I Love Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
So, if you hadn't already noticed - I love movies and TV and books and music. More specifically - I LOVE A WELL EXECUTED STORY WITH BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS AND DEVELOPMENT.
Ah, so glad I got that off my chest. It's so hard just nodding when someone tells you how much they loved Batman V Superman and you practically bite your tongue off trying not to tell them all the reasons that movie made you so damn angry. Badly written stories infuriate me, particularly in instances such as that, where there are so many options, and so much money thrown at them, and I could shit out a better film script in half a day, with more relevance to the comics.
Movies and books with well written scripts and characters CANNOT get high enough praise from me. Stranger Things is the breakout hit from this year, and for good damn reason. NOT, as people keep assuming, because of nostalgia - if that were true, Ghosterbusters, Fuller House, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Independence Day, Jason Bourne and Ben Hur would have been higher praised. No, this show was great because of the writing, acting and camera work - not just because it reminds people of The Goonies. Every character is a whole person, and the story is compact, but has enough depth to keep you interested: Perfect. It's not without its small flaws (nothing is) but comparing it to similar endeavours, such as The Walking Dead, with its never ending shifts in tone, character inconsistencies and seemingly random commitment/lack thereof to the comics and pacing, Stranger Things is a glowing beacon of what television should be. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy The Walking Dead, but it stresses me out a lot.
*cough* get to the point Talis *cough*
Alright! So I've discovered a show that I put right up there with Stranger Things, despite the subject matter being almost the polar opposite.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is wonderfully written, acted and sung, and it's damn funny to boot. Co-created by Rachel Bloom, who also plays the main character, Rebecca Bunch (I see what you did there) it tells the story of Rebecca, who moves from a high paying job in New York to West Covina, California because she ran into her summer camp sweetheart, Josh Chan. In her words:
"What happened was, I was in New York and I saw him and he made me feel all warm, like glitter was exploding inside me, and now I’m here. But I didn’t move here FOR him because that would be crazy. And I’m not crazy."
And if she is crazy, I should definitely be worried, because here are all the ways in which Rebecca Bunch is eerily similar to me:
It covers bisexuality, feminism, sexism, fat-shaming, modern relationships, abortion, dreams and ambitions, the crushing of dreams and ambitions, alcoholism, familial relationships, romantic relationships, friendships, existential dilemmas, mental illness, and DAMMIT this show is just so good!
Look, I'm not saying all TV nowadays is bad - I still love so many shows, even ones that I probably shouldn't, because even some badly written shows at least have entertainment value. But shows like Lucifer, Suits, Jessica Jones, How to Get Away With Murder, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Scorpion, Bates Motel, American Horror Story, Game Of Thrones, House, Sleepy Hollow (but seriously, do not watch the season 3 finale it will fucking infuriate you), BBC's Being Human, Sense 8, Sherlock, Bob's Burgers and Scrubs JUST TO NAME A FEW, are all incredibly worthwhile and largely well-written. Especially Doctor Who which you should definitely watch, up until Peter Capaldi takes over, but honestly, that is a whole other can of worms that I will rant about later, and it all has to do with bad writing, not so much Capaldi's performance (because he's actually a brilliant actor).
Ah, so glad I got that off my chest. It's so hard just nodding when someone tells you how much they loved Batman V Superman and you practically bite your tongue off trying not to tell them all the reasons that movie made you so damn angry. Badly written stories infuriate me, particularly in instances such as that, where there are so many options, and so much money thrown at them, and I could shit out a better film script in half a day, with more relevance to the comics.
Movies and books with well written scripts and characters CANNOT get high enough praise from me. Stranger Things is the breakout hit from this year, and for good damn reason. NOT, as people keep assuming, because of nostalgia - if that were true, Ghosterbusters, Fuller House, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Independence Day, Jason Bourne and Ben Hur would have been higher praised. No, this show was great because of the writing, acting and camera work - not just because it reminds people of The Goonies. Every character is a whole person, and the story is compact, but has enough depth to keep you interested: Perfect. It's not without its small flaws (nothing is) but comparing it to similar endeavours, such as The Walking Dead, with its never ending shifts in tone, character inconsistencies and seemingly random commitment/lack thereof to the comics and pacing, Stranger Things is a glowing beacon of what television should be. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy The Walking Dead, but it stresses me out a lot.
*cough* get to the point Talis *cough*
Alright! So I've discovered a show that I put right up there with Stranger Things, despite the subject matter being almost the polar opposite.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is wonderfully written, acted and sung, and it's damn funny to boot. Co-created by Rachel Bloom, who also plays the main character, Rebecca Bunch (I see what you did there) it tells the story of Rebecca, who moves from a high paying job in New York to West Covina, California because she ran into her summer camp sweetheart, Josh Chan. In her words:
"What happened was, I was in New York and I saw him and he made me feel all warm, like glitter was exploding inside me, and now I’m here. But I didn’t move here FOR him because that would be crazy. And I’m not crazy."
