QNBS: Freaks and Geeks

Chuck has ended and Once Upon A Time won. But the opportunity to criticize in a justified manner is so addicting that I have decided to continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. I will not rename it because I don't have enough creativity to think of a new one.

I will adopt the original QNBS method for judging a show. 1. A friend recommends a TV show or I see an interesting review or a sarcastic rant about it in the Internet. 2. I watch two episodes. 3. Write down what I think, Pros-Cons style.

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Many series exist in TV world but today I will write about Freaks and Geeks.

Plot: Two siblings deal with the awkwardness of being in high school in 1980, from homecoming dances to leaving the Mathletes.

PROS:
1. The Weir kids. Linda Cardellini as the Army-jacket-wearing Lindsay Weir and John Francis Daley as Sam Weir deliver good performances in this 1999 TV show. They have the chemistry of siblings, and exude enough individuality to carry out their stories: Lindsay is an awkward girl having identity crisis and joins the Freaks, and Sam is a lanky 103-pound boy labelled as one of the Geeks despite his efforts to shed the image.

Lindsay Weir is the Juno of the 1990s (sans teen pregnancy).

2. The Freaks. The cool guys of the 2000s are the Freaks of the 1990s. High school is so awkward that even the cool guys were labelled as Freaks. Chuck was correct when he said that nerds are this millenium's jocks. Geeks have inherited the Earth.

Buddies: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel

Super gwapo!

3. The Geeks. Sam's buddies, Neal Schweiber (played by Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (played by Martin Starr), are the perfect high school buddies--funny, honest and supportive.

(l-r) Neal, Bill and Sam

4. When people say things like, "You gotta find your big, gigantic drum kit." to refer to finding one's life passion or his/her essence, I am definitely hooked. Metaphors are my favorite figure of speech. Metaphors from occasionally stoned drummer kids are just magic.

"You gotta find your big, gigantic drum kit."

5. It's fun to see today's actors in their teens. John Francis Daley is the most improved while James Franco, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen and Samm Levine looked the same.

The Freaks and Geeks: then and now

6. The show lasted for 18 episodes only. It's easy to catch up to when compared to Friends, Scrubs or Doctor Who.

7. It's funny hilarious. From the main characters to the supporting ones like Kim Kelly (Busy Philips) and Millie Ketner, who says things like: "I am going to have more fun than all you... sober." Yes, Millie was speaking to drunks at a party.

8. A decent soundtrack. First, the fact that a show has a soundtrack--whether decent or otherwise--is a plus. Second, the fact that the songs range from fairly decent to fantastic is a double plus.


CON:
I am too biased to notice. Sorry.


THE VERDICT:
If Rushmore and Juno had a child, that kid will be Freaks and Geeks. Yes, that's how impressed I am by this show, only after watching two episodes. I was a goner, so to speak, after Nick delivered the big, gigantic drum kit line. This show is made of stuff that good movies (or movies that I like) are made of. Paul Feig and Judd Apatow are my heroes now.

Too bad the show was shortlived. All things I like others don't find too amusing. That's a fact.



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You may want to look back on how other TV shows fared on the QNBS scale:

Bent
Once Upon A Time
The Inbetweeners
Game of Thrones 2
Sherlock
Suits
Game of Thrones 1
The IT Crowd
Rizzoli & Isles
Community
Awkward
New Girl
Outsourced

QNBS: Bent

Chuck has ended, and after 11 reviews, I decided to watch Once Upon A Time. But having the opportunity to criticize anything in a justified manner is so addicting that I have decided to continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. I will not rename the title because I don't have enough creativity to think of a new one.

I will adopt the original QNBS method for judging a show. 1. A friend recommends a TV show or I see an interesting review, or hear a sarcastic rant about it in the Internet. 2. I watch two episodes. 3. Write down what I think, Pros-Cons style.

--------------------------

Many series exist in TV world but today I will write about Bent.

Plot: A recently divorced uptight single mom wants to redo her kitchen and hires the services of a carpenter contractor to do the job.

Yes, that's basically the plot. I wonder how the writers will milk this story for what it's worth. Maybe they'll redo the living room after the kitchen's done.

PRO:
Amanda Peet. The only reason why this show is worth watching.

Jenkins is now a mom! 

CONS:
1. The guy lead aka Pete. I hate him. No words will suffice to convey my hate.

