Confessions of a TV junkie....

I admit it.  I'm a TV junkie.  Having grown up with television as part of daily life, it's no surprise.  I don't remember when my parents got a TV, but I do remember sitting in front of one every Saturday morning, bowl of cereal in hand, watching Rin Tin Tin, Sky King, Ramar of the Jungle, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, The Little Rascals, and The Three Stooges - not to mention all the cartoon shows and local heroes like Johnny Ginger, Jingles, Poop-deck Paul and my favorite, Soupy Sales, who were on every day after school.

Poopdeck Paul, Milky the Clown, Captain Jolly, Jingles, Johnny Ginger, and Bozo

As the years went by, and I was allowed to stay up for some night time TV, it was all about the cowboys - Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, and Bronco Lane were my favorites - possibly my first celeb crush was Ty Hardin as Bronco Lane...or maybe Fess Parker as Davey Crockett.

Ty Hardin and Fess Parker

 Then the teen/pre-teen years of Dr. Kildare, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, and Captain Kirk at the top of the list.  

Richard Chamberlain, David McCallum, Robert Vaughn, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner

As I matured (somewhat anyway) and settled into marriage and motherhood, the TV obsessions kind of took a back seat, but never completely left as they lay in wait for me to have the freedom to indulge again. lol

Fast forward to recent years - me, a retired little old lady and what happens?  POLDARK.  Holy moley, that show awoke the kraaken!  I mean, I've always had my list of current favorites, with Sean Bean at the top for a long time (the Sharpe series reeled me in), but the Aidan Turner obsession was one to behold.  I put that past tense because, though he's still numero uno, I'm no longer watching him practically non-stop like I was with Being Human, The Hobbit, Poldark and anything else I could get my eyes on with him in it.

Which leads me to the reason I started this post - my latest obsession:

OMG.  I love this show so much! I have a post on this blog from when Lucifer first aired saying I think I will like this show.  However, it was on at the same time as another favorite show and with no DVR or Hulu, it was somewhat forgotten.  I'm a fan of Tom Ellis from his Miranda days, when he played Gary, so about a week ago, while browsing Hulu (thank you Alex) I found all 3 seasons, up to the current episode available and starting binging.  Now, I'm driving my sister/roommate crazy with Tom Ellis this and Lucifer that.

This show has everything I love about a TV show.  Good writing and good casting with well-defined characters that you come to know and love.  Lucifer has left hell and moved to Los Angeles where he falls in with a police detective and helps to solve crimes in his own unique way.  It's very much like Castle in the early years with a strong supporting cast that becomes like family to the viewer.  The dialogue is witty and the acting top-notch.  Tom Ellis says so much with a single look.  I can't get enough of him. Like Castle and Beckett, his relationship with Chloe Decker is intense and at the same time fun.  You can tell by the number of you tube videos that a lot of other people feel the same way I do about the show.

It will be interesting to see where the writers take the story.  I sincerely hope they don't ruin it by putting Lucifer and Chloe together as a couple with engagement or marriage as a goal.  That's what led to the demise of  Moonlighting and Castle as far as I'm concerned.  They need to keep their relationship like Sam and Jack on Stargate - ever present, obviously in love, but not ever saying I Love You out loud to each other,(except in dreams, aternate universes and such - lol).  Also the writers need to never forget the importance of the supporting characters in Luci's life - Mazikeen, Trixie, Ella, Dan, Charlotte, Amenadial, and Dr. Linda.  Remember on Castle, when after they got engaged and she went to the FBI and Esposito, Ryan, Lani, Martha and Alexis were hardly seen??  I hated that season so much and almost quit watching.  At any rate, if you loved Castle, you will most likely love this show too.

My favorite episode is in season one A Priest Walks into a Bar - I just love the piano duet with the priest and the one at the end with Chloe.  I love that it shows Lucifer, who is definitely a fish out of water in his human form, coming to grips with the fact that despite the polar opposite of devil and priest, he finds he really cares about Father Frank in a way he never knew he could.  It also brings him closer to Chloe who teaches him the value of friends in a time of need.  My other favorite episodes have scenes with Trixie, Chloe's Adorable-with-a-capital-A daughter and Maize, the demon who escaped hell with Lucifer and is his bodyguard of sorts.

