Awesome Sauce

October is usually a pretty slow month for me in terms of this blog. After the deluge of shows in September, things cool down considerably in October, right along with the weather. Oh, and there's the small matter of me being worn out and weary from September. The fact that no one actually reads this blog is also a minor factor.

It seems my laziness comes with consequences. Having given Revenge only a good-ish review of the pilot, that's the impression that seems to have stuck with the few out there who read this. Being so very "meh" about life in general led me to neglect my television watching duties and I never got around to mentioning that that show is actually pretty damn delectable. As such, I feel it's necessary to recount the awesomeness of some of my shows, starting with, of course...

REVENGE
My friend at work seemed to take away a rather more negative critique of the pilot than I had intended in my review, but that might just be revisionist history. The pilot wasn't perfect or anything, and it's a night-time soap after all, but I enjoyed it. Based on my new love of the show,
I could very well be misremembering my initial impressions. Whatever the case, this show has gotten good. The first few episodes had a "revenge caper of the week" aspect that gave me pause. Sure it's fun and all to watch Emily eviscerate her foes in creative ways, but I couldn't help but think, "Geez, at a person a week, she better have about 87 people she needs revenge on or this show won't even make it a season..." I had high hopes that the more week-to-week elements would come together at some point, but feared that the writers might be taking the "procedural" to new levels. Much to my delight, not only did everything start to come together last week, but it came together in a nail-biting, awesomely soapy, devious, twisty way. I was initially a little worried about Emily Van Camp's ability to carry a show like this and a character like hers, but she's absolutely wonderful in the role. The whole show is insane, so her cool, calm iciness is a wonderful grounding element and also a lovely foil for the hot-blooded nutjobs all around her. She's been playing the long con for a long time and now it's all coming together... with disastrous results. In last week's episode, elements from all the revenges she'd had so far came together to bite her in the ass and nearly expose the whole gambit. It's a deliciously tense soap opera that I have been sucked into hook, line, and sinker. Because it's a soap, it's wonderfully over the top and outrageous. Will it be winning a ton of Emmys? Probably not (even though many of the actors do a really lovely job). But that doesn't mean it isn't a hell of a lot of fun. The writers have a plan and as a viewer, I can tell. They clearly figured things out before they started filming, unlike so many other shows that just simply spiral out of control. This show is focused and has a season endpoint in mind (as evidenced by the opening sequences of the pilot). Jessica and I just went back and rewatched the the first part of the pilot and it's a hell of a lot more intriguing now that we know who everyone is. If you're watching the show, go online and rewatch the first 10 minutes or so. And if you're not watching, get caught up. It's malevolent fun. In all honesty, it's the only new pilot that I'm this invested in. I'm enjoying Pan Am well enough, Ringer seems to be getting better, Prime Suspect is pretty good... but really, Revenge is the winner so far of the new fall slate. I've only seem one episode of Once Upon a Time though, so stay tuned. Parting thoughts for those of you who watch the show? I can't remember his name on the show, but that friend of Daniel's? Yeah, methinks he's secretly in love with Daniel and that he's not actually wealthy at all. Con artist all the way. I think a con artist knows a con artist when he/she sees one and that's why he and Emily are about to explode. That and, of course, the fact that Emily is dating the man that he loves. Muahahahaha! So good. So soapy. Yes, please.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but this show is so freaking fantastic I can barely stand it. For anyone out there still holding onto the always erroneous assumption that this is a Twilight rip off, allow me to once again disabuse you of that notion. TVD is not a cheesy, tacky, predicable tween romance of a show. It's just a kick-ass supernatural show, plain and simple. Okay, so it's not plain and simple at all, really. This show covers an insane amount of ground at a breakneck pace, but somehow, they totally pull it off. It never feels forced or lame. It just feels awesome. And thrilling. And surprising around every corner. And it just keeps getting better. Seriously, the first two seasons were fantastic. The third season is even better. They have brought their A-game in a big way. Even if you think you might know what's about to happen, you don't. Just accept it. You'd think after 50 something episodes of twists and turns that they'd surely have run out of road by now, but no. Best of all, they tie all the storylines and characters and supernatural creatures together in such a way that no one gets left out in the cold and you pretty much have to be invested in everyone and everything because they all affect each other in equal measure. With True Blood, good lord, you could completely forget about half the characters on the show and it wouldn't make a bit of difference. With TVD, even if you think something might be inconsequential, it probably isn't. Last season got a little convoluted toward the end, but pulled itself together. So far in this season? The storytelling is tighter than ever and the Originals are even more awesome than I ever could have expected. Now they just need to pull that effing dagger out of Elijah's chest and thing will really reach a zenith. There have always been characters that I cared about less than the others, but holy hell, nowadays, even Matt is kind of interesting. Truly remarkable. Oh, and the new Elena? Much improved. Speaking of Elena, how insanely hot was that scene between her and Damon in the gym when he was showing her the way to stake a vampire? Holy shit! Those two have some insane chemistry, I tell you what. (It seems the practice they get off screen is doing nothing but good...)

THE GOOD WIFE
You know that dead horse that I was beating with TVD? Well, here's that horse's sister. Also heading into it's third season, The Good Wife is just as delectable as ever. After as insane and explosive as last season was, I'm not sure I can say it's better now than then, but it's at least on par, which is pretty damn fantastic. TGW knows how to write characters and knows how to reinvent people and storylines in a way that always keeps you on your toes. Kind of like TVD, you may think you know where something is headed, but you don't. Even the most seemingly innocuous B-plot totally matters. In this last episode, brilliantly titled "Marthas and Caitlins", Alicia is giving the ostensibly random task of selecting a new employee. She opts for the Martha (and I think we all have an idea in our heads what a "Martha" is like) over Caitlin (again, it's impossible not to have a preconceived notion here), but later finds out that Caitlin is David Lee's niece, who is given the job for that very reason. It might seem like the show is simply highlighting nepotism in the workplace, but they always pull storylines together that affect the characters on a deeper level. As it turns out, this isn't simply a throwaway arc or random instance, Alicia was the "Caitlin" when Will got her the job. Will had to hire Caitlin because David Lee helped him get Alicia over the more qualified "Martha". OUCH. The payoff was brilliant. What's more, I'm hearing rumor that Martha will be back at some point in a big way. Prediction? She and Alicia will be squaring off in the courtroom and Martha will be out for blood. So awesome. Also this last week, we got to see more of the unbelievably satisfying and delightful interactions between Eli and Kalinda (that these two never paired up before is a travesty) and we also got to see Alicia and Cuddy bond (sort of). Drunk Alicia is one of my favorite Alicia's, and even though I'm sure Cuddy has some evil up her sleeve (or was she wearing it on her sleeve?), it's always incredibly refreshing to see people in fiction interacting in a way that isn't juvenile or annoying. Cuddy and Alicia are at odds, but they're adults, and they act like it. Well, most of the time. I know TGW has a reputation out there for being a show for old women (Dear Happy Endings, not only does this show appeal to more than just old women, but it's funnier than your show, even though it's a drama, so maybe you should back off), I've turned a number of people onto this show from a wide range of demographics and they all love it as much as I do. It is, quite simply, the best show on network TV.

Aside from those three, there are some returning favorites that bring me joy (Nikita still kicks ass and Castle always makes me smile), but those three are the real standouts right now. I'll keep you posted.