmaller. Then there are these brief moments that a show will offer you that you relate to and it's so heartwarming to see your story somewhere (even if for a brief moment)that you forgive yourself for the all time you've wasted on all the crap, because you just found a big shiny jewel resting amongst it all. So I'm going to start a new list. (I know old lists are stagnating but don't worry they'll come back! I am if nothing foolishly optimistic about my own enthusiasm) So, in today's list of ' when they say it better than we do':
1. "You're the poem Liz" ( Jeff Parker to Liz Parker)
This line just blew me away. And see, it's not so much because of the characters or what's happening in their story. This moved me beyond its context. Liz doesn't even really respond when her father tells her this. She just sort of sits there and helps him organise his papers (or whatever he was doing). If it had been me, if I'd heard something like that from someone it would have just broken my heart and then healed it. There's just something so lovely in that line. I write a lot of poetry. But I always feel like all these are mere attempts at writing that one great poem. I want to be able to say that to someone. To say to, anyone really, a child, a lover, a friend, to say that you are not the inspiration but art itself, is just lovely.
Oh Glee! You are so so inconsistent. And yet oh so heartbreaking that I can forgive you for all the times I have pulled strands of my hair out because of you.
I watch a lot of TV and then I read a LOT about what I watch. I'm a geek like that. But anyway, I don't usually write about what I watch. I write a lot about the kind of music I like but somehow writing about the TV shows and movies I watch just hasn't happened.
Today however, as I watched the latest episode of Glee something about it just made me feel like writing. It was such a wildly inconsistent episode-with some things making sense and others just.. not. But it got me thinking further into why I watch it at all. A show like Glee can be so frustrating at times: It's a show with a popular format, it's got the ratings in its favour and it's also trying valiantly to do something new and fresh. It takes many many risks. But when it fails to do consistent story telling and bends to gimmicky plot contrivances I feel like hurling something at the screen. I really do.Because a show like Glee seems premised on a certain level of honesty or transparency with its audience so when it blatantly fails on its promise it's doubly disappointing. So at times like these I really do question why I bother with a show that isn't consistently satisfying.
Tonight I got a little glimpse into one of the reasons why I watch this show when in last night's episode "Sexy" I watched Santana confess her love for Brittany. Did I think it was rushed? Yes. While I was watching Brittany talk about going and talking to someone about her and Santana wasn't I confused about how it didn't make sense that we did not know that Santana and Brittany have been hooking up all this time? And how Santana hasn't showed the slightest amount of jealousy or hurt (over Brittany and Artie) apart from that one time in the lovely Duets? Yes yes yes to overall confusion. But I think what helps me, what makes me rush home and download an episode of Glee is its ability to move me even while all these doubts are swirling around in my head. I cried, cried while watching Santana, Brittany and Gwyneth, sorry Holly ( Didn't even notice she was there. Should have just allowed Santana to sing it. ) sing Landslide. Not only is it one of my favouritest Stevie Nick's songs ever, but Naya Rivera just killed it. Not the song- but the confusion, the heartbreaking confusion and the realisation that arrives on her face as she sang the song. That moment when you realise that you love someone and you're overwhelmed by what it does to you. She just killed it. I always thought she did bitchy really well and it's so much fun to watch her do that but it's so good to see her be capable of so much more.
Naya Rivera
I wish there had been more of a build up. I do. But Glee has this ability to make you believe and be affected by the little pockets-these little moments(like the amazingly realistic conversation between Kurt and his Dad) it captures where it portrays very emotionally real situations. And I think just for that I will continue to watch this show. Oh and is it just me but are there more and more shows getting into that wonderful world of sexual fluidity and queerness? Or are these just the shows that I am watching?
Season 7 was a bit of roller coaster. Dancers getting injured, some not so great judging (Mia please go back to choreographing. It was greatly missed, your judging on the other hand will not have the same fate. I still love you.) and then the controversial decision to take only 10 dancers and pair them up with SYTYCD alumni (given the moniker "the all-stars" umm what??). I recently heard that they will be going back to the old format for Season 8 as the new one didn't bode too well with audiences. I can understand why people had so many problems with the new format though. It's lovely to see the dancers grow on the show and grow with each other. With the new format they were thrown into performing at a level(because they were paired with the much more experienced all stars) that they might not have been prepared for and hence all the injuries. However, this also meant a high caliber of dancing early on and unlike other seasons it has been difficult to choose a favourite because they were all so damn good. The one I have picked for today was an instant favourite of mine.
Ashley moves like water in this piece. And her hair! Oh my gosh her hair was just beautiful. I was really sad to see her go because of an injury. And I am confused. Why was Alex Wong asked to return for the next season and not Ashley? They both had serious injuries right? Hmm.
