Would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!

It has been a long freaking time since Glee has moved me to tears. OMG, this episode, it was so surprisingly good. I just don't understand how the show can be a complete mess most of the time (and just plain bad) and then churn out episodes like this that make me identify with each and every character, that have a cohesive storyline throughout the entire episode, that move the ongoing plot forward, that give us character development, that have so much emotion. The story with Mike Chang was so well done. I was fearing it would veer into the "parents put too much pressure on the child so he attempts suicide" lane that so many teen shows do, but then it went in the other direction and touched my heart and made me cry like a baby. And the story between Rachel and Mercedes has been done so many times on this show, but never so poignantly as it was done this time. I love how it so heartbreakingly illustrated that when you let your ambition control you, you alienate absolutely everyone around you, and it was a great contrast to the Mike Chang story. And the Emma backstory? OMG, so much heartbreak. I finally get that character now. I've always felt an emotional distance from Emma, but this ep pretty much cured that. I realize that the awesomeness of this ep is probably an anomaly, but I find myself looking forward to seeing where the story will go next.

The slow-mo chicken dance in New Girl also kind of made me cry. Maybe I'm PMSing? I don't know, but New Girl pleased me greatly. I think it's safe to say that I ship Jess/Nick hardcore since they are pretty much the only thing that kept me watching, but now I also find myself so thoroughly in love with the rest of the cast that I just can't quit this show, no matter how much Jess's "quirkiness" comes off as "slightly mentally retarded." This ep was definitely my favorite of the three, mostly because Jess got to be the one that saves the day. She actually got to act like a [somewhat] capable adult, and the bond between her and the boys was really cemented in this one. Also, Jess and Nick got to be pretend boyfriend and girlfriend, and they did a lot of close talking in a photo booth, and yeah, I'm totally in this one for the ship. Their chemistry is ridiculous. I will seriously be heartbroken if nothing ever happens between them, but I feel like the show has been not-so-subtly hinting that they are the romance of this show. Maybe. I mean, she has moments with all of the guys, individually and as a unit, but she seems to connect with Nick in a way that she doesn't with the other two. Anyway, the strong point of this show is the emotional connection between the characters, and that's what will keep bringing me back. I realize that the show isn't exceptional in any area whatsoever, but damn am I falling in love with it. I can't even explain my love for it.

In k-drama news:

I watched Vampire Prosecutor last night and totally dug it. It's mostly a typical procedural, but the main guy reminds me so much of a better-looking version of Jet Li, which made me instantly fall in love with him. And the vampire aspect (being able to see where a person died after tasting their blood) is pretty cool. I loved it whenever he whipped out his super vampire strength. The very beginning confused me, though. But then they showed the beginning again at the end, only from a different perspective, and I think I understood it, but I'm not sure. I don't know. The editing takes a little getting used to. Also, the big bad dude with the mole from Warrior Baek Dong Soo is in this, and he's been popping up in everything lately as a total douchebag, which is making it hard for me to trust him as a good guy in this drama. I keep expecting there to be a twist where he turns out to be the serial killer from seven years ago. Seriously, dude is the bad guy in EVERYTHING, so, I'll probably keep suspecting him.

Also, I finally got around to watching the last ep of Killer Girl K. It was awesome, but it left me wishing that it had been a longer series so that certain storylines could have gotten more exploration, which would have given all the deaths more emotional impact. As it was I was kind of just like, "Hmm," every time someone important got killed, except for the young boy, because that was just harsh. So very harsh. And the ending made no sense whatsoever. Maybe they were setting up a sequel? I don't know.

Warrior Baek Dong Soo continues to be fantastic. I can't believe that I am still following a 30 episode drama, and I am still salivating for each new episode. I just can't get enough of this show. I mean, it has its slow points where it gets all expository about the political machinations, but luckily it tries to keep that stuff short. I feared that the show would drag after the conclusion of the Sword Saint/Ga Ok/Cheon stuff, but then it introduced a fight club where Jin Joo got to kick everyone's asses, and then Yeo Woon and Dong Soo finally got to have some scenes together again, and it was like the show totally knows how to win my heart back after completely breaking it. I am going to feel so empty once the last two eps air next week.

