Would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!

The 30 Day Shipping Meme
Day 02 - What was your very first ship?

Hmm, if we're talking the very first ship that brought me into fandom, that would be Monk/Sharona.



They are basically the quintessential OTP for me. They were the first ship that I got so very besotted with that I ended up dissecting their every little moment, and I even tried my hand at fanfic (back in the days before fanfic was such SRS BSNS). I just... gah, I loved these two so completely, and you all know I love my various ships, but this one will always be special for me. For three years I was devoted to this ship, and I honestly could not see the show ending without Monk/Sharona. It just did not compute in my brain that the two characters would never fall in love, because 1) adorable bickering of epic proportions, 2) opposites attract, 3) she saved him from the pits of despair after Trudy died, 4) Monk continuously acknowledged that he couldn't live without her and she continuously acknowledged that she couldn't leave him no matter how many times she tried, 5) the show worked extra hard at shaping Monk into Benji's father figure, 6) Monk went out of his way to sabotage every single romantic relationship that Sharona ever had (mind you, most of her boyfriends ended up being killers anyway, but that's beside the point), 7) UST, especially from Monk, and Monk was supposed to be a character that wasn't interested in sex (the most notable moments can be seen in the Playboy ep), and 8) people often treated them as a married couple because they often acted like a married couple (the Circus ep would be the most notable here, and in the original script for that ep Sharona even kisses Monk goodbye) COME ON, SHOWRUNNERS. You know that you inserted romantic subtext for those two, no matter how hard you deny it. In fact, they didn't start to be so vehemently against Monk/Sharona until they started having problems with Bitty Schram and decided to introduce Sharona/Disher to make people stop shipping Monk/Sharona (Sharona/Disher still makes me barf, ugh. I can't believe the show made them end up together. Ugh ugh ugh. Blech. Now, Disher/Natalie I would have TOTALLY gotten behind). Anyway, this ship ended bitterly for me, and that kind of puts a damper on the good memories, but to this day seasons 1 and 2 of Monk still bring me more joy than anything in TV history. I just try to ignore the existence of the 6 seasons that followed those two. Oh, and the ep where Sharona came back in season 8? Disappointing to say the least, but I was wicked happy with the hug at the end (that Monk reciprocated with a big old smile). I also loved the talk she had with Natalie where she acknowledged that she really did love Monk, and in fact had loved him too much for her to handle and so she decided to leave and get a life separate from him (and this was all platonic love, of course, but my shipper heart will choose to interpret it in other ways). I still don't like her leaving even with that explanation, because it still comes across as an extremely selfish move, but at least it's better than her just up and leaving him purely for her loser of an ex husband. But anyway, by the end of the show, I was actually quite happy that Monk never fell in love with anyone but Trudy. Trudy was a character who was dead throughout the entire series, and yet her presence was always so strongly felt because Monk still had such a deep connection with her, and it became one of the most beautiful love stories ever told. So, I'm kind of glad that Monk and Sharona never got together. But that old shipper part of me still laments over the wasted potential whenever I watch the early days of Monk. *sigh*

Now, if we're talking first ship ever ever, as in the very first romance that I was aware I was rooting for, that would probably be Jack and Janet from Three's Company.



HOW DID THEY NOT END UP TOGETHER? WTF? If a 4 year old can tell that two people absolutely belong together and they don't get together, then clearly the show did it wrong. I'M JUST SAYING.

( Next time on firthgal's journal... )

WIN. Oh, John Lloyd, I ♥ you forever. Even when you're dancing.

So, I managed to watch In My Life earlier today, and man did it make me cry. I had no idea that it was such a tearjerker, especially since it started out being pretty comical. But anyway, John Lloyd was brilliant. Brilliant! I so, so loved his relationship with Mark's mother, and how he was so darn lovable but she was so darn stubborn and refused to see his lovableness until her heart broke for him when she accidentally caught him crying (no one can resist that boy's tears. NO ONE. I do not lie when I say that John Lloyd's tears are contagious), and then they end up confiding so many things to each other and both grow because of their experiences with each other, and it was both beautiful and heartbreaking, because even though she started to love him, she still resented him and it hurt. As for the Mark/Noel relationship, it was very sweet, but I kind of agree with the reviews that said that John Lloyd and Luis Manzano were a little awkward with each other (or, well, I was feeling the love from John Lloyd, but Luis Manzano took some getting used to, I guess? I don't know, but they were more natural with each other during the emotional moments as opposed to the cute moments). But anyway, the film was definitely successful in showing that Noel loved Mark very deeply, and towards the end of the film you can finally see how much Mark loves Noel, so in the long run the team-up worked, but the heart of this film was definitely the Noel/Shirley relationship, and it was sort of an unconventional love story in its own right. The Mark/Shirley relationship was just plain heartbreaking, gah, that scene in the park where they really talk each other. *cries* Anyway, absolutely brilliant performances from John Lloyd Cruz and Vilma Santos in this film.