2. The story is kinda shaky. I don't see where the characters will be or how they will get there. Realistic endings are important for me. If the ending is not realistic, the road to the ending must at least be fun or funny. Neither is the case for Bent.

3. I got tired of the sexual tension-filled bickering between Amanda Peet and Pete eight minutes into the second episode. Yeah, I wonder how I lasted Bones and Booth for 5 seasons.

4. No offense but I'm not a big fan of carpenters contractors. And stories involving them or their friends who're also carpenters, electricians, plumbers etc.

5. Characters, like the story, seemed pointless. The surfer dude contractor gambling addict (yeah, a lot has been going on in this guy's life), the recently divorced uptight single mom, the frustrated-actor and 50 year old dad, and the crazy ex. All boring characters. Give me some Abed. Heck, I'd appreciate even a Shirley.


THE VERDICT:
This is a series that is bent and broken, and feels wrong in so many ways. 


----------------------------
You may want to look back on how other TV shows fared on the QNBS scale:


Once Upon A Time
The Inbetweeners
Game of Thrones 2
Sherlock
Suits
Game of Thrones 1
The IT Crowd
Rizzoli & Isles
Community
Awkward
New Girl
Outsourced

QNBS: Once Upon A Time

Chuck has ended. I am still reeling from its oh-so-perfect ending but I have yet to decide on its replacement. So I continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. Many series have been recommended but today, I will write about Once Upon A Time.

To recap, here is how I come up with these QNBS reviews: 1. A friend recommends them or I see an interesting review about it in the Internet. 2. I watch two episodes. 3. Write down what I think, Pros-Cons style.

Plot:  This is the story of how Snow White's and Prince Charming's daughter, Emma, saves (or, at least, tries to) the fairy tale characters from the curse of the Evil Queen, who has stolen their happy endings and transported them in present-day Storybrooke, Maine. They are all oblivious to the fact that they are characters from fairy tales. But before all the saving can start, Emma's son Henry, who she gave up for adoption 10 years ago, must convince her that she is Snow White's daughter.

PROS:
1. That Aha! moment. Have you experienced the feeling when after looking for your One Great Love for a long time in all the wrong places, you see this person standing in a spot you've constantly looked at but missed in the past, and you say to yourself, "There you are."? I've experienced that with Once Upon A Time, albeit in a less romantic/dramatic manner. In all the ten QNBS reviews I have done so far, it is only while watching Once Upon A Time did I say to myself, "This is it." I cannot point out the exact reason that made me love this show. I just do.

2. Henry Mills. There are only two types of kids that I love: the chubby-cheeked kids and those who talk to adults like they are grown-ups themselves. Henry Mills (Jared S. Gilmore) is obviously the second kind. He's endearing in a non-forceful (read: di masyado pa-bibo) way. He's a simple kid who for some reason found his birth mother's present address and knocked on her door on her birthday, only to convince her to bring him back home to Storybrooke. All this using his teacher's credit card. I want to believe in something as strongly as Henry does in Emma Swan.

The lovable Henry Mills

3. I am a big fan of fairy tales. I am old enough to know--or be convinced by the cynics around me haha--that fairy tales are not true but 'modernizing' these fairy tales and turning it into a TV series is a brilliant idea. It is a brillant excuse for grown-ups to relive their childhood and root for their favorite characters again.

4. Jennifer and Ginnifer. I was never a fan of Jennifer Morrison when she played Zoey in How I Met Your Mother (not because she played it badly but because, for me, the character was unnecessary). She wasn't on House when I started liking the show in Season 4. I only liked her in one House episode when she and Dr. Chase were stuck at a hospital room, forcing them to deal with their impending divorce. But in Once Upon A Time, Jennifer Morrison performs really well.

Morrison leaves Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital to be a bail bondsperson

To Ginnifer Goodwin, I only have this to say: Who are you? I honestly thought Morrison and the show's make-up team were doing a super good job portraying one actress as three characters: Snow White, Emma Swan and Mary Margaret Blanchard. It turns out they just really look alike.

She looks like Morrison and almost has the same first name 

5. The how-will-they factor. Even if I know most of the fairy tales and I, sort of, expect the writers to follow the originals, I find myself interested in how the writers will adapt a particular story. I loved how confident the Game of Thrones writers are in killing off Ned Stark and how adventurous How I Met Your Mother writers are in providing silly fast forward moments (ex. Ted in a green dress saying 'Now We're Even') that drive them into corners they have to get out of using brilliant writing. I hope the writers of Once Upon A Time deliver as well as them.

