"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

Monday, December 30, 2013

Top 10 TV Shows of 2013

2013 brought a series of triumphs and upsets to television. While many critics lauded cable and online dramas, sitcoms started to fall out of the spotlight. As sad as it is to admit (being the passionate sitcom lover that I am), this shift is starting to become an accurate picture of television. In 2013 most cable and network channels (with the exception of Fox and TBS) opted to do away with the more daring sitcoms in favor of mainstream sitcoms that they thought would draw in bigger audiences. This "CBS" way of thinking resulted in the most unimpressive set of new fall sitcoms in over half a decade. Many dramas on the other hand took 2013 as a chance to flip the script and create some of the best moments on television in years. My love for sitcoms means this list will definitely be more comedy heavy, but dramas occupy many of the higher spots this year. Two of my top five shows are straight forward dramas, and one is a crime drama with heavy comedy elements if that gives you any idea of 2013's lack of sitcom strength. There are a few spoilers ahead, but I tried to keep them as minimal and vague as possible.

Honorable Mentions:
Community: Yes, season 4 was a ghost of the Dan Harmon run show, but I don't think that every single episode was a complete failure. Some of the mishandled episodes still had slightly rewarding messages. I thought "Heroic Origins" was a decent attempt at an origin story for the study group. The episodes "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations" and "Herstory of Dance" are two episodes that I actually thought were pretty great. The "re-Harmonized" season 5 writers must agree to a point since Brie Larson's character from "Herstory of Dance" is being brought back this season (which I am very excited about). All I'm saying is that I've seen this season on some "10 Worst" lists this year, and it shouldn't be there.

Psych: If I had another space on this list, it would probably go to this show. A few highly questionable plot choices in season 7 have it sitting here. Not a bad season, just not the best the show has seen. This show is television's best take on the "Sherlock Holmes" formula, even if the show has never explicitly admitted that that is what it's doing.

Ground Floor: Bill Lawrence's first post-Cougar Town sitcom has shown a lot of promise, but shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Mindy Project have just been on longer and had more of a chance to prove themselves. I look forward to seeing where this one goes. Briga Heelan has been the standout cast member so far.

Elementary: The appeal of this show to me is all about Lucy Liu's Joan Watson. I like the female take on the traditionally male character, and watching the way her character develops a relationship with the emotionally distant Holmes is the main draw here. 

10. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
From the same minds that created the proven sitcom juggernaut Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn is easily the most impressive new comedy of the fall 2013 season. It took a while to find its footing, but Brooklyn has some very impressive writing aided by a diverse cast of characters. Not every joke lands, and the characters sometimes come across as more of a "character type" than an actual person, but the heart of a show like Brooklyn is the writers' ability to sometimes sacrifice the joke for a genuine emotional connection with the characters. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has some growing up to do, but that puts it miles ahead of most new shows this year. 

9. The Mindy Project
Dr. Mindy Lahiri has a vain and shiny outside, but a warmly neurotic and nerdy inside. In 2013, The Mindy Project made for some great TV. The series that struggled to find its main cast and direction in 2012, came into its own in 2013. The driving force in the show is Mindy Kaling, who has some of the most hilariously subtle nuances of any actress on TV. The show excels in its handling of the will they/won't they romance between Mindy and her coworker Danny. Mindy has slowly grown to see that Danny is more than the hard exterior that he puts out to the world, and Danny in turn has grown to see that Mindy is a strong and caring woman. The scenes where these two characters find each other alone and see each other in their emotional nudity are some of the best moments of TV in 2013. 

8. Go On
The most devastating cut of the late spring renew/cancel season was Go On. This show was easily the most witty, daring, and heartwarming series to emerge since Community and Cougar Town. I think Go On was the victim of many tragic judgments and misunderstandings. First, people apparently can't watch Matthew Perry without seeing him as Chandler from friends.  Yes, there are similarities between Chandler and Ryan King, but what was really great about King was that his character grew out of a major life tragedy. In fact, that's what made the entire premise great. Second, many people who saw the show thought that it was either too mainstream, or not mainstream enough. I didn't see it as mainstream or non-mainstream. It was simply a show about a sometimes bizarre subject matter that embraced its identity instead of hiding from it. It was far more creative than the laugh track laden CBS comedies, and had wits enough match up against NBC's sitcom royalty. The show had its flaws, but overall it found a balance between humor and pain that few other shows, sitcom or drama, have been able to.

7. Enlightened
Enlightened is another sad case of a show that ended too soon. It didn't go out without making one last final declaration of defiance, however. Season one of the show lacked direction and focus, but season two knew exactly what it wanted to accomplish and did it beautifully. In an industry that admires male characters falling apart, Amy Jellicoe (Laura Dern) is a refreshing change of pace as the highly flawed woman working tirelessly to make herself and the world better. In season two we see Amy taking on the company she works for by trying to expose all of their illegal and unethical practices. It is a journey unlike any other show on TV this year, right down to the final episode in which we see Amy confront everything that she has been fighting. Seeing Amy's triumph in that final episode was easily one of the most satisfying moments on TV.