I plan on finishing up Protect the Boss today (or tomorrow). I watched ep 16 yesterday before I went to work and really enjoyed it despite the angst. Actually, I kind of loved the fact that Eun Seol was making Ji Heon suffer a little bit, even though it frustrated me at the same time. But I continue to love the friendship between the girls, and I love how much the relationships between Ji Heon and Moo Won and Ji Heon's dad and Moo Won's mom have progressed. The scene where JH's dad was shoving the flowers into MW's mom's face had me laughing like crazy.

In J-drama news:

Thanks to piecesofalice, I've become addicted to quirky Japanese procedurals. Namely, Deka Wanko and Keizoku 2: SPEC. Deka Wanko is about a detective who dresses in Goth Loli and has the nose power of a dog. No, really, that show exists. And it's awesome. I ship Wanko with her older colleague who is totally mysterious and super sexy and gives her these looks that I simply cannot resist.




See? THEY TOTALLY WANT TO DO EACH OTHER. But of course most people ship her with her young partner who happens to be in a boyband. Psh, whatevs. I'm convinced that the show ships Wanko/Older Dude. Anyway, this show is hilarious and cracky and surprisingly touching at times. I adore it and want more. Another season if possible, but I guess I can make do with a movie or special or whatever you want to call it. Hopefully that gets made soon. And hopefully Wanko and Older Dude make out in it.

SPEC, on the other hand, is much crazier but also a lot more serious, and it makes you think and it makes you laugh and it makes you cry and it just plain boggles your mind. Pieces enticed me into watching it by comparing the partners in this to Crews and Reese from Life, and I definitely see the comparison. They are each other's safe place, and it's like both of them were reborn once they met each other, and they just don't want to function without each other. They are each other's light, and despite all their bickering they become the most important people to each other. This show was just so beautiful, but also completely crazy, and I don't know how Japanese shows get away with being so weird. Probably because they are also ridiculously poignant in their weirdness.

The 30 Day TV Meme
Day 22 - Favorite series finale

LIFE. Here, let's watch the last ten minutes, because that's the bit that will always stay with me:



I still hate how the online and DVD episodes have different music than the aired versions, because the music is such a huge part of this show, and it just feels wrong to watch that very last scene without "More Than Alive" playing. On the other hand, the music here seems to be even more blatant about the Crews/Reese undertones, so... not completely a bad choice, but, you know, I liked the original music choice better. But anyway, despite season 2 being made of fail, this finale was simply brilliant. The mystery part of it was a little sketchy, but honestly, this show was never all that great at the mystery, especially during season 2, so, it didn't really bother me. I was just over the moon about the fact that the show was once again focusing on the characters and their relationships with each other, and I was so happy that they brought Roman back (although the show failed in making Roman the arch nemesis that he could have been). But anyway, what I loved the most was the Crews/Reese conclusion, which I hadn't been expecting. Like, at all. And yeah, it was subtle enough that it could be interpreted any way you want to interpret it, but for me it was glaringly obvious that both Crews and Reese were on the precipice of realizing that they need each other in more ways than one.

I also kind of wanted to say The Sopranos, but in all honesty the only thing I actually remember about The Sopranos finale is that very last scene that just randomly went to black and made me wrongfully curse the cable company.

( the days )

The 30 Day Film Meme
Day 06 - Favourite actor/actress

ROBERT FUCKING DE NIRO. It is sad that the best compilation of him that I can find is in German. Anyway, here are a few of his earlier films:



Not surprisingly, out of those, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are my favorites, but I also really, really love his role in Mean Streets (but the film itself is kind of... blah. If not for DeNiro, no one would even remember that film). Oh, and The Godfather Part 2 was brilliant, of course, but it's so damn LONG, but I love how he was able to take a very beloved character played by a very beloved Marlon Brando to a whole new level. He made the character his own while still staying true to the charm that Marlon Brando brought to the character. As for DeNiro films that people rarely talk about, Bang the Drum Slowly is SO good, and it's probably in my top 5 favorite DeNiro performances. I always use up like half a tissue box whenever I watch it (it's basically Brian's Song, but for baseball). My actual favorite DeNiro film is probably Goodfellas, but it's not specifically for his performance, it's just that I really, really love that film. Midnight Run is another favorite of mine, because it's one of those classic 80s buddy comedies that I am kind of a sucker for (and DeNiro was at his most gorgeous in that film, IMHO). This Boy's Life is brilliant, and I kind of love it when DeNiro plays despicable dudes. I even enjoy watching The Fan, which is just... insane, because that film is the epitome of awful, but DeNiro is so damn enchanting when he plays crazy nutjobs. The thing is, he makes us understand why these characters do the things they do, which in turn makes you sympathize with them, and just... he's brilliant. I love him. There was a time when I was even hugely obsessed with Showtime, so, you KNOW that I love him. Oh, and also, Meet the Parents is what initiated my obsession (weird, but true). I had always enjoyed his previous work, but it was Meet the Parents that really made me go out and buy his entire body of work. Showtime and Analyze This were the very first DVDs that I ever bought, and they basically played on an endless loop until I bought Taxi Driver and Goodfellas. Anyway, I pretty much own everything he's done from about 1974 to the present. A lot of his later stuff I haven't enjoyed all that much though, but Everybody's Fine kind of restored my faith in his abilities.