6. Good villains. Lana Parrilla is very effective as the Evil Queen. We Filipinos always claim that we have the worst and most corrupt public officials in the world, I agree with that. But when I see the Evil Queen, my resolve shakes a little. I can just imagine how frightening it is to have the Evil Queen as our city mayor. In that case, our OTOP will be apples--red, shiny and poisonous.

Apples--red, shiny, poisonous

Robert Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin is amazing. Seeing this Rumpelstiltskin character, I told myself, He's cool. Why didn't my parents made me read his story?!!! Why did I waste my time on Three Little Pigs?

The glittering Rumpelstiltskin

7. It is not a comedy. While I require that the TV shows I watch have some kind of comedic quality or at least an occasional funny joke, I appreciated Once Upon A Time for making me realizing that, Hindi lahat ng nakakatuwang bagay, dapat nakakatawa. I had to thank The IT Crowd for showing me: Hindi lahat ng nakakatawa, nakakatuwa.


CONS:
1. I'm afraid that the show will run out of fairy tales to tell, to adapt. Imagine if Once Upon A Time lasts as long as Friends or (god forbid!) Doctor Who, I bet the writers will need to borrow stories from Aesop's Fables.

2. An episode lasts about 40 minutes on average, longer than my 20min-ish requirement. I guess this is negotiable as long as Once Upon A Time manages to keep me interested and awake for 20 more minutes.


THE VERDICT:

After 10 TV shows and 11 QNBS reviews (because I did Game of Thrones twice), I found Chuck's replacement! THIS IS IT. Yay! You may have sensed that Once Upon A Time is the one after reading item No. 1 on the Pro List... and seeing only two cons. (FYI: The second Con is, in fact, an afterthought.)

Bye, Chuck. Hello, Once Upon A Time.


----------------
You may want to look back on how other TV shows fared on the QNBS scale:

The Inbetweeners
Game of Thrones 2
Sherlock
Suits
Game of Thrones 1
The IT Crowd
Rizzoli & Isles
Community
Awkward
New Girl
Outsourced

QNBS: The Inbetweeners

Chuck has ended. I am still reeling from its oh-so-perfect ending but I am unable to find its replacement. So I continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. Many series have been recommended but today, I will write about The Inbetweeners.

To recap, here is how I come up with these QNBS reviews: 1. A friend recommends them or I see an interesting review about it in the Internet. 2. I watch two episodes. 3. Write down what I think, Pros-Cons style.

Plot:  A story about a transfer student aka "one of the freaks" who tries, and succeeds, according to the opening credits, to be friends with three other not-so-school high school boys. "Anyone can be your friend if you hang around them long enough."


PROS:
1. It's British. The British accent blows me away. Constantly.

2. The opening credits. It reminds me of Juno, and I liked Juno.

3. It's a story about geeks or not-so-cool high school students. I am a big fan of geeks--no, nerds, as Chuck and Morgan like to be called--like Chuck, Troy, Abed, Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj, and the Glee kids who were not into a sports varsity team or the Cheerios.

4. It's a little funny, especially the part in Episode 2 where the boys spread the rumor that Neil's dad is gay. Not cool if it's your dad they're talking about. But if it isn't, it's hilarious.

5. I noticed the dialogue and the boys do use the word "fuck" a lot. I guess British TV is liberal enough to allow it. I should looked at the British dictionary when I was punished for uttering "fuck you" when I was a kid. Haha

6. The boys (Simon Bird as Will McKenzie, Joe Thomas as Simon Cooper, James Buckley as Jay Cartwright and Blake Harrision as Neil Sutherland) have chemistry. However, the lead character, Will, annoys me but so did whiny Ted in Season 6 of How I Met Your Mother.


CONS:
1. It's The IT Crowd for high school, and I hated The IT Crowd. The Inbetweeners had less violence and was less slapstick but I found the lines outrageous and the reactions too over the top.

2. I had the time to write about a QNBS review months after I watched The Inbetweeners, and I barely remember a thing about it. This is bad.

3. Do British kids normally whisper or shout insults to newbies as they pass him in the halls wearing a blazer or weird shoes and carrying a briefcase? It's like an American high school movie, only longer.


