TV Meme, Day 30: Saddest Character Death

This question puzzled me. Characters die on TV but often they’re guest stars or recurring characters, unless it’s Lost or 24 deaths don’t come that often. I have touched on two sad deaths over the months, Denny’s in Grey’s Anatomy and Rex’s in Desperate Housewives. It made me realise that what was sad was not the actual death but the reactions of the characters. I decided I’d focus on a character I’d never liked that much, but on what I consider to be one of the strongest representations of death in a television show.

            

The death in question was that of Joyce Summers in “The Body”; the show – Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

           

Buffy comes home one night to find her mother dead and the rest of the episode continues in a sombre, dismal tone. Whedon realises that death doesn’t always bring people together – it tears them apart and it’s seeing the reactions of the characters that make this episode less about Joyce’s death and more of death in general. I always remember Anya, a demon turned human, asking frantically “What am I supposed to do?”

What are we supposed to do when someone dies? Buffy just draws deeper into herself…

          
This is the last MEME post, I shall be back with a recap...but for now
"I'm free! We're free! We're free!"
Extra points if you know which play ends with that line.

TV Meme, Day 26: Season Finales (OMG, WTF?)

My oh my. What a question, I've read a few titles for this day (skimmed is more the word) and I see the types they've chosen and I'm really at a loss as to what to pick. I'd always had three season finales on my mind, though I'm still not sure they're the best season finales or the most shocking. There's "The Gift" the season finale for Buffy, the Vampire Slayers Season Five. Then, there's the two parters "Deterioration of the Flight or Flight Syndrome / Losing My Religion" the Season Two closer from Grey's Anatomy and "Goodbye for Now/One Wonderful Day" from the First Season of Desperate Housewives. However they'll rank on the list of great performances they really are three excellent season closers.

               

You know I don't like choosing so I'll do a quick recap of each finale and tell you why they're OMG, WTF worth. They may not seem so shocking, but watching it makes you see it more. Still here goes -  beginning with Grey's Anatomy. 

       

Grey's Anatomy: Season Two Finale

Backstory, in case you don't know the show is about surgical interns. At the moment Izzie Stevens (an excellent Kate Heigl) is cutting Denny, her boyfriend's, LVAD wire because unless his condition worsens he will lose the chance of getting a donor heart and he may give up on life and head in to the light. WTF? I think so too...

Breaking it down, it goes like this - It opens with what we learned in the last episode. Burke has been shot OMG. Meredith has joined George with Izzie and Cristina informs them of Burke's test. Dr. Bailey, their resident, finds them all breaking rules and orders them out but Izzie shouts them down refusing to leave (W.T.F). Alex is at another hospital waiting for the tests to confirm whether Denny is critical or not, but the rude attending there refuses to wait (WTF). Eventually, though more lies, he does get the heart and Dr. Hahn grudgingly returns to Seattle Grace to take part in the surgery since Burke is incapacitated. Burke might not be able to use his hands again and Derek must perform on him (OMG). Denny gets the new heart, but for punishment the interns must help the Chief-of-Surgery's niece pull of a ridiculous prom (OMG - seriously?). Denny asks Izzie to marry him even though he's NEVER seen her outside of the hospital (WTF). All are called in for questioning, but no-one spills the beans even Alex, who Izzie dumped him to hook up with Denny. Eventually though Denny dies because of a blod clot (O. M. G.) and Izzie cries through the entire of Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" eventually quitting the hospital surgical programme (WTF). Oh, and Derek and Meredith have sex in a closet and the episode ends with her there, unable to decide to choose between him and her current boyfriend (WTF - who the hell wouldn't pick Chris O'Donnell over sleazy adulterer McUnDreamy?)

           

Desperate Housewives: Season One Finale

Backstory:  Somebody killed Deirdre, Mike's ex-fiancee from a decade ago and he's intent on finding the murderer. He believe it is Paul Young, who happened to kill another neighbour who was blackmailing his wife Mary Alice - leading to her suicide. Bree and her husband Rex are about to be separated (he's been unfaithful), her pharmacist is poisoning him to death, but no one else knows. Tom's ex-girlfriend is working at his company again and his wife is jealous and Carlos may be going to jail for some white-collar crime. Okay, good. Susan is walking around the street being her usual annoying self.

Rex gets a heart attack, but Bree is being passive aggressive and makes the bed before she drives him. (WTF). She realises it's serious and checks him in. Gabrielle suggests to Carlos that the baby she's carrying may not be his and he freaks out and attacks their new gardener, who's gay (WTF). Lynnette's ridiculous jealousy makes Tom lose his job (WTF! OMG!). Paul Young's son Zach is staying with a nosy neighbour Felicia, the sister of the woman Paul killed, who shields him from his father's location (she has actually sent Mike out to kill him OMG). Zack goes berserk when she doesn't tell him the truth and bludgeons her until he gets it (WTF! OMG!). The new neighbours arrive and though Edie sold them the house they refuse to let her show them around (WTF!). Susan's constant ridiculousness leads her over to Mike's house where Zack is waiting with a gun, she's trapped there for the rest of the episode (OMG). Rex's doctor realises that he has too much potassium in his blood and Rex immediately thinks Bree is poisoning him. He writes a note of forgiveness and dies, Bree receives the news cleans her cupboard of silverware and then sits down to wail (OMG). Gabrielle testifies that she was making her husband jealous which is how the mix-up came about, but her original gardener shows up and tells Carlos the news in court, who attempts to beat him up (WTF). Wait: there's more. We learn that Mary Alice and Paul took Zack to a new town when his druggie mother sold him to them. She returns three years later clean and wanting her son. A scuffle ensues and Mary Alice kills her (OMG WTF OMG WTF). They put the body in a box and put it out to sea. When Mike learns the truth from Paul he does not kill him, but goes home not knowing that Zack is there waiting with a gun (OMG).

