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J. J. Brown, Wordslinger

"I Sling Words As I Go Along."

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So, I got hooked* on Once Upon A Time……

……..a fantasy TV show that aired on ABC and involving characters in both their fairy-tale context (with a twist) and in our modern world.  The most common reaction I get when I mention the show has been, “Yes, I loved it, but it got really weird”, with no clarification on how it got weird or why.  But this is a show involving fairy tales and magic, so weird kind of left the station with the very first episode.

One of the things that utterly charmed me from the start about the show was how the writers took one event and approached it from multiple view-points.  An example of this would be the ‘hold-up’ of Prince Charming’s carriage by the bandit, Snow White.  As a reader/viewer and even in real life, it’s easy to forget that everyone involved in an incident (from chance meeting to purse snatching) will have a completely different experience and interpretation of events.

As a writer, I loved the attention to detail in these moments and how they were woven together.  It takes well-thought out planning in advance – no flying by the seat of one’s pants, here – so I suspect that the creators of Once Upon A Time had their vision mapped out over at least three seasons before pitching it to ABC (and the parent company, Disney, who owns the rights to many of the characters that appear in the show).

I missed the original run when it aired on ABC, and my memories of it were articles about story lines and plot points.  There was some minor controversy over season 7 (something to do with Cinderella, if I remember it right), but coming to the show as I did, none of it seemed all that important.

Just a tempest in a pot of tea, from my point of view.

The show is fun, it’s campy, romantic, full of adventure, thoughtful contemplation on good, evil and the possibility of redemption and twists on established characters.  The conceit of fairy tale characters living in our world is delightful and it’s perfect viewing when things feel dark and heavy in our world.

Definitely on my list of shows to re-watch.

Maybe I can savor the show an episode at a time.

‘Maybe’ being the key word, here.

*Pun fully intended.

 

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So, I got hooked on Grey’s Anatomy a couple of months ago……

……. thanks to Lifetime Network and their habit of airing half a dozen episodes five days a week (it repeats to the first episode of season 1 after the last episode of season 10).  I’m surprised at how much I like it, considering that my memories of the show when it first aired were decidedly not impressed.  I’ve been wondering why it took me this long to get sucked into the daily life of Seattle-Grace turned Grey Sloane Hospital and my only conclusion thus far is that, like anything else in life, there is a timing for everything.

And seriously, what’s not to like about this show?  Women are allowed to be silly and strong and angry and loving and emotional on this show (and its spin-off, Private Practice, which I preferred over Grey’s at the time).  No one comments on it, except as a response – a woman getting pissed off is actually respected by the male characters as having a reason for being pissed off, not just dismissed as unimportant.

This is due to Shonda Rhimes’ vision and direction and she has chosen writers, producers and directors to further that vision.

There are characters I don’t really like (Karev, Arizona, George), despite their moments of pure generosity and humanity;  there are characters I really like because of their utter awkward goofiness (Lexie, April);  I like the friendship between Callie and Mark, who keep the lines and boundaries clear, regardless of where it goes;  I like Derek and Meredith’s faith in each other, despite the heartache and pitfalls;  and I absolutely love and admire the almost Victorian courtship of Owen Hunt and Christina Yang that didn’t entirely hide the raw passion between them.

Of all the characters on the show, Christina Yang has emerged as one of my favorites.  She doesn’t have time for bullshit, she doesn’t have time for niceties, she just wants to work in surgery and be the best in order to save lives.  Sandra Oh brings that hard-edged, unapologetic character to life so fully, that it would be impossible to picture anyone else in that role.  Yang may not have the best bedside manner, but if she’s there to save your life, I rather think the latter is more important than the former.  I’d certainly want her as my doctor and surgeon because I know she’d fight like hell to keep me alive.

No spoilers on Seasons 11 through 13, please!!!

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So, I binged the first six episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)…..

…….and let me first just say one thing.

Holy Douglas fir trees, Agent Cooper!

There are so many details to marvel at, that I’m not even going to attempt to put them into words.  I will, however, wax rhapsodic over how the story evolved over these six episodes, going from disconnected, strange pieces to what appears to finally settle into some kind of pattern that I’m not entirely too sure of, yet.

There won’t be any spoilers in this post, mainly because instead of focusing on the show itself, I’d have been writing down what happened as it happened.  That’s not conducive to enjoying the show.  I expect that, when I have this season on Blu-Ray or DVD, I’ll be going over it again and again and again, to catch every little detail.  Because that’s what the Pause and Search buttons on the remote are for.

“I’ll see you again in 25 years.”

So said Laura Palmer Dale Cooper towards the end of Episode 29 of the original series (22, if you’re going by season).  It was worth the wait and I’m glad I was able to watch multiple episodes of Season Three.  It would have been nerve-wracking waiting for it each week, trying to keep up with the details and the symbolism and what it all means.

Laura Palmer still seems to be the main thread that runs through the entire story of Twin Peaks and Dale Cooper is still trying to unravel it – or reweave it into a new pattern.

In any case, I have to wait on seeing the next few episodes.  As nerve-wracking as that may be, I’m glad – being able to binge-watch several episodes actually helps keep the continuity flowing and I went from seeing multiple, seemingly unrelated episodes scatter different pieces around to watching as they started to coalesce into something concrete.