I am too disappointed by this TV series I will not bother to add photos. Or maybe doing a review of Game of Thrones just before this one has something to do with my disappointment. I guess Game of Thrones is a tough act to follow--even in reviews.


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You may want to check other QNBS reviews:

QNBS: Game of Thrones 2
QNBS: Sherlock
QNBS: Suits
QNBS: Game of Thrones 1
QNBS: IT Crowd
QNBS: Rizzoli & Isles
QNBS: Community
QNBS: Awkward
QNBS: New Girl
QNBS: Outsourced

QNBS: Game of Thrones 2

Chuck has ended. I am still reeling from its oh-so-perfect ending but I am unable to find its replacement. So I continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. Many series have been recommended but today, I will write about Game of Thrones.

Photo from Wikipedia

Plot: Following the death of the Hand of the King through a sudden and mysterious cause, the King of the Seven Kingdoms travels to the North to ask his friend to be the Hand of the King, at a very tumultuous time of his reign. External and internal conflicts complicate the Seven Kingdoms. External: the threat of the re-emergence of the Targaryens, the House of the former Mad King, to reclaim the throne from the King. Internal: the King's wife's incestuous relations with her twin brother brings the Queen's House, the Lannisters, against the new Hand's House, the Starks.


PROS:

1. It is highly recommended by the Chuck Bartowski, Zachary Levi, and... well, almost every person I know. The enthusiasm people have with Game of Thrones reminds me of the enthusiasm that my friends had with How I Met Your Mother. I was hesitant to try it at first but convinced myself to try it, and I have never looked back since.

2. It is very well made. An episode seems like a movie in itself, in terms of production. In my virtual ranking of best produced series,  Game of Thrones  rank second to Sherlock. The setting, the costumes and the props (hello, the swords look like real swords, the ones that could really cut someone) were perfect.

3. The show is blessed with good actors. Producers should thank their casting director for a good job. I loved the strong performances of Sean Bean as Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark, Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark, Kit Harington as Jon Snow, and Maisie Williams as Arya Stark.

(clockwise from top left:) Daenerys Targaryen, Lord Petyr Baelish, Lord Ned Stark and  Queen Cersei  Lannister

4. The story is very well written and the characters are so promising that the writers are not afraid to kill off the main character. Yes, the death of Ned Stark was written in the George Martin books but still, following conventional TV series writing, the writers could have not followed Martin and let the only upright character in the whole of Westeros live. They choose to defy the conventional and didn't care whether they get crap for killing off the main guy. Sometimes I wish other writers have this confidence the writers of Game of Thrones have. But, then again, other shows are not blessed with the open mindedness viewers of Game of Thrones have. Just look at what happened to House when Cuddy, Cameron and, to an extent, Thirteen left.

The show's still underdeveloped characters show promise:
(Clockwise from top left) Arya Stark, Jon Snow, Bran Stark and Robb Stark

5. The direwolves. When I convinced my brother to give Game of Thrones  a try, I found myself highlighting the fact that the five Stark children each had a direwolf, which served as the Stark's sigil, to take care of and protect them. These direwolves played (although I doubt it if they are aware of it) important roles in the Stark children's lives. Bran's Summer defended him from his hired killer. Nymeria almost ate off Joffrey's hand after he attacked Arya. Sansa hated her father for letting the King take Lady's life in replacement for Nymeria's. Even Jon Snow's albino direwolf Ghost and Robb's Grey Wind have been given ample screen time.

Bran holding a very young Summer

CONS:

1. Although I am a history major--well, sort of--the whole medieval-kingdoms-against-kingdoms plot does not appeal to me that much. Mind you, I fell asleep in the first few minutes of the first movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I am not even sure if it was about kings. I'd rather watch science-y stuff the boys of The Big Bang Theory rant about over this. Yeah, I know, kill me now, Game of Thrones  fans.

2. After watching eight episodes, I came out of it with a strong hatred towards the characters rather than love. Usually, after I finish watching two episodes for my QNBS review, I focus on the show's positive aspects and what I love about it. But with the Game of Thrones, the dominating emotion was hate. I hated Viserys Targaryen, Jaime Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon and Jon Arryn's son who loves violence and his mother's colostrum (come on, the boy looks ten years old!). I don't want to watch a show because I strongly hate its characters and slightly like the others. Although as cheesy as this may sound, I remained loyal to Chuck,  How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory because I loved its characters.