Anyway, this dance is stunning. And I don't know how Ade does it. He manages to make it look like Ashley is this thistle blowing in the wind. I love everything about this dance. The dancers, the music (Florence + the Machine yay!), the concept, everything. And like Cat said , the moment they almost kiss but then don't is so beautiful. So poignant.
Unfortunately, Youtube is spoiling my fun by refusing to let me embed the video. So go here.
So anyone who knows me knows that I am fascinated to the point of obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance. I love the dancers, the music, even the cheesy reality show format, the judges (Reality show judges usually suck but Nigel Lythgoe and his team are surprisingly good. Well at least up until season 5), the amazing choreographers (Mia Michaels anyone?) and how the show has changed the way I see movement and how it has convinced me that it is possible to embody poetry. So I am going to choose (for no apparent reason but for the I-like-making-lists-thingy) my favourite routines over the 7 years of So You Think You Can Dance. To start off:
The first time I watched this I kind of fell in love with Katee. My sister thinks I am obsessed with her. I think I am (a little) but I don't think any other dancer has moved me as much as Katee Shean. She is so clean and it's as if the air around her, that negative space dances with her so when she moves it's as if it is in tandem with everything and not in opposition. The judges kept saying she was born to dance. Truer words have never been spoken( I can't believe I said something so cheesy.).
I wish I could say enough about Joss Whedon. One day I'm going to write a piece deserving enough of him but right now, I think you should watch this video. Also, this is in protest of the new 'Buffy' movie. No Joss in a Buffy movie. Really? How wrong is that? This my protest. Joss, I love you.
So these days I've been revisiting my teens and watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer all over again. Yes yes I know-how geeky! But I embraced my geekdom a long long time ago. Anyway, now as I am watching it, I realise why I liked it so much. It isa really really good show. Why? Because it always surprised: whether in terms of character development or innovative story lines. But what made Buffy different and what makes it stand out even now is how it addressed story telling. Joss Whedon has made a sincere and mostly successful attempt at changing the way a narrative is relayed on screen. Some episodes have been written so beautifully it is a wonder they haven't received enough credit for them. ( though in the Buffy fan world I think they are definitely revered) Anyway, so I have chosen my top 3 Buffy episodes. Many of them have spoilers so don't read ahead if ..blah blah disclaimer I can't be bothered to type out.
3. Once More With Feeling 6x7
Joss Whedon's musical episode certainly seemed to challenge the actors. No dubbing, just their own voices- some tuneless and some others pleasant to the ear. Okay Sarah Michelle Gellar's (what a long name! henceforth will be referred to as SMG. Sorry I hate it when people do this but well.. too bad!) voice is a little whiny and thin. And out of all the actors it is Amber Benson who has the best voice- quite lovely actually. But all this is immaterial. This episode's strong point is that the actors sang in their own voices. I mean, think about it. If you were in your own musical wouldn't you like to sing in your own voice? Even if your voice made caterwauling cats go deaf? (In my secret musical-often performed in the dark where annoying, squidgy siblings can't reach you with their derisive laughter, I have been Jewel-ya right! and even Tori Amos which doesn't suit me one bit but who cares?) Anyway side stepping that rather long aside-the point of course is, it's your musical so it should be your voice.
What is most interesting is that Whedon chose to do this episode here. This is a pretty rough time for all the characters. So as a musical it is pretty depressing. And well from this episode onwards the characters start losing their grip on things. What happens here is the trigger for what happens later. The story:A demon enters Sunnydale to spread death and destruction(Umm.. duh.) and introduces a little song and dance in the bargain. Good thing? Only thing is, if you dance too long and too hard you burst into flames. Very unwillingly, the characters end up singing about things they would never speak about. Pandora's box opens and the hilarity lasts only as long as the song does. And in some cases not even that long.
I always used to wonder why they never made Alyson Hannigan sing in this episode. All she does is some back up here and there. Then I realised that out of all the characters, Willow is the happiest. Buffy sings about feeling apathetic and well dead to what's happening around her, Spike sings about unrequited love, Tara sings about Willow's betrayal, Giles about his concern for Buffy, Xander and Anya about their marriage related fears and Dawn, well Dawn sings about being a teenager which lets face it, is too complicated to address here. Willow's the only one who is not insecure. She's dabbling in magic she shouldn't be, she's also messing with Tara's head and is in blissful ignorance (rather arrogance) of the consequences to her actions. Actually her arrogance is what makes what happens later so tragic. She also gets her first blow when Buffy reveals that she was never in hell. Anyway definitely one of my favorite episodes. I loved the group song in the beginning. Anya's tirade about the evil bunnies (lol I am imagining innocent little bunnies blinking here) is probably my favorit-est song on this episode.
