Big Brother- My Big Dumb Ex-Fiance

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the fifth week of Big Brother. So watch the eps, pronounce it 'Neandrah-tall, then read what I had to say.

Brendon's Ex-Fiancée's Mom- "When my family and I sit there and watch the show, we are so grateful that she didn't marry him."

It wasn't my plan to write about Brendon and Rachel again this week, but with ammo like this how can I not? They just create too much entertainment with their stupidity. You really can't beat the fact that Brendon had a fiancée that dumped him because he was an "emotional roller coaster." I also loved that she pointed out that he's using all the same lines on Rachel as he did on her. I mean I can't blame him, there are only so many things to say in this world, but he is going feel like a complete idiot when he watches the season back this fall.

Seriously what is wrong with this guy? You come on Big Brother for one of two reasons. To win $500,000 or to get your face out there and look really cool on national television. Brendon, apparently, didn't want to do either of these things. With how lame he has acted he couldn't have wanted to look cool in front of America, and now he sabotages himself to try and let Rachel get further in the game? What? He asked the viewers if we thought he was an idiot for giving up half a million dollars for someone you love. My quick answer is no. I don't have a problem with that. He's an idiot for loving this train wreck of skank in Rachel. She is the absolute worst.

Even more on the gruesome twosome. Brendon really reminds of Big Kat Will Kieffer in his somber moments. As he loafed around after losing the HoH at the beginning of the week, I thought I was watching a depressed Kitty Kat on a Saturday night at VC. After his Big Kate impression he went into LeBrick mode to end the week, as he promised to get revenge on everyone who was mean to Rachel in his farewell message. He was taking notes people.

I had two favorite, and most thought provoking, Rachel comments of the week. The first was when she asked "how did the scrawniest, weaseliest dude in the house win another endurance competition?!?" Well you see Miss Hair Extensions, the little skinny guys always win these challenges...have you not seen the show before? The endurance comps are about strength, they're about staying up the longest, and when you're 250 pounds, that's difficult.

She then complained that Brendon didn't compete for her in the HoH comp. She said that when he needed her to step up, she did...twice. No! You won a couple of guessing games. They weren't endurance comps. They weren't strength comps. They were even intelligence comps. They were hitting a buzzer and guessing in a one out of three fashion. You are just as terrible as he is!

Well on the positive side of things, the Brigade is in really good shape at this point. It's very surprising that they've made it this far without getting outed. They are now four against four in this house, and two out of the other four are to some extent pawns in their game. Matt is in so good with Ragen that Rachel and Brendon thought they were in an alliance. Britney, although is a bit of a wildcard, feels she's really tight with Lane. as long as there are no hiccups, they are on their way to being the final four.

If I'm one of them though, I make a move to get rid of one or two of the others. I'd say Enzo and Lane are probably worse than the other two at comps, so I immediately try to maneuver a way to get one of the other Brigaders out of the house. You can't chance yourself getting to the final four and then just losing out against your teammates. If Matt thinks he's the first of the four to get booted, I'd try to end up with Kathy and Ragen at the end. You gotta think about all of your plays at this point.

We shall see. If I were to predict at this point, I'd say Enzo or Lane win this whole thing. They haven't made as many enemies as Matt or Hayden, so they have a better chance at the final vote. One of them is bound to get there.

Covert Affairs- Stars Align

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's episode of Covert Affairs, 'In the Light'. So watch the ep, turn a couple of dogs with treats, then read what I had to say.

Auggie- "If anyone's going to be sucked in by his evil vortex I prefer it be you."

This review of Covert Affairs was mainly due to Alan Sepinwall's twitter actions this week. He mentioned that "Like most USA shows, (it) will rise and fall on its guest stars." While I agree with the sentiment, and believe it is the case with almost all procedurals, I don't believe that should be reason to watch or not watch a show.

One of the main reasons I don't watch any of the Law and Orders, CSIs or many of the other procedurals out there is because the main characters are that appealing. Sure there are plenty of other reasons, but the lack of intriguing leads is the downfall of many of these shows. Without the backing of great serialized story telling, you will rise and fall on your lead stars.