The guys I love to hate: (clockwise from top left) Jamie Lannister,
Joffrey Baratheon, Jon Arryn's son and Viserys Targaryen 

3. Too much gore, sex and scheming. I was thinking my sensibilities are, well, liberated enough to endure the explicit violence and sexual content of Game of Thrones. But, no. The way the show treated sex and violence casually was something I cannot get used to. I am young barrio lass after all. Haha I can just imagine what my reaction will be to Spartacus.


Game of Thrones is good yet somehow I don't find myself liking it enough for it to replace Chuck in my regular TV series viewing. I think of Game of Thrones as my family's traditional, special Christmas Eve dish. We love it but we do not eat it regularly because it is best served during special occasions. Its quality will not be appreciated if served regularly.

So it is decided that I, Jo Ann Frances, first of my name, of the House of Madarang, shall watch Game of Thrones after every season is finished to enable me to appreciate its plot, actors and story properly.

(Yeah, the inner geek in me has wanted to do that since I heard the characters speak these lines)


----------------------------------
You may want to check other QNBS reviews:

QNBS: Sherlock 
QNBS: Suits
QNBS: Game of Thrones 1
QNBS: IT Crowd
QNBS: Rizzoli & Isles
QNBS: Community
QNBS: Awkward
QNBS: New Girl
QNBS: Outsourced

The William McKinley High School in a Decade

Out of the many possible names for a high school, the writers of Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000) and Glee (2009) chose William McKinley High School. Amazing?

What is more amazing is that both TV series use the same "M" logo, with different school colors (green and white for the 90s kids, and red and white for the Gleeks):

What is even more amazing is that given the 10 years apart, the show still features the game of dodgeball which, according to Kurt Hummel, is a modern form of stoning. In Freaks and Geeks the geeks went up against their more physically gifted classmates while in Glee the members of the two competing glee clubs in school go against each other.

Oh, how times have changed...not!

Welcome to the William McKinley High School!

The Robin Effect

We all have that one lost love/ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend that we remained surprisingly close to or remained in constant communication with. We cherish our friendship with this person. We constantly marvel at how great friends we are with this person; but how bad we are at a romantic relationship. We have convinced ourselves that since we're not going to be anything more than friends we might as well we really good friends.

Win-win? Yes? No.

Unbeknownst to us, this person continues to affect us... and our relationships. Yes, granted that he/she does not do anything or, sometimes, is even actively participating in our grand quest for love but, deep inside, he/she hinders us from achieving happiness--the complete, true and sincere kind--we seek to share with another person. He/she is hindering us, whether he/she likes it or not.

I wish to call this The Robin Effect.

Robin's effect on Ted and Barney

And, sadly, at some point in our silly drama queen-like life we have to make the decision to end things with our own Robins. We have to undergo the painful process Ted did with Robin to enable ourselves to be more open, more positive to the idea of love, and of looking for it. We have to face the fact that no matter how painful (or, as I'd like to put it, how scarred) our lost love made us, love is out there. Happiness is out there. Waiting for us, waiting to be found...if only we have the courage to go on that quest with no one holding us back.

And the Barney & Robin Boat Continues to Sail with Me on It

I'm a big fan of TV Line. I read it in-between SCRA cases or during coffee or lunch break at work. Sometimes, I read it while in class. Yes, I know I should feel guilty rather than write about it here.

Anyway, since I am about to bury myself in codals, cases, mindmaps, and countless reviewers in a few hours (yes, I shall review for finals week which, this year, is narrowed to three days: Friday, Saturday and Monday), I shall first reply to a TV Line query, and write extensively about How I Met Your Mother, whose episodes seem to get farther and farther apart (April 19, come on!).

TV Line asked:

6 | So what do we think: Will How I Met Your Mother's Quinn turn out to be Barney’s bride? And how great were the college clones?

Answer: No, and yes, the college clones were surprisingly amusing and funny.