2. Hush 4x10
Wow! My respect for Whedon really went up (though it was pretty sky high already) when I watched this one. He definitely deserved the Emmy nomination for this one. He might have even deserved to win it. I made my sister watch it recently and she freaked out. How brilliantly brilliantly directed and definitely one of the creepiest episodes ever on the series. So the story is about the Gentlemen- wonderful wonderful make up. So very creepy. From their suits and the perpetually plastered smiles on their faces to the eloquent hand gestures and polite nods they are different from any of the creeps we see on this show. Like my sister said "Monsters should not be refined." So these Gentlemen arrive in Sunnydale to steal people's voices and more. As the rhyme goes:
"Can't even shout, Can't even cry the gentlemen are coming by, knocking on windows knocking on doors they need to take 7 and they might take yours. Can't call your mom, can't say a word, You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard."
Most of this episode has no dialogue in it which is what makes it so brilliant. It is absolutely riveting to watch. The characters have lost their voices and the consequences range from hilarious to downright frightening. Take the moment when Xander calls Buffy and realises he can't talk or Buffy who picks up the phone and exasperatedly puts it down when nothing but air comes out of her mouth. Though there is no dialogue there is actually a lot of talking. Violent hand gestures, pithy messages and a hilarious presentation of the case by Giles. The background noise is supplied by dramatic music playing up to whatever is happening in the scene. The music therefore becomes the narration. Of course the scariest thing is that when you scream, no one hears you.I think my favourite parts of this episode have to be: when the characters first realise they are dumb, Xander's misunderstanding with Spike, The Gentlemen floating all over town as if part of some macabre musicaland the last part. Definitely the last part.Buffy andRiley finally get to know about each others' identities but when they sit down to talk about it, words fail them as they face each other in what is actually the most silent part of the episode. I don't think I can say enough to do it credit. Watch it in order to understand not just mine but everybody's fascination with it.
1. The Body 5x16
My plan, initially was to have "Hush" top the list but then I watched The Body and I was incredibly moved. I going to try and not gush about this one. I feel like I would do grave insult to the episode by doing this.
This episode picks off from the end of the previous one where Buffy finds her mother lying dead on the couch. The episode is played out in Four Acts. The First Act is done in one long shot. It is a scene that is heartbreaking with its lack of drama (actually the entire episode is) and credit for this must go to SMG. Her initial denial, her regression to childlike behaviour on finding her mother, her panicked phone call to 911, her dazed walk through the house when she is first told her mother is dead to the final scene in the Act when she reacts with horror as she refers to her mother as "the body".
The Second Act relays Dawn's response to the event. While Buffy is put together with cracks showing up in places that hint of a delayed but more devastating breakdown, Dawn's reaction is immediate. She is a child, her mother is dead-her world just falls apart and everybody is there to witness it. I like that Whedon decided to keep the audience away from the dialogue that is going on between Buffy and Dawn when she first tells her what has happened. He allows you to place yourself in that space-what would you say what would your reaction be? Also it is almost like he is doing the decent thing by giving the characters their privacy.
The Third Act shows all their friends' reactions. Of these I find Willow's the most touching. Not only because Alyson Hannigan acts it brilliantly, she was the one I could most identify with. Her reactions: Not knowing what to say to your best friend, panicking about it, not wanting to face it and the endless heartbreaking compassion that one does not want to feel are all essayed brilliantly. This episode is famous for Anya's monologue. Following a spate of inappropriate questions the monologue addresses the confusion and shock we all face when death comes along. Though she is new to being human, Anya has never been anything but when she says she does not know what to do.
The Fourth Act is in the hospital. All the characters have gathered to hear about the cause of death. There is a devastating final scene in the morgue and it is perhaps one of my favourite Buffy endings along with "Hush".
In terms of technique this episode was handled exactly opposite to Hush. While Hush has minimal dialogue it is filled with a dramatic background score. The Body has no music. The only sounds present are everyday noises. So there is the sound of a distant car going by and the sound of wind chimes in the background but otherwise it is a very quiet episode. The technique highlights the fact that death happens suddenly and quickly. The lack of drama shows us how ordinary it really is. It treats the event like any of us might in life. There is no well chosen background music, maudlin speeches or any speeches for that matter or the shedding of manipulative tears designed to choke you. Even the light in the episode is warm and bright. It's so real it is frightening. You don't feel like it is happening in some alternate, unreal universe(which it could have been considering the supernatural theme of this show) it is in fact happening in someone's drawing room, that someone is wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. And it's all real. That is what this episode is saying-this could be you. And in a world of television where every experience is designed to numb you, pull you away from your reality, one that places it back in front of you has to be commended. Especially when done with sincerity and compassion.