---

The 30 Day TV Meme
Day 27 - Best pilot episode

Hmm... in all honesty, if we're talking a pilot ep that made me 100% like a show right from the get-go, that would be Ugly Betty. It was damn near perfect, and I thought it was selling me a rom-com about a lovable frumpy girl who eventually wins the heart of her playboy boss and achieves her dreams, but, you know, it kind of mislead us simply because Silvio Horta didn't really have a clue what he wanted the show to be beyond ep 13. But the pilot was so, so good, and I'm pretty sure it was the wonderfulness of that pilot that kept me hanging on for so damn long. I trusted its lies, damn it! And that was before I even knew about the previous versions, so I had absolutely no preconceived notions about the show beforehand in regards to the Betty/Daniel romance. But, you know, I thought it was obvious that that's what the show was going to be about. Oh, how wrong I was. *sigh* But anyway, that pilot was lovely.

Runner-up goes to Monk for pretty similar reasons. It was just so delightful and it appealed to me in pretty much every way, and I honestly thought that Monk and Sharona were going to end up together. I just thought it was a certainty the way the pilot ep focused so much on Monk interfering with Sharona's personal life and him saying things to her like "I'll never forget you," in the sweetest voice ever and her looking at him with this sad look and saying, "You never forget anything." It just got me. (sadly, this was another ship that ended up crushing my soul)

Day 28 - First t.v show obsession

Ha! How convenient. That would be Monk, if we're talking first show that got me into fandom. Otherwise, probably either Mork and Mindy or The Nanny. I think I was more obsessed with Robin Williams than Mork and Mindy itself, so I suppose I should just say The Nanny. I looked forward to it so very much every week and I pretty much lived for those little moments between Miss Fine and Mr. Scheffield. Had I known about fandom back then, I would have been writing Fine/Scheffield fanfic up the wazoo. I was madly in love with them, to the point where I even started taping the eps so that I could watch them over and over again (little did I know that UPN would play the show every single day after the series ended, so I even got to rewatch the series at least five times on UPN and relive my excitement. And now it's on Nick at Nite!).

( the days )

The 30 Day Film Meme
Day 11 - Favourite black-and-white film

Laural and Hardy's Way Out West.



That's been my favorite since I was 4 years old and to this day I still laugh like a loony whenever I watch it (The Music Box is my favorite short of theirs).

Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view

...
...

I have no idea. I don't exactly go for deep movies. Uh... The Cove? Which is that documentary about killing dolphins. I'm not sure if it changed my viewpoint on anything, because who the heck would be pro-killing dolphins? But it made me care more than I would have had I not seen the film.

( the days )

Okay, I just now learned that In Plain Sight is in danger of cancellation (and this season has been cut from 16 eps to 13 eps). WHAT THE HELL, USA? WHY CANCEL IT WHEN IT GETS BRILLIANT? AUGH, TV, SOMETIMES I HATE YOU. It was obviously a mistake moving it to Wednesdays while the broadcast network shows are not yet on hiatus. I just... I didn't understand this move, especially since it was doing so well in the Sunday night time-slot. They went out of their way to revamp the show, and now... they're just throwing it away? WHAT THE FREAKING HELL? Bastards. *huff*

The 30 Day TV Meme
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence

It is sad how long I've deliberated over this question. Okay, so, the obvious answer would be The Simpsons, but I'm pretty sure at least half of the people who do this meme answer with that, so I've been trying to think of another sequence that really stuck with me over the years, and I came to the conclusion that the season 1 opening sequence of Monk is probably my favorite:



The song fit the tone of the show brilliantly. It was quirky and fun and kind of subtle, and then the actual sequence is Monk getting ready for his day and you see all of his little OCD tendencies and it's just a really cute opening sequence that I've always loved, and it's a shame that they changed it after season 1.