6. New Girl
New Girl started to find its voice in 2013. The writing was quicker, wittier, and more charming than in years before. Another smart development in the show was making Winston a bigger character. I had always thought that Winston was one of the funnier characters on the show, but in 2013 I kept hearing people say how much funnier they thought he had become. It was a good development, until for some odd reason they decided to stop and focus on returning character, Coach. I understand how appealing it must have been for the writers to develop a character that they never had a chance to develop, but losing Coach was the biggest stroke of luck that New Girl ever got as a young show. Unlike the beautiful blend of levelheadedness and craziness that embody Winston, Coach comes across as smug and hard to relate to. Adding Coach was just one of a few unusual plot twists, such as the increasingly frustrating Schmidt and Cece situation. I can't see any logical conclusion to that situation on the horizon. Overall though, New Girl is one of the funniest shows on TV in a long time, and I have no doubt that the writers have some vision of where they are going, and that there will be many laughs along the way.

5. Cougar Town
Cougar Town had a lot to overcome this year. After being put on hiatus, then postponed, and finally cancelled by ABC after a lackluster (in ratings, not quality) third season, the show was given a very risky pick-up by TBS. What TBS knew that ABC apparently didn't was that promoting a show is a necessary step if you want viewers. I will be the first to admit that the show had a few minor struggles in season 4. Overall it was just slightly less witty and charming than it had been in past seasons. Let's be clear though, it was nothing close to the Dan Harmon-less Community debacle. For the most part, Cougar Town deserves a round of applause for moving to a new network and changing show runners without becoming something that fans could no longer appreciate. To be certain, Cougar Town is in the top tier of TV comedy, and season 4 was no exception. The highlight of the season was easily the origin story episode "Flirting With Time," a hilarious and extremely charming look at how the group met and changed each others lives in ways they never knew. I'm looking forward to what this show can bring in 2014.

4. Castle
No show's consistency impressed me more in 2013 than Castle. There wasn't a bad episode all year. Being in its sixth season, this is the point where you might expect most shows to lose their edge. This isn't the case with Castle. The smartly timed and perfectly carried out relationship between the title character and his detective partner Kate Beckett gave the show new life going into the fifth season and continuing into season six. What really makes the show shine however is the way it perfectly balances tongue-in-cheek humor with whodunnit crimes worthy of a Dashiell Hammett novel. There hasn't been a crime solving couple with this much chemistry and humor since the film adaptations of Hammett's The Thin Man. The writing for the show is also excellent. Castle's edge over other crime dramas is that the writers come up with genuinely interesting mysteries for their characters to solve each week. Other shows either lean far too heavily on the science and procedure of it all, or they bait audiences with tasteless gore. Castle was all about the whimsy and genuine mystery in 2013.

3. Parks & Recreation
 Parks & Recreation has the biggest heart on TV, and in 2013, no show had more consistent laughs (though Cougar Town came close).  The genius of this show in 2013 is that we saw each character reach their goals (Season Five), and then have them taken away in some form (Season 6). This show is never better than when it makes its characters the underdogs, and season 6 has done exactly that. The jokes are great and plentiful on Parks, but its the heartfelt moments that will stick in people's minds. Watching Leslie essentially give up her seat as a city councilwoman to defend the right of the Eagletonians (a group she notoriously despises) to vote, is easily one of the best moments TV moments of not just this year, but any year. That moment encompasses what Parks is all about. Doing the right thing despite self interest. Leslie Knope is the hilarious modern day Atticus Finch, and TV desperately needs that.

2. The Newsroom
Most critics have a fairly hefty disdain for The Newsroom. Those who don't, seem to pass it off as mediocre. My theory is that many dislike it because it has the gall to tell people that there are right and wrong practices, and that it's about time we stop being so complacent about the wrong ones. Critics love a show that displays the many shades of wrong, but hate being told there are any definite rights and wrongs in the world. The Newsroom is more than just a lesson on morals, and season two proved exactly that by not leaving any character a high road to take after the disastrous report on Operation Genoa. Much like Parks & Recreation, every character spent the season facing multiple failures and having to find strength in humility. The show's greatest asset is Aaron Sorkin's amazing penchant for writing the fastest and wittiest dialogue on TV. The episode, "News Night with Will McAvoy" is a self-contained masterpiece of character dialogues, that highlights all of the show's best qualities. Unlike most cable dramas (except Enlightened), these characters are growing up instead of sinking down, and it's refreshing to watch. The critics are white noise at this point. The Newsroom built on a great first season with a better second season that culminates in the perfect two part finale. It ends with a torch of hope in an ocean of turmoil.

1. The Good Wife
I have never seen a show turn a solid, awards garnering, premise on its head like The Good Wife has done this season. The result is a smarter, more intense, beautifully written show that caught just about everyone off guard. First, you have to give credit to Robert and Michelle King as creators/showrunners. Most people wouldn't have the guts to take their critically acclaimed show and turn it into a whole new animal after five seasons, but they took a huge risk that has thus far turned out to be the best decision they ever made. The best two arguments I can give for The Good Wife being the best show of 2013 are the episodes "Hitting the Fan" (yes, that title means exactly what you think it does) and "The Decision Tree." In, "Hitting the Fan," Will, Alicia's boss, mentor, and former lover, finds out that Alicia has been planning to leave Lockhart-Gardner and take clients with her to start her own firm, Florrick-Agos. An explosion goes off. This episode shifts the entire balance of the show. Friends are now enemies. The line between hero and villain is blurred. Alicia betrayed Will, but in many ways, Lockhart-Gardner had repeatedly betrayed Alicia. "Hitting the Fan" starts off a season long war between the two firms that creates some of the most quick witted, emotionally intense, and oddly laugh out loud hilarious moments the show has ever seen. By the time the show reaches "The Decision Tree," both firms have had ample opportunities to bruise each others' egos, and it has been ugly. The tension of Will and Alicia's unspoken, and at this point highly unobtainable, love for each other reaches a head in this episode. Will tries to hurt Alicia in court by bringing up a discussion they had during their secret relationship together. There is a scene in the episode in which Will tries to play out in his head how he thinks his courtroom examination of Alicia will go. He imagines himself trapping her in lies as a revenge fantasy, and there has never been a more clear look into the mind of a man who is burdened with the anger of a love lost than in this scene. Both Josh Charles and Juliana Margulies give the best performances of the series in this episode. The emotional depth these actors reach is astounding. The episode ends with a giant cliffhanger that leaves one character doing a spit take in the very last second of the episode. That spit take just about sums up this season of The Good Wife, so far. No show has me more anxious to tune in each week, and never have I been so glad to have no idea what to expect when I do tune in.


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Review: Christmas Is Here by Brandon Heath




Christmas Is Here, by Brando Heath is a nice Christmas album that has a couple missteps, but mostly brings a lot of charm to the season. Like with most CCM Christmas albums, this one has three different kinds of songs: traditional Christian, traditional secular, and original. The traditional Christian songs are where Heath excels. I'm always looking for a good cover of a traditional Christian Christmas song. That was one of the highlights for me with this album. This is the first album in my collection to have the songs In A Bleak Midwinter and O Little Town of Bethlehem. Heath's covers of these songs are simple and reverent, which is something there isn't enough of in modern Christmas albums. 

Added to the list of traditional Christian songs are; Away In A Manger, Go Tell It On The Mountain, Silent Night, and O Come All Ye Faithful/Angels We Have Heard On High. Heath does a good job of covering all of these songs, but none of them stood out to me as the best versions I have ever heard of these songs. If you are looking for an awesome version of Go Tell It On The Mountain (tied for my personal favorite Christmas song), then you're better off going for Francesca Battistelli's version. That being said, if you aren't looking for near perfection with any of these songs, Heath does a good enough job of covering them for the casual fan. 

The lone traditional secular Christmas song on the album is The Christmas Song. Nobody comes close to doing this song as well as Nat King Cole. That being said, I have heard and loved a lot of covers of this song, and Heath's version is just as good as any of those. 

What really makes Heath's album worth owning are the original songs. Well, at least most of them are worth owning. The Day After Thanksgiving, an attack on celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving, is easily the worst song on the album. I'm partial, cause I think complaining about when people start celebrating Christmas is just pointless and stupid. If you are a Scrooge who is into that sort of thing, then yes, the song has an okay sound to it. I would just like to point out that this album came out in October. Just A Girl is an interesting take on the night of Jesus birth from the perspective of the Inn Keeper who denied Mary and Joseph a room. A lot of times when people do original songs about this subject, it comes out as cheesy or overly sentimental, but Heath does a really good job of not going overboard with this one. The stand out on the album for me is Momma Wouldn't Lie To Me. This fun, hilarious, and well written song is reason enough to buy the album. 

Track Listing: 
Track 1: The Day After Thanksgiving
Track 2: The Christmas Song
Track 3: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Track 4: Just A Girl
Track 5: In The Bleak Midwinter
Track 6: Momma Wouldn't Lie To Me
Track 7: Away In A Manger
Track 8: Go Tell It On the Mountain
Track 9: Silent Night
Track 10: O Come All Ye Faithful/Angels We Have Heard On High