Weeds: Series Finale

I'm going to do my best to keep this as spoiler-free as possible as I realize most people don't have Showtime and probably won't see this for another year. 

I started watching "Weeds," probably around season 4 mostly out of curiosity. The first few seasons were filmed in my hometown and actually, in my friend's neighborhood. I enjoyed getting to point out local landmarks and what they really are. That "It's a Grind" coffee shop? Totally real. Right across the street from the Punishment Light and I think that coffee shop actually put the Starbucks in the same parking lot out of business. But I digress. For me, "Weeds" was a great escapism show. I always thought it should be called, "Who Will Nancy Fuck to Solve Her Problems Now?" but I guess that's a little bit long-winded. No matter what the problem, Nancy almost always found a way out. Except for dating... Her boyfriends/husbands always seemed to end up dead. Nancy is a chameleon. She kept everyone guessing all the time. No one person who thought they were close to her ever had all of the pieces to the Nancy puzzle and I really loved that about her. 

As for her boys, Shane, Silas and Stevie, you always kind of knew one of those kids was going to get royally screwed in the head. I mean, with mom dealing drugs and father figures dying all over the place? I don't think anyone was surprised to see which one of the boys went kookie.

The finale showed what I picture to be the healthiest of all possible situations when it comes to the Botwin family. No, things aren't perfect for them but I really feel like they're as good as they could possibly be. The show is over. For real this time. Not like last season when I just thought it was over and then I found out that even what appears to be death is never really final. This time it is for good and I am able to leave these characters behind without any sort of resentment or regret. I am satisfied with the trajectory of their lives and the knowledge that they are all imperfect but trying. That's what matters.

Doctor Who: "The Power of Three"

WARNING!

This season on "Doctor Who" has been a bit all over the place, in my opinion. It feels like we are lacking elements to tie all of the episodes together and Whovians, in a desperate need to understand The Doctor's storyline are doing their best to find the elements that tie everything up in a neat package. I think that the lack of cohesion is deliberate. This iteration of The Doctor is slowly becoming more and more unstable and it is beginning to show in both his actions and in the adventures himself.

One encouraging thing is that The Doctor appears to be getting a better hang of the TARDIS and when he says, "You'll be back before anyone has even noticed you've left," he actually can deliver on that promise instead of coming back to months old "Missing!" posters. (Writer's note: I should have put that GIF in after I finished writing. River is really distracting...)

In this episode, The Doctor comes to stay in the Williams-Pond household for an extended period of time to observe the "activity" of millions of little black cubes that appeared in plain sight overnight around the world. No one knows where they have come from, no one knows if they do anything, no one knows if they are harmful, they're just... there. So as with all things that are just there in the world of which humans cannot discern the use of, uses were created. The cubes become integrated into regular life and from there, eventually become so routine, they are invisible. Once the cubes are convinced that they fully integrated and considered normal, they all simultaneously activate. All of them, all over the world start doing different things all at the same time. Again, no one knows why or if they're dangerous. And then just as suddenly, they all stop and begin counting down from 6.

While The Doctor and Amy are working to figure out the cubes, Rory is called into work in anticipation for the influx in emergency hospital visits. Rory's dad comes along in hopes of assisting. Once in the hospital, there is a creepy little girl with glowing blue eyes who appears to be a transmitter of some sort. The hospital coincidentally, is also one of the gates between earth and the space ship that controls the cubes. Rory's father discovers this the hard way when he is abducted by a pair of matching dudes with vacuum cleaner-looking muzzles.

Usual plot of aliens wanting to exterminate humans through heart failure caused by proximity to boxes. The Doctor giving his "Humans are important!" and saves the day. Hooray!

