Category Archives: Television
Congratulations, Class of 2012
It’s that time of the year. You know the one…fresh-faced eighteen-year-olds throw off the shackles of their high school prisons and greet the “real world” — or most of them greet the crazy-college-world-that-is-nothing-like-real-world — with excitement. Their heads are filled with cliches and platitudes about taking risks, finding themselves, and how their purpose is their rudder in life. Their hands clutch their yearbooks and their hearts cling to high school friends and relationships. They are sure of themselves or completely confused, or more likely a combination of both.
Yes, it’s high school graduation time. Read the rest of this entry
Supernatural: Asylum/Scarecrow
Shudder. Supernatural is certainly hitting all of my “creep” spots, and we’re only halfway through the first season. It makes me wonder what other nightmares are in store for me in the future…
Supernatural: Bugs/Home
This week I watched “Bugs” and “Home,” two episodes about houses and family. Is it true that you can never go home again? Read the rest of this entry
Belly Up to the Bar, Boys (and Girls)
Last week, in honor of the arrival of St. Patrick’s Day, we talked about setting a story in Ireland. On the heels of the holiday that drives people into drinking establishments better than any other, it seems only natural to segway into a discussion of a locale that also pops up with regularity in storytelling: the bar. Read the rest of this entry
Supernatural: Skin/Hook Man
Here we have a pair of episodes that, together, demonstrate what in this show works and what doesn’t. Let’s begin with a look at Episode 6 (where a LOT works): Read the rest of this entry
Supernatural: Phantom Traveler/Bloody Mary
If we’re scoring these Season One Supernatural episodes by creep factor, Episodes 4 and 5 win for creepiest of the season so far. Read the rest of this entry
Supernatural: Wendigo/Dead in the Water
So I realized after watching the first couple of episodes that I’m going to need to increase my basic knowledge of the supernatural in order to really feel like I’m getting the richness of this show. I’ve got vampires, were-beasts, and zombies covered, but a wendigo? Thank goodness for Wikipedia. Read the rest of this entry
The Human Side of Power
It would be impossible to have a President’s week on a site that discusses creativity and storytelling without discussing the West Wing. Aaron Sorkin took television by storm in 1999 with this drama about fictional President of the United States Josiah “Jed” Bartlet and his senior staff, taking us inside the west wing of the White House and captivating audiences for seven seasons. But what is it about this show that is so compelling? Read the rest of this entry
Supernatural: Pilot
I love television. I especially love excellent television, but I can find the good in many things (except, perhaps, season 4013 of the Jersey Shore, Jersey Nursing Home). Because people who know me know I love television, I am constantly getting recommendations for shows to watch. Trouble is, there are too many shows, and there are other things that occupy my time, like hiking or having dinner or writing.
Thank god for the existence of Netflix and television on DVD in general. It allows me to catch up with shows that have consistently been recommended, and consume them in vast marathons, needle-to-the-vein style. On this site, I’ll be reviewing shows that I probably should have been watching all along.
One note about comments. Please try to avoid spoilers in the comments, as I’d like to try to experience these shows knowing as little advance story as possible. If you’re going to talk about spoilers, put SPOILERS at the top of your post in big letters.
First up is Supernatural, starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. I like supernatural television in general — old school fan of Buffy and Angel, and The Vampire Diaries is my current obsession — and knowing this, many fans have been surprised I don’t watch Supernatural. So it’s time.
The first season has twenty-two episodes, which I’ll watch and review over the course of twelve weeks A.V. Club style: Episode One and Episode Twenty-Two will get their own posts and the rest will be reviewed two at a time. So here we go, starting with the Pilot.
Creatively Unhinged 