vagabondjonson

I worry that other countries watch programs like this and think that it is indicative of American culture. The problem is, this show isn't satire. It isn't lampooning anything. They're actually representing that doing bad is "not recycling" and doing good is refraining from telling ridiculously dramatic and emotional people that they're idiots. The clichés in this show go beyond simple cliché to the point of being a political cartoon. Boys are are simply dogs with huge genitals with the words "sole motivation" tattooed on them, girls are represented by bear traps chained to a big metal ball that has "needless drama" chiseled into it, and homosexuals are represented by a "Martyr" brand bottle of maple syrup with a big "Can do no wrong" slogan underneath their name, and all of these things are jumping up for a brass ring that says "Popularity" on it. I used to teach and if a girl in my class came up and said, "I feel the need to express myself, I would have advised her that she was absolutely free to do that after class on her own time." And if you play football and you throw a slushy in an Asian girl's face because she's in glee club, I might not be able to get you expelled but I guarantee, you would be my bitch for the rest of the year. And if you threaten to kill a gay kid because he's gay, I might not be able to get you expelled but, again, you'd be my bitch for the rest of the year. I really like Jane Lynch and the musical numbers are entertaining at times but gosh this show is awful. I've come away from the episodes I've seen just feeling frustrated that this is a cultural phenomenon.

I really liked this movie. I think a lot of people didn't because they got hung up on the potentially confusing aspects of the concept. It doesn't come out and hit you in the face with the rules for this game that the characters play which is a good change for people who like smart, understated stories and don't need everything spelled out for them in suppositional monologues from secondary characters. This is a great movie for just collecting data about the story until the end. Has great themes of sacrifice and redemption and pretty good cinematography too. Lots of other movies have tried to be serious about quantifying "luck" and where those movies failed, this one succeeds because it doesn't hang itself with specifics. There's no way to guage how "special" you are. Just spin the chamber and hope for the best. You will get a lot more out of this movie if you don't try to "figure it out". Just accept what you see until the movie's over, then appreciate the poetry of it.

Yes, this is a great vehicle for Nathan Fillion because he's gets to play the lovable scoundrel, which truly is his bread and butter. I was worried when I saw the pilot that they were going to shoot their premise in the foot but was impressed at the end when they gave you a new basis that could last longer than a few episodes. Now if we're fair and judge this show on it's writing and acting rather than on our excitement that Nathan Fillion is back then we must conclude... that the show is still pretty good. I have been impressed with the story lines up to this point and while the short description of the "who-dun-it" may sound like scenarios we've heard before, these writers aren't satisfied with a "Law and Order" ending. They've already thrown out the triple and quadruple switchbacks with the uncovering of the culprits. And all the while allowing Nathan Fillion to fill the screen with his smarmy charm and allowing him to cavort with an attractive, albeit, hard-boiled female cop.

The great part about this show is that they haven't really set up Fillion as a Sherlock Holmes. He is playing a seemingly educated street-wise poetic guy, but he isn't the one with all the answers. For every conclusion he draws, the female lead makes just as many and may refine Fillion's, which is wise on the writers' part because his character works because of the inherent flaws that come with being a writer rather than a detective.

It's a clever show that's a must-see if you're a Fillion-atic and a pretty good hour even if you're not.