( the days )

Comment on this entry with a pairing I ship from one of my fandoms and I will tell you:

1. When I started shipping them
2. What I think their challenge is
3. What makes me happy about them
4. What makes me sad about them
5. What moment I wish had never happened
6. Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other
7. My happily ever after for them

Warehouse 13. Once again, really loved the episode. But I still cannot stand Claudia. I DO NOT GET HER POPULARITY AMONGST THE FANDOM. AT ALL. Isn't she supposed to be in her 20s? And yet she is written as if she's a rambunctious ten year old. ARRRRGH. She was awesome last week with the whole saving Myka thing, but then this week she was back to being annoying. Ugh. Although, I must say, I found the Artie/Claudia moments kind of cute in a totally platonic sort of way. See, I think my inability to ship them despite the age gap and the banter is that Claudia is WRITTEN AS IF SHE'S A TEN YEAR OLD. If she was consistently mature and defiant in a way that is actually important to the plot, then I would probably ship the heck out of them. But... *sigh* Claudia is the one and only thing that I am not digging about this show. Everything else is so very delightful. Pete and Myka were freaking epic in this episode. I love their friendship so very much! They are encroaching on Crews and Reese's territory as greatest non-ship ship ever (except, you know, I actually shipped the heck out of Crews/Reese, whereas I don't ship Pete/Myka in the romantic sense. This whole shipping for platonicness thing is so new to me!) Anywho, this ep rocked, and the show is slowly working its way to being my favorite summer show this year. In fact, I think it's already there.

In other news, I am ridiculous and have signed up for the camelotsolstice gift exchange. Dude, what is with me and these fic exchanges? Seriously! But I really, really, really want some new Uther/Morgana fic (or Uther/Gwen, or Uther/Merlin) and this was my only way to get it. Unfortunately that means I have to write something in return, but oh well. I can do it, it's not due till the end of November. (says the girl who has yet to finish her fic for The Office rare pair gift exchange. Which is due in 4 days. I'LL GET IT DONE!)

Let's close out this mofo with some Buffy/Giles, because I am back into them FULL FORCE. For tonight, anyway.



Now those are some sexy bitches.

Is there any chance that any of you talented folks would be willing to make me a header of some sort that contains this pic:



( With either... )

I generally like my headers to be 760 x 350, but the height can be anything, really, just no bigger than 350. And, you can change the background of the pics in order to make them match each other or whatever you all do when you make fancy graphics. I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER! And I will repay you with anything that I am capable of, be it picspam or fic or embarrassing stories or whatever you can think of. I swear that I spent at least an hour tonight trying to make an aesthetically pleasing header out of these pics and I just couldn't do it. I am way too photoshop illiterate. :(

Anyway, THE ICON MEME! AGAIN! I've posted it enough that you all should know the rules by now. Comment and I'll pick 6 of your icons and yada yada yada. <--Totally went old school there with a Seinfeld reference.

( Check out the pretty that grimorie picked )

LIFE! THAT WAS THE GREATEST ENDING EVER! OH MY FREAKING GOD! YOU GUYS! AAAAAAAAAAAH! I WAS FLAILING! FREAKING FLAILING! OH MY GOD! Seriously dudes, Life knows how to do finales. This totally measured up to Fill it Up, and, in fact, I may even love it a touch more (because, you know, ROMAN! And the shippiness. OH DEAR GOD, THE SHIPPINESS! I ALMOST DIED FROM ABSOLUTE GLEE BECAUSE I KEPT FORGETTING TO BREATHE! AAAAAAAH!)

( A few quick points even though this ep deserves an in depth post. THAT'S RIGHT! THIS EP DESERVES A POST OF THE MOST EPIC LENGTH POSSIBLE! Which I cannot bring to you now because I am too full of GLEE to think straight! )

In short, this episode kicked ass, and I wish the entire season had been this awesome, because this episode was like experiencing season 1 of Life all over again, only Crews and Reese were about 20 times closer than they were in season 1. *dreamy sigh* Awesome, awesome finale, and if the show gets canceled, I'm perfectly satisfied with this ending.

My mind has just been blown by the ending to Life on Mars. It was both amazing and absolutely ridiculous. OH, THIS SHOW! I AM GOING TO MISS IT SO VERY MUCH! Guh, it even made me cry a little. How did the British one end? I have a feeling that it will be ages before I get around to watching it, especially since I moved pretty damn slowly through the first three eps and then gave up, but based on the first ep of Ashes to Ashes, I'm thinking that the British version of Life on Mars ended in a completely different (and much less ridiculous) way. Something tells me it didn't go for the happy ending. Anywho, I loved this show. It was adorable and surprisingly touching and exciting and just... I loved it. I am sad to see it go, but honestly I don't know how it would have gone on past one season, so it probably benefited in quality by being canceled. I'm just happy that they managed to give it a complete ending.

As for Life, that opening scene has to be one of the very best scenes ever. I actually got a little teary-eyed, and... I never get teary-eyed at the plot of the week people. So, that was cool. The rest of the ep was entertaining, but... meh. It was a bit of a let-down simply because the previews gave me expectations it shouldn't have, and now I'm afraid to believe the preview for next week. But, it looks like the show will focus solely on Crews in the finale just as season 1 did, but I don't know. Anywho, this ep was way too focused on the plot of the week, and that just wasn't enough to sustain me, especially since I figured it out right from the start, and had this been a Crews/Reese ep, I'm thinking it would have been very old school and it would have had much more character development and partnershippiness throughout the ep and I would have been jumping for joy because they finally went with a simple case formula again and focused on the characters, but... Reese wasn't there. *hmph* I mean, we got some good Crews/Seever banter, but he just doesn't have that emotional connection to her that makes his scenes with Reese so beautiful. Also, Amanda bugs me like crazy. I think it's her hair. I just cannot get past that awful mullet. I'M SORRY! This is shallow, but it's true. Plus, her acting style just doesn't go with the show at all. Blech. Even Ted looks bored when he has to have a scene with her. Also, that laughing dude? Laughing in the background for the ENTIRE SCENE is a little ridiculous. Aside from the laughing, that last scene was amazing. So, the opening scene was amazing, the ending scene was amazing, but everything in between was just meh. And, Damian was hot.

So, Life. I really, really enjoyed it last night. I never thought it was possible, but the new girl totally wooed me. She and Damian played great off each other, and it was nice seeing Charlie deal with someone just as kooky as him.

( spoilers )

Life on Mars! I've missed the last 2 eps, so I just found out last night during the preview for next week that the show isn't coming back after the finale. :'( Luckily, they knew this ahead of time, so they'll be able to give the show a tight conclusion. I think one of the reasons why I keep putting off watching the British version is because I didn't want to see how it all ended before I saw the American conclusion. I was expecting the American version to run for a few years though. Bummer. But anyway, last night's ep was pretty damn awesome, and that ending completely shocked me. CANNOT WAIT to see what happens.

Okay, meme time.

Stolen from ras_elased

-First official fandom/fanfiction experience
-First time you started writing fanfic
-First time you read/wrote slash
-Tell me about your current fandom

( The answers )

Stolen from my f-list:

Name a fandom, and I'll tell you my:

One True Pairing Ship
Canon Ship
"If this happens I'll stab my eyes out with a spork" Ship
"You are one sick bastard" Ship
"I dabble a little" Ship
"It's like a car crash" Ship
"Tickles my fancy but not sold just yet" Ship
"Makes no canon sense but why the Hell not" Ship
"Everyone else loves it but I just don't feel it" Ship

I didn't post my thoughts last night because I spent the entire night enraptured in this Buffy fic, The Greater Good (which is SO GOOD, OMG! Vampire Giles is a total sex bomb. I so wish season 7 had gone down like this. Sort of. Except it wouldn't have been allowed to be as gory as this fic is. And I'd need a little more convincing on Buffy's feelings for Giles. But still, SO GOOD, OMG! And I have to say, I like this version of Spike a whole lot more than Canon Season 7 Spike. For some reason, on the show, when Spike got his soul back, he just got boring for me. I missed his old evil charm, and this fic manages to bring a touch of that back to him).

ANYWAY, back to Life. Life was good. Not great, but good.

( BOBBY STARK! OMG, I LOVE BOBBY! )

Life on Mars. Once again, very entertaining ep. Loved it. The best part though? The killer's name was Tony Crane, and when Sam was being all "Tony Crane.... you're Tony Crane... Tony Crane..." he eventually said "TonyCrane" in the EXACT same way that William Shatner would always say "DennyCrane" on Boston Legal. NO LIE! I actually laughed hysterically at this, even though it probably was NOT a reference to Boston Legal, but you know what? I don't even care. I'm just going to assume that it was. And because I know there are quite a few West Wing fans on my f-list, DONNA MOSS will be on Life on Mars next week.

Okay, time to get back to work so that I can get everything done before Ugly Betty (and so that I can finish reading Greater Good). Today is so BEAUTIFUL, and I should be out enjoying the beauty, but sadly, since I got NOTHING done on Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday, I am stuck in the house trying to get everything done since it's all due today. *sigh* Not to mention housework. Blerg. Also, Publisher's Clearinghouse hasn't shown up to my house yet with a giant check. Hmph.

ETA: I just found out that The Office is yet another repeat tonight. OH MY FREAKING GOD! WHAT THE HELL? Arrrrrgh, networks frustrate me. WHY can't they just show all the episodes together? WHY must they show repeat upon repeat upon repeat until I stop watching all together? ARGH! I'm almost approving of ABC's decision now to just put Ugly Betty on hiatus until they can show all the new episodes without repeats. I just wish the freaking networks would show all ten episodes before the winter break without any repeats/interruptions, and then do the same damn thing with the next 10/11/12 episodes that happen after the winter break. WHY CAN THIS NOT HAPPEN? I guess that would mean longer hiatuses, but damn, I seem to tune in to my cable shows that do this with more frequency than I do with the network shows where I get fed up with the many weeks of repeats interspersed with a new ep here and there. ARGH! At least 30 Rock is new.

Fact: Life is now the crackiest show that I watch. Yes, it is crackier than Merlin. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON TONIGHT??? Lucky for me, I adore cracky shows. Especially when they throw in some much overdue Crews/Reese shippiness.

( Life spoilers )

LIFE ON MARS! I continue to love this show. I so wish more people would give the US version a chance because IT IS SO ENTERTAINING! GAH, I LOVE IT! The story keeps getting better and better, as does the acting now that everyone's figured out what their character is supposed to be, and just... gah, I love this show. Especially when Michael Imperioli gets a significant amount of screentime. He was AMAZING in this episode, as was Annie. If Ray wasn't married, I would totally ship Annie/Ray after tonight's episode (I... basically ship Ray with anybody. But seriously, he and Annie had wonderful chemistry and I so wish that they could be permanent partners and that she would slowly break down his totally misogynistic attitude and he'd grow to platonically love her like crazy because she's awesome and empowered and he'd surprise his wife by being more sensitive to her and IT WOULD BE THE GREATEST PARTNERSHIP EVER! Sadly, the show insists on constantly pairing up Sam/Annie. Blerg). Anyway, aside from Annie/Ray, I also really adored the Gene/Maria stuff in this ep. I am such a sucker for troubled father/daughter storylines that are full of love but the characters don't know how to show it. And, you notice, once she worked things out with Gene, she dropped Sam. So OBVIOUSLY Sam was purely a way to connect with her father (or piss him off). Guh, I love them. And the plot of the week was wonderful. So, More Ray = WIN every single time. That's the secret to an awesome ep, apparently.

I feel weird since I have nothing to offer on the Anthony Head front. I've actually been doing my work all day. *GASP* Although, during lunch, I did try to watch his episode of Highlander, and... I just couldn't take it. That show is the most awful piece of crap that I have ever laid my eyes on. OMG, DID PEOPLE ACTUALLY WATCH THIS SERIES? IT'S HORRIBLE! This one dude is supposed to be the Big Bad and he's got a hot pink collar on his jacket for pete's sake. And everyone either reads their lines like a robot or else they are far too dramatic. It's ridiculous. ASH was the only one not being ridiculous, but his role was so dull that I couldn't even watch for him. Plus... he was using an American accent, and that kind of takes away some of the allure for me. *is a shallow British accent lover* I may finish the ep tomorrow though just so I can mock it some more.