THE AFFAIR

October, 2014 - Present

1 Season

10 Episodes

Every now and then television gives us little gems worth watching so I’m going to talk about the recent Golden Globes winner TV Drama ‘The Affair’. Written by the talented Sarah Treem, it has become one of my top favorite TV Shows as, in my opinion, it’s an incredibly clever show imposible to remain indifferent to. 

The Series, according to the title, is (obviously) about an affair that takes place in Montauk (Long Island) during the summer. Noah Solloway (Dominic West) meets Alison Lockhart (Ruth Wilson) while he’s on vacation there. They both are happily married to Helen (Maura Tierney) and Cole (Joshua Jackson) but find in each other something they are lacking at that moment. Nothing new, right?

The word ‘affair’, however, has a double meaning here as there’s also a crime element in the Series. Someone died, apparently by accident, but years later a detective re-opens an investigation because he suspects it was a murder, and he starts interrogating everyone who knew the victim, although we only get to see Noah and Alison in the interrogation room. 

What is really interesting and clever about this show is the way the story is told as we can see the two points of view of the two main characters. The episodes are split in two: in the first half we see Noah's version of the story and in the second half we see Alison's version. Amazingly the versions don’t match!. As they’re in the interrogation room talking to the detective years later, the first thought you have is that one of them is lying. However I don’t think so, they’re both telling their own truth, it’s only that memories are so influenced by different meanings and different feelings that we can remember a completely different story from the same event, especially when it happened years ago.

The two-points-of-view thing is not as easy as it may seem. You really need to pay attention to tiny details in order to reconstruct the story and run your own theories. As well, everything is different in the two perspectives: lighting, clothes, make-up and even the rest of the characters. Remember that everything you see here are memories, so in that respect, you’ll see different versions of the same characters too which I find ingenious. Then, surprise! Sometimes the versions match! Pay attention to that too.

Ultimately the show, in my opinion, is about memory: how we remember people, events and things; how unreliable our memories can be, how we’d like to be remembered and how we show ourselves for that. In the end, how many different versions of ourselves exist? As many as people we know, maybe?

I’d like to emphasize the outstanding acting of the four main actors, especially Ruth Wilson (Alison) who got a well-deserved Golden Globe award. I think it’s worth watching just because of her. 

If you love shows full of little details and making connections that keep your brain busy for the rest of the week until the next episode, this show is definitely the one for you. They have been renewed for a second season starting next fall, so you have a whole season to catch up on before the new starts!

Here is a video for you to check it out:

ORPHAN BLACK

March, 2013 - Present

1 Season

10 Episodes

I started watching this series because I read somewhere on the internet an enthusiastic review that convinced me. I watched 2 or 3 episodes and as I wasn’t really hooked on it I stopped watching. However, soon after I decided to catch up on it just because of Tatiana Maslany.

Orphan Black is a science fiction canadian/US TV Series about human cloning and its implications. Sarah Manning discovers by chance that she has a clone when she witnesses her suicide. Sarah, astonished, takes the identity of her clone (Beth) in order to find out who she is and what’s going on. She discovers really soon that Beth wasn’t the only clone. 

With a well-conducted storyline, the show gives us intrigue, mystery, secrets, murders, chases, humour... all the ingredients for a good thriller series, but in my opinion, it could be one more of several if it wasn’t for the brilliant acting of Tatiana Maslany who plays seven different characters (clones). Every clone is completely different from the others in the way they move, look and speak, so it’s worth watching the show just to enjoy that. She was the reason why I saw the whole first season. Besides Tatiana, I also want to emphasize the acting of Jordan Gavaris, I loved the way he played his character too.

The media has talked a lot about Orphan Black and has acclaimed Tatiana for her performance, and the show is receiving several awards. Nevertheless, the idea of one actor playing different characters is not new. Recently we said goodbye to Fringe where because of the existence of parallel universes and different timelines we could see different versions of the characters.

I have to admit that I didn’t like Orphan Black at the beginning because it seemed to me like  they were copying Fringe in some respects, and that’s why I stopped watching in the first place. Tatiana Maslany did great work with her characters, I’m not denying that, but I’m surprised that she attracted all that attention when there was a series that did the same thing before (not only with one actor but with nearly all of them) giving us incredible performances too... and nobody noticed it then.

On the whole, I’d say that although it’s not my favorite TV Series at the moment, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the storyline, the intrigue and especially the acting. Check it out and decide:

THANK YOU FRINGIES

Dear fringies over here and over there,

There are some thoughts that I want to share after January 18th event.

When I first decided to start January 18th campaign I had no idea how many people I could reach. I had no idea how many people are out there loving our show as much as I do. So I was completely amazed when I saw your response: 2000 new visitors to my blog, lots of tweets and RT supporting me, and I even got retweets from Michael Cerveris, Michael Kopsa, Rebecca Mader, Tara Bennett, Paul Terry and Ari Margolis. What else could I ask for?