There's a lot of videos on You Tube if you want to see what it's about.  Just search 'Lucifer or Tom Ellis'.

Aimee Garcia (Ella), Keven Alejandro (Dan), Lauren German (Chloe), Tom Ellis,(Lucifer), Tricia Helfer (Charlotte), Leslie-Ann Brandt (Mazikeen),  D.B. Woodside (Amenadial), Rachel Harris (Dr. Linda), Scarlett Estevez (Trixie)

And for your viewing pleasure: 

Lucifer and Father Frank piano duel

Poldark - PBS, season 2, revisited!

With season 3 of Poldark starting overseas, I decided I would re-watch season 2 to try and figure out why I found it less satisfying than season 1.  Don't get me wrong, I still loved it, but just not quite as much as the first season.

I've come to the conclusion that the friction between Demelza and Ross, even before his great transgression, seemed to trump everything else that happens.  As Demelza points out, the bloom of new love has faded and she is having doubts as to whether or not Ross still loves her.  She's quite snarky is several scenes.  Now, Demelza is supposed to a spirited, street-wise, feisty kinda gal but she was closer to being menopausal in some of her scenes.  Let's face it - married couples argue and go through hard times and one would expect that the Poldarks are no different.  What strikes me is how much these argumentative scenes stuck in my mind so much more than the affectionate, loving ones.  Why was that?  The stocking scene was so sweet, sexy, and loving - as was the tub scene, but they did not have as much impact as the snarky ones for some reason.... at least for me. 

Another thing that stands out is how dense Ross is regarding Demelza's insecurities. Really, there was a least two times I wanted to smack him. lol  When Demelza says 'Elizabeth looked good tonight' and he looks up with a little half smile and says Yes, she did - really Ross, you couldn't throw in a 'BUT she doesn't hold a candle to you, my love' or something like that? His block-headedness really hurts her.  He was like that in the first season too, so it's not like he would change.  Still I really feel for Demelza at those times.

Ross' infidelity was a major story point in this season.  It has been discussed to death all over the net - was it rape or not?  I felt the show made it seem less like a rape, more like a half-hearted attempt to not give in to passion on Elizabeth's part - an angry desire to have her before George does on Ross'.  As expected, his actions nearly destroy his marriage and it's hard to watch the struggle to keep it from falling completely apart.  The final episode leaves us hopeful.

I took more time paying attention to Dr. Ennis and Caroline's story and have to applaud both Luke and Gabriella for their great acting.  They really bring the characters to life.  In fact, everyone in the show is so good.  Great casting, costuming, sets, music, directing, and a GREAT story - oh, and George gets the snot kicked out of him - what more could a viewer want?

What I enjoyed most was the transition of Francis from a self-centered fop under George's control to a kind, loving father and husband.  I love the scenes of him with Geoffrey Charles out in the fields, and the big one where he tells George in no uncertain terms to stay out of his home and his life.  It was wonderful to watch Kyle; witness how good an actor he is!  His heartfelt conversation with Demelza before he dies is just so well done and is truly my favorite scene. As much as we all love Aidan's portrayal of Ross, it is Kyle's portrayal of Francis that really shines for me this season.

I have to be patient until October gets here so I can watch season 3.  I know it will be worth the wait.

Housebound, and ready for spring......

I've had a sinus issue for a few days now and have been laying low.  I should be packing for my move coming up soon, however, I did this instead:

I have thrown out so many photos in my desire to downsize all my stuff as much as possible.  It's a challenge for sure.  I hope you can see the vid on your phone if that's what you are using - if not, find a pc !

Happy Spring !!

Put a little love in your heart.....please!

The Golden Rule - most of us have heard of it, some of us practice it, even people without religion in their lives have to admit it's a simple blueprint for getting along in this world.  So what has happened to it?  Where has the concept of live and let live gone?

I've been thinking about this lately as I see things on the internet, largely on Facebook.  Social media and the anonymity of the virtual world has given the world a platform for expressing the most heartless, sometimes shocking, often cruel thoughts that enter their collective heads.  Proudly proclaiming their disdain for what they call 'political correctness', they spew their dark side without a care for what they are saying or who they may be hurting.