I also kind of want to say Ne Rodis Krasivoy (the Russian version of Ugly Betty):



Because this sequence also does a great job of setting the tone of the show and it demonstrates the fact that this girl has an effect on everyone, and you can clearly see that Andrey is totally into her and Roman is completely mystified by her.

( the days )

The 30 Day Film Meme
Day 02 - A film that is underrated

Oh, good lord, there are so many films that I want to name for this, but I think I'll go with Men of Honor:



Yes, it's a totally cheesy feel good film where the underdog triumphs over adversity, but you know what? IT'S GLORIOUS. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it makes me angry, it makes me happy, and it makes me believe in the human spirit. Here are two men who HATE each other with every fiber of their being, one man who wants to destroy another man simply because of the color of his skin, but when it all comes down to it, they have this weird, begrudging respect for each other that eventually lets them overcome their prejudices. I love this film. Especially the courtroom scene at the end (good god does that scene make me burst into tears of joy).

( the days )

The 30 Day TV Meme
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever

Uh... this question is kind of impossible. There are so many shows that at one time or another were my "favorite show ever," but, as American shows are wont to do, most of them ended up sucking after awhile. I guess I would say, in its heyday (meaning seasons 1 and 2, basically) Monk was my absolute favorite show ever. I loved it like crazy, and it was probably the first show that I truly obsessed over (as opposed to obsessing over a celebrity crush/favorite character like I had done in the past). I loved everything about the show and discussed it ad nauseum, and I pretty much knew all my favorite eps by heart (heck, I even knew my least favorite eps by heart). My room is covered with Monk-related posters and merchandise, and Monk was my very first foray into online fandom. So, at one time, it was the greatest show to have ever existed (but then seasons 3-8 happened). Season 1 of Life could also go under this category, but alas, even Life fell victim to suckage eventually.

As for a show that is timeless and will always, always be remembered with fondness, that would be All in the Family.





♥ ♥ ♥ Archie and Edith are basically my substitute grandparents, I love them that much.

Day 05 - A show you hate

The Bachelor/Bachelorette. Cannot stand those shows at all. Reality shows in general bug the crap out of me, but that one in particular is just plain useless.

( the days )

In other news, I've managed to find about a quarter of the eps of I ♥ Betty la Fea with subtitles, so, I've begun yet another journey into the world of Ugly Betty, Filipino style! I've only watched the first two eps, but I am already enjoying it quite a lot. It's a little more comical than the original, and it seems to have taken aspects from several other versions and meshed them all together into this one. Personality-wise, this Betty really reminds me of the American Betty, especially when she says she's "Bettyful" instead of beautiful. For some reason that just shouted Betty Suarez at me. Lookswise she is definitely a mix between the American Betty and the Colombian Betty. This Betty has a little brother! And her parents are adorable, which... most versions make the parents adorable, but these two seem to be extra in love with each other. Also, they have her crushing on Armando right from the start (like, before she's even met him), and it seems like most versions do this, and it kind of bugs me because I loved that in the Colombian version she didn't even really think about him in that way until he made her feel important, but I think it kind of works in this version? Because it made the scene where they bump into each other kind of adorable and utterly hilarious, and then later her infatuation with him caused her to walk into a glass door (which was reminiscent of the American version and completely hilarious), so, I approve. As for Armando, originally, when I saw a random clip on YouTube, I remember thinking, "Really? That's the guy they got to play Armando?" but, now that I've seen it from the beginning and the first shot of him we get is him in bed with a random chick whose name he can't remember, he somehow fits the role perfectly. And, when I think about it, most of the Armandos have been boyishly handsome as opposed to sexy at first glance, so really, he fits. So far they've really only shared two brief scenes together, but in both scenes their chemistry was pretty great. So, I am looking forward to watching more, but I will probably be moving slow through this one since I'm watching it on a website where it's hard to fast forward (or maybe it's just my ancient computer that is making it hard. AUGH! I WANT MY LAPTOP BACK!). Anyway, I find it kind of fascinating how they randomly intersperse English with their native language in just about every scene. I had no idea that other countries did this (the Colombian version does it on occasion, as did the Russian one, but the Filipino version is doing it quite often). So, even when I run out of subtitles, hopefully I'll still be able to understand bits and pieces of what's going on.