What that is, I’m not entirely certain.  But I’m looking forward to finding out.

What I call Gordon Cole’s The Blue Rose Missing Pieces Edition.
Because I can.
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So, I’ve wrapped up my Twin Peaks re-watch…..

……and, as always, it was a fun trip, filled with secrets, damn fine coffee and people who are both familiar and strange.  It refreshed my memory of what happened to the characters before and after the mystery of Who Killed Laura Palmer.  It also raised new questions in light of the images that the new series has released from the new season.

I stopped trying to avoid spoilers or commentary about the season.  My reasoning for doing so is this – it’s David Lynch.  One could create an entire university in order to study his methods, his ideas and his philosophy and not get any closer to understanding than “He’s different; he creates thought-provoking material; I don’t get it, but I like it”.

Or not, as the case may be.

In any case, I’m looking forward to immersing myself into this unexpected and much-longed for third season of Twin Peaks.  It’ll be nice to see how the citizens of this fictional town have fared over the years, what they’ve been up to and how their stories will unfold.  I wonder if the owls are still not what they seem and if music is still playing in the air.

I’ve got my coffee brewed and my snacks allocated.  I can’t eat donuts or pie anymore (sugar gives me a headache), but I think Dale Cooper would approve.  The Good Dale, anyway.  I’m sure the Bad Dale would scarf down anything he chose to.

What I call Gordon Cole’s The Blue Rose Missing Pieces Edition.
Because I can.
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So, I’m catching up on Twin Peaks Seasons 1 & 2……

…….and the feature film (along with the missing pieces), in part because I love the show and it’s always good to pay a visit to the town with the best damn coffee (and hot!).   But also because Season 3 is now upon us.  And with the owls not being what they seem, I’m excited that it’s happening again.

Unfortunately, I have to wait another week or two before I can start watching the long-awaited third season, so you can imagine the minefield of spoilers I have to navigate.

That said – No Spoilers, please!!!

I’m having a hard enough time avoiding some of the images and some articles analyzing the new episodes.  Some of it is easy to avoid looking at and I’m saving them for later reading, after I’ve caught up with the first few episodes.

Although, that also being said – am I the only one noticing a similarity between Chet (Invitation to Love) and Dougie Jones/Alternate Cooper?

Don’t answer that!

What I call Gordon Cole’s The Blue Rose Missing Pieces Edition.
Because I can.
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So, I finally finished watching American Horror Story: Hotel…..

…….completing the entire series. Yes, I’m aware that I’m playing catch-up with the show, but that’s okay – better late than never.. For whatever reason (timing, show schedule, my schedule), I wasn’t able to watch any season through its entire run while it was on television. The first episode was usually as far as I got. Also, I was uncomfortable with a lot of the violence and some of the sexual content presented.

The only season I managed to watch every week while it aired was American Horror Story: Roanoke, due to changes in my own schedule that allowed for it. However, thanks to DVDs, I decided to give the show another chance. Setting aside my own discomfort that I’d mentioned above, I bought the first season, Murder House, and worked my through that up to season five, Hotel.

My reaction? Wow.

I became so engrossed with the characters and the stories, that I couldn’t watch just one episode and walk away from it. I finished the first season in one day (each season is about 12 episodes long) and then proceeded to do the same for each succeeding season. What drew me in was the show’s complexity and willingness to examine the dark and light of each character presented.

This is shown in the incredible writing, characters that are flawed and fully-realized people, locations and time settings that were not only fascinating, but seemed to be characters of their own. Each season resets itself in a different setting and decade, with different themes. Many of the same actors return as new characters, which keeps the show fresh. I especially loved the quality of the female characters that were written.

The women of American Horror Story are strong, intelligent, make no apologies for who they are, have no fucks to give and, in some cases, can learn from their mistakes. It has delivered a wide range of powerful female performances, as well as delving into the dark side of American history.

Of all the seasons presented so far, Coven, for me, was the best.

Jessica Lange as the Supreme plays for keeps, even as finds herself in a time loop, refused to curl up and accept her fate. I loved Kathy Bates as Delphine Lalaurie, a 19th century psychopath in Coven, who, through voodoo magic, finds herself immortal and fallen from high society to house maid. Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe, Frances Conroy and Sarah Paulson round out the primary cast.

But most of all, I loved Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, the 19th century voodoo priestess of New Orleans in Coven. The first time I saw Ms. Bassett in an acting role was when she played Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It? Her presence has stayed with me ever since and I sought out more of her work. Her performances in Freak Show, Hotel and Roanoke are powerful and human, but it was her role in Coven that resonated the most with me. She lived and breathed that role, making Marie Laveau a person not only to love, admire and respect, but to fear, as well.

So, if you haven’t watched American Horror Story, I suggest you try it out. As I mentioned earlier in this piece, it’s violent and pushes the boundaries in many respects. However, if you can put that aside, you are in for excellent story-telling, above par writing and some of the best actors ever assembled.

American Horror Story, seasons 1-5
American Horror Story, seasons 1-5
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