Day 30 - Saddest character death
I tend to like good shows, and therefore I tend to like shows that aren't afraid to kill people off. That said, although I might complain about their death for a couple days, I usually don't burst into tears.
*UNQUALIFIED SPOILER ALERT*
I cried for an hour at the end of Homicide: The Movie, and it wasn't over the guy who died, but the guy whose fate was left pretty ambiguous at the film's conclusion. I'm counting it as a death since that was one of the options and it certainly made me sadder than anything I'd watched on TV before, or since.
Gutsier than just killing off a character (which the show has definitely done before), is the decision to end a beloved series with one of its two main characters facing a life (however long) of misery, and making no efforts to soften the blow. It was actually only at the end that my dad realized this show was about Bayliss. Go figure.
And with that, I am off with the froomies to enjoy four nights at Uncle and Aunt J's beach house. Then we return and it's reunions and graduation(!).

Day 29 - Current t.v show obsession
Last night I had a dream featuring Roger Ebert and Archie Panjabi. Let's see if we can guess.
Over the past week I've watched the entire first season of The Good Wife. It's incredibly well-acted, with Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi rocking my socks every single episode.
There are wildly intelligent female characters, plus Christine Baranski's giggle, that guy from Sports Night, Alan Cumming being awesome as a thinly disguised Rahm Emmanuel, and tons of guest stars from The Wire. Good stuff, and well-written.

Day 28 - First t.v show obsession
I mean, how far back should I go?

Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Once upon a time, there were ducks. I thought the ducks would come back in the very last episode. They did not. I was sad.

But not as sad as Tony Soprano.

Day 26 - Most surprising season finale Favorite ne'er do well
I'm tired of cataloging episodes. I'm more about characters anyway. And it occurred to me as I looked at the remaining prompts that I wasn't going to have a chance to talk about Stuart Allen Jones.
Aidan Gillen rocks at playing these characters. Between this (Queer as Folk, UK), The Wire, and Game of Thrones (which I've swanned in on once or twice and which I as reserving judgement on) he's pretty much made a career of the morally ambiguous charmer. With QaF being the most morally ambiguous and most fun example.
This man drove a car through a dealership window, among other things. But one grin and all is forgiven. Must be the swagger. And the Irish accent.

Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
I was putting off watching Oz until I was done volunteering in prison, and I'm done now, so I should probably get on that.

Day 24 - Best quote
Oh goodness gracious. Well, I already mentioned my yearbook quote here (There's a way to be a person. --Leo McGarry) so I better come up with something else. In fact, I had a whole blog entry about how The West Wing, along with The History Boys, is my religious text of choice, so it feels like I should eliminate it from consideration here.

"That s**t was unseemly, man."--Cheese, The Wire

Day 23 - Most annoying character
This makes me so sad because I used to love this character and the actor is very handsome and very Irish. But they gradually made him greasy-haired and whiny and I'm still waiting to see how that serves the larger story. The best thing about Being Human (UK version!) at the outset was that it took these overdone character types and approached them from a different, often humorous angle. Eventually, though, it fell into traps/tropes it used to take such pains to avoid.
Of course, I still watch it.
(I picked a clip from the pre-deterioration era.)

Got some catching up to do, after slaying my English comprehensive exams, getting my thesis back with a very pleasing grade attached, and going off to Philly with Neighbor C from Florida where we rode the Duck Boat and then met up with a friend of hers who graduated from Princeton in '06.

Day 21 - Favorite relationship
Again, I'm picking two, because I can't control myself (and also because one of them is coming back in a different form in a later prompt).
First up: Tim Baylis and Frank Pembleton from Homicide. Prickly, close, working partnership, unquantifiable friendship. I wish I'd written it myself.

And I clearly like friendship relationships so much more than romantic relationships in television, because my second selection is Leo and the President's affection from The West Wing, on display here.


Day 22 - Favorite series finale
No. Question. Six Feet Under made the very gusty (but very in keeping with their theme) move of going years into the future and showing how each of the central characters die. And the song they use in the montage will always make me tear up. Nicely done, Alan Ball. Here are the last ten minutes. Now excuse me while I dislodge my cornea, crying.

