I've been watching tv

[frayadjacent]

I was pretty disinterested when The Mindy Project came out because I'm not usually drawn to stories that focus on romance (no disrespect to those who are, it's just not my cup of tea), and the whole "professional woman succeeds in work but fails in love" added an extra layer of unappealing. However, I read an interesting interview with Kaling in a waiting room magazine a couple years ago, and I adored Kaling's character in The Office. In December we finally got around to giving it a try.

At first I had mixed feelings. I loved Mindy Lahiri almost immediately. Her boisterous charisma, her love for her job, her romanticism, and most of all her confidence and unwillingness to apologize for herself, are all my fannish catnip. Also, Mindy Kaling has incredible comic timing and writes and performs her character so well. But everyone else was completely unfunny and uninteresting, the Dianne/Sam thing with Danny left me cold (that trope usually does) hot with rage at what an asshat he was.

But the show evolved, something with the writing or acting gelled and it started to work better for me, maybe mid or late S1. Though Mindy is still the center of it for me, I enjoy the show as a whole more than I did at first. I'm not thrilled about recent plotlines and I maintain that Danny has a lot of self-improvement to do before he deserves to bask in the glory of Mindy. But really, as long as she keeps being a badass gynecologist and eating doughnuts and making me laugh out loud more than most things on television, I'll be fine with whatever this show does.

In February we watched Empire and fell under the spell of Cookie Lyon. There was a lot to like, but Cookie and Porsha's dynamic was my favorite. The finale was so upsetting though! I just want everyone to unite against Lucious and support each other. (Actually I'm not sure I want Andre in on that.)

One thing I liked about it was that despite having an ostensible anti-hero main character, the show avoided the things I hate most about that trope by giving it a strong ensemble with all the characters having agency. I never feel manipulated into rooting for someone I detest because the show actively encouraged me to root for Cookie, or Jamal or Hakeem, often against Lucious.

Also, I have never seen a show that appeared to be written not just about, but also FOR, Black people, to the extent that Empire is. Like I feel like this show really doesn't care much about its white audience and is very interested in Black points of view. To the point that the show even employs a Black stereotype of a scheming, manipulative white woman. It's refreshing to see (not so much the stereotype I suppose, but the rest of it).

After mourning the season finale of Empire and the series finale of Parks and Recreation, we watched all of Broad City. I predictably fell in love with Abbi and her goofy face and their friendship. It has an unrequited lady-love thing that for some reason doesn't bother me. The show is fun and adorable and I liked it a lot. The season 1 finale -- directed by Amy Poehler! -- was my favorite episode.

I recently started watching Bunheads with a friend -- I haven't had a tv date with a friend since I left Seattle, so I'm really happy to be doing that. I spent the whole pilot going "WTF is happening I hate this trope why does chaila like this show well I guess I better trust chaila not to lead me astray oh the lead is having sex she likes and now she's dancing with Emily Gilmore things are looking up WAIT DID I HEAR THAT PLOT TWIST RIGHT IS THIS SHOW MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR MEEEEE?????". I spent the next two episodes basking in the glory of those last few minutes of the pilot and delighting in the general absence of men *anywhere*. And adoring Bunheads!Emily Gilmore. And the teenage girls who are all very cute. I'm looking forward to more.

Finally, we've recently started Steven Universe and it's super adorable and fun. I would like it to spend more time with all the Crystal Gems, I don't enjoy the scenes with Steven without the Gems as much as I do the whole group. I'm like 6 or 7 episodes in so no spoilers!

I'm still watching and mostly enjoying Elementary, but I don't have anything to say about it. At all, ever, lately, now that I think about it. :/ I do enjoy reading fannish interpretations on Tumblr, and I always love Elementary fic.

I stopped watching Sleepy Hollow after the episode with Katrina's evil pregnancy. I didn't hate quit (though if anything were to get me to, that'd be high on the list), I just lost motivation, especially when I kept hearing general fannish unhappiness at it after that. I heard the finale was good. I still intend to watch it, it's just a matter of carving out the time and motivation.

Mr Adjacent and I started a Buffy rewatch about a year and a half ago, and we stalled out on season 6. Which used to be one of my favorite seasons, but lately I don't have it in me to watch characters I love suffer like that. Anyway, we finally pushed through (I watched the last 4 episodes without him) and are enjoying S7 quite a bit. I'll never be a S7 detractor -- though I do tire of Buffy's speeches.

I can't wait for Orphan Black to start up again!

Comments

[lilacsigil]

I see we stopped watching Sleepy Hollow at the same time! I didn't hate-quit either...it just stopped having room in the schedule or in my brain. I hope to hear good things next year.

And Bunheads was a weird, great little show! Apart from a bit of fat-shaming, I really enjoyed all the women and girls interacting and making their own lives.

[frayadjacent]

Heh, it seems like a few of us all stopped Sleepy Hollow at the same time!

Yeah, there has already been some fat-shaming within the first few episodes. :(

[purplefringe]

WOOO BUNHEADS! I powered through all of that recently! I *love* it, and am SO sad it was cancelled. All those inter-generational female friendships are so heart-warming and wonderful. It's so soothing to watch. (Apart from the overwhelming whiteness of everyone, which is my only criticism.) And I love love love Michelle, and her sarcasm and humour. And love Fanny and all the girls, but I especially *adore* Boo. (I really want someone to make me a vid about her.)

