Geektastic Thursday: Summer TV Plans

With Memorial Day now past it is for all intents and purposes officially summer here in the US.  I went for a run last night and I found that in the past week our humidity has jumped, making breathing a whole new pressing issue for anyone doing outdoor activities.  With summer also comes the end of the regular US tv schedule.  As a kid this meant reruns of all my favorite shows where I could catch up on episodes that I had missed or rewatch ones I loved before they were gone forever (I did not buy my first box set until I was 17).  However, now we are treated to a host of bad reality television.  And while I like my Real Housewives just as much as the next grad student, it is something I try to watch on a more occasional basis rather than every day.  But with all of the knitting wedding stuff I have to do this summer, I'm going to need something to play in the background.  With that in mind, here's a small list of what I plan to watch during the tv hiatus season:

1)  Pretty Little Liars

This one is a no-brainer.  I have been anxiously awaiting the return of this addiction ever since The Great Reveal at the end of last season.  Revenge offered a welcome distraction for a while, but now I'm back with great anticipation.  I cannot wait for more Evil Mona, more Jenna-Bot, and please oh please more Toby.  I would call this my guilty pleasure, but with writing that strong, there's nothing about this show that makes me feel ashamed.

2) Being Human (UK)

I know this one has already aired and I missed it, but I'm hoping it will be up on Netflix soon.  At the time of its return I had still not reconciled myself to the end of series three that left me curled in a ball on the couch sobbing.  The last thing to make me cry that hard during a tv show was when Fred said goodbye to Wesley, and I still haven't forgiven the writers of Angel for that one.  Series 4 has Being Human return without some of the major characters.  A part of me is really concerned it will be like when Supernatural got season 6 when it was supposed to be a five season show, but the writers managed to make that whole Master storyline work, so maybe I should trust them.

3) The Killing (US)

Yes, season two is now airing/has aired, so I am now way behind.  I started season one, but soon realized that it was going to be like Damages and there was just no way that I could sit and watch the entire season with the schedule on which I was living.  I am really looking forward to finally making the time (on a day off, I'm not crazy) to sit down and watch my way through the rest of the season.  Is it going to be super morbid of me to do this while I address invitations?  Well, if it is, that's just the way I operate.

4) Big Love

Don't judge me.  I see that judging you've got going on there.  But don't.  I never had the opportunity to watch this show when it first aired, starting in 2006, but Andrea and I recently started season one and we are completely addicted.  The storyline is fascinating, the writing is compelling, and it's like one big Veronica Mars reunion.  We are only a few episodes in, but I'm really hoping there will be a reason for Mac and Beaver to interact because that'd just be so weird.  I know, strange, but you remember what he did to her at prom.

This is my list so far.  I'm sure it will change as I move through the summer and discover that I really can't stand Being Human without a certain character or that Big Love has made me desperate for a Veronica Mars rewatch.  But it is nice to come into the summer with a plan for nights when there really is absolutely nothing on tv to tide me over until the return of Once Upon a Time and the premier of Arrow.  And before you ask, no I'm not watching True Blood.  I read the books and they were so much better.

Geektastic Thursday: Pretty Little Award

If you were not on the internet last night you may not have heard news -- Pretty Little Liars won the People's Choice Award for best cable drama!  Yep, that's right, I'm a fan girl and I am so glad that this show is getting the recognition it deserves.  The show returned two weeks ago with a bang that left glass in my hair and Andrea and I both yelling at the tv "No!" and "I knew it!" at the same time.  And nothing beats a show that gets us to yell at the tv all night.

I am a recent PLL devotee, as of last summer.  Soon after we moved in to our apartment Andrea sat me down in front of the tv, queued up the pilot, and thus began our obsessive rewatch.  There was no turning back.  The writing is smart -- very very smart, actually -- and the plot is the perfect balance of outrageous teenage drama and chilling paranoia.  The idea that A is always watching and always waiting to turn your every move against you is just brilliant.  It takes all of the pressure of high school and amplifies it to the point that actual high school seems to be no big deal.

My only complaint about the return of the show has been the serious lack of knitwear.  Season one was filled with so much -- Spencer's crazy sweaters, everyone's hats, Aria's crazy fashion choices -- that it seemed to reach the level of actual knitting porn (Hey, this scene has no knitting in it. WHAT? NO KNITTING? Quick, put Aria in a ridiculously chic knit belt!).  In the past two weeks we've only been treated to one knit beret.  I hope this is not a sign of things to come, because if Spencer stops making her own clothes I may cry.  The next time one of them is in the hospital they should take up knitting to pass the time rather than digging around in the morgue.

Back to the serious stuff,  I want to point out that it is about time Pretty Little Liars got some recognition from the establishment.  It really is the best show targeting a young adult market on the air today.  Glee may claim that it is addressing issues for today's youth, but Pretty Little Liars actually deals with them.  Bullying, peer pressure, broken homes, and being gay in high school.  It's all there and addressed with a realistic candor that, frankly, is very refreshing.  And it is all dealt with by characters who are growing up to be strong, independent young women.  It just can't get any better, right?