(I think I wrote this on Monday night/Tuesday morning. That’d make sense, as much as any of it does.)
This Cubs losing streak is costing me sleep. This is not some figurative whine about the badness of the last week and a half, this is a literally “I’m unable to go fall asleep after losses.” Like, I think the only close to full night of sleep I’ve gotten is Sunday, because it was a day game and gave me many many hours to wear myself out feeling miserable. At this point, I’m hoping for a win, but hoping to remain lucid until Wednesday’s day game.
While insomnia has me, I figured I might as well work thru the ideas in my head. This actually, where I got a post stuck out of my head out in to paper, and then fell asleep soon after. Didn’t actually post it, but details are for suckers.
Let’s talk about TV shows I’ve already slightly talked about in a different place. Maybe I’ll make this not absurdly, for a change.
Scrubs: this could’ve been worse, given the (non!) victory lap. The interns were good – better on the websiodes – and there were a few episodes which were actually really good; a best of Scrubs DVD would be like a half dozen episodes about death, I think. There were no “will JD & Elliot stick?” plots – they did, they had a fight, but they was not the usual aching about it, which was a nice change. Not sure why they spent two episodes in the islands, now that I think about it, except it allowed them two spend two episodes in the islands.
I liked the show enough that I’m okay with the idea of the people making it trying to make some more money by beating the horse a bit more. If they can get paid for making afterMASH, more power to them. But, at the same time, they could’ve done a better job of making us see the point of doing any more, what with the final being so definitive the story being over. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the ending and appreciated it over leaving things open for another season, but when the show’s been based around the lead character’s wacky adventures at his hospital, it would’ve been nice to get some idea for what the show was now going to be out when those that lead character was no longer going to be at the hospital. Not to mention the hard to miss ending bit of the architect of the show literally taking down the canvas where future stories were played out, and throwing it in the trash. Symbolism wasn’t exactly subtle.
Maybe my real problem is with being told not to think all future Scrubs episodes are unnecessary by the same people who just told My Last Ever Episode? Or maybe, if they want to keep using the “Cheers->Fraiser” comparison with what they plan to do, they need to go all the way and change the name of the show before next season. (Oh, but then it wouldn’t be Scrubs, and the DVDs wouldn’t sell as well and I think that’s all we’re here for at this point.)
Everyone Hates Chris: A comedy featuring voice over narration of the lead (male) characters struggles, including his interaction with a huge cast of eccentric characters. Somehow this one got slightly less attention for ending. I only knew when I heard Todd Briges mention it to Bryan Alvarez – no, I can’t believe that’s actually what occurred either – but I had seen the ratings enough to know this was doomed. And, giving it being a predominantly minority cast, a sitcom, and on the CW, it did pretty well to last four seasons.
Not making the claim this was a great show – it’d be one that’d stack up on my TiVo and get watched in bunches when I realized they were about to be deleted – probably because I think I’ve now seen every show about someone coming of age I need to see in my lifetime. But it was a show that had it’s great moments, and a show so under the radar (that’s the minority/CW thing again) that few saw them.
Like the final scene. For no reason besides they could and it’d be a hilarious, Chris waiting for the results of the GED which would change his life (just don’t ask me how) ends up being Chris playing Tony Soprano in replica of the last scene from the Sopranos. Like, with every bit they could manage to squeeze in – onion rings, Chris watching ominous looking individuals walk by his table in slow motion, everyone singing along to a cheesy eighties song, someone having trouble parking their vehicle – all right up to the moment where Chris gets the envelope with his GED score instead, and the show immediately goes to black.
Though, to really pay it off, they should’ve waited a beat and then jumped back to give the answer (or maybe a non-answer, and the usual coda) – it didn’t quite make the leap to parody it needed to be. But it was still enjoyable enough as is, like the rest of the show. And we didn’t really need the answer, since they made sure to wink at Chris’ inevitable future if the show was to continue following the pseudo-autobiography of Chris Rock path. (Though I was kind of surprised it never tied into the b-plot.)
Because of this show, I won’t keep seeing Tichina Arnold as Pam. (Though having Gina show up here as a guest somehow made my year.) As a tradeoff, Terry Crews is totally Julius now and forever, no matter how many movie trailers I see him in as Menacing Guy #2
Okay, now I’m meandering on wikipedia and finding out things like the engineer at the radio station on Martin worked at is now the father of Ben Linus on LOST. Need to sleep.
