Rescue Me: Series Finale

After waiting almost 2 years for this great tribute to New York City and 9/11 heroes we instead get a typical sitcom ending.

Don't get me wrong it was still funny and well done but nothing that couldn't be shown a year ago. Tommy is living his life and still has his ghosts to keep him company. The last episode was more of a tribute to the show itself.

The theme that firefighters were as mortal as everyone was evident when Tommy is speaking to the new recruits and we see the old timers all battered and bruised standing in the back.

Image Credit: FX

Good job Mr. Leary. I expect the same quality from your next project...hopefully soon.

iO Digital Channel Guide

iO Digital Channel Guide, Channel 100

A scrolling channel guide for those who subscribe to more than just the basic package.  On occasion they show special programming, conflicted hockey games, or other sport events.*

TiVo has its own guide and it is faster and more interactive. These old type of guides were once very useful but in this internet age it seems a bit slow.

*Correction:
Anonymous said... 
This channel guide on channel 100 does NOT show special programming, conflicted hockey games, or other sport events. This guide is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

However, The channel guide on channel 99 or 80 is the channel that on occasion shows special programming, conflicted hockey games, or other sport events. C-SPAN 2 on channel 79 or 66 shows special programming as well.

I would add that my version of Cablevision does not have channels 79 or 99.

SPEED

SPEED, Channel 99

Dedicated to racing and everything including themed game shows and reality shows about cars and trucks. I should be more into this channel since I actually built and raced a car once but honestly I can never watch it.

There is definitely a car-racing culture that is very easy to join but unless you are passionate about cars it is also easy to leave behind.

Again I maybe watched 10 minutes of this channel all year so I probably will just speed on by. Oh love those puns.

HGTV

HGTV, Channel 98

Yup starting this up again. Last left off on the Food Network about 2 years ago then my TVs broke and then most shows became awful but let me finish off the channel list.

On with HGTV a channel that shows houses and occasional garden shows. From the little I saw they focus on buying, selling, or redecorating homes. From what I heard it started as channel that built homes and gardens but then it changed from documentary-style to "reality"-style.

House Hunters International
"A woman decides to make a life in Paris"
A show where Americans go to foreign countries and find a place to live. In this episode some woman with no real career goes to Paris and gets a NYC size apartment for $1,400 a month. It had no real shower but a great view. The other two apartments were two expensive or too small. Apparently since she had savings style was more important than affordability.

Never really watched this channel and I doubt I will again.

BBC America

Finally!

Probably the last cable system in all of America to get it but Cablevision finally brought BBC America, channel 101, to me. Perfect timing too since it is the episode premiere of Doctor Who. To prepare us they have been having a season six marathon of Doctor Who.

I have now fully caught up with all the episodes and although I  do not care for the new doctor the stories are great.

I have alos watch some Kitchen Confidential and hope to see more great British shows soon.

Oh also there is a hurricane acoming.

Not Getting the Whole Picture

Not having an HDTV you miss a few things. Things like sharp images, every wrinkle, and side jokes.

For the most parts networks have been good to consider us old fashion TVs user when filming but it looks like they are starting to update.

Check it out my favorite news channel is now fully HD and I cannot see the full time or temperature.

Is it 28 or 98?
Am I going have to look out the window? The horror.

Still I have no plans to upgrade so I suggest the networks adjust to me.

Heat Is On

Rescue Me
Mutha 
After a year on hold, although it seems longer, Rescue Me came back advancing the story-timeline a bit. Everything is still messed up in Gavin's life but at least there are no secrets.

Menses
The women in Gavin's life are draining the life out of him. While the firehouse rallies around Lou.

The show is still great despite the long wait. They plan to air the series finale on the week of September 11. Unless I am over thinking it I see lots of foreshadowing in these final episodes. I doubt the final episode will have everyone go off quietly.

Of course on TV the number one news story is the heat. 104 in New York City with a nighttime temperature of 90 degrees. I have heard a couple of people say that this is nothing since we have cooling technology and that our grandparents lived through worse without ACs.

Well those people are wrong. People should Google...Weegee, "Crowd at Coney Island, Temperature 89 degrees . . . They came early, and stayed late," July 22, 1940

They will find this picture...

http://www.icp.org/museum/exhibitions/weegee-1899-1968

There is also a great Smithsonian article that explains how New York City and most other places around America would slow down to the point it virtually shutdown. The early 1940s were so hot at high 80s and low 90s that people slept outside and did not show up for work for days.

People in the near past were not stronger and less whining. The just died quickly and nobody sued. So all this heat coverage is justified. 110 is not normal for any human and the fact we are not dying by the thousand shows how we have evolved and adapted over the last half century.

Summer Premieres! Time Warps Begin!

Weeds: Season 7
Starts off 3 year after the events of the last episode. Nancy Botwin is free woman with no threats or danger to face so as usual she creates her own. Traveling around NYC with an arsenal was hilarious. Her family comes back from their so-so European lives to reconnect and she is less than joyous.

The Big C: Season 2
The truth is out and everyone is taking it well while Cathy is look to fight the Cancer with everything she can. Her best friend Rebecca is trying to steal the spotlight with her unborn baby.

True Blood: Season 4
One day in fairyland meant one year in real time. Everyone thinking Sookie was dead moved on. She may be back the are bigger problems as a witch coven becomes very powerful.

Futurama: Season 6
Getting worse each episode. The show was about normal life with the occasional odd futuristic thing now it is everything is odd and people take it as normal. This show has lost it's mojo.

Royal Pains: Season 3?
After spending 2+ years in the same summer they final sped through fall, winter, and spring to start off the next summer. Dr. Hank never left the Hamptons and is now reuniting with everyone else. Only Dr. Hank seems to have his life together the rest are letting insecurities ruin their relationships.


Burn Notice: Season 6
Michael Weston is back as a spy and will never know why he got burned. We finally see some great scenes with his mom that explores his childhood and reason to become a spy.

Men of a Certain Age: Season 2
Still depressing as ever but they have been teasing us with a few rays of hope. Everyone on this show is always on the brink of financial and personal ruin/success.

Hot in Cleveland: Season 2
Still not funny, Bertinelli is underused.

Image source: examiner.com

I can only say due to the non-regular schedules TV shows have these days that these time bending plot devices will continue. Granted older shows like The Waltons also suffered with timeline issues.

Falling Skies

Falling Skies:  Live and Learn, The Armory

It is the Walking Dead with aliens although typical Spielberg spin is in place where children are the main focus.

Basically we see the aftermath of a recent alien invasion where the world has fallen, especially big cities. Roaming bands of humans are reduced to about 300 each. Larger groups are being killed by the aliens and their kids are turned into slaves. Currently the people and audience are ignorant about the aliens motives but I see they are slowly starting to address the issue.

As with all these shows the surviving humans are as dangerous as the aliens. Having some kids as soldiers while others continue to play and go to school is unrealistic. Either have one or the other because in times of crisis organized school would not work, especially if kids are being abducted.

Noah Wyle as a professor turn soldier is fine but the rest of the characters are just not believable.

I do not expect this show to last unless something extraordinary happens.

Weiner Media Hype

Watching Rep. Anthony Weiner resign from his job was difficult to watch. Not because of him but because of the hecklers who often pose as reporters. Often seen at news conferences since the early days of reporting these parasites have no view points accept to yell. They are anti everything are too much of a collective coward to stand for anything.

Weiner's scandal was a lot of nothing, posting pictures of himself while may be naughty is not criminal or evil in any way. His problem is that he knew the reporters and news stations are hype machines who prefer to scandalize everything. He chose the wrong path and lied, his best strategy should have been like former Governor Patterson and just admit to everything and say "it's my life".

Hopefully this ends the coverage as the reporters successfully knocked down another person for the sake of ratings. Remember it was the tabloid reporters that killed a princess and the still stalk others hoping to be the "LAST" interview.

Waltons Jumped the Shark

The Waltons was plagued with a host of continuity issues. Season one was near perfect but then after that it went off. Certain thing like having Earl Hamner Jr. say that they would never see a traveler again and then a season later the traveler is back but as a different actor. Their timeline was also something of a space-time continuum mess.

And for different actors they win a prize. About 15 characters were played by different actors and I'm only on season seven.

Jumping the Shark

Now the quality of the episodes were going down hill with the stroke of Ellen Corby that lasted 2 seasons or 3+ years in Waltons time. Then the exit of Richard Thomas the main actor. Finally the unexpected death of Will Geer who's characters Grandpa Walton was said to live to a great old age.

The Changeling:
Elizabeth is turning thirteen and gets haunted by a poltergeist. They try to explain it that when young kids go through a "change" ghosts get attached to their energy until their inner conflict is resolved.

The episode had flying furniture and everyone taking this serious. It was hard to watch especially knowing the actors were probably disgusted at the whole thing. Granted Earl Hamner J. did a few Twilight Zone episodes but if they wanted explore the supernatural they could have done it better.


The Warrior: Had an Indian burial ground under the Walton's barn. The entire episode was sketchy and the Pa Walton's reaction was uncharacteristic to say the least. Still it was nothing compared to The Changeling.