Grid Effect

These Rescue Me mini-episodes are painfully difficult to discuss. For one, they’re only five minutes long. Anything that happens in five minutes on scripted TV drama that’s worth talking about usually has to be within a larger context. But when they do not talk at all (last week) or when dialog is minimal (last night) it really compounds the problem. The tale of Lieu’s stolen lunch is only so intriguing, it’s downright mind-numbingly boring if you didn’t watch it.

We will say that his exit line and insults directed at Probie, Tommy, Garrity and Needles was hysterical. And although it isn’t saying much, this was a significant improvement from the week before, but a series of groin shots would have been more interesting than last week’s suck fest. Did Lieu ever say why he kept leaving his food sitting by its lonesome in the kitchen? Who the fuck picks up seemingly discarded food from a table or food out of a fridge that is clearly a home packaged lunch? Let’s just move on.

And to what else…Links!

Some news from Real World sort of yesteryear, and unfortunately for me I actually know of the people involved: Danny and Melinda from the Austin season have gotten hitched. Danny, if you don’t recall, dealt with the death of a parent while on the series and someone sucker-punching him at a bar, busting his orbital bone. This probably made up the most trying time anyone has had on this show, ever. Yes, even more trying them when Greg would put shit in people’s beds during the most recent season. Though that was mentally devastating in its own right, I’m sure. Melinda isn’t nearly as memorable, but she was a hot blond, so her appearance seems like yesterday.

Mad Men is still alive and well in the media. While the Times recalls the 1962 plane crash used as a plot device in the most recent episode and dissects the reality of it;  Entertainment Weekly reports that the guy who plays Harry (Rich Sommer) has been cast for The Office, which we are inexplicably giddy about. What would be the film equivalent of this? Maybe if Woody Allen had turned up in Belly.

His role won't differ as much from "Mad Men" to "The Office"...every character on that show is pussy whipped just like Harry.

In terms of the series itself, ratings dipped for the sophomore episode from the season premiere. We don’t really understand this phenomena, but it happened with every series we have ever monitored the ratings for (AD, The Sopranos, The Wire). We assume it has something to do with chomping at the bit to watch the premiere, then being content to either record it or watch it on demand for the rest of the season. Or it could just be people tuning in to see what all the hype is about, not knowing the back story (which you have to, to follow all of the aforementioned series’) then tuning it out. Either way it doesn’t really matter. As the article points out, Mad Men’s target audience is higher income families that appeal to sponsors. So as long as they have reason to believe that’s whose tuning in, the series should be around for as long as Weiner wants it to be.

Want to see presidential candidates make cringe-worthy attempts to be funny and appeal to voters via a campaign for a competition that no one really watches? Then here’s your chance! Just how much is Obama like Carcetti? And why isn’t David Simon ever asked to explain this? We’re still holding out for a more uplifting conclusion to the Obama story, but that show has us too disenfranchised with politicians, especially when they bear such rhetorical similarity to a character on the series.

Bob Saget is upset over some of the jokes pertaining to the Olsen twins at his roast. I am assuming the remarks he felt that crossed the line were ones referencing his experience with the twins on Full House. Maybe so, but at least he knows how to generate an audience. Nothing is better than a roast, in which the person being roasted feels disrespected or offended in some way, especially if that person is Bob Saget. So yes, we will be watching.

And finally, some MTV reality broad named Lauren Conrad will present at the Emmy’s. I’m sure the people in the industry who take this shit mightily seriously will just love to see a symbol that threatens everything they work for. We suspect she will have some self-deprecating joke written for her, which will be totally awkward. The thing about self-deprecating humor, is you can only participate in it, in a public setting, if people actually have respect for you. When no one does, everyone stifles laughter because the self-deprecation echoes the thoughts of the audience. Bang up job, Emmy’s. I’m giving it about a 70% chance that the poor little rich girl in question ends up running off the stage in tears.

Probably it for today unless something catches our eye. Just a reminder that Hard Knocks premieres tonight, we’ll have a brief writeup tomorrow morning.