ETA: Ooo, another interesting thing about this version? Armando's father pressures him into hiring Betty, much like the American version but very unlike the Colombian one, and Armando is favoring Patricia over Betty so far. WHAT THE WHAT? And Patricia is friends with Daniella rather than Marcella. And Daniella is a terrible actress (then again, the dude that played Daniel Valencia in the Colombian version wasn't all that great either)

I just cried my eyes out at the Monk finale. This show has been with me for EIGHT YEARS of my life, and now it's over, and even though we had a complicated relationship, I am going to miss it like crazy. It was my first fandom. It was the first show I was so passionate about that I would sit and analyze it endlessly. It was the first show that really felt like it was a part of me, like it was made specifically for me, because, dear god, finally there was someone on TV who was more socially inept than I was who also got to be the hero. He was hilarious and charming in his weird way, but he felt so much and he was such a tragic character that he was able to move me to tears within seconds of making me laugh uproariously. The Monk/Trudy love story was epic and always present throughout the entire run of the show, and in retrospect, I am so happy that the show stuck with this. Trudy was his heart, is still his heart even in death, and even as he's moving on, Trudy is still such a presence in his life. And as hard as I used to ship Monk/Sharona (and maybe even sort of still do), I am so, so glad that the show ended the way it did tonight. It was absolutely beautiful and so very moving, and... while one might say it was a little convenient, I don't even care. It was beautiful. And I so loved the whole badassness of Monk while he was getting Trudy's killer. And the way that final confrontation ended between them certainly surprised me. I just... was not expecting that, and it's been a long, long time since this show has shocked me. I feel like I should be angry that Trudy's death had absolutely no relevance to anything that was revealed within the course of the show, but I think I sort of expected that way back in season 3 when the clues were just getting more and more ridiculous. It was clear that the writers didn't have that mystery thought out beforehand, so it's probably better that they just pulled a whole new story out of their asses for the finale.

Also, the montage at the end? OH, MY HEART. I need to own that song. Oh, Randy Newman, who knew you could make me cry? Granted, I'm pretty sure it was watching Monk through the years all compiled into a one minute segment that made me cry, especially since it made me realize how freaking fast these years went by and how it still feels like just yesterday when I watched the pilot and became utterly obsessed with this new quirky show, but still, the music helped.

I hate how empty I feel when a show that I have been with from the beginning ends. It's like I'm losing an old friend. *sniff* I don't even want to know how depressed I'll be when The Office ends.

BLASTED MONK! WHY MUST IT RUIN ALL OF MY HOPES AND DREAMS? WHY? All this episode really did was remind me how much I abhor Sharona/Disher. Like, they are one of those horribly written ships that make my skin crawl and are just completely pointless and thrown in there last minute to offshoot the people who are shipping a ship that the writers don't want you to ship, and just... UGH. UGH UGH UGH. And the Disher/Sharona shippers were the rudest bunch of shippers ever (not really, but I was young, so everything was more dramatic to me back then), so the fact that they get the satisfaction of going "Na na na na naaaaaa na" is just... UGH. MOST HORRIBLE THING EVER. DAMN IT, MONK! WHY CAN'T I QUIT YOU? YOU JUST KEEP HURTING ME. I am glad this is the last year. GLAD GLAD GLAD. Bastards. On top of that, they had Sharona say that she divorced Trevor AGAIN, and this is the man that she left Monk for without even bothering to say goodbye, and that is just even more of a rub in the face to Sharona fans. Annnnd, this episode took bitchy!Sharona and turned her up so many notches that she just wasn't the Sharona I fell in love with. And while the show tried to say that Sharona and Natalie are equally great assistants, they just made Sharona look kind of terrible. Worst of all, they never addressed Monk's feelings on Sharona leaving him without warning. I mean, surely he has some bitterness about that, right?