            

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer:  Season Five Season Finale

Backstory: Glory is super evil, that's really all you need to know and she's planning on destroying the world by opening a portal that Dawn, Buffy's sister's, blood is the key to; hence Dawn is being held captive. Tara, Willow's girlfriend, has gone catatonic due to Glory's wiley ways.

The one way to stop the world is to kill Dawn, Buffy of course refuses. The gang decide then their best option is to avert the time of Glory's attempt since the world can only be stopped at a particular time (WTF). Xander proposes to Anya, who tells him to wait until the end of the world doesn't happen - OMG. Spike is finally allowed back into Buffy's house and the two share a heart-to-heart (OMG, so nice). The usual fighting hijinks ensue and there a lot of OMG moments (like Giles murdering Ben) but it's the end when Buffy KILLS HERSELF to save the world and we're all left doing a collective OMG WTF (this is the SECOND time she dis). Damn, I love this show.

               

Okay, that was one big splat of verbosity. This MEME is killing me, but I love it.

TV Meme, Day 22: Favourite Finale

I forgot to do a writeup for this day of the meme, so I'm doing it with only a few minutes to spare. I was planning on writing on "The Last One" Friends or "Everyone's Waiting" Six Feet Under. Both excellent finales, but I wanted to focus on one that was even more profound "Chosen", the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm not sure if Buffy would be regarded as a suphero, but if she is then this show is one of the best incarnations of a superhero.

Buffy and company must battle The First regarded as the ultimate evil being. The last half of the seventh season prepared for this seismic event with a host of potential slayers turning up in town in event of Buffy's death (again). The penultimate episode saw the return of Angel who gives Buffy an amulet that will be instrumental in her fight against The First. If you want a detailed synopsis of the episode, go HERE.

              

Buffy ends with a bang, literally. Yet, the beauty of the episode is more than the razzle dazzzle. Notice how the show is named after her? This has always been our look into Buffy's life and her growth and we watch her grow up in the season ultimately becoming an adult (finally, I might add) in this episode. She's never gotten the chance to be normal and the fact that the fate of the world not being on her shoulder is a great reason for this.

What's more, it ends with the characters going out just as they should. SPOILERS. It's just like Spike to be all bad ass and go out saving the world. Not necessarily because he's such a philanthropist, and perhaps not even because he loves Buffy so much (which he does). It's in Spike's nature to see things to the end, and his wearing the amulet is the only natural thing to do. It's sad, a little, but in retrospect it all works.

On the surface it seems as if "Chosen" is only interested in the big things, but when that final shot of Buffy smiling at the sun is seen we know that we've witnessed something big and important but something precipitated by the small and emotional. It's an excellent way to go out, and after seven years...what more could we have asked for?

              

This is all MEME related....still in the process of exams (two down, three to go), so excuse the incosistency in posts.

TV Meme, Day 21: Favourite 'Ships

I don’t know who invented this word (in this context), it’s a bit silly. If you don’t know what a ship is go HERE. Its entry in the meme – especially since yesterday’s post is essentially a variation on it. Nonetheless, I give you five “ships” (ugh).

Romantic 'Ships

Spike and Buffy in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer

I’ve never liked Angel, perhaps it’s because I generally find David Boreanaz to be annoying. Thus, I never really bought into the whole Buffy and Angel, true love yada yada ya. Since Spike easily trumps everyone in Buffy as far as I’m concerned the pairing with our heroine worked for me. Spike was still a badass (and a smartass) and he and Buffy still had their issues, but Gellar and Marsters had excellent chemistry.

Ross and Rachel in Friends

It’s probably the first television relationship that I was invested in. They were just supposed to be with each other, true much comedy came from them not together but they have good chemistry and Schwimmer and Aniston work well together. Those few episodes where Rachel was paired with Joey was just painful…and of course it’s the fairytale for all – a glamorous (if spoilt) and beautiful woman and a nerdy and somewhat neurotic man.

           

Alex and Izzie in Grey’s Anatomy

I was interested in their relationship even before they actually had a relationship. It’s more than just the physical, even though they do have some scorching chemistry but they play emotional opposite each other just as well. Of course with Heigl gone we might get Chambers paired with the exasperating Lexie (Chyler Leigh). They should just let him remain single. This relationship stands out as one of the best thing on Grey’s Anatomy.