Procedurals like House, The Mentalist and Justified through the first half of its inaugural season mostly rely on the greatness of their respective leading men. That's why I've stuck with Covert Affairs. I hate to say it, because I rarely show love to the females of the television world, but Piper Perabo has me coming back week in and week out on Covert Affairs. She brings a Sarah Walker-esque hotness and butt-kicking combination that should keep most guys' butts in their seats.

Sure she doesn't fight as much as the Chuck star, but her lack of training in this spy world is something sets her apart. Perabo plays Annie, the right out of CIA school operative that is called upon for her language skills.

Now ask me why I currently enjoy The Mentalist more than House. Go ahead. Well...since you asked, it's because the other main characters in House don't do it for me anymore. Sure there's Wilson, but that's it. The Mentalist has Cho, Rigsby and Lisbon that make the hour enjoyable throughout the season. Similarly, Covert Affairs has a couple of ringers, that paired with Perabo, make for an all-star cast.

Christopher Gorham's Auggie Anderson is quickly moving up my list of favorite characters. Now that might come from my previous love of Gorham's work on Harper's Island, but he plays this character as very charming and funny and it works extremely well. The fact that he was injured in the field, causing him to lose his eye sight doesn't hurt his cause either. You know, the sympathetic vote?

Yeah there is Mohinder from Heroes, Wilson's dead girlfriend from House, and that woman that played the reporter in Studio 60 (what you don't remember? come on! great show), and they're all great so far, but the other one keeping me interested is the great Peter Gallagher. After his unappealing stint on Californication, it is great to see the best dad in television history back to his old self. Although he's not as hip and witty as Sandy Cohen, Gallagher as the head of the CIA is a great addition to this cast.

Blah, blah, blah...some no name actor with no exuberance is playing someone on some random procedural...no thanks. Give me stars that I love, and I'll watch every week.

Having said that, there are obviously going to be minor ups and downs on a procedural that uses guest stars in a semi-prominent role every week. Week's like this one it is an up. What do you expect when you have that dude from ER and the terrible President Charles Logan. What's great about Gregory Itzin in this episode is that I couldn't help but think he was completely dirty though the whole thing. That is just what happens when you terrorize the United States as the President.

Just because it's a procedural doesn't mean it can't have bits of serialization thrown in the mix. The long running story line of Annie's ex-boyfriend going rogue behind the scenes should play more of a role as the season goes on, which will be nice.

All in all a good start to a show on a network that I have never given a chance. It's not gonna set the world on fire, but as pure entertainment, it gets the job done.

Mad Men Review- Smiling Dick

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's episode of Mad Men, 'The Good News'. So watch the ep, get yourself a big Texas belt buckle, then read what I had to say.

Lane- "We're not homosexuals, we're divorced!"

Last night, over at TV Fanatic, I reviewed the third episode of Mad Men's fourth season, 'The Good News'. I thought it was a really good episode. Mad Men does this sometimes, so it's hard to say it wasn't very Mad Men-eque, but in a way it was. When I think of the show I currently think of the office, and Don's life in New York. So whenever he makes his trip out to California, things just seem more fun. Don himself always seems more fun in La La Land. So for those reasons it already was ahead of the curve.

Add to that the fantastic dynamic between Don and Lane during the last 15 minutes and you have a straight banger of an ep. These are middle aged guys who are currently down on their luck in relationships (and business) who go out for a night on the town as a couple of bachelors. The movies, a fancy restaurant, a comedy show, and a couple of hookers? What more can you ask for on New Year's? Lane coming out of his proverbial shell was just what the doctor ordered for me.

So head on over to TV Fanatic and read my review, recap and quotes from the ep. Or just say "what's up?" on the comments.

Mad Men 403- 'The Good News'
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Hung Review- Beaver Or...

Lenore- "Did Tanya put anti-Lenore ideas in your head?"

This morning over at TV Fanatic I reviewed the sixth episode of Hung's second season, 'Beaverland'. It is a title that worked so well on every level that they decided to get away from their silly way of giving episodes two titles. Seriously, 'A Man, A Plan or Thank You Jimmy Carter'? 'Sing It Again, Ray or Home Plate'? It worked for Dr. Strangelove, but it really is just messy here. It seems as if they can't decide on the most memorable moment of the ep, and give it two names. I'd almost give it a pass if they did it every single time, but then there are weeks like this one where the title is just 'Beaverland'.