Day 20 - Favorite kiss
I'm more about the long, smouldering stares and back-and-forth banter than anyhting that could be categorized as a "kiss," singular. Also, I think we can all agree that there are lots of different kisses out there. Like, for instance, the first one I thought of (after I thought of the frankly anti-climactic Josh-and-Donna kiss) was at the end of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy when *SPOILER ALERT* (Why have I suddenly decided to warn for spoilers now after years of not doing so? Who knows. Could have something to do with the Gary Oldman movie coming out) Jim Prideaux kisses Bill Haydon on the forehead and then snaps his neck. *SPOILER OVER*
I don't think that's what they were going for with this.
Honestly the best one I could think of is Logan and Veronica's surprise kiss towards the end of the first season of Veronica Mars (spectacular, in context) and I even went to far as to hunt it down on YouTube where it rapidly became apparent that out of context it is the cheesiest thing known to man and there was no way I was posting it here.

I may have just carried my punctuality skills to new heights. 24 hours early for comprehensive exams? Check. On my gravestone it will probably say, "Here lies [Nom de Plume]. She could have lived another five years, but she didn't want to be late."

Day 19 - Best cast
I thought about giving this one to Mad Men, but, I'm sorry, January Jones can't act. She's great at what she does, but that's all she can do. Also I may be the only person in the world who couldn't stand Dr. Faye's line delivery. Seriously. The lady with the big teeth is welcome, in my book, because at least with her interesting things will happen.
But! I'm straying from the point--and sorry to have shafted you two days in a row, Mad Men, but that's life--or, indeed, dancing around it. Because, for goodness sakes, what else was I going to pick? This is probably the most talented convergence of actors in the history of television.
However! If I take cast to mean cast of characters then I get a different obvious result altogether.
(My only problem with the above picture: where the hell is Bubbles? Oh, that's right, off enjoying dinner with his family while the rest of you pout dramatically.)

Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Okay. So you wouldn't think this question would cause as much angst as previous ones, but it kind of did. On the one hand, I periodically make my parents watch the Mad Men opening credits, even when we've consumed four episodes in a row, just to hear that awesome accompanying song. On the other hand...this.
What can I say. When it actually comes down to it, there is no competing with found footage, awesome lyrics, and credits that have nothing to do with the plot but set the tone like whoa.
(And, no, there is not usually a shadowing "HBO" superimposed over them. Sorry about that.)

Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Could it be anything other than this?

Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
It's a recent fascination, but a fascination nonetheless.
Can I just say it has certain Shakespearean qualities? And/or, at times, a striking resemblance to Greek myth?

Day 15 - Favorite female character

This one is somewhat easier, if only because the field is narrower. Despite my best intentions, I seem to go for TV shows where the overwhelming majority of characters are men.

Claire Fisher, Six Feet Under

Day 14 - Favorite male character
This is even more difficult than favorite scene. I refuse to be limited to one. Plus, how do you compare these two guys and come up with any kind of accurate factors of competition. We'll just say I picked the DC/Baltimore area and leave it at that.

Leo McGarry, The West Wing
"There's a way to be a person."


Frank Pembleton, Homicide: Life on the Street
"It was a grilled cheese. Get a grip."

Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
This is tricky, because I liked a lot of quality shows when I was little. I was a PBS baby. And then, of course, there was all that time in France. But I had a standing date to watch this one, and I think it played a small roll in making me who I am today. (Also, unlike Tintin and, on memorable occasions, Sesame Street, I don't still watch it.)

Substantive posts are coming, coming, coming. For instance: yesterday I was in DC in not one but two newsrooms with my radio journalism class. Everyone kept saying to us, "Man, you picked a quiet day to visit," as they rushed off somewhere else.

For now, a little catchup:
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Dear Aaron Sorkin,
Did you learn nothing from your four critically acclaimed, internationally lauded seasons on The West Wing? You do not, under any circumstances, let characters who like each other get together. Don't do it. Don't.
Studio 60 started well, and then lagged. They just seemed to run out of things to say too quickly, when there was so much left to be said.
Oh well. If it were still on the air there would probably be no Social Network, and therefore this scene wouldn't exist, so I can't get too worked up about it.



Day 12 - An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Poirot, Poirot, Poirot. How do I love you. Let me count the ways. Is it your fussiness? Your mustache? The intermittent silliness of Captain Hastings? The subtle kindness/wisdom/patience of Japp? Miss Lemmon's spit curls? Everyone's class distinction outfits? There are clearly too many reasons to name.

(Why have I watched this particular one so much? I was just influenced by the spirit of the renaissance! [6:00-8:20])

Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
My parents wanted to watch Prime Suspect and I thought, why not?

Day 09 - Best scene ever
Out of every scene in every episode of every television show, series, or miniseries I've ever seen?!? What kind of a question is that?
This, though, has got to be in the top five.

Along with--let's be real--this one: