Screen Time: The Unusuals

Hey everyone!

So, I've been into cop shows lately.  I think the last four blogs written about the topic are evidence enough of that.  Both of my last Screen Time blogs about Police Squad and Veronica Mars were centered around police/mystery themes so today I'd thought I'd round out a trilogy of cop show blogs.  I watched the entirety of the single season of The Unusuals in one night last week, and, my weird obsessions aside, that should demonstrate to you the quality of the show.  It is definitely worth a moment or two of your Screen Time.

On paper, The Unusuals reads like a typical modern cop show: a squad of quirky cops deal with a barrage of equally quirky crimes while discovering the secrets about each other that they want to keep secret.  The show follows the standard procedure of cop show in which it follows the perspective of a new transfer to the squad as she discovers all about her fellow cops.  However, there is a fantastic quality about the writing of the show that transcends the standard and typical.  There is a layer of character development beneath the police procedural that makes The Unusuals one of the most interesting cop show you will ever see.

As the title dictates, the cast of characters of The Unusuals are an odd bunch.  They are composed of a daughter of one of the richest families in New York, a former New York Yankee, a devout Christian with a torrid past, a lone wolf that refers to himself in the third person, a 42 year old man that never takes off his bulletproof vest, and his wisecracking partner who has a brain tumor and refuses to tell anyone about it.  The show is presented in a dark comedic fashion but the characters reveal a much less funny reality of what it means to be a detective.  They are broke, defective, secretive, self-destructive, neurotic, corrupt, and selfish.

The Unusuals are anchored by some fantastic actors putting on fantastic performances.  Jeremy Reimer and Adam Goldberg in particular are incredible in each and every episode, but each member of the cast gets a unforgetable moment to shine.  If you are in the mood for a show that isn't too high concept but is still addictive and thought-provoking, I can't recommend The Unusuals high enough.  There are only ten episodes to watch and, if you are anything like me, you will end the series begging for more.

Thanks for reading!

Once Upon a Blog: Spark of Life

Something was born tonight.

What is was I cannot really say, but I will testify to all that will listen.  Something was born tonight. 

I stood next to it as it formed out of the smoke, the sparks, and the damp earth.  I saw the bright light of existence enter its eyes.  I heard the rhythmic pulsations of life beat from its crest.  Its joyful exuberance glowed with a deep blue and a fiery yellow, nearly blinding me as I fell to my knees near it.

A tiny black fist reached up and clasped me by the wrist.  I looked down and saw that the fists was now a brilliant white.  Now a cold cobalt.  Now a red of burning coals.  Now flesh.  Flesh like mine.  I reached down and clasped its fist in my hand and felt it radiating a strange aura of something between heat and chill.

Lips trembling, I leaned down and placed a delicate kiss across its tiny fingers.  Upon contact, my eyes widened with the memories.  Memories of pouring strange elixirs onto the ground of the brick tunnel.  Memories of speaking strange words from a strange book which had no meaning to me but that of an expectation of a miracle.  Memories of smoke, fire, and sparks.  The sparks of life.

It opened its eyes.

"Who am I?"

The voice alone made me shiver.  It was full power and authority.  Never in my life could I have imagine such a voice coming from the being that lay before me now.

"Who?  Who am I?"

Lips still trembling, I managed to squeak out the words I had been waiting to say.

"You... you are mine and I am... I am yours...  I am your father... You are my...  Son...  my son..."

It turned two eyes, dark and intense, towards me.  The corners of the eyes began to curl upwards in happy contentment, and it spoke again.

"Father."  The word made him glow from beneath its skin.

"I am yours, Father, and you are mine.  Forever."

Musings of a Fanboy: You Are the One

Hey everyone!

So, as a card-carrying fanboy, I get unusually obsessed with things.  Obsessed is a strong word and it often gets a bad wrap due to its association with mental illness, but obsession isn't always such a bad thing.  Call it extreme determination or dedication, but it's all obsession when you get down to it.  I would like to think that everyone is obsessed with at least one thing but that might just be projecting on my part.

Now, I've been trying to figure out why I get so obsessed with certain things.  For example, I finally got around to watching the pilot episode of The Unusuals (an excellent darkly comedic police show that ran for only a season) and I'm probably going to finish watching every episode tonight.  I know, I have a problem.  So, what is it about The Unusuals (or other current obsessions, like Game Grumps, Ultimate Werewolf, OK Go, Stephen King novels, etc.) that my mind clings onto with such severity?  The truth is that I have no clue.  I am nowhere close to consistent with this sort of thing.  In some cases, such as with the X-Files, my obsession comes and goes in waves, trading casual indifference for hardy interest in a matter of days.

While I can quite nail down the causes of my fanboy obsession, I am certainly glad that I have them.  They inject a bit of excitement into the most boring of days because, at the end of it, I get to indulge in whatever I am currently excited about.  And, hey, I can get obsessed with productive things too.  I can't tell you how many times I've finished papers the day after it was assigned because I get so excited by an ideas just cannot stop writing about it.  As with most things, a tendency for obsession is both a gift and a curse, but it does makes the things I enjoy all the more enjoyable.

Thanks for reading!

Nostalgia Goggles: Dunna Dunna Dunna Dunna Duuna Bat-Ben!

Hey everyone!

So, here's our new Batman:

Cards on the table: I really wasn't that floored by Christian Bale as Batman.  Don't get me wrong, I love this frickin' frack out of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, but the portrayal, in my opinion, aired more on the side of Tobey MaGuire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man than Christopher Reeves as Clark Kent/Superman.  So, the announcement of Ben Affleck as the new Caped Crusader has had me more intrigued than disappointed or angry.  This new photo nearly guarantees that the Batman we are going to see in Superman vs. Batman is going to be different than any incarnation that we have seen.

Now, I've been a pretty big fan of Batman since childhood.  His stories were a combination of two of my favorite genres: detective stories and science fiction.  As I've grown up and seeing all the different adaptations of the Caped Crusader, I've always been impressed by all the different ways creative minds have reinvented the same man over and over, each with an interesting and unique take.  I, for one, am excited to see how Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck will do with the character, even if it is a case of casting gone wrong.

This new Batman seems much larger than all previous Batmans, physically and in terms of presence.  Zack Snyder already revealed that Ben Affleck's Batman will be much further along in his superhero career than previous incarnations, so this grizzled and larger than life picture could be reflecting that.  Now, I could be reading too much into a single picture but this Batman definitely reminds me of Christian Bale at the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises, very worn and very jaded.  It will make an interesting dynamic with Superman, if this indeed is true, who I am hoping with take a much needed optimistic role in the upcoming film.

I'm certainly excited for Superman vs. Batman, even though I wasn't a huge fan of Man of Steel and the fact that the whole movie is just a stepping stone to the Justice League film is a little disheartening.  I think the first Superman and Batman movie should deserve a little more attention than that.  Either way, we are in for something exciting and new from Zack Snyder and company.

Thanks for reading!

Rain Dance in Traffic: Spinning Now #2

Hey everyone!

So, it's Monday.  It's my day off and I have nothing to write about for blog.  At least, nothing that jumps to my mind as interesting enough to post.  So, here are a few of the songs that I'm listening to right now.  Literally right now.  Like, as I am writing this sentence.

Guren Yo Yumiya by Linked Horizon

Ok, so yeah.  This is the opening theme for an anime.  Yeah, it's in Japanese.  Yeah, it's freaking awesome.  The visuals of the opening are little bit of an anime fever dream, but, gosh dang guys, watching all those people rise above the rooftops in a giant mass of epicness still gives me goosebumps.  The song is set at an incredible and out of control pace that gets the blood pumping even if you are, like me, stilling on your bed typing on your laptop.  I've experimented with watching animes before but nothing has quite stuck yet in the way that most well-crafted American, Canadian, and European television shows have.  But, if animes could all have freaking epic songs like this as openers, consider me a fan.

Heart and Soul by Twin Atlantic

I discovered Twin Atlantic a couple of years ago with the release of their fantastic album "Free," which I dutifully recommend.  They are amongst a group of pop rock groups from Scotland that I have been very fond of the past few years.  Heart and Soul is their new single for their new album coming out sometime soon, but this song has caused quite a buzz amongst fans.  It is a much more mainstream-sounding effort from the guys in the band and that has sent the "selling out" allegations flying from every corner of the fanbase.  I personally see no problem with a more accessible sound from Twin Atlantic, especially when the song is this catchy.  So, if you'd like, take a listen to some of Twin Atlantic's old stuff, compare it to Heart and Soul, and form your own opinion.

This Too Shall Pass (Marching Band Version) by OK Go

I don't know what it is about OK Go that has had me so fascinated by them these last few weeks.  I randomly popped in one of their older albums on my way to work one day and now I've listened to their entire catalogue several times over.  They have a new album coming out soon as well and the clips that they have put out sound fantastic.  OK Go, as I mentioned in a previous blog, have a reputation for making unique and eye-catching music videos for their hit songs.  It has gotten them a lot of attention and I believe it is rightfully so.  The marching band music video for This Too Shall Pass I think is a great demonstration on how a big budget production isn't always the best way to succeed with a music video.  All it takes sometimes is some enthusiastic participants, some great coordination, and a willingness to have fun on camera to make a music video memorable.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Branches and Roots: Uprooted

Hey everyone!

So there's a pretty mighty storm 'a blowing outside right now.  Everyone reading this that is in the Omaha Metro area, I hope you all are alright, with or without power.  Batten in the hatches because there is more on the way apparently.  We here at the Young house were extremely lucky that the wind decided to cut across the street away from our trees, felling an very large tree into our neighbor's yard.  The rain caused the roots of the tree to come right out of the ground, completely intact.  The root of the tree in my neighbors' yard reminded me of the blog I wrote last Sunday about branches, so I'd thought I'd do a quick blog about roots.

If branches are the future then the roots are the past, and the past has a nasty of uprooting itself.  The storms of life come along and weaken our hold on the pieces of our past that we want to keep in the past.  And, the storm passing and winds stop blowing, all of the bits are laying out everywhere for all of your neighbors to see.  However, like my neighbors and their fallen tree, having your roots exposed reveals more than just your own past.  Without waiting for the wind to die or the rain to let up, people from each and every house on my block spilled out into the streets to help my neighbors clear out the mass of branches and roots from their lawn.  With all of the storms we have had over the years in my town and the tremendous amount of trees in my neighborhood, it has becoming kind of a tradition to form a "neighborhood clean-up crew" during storms.  

The last few months have brought on a large bit of uprooting for me and my experiences with the storm today has made me want to give my gratitude to the "clean up crew" in my life that have been helping me with my splintered roots and branches.  You guys know who you are and please know that I thank God for you everyday.

Thanks for reading!

Top Ten: Episodes of Community

Hey everyone!

So, Community was canceled this week.  Seeing how much of a fan I am of the show, I'm surprisingly OK.  The last two seasons of the show have shown that, with or without creator Dan Harmon, the writers have lost a sense of direction for the show, stranding it in a kind of loosey-goosey limbo that tries to build to a conclusion and ends up with handfuls of nothing.  So, the announcement is met with a kind of bittersweet feeling.  On one hand, I feel like the dying show is being put out of its misery and, on the other, I keep hearing Abed shouting "Six Seasons and a Movie!" in my head.  And, darn it, I really wanted that.  So here today are my top ten favorite episodes of Community for its entire five season run.

Disclaimer: So, all of these episodes are from the first three seasons.  And, when I think it over, I don't think that's unfair.  Sorry, if you disagree.

THE LIST

10. Digital Estate Planning

• Interesting episode concept and great writing to match
• Visual art style is great and the humor is perfectly matched
• Any episode that humanizes Pierce is fine by me
• The satirization of video game culture is sidesplitting
• Unique and memorable stand alone episode in a plot-heavy part of the season

9. Contemporary American Poultry

• One of the shows first and most successful film parodies
• Great introspection on the characters of Jeff and Abed
• A great gateway episode to introduce new fans to the show
• The story is a bold move from the show's early sitcom formula
• Makes a great use of the show's deeply comedic supporting class

8. Basic Lupine Urology

• A nearly screen-by-screen parody of a standard Law and Order episode done to perfection
• "I transferred or 'downloaded' the picture from Troy's phone."
• The way the episode portrays police and court procedure without police or a court
• A snappy stand alone episode that is subtle smart and infinitely hilarious
• No study group drama just satiristic fun

7. Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design

• Community is at its best when it keeps it simple
• The incredible acting keeps the plot twists from giving viewers narrative whiplash
• Surprising revelations about the status of Jeff and Annie's relationship
• An equally entertaining subplot that builds up to one of the show's best episodes
• Top notch writing and a master class in creating fantastic tension

6. ModernWarfare

• The episode that made Community "that show where they play paintball"
• A challenging and dramatic departure from the show's basic formula
• Danny Pudi's character acting... just all of it
• Balls to the walls hilarious and action-filled insanity
• Comes to define the show's offbeat and unique television presence.

5. Cooperative Calligraphy

• Bottle episode at its finest
• Fantastic meta humor and meta commentary
• Breaks down the thin facade of the study group's true feeling towards each other
• Makes the insignificant significant and the significant insignificant
• Instantly memorable and iconic episode that will stand the test of time

4. A Fistful of Paintballs/ A Few Paintballs More

• Fantastic extension of the show's paintball fun
• Parodies both westerns and Star Wars in the same go
• The action and tension between characters is kicked up several notches
• A thought-provoking end to the second season
• The influence of the main story arc of the season on the paintball action

3. Paradigms of Human Memory

• A clip show with all original clips... Why can't all shows do this?
• A strangely unnostalgic trip through the show's history due to resolved character tension
• Fractured storytelling reveals the new storylines one bit at a time
• Jeff's epic monologue spanning multiple study group adventures
• Superb writing brings a strangely uplifting ending even though very little is actually accomplished

2. Pillows and Blankets

• A near perfect imitation of a Ken Burns documentary with the integration of social media
• An interesting and much-needed challenge to the Troy-Abed dynamic
• Community absolutely shines in a documentary format and this is the clear winner for the best one
• Jeff's surprising reveal in the ending recording
• Leonard likes this post

1. Remedial Chaos Theory

• The finest example of fractured storytelling I can think off
• Begins the "darkest timeline" story arc and ridiculously long-running joke
• A fluid and balanced examination and growth of each individual character
• The ending is fantastically satisfying
• This episode is pretty much the reason I want to write for television

Thanks for reading everyone!  And, Community, you will always be six seasons and a movie in our hearts.