When the writers of HIMYM have successfully convinced me that Robin and Barney are going to end up together, I became committed to the story line. Like Lily, I was rooting for the Barney and Robin in Season 4 and for the most part of Season 5. I hated it when they broke up in the Rough Patch; I hated it so much I stopped watching HIMYM. When Nora came in, she rocked the Robin and Barney boat I was in, and doubt started creeping in because, hey, I admit, they have chemistry...well, not like Robin and Barney's but they do have some. You can only imagine how happy I was when Barney broke up with Nora (should've done it on the boat!) to be with Robin and how mad and disappointed I was when Robin didn't do the same thing. Even when Don, Nora, Kevin, and now Quinn entered the picture, I chose to hold my ground and decided to not get off the Barney-Robin boat.

Why am I so convinced, you ask?

Do me a favor and go to your compilation of Season 5 of HIMYM, and watch The Rough Patch. Ok, if it's too painful for you to watch, then skip to the last part, around the 19:50 mark when Future Ted said:

It turns out that they really did need to just let things run their course. 


When the writers successfully (and mind you, seriously) rock the Barney-Robin boat, I go back to these words Future Ted uttered to his kids, and conclude (yes, with a little interpretation) that no matter how hard it is going to get for Barney and Robin to realize they are made for each other, that they are capable of commitment and marriage, they are going to get there.

And now that the biggest obstacle to their relationship (or the possibility of a long term really serious one) is out of the way (I am talking about you, Ted), I am more convinced that Robin is Barney's bride.

Just to convince you that I am not making this whole thing up, or that I haven't thought this one through, here are a few factual reasons why I think they are going to be together:

1. When the gang flash forwards to Barney's alleged death bed in The Exploding Meatball Sub, Robin is standing closest to Barney. She is seen crying intensely, even more than Lily does. In this flash forward, Barney is seen wearing a wedding ring. So I ask you, if Robin is not his wife, then why wasn't Barney wife present beside his death bed during such important time? Was this a intentional omission or was it a production flaw? I vote omission.

2. When Robin and Barney broke up at the diner, Barney proposed to make the 40-year old Deal with Robin, and her answer was that she can't because she already has that deal with Ted. So now, 2 years later, and Ted has taken back his 40yo Deal, I am more than psyched. I just hope Barney finds about this soon.

3. They keep coming back to each other. When they slept together in Season 3, they promised to forget about it, Barney couldn't. He confessed to Ted. The gang including themselves, except Lily, tried to talk them(selves) out of it. But they decided to take the metaphorical leap in Season 4, and be together. In Season 5, when the relationship got messy (mainly because Barney ate [no double meaning here] everything he laid eyes on at Mac Laren's menu), they broke up. When Robin is about to move in with Don, Barney snaps and wants to get her back. But she chooses Don. And the possibility of losing one of his best friends freaked out Barney, so he backs off. In Season 6, it is Robin who feels the pang of regret when she sees Barney accept the challenge from Nora. In Season 7, despite having well-functioning relationships, they both give in to the desire to be with each other. Again. Now, with Barney officially stating he was hurt, felt mad by Robin's rejection and does not care that Robin is single again, I think it is Robin's turn to give in.

4. Related to #3, unlike Ted and Robin who have recently obtained closure to their relationship (or impossibility of), Barney and Robin have not. They continue to confuse each other (and us viewers included) about what they really want in life. When they finally figure what/who they want, it will be each other. How else could Ted, Robin and Barney resolve the problem Victoria correctly (and may I say, brilliantly) pointed out in Ducky Tie and still remain friends? Answer, Ted and Robin "wouldn't see each other for a long time" after that awkward moment in The Broath. Robin and Barney has two options, like Ted and Robin did. The difference is, they will decide to be together because if they didn't Robin can't stand to feel awkward around her 2 closest male friends, and will decide to leave the group. And for his part, Barney will realize he will need to be away from Robin to avoid the Robin Effect, as well.

5. They are each other's best friends. One thing HIMYM constantly teaches its viewers is that: life partners are best friends. That is why Marshall and Lily have worked as a couple, and Ted and his ex-girlfriends haven't. I could enumerate a lot of instances wherein they turned to each other when times got sketchy or they needed a friend to confide in but I will cite only the most recent one. In Rebound Girl, when Barney felt the need to take walk and think things through, he went straight to the bathroom window to talk to Robin, who has locked herself in the bathroom.

Blessed

We have to thank God for the little things, pleasant surprises and  blessings He constantly extends to us. I was spared from the smoke-up list in a subject, whose midterms exam really blew my mind away, by a hairline. I am saying this not to gloat but to celebrate the fact that even though I am admittedly remiss from my obligations as a Christian, God is continuously--no, daily--showing me that He is good. I am blessed. I am still His child.

