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Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life (2016)
Poorly Marketed
Based on the previews, I thought this was a scripted version of Jack Ass. A couple months later, I noticed it on Hulu, and decided to give it a look. Color me surprised. Not only is it not in the least like Jack Ass, it's a pretty well written comedy that, while not really breaking new ground, does a very good job of repackaging elements in an entertaining way that feels fresh. The first, and so far, only, episodes have been a nice treat after a long day.
Wow. Apparently, my review isn't long enough, so I'll risk blocking by trying to expand it, without adding anything more. Why? Because I think I pretty much summed it up. Surprisingly good show.
Mad Men: Signal 30 (2012)
Focus on Pete and Slattery
When the opening credits rolled, I was interested to see what Slattery would do behind the camera. Overall, I think he did a decent job. He seemed a bit focused on segues, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It may be that I focused on them as well, because I was looking for what he might do in the director's chair.
**Spoiler Alert**
Direction aside, the story was a microcosm of Pete. From the first episode, he has had a supplicant/hate relationship with Don and this installment played heavily to both sides of that relationship. He is like a child meeting his idol when Don shows up for his couples night. That is, until Don usurps his role as domestic master in the faucet saga. I believe his reaction to this manifested itself in the following Jaguar night on the town.
The other side of Pete, if it is truly another side, defines the second side of this episode. His pursuit of sexual conquests outside his longstanding and now marital relationship, finds two avenues. The first, and more telling, is his adolescent pursuit of a high school, driving class student. The second is his all too easy bordello participation during a client outing. The first is circumvented by a classmate, putting him in the same position of inadequacy he feels around Don.
Pete is weak. Pete has always been weak. Pete remains weak, in spite of the power he has gained.
He wants to be the handsome guy. He wants to be the talented guy that the girls fall for. And as much as he hates the guys that he wants to be, he squelches that hatred in an obsequious attempt to curry favor with those same guys. As long as they are above him on the social/corporate ladder.
Bones: The Hot Dog in the Competition (2011)
Worst Squintern...
...ever. I guess if you've never spoken to or heard someone from the South, the dialog and dialect reminiscent of early 20th century Hollywood southern characters might pass for something other than a cartoon. A genuine trailer trash representative would have sounded, if not smart, at least southern. Please lose this character and bring back some of the other squinterns or at least explore new ones that have some remote authenticity. I realize this is a fairly silly show, but come on.
Apparently, a review requires a minimum of 10 lines of text and my rant didn't make the cutoff. I've not actually made it to the end of this episode yet, but the moronic dialog and delivery were so bad I had to start writing to divert my attention so that I might make it to the end. Maybe he'll get offed or get diverted to prison by the end of the episode. That would be lovely. And maybe this makes my review long enough to pass muster.
Time has passed and I've now finished the episode. It looks like this character is poised to come back and, after seeing him develop over the course of the episode, I... can't pretend to have changed my mind. Awful is all I can say. But hey. Maybe I can save the occasional hour of my life when I turn on Bones, only to discover that this character is featured.