What I enjoyed about this episode was that it really emulated the duality of Doctor Who showing the seriousness of keeping the universe safe and all the ridiculous fun that goes along with it. For me, this shows that even if you have a super serious job, you don't have to be super serious about it. I mean, the cube that played "The Chicken Dance," on a loop? That was hilarious! I loved that! Another great thing was watching The Doctor try to survive on "slow time." Watching him try not to go absolutely bonkers while sitting in Amy and Rory's lounge waiting for something he wasn't entirely sure would ever happen. All of his companions always have to drop whatever it is they're doing to run away with him when they are summoned. It was somewhat refreshing to have a companion say, "No, I have something to do here that is important to me. You need to wait. I can't be rushing off all the time." And didn't The Doctor say he's something like 1200 now? He can't keep running forever.

I am very much looking forward to the next episode but at the same time, it makes me very sad. I'm not ready to lose Amy, Rory and now Bryan. they burrowed into my heart I feel like I have some sort of relationship with them. For goodness sake, we have Amy Pond art in our living room! Also, only one episode left of the fall season...

Wreck-It Ralph

This Christmas, Disney is going to come out with a movie that gamer mommies and daddies everywhere will be glad to take their little ones to see. Here's to pushing all the nostalgia buttons! If this movie isn't good, Disney is going to see more backlash than "John Carter." (Okay, honestly "John Carter wasn't a bad movie. It was just a movie that was marketed absolutely wrong.)

Can't wait!!

Hot Nerd Friday: Terrance Zdunich

I know some of you are going to want to yell things when I say this, but I just saw "Repo! The Genetic Opera" this week. It was my laundry day movie. If I can gather one thing from this movie is that I am in love with Terrance Zdunich's brain and his voice. He really pokes me in my creepy, gothy spot. Oh my goodness I love me some sexy, talented goth boys. And goth boys in suits? You could knock me over with a feather.

I have decided that this man needs to be in more things and singing. I adore his voice. Me = butter MELTING all over the place. He has come out with a new movie, "The Devil's Carnival." I don't think there has been a wide release but it has been shown in some late-night theaters to a lucky few.

Please enjoy him. Go visit his site maybe! Unless you get squigged by cockroaches. Then don't. http://www.terrancezdunich.com

The Next Doctor Could be a Woman?

Oh look!!! Another Doctor Who post! While it has been confirmed that Matt Smith will be our Doctor until 2014, Steven Moffat is already thinking about Who and what will be coming next. It is always hard to tell when Steven is being serious and when he's just messing with us BUT there are still ideas floating around in his head!

According to an article from last week in MailOnline*, Steven Moffat is considering making the next iteration of The Doctor be a lady. It is part of the Who mythology that The Doctor while not human, appears human and that Timelords have the ability to regenerate as either gender. However, The Doctor  in all of his journeys with us has never donned the skirt himself.

Moffat says that viewers are much more accepting of The Doctor being a lady now more than they ever have before. Several actresses have already showed interest in the part including "Sherlock's" Lara Pulver, and all-around badass Helen Mirren.

So what do you think? Who should play the next Doctor?


*http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2194019/Doctor-Who-The-Time-Lord-Lady.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Hot Nerd Friday: Benedict Cumberbatch

Just say his name three or four times. Are you smiling? Yeeeeah, you totally are. Don't lie. He is the kind of British actor I adore. He's unconventionally handsome and has an AMAZING voice. He is an odd looking fellow and he doesn't look like the type who would be super fit but he is. He's also a fantastic actor. Of all the actors who have played Sherlock Holmes, he is my very favorite. I could listen to this man read a lasagna recipe all day long. Mmm... Benedict Cumberbatch.

Pond Life

Gods be praised, the BBC loves us and heard my mournful tears about losing Mr. and Mrs. Pond. (Yes, that is exactly how that works.) They are giving us a web mini series that is just about Amy and Rory!

the premise of the mini-series is life in the Pond household between visits from a special mad man with a blue box. It is going to be a show just about people and how they continue to have normal lives after exploring all of space and time.

The mini series will premiere Monday, August 26th at noon. I'm not sure noon where... exactly though...

Here is a little video of Karen Gillian and Arthur Darvill talking about it.