QNBS: Sherlock

As I mourn the end of Chuck and await my blockmate Jen to download the last five episodes of Season 5, I continue my Quest for the Next Best Series, still hoping to find a replacement for Chuck. Many series have been recommended but today, I will write about Sherlock.

The plot: You know Sherlock Holmes? That brilliant British detective with an equally brilliant doctor/friend/crime-solver partner named Dr. Watson?  Yes? Good. Imagine them solving crimes in 21st century Britain. Got it? This show is pretty much similar to that...except that the writers/producers/actors/ director/s are doing one helluva job out-imagining your brain.


PROS:

1. It's British. It's a perfect example of how good the British are with everything they do. I thought Richard Ayoade's Moss is the closest thing I could get to a British Sheldon. But no, Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock is the closest best--thing I could get to a British Sheldon. He's a more athletic Sheldon (he could run really fast while thinking) with a British accent sans the receeding hairline.

Who could go wrong with a name like Cumberbatch?

2. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman do not disappoint. Their on-screen chemistry is perfect. To use a Pinoy analogy, they are like the platonic John Lloyd and Bea of British TV.

2. Great cinematography. When I watched the Sherlock movie starring Robert Downey Jr., I thought Guy Ritchie was being clever and unique in using the style he did (the quick changing of screens, flashbacks, etc). Apparently, after watching Sherlock. I realized that style is...common in Sherlock-themed movies. Or so I think. Anyway, the bottom line is, it's never boring. I imagine, one can watch the show on mute and still be entertained by the way it is filmed.

3. It is very exciting, very interesting. What amazes me most about this show is the way the plot unravels. The story is rarely linear, based on the two episodes I've watched so far, and for someone who has spent most of her free time watching a show that relies heavily on flashbacks, Sherlock will suit well.

4. Familiarity. I've said it before and I'll say it again, seeing familiar things in unfamiliar territory is always comforting. Seeing a doctor with a limp, a geek/nerd/(insert other word for 'smart' here) mindfuck (sorry for the expression) the shit out of everyone else, and Arthur Philip Dent play an ex-army doctor comforted my scared self during the suspense-filled moments of the show.

5. Little things. I appreciate the music, the crisp editing, and even the on-screen text messages. Everything seems to be well-thought of and well-executed.

6. Again, like Suits, the first two episodes reveal enough for viewers to get interested and leave some things unresolved for viewers to look forward to, and get hooked because of. The Moriarty story line is enough for me to stay tuned. And yes, who wouldn't want to know more about Sherlock's brother Mycroft and...

The Girl Who's Always Texting

CONS:

1. It's about an 1 hour and 30 minutes long! Watching it is like watching a movie and for someone whose attention span is getting shorter and shorter, watching Sherlock entails commitment--in simplest, most mundane manifestation. I'm used to watching 20- to 25- minute shows. Fortunately, British TV show seasons run for about 6 episodes only, and Sherlock runs on half of that, or three episodes per season. Sherlock is like a never-ending movie saga.

2. It's too mind-consuming. After watching an episode, I felt the same way I did after I watched Inception: as if my head's going to burst with too many thoughts. There's too much thinking required, and too much is going-on. Yes, I do not intend to be dumb-ed out by the shows that I watch but it feels nice to watch things for the sake of watching. Despite its three-episode season, I cannot imagine myself doing a season-marathon of Sherlock.

3. It can get very dark. Because of the "darkness" of life in general or the seriousness of the world I live in (well, it is supposed to be serious), I see TV serieses and movies as a way to unwind, laugh or have an opportunity to, as I've said, not think at all. Sherlock can get funny but it's still dark-funny. That freaky cab driver in the pilot episode, "A Study in Pink", really...uh, freaked me out. Lesson learned: Beware of cab drivers.

4. I'm not a conservative when it comes to movies or TV series but I've always found comfort in the thought that although Chuck and the gang are fighting crime, and bringing down one bad guy after another, they do it with the least violence/killing they could use. The answer: Tranq guns. Sherlock, however, is the complete opposite. Dr. Watson shoots an old guy right in the chest in the first episode. Hello, real world.

In the real world, people get shot and die.

5. And since we're on violence... and manners... how could someone shout at an old lady?