"The term political correctness (adjectivally: politically correct; commonly abbreviated to PC,^... P.C., or p.c.) in modern usage, is used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to particular groups in society."  ~Wikipedia    

The idea of being politically correct has become a negative thing - perhaps due to some people taking it to a ridiculous extreme.  In my mind, however, being p.c. is just an extension of the Golden Rule.  Do Unto Others...  It's not that hard and if anyone took a moment to apply it to their lives, this world would be a happier, kinder place.   Plain old-fashioned courtesy, respect - things you learned in Kindergarten!  Just because you think it, doesn't mean you should say it. 

I've seen a lot of posts on Facebook about what a crappy year 2016 was and how they are glad to see it go.  I can't say it was great for me personally, but I don't have much hope for 2017 to be better.  With the election of an mentally unstable person to our highest office and his choice of cabinet members, I am very concerned about my future, as well as the whole nations.  What concerns me most are the probable loss of affordable health care for thousands of my fellow Americans, cuts to social security - without it, I'll be homeless, the Twitter-in-chief getting us into a world war, and the most pervasive side effect I've ever seen, that being the demise of the Golden Rule particularly at a time when the world needs it most.

 Let There be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin With Me

 

Poldark - season 2 finale

The weeks just went to fast for season 2 of Poldark!  I'm looking for ward to getting a copy of the DVD with the uncut version.

Overall, I was pleased with the progress of the story and how it stayed close to the books in most areas.  I did feel there was something missing though, which was inevitable due to the story line.  That being affection between Ross and Demelza - you know the hand-holding, hugs, easy banter, etc.  Even before the extreme lapse of marriage vows,  there was a lot of angst what with the trial, the death of Francis, the troubles at the mine.  Now I'm not forgetting the lovely, sexy stocking scene or the bath, (was wishing I was Demelza for those! lol)  It's just the little everyday signs that say 'I love you, value you, want to be with you'.   I missed seeing that.

I had a lot of anxiety watching this last episode, especially when Ross dons his uniform - I know from the books he does not go off to war, but wasn't sure if the script would reflect that.  Happily it did and even more happily we got to see Ross in his army duds and luckily I didn't keel over from that vision.

Also I was wanting, as I'm sure most viewers were, to see some sort of reconciliation between Ross and Demelza and was forced to wait until the final five minutes!  That should not surprise me, but I was worried it might not happen and I'd have to wait until next season.

Really, Ross can be such a dumbbell.  There were a number of times when he and D verbally sparred over his affair, where she expressed her feelings of inadequacy, that Elizabeth was his ideal, that she could never be as good as her and he never once gave argument or denied that was not true. It wasn't until she was packing her bags that he FINALLY tells her that his true; real; abiding love is for her and her alone.   That simple statement went a long way towards healing their breach.  What took him so long??  Oh yeah, the writer.... had to keep us on the edge of our seats.

I was happy to see Dr. Enys and Caroline get back together.  George was his usual weaselly self and Aunt Agatha drops a bomb on Elizabeth when she suggests the baby might come sooner than March.  Oh-Oh!  We vets of the soap opera world know that any time there is illicit sex, a baby comes along, so no surprise there.  What will George do when his son arrives looking a lot like Ross?  Ha!  I hope we'll find out before the series ends.

Sigh.... a long wait for season three.............

  

Just shoot the bastard...... please !

(all pictures are screen prints from episode 9)

Poldark episode 7, PBS Detoit

I held off commenting on last Sunday's airing of episode 7 of the Poldark series here on PBS.  I wanted to think about it for a bit and I wanted to find out what was cut from the final scenes first.

 

Having read the books, I knew that at some point, Elizabeth would agree to marry the upstart George Warleggan and that Ross would have a melt down and take his anger out in a most unbecoming way. 

In an earlier post about the book, I was really hoping Debbie Horsfield would not make Ross look like a rapist and yet, after the show was over, I was thinking that was too much the other way.  The look of desire on Elizabeth's face practically challenged Ross to take her. She didn't seem to fight him off all that much while in the book she clearly says No and even slaps him before he carries off to bed.  That had me wondering what was cut.  

I posted on facebook about it and one of my fellow fans posted a link to You Tube showing the scene and I have to say, it was much more forceful, more in line with the book.  I have to wonder why our area PBS felt it they had to show the watered down version (with a viewer discretion warning at the beginning)  Maybe because of the time slot at 9 p.m.?  Over here, racier things are usually shown at 10 p.m.  - I'm talking about network TV not cable, where anything goes.  At any rate, I can remember seeing more shocking things on I, Claudius years ago than what was in this episode!  Go figure.