             

runners up in order: Chuck and Blair in Gossip Girl, Chuck & Ned in Pushing Daisies, Rory & Jess in Gilmore Girls, Miranda and Steve in Sex & the City

         

Platonic 'Ships

Alex and Meredith in Grey’s Anatomy

I know, Grey’s Anatomy again. Sorry. I know I just spoke about the greatness of Alex and Izzie but maybe it was just me but there were moments in Season Two I was anticipating a relationship between our titular character and the resident delinquent. Both of them have severe commitment issues and though they’re not in a relationship their scenes together (though rare) are quite nice and they do work as friends. She was the one who convinced him to get married (and I know it's Cristina and Mer who have that unbreakable bond...but hmm, no).

            

Will & Grace in Will & Grace

As if you didn't see this coming. All chances of romance were off, but they still had amazing chemistry, ridiculous fights and undying love. Sure Jack and Karen upstaged quite often, but when it came down to the real relationships they had it going on.

      

runners up (in order): Chandler and Joey in Friends, Meredith and Cristina in Grey's Anatomy, Xander and Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

        

More of the meme HERE

        

Which ships float your boat?

TV Meme, Day 19: Great Casts

I’m, on vacation, a working one, blog-wise (which is a euphemism for writing exams). So in case you were looking forward to a five paragraph essay (which I doubt you were) no luck.

      
Only 12 pictures…enjoy…

MVP: Stockhard Channing

        
MVP: James Marsters

       

MVP: Lea Michele

                      

MVP: Marcia Cross

                   

MVP: John Krasinski

                   

 MVP: Megan Mullally

                   

MVP: Amy Poehler

             
MVP: Chandra Wilson

         

MVP: Kristin Chenoweth

                         
MVP: Michael C. Hall

                                    

MVP: Cynthia Nixon

               
MVP: Matthew Perry

Go and see more of the meme, HERE

TV Meme, Day 14: Favourite Male Characters

Sometimes I just get lazy and I can’t choose just one, hence for a few of the days to come I’ll be singling out a bloc of favourites eventually reaching the #1. Really, the question of asking for a favourite male character in all of TV is a difficult one – and it can’t be taken lightly. Let’s look at my top 5.
           
#5: Elmo (the Monster)

Show: Sesame Street

Actor: Kevin Clash

Trade Marks: Irrepressible glee and laughter, reworking of the “Jingle Bells” melody at his whim, devotion to Dorothy – his fish, learning through fun, cutness

Turn Offs: Dullness and silence

Why I Love Him: No character on Sesame Street is as iconic as Elmo. He’s red, he sings, he dances and he’s easily the most fun part of the show. I remember looking forward to his few minutes on the show… (…yesterday). Moreover, the celebrity guests really seem to love him and he’s just so personable.

       
#4: Robert Goren

Show: Law & Order: CI

Actor: Vincent D’Onfornio

Trade Marks: Making weird facial expressions, creepy voices, general freakishness, finding the murderer, sticking by his partner

Turn Offs: Murderers, deadbeat dads, doing things the usual way

Why I Love Him: Because he’s only the most badass detective in the entire Law & Order series. No one can stand up to his unorthodox investigating style, and his chemistry with Kathryn Erbe (who’s no slouch, herself) is just excellent. He’s always adding a little more to the character, sometimes hamming it but every now and then a nice serving of ham works.

                
#3: Spike

Show: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer

Actor: James Marsters

Trade Marks: Using sarcasm, rocking a leather jacket like nobody’s business, excellent fighting skills, calmness in the face of danger, constant badassery

Turn Offs: Angel, Slayers (save for Buffy), memories of his human form William

Why I Love Him: Spike easily wins for favourite Buffy character. Even after he gets back his soul and the First takes him over he still manages to display a level of coolness that is unparalleled. And then he even saves the world while still maintaining that coolness. What more could we ask for?

                  
#2: Adrian Monk

Show: Monk

Actor: Tony Shaloub

Trade Marks: A predilection for Kleenex wipies, Sharona (or that hack Natalie in later seasons), getting to the bottom of crimes, devotion to his dead wife – Trudy and her murderer

Turn Offs: Dirt, killers, physical contact

Why I Love Him: Because Tony Shaloub is excellent, and even though he held a monopoly on the Emmy race for a number of years – it was well deserved, he was always good. He remains as one of those rare freaky comedic characters that don’t get on your nerves and time after time after time he managed to find the hilarity and the smartness in one of USA’s greatest creations (the network, not the...country).

               
#1:Chandler Bing

Show: Friends

Actor: Matthew Perry

Trade Marks: Use of sarcasm and (often bad) jokes, a certain gay “quality”

Turn Offs: Cross-dressing fathers and lascivious mothers, women with a braying laugh

Why I Love Him: Chandler Bing is Friends. Perry’s ability to make Chandler’s annoying tics interesting and genial is something I’ll always admire him for. As Luke pointed out, kudos to the writers and the actors for making a marriage on network TV last and that has a lot to do with Perry’s ability to be humorous while doing the most rote things. Could he *be* any funnier? 

            

This is part of the month long devotion to TV.
         
What are your thoughts on my choices...any other ideas...?