Couchbound/Continued #367 - Supernatural: Season 1, Episode 17, "What Would Buffy Do?"

Before a few weeks ago, I'd only ever caught Supernatural occasionally on a whim while traveling. As regular Couchbound readers will know, I cut the cord a long time ago and never looked back. As such, even shows that find their way to Netflix can breeze right on by me if I don't get a nudge from friends. Honestly, I knew more about the show from internet memes than anything else before this spring. While I'm not going to say that my friend telling me to pop it in my queue has been a life-changing experience, I must admit, it's a cute show.

I picked this particular episode to comment on first (granted, I'm still only on the first season) because I think this is the point where the writers decided to say "to hell with it" and really go meta. There had been hints before, one-liner throwaway jokes about aliases or pop culture tidbits, but to straight up name-drop Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Oh yeah, it's on.

Set in yet another small town that looks oddly like British Columbia, the Hell House episode shows us what the power of the internet combined with Tibetan "concentration symbols" can do, which is apparently bring a horror meme to life.

Thank GOD that Slenderman hadn't been invented back when this episode first aired a decade ago.

Of course the standouts for the episode are the brash geeks who stumble into (and pretty much single handedly create) the evil internet tulpa story to the consternation of the Brothers Winchester. They very much remind me of Andrew and Johnathan from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, two lonely nerds trying to make their way in the ghost world. The fact that they pull a "WWBD" dialogue filled with sad cliches is both the icing on the cake and the poison hidden inside of it.

Like the Sherlock Groupies lampooned in Series 3 of that show, Supernatural doesn't really pull any punches when it comes to making fun of what is probably a largish segment of their fanbase. Of course, we can laugh and say it's all in good fun and they deserve the fish and false flag optioning because the two geeks are arrogant pricks who DON'T do the right thing (which plays exactly into Sam and Dean's hands via reverse psychology), but still, it seems a little mean-spirited to me.

I'm also not a huge fan of the random prank war that broke out between Sam and Dean. It just sort of sprang out of nowhere and, while I could get behind the idea if it played out over a series of several episodes, having them trying to one up each other every seen just felt a bit too much, too soon.

And where does one even find itching powder in rural Vancouver... I mean, Texas? 

That said, I still liked the episode. Not my favorite, so far... but I've been told the series gets quite a bit better once it hits its stride around season 3 or so, with the introduction of Castiel.

We'll see.

Probably in a few weeks to a month as, despite my ci comme ça feeling for this one, I'm invested enough in its routines, quirks, and strengths that I want to give it more of a chance.

Until later, Potatoes~

Day Three Hundred and Twelve - CHUCK: Pilot, "Yvonne Stahovski... you have got to be the sexiest Aussie in existence."

And I say that despite the cheese that is CHUCK. Don't get me wrong, it's a pleasure to watch the geeky spy/love story play out, but it's still cheese... and that's okay.

Set in suburban Los Angeles with its home base either being the Buy More (Best Buy analog) or the apartment that Chuck shares with his sister and her boyfriend (both doctors), CHUCK is an ode to the inner fanboy in all of us late Gen Xers/early Gen Yers. I mean, Chuck (Zach Levi) gets to live the dream and become a reluctant spy who goes on adventures while being babysat by the beautiful CIA Agent Sarah (Yvonne) and her NSA counterpart John Casey (Adam Baldwin).

The pilot sets the tone for the series by setting up disasters of the week that only Chuck, with a joint CIA/NSA database in his head (put there by his ex-friend Bryce Larkin, a rogue agent), can avert via the flashes of intelligence that he gets whenever triggered by sight, sound, or whathaveyou. Of course, he really doesn't want to be at the mercy of our shadowy intelligence services, but it sort of beats his dead-end retail/customer service job where he is either belittled by his colleagues or surrounded by weirdos that he has to call peers.

At its heart, CHUCK is a generic action series with silly, over the top spy antics contrasted with both the need for his cover to be maintained and the definite sparks he feels for the woman who has swooped into his life and changed it so drastically. For that reason, you can kind of see why it was always troubled by ratings woes and hovering on the bubble of cancellation, only being saved at the last moment several times during its 5 season run (2007-12) thanks to massive fan support and even cheesier product placement and tie-in gags from the likes of Subway (Eat Fresh!).

Still the pilot manages to hit decently on quite a few buttons for lonely, wastrel geeks such as myself, stuck in what appear to be endless ruts both in our professional careers and personal lives. I liked it when it aired and still find it appealing now as it plays on the instant stream. Granted, with almost half a decade gone by, I've changed a little and it doesn't play quite as strong as it did on its first run, but it's still fun.

And Yvonne Strahovski is still very, very hot. There's a reason she was tapped (teehee) to both model for and voice Miranda Lawson in the Mass Effect series... Rawr! (Side note: costar Adam Baldwin also voiced a character, a Quarian named Kal'Reegar).

Quick shoutout to guest star Matthew Bomer who plays Chuck's old college buddy (the one who ruined his academic career and stole his sweetheart... or did he?), Bryce Larkin. He makes a few appearances throughout the series, but never plays all that active a part other than to serve as a point of contention to spice of the love issues between Chuck and Sarah. He's shown up in a few movies like In Time and Magic Mike and is the lead on his own USA series, White Collar.

Also be on the lookout for Tony Todd who makes several appearances as a CIA director. Always love to see Tony getting work.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Two Hundred and Seventy-one - Comic Book Men: Season 1, Episode 1, "When Pawn Stars Meets Middle Aged Geeks"

If you've read my previous entries concerning Geek Godfather, Kevin Smith, you'll know that my feelings for him are complex... but, generally, favor in the positive directions of my heart.

I've been staying away from Comic Book Men because I was afraid it was just going to be another cheesy faux-reality show in the vein of Duck Dynasty or Pawn Stars where the drama is pre-packaged and its main draw is making fun of both its hosts and single-episode walk-ons (aka - customers/suckers).

Sadly, it looks like I was right to be cautious, as it is exactly what I thought it would be, with one very tiny difference... there actually are moments from the podcasts that include the infamous Kevin Smith. For the grand majority of the show, though, it really is a geek version of Pawn Stars and Smith is entirely absent as the actual comic shop in Jersey that is the setting of the show (Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash) is manned by an intentionally quirky crew of mostly geek everymen.

Aside from Smith, the only other familiar face is that of Walt Flanagan. Not that I have anything against the rest of the crew. In fact, I feel like I know them as I've lived and worked with people exactly like them... and I'm probably exactly like a certain personality (I'll let you guess who).

What I do have a problem with, though, are the parade of wannabe geek money-makers who bring their assorted tchotchkes and memorabilia in the vain hopes that they'll get their opening offer (never going to happen) or perhaps settle after a little dithering (still never going to happen... mostly). Whether its the vintage Thor poster, the Chuckie doll, or the Dawn of the Dead photos, it all feels like so much mercenary silliness.

I much rather would have preferred just a televised version of the podcast in its entirety. For a little bit, the show delivers on that as there are moments where it's all the guys around a broadcast booth with the man himself but, other than that, Smith isn't involved at all... and that's a disappointment. I realize that the podcasts get more than a little vulgar, but I think it would be much more entertaining just to hear their stories at the roundtable week after week instead of seeing Pawn Stars: Jersey Geeks.

As always, I'll give it one or two more episodes (perhaps not for the blog) to see if it improves, but I'm not holding any real hope that its format will change to something more palatable to me. For those who like this sort of thing, it's probably a winner, but I'm not one of them.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-four - Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, "The Hammer is My Penis."

During the Writer's Strike of '07/'08, an event which forced the shutdown of just about everything entertainment related and, notably, caused the destruction of the very promising comic book television series, Heroes, Joss Whedon and company had the idea to put on a small musical comedy that was inexpensive to produce and would appeal to their particular geek fanbase.

The result was Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Filmed over several days in Los Angeles and featuring a cast of geek notables such as Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day, and Simon Helberg, Dr. Horrible tells the story of tragic anti-hero Billy, who dreams of taking over the world and getting together with his secret crush only to be foiled time and time again by his nemesis, Captain Hammer (Fillion).

I think that Dr. Horrible was a convergence of all the right nerd elements to produce the perfect viral musical. Joss, et al., had already cut their teeth on musicals in Buffy the Vampire Slayer with "Once More, With Feeling," so they had that, but there was also the great cast to go with it. NPH is perfect to play the lonely, disaffected nerd thanks to his work on Doogie Howser and Nathan Fillion was no stranger to the overblown characters that Joss has been known to write, having worked with him on both Buffy and Firefly.

The wildcard for me was Felicia Day. Sure, she had a small role on Buffy, but most her work, while popular on the net, hadn't really broken her out. I think her sweet performance as Penny really did wonders for her geek cred and made her the darling of conventions for years to come.

As a musical, it's amazing how intricate the lyrics can get in terms of meter, rhythm, and rhyme. There's a lot of modern Broadway that's present here and to great effect. Sure, some of the instrumentation is rudimentary, relying a bit too much on the synthesizer, but it's quick and painless for the most part and relays a certain naivete inherent to Billy's character. Standout's for me were "Brand New Day," "Slipping," and "Everything You Ever," which is so hauntingly sweet and depressing at the same time.

The production quality is rough, but extremely forgivable considering the shoestring budget that they were working with... plus it sort of adds to the charm in its own way, lending a bit of subtle surreality necessary for a universe where villains like Bad Horse and Moist coexist with self-righteous heroes like Johnny Snow and Captain Hammer... a sort of vapid, modern-day dystopia.

I also want to give a quick shoutout to the background action during "My Eyes." Seeing Billy show up as a disgruntled Soup Nazi late in the song made me laugh so hard and long that I had to rewind the episode to catch what I'd missed while ROFLing.

Dr. Horrible is a great bit of comic book tomfoolery with a terrific cast and fun songs. My only regret is that there's no sequel as of yet (though speculation and teases from Joss and company have been running rampant for years). It's definitely worth the watch and is one of those films that you can come back to over and over again really rather easily... and, as such, will remain in my queue for easy access until the sad day when it get's pulled... IF it gets pulled.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Two Hundred and Thirty-three - Robot Chicken: Season 1, Episode 4, "A Behind the Music sketch with The Muppets? Sign me up! Again!"

Alright, I consider doing an episode of Robot Chicken for Couchbound to be almost as close to cheating as Pucca was, due to both of them having really short episodes, but at least Robot Chicken has actual content!

Produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and featuring Emmy-winning stop-motion animation using, I kid you not, old action figures and toys, Robot Chicken is about as close to frat humor that geek society can get as a subculture.

Featuring quick cut, ADHD jokes that last as long as it takes to "change the channel" on the show, this particular episode features several bits with Ryan Seacrest (of American Idol fame) throwing out his trademark outro in several different contexts (my favorite being his revealing dress fetish), as well as a feature on the fall of Muppets house band The Electric Mayhem, an Armageddon parody featuring Harrison Ford (who is impersonated), and an improbable extreme pet sport.

On the whole, Robot Chicken is more crude than insightful, but manages to present lowbrow humor with enough geeky references and celebrity guest stars (not to mention impersonators) to keep things fresh and relatively funny. While it's sometimes a bit too obvious and on the nose, the writing waffling between puerile and clever, even the fart jokes manage to bring at least a smile.

While each episode is an exercise in hit or miss skits, it's hard not to find genius in this particular episode's Muppet sketch. Seeing Doctor Teeth, Floyd, Animal, and Janice (Zoot isn't really featured save as an aside about getting arrested) fall from grace is nothing short of brilliant... especially when Janice talks about getting Hep C from Tommy Lee with Howard Stern. That harsh, "F#$% you, Howard, I'm dah-ying!" is bloody hilarious!

Sure, the animal ski slalom is meh and the Armageddon sketch is more than a tad predictable, most everything else in the episode makes up for it and really evens out the show's rough spots.

I think that I only have two complaints, really.

First, the show is only ten minutes long... not that it would be much of a problem, as it's best in short spurts anyway, it's just that Netflix has that annoying "Are you still watching?" popup that triggers every two episodes. It gets to be a hassle, seeing that thing after only twenty minutes.

Second, like the rest of the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim shows currently running on the Stream, it only has the first season. I mean, really? These shows have been on for years, even well over a decade for some (like Dexter's Lab and Samurai Jack)... and have long since completed their runs for the most part (Robot Chicken is still slowly plugging away, last time I checked). Would it kill Williams Street, et al., to let all the seasons onto the Stream?

Overall, I don't think that Robot Chicken is for everyone. It's geeky, juvenile humor that probably only hits with the Gen Xers and Millennial set. That said, it's a fun ride full of dark humor.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Fifty-eight - The IT Crowd: Series 1, Episode 1, "Yup, Brits have a Big Bang Theory, too."

Laugh tracks.

Why haven't we evolved beyond them as a media-consuming species?

I really don't want to hate on this series, it's just that it bums me out how generic it is coupled with the fact that so many people absolutely adore it. It really is just another Big Bang Theory (though, granted, IT Crowd came first) in that it marginalizes an entire subculture down to Revenge of the Nerd's-style socially awkward stereotypes...

...to a laugh track.

It's not that I don't identify with Chris O'Dowd and Richard Ayoade's respective characters, it's just that they're such gross overgeneralizations of your prototypical geeks and nerds that the series feels less like a theme-driven comedy and more a trip to the anthropological zoo where these two perpetually single males of the subspecies Homo Inconcinnus are introduced to a female of a similar, less-prone-to-extinction, sister species in the hopes of producing a social reaction.

I think I may have gone a bit too far down that metaphor's path.

Anyway, I had never seen any of The IT Crowd before today, but I knew that it existed as the subject of a decently sized fandom out there on the web. Giving it a try, I was instantly turned off by the Python-esque absurdity that hits from the first moment when Jen (Katherine Parkinson) is being interviewed for a managerial position by company owner Denholm Reynholm (Chris Morris).

It's a patently absurd interview that would work as an individual skit on a satire show like Monty Python or A Bit of Fry and Laurie, but not here on a sitcom. It is as if the pilot couldn't decide whether it was trying to invoke reality or surrealism so, instead, the writers decided to try both equally and only differentiate between the two when Chris Morris was in the room.

I think I'll try and give the series due diligence by at least completing the first series. Thankfully, this is a case where the short runs of British television shows are a blessing, not a curse. Still, if this initial episode is representative of the show as a whole, I'm probably in for a rough time.

Honestly, I feel a bit bad because both Ayoade's and O'Dowd's stars have been on the rise in America lately, at least partially due to their work here... and I just don't see it. But, then again, I just don't see the appeal of Big Bang Theory aside from the occasional one-liner.

And the laugh tracks... honestly, who enjoys being told when to laugh?

Ugh.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~