Then January 18th arrived and you were all there. Thousands of tweets with #WeRememberFringe, hundreds of people together for the same cause and I just couldn’t believe that I had been responsible for that! Undoubtedly it was worth every effort and lack of sleep.

Even though we achieved more than 16000 tweets we didn’t trend, but it doesn’t matter at all. We were together, we shared memories, thoughts, quotes, videos, pictures, music, laughters and tears. We remembered our show (we keep it alive!) and we met new friends which is more valuable than any Trending Topic in the world. And again we got a response from some of the actors and people around Fringe: John Noble, Michael Kopsa, Rebecca Mader, Leonard Nimoy, Paul Terry, Tara Bennet and Chris Tilton. Could it have been more successful?

So I'm so grateful to all of you, for being there, for making this possible, for supporting my campaign, for offering your help, for being so kind and lovely, for showing the world that we are a big family, for sharing your thoughts respectfully, for your beautiful words of gratitude and for other feelings that I can't express with just words. 

THANKS FRINGIES!!

FRINGE WEEK PROPOSALS

Hi everyone!

Besides my Twitter campaign there are some other Fringe proposals this week! I thought it would be good to put all of them together:

• Daily Quiz and first time viewer reactions
  
• Be creative and publish your Fringe creations
  
• Post a selfie
  
• Fringe Trending Topic on January 18th

Enjoy! ;)

Fringe, The Little Show That Could: Trending Topic on January 18th 2014

On January 18th, 2013 the last episode of the best Sci-Fi show ever (FRINGE) aired. It’s over... but it’s still alive because of us, the Fringe fandom which is increasing everyday. 

Fringe is an amazing and memorable show and it never received the credit it deserved. So, taking advantage of its first anniversary, it would be great to show the world that Fringe exists and they are missing something really good.

What can we do?

The other day, I read @Marieme27’s tweet with the idea of Fringe being a Trending Topic on January 18th. So... why not? Let’s do it!!

How can we achieve it?

It’s not as easy as writing lots of tweets with “#Fringe” on them. Twitter doesn’t count just the number of tweets. Hashtag’s novelty, number of users using it and retweets are even more important. Being a Trending Topic also depends on the time of day:

• From 4:00 am to 10:00 am 1,200 tweets and 500 users are needed.
• From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm 1,700 tweets and 734 users are needed.
• From 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm 1,500 tweets and 811 users are needed.
• From 10:00 pm to 4:00 am 1,900 tweets and 923 users are needed.
  
  
  
  

So, what do we need?

•  First of all, we need a new hashtag, a new one that we’ve never used before so that we can create more impact. I’ve thought that it could be #WeRememberFringe.
  
  
•  Spread the word! You saw the numbers... the more of us the better!
  
  
•  Please don’t use the hashtag #WeRememberFringe before January 18th.
  
  
  
  

Ok, January 18th has arrived, now what?

•  Tweet as much as you can during the entire day, no matter where you are, this is a worldwide event so as long as it’s January 18th it will be on somewhere on the planet.
  
  
•  Tweet in any language.
  
  
•  Don’t forget to add the hashtag #WeRememberFringe.
  
  
•  Retweet anything you see with the hashtag #WeRememberFringe. Retweets are more important than tweets in order to achieve our goal.
  
  
•  Share with the world your thoughts, why you love the show, your favorite scenes, quotes, pictures, videos, t-shirts... anything! But please, I ask that you respect those who are watching the series for the first time. Try not to publish stuff that might spoil the magic of certain discoveries... you know what I mean ;)
  
  
•  And enjoy the ride!

If you have any thoughts, any ideas... please share!! I’ll be on Twitter!
I hope we can be a Trending Topic at least for a few minutes...

*Thank you sooo much to: Keyshla ; Mike S. ; Mr. Papaya ; Xeen Cyr ; Eliana Monciardini ; LB.C ; Mariele K. ; Lyn and FringeFridayNet.*

HOUSE

November, 2004 - May, 2012

8 seasons

177 episodes

This week my post is about one of the most successful TV Series: House. I’m not sure when I started watching it and why, I just know that I was an absolute fan until its end last year. I’m sure that everybody knows it and has even watched some episodes, but just in case there is someone who hasn’t, let me tell you a little about it: 

This is a medical drama where the main character is Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant and unconventional doctor. He’s drug-addicted (Vicodin), selfish, cynical, cranky, misanthropic... but on the other hand he’s the only one who can work out strange medical cases that nobody else can solve. He works with a team formed from professionals in different disciplines: a neurologist, a surgeon, an immunologist, among others (depending on the season), and his modus operandi sometimes clashes with his colleagues or the hospital’s rules because it’s based on sudden hunches and improper methods. 