My flatmates and I also stopped watching SH after the skeevy pregnancy ep...or rather, we lost enthusiasm, got a bit behind, and then made a collective decision not to bother catching up after we heard all the unhappiness around Irving. But I really miss Abbie and Jenny and Ichabod, and I hear next season may be more of a return to what we all loved about S1, so I might binge-watch and catch up with it all...also I have a super cracky Ichabod vid I want to finish, and the obsessive completist in me can't countenance using footage from only 1.5 seasons, when there are 2 seasons available... /o\

Orphan Black SOOOOOON!! :-D

[frayadjacent]

Boo is sooooooo cute, I would love to see a vid about her. (Though I gotta watch the rest of the show first! I just remembered the other night I dreamt that I watched chaila's Bunheads vid and got spoiled for stuff and was disappointed in myself for not waiting. Weird!)

Fanny is my favorite part of the show right now (no surprise there, I adore Emily Gilmore like no rich white lady character ever, and Fanny has the same charisma but is also a genuinely better human being). Eeee I gotta watch more!

Oooh, I really hope Sleepy Hollow turns itself around *and* you do your cracky Ichabod vid. And who knows, even if the source context isn't great, there might be some good clips for such a vid in S 2.5. I'll probably do a marathon catch up soon.

Orphan Black tomorrow!! I'm so excited. I just realized I think OB is my favorite currently airing show?

[akamarykate]

Sleepy Hollow did get better, but only at the very, very end. You could probably be good just reading a summary somewhere and watching the finale. I have hopes that they're on the right track for next season, but man, did they waste opportunities this year. Pretty much defined "sophomore slump." Kind of like Elementary did last year. But (much as I detested Mycroft) even worse.

[frayadjacent]

Good to know! I might browse around for a good summary, but I might just also marathon the second half of the season.

[beccatoria]

AHAHA I also stopped watching Sleepy Hollow at the exact same point (and for similar reasons - like I didn't hate it but it totally sapped my motivation to keep going) even though I do theoretically want to catch up at some point.

And Steven Universe oh boy. No spoilers, but I will say that early on in the series I enjoyed Steven as a standalone character far less than I did by the time I was caught up. I mean, the Gems keep being completely awesome too? But IT ALL JUST GETS AWESOMER is what I'm saying. ;)

[frayadjacent]

Hah, I think we all stopped Sleepy Hollow at the same time! And we all theoretically plan to catch up. LOL.

Last night we watched "Fusion Cuisine" which was my favorite episode so far, I laughed and squeed so hard, oh my god. Next up is "Garnet Universe" which sounds very promising but Mr. Adjacent and I are in a constant tug of war over whether to watch Better Call Saul (which I'm enjoying, but I can only handle one or two episodes at a time) or Steven Universe. But he's about to go to the US for a couple weeks so I will probably catch up on SU without him.

[ghost_lingering]

BUNHEADS. That's all. I knew the twist of the Pilot episode going in, but it still remains GLORIOUS. Though there are a few episodes further along that make me start to feel bad for her husband.

Has Elementary's third season started? I should probably catch up eventually ... I never finished season two.

Also: ORPHAN BLACK.

[frayadjacent]

Yeah, my friend who I was watching Bunheads with has seen the whole show before, and I could tell she had a different view of the husband than I did, and that it was partly due to stuff that's revealed later.

Ha, Elementary's third season is almost finished! Most fans seem to agree it's been better than S2, but YMMV, obviously. And I think at this point it's pretty clear that this show is not the takedown of Sherlock Holmes, Lone Genius that many of us thought it was in S1.

ORPHAN BLACK TOMORROW!!!! :D :D :D (please please Castor clones, don't take over the show, please.)

[chaila]

Bunheeeeeeeads!!!!!! I WOULD NEVER STEER YOU WRONG. :DDD I had *no idea* about the ending when I watched the pilot, and it made me so happy, I cannot even say. Though it sounds like you had exactly the same reaction, so you get it. :D No dudes, anywhere, hooray! I have so much meta in me about that show as a deconstruction of a fairy tale, where the prince dies in the first act, and then the princess has to figure out her real life, with all these amazing women. But I know I'll never write. Maybe a vid. :) Everyone is so great. <3

[frayadjacent]

I LOVE YOUR META. Which would be such a cool vid! (I wonder if there's a Disney song that would work for this idea?) And of course you didn't steer me wrong!

[ghanimasun]

Agree with you about The Mindy Project, basically it's all about Mindy's character and she is the main reason to watch. I've warmed up on Morgan some, but he gets annoying at times. Danny is interesting but often an ass to Mindy and I wish he had more repercussions for the crap he pulls on her.

Glad you enjoyed Broad City too :D

[frayadjacent]

Yep, these are my thoughts exactly. :)

[umadoshi]

So many of these shows are on my to-watch list. *^^* Except Sleepy Hollow, which I didn't watch past the first episode or two of this season. But like you, I've heard good things about the season finale, so I'm holding off to see what people say about next season before I decide what to do about the show. *sighs*

Orphan Black in a week! Oh, I wish I had time to rewatch some of season 2. Maybe I can manage rewatching the finale. But probably not. ^^;

[frayadjacent]

Heh, it took me so long to reply to this that Orphan Black S3 starts tonight! And I didn't get around to re-watching either (though having vidded the show in the last year definitely helps). But I'm still so excited!