The TV Thread

[deadgrandma]

If the new South Park keeps the standard set in the latest 2 episodes, I dare say it may become the best Season since Season 4. I especially was impressed with tonight episode, its good to see that shows like South Park can still surprise and deliver the goods 16 seasons in!

[Glathannus]

Regarding Awake:

There's still no indication that the wife is real, because the only time she gets with the main character is one-on-one time. There's never been any mutual acquaintance who has the opportunity to verify or debunk the wife's continued existence. Plus when the main character met the old babysitter, they never brought up any detail about which of the family members (if any) had lived or died, so the main character and the babysitter could each be thinking different things about what actually happened, and just assume the other character "knows" the same thing.

[TurtleFu]

Awake:

Agreed.
Also, I want the son to be real because I find the "loss of a mother and wife" storyline as far rarer and ripe for drama compared to a "loss of a child" storyline.

[Kingyohime]

...aaaaaand Mad Men season 5 premiere did not betray any of my expectations. Good, good TV. (And kind of made me want to see Ringo getting down to Zou Bisou Bisou like that someday )

[EmilScherbe]

Carnation was concluded at episode 151 on March 31.
It reflected modern history of Japan between 1924 to 2011.
Futari Itoko no Uta, Carnation

Ayako Koshino's eldest daughter.

Koshino Hiroko

second daughter

Koshino Junko

youngest daughter

Koshino Michiko

article on Ayako Koshino's death (March 26, 2006)

Originally Posted by EmilScherbe

script, direction, acting is good
if it has weakness, that is theme song.

another weakness is old age era ep 128-151.

[MBF]

In order to distract myself from the paper I had to write until last week I watched the complete series of Hung and the first two seasons of The Big C.
While Hung disappointed severely in writing (there were several implications of deep story development, especially regarding the supporting characters, but none of those paths have ever been walked down - like the relationship between Tanya and her mother or even more what was going on between the twins), The Big C is just simply fabulous!
It really features a wide range of humour, but not a part of it seems ever out of place and Laura Linney does an amazing job portraying the lead.
I do have to say, however, that I was a little disappointed, in how they handled the big "twist" at the end of season one... IMO everybody dealed with it a little too well. (don't mean to spoil anything here)

[Nimh]

Anybody else here watch Pawn Stars?

I have to say, this show is damn addictive. The pacing, the personalities, and most of all, the BLATANT GREED is just endlessly entertaining.

As much fun as it is to see weirdos sidling up to the counter with crap from the attic that they want way too much money for, there is this undertone of desperation that exposes the ugliness of Americana. The shop is in Las Vegas, after all...and you gotta believe most people who show up with grannie's antique walnut cracker are looking for a quick $100 to play the slots....or maybe pay off a loan shark and save their kneecaps.

By far the most fascinating segment I've seen is the one where a guy walks in with a Les Paul guitar signed by Les Paul.

Rick (the owner of the shop) says "Where'd you get this?"

Guitar Seller: "My aunt."

Rick: "Oh, your aunt is into collecting guitars?"

GS: "Not really. My aunt was married to Les Paul."

Rick: .......

GS: (waiting for Rick)

Rick: "Mary Ford was your aunt?"

GS: "Yeah. And I've got some other stuff, too. Some old paperwork, contracts, correspondence, that sort of thing."

Rick: "Uhhhhhhh, can I call a guy down here to check this out?"

GS: "Sure."

Rick calls in TWO experts: one to authenticate the guitar, the other to vouch for the paperwork, which are all primary documents that would make the curator of the Smithsonian curl his toes.

Each expert is beside himself with amazement. OH MY GOD YOU HAVE MARY FORD'S LES PAUL GUITAR!!!!!! The guitar expert plays the thing right there in the pawn shop, hands trembling. They're in hog heaven with this shit.

Meanwhile.....Mary Ford's nephew stands off to the side with this expression I can't really describe. He seems beaten down, haunted....like, he's reached the end of some process of transition in his life. "Look how low I have sunk," he seems to be thinking. "I'm selling my aunt's priceless artifacts to a pissant pawn shop in Vegas. On TV. THE WORLD HATES ME."

I don't even remember what he got for it, but he took what they offered and walked out, leaving a piece of history, a piece of his FAMILY, behind.

Anyway, most of the shows aren't that amazing, but just about every episode has some poor soul hauling in grandpa's World War II memorabilia, hoping to squeeze a few hundred out of the Harrison family business, right down the street from the Rio and Caesar's Palace.

Fascinating.

[Glathannus]

^
I get the sense that much (if not all) of the Pawn Stars show is scripted.

At the very least, I'm pretty sure that EVERYTHING involving Corey and/or Chumlee is scripted, including the haggling.

Some people have gone so far as to allege that the entire show is scripted, but I'm not so sure about that yet.

One thing personally I noticed at home, is that Pawn Stars is specifically designed to enthrall channel surfers. They've laid out the format of the show in such a way where you can start in the very middle of an episode without feeling like you've missed anything. I'm of the opinion that the show owes more of its success to the channel-surfer-friendly format than to the characters.

I saw that episode too, and was flabbergasted that the guy would actually sell that guitar, even if he was really getting almost six figures or whatever amount they agreed to on-camera.

[Tokyo Jihad]

it is.

[Nimh]

Of course Pawn Stars is scripted, but the important things seem real: the items, the people bringing in the items (for the most part), and the stories behind the items. It's all wrapped up in a pretty package and I like the randomness. You couldn't make up some of the stuff people bring in.

One thing that bugs me about the show, related to Glath's point, are the "teasers" before and after commercials to keep the viewer riveted. This happens on a lot of reality shows, not just Pawn Stars, and it bugs the hell out of me.

Like, someone will bring in some old hunk of marble and say "This is a piece of Abraham Lincoln's tomb," and Rick has to call in an expert. Before the commercial, you get a "teaser" of the expert shaking his head and saying "Hmmm, I don't know, this looks kinda weird" and the customer reacting nervously. Then it comes back from commercial and what the expert really says is, "Usually when you see something like this you think, 'Hmm, I don't know, this looks kinda weird'..............[real dramatic pause]..........but THIS IS GENUINE." They always do this. They take a negative statement out of context to tease the viewer into thinking the item's a fake, but then the opposite happens when you get back from commercial.

They do the same thing on Restaurant Impossible, where before a commercial they tease Robert yelling "You've got to fire these people!" and you think some heavy shit's going down, but after commercial the statement in context is meaningless and no one's ever fired. Not that I want to see people get fired, but the dramatic bait-and-switch is pretty lame after you've sat through a few of them.