I think the success of this series came from:

The main character’s personality: his extreme intelligence makes the dialogues really clever and fun, and his rudeness gives you lots of hilarious moments. He is also a mystery, behind his cynical mask is hidden a really wounded man incapable of facing his reality, so sometimes you feel sorry for him despite his insufferable personality.

Mysterious cases: every case is a weird and complicated puzzle to solve. You’ll see lots of weird diseases and will be immersed in countless medical hypotheses. And every case finishes in the most unexpected way, so they’ll be grabbing your attention episode after episode.

Drama and relationships: the relationships between the characters are really changing and influenced by Dr. House’s personality which makes you attentive to what happens between them.

Rapidity: This series is very quick. They speak quickly and handle tons of information in a minute, there are sharp and subtle jokes, tiny details... Your attention and concentration will be working hard!

The main character was fantastically played by Hugh Laurie who was awarded several times for his work on this series. The rest of the cast was formed by: Lisa Edelstein, Robert Sean Leonard, Omar Epps, Jesse Spencer, Jennifer Morrison and Peter Jacobson among others.

Hugh Laurie is also a musician. He plays piano, guitar and sings really well so, after the series, he’s now dedicated to his music career. He has two albums: “Let them talk” and “Didn’t it rain” which I recommend you listen to carefully as they are very good.

And finally, the series finale was for me the best finale that a series has ever had. It was original, surprising, totally unexpected and gave a beautiful resolution to the characters. 

If you have never watched it I don’t know what are you waiting for... Another MUST WATCH on my list.

Here is a video for you to check it out:

SHAMELESS (USA) Welcome to the madness!

January, 2011 - present

3 seasons

36 episodes

The latest series that I’m hooked on is the US remake of Shameless. I discovered it because of a friend and when I started watching it I wished I’d discovered it earlier.

It’s a remake of the original English TV Series of the same name. The original Shameless had 11 seasons and it was aired from 2004 until its end this year (2013).

Shameless is about a dysfunctional family. There are 6 children, their mother left them two years ago and their father is always drunk at the bar. He doesn’t want to get a job and tries to get money from cheating the insurance companies or the social services (money that he spends at the bar, of course). The children are brought up by the oldest sister, Fiona, who is 21 years old and struggles to survive by taking any kind of temporary jobs. 

It could seem a very dramatic series, but it isn’t. Despite showing the extreme side of society and how hard their life is, the situations are exaggerated and taken very far, so you are nearly watching a comedy. Every character is crazy on this show, and every episode is a surprise where things go really really mad... you can’t even believe how far they can go!!

The main cast is formed by William H. Macy in the role of Frank Gallagher (the drunk father); Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher (the oldest sister); Justin Chatwin as Steve (Fiona’s boyfriend) and playing the children: Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Rose Kenney, Ethan Cutkosky and Brennan Kane Johnson. 

I’m surprised by all the cast because it’s not easy to play that kind of role. The children are really good and I’m always amazed that young children can act that well. My favorite character, however, is a supporting one: Joan Cusack is amazing in the role of Sheila Jackson, a woman who suffers from agoraphobia... She’s simply hilarious! And my second choice is Emmy Rossum as Fiona, I can’t help loving her character.

I also made a nice discovery. Emmy Rossum, apart from acting, is an excellent singer. I suggest you listen to her album “Sentimental Journey”, it’s very good!.

Some people said to me that they aren’t watching this show because they heard there are lots of sex scenes. I told them not to listen to that. Yes, it’s true, sex is very present, but it’s there in a way that doesn’t bother me at all. It’s not the main theme, it’s part of the madness!.

I’m currently watching the second season and I’m enjoying it a lot. They’re filming the fourth season at the moment, so I’m happy that I still have Shameless for a while!

Here is a video for you to check it out:

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/1gCBos0

BREAKING BAD is done

January, 2008 -  September, 2013

5 Seasons

62 episodes

I’ve already written a post about Breaking Bad but, after its forever-ending, I think it deserves another post.

I discovered the series late. Even though it started in January 2008 I began watching it in October 2012, so my journey with it has been short (a year) but pretty intense. After its finale I can assure you it’s perhaps the best series by far, and together with Fringe it’s my favorite ever.

What do I think makes it so good?

Story: I think the success of the story comes from its simplicity. Who hasn’t ever dreamed up easy ways to make lots of money? Breaking Bad’s main character (Walter White) not only fantasizes, but he carries it out pushed by his desperate situation: his working conditions are precarious and he’s just been diagnosed with a severe lung cancer... What will happen to his family if he dies? So, as a brilliant chemist, he decides to start cooking methamphetamine, just a little, just temporarily, in order to leave money to his family in case he dies. But when a totally honest, good and hard-working man gets into a foreign world like being a drug producer and seller, things can go really complicated and crazy.