Was it rape or not?  This has been heavily debated all over the net and basically, it's up to the reader/viewer to decide if it is or not.  For a lot of us, No means No, however Elizabeth's protests, which at first seemed sincere, died quickly and she was clearly wanting him as much as he wants her. 

Does that make it OK? Of course not as we see when Demelza knocks him on his butt when he comes home the next morning.  

So Ross has fallen from grace.  Can he get back his self-respect and his true love?  Well, I know since I have read all the books, but for those who haven't - my mips are smealed.  LOL

Here is a link to the uncut scene for those who want to watch it.:

Can You Offer Me Anything Else?

 

One last thought, even if Ross would leave Demelza for Elizabeth, would she have been happy being penniless?  I don't think so.  Demelza came from nothing and knows how to survive hard times.  Elizabeth is used to a certain standard of living.  Ross could not give this to her - George could, and even more.  So even though she denies it, George's money has to be a large part of her decision to marry him.  I don't really fault her for this, but I do for keeping Ross dangling on the edge of her feelings instead of cutting him loose completely.  If she can't have him, then nobody else should.  I hate that.

Looking for Kindness in a Nation gone wild...

It's been a rough week for many us and a joyous one for others.  The results of the election are horrifying to me, but I'm hoping my fears will be wrong.  I will happily eat humble pie if they are.  My biggest problem right now is the backlash on social media, Facebook being the one I use daily.

I had hoped once the circus was over, it would get back to a place I liked to be.  Don't get me wrong, I've found myself hitting the reply button and sharing certain things that speak to the way I think.  I have decided that I need to stop doing this.  I need to remember the words that I can so clearly hear my mother saying  - "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything".  Trust me, this will be a challenge for me and one I will hope to fulfill.

Currently the hateful memes and comments just keep coming from both sides.  I feel the people who create these memes have hate in their hearts and everyone who shares them becomes complicit in that hate. I'm asking, begging actually, that my family and friends stopped sharing them.  Just. Stop.  It hurts my heart to see you being used as an instrument in hate-mongering.

I want to know how you are doing. I want to see your photos from that event you attended or those adorable shots of the kids, grand-kids, pets.  I want to share, virtually, in your joys and your sorrows. I want to congratulate your accomplishments.  It's up to each of us to bring back the sense of community in this little space on the web and I'm hoping we can all find peace in our hearts and get back to kindness

"Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me"  listen to this beautiful and meaningful song here:  Let There Be Peace on Earth

As always, you are free to agree or disagree and your comments on the topic are welcome.  Any political comments will be deleted. 

Poldark, Season 2, Episode 4

Poldark on PBS

Good show last night!

Having read the books, I knew Francis was going to get in deep trouble at some point this season and last night's episode was it.   It was especially heartbreaking because he had finally come to realize how manipulative and horrible George really is and had forged a new bond with Ross.  I really liked the opening scenes with Francis and Ross running along the beach.  I had a hard time watching as he froze and drowned in the dark waters of the mine.

Earlier in the episode we see Elizabeth telling Ross she may have made a mistake in marrying Francis and that she will always have a little of Ross in her heart.  I have some sympathy for the two of them and what happened, but what good is it to bring it up?  Elizabeth was finally seeing her husband as he should have been all along and she is not content with that?  I understood her frustration when Francis was whoring and gambling away all their money, but things are looking up for them at this point.  Anyway, Demelza was giving both a look that said 'what's going on with y'all?' even while she was conversing with Captain McNeil and it's good she didn't know.

Also, we see an even darker side of George when he calls Aunt Agatha an old crone and hopes the next time he sees her, she's six feet under.  lol  Mind you, Aggie isn't know for being a sweet old lady, but neither Francis or Ross would like hearing that.  As for me, I'm thinking the upstart will regret antagonizing her!

Back to Francis, overall my favorite scene of the episode was his heartfelt conversation with Demelza, made shortly before his tragic fall in the mine.  "You must do away with the notion that
someone has done you a favor by letting you into this family" - that was so sweet as well as good advice for poor Demelza.

Kyle Soller as Francis

One last thought.... does anyone else wish the bath tub scene was a tad longer??

Ooh-la-la !