So head on over to TV Fanatic and give my review some love. Because here at the Quiet Pool Perspective, we don't care if you actually read the reviews, as long as you leave a nice comment. Hey even a vote of 1 Star for the episode would be nice.

Hung 206- 'Beaverland'
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The Wire Season One- I Bought It Off Wee-Bey

I will start with a bit of a non-spoilery review of the first season of The Wire, so that if there is anyone out there that is behind me in watching this series, they can be encouraged to get out and do so. I will then go into a more detailed analysis for those who have already seen the show and therefore are better at the tv game than I am.

The first season of The Wire is a very good 13 episodes of television. The story telling of David Simon and his crew is emaculate. The way the entire season plays out from beginning to end is extremely well done and I have very little complaints after finishing the season (well maybe more than I thought when I wrote this paragraph).

Having said that, when comparing it to what I've heard, it's not that great. The Wire is known, by the majority of critics and enthusiastic television fans alike, as the best drama in tv history. The first season didn't prove to be that for me. Like I said, the story telling is great, but it may lack in a couple other areas.

For all of its grit and raw stylings, it doesn't hold a candle to some of my other favorite shows in the ways of pure entertainment. It may be just my personal preference, but I need more excitement. In the way that Lost or Chuck portrays a sequence, I gets me more intrigued. Sure The Wire's atmosphere makes it much more realistic, but real isn't always as entertaining.

Again, don't get me wrong. This was still a fantastic watch. For all of the reviews that I'ver read or heard that say The Wire is the best show of all time, they're all coming after the whole series was over (or right before the final season anyway). Even when Larry and Mags were watching the first couple of seasons in college, they didn't rant and rave about it like they did of Lost or even 24. My feeling is that the series as a whole might be better than each individual season. Also maybe the first season isn't as good as later seasons (heard the third is fantastic).

After only 13 episodes, I'd put it in my top 10 dramas of all time. I would not be surprised if it jumped into my top five or three by the end of my catch up project, but I don't see it beating out Lost as my favorite all time show.

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the first season of The Wire. So watch the 13 episode season, fashion some dollhouse furniture and sell it, then read what I had to say.

D'Angelo Barksdale- "Where the f*ck is Wallace?!?!"

There are some great, layered characters in this first season. Between McNulty, Daniels, D'Angelo, etc. you have so many dudes that go through great character arcs in a quick 13 ep season.

McNulty- The dude is all about taking down these drug lords for months and months. He's risking his career. He's losing his family. Then when he feels he is responsible for getting Greggs shot, he shuts down. He doesn't care about it anymore. It takes Major Rawles getting all up in his grill before he accepts that it wasn't his fault. Even after that he doesn't seem into it anymore. He comes back at the end to tie up the loose ends, but he sure isn't the same man anymore.

Daniels- This was a guy that we first met wanting to go by the book, and bide his time until he made his way up the police ladder. He didn't care about this ridiculous case against Barksdale that he was forced to control. Slowly but surely, he figured out that taking down these dudes was what 'real police' was all about. By the end of this season, he was convincing the others to keep on it, without any pushing from McNulty.

D'Angelo- A kid that "grew up in the game." He kept doing his thing, trying to prove himself to the higher ups in the organization. All the while wavering like he wasn't sure if this was actually what he wanted to be doing. He wanted Wallace to get out, and when he almost took that deal with the cops, he wanted to get out too. By the end of this thing, family was thicker than a good life, and the kid took his 20 year sentence for his family. Just crazy.

Having said all that, as good as these characters are, I wish they were more engaging. There's no one in this cast that is even half as interesting as Walter White or Jesse Pinkman of Breaking Bad. The only one that came close for me was Avon Barksdale, and that may only be because I'm imagining him as Motar from Above the Rim.

