HIMYM: Hooked

     This episode certainly didn't have me hooked. While I can't say that I hated it, it was definitely missing that "How I Met Your Mother" charm that I fell in love with in the first three seasons. I can see now why my roommate now sees it as just kind of "eh" (saying that it has some funny moments, but otherwise it's not really interesting): she's only seen these newer episodes and a couple of older ones (she watched them while I was watching the DVDs).
     I think the primary reason for the shows recent “eh” factor is how now, they're constantly having guest stars that don't really add much to the show. They're just their because they're famous. Carrie Underwood (Tiffany) did absolutely nothing for me in the episode. I kind of wish (and secretly think that the role would have been better) a no-name actress had played her character. And what was with her calling Ted “Big Brown Eyes?”
     Another “eh” factor is definitely the writers strange pushing of this relationship factor idea (and it’s absolute need for a name, even when its completely wonky like “hooker” and “Hookey”). First we had the “reacher” and the “settler,” which I kind of liked, but this one just didn’t work for me. I like the more creative lines like the "Slap Bet" episode that weren’t trying to prove a point about relationships.
     At the beginning of the episode, I was surprised Ted had admitted he was a going to be jerk in this storyline. I thought it was nice of him to come around to what he’s done wrong in his relationships—I think that should be what eventually lands him “the mother.” Unfortunately, I didn't get what I was expecting. My view about this statement changed as I continued watching the episode. Ted wasn’t really the jerk here, Tiffany was. She was the one who was stringing Ted along and in the end she was the “bad guy.” (Ted strung another girl along in a subplot, but that event took place in the past.) Ted’s done some questionable, even jerk-like things, but I don’t think this counts as one, which makes me a little bit confused about why they decided to open with this.
     I wasn’t much more pleased by Lily and Marshall’s version of the “Hookey” and the “Hooker” plot line. I liked that they brought the character Scooter back(he's the perfect representation of a creepy ex-boyfriend). But, given Scooter and Lily’s past at the wedding, I don’t think Lily would have actually been stringing him along just because he possesses puppy dog eyes. Other than that, I liked the rest of their storyline. I could totally see them practicing Lily breaking it off with a cute pig (I’ll get to the pig later) and then, as Lily actually succeeds in breaking it off with Scooter, having Marshall come in and mess it all up just because he himself can’t resist his puppy dog eyes either.
     Lately, I’ve also been disappointed with the lack of Barney (as well as Robin—where was she this whole episode?). It seems Barney has primarily been the punch line of jokes recently—at least that part of the show still succeeds in being funny.. For the most part, I loved the line about Barney trying to find the perfect bait: first testing a slot machine, then a trampoline, and then finally a teacup pig, which works. I’m still not entirely sold on the teacup pig. While it was cute, a puppy dog would have fit without being quite so weird. I also liked Barney’s storyline, albeit short, with Carrie Underwood about the profession hot women always flock to.
I’ll give it 2.5 stars out of 5. I hope some of the next couple of episodes are more enjoyable.

     Please take part in my poll! I'll be back tomorrow night with a review of the new TV show Parenthood, featuring Lauren Graham.

Dr. House, I underestimated you

imdb.com

Back in high school, I was a huge fan of House, MD. I own the first three seasons. However, I stopped watching for the primary reason I stop watching any show: they started killing (or just getting rid of) characters I love (see LOST--I stopped the instant they killed Charlie). I couldn't understand why Fox would want to introduce new characters (whom I did not love as much as I loved Cameron, Chase, and Foreman) to a perfectly good show. Neverless, as Thirteen, Taub, Amber and Kutner began to take over, I stopped caring and eventually stopped watching all together. And with rumors of Jen Morrison's (Cameron) departure, I didnt really care.

Now to the point. Last night, as my awful headache from my cold prevented me from sleeping, I started flipping through the channels and stopped on USA to watch some House. It was apparent that this was from a newer season (Cuddy had a baby and there was mentions of House being institutionalized--which I knew from the people around me who still watched House had happened rather recently. But there Chase, Foreman, and Cameron still were, as good as ever, with no Cutthroat Bitch (aka Amber) in sight. Was I wrong about this being a newer season?

No. A search on IMDB proved that I had in fact been watching Season 6 of House as I suspected. I may just have to give Dr. House a second chance.

Twitter HIMYM Party!

I'll be trying something new tonight. I'm going to tweet my opinions about tonight's How I Met Your Mother episode while the episode occurs(guest starring Carrie Underwood), then come back here at 8:30 p.m. to summarize and repost what I thought of it. My twitter account is at http://twitter.com/KristenGilmore. Feel free to come tweet with me about HIMYM at 8! Also, if you want to, email or comment with your twitter names if you'd like me to follow you!

UPDATE: Added a Twitter sidebar gadget if you'd like to just hang out here to see what I'm updating!

This Week On TV....

What I'm looking forward to on TV this week, as I study for my political science midterm, work on applying for jobs, and write my first news story:

Sunday:

Olympics: Men's Hockey USA vs. Canada 3:15 pm EST. US already beat Canada once, can they do it again?

Closing ceremonies: Apparently I just read that Nickelback is rumored to be playing, which is making me look less forward to these than I was.

Monday:

How I Met Your Mother CBS 8 p.m. EST: Carrie Underwood is guest starring, and although I don't really care for her, I love HIMYM.

Tuesday:

Parenthood NBC 10 p.m. EST. Series Premiere: This show really doesn't look super great, but Lauren Graham is in it, and I'd probably watch it even if it really sucked.

Wednesday:

I've got nothing. Anybody have any good suggestions?

Thursday:

The Office NBC 9 p.m. EST. : The Office prepares for a baby. I might not make it home in time (Spring Break!) but if not I'll catch up on it afterwards.

What are you planning on watching this week?

PS I'm trying to find a weekly post that really works. What do you think of this?

A long time ago, we used to be friends

     It saddens me that most people haven’t heard about or seen the cult favorite Veronica Mars. If you haven’t seen it, I really suggest you check it out. Veronica acts as a high school detective who is on a mission to find out who murdered her best friend, Lily. Even if the idea of a young girl sleuth sounds cheesy to you, trust me, it’s not. Kristen Bell (from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, When in Rome) is a superb actress who portrays Veronica as the perfectly snarky teenage girl. Even with her multiple flaws, you can’t help but love.

Courtesy of http://image.guardian.co.uk/

     While I’ve certainly found enough people to fangirl with on my personal blog/journal on livejournal, I can’t help but think that more people out there need to see Veronica Mars. Although it ended quite abruptly, all of the old episodes are a thrill to watch, and perhaps, as creator Rob Thomas has suggested, they’re might eventually be a Veronica Mars comic book or movie to tie up loose ends.
     One of my favorite episodes from the second season is “My Mother, The Fiend.” In this episode, Veronica Mars discovers that her mother was suspended from high school for defaming another student. As she searches to figure out what exactly her mother did to deserve such a punishment, she uncovers much more than she expected to. She discovers the story of a prom baby whom she originally thinks is her boyfriend's mother's illegitimate child. I don’t want to say too much to spoil those who haven’t seen the episode, but Alyson Hannigan (from How I Met Your Mother and Buffy) portrays Trina Echolls perfectly, considering how different the character is from Lily on HIMYM. I’m starting to become a big fan of hers. Also, Veronica Mars learned her mother wasn't such a fiend after all. Even though her mother ran away from home after Lily died leaving Veronica to feel abandoned, Veronica slowly realizes that her mother wasn't truly awful afterall.
If you’re interested in Veronica Mars, I believe there are some episodes available on Hulu and the DVDs are often on sale and are pretty cheap regularly (I think I saw Season 1 for 15 dollars in Giant Food stores once). Here’s a link to My Mother, The Fiend-- http://www.thewb.com/shows/veronica-mars/my-mother-the-fiend/a4cc3e54f4. For those who have the DVD, did you watch the deleted scene? It kind of shocked me!
      Don’t forget to take my poll on the side and contact me if you’d like to write a guest blog post!

Sorry About Lack of Posts

It's been a busy week and I haven't felt that great as of lately so I'm sorry I've been pretty absent as of lately. I haven't been very inspired as of lately because of the Olympics taking up much of my television time. I'll probably be watching some of that tonight, as it's the last night I'll probably be in to see some of it. Maybe I'll also watch some of the movie Lost in Translation, and maybe even some of the Secret Life of An American Teenager (I watched another episode last night as I got continually angry at my lack of an internet connection).

Please check out my new poll! And my next post here will probably be about one of my upcoming guest blog I'll be doing!

Winter TV Blues

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late, as you've probably realized, there hasn't been much lately to watch on television this past week. HIMYM was a repeat, and because of the Olympics, there was no the Office. And we've been on a Glee drought for months now.

Gymnast Nastia Liukin and skater Evan Lysaneck at the Espys 

So what have I been filling my time with? Lots and lots of homework, some swimming (yay for exercise...don't want to become a couch potato!) and of course, the Olympics. I didn't think I'd get into watching the winter Olympics--I love the summer ones, because of gymnastics and swimming. but I've I've mostly been watching figure skating (Go Evan Lysacek!) as well as some curling (which I finally understand now-- thanks to Wikipedia. It's a lot like Bocce Ball scoring-wise) and some ski jumping. Figuring skating is definitely my favorite.

What's your favorite Olympic sport to watch on TV? Or if you've passed on this Olympics, what are you watching instead?

I just wanted to add, please fill out the poll on the right as it helps me figure out what is the best way to reconfigure this blog, and become a fan on facebook! Also, if you'd like to guest blog about anything TV related, just send me an E-mail @ atvandagirl@gmail.com!