That being said, I did love Monk's flustered state. He was so torn on who to be loyal to, and he was back to his adorable lovable self with Sharona around. I guess Sharona's bitchiness made Monk seem less rude? I don't know. But he just seems so much sweeter when Sharona's around. Anyway, I love that he never once showed any more love for either Sharona or Natalie. He loves them both, just in different ways. Monk/Sharona was turbulent and bickery and intense and tender and challenging and right, while Monk/Natalie is very calm and accommodating to Monk and... well, a great deal more peaceful than Monk/Sharona was (which is probably why Monk/Natalie tends to bore the crap out of me, to the point where I wasn't even enjoying Monk's scenes anymore, but, technically speaking, Natalie is right for him). But anyway, with all the icky Sharona/Disher going on, I was seriously fearing that we wouldn't get any Monk/Sharona closure, but then Sharona admitted she loved him and my heart melted, and then, oh god, that epically long hug at the end. THE HUG! It was so, so beautiful and understated and perfect and Monk LEANED INTO IT and he SMILED and he SMELLED HER HAIR and OMG IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. And... then it was ruined by Disher. UGH. DISHER. NOW I REMEMBER WHY I USED TO HATE YOU. Oh, I'm sorry, Disher, I don't mean it. You have brought me joy for many years. But seriously, I used to hate you. A lot. Especially when you're with Sharona. Oh, how it kills me that the writers brought back that storyline. Why couldn't she have just stayed happy and married to Trevor? Why? Why bring back Disher's ridiculous crush on her? They know how ticked off a lot of the fanbase was at that ship. UGH. This show lives to burn me. And you know what? Since I absolutely despise the idea of Monk and Natalie ever turning romantic, the show will probably totally go there, because it's EVIL. I am hoping though that Monk gets to stay happily devoted to the memory of Trudy. It may be selfish, but I really don't want him to fall in love with anyone else. Monk/Trudy has become so epic over the years that it would kind of kill me. Unless, of course, he ends up with Sharona, but obviously that's not gonna happen, never was gonna happen despite the oodles of subtext in seasons 1 and 2. *huff*

---------------

White Collar! This show was utterly delightful and totally slash-worthy. I predict that Neal/Peter is going to have a Shawn/Lassiter-sized following at the very least. They are obsessed with each other, enemies turned partners, hot young guy with hot-ish older fellow, cop show. A SLASHER'S PARADISE. Of course, they aren't related, nor do they cry a lot, and neither one is an angel, so... I don't know.

--------------

The Thorn Birds. OMG, I freaking love this miniseries. WHERE HAS IT BEEN ALL MY LIFE? Someone mentioned to me that Uther/Morgana reminded them of The Thorn Birds, so naturally I had to check it out. Naturally. And it is like this thing was made for me. I think I remember my mom watching it when I was little? Maybe? I know she had a thing for Richard Chamberlain, and somehow the only thing I've ever associated with him is Thorn Birds (though I think I may have associated him with the Thunderbirds, too). Anyway, dudes. This story. OMG. It is beautiful and intense and crazy and kind of cracky. The entire first hour and a half or so is this priest fellow and this 12 year old girl being madly in love and making googly eyes at each other. And, I mean that in an innocent way, but not really, because their love was intense and soulmatey right from the get-go, but, you know, she was a child, so he didn't see her in that way until she got boobs, but even then he was like, "OMG, I must pretend that I don't notice the boobs. I'm a priest, damn it!" So, it is very angsty and epic and beautiful and painful and I am loving it like crazy. I only have one episode left, but I am guessing that it ends tragically, because no one seems to get a happy ending in this miniseries. Also, the discs are double sided, and I didn't realize that, and so I went from episode 1 to episode 3 and didn't even realize it until episode 3 was over. I kept wondering where certain characters were and how things had moved so fast. *sigh* Oh well, it didn't seem to impede my enjoyment. Meggie and Ralph were barely together in the second episode. Anyway, Meggie/Ralph. Epicness.

So, I watched the Ugly Betty premiere tonight since 1) baseball was on instead of Dollhouse, and 2) The Monk/Sharona episode is NEXT week, not this week (just pretend my squeeage happened next week instead of today). And guess what? The premiere was GOOD. I am still lacking the attachment that I had to Betty in the first season, but at least I loved everyone else, and once Daniel showed up, I got all gooey inside at all the Daniel/Betty sweetness happening, and for a brief moment I remembered why I used to love this show so freaking much. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and I had a damn good time watching it. WHY CAN'T IT BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME? But I didn't quite enjoy the Daniel/Betty scenes as much as I used to with the knowledge that it will amount to nothing in the end, but then I got on the internet a few minutes ago and what do I find? DANIEL/BETTY IS BACK ON. SORT OF. OMG, PLEASE DO NOT BE PLAYING WITH MY HEART, SILVIO! DO NOT DO THIS TO ME! I'VE FINALLY MOVED ON, DAMN IT! STOP TEXTING ME! Auuuuugh, I no longer know what the heck to believe. And Eric Mabius has gone from wanting Daniel and Betty together in the end, to just wanting Daniel to be unrequitedly in love with her forever, to giving his stupid Moonlighting spiel, to outright saying he believes nothing romantic will happen between them. So clearly the actors are just as clueless about the ending as the audience is. But the fact that Mabius has come to that last conclusion seems to be making him play Daniel's interactions with Betty a little differently. I don't know, maybe I am just being too much of a gloomy gus when I watch the Daniel/Betty scenes now, but his looks just aren't as intense as they used to be. I don't know. But anyway, the second half of this episode had tons and tons of awesome Daniel/Betty, but I have gotten myself so fully into this "they're completely and forever platonic" mindset that I think I've stopped seeing them in a shippery way. THIS IS TERRIBLE. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I still think they're totally married, but... bah, I just don't see them in the same light that I used to. And I can't even bother to get my hopes up that Daniel is part of the rumored love triangle later in the season, especially since there were spoilers earlier about yet another man falling for Betty. So... yeah, I'm not putting my eggs in that basket, but I think I will try to fall back in love with Daniel/Betty. I miss the intense devotion that I used to have for them. You know my devotion to Uther/Morgana right now? Imagine that times ten, that's how much I used to love Daniel/Betty. But anyway, aside from all that, Justin was amazing in this episode, and I find myself wishing that Marc, Amanda, and Justin could get their own spin-off where they're all living together in Manhattan and they're just this weird, dysfunctional makeshift family. I'm pretty certain it would be 20 times greater than Ugly Betty (Marc and Amanda as parents! It would be epic! Although it is more likely that Justin would be taking care of them than the other way around).

PSYCH! Psych was pretty damn awesome. Shawn was actually badass! Shawn! And Gus was pure adorableness. And Lassiter and Shawn's dad are the makings of a buddy cop film, definitely. And, no matter how much Shawn/Juliet is injected into this show, I cannot stop believing that Juliet and Lassiter are doing it on the side. I just can't. They are so married that it's not even funny. But they're all quiet and cool about it, so no one knows. Except for me. And Juliet is busy harboring all these foolish feelings for Shawn while Lassiter is just falling deeper and deeper in love with Juliet but she is completely oblivious to this, and Lassiter is cool with his thing with Juliet being casual because it's what she wants, but once he finds out about her feelings for Shawn he will step up his game and start wooing her for real and eventually get his heart broken when she realizes what he's doing and breaks it off with him, and then Juliet will eventually realize that it's Lassiter that she wants and not Shawn but it'll be too late because she'll think that Lassiter has already moved on (and Juliet is sort of terrified of his new girlfriend), and then she'll confess her feelings to him in an epically dramatic fashion when Lassiter tells her that he's going to propose to Terrifying Girlfriend, and Lassiter will be all "Bwah?" and then she'll yank him into a kiss and they'll get married and have babies, and YES, I AM HAPPY HERE IN DENIAL LAND, THANKS FOR ASKING. Oh, and it turns out that Terrifying Girlfriend is actually a lesbian, she just didn't realize it until she dated Lassiter. Clearly I should be writing this show. Clearly.

Also, the preview for next week's Monk has me reliving the epicness of Monk/Sharona. I probably saw the preview 10 times tonight, and I keep noticing how even though they've been separated now for 5 years his interaction with her is so much warmer than it is with Natalie. I mean, he gets along with Natalie much better than he does Sharona, but he's always kept a part of himself closed off to her, whereas with Sharona he is just... she gets his whole heart, always and forever, but in a completely different capacity than he gave his whole heart to Trudy. He is so attached to her in every way, would do absolutely anything she asked of him (after much arguing of course). His love is always there, as is hers, but it's complicated and messy and one of the most difficult things in Monk's life, but also one of his most treasured aspects of his life, same for Sharona. Or, I should say, was, but all that came back in full force just in that little clip in the commercial, and, GAH, I so want to marathon all the Sharona episodes again and relive my eternal love for that ship. They were so beautifully dysfunctionally functional! I miss them something fierce. And, technically speaking, his relationship with Natalie is way healthier than his relationship with Sharona had been, but, gosh darn it, Monk and Sharona were epic together. They were Monk and Sharona. But then Sharona left him, and his world stopped, and she took a piece of him with her when she left, which is probably why he's never let himself get as attached to Natalie as he was to Sharona. He loves Natalie, for sure, but not with that intensity that he did Sharona. OH GOD, I MISS MONK/SHARONA. Do not be surprised if I do something crazy like write a freaking ship manifesto for this long dead ship. (Please, don't let me do that. I have too many things on my plate already, I cannot be distracted with past obsessions that left a big old scar on my heart)

On a random note, I really, really want to see Where the Wild Things Are. Oddly, I never read it as a child, but I fell in love with the book during my Children's Literature course a few years ago. The commercials are making the movie look amazing.

I did not realize that tonight was the night of the return of Sharona. I am afraid that I'm going to have to skip Dollhouse for Monk, because SHARONA MOTHERFLIPPIN' FLEMING IS BACK, BITCHES! AAAAAAAAAAAH! I could just wait for the midnight showing, but it's SHARONA MOTHERFLIPPIN' FLEMING!

MONK/SHARONA!!!!!



*clears throat*

ETA: AH BUGGER! MISLEADING PROMOS SUCK! Apparently the episode is NOT tonight. GOSH DARN IT! I HAVE BEEN WAITING ALL FRICKIN' SEASON, COME ON! Also, frickin' baseball is on, therefore I am missing Dollhouse anyway. *sigh*

Anyway, I was watching the ASH on Paul O'Grady interview, and they showed a clip of the upcoming Merlin episode that I am totally psyched about because it's Uther-centric, and... oh dear. I am sure I am just being a worried shipper, but did ( spoilers )

Anyway, ASH was super dreamy in that interview. I think it was the hair. Oooooh, how I love his floofy bedhead hair.

OMG, PSYCH WAS SO FRAKKING HILARIOUS TONIGHT, HOLY CRAP. I haven't enjoyed this show that much in a long, long time. FREAKING LASSITER, OMG, THAT MAN IS BADASS SEXY! HELL YES! I desperately need an animated icon of him being his kickass self in the restaurant. OH GOD, I WAS LAUGHING SO DAMN HARD. I love him. Lots. Also, Shawn and Gus were hilarious. And Juliet was adorable. And Vick was awesome. And Henry was wonderful. And Buzz!!! Basically, I loved everything about this episode. EVERYTHING! Definitely Psych at its best. I demand that everyone watch it. Or, you know, my Psych peeps who have dropped Psych from their TV watching schedule. This ep was classic. I am sorry that this post is so pointless, BUT I HAD TO EXPRESS MY UTTER DELIGHT FOR THIS EPISODE!

Also, I really enjoyed Monk. Not as much as I enjoyed Psych, but it was pretty hilarious.