As we take a look at the quote I pulled to lead this section...D'Angelo screams "Where the f*ck is Wallace?!?!" while he stares at the great Stringer Bell through the prison glass. I love this for two reasons. One: it was the moment that I thought D'Angelo was really ready to flip, disown his family, and turn in the whole crew. Two: I was almost just as upset about Wallace as D'Angelo was.

Wallace, played by current Friday Night Lights star Michael B. Jordan, might have been my favorite dude on the show. This kid was in the game, but he might have been the best person in the season. I'm including every single cop, attorney, politician and civilian. Wallace was a great kid, stuck in a game he didn't want to be a part of. When he first handed out the juice boxes to those little kids, I ate it up. Of course they had to go and mirk this kid. He was too good to leave around. Just extremely sad.

But as exhilerating and emotional the moments were just before and after Wallace's murder were, you know what could have made them better? How about some score? Yes, yes, I'm sure the purists love the fact that there is absolutely no score on The Wire. All the critics that have been bagging on ABC recently for their new pilot No Ordinary Family having score that, like the rest of their shows, "tells you when to feel this or that" must love The Wire.

Again the non-score, and non-music of The Wire adds to its realism, but maybe could have been enhanced by a good score. If you're gonna sit there and tell me that Michael Giacchino's score on Lost didn't make it that much better, then you're crazy. How about John Williams ability to make a scene excel through music? It's a part of some of the best shows and movies for a reason. Maybe it wouldn't have worked in the case of The Wire, but it's worth thinking about.

What makes this non-score/no music thing even more interesting is that Simon's next project, Treme, is so inherently based on the music of the show. After watching Treme, T-time pointed out that he can't imagine music was that big a part of The Wire and therefore he was impressed by Simon's versatility. After realizing that there is hardly any music in The Wire, I'm sure everyone should be that much more impressed.

There is plenty that I didn't get to, but I hate reading long reviews, so I really don't like to write long ones either. As I finish up here, I'd like to reiterate that I loved this first season of The Wire. It's so much easier to pick out the stuff that you didn't like about a show, than write about the stuff that worked. So there you have it. I'm looking forward to four more seasons. As the fall is just around the corner, I'm not sure when I'll get to them, but believe me I will.

And I'll leave you with the words of Stinger Bell..."Nicely played."

Big Brother- You Are One Pathetic Loser

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the fourth week of Big Brother 12. So watch the eps, flatter someone by making fun of them, and read what I had to say.

Hayden- "Rachel nominated Kristen and I because she thinks we're coming after her...everybody's coming after you. Nobody likes you, or Brendon. Every time I talk to Rachel, I tend to throw up in the back of my mouth."

Well the story of this fourth week of Big Brother was the outing of Hayden and Kristen's show-mance, and how they dealt with being on the block together. Here at the Pool, we could care less about that, because the two of them actually dealt with their show-mance in a respectable fashion. Don't get me wrong, in no way do I condone any individual getting involved in a faux romantic relationship on a reality show. But if you're gonna do it, they did it (well at least Hayden did it) without making me want to slap them in the face.

Rachel and Brendon, on the other hand, have not been as successful. These have to be two of the most annoying people currently on television, and when you put them together, it's that much worse. Seriously, could Rachel's repetitive squeaky laugh be any more irritating? Highly doubtful rube. Then there is Brendon, who has put himself in the running for the most pathetic man on the planet. Does he know that he's on national television when acts like such a pansy towards Rachel?

"Can I tell you that I love you very much?" What are you doing guy? It's not even acceptable to act that way in real life when you're by yourself with your girlfriend. In front of a television audience of eight million people? Worthy of death. But it gets me all riled up, so the producers and editors have done their job.

Moving on...After the house guests were shown the trailer to The Other Guys before the luxury competition, Jackie Boy tweeted this, "has anyone laughed at a movie trailer more than the members of the big brother house?" Well the answer is yes, EJ Rogers at his second trip to the theaters to see The Hangover. But he's right, the Big Brother contestants come in at a close second. The Big Brother voice has to come over the loud speaker and say that if they don't crack up they will be on slop for the week right? Unbelievable how hard they laugh at this stuff.