Realism: in my opinion the series is pretty intense and it’s because of its realism. This is fiction, but it’s something that could happen and it’s really believable. Every decision has its consequence and its emotional impact and this is shown in the series in a clear and palpable way. You can easily feel what the characters are feeling and absorb their emotions empathically. This ingredient is perhaps the one that gives most tension to the story.

Twist and turns: in this series nothing ends up as you would expect. You’ll be theorizing about what happens next, but things will always lead to the most unexpected situations. They’re constantly surprising you! If you never bit your nails, you’ll start doing it while you watch Breaking Bad.

Characters: the evolution of every single character is wholly awesome.

Cast: these amazing characters are played by an excellent cast which I already praised in my previous post. Nevertheless, I’d like to add something about Anna Gunn’s character (Skyler White). I recently read that some people hate her character so much that the actress received death threats... How can someone go that far? Anyway, that fact means that the character won’t leave you indifferent. I personally loved the character, she was one of my favorites. And they just gave her a Grammy award for it, so well done Anna!

Photography: I already said this in my previous post, but I’ll repeat it: its photographic work is spectacular. Gorgeous landscapes, beautiful locations, time-lapses... It’s worth watching the series just because of that.

Finale: I’m not going to reveal the finale, I just want to say that it was a well-deserve finale. It was up to my expectations (although I got right in my forecast) and I’m completely happy with it.

In conclusion, there’s nothing negative that I could say about this series. A MUST WATCH in capital letters.

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/10thkhW

THE BRIDGE

July 2013 - present

1 season

13 episodes

The Bridge is a new series released last summer. I read about it before its premiere and it seemed quite interesting to me, so I started watching it from the very beginning. Like many other series nowadays this is an adaptation of an European series. In this case The Bridge is based on the Danish/Swedish series Bron.

Its plot tells us about a criminal investigation of a murder committed just on the border between US and Mexico, so police on both sides have to collaborate to figure it out. Nothing is what it seems on this show which keeps you suspicious of almost everyone.

One of the most interesting things on this show is the role of the US detective Sonya Cross (played by Diane Kruger), who has Asperger’s syndrome, a sort of Autism. She’s really good at connecting points and remembering details, but she’s a mess in her social behavior. She doesn’t know how to interact and she understands everything in its literal meaning, which puts her in awkward situations sometimes, or gives you some hilarious moments other times. The role is pretty challenging to play, and I think Diane Kruger did it brilliantly, as I could see a real Asperger’s person and a clear evolution of the character at the same time.

The rest of the cast is formed by Demián Bichir, Annabeth Gish, Thomas M. Wright and Ted Levine, among others.

The series has had a good reception so it’s been renewed for a second season that will be aired next summer. I can’t wait to see what they’ll be dealing with!

There’s a video here for you to check it out:

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/1eHfSxK

V (2009) We're of peace. Always

November, 2009 - March, 2011

2 Seasons

22 episodes

This post is about an epic series which marked my childhood. It’s V, aired in the 80’s and picked up for a remake in 2009. At a time when the TV supply was very limited (I mean, by far, more limited than nowadays), every TV series was an absolute success. So when I heard about the remake I was very excited, and I wasn’t going to miss it.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, V is about spaceships coming to Earth. The aliens have human appearance and say they come in peace as they only need some resources from Earth. In exchange, they offer to share their technological advances.   But, as you can imagine, they have hidden purposes and Earth’s inhabitants are divided between supporters and detractors.

The remake keeps the original idea but the storyline is completely different as it’s adapted to the current time, and also because they wanted to use actors from the original series as special guests.

There were some subliminal points that surprised me because of their clear parallelism to the real world. One is the justification of a war after pulling off an auto-attack (giving responsibilities to others, of course). And the other point is about using a vaccine against a fatal disease as an excuse to inject people with some kind of biological “tag”. And that came in the middle of the real polemic about flu A... Did they want us to be willing to accept something like that?

In the role of the evil Visitor Queen (Anna) is Morena Baccarin, and leading the Fifth Column is Elizabeth Mitchell (as Erica Evans). The rest of the main cast is formed by: Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman, Lourdes Benedicto, Laura Vandervoort, Charles Mesure and Scott Wolf.

Although the audiences weren’t bad, the series was taken off (which seems weird), and it was left unfinished, what a pity!

Anyway, despite not having a proper ending, it’s worth watching it if you were a fan in the 80’s. You’ll have a different point of view of the same story, lots of action, intrigue, suspicion, futuristic devices, and... some more surprises.

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/1dfSBF6