Okay, so, here's my problem with Psych. There is such a thing as too much Shawn. In fact, there is such a thing as "Oh dear god I cannot stand this smug bastard anymore, I really want to change the channel" Shawn. When he is in every single scene, reciting the same crap and doing the annoying fake psychic thing over and over and over again, DEAR GOD I JUST WANT TO SHOOT HIM. I can only take so much Shawn. Even in the early days the show was smart enough to intersperse all the manic Shawn-ness with Lassiter and Juliet doing their adorable thing in their totally non-smug way. They used to be more than just the bumbling oafs (and Juliet used to be more than the occasional love interest for Shawn). Vick used to be more present. Gus used to be more than just Shawn's sidekick. Jeez, at this point it feels like Gus can't even get a word in, he used to at least be able to fire off jokes with Shawn in every episode. Now he just nods and smiles and throws in a random reference every now and then. Ugh. Shawn Shawn Shawn. EVERY SINGLE SCENE. I get that he's the star, but give me a friggin' break once in awhile! For cripes sake! There is a reason why Roday has never been nominated for an Emmy. NOBODY CAN STAND SHAWN FOR 40 MINUTES STRAIGHT. I used to love the dude, but Psych has ODed me on Shawn. They have finally accomplished convincing me that he is utterly obnoxious and not the least bit charming. To the point where I really want to drop the show. But the thing is, everything else is awesome. I don't want to abandon the entire show, just Shawn. I used to be able to ignore him enough to enjoy everything else, and at one point I used to actually love Shawn, but I just... I just can't take him anymore. For the love of god, let Lassie and Jules get their own scenes again! Bring back that balance that I so adored in season 2! It was utter perfection! Or at least give the other characters more to do. And see, the thing is, the episode itself was entertaining enough, but halfway through I was so exhausted with all the Shawn-ness that I had trouble getting through the rest of the episode. Ugh! I don't get the folks who love Shawn so much and actually like that he's in every scene. I just don't get them. HOW DO THEY DEAL WITH ALL THE OBNOXIOUS SMUGNESS? HOW? Also, is it terribly deviant of me to want to ship Henry/Abby now? *sigh* I'm kind of sad that the show is so obviously against Shawn/Abby as evidenced by its portrayal of them being SO WRONG OMG!!1!1! for each other, especially since they were awesome together in the school reunion ep, but... whatever. Henry/Abby is where it's at now. Mmmhmm.

As for Monk, tonight's episode was beautiful. Apparently this show still has some brilliance left in it yet. I cried quite a bit, I have to admit. I can't recall an episode that made me care so much about a victim. I mean, she was only on there for about a minute, maybe? But she was so wonderful and her love for her husband was so there and you knew it would end up being a mirror of Monk/Trudy and OH GOD. IT WAS ALL SO BEAUTIFUL. The husband was utter perfection. He and Monk were so freaking hilarious together, but at the same time, they both had this underlying tragedy to them and GAH. Have I mentioned how right this show does the drama? It just gets me in the most soul-searing kind of way, especially when it hits you after an extremely comical moment. I love how this show can so effortlessly switch between the two moods. The comedy is something that the show's been down in quality with for quite some time now, but ooooh this episode. The humor was so natural and reminiscent of the Monk of old, and I was seriously laughing like crazy in between all my crying. This episode had one of those classic long, drawn-out awkward moments that the show used to be so brilliant with, and I have to say, it was probably one of the most hilarious moments of the entire series. Utterly brilliant. OH, MY SHOW! This episode gave me faith that my show will go out with a bang. The line, "Knowing is everything," really got me. That's pretty much been the point of the show all these years. Monk knows everything, except for the thing that he needs to know. Anyway, this episode was brilliant all around. The guest actors (well, the Nigerian husband and wife) were simply amazing. Tony Shalhoub was amazing. Natalie was adorable. Disher was hilarious. And Stottlemeyer was steadfast as always. Awesome episode.

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In other news, I found this Katie McGrath interview interesting, especially in regards to her feelings about Arthur/Morgana. I am the first to admit that Arthur/Morgana is not my thing, but even I was like, "Ouch," on behalf of the shippers. That's the most popular het ship in the fandom, so it's a little surprising that they're just turning it completely sibling. I actually prefer viewing them as siblings, but I am a subtext fiend, and I somehow feel cheated on other shippers' behalf? I don't know. I don't get my brain sometimes. I'm technically happy, but I love the fandom so much that I feel down about that portion of the fandom getting crushed over the confirmation that there's no romance planned there. I doubt that will stop the shippers though, if I'm honest. I mean, I know that Uther/Morgana will forever stay platonic and familial in canon, but that doesn't stop me from going, "Psh, yeah right. Father/daughter my ass. They have UST up the wazoo."

Also, I am still being tortured over the fact that I don't ship Artie/Claudia on Warehouse 13. At this point they have more fic than Pete/Myka, and I feel like I am betraying myself for not waving my Inappropriate Age Gap Ship flag. Why did the fandom latch onto them instead of Artie/Myka? WHY WHY WHY? I just cannot win in fandom. Ever. Even when a ship totally matches my shipping criteria on paper. *long suffering sigh* Not to mention the fact that I don't ship the partners on this show either. Another "Bwah?" on my part. This show is an anomaly for me.