And so now we move on to some actual Big Bro game play that occurred this week. Rachel put Kristen and Hayden up on the block because they were outed by Andrew as being a secret show-mance. Well that made her jealous of them because her and Brendon weren't the only couple in the house, so she decided to hate them for it and put them up. The huge cat fight between the two girls gave us this gem from Britney (who continues to light it up this season) "Phuh-nominal...the irony of them being in a boxing ring was not lost on me."

Britney won the PoV competition and started to work some game. She thinks about taking Hayden down if Rachel can be convinced to put Kathy up in his place. This way she'll gain some trust in Hayden and Kristen, and not pee off anyone else because no one has ties to Kathy. In the end it doesn't get done because Rachel mentions that she might use Lane as the replacement. All in all it was a nice attempt at a move by Britney, but in the end she made the right decision to not use it. Don't ruffle any feathers.

Hayden, knowing he has the votes of the Brigade does no campaigning at the end of the week. Kristen does do some major campaigning, and does a good job of it. I was impressed that she took the time to find an angle, finally figured out that there was something going on with Hayden, Enzo and Lane (even if she didn't get all the way there), and went to all the remaining voters with her plea. A nice way to exit the house, as she only ended up getting Kathy's weekly sympathy vote.

The Brigade continues to get stronger as the numbers in the house dwindle. Now with only nine contestants left in the house, their entire alliance is only down 5-4 in votes. It's only a matter of time before they take control of the place. Or is it only a matter of time before they get outed and have to fight for their lives? It should be interesting as I've never seen this big of an alliance seem this tight before.

Mad Men Review- All I Want For Christmas Is Lucky Strike

Pete: Who would wanna miss Christmas in New York?

Trudy: Chestnuts roasting on a greasy man's open street cart, my goodness.

Last night I reviewed the second episode of Mad Men's fourth season over at the TV Fanatic. Upon hearing from the boss man that he was going to give me Mad Men for the rest of the season, I got a bit worried. Am I going to be able to continue writing up opinionated reviews on this series without completely trashing it? At the Quiet Pool Perspective, I trash what I want, when I want. In the world of television criticism, it is blasphemy to criticize the all-powerful Mad Men. The show is slow and tiresome at times and I'm going to have to give in to boredom at some point.

This week's ep was again quite good, if not thoroughly entertaining. We explored different avenues of several characters. On the plus side, little Sally Draper was highlighted. On the creepy side, it was because Glenn was flirting with her. This kid, played by show-runner Matthew Weiner's son Martin, is creepy to the point that I'd think about hooking him up with CJ Alleyne.

Some more good news for me. I'm not sure if it concerns anyone else, but I have also been assigned Sons of Anarchy and One Tree Hill for the fall at TV Fanatic. Because I love the former, and used to love but now hate the latter, I am absolutely looking forward to reviewing both this year. I have so many great things stored up to say about Jax and the Sam Crowe crew. And on the other side of things, I have plenty of hate built up on the Tree Hill crew.

For the time being, head on over and read my review at TV Fantatic. Or once again, just comment on how great the show is. Or on how dull and boring it is. Either way, comments are appreciated.

Mad Men 402- 'Christmas Comes But Once a Year'
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Hung Review- I Put My Weed In There

Patty: This one time I was on a diet pill and I stayed up for 67 hours... I lost three pounds.

Hung has come to a pretty big catch 22 for me. The show really needs to be an hour per episode, because hardly anything ever happens from week to week. Having said that, I am usually disinterested in whatever is going on, so another half hour per week would probably be pretty dreadful.

This morning, over at TV Fanatic, I wrote up a review on the fifth episode of the second season, 'A Man, A Plan.' Again, nothing much of note happened. The show finally has decided to explore its minor characters. Last week it was Ray's son Damon, who got a bunch more screen time this week, and last night it was Ray's assistant coach, Mike Hunt. Yes, you read that name correctly. It's no wonder that a show that is this blatantly obvious in its sexual nature would randomly name one of its characters that.

And now for some good news. There are only five episodes left in the season! This fall I will be reviewing The Office and 30 Rock at TV Fanatic, so there is something else to look forward to. But for now, just head over and read my review and comment on how terrible this show is.

Hung 205- 'A Man, A Plan'
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