And if she is crazy, I should definitely be worried, because here are all the ways in which Rebecca Bunch is eerily similar to me:
- She impulse moved somewhere else in order to be happy.
- She has pretty severe anxiety and depression.
- She's really unlucky in her relationships, but a lot of that has to do with her own issues.
- She mentally copes with music (of all kinds).
- She really hates talking about her feelings, unless its with her best friend.
- She's a massive dork.
- She's clever, but never feels clever enough, and constantly puts pressure on herself to be better.
- She's curvy and knows the *heavy boobs* struggle.
- She fairly accurately represents a lot of my fears and hopes in life.
She also does some properly certifiably crazy things, so we're not that similar in that respect, but you can pretty clearly see the resemblance.
But here's the kicker; she's written well. All the characters are. The show appears to revolve around her insane quest to get to Josh, but once you peel away the initial layer, it's so much more than that. It's about a woman struggling to come to terms with the fact that the last time she can remember truly being happy was when she was sixteen at a summer camp with Josh. It's about a woman struggling with mental illness. It's about the complex relationships between all of the characters, and the subsequent development. It's about how unlikeable someone can be, even when you agree with them, and how likeable someone can be, even when you don't. It's about a clear love of music, in all of its forms.
It covers bisexuality, feminism, sexism, fat-shaming, modern relationships, abortion, dreams and ambitions, the crushing of dreams and ambitions, alcoholism, familial relationships, romantic relationships, friendships, existential dilemmas, mental illness, and DAMMIT this show is just so good!
It's filmed beautifully, acted well and has a plot and believable development (for the most part). Season two is at about the halfway point, and some of the stuff that's been happening is getting a bit too real and raw, which is awesome, but also stressful.
I can also take comfort, at least I hope I can, in the fact that the show has already plotted out seasons one through four. WHICH IS AMAZING. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?
THIS TV SHOW HAS A DIRECTION. AN OBJECTIVE. IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO DWINDLE AIMLESSLY UNTIL I HATE IT (HOPEFULLY).
At the moment, this show is amazing, and I hope it remains that way, because there are so many programs on that I simply cannot watch anymore, or never started to begin with, because of writing that I personally believe not to be good enough for the kinds of praise it gets/got: Big Bang Theory, Gotham, Heroes (after season 1), Lost (after season 2), Fear the Walking Dead, 2 Broke Girls, Castle (after season 4/5 depending on your level of commitment to being a Nathan Fillion fan), New Girl (after season 2), Dexter (after season 1), the ending of season 3 of Sleepy Hollow, because holy shit did it make us furious, the finale of The Good Wife,the finale of True Blood... Actually, everything after season 3 and some of season 4, but especially the ending, various Law & Order, CSI etc. the finales of Quantum Leap, Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother, Weeds, Chuck, Psych, and oh my god this is starting to get stressful!
I could go on, but its depressing. The most depressing thing is that there are wonderful shows that get cancelled: Pushing Daisies, Freaks and Geeks, Limitless, Go On, Deadwood, Selfie, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Alphas, Firefly, Mind Games, Mixology, Surviving Jack, Franklin and Bash, Perception, I mean, guys seriously, these shows are all awesome. All of them were cancelled long before their time, or at least cancelled without resolution. I thank the rabid fans every day that we at least have Serenity for some closure for Firefly.
This doesn't just happen in TV shows, but in book series' too, with series like Inkheart, Eragon, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey, etc. being disappointing messes. Granted, those first few will NEVER reach the mind-numbingly badly written depths of Twilight and Fifty Shades, but they were at the very least disappointing in some way or another, be it ending, needless character deaths or just bad writing. Inkheart, here, being the most notable exception, due to it being actually very well written, with a let down of an ending that made me so angry it actually ruined my day. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING, but this was a long time ago, so it might not be as bad as I recall.
Look, I'm not saying all TV nowadays is bad - I still love so many shows, even ones that I probably shouldn't, because even some badly written shows at least have entertainment value. But shows like Lucifer, Suits, Jessica Jones, How to Get Away With Murder, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Scorpion, Bates Motel, American Horror Story, Game Of Thrones, House, Sleepy Hollow (but seriously, do not watch the season 3 finale it will fucking infuriate you), BBC's Being Human, Sense 8, Sherlock, Bob's Burgers and Scrubs JUST TO NAME A FEW, are all incredibly worthwhile and largely well-written. Especially Doctor Who which you should definitely watch, up until Peter Capaldi takes over, but honestly, that is a whole other can of worms that I will rant about later, and it all has to do with bad writing, not so much Capaldi's performance (because he's actually a brilliant actor).
Bad writing is infuriating, and good writing isn't praised enough, and I think I've figured out what I want to do with my life.......... Wow. No seriously, this might have been an epiphany rant.
Um. Yeah, I think I either want to write for TV/Movies or review them.
Anyone got any tips on how to start a solid career in that?
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