When I was a kid, Hockey Night in Canada was a mainstay of my Saturday nights. There was always a game and we always watched. So long as “my” team was winning, that is. If they weren’t performing well, I’d make some excuse to go do something else. Take a bath. Read a book. Go to bed. I still can’t bear to watch a game when “my” team is getting thrashed, such as during the 8-1 drubbing Vancouver took earlier this week. Once things started going south, I decided it was time to catch up on DVR shows.
I posted my review of Kate Atkinson’s Started Early, Took My Dog a day or two ago. Next up will be Satori by Don Winslow, which I finished yesterday. I returned to Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson am also reading Quick Red Fox by John D. MacDonald. Last year I read Travis McGee #1-3. Maybe I’ll do #4-6 this year.
What do I have to do this month in terms of writing? I have to think about a topic for next week’s Storytellers Unplugged essay (any suggestions? I’m drawing a blank at the moment), write at least one short story (maybe two), and get my next Cemetery Dance column in hand. That one is due in early July. For those of you who haven’t been keeping up, I do an online version, too.
The Killing took an interesting tack last week. With only two episodes remaining after that one, they basically stalled the investigation to handle Sarah’s domestic problems. Good characterization, but I’m sure some people were frustrated by it. Her issues with her son did arise in the Danish version, but they were doled out more throughout the episodes instead of condensing them like this. And the bit about her “mother” actually being her social worker, that’s new. Also, the stuff about the casino is vastly different from what happened in the Danish version, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of Twin Peaks yet again. It will be interesting to see how this gets wrapped up in two more commercial filled hours. I suspect that a lot of things that happened in the Danish version won’t appear. There simply isn’t time.
The all-too-short “final” season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent is quickly winding down. I remain fascinated by Goran’s counselling sessions, which look like they may be coming to a head. Got a kick out of the murder-by-Viagra plot this week, too. Fortunately they skipped a lot of obvious easy jokes.
A little bit of time dilation going on with Law & Order: Los Angeles. Rex Winters is back from the dead, as is Jaruszalski’s mustache. I guess since the series was canceled they decided to burn off these episodes filmed before the “refit.”
Glad to see Covert Affairs again. Annie is an interesting character, especially the way she has to handle her private life since she lives with her sister. A lot o her problems would go away if she simply got a place of her own, right? I’m not a big fan of the whole Arthur drama, as I don’t care for his character or the fact that he’s being investigated. Less Arthur, more Auggie, that would be my recommendation. But do they ask me? No.
I’ve always been on the edge with Men of a Certain Age. It should be exactly my show, since I’m exactly their characters’ age, but I don’t identify with any of them. I don’t have a domineering father, I don’t have insecurities or addiction issues, and I’m not Peter Pan denying my age, either. Some of the situations they get into just make me feel uncomfortable, and it’s not the good kind of suspense. And, quite frankly, they’re all a little whiny so far this season. I think Joe was happy that his son was overcoming his insecurities but also a little jealous, too. I almost cheered Owen at the end of this week’s episode when he put Terry in his place. “No, you’re not going to quit. You dug me a deep hole and now you’re going to help me fix it. We all have problems. Now grow up.” Amen. The mocking voice over when Terry was hitting on the caretaker was pretty funny, but are they seriously expecting us to believe that Joe is going to start taking bets instead of making them? Is that where his arc is leading? Blech.
