* TV Stuff

[shipperx]

* Nothing much to say about Modern Family.  I did like Manny's "Am I supposed to be here for this?" when his mother was complaining that now Ed O'Neil invites the pug into his shower when it used to be her.

* Checked out Suburgatory.  I liked the leads, which is a good sign. But I could use a tad less of the dismissive cliche   "NYC is the epicenter of the universe!" mindset.

* Downloaded the season premiere of Being Erica.  I find I have a strange predicament.  I have never been a fan of the Erica/Adam pairing (far too telegraphed), but they sort of make you feel like grinch to root against it because there's nothing wrong with that relationship.  He's supportive, tells her he loves her without prompting (and in a non-nauseating way), and we're told he's good in bed (thus satisfying her in a way that good old functional Ethan didn't.  Ethan was also functional... just borring).  They've made Erica/Adam entirely functional.  How am I to root against them... other than "just 'cause"?

* Still enjoying Revenge.  It could use sharper dialog, but overall still enjoyable. The EW.com review of ep 1.2:

I was a fan of the premiere of Revenge last week, which found a nice tonal mixture between soap-opera froth and high-melodrama insanity. {...} Last night’s episode followed through on creator Mike Kelley’s promise that Revenge will keep things moving lickety-split. {...} In some ways, Revenge is almost starting to feel like a secret remake of Lone Star, last season’s best-show-ever-for-a-week. Both shows are about characters who use secret identities to enmesh themselves in luxury super-cultures; both shows feel uniquely attuned to the current burn-the-rich moment in America {...} Last night, Emily turned her Sniper Rifle of Vengeance on another one of her father’s old friends — a hedge fund trader who has managed to continually make money during the Great Recession.

{...} Emily sat down with Victoria for a nice little afternoon tea; thrillingly, every word the two secret enemies said to each other was a lie. They even got into a nice little semi-existential argument: Emily explained that she had a passion for history, since “Our past defines us,” while Victoria explained her own belief that “Our choices define us.” {to which Emily pointed out that not everyone has the luxury of a choice}

The most fun thing about Revenge‘s second episode was that the show’s regular flirtations with pure camp are tempered by the fact that nearly every plot comes down to one thing: Money. The Porters are feeling the squeeze of our bad economy: Dad is broke, and the bar is barely hanging on. Lydia is descending into financial ruin — losing her house, her jewelry, “even the dog” — and she’ll do anything not to 'live like common people.'

There’s a great, almost dystopian sense that the rich families in the Hamptons have erected a wall around their community, where it’s still 2005 and Alan Greenspan never retired. The episode’s best line was almost a throwaway from Adam the Douchebot: “Stay on your own side of the economy, you little dog!”

 Full recap/review