Watched a lot of TV this weekend -- got caught up from 4 days of camping in SoCal. One big ending, a few beginnings, and lots of great writing/acting/production.
'The Sopranos' series finale: Loved everything about it, including the ending. The cut to black was, as many others have said, just the end of our glimpse into the life of Tony Soprano, nothing more, nothing less. Although, since everyone has a theory, Carmella's actions at the end of the episode need mentioning. First, she tells AJ that she's thinking Holsten's for dinner. He complains that they were supposed to have manicotti, and she replies that she has to "meet with contractors". In the next scene, she tells Tony that Holsten's was the "consensus." Was it really? A consensus of one, maybe? And "contractors", eh? If you believe in conspiracy theories, Carmella had Tony whacked.
'Rescue Me' season premier: WJW. Tommy's interrogation dream sequences, and the slap fight with his cousin. Lou/Ken banging the ex-nun in the organ at church. Franco's girlfriend's mentally-challenged brother with Turret's telling Franco to marry the girlfriend so that he (the brother) can get some time alone with a wheelchair-bound girl with Down's Syndrome that he (the brother) knows from the clinic. And the baby loves Tommy but hates Janet.
'Entourage' season "premier": I put premier in quotes because the last season just ended two weeks ago. Great episode, and the show is still great, but it resorted to a gimmicky documentary-style approach for this episode that has the guys in Colombia shooting "Medellin". Dug the eccentric outbursts from Billy Walsh and the inside baseball look at a movie production. And, as usual, everything turned out just fine for the guys, and Drama even got his wish to be in the last scene of the movie. I like the show, but I think it's time to think about ending the series either after this season or the next.
'Big Love' season premier: Solid opening to the second season, picking up just a few days after the first season's cliffhanger, where it appeared that the family's polygamy would be exposed. Well-acted, well-written, and I'll be watching it regularly. A little concerned about how long this can go once the novelty of polygamy wears off.
'Flight of the Conchords' series premier: Think "Extras" with wacky songs that advance the plot in mostly hilarious ways. These guys are musically talented and good comedians. Fun show.
'Studio 60': Got caught up on Studio 60 with episodes "K&R" and "K&R: Part II". Some flashes of brilliance and characters that I want to care about, but the bottom line is that the environment of a sketch comedy show is not nearly important enough for the weight of the issues that Sorkin, et al. are trying to tackle. The dialogue (especially w/r/t to the castmember's brother serving in Afghanistan who's taken hostage) has many of the characters talking like they are in the Oval Office or the situation room of the White House, but the gravity of the fact that they're doing a fucking comedy show in Hollywood keeps pulling everything back into "WTF? Does this really matter?" land. Still, I love the show and can forgive all of that because, in typical Sorkin fashion, the characters are dedicated and loyal to each other, which gives me the same warm fuzzies I got from "SportsNight" and "The West Wing". I also got those same fuzzies from "Love Monkey" -- not a Sorkin/Schlamme show, but in the same vein (big ensemble cast, characters loving and loyal, etc.) CBS really fucked that one up.
What time is your alarm clock set for? Do you use the snooze button?
5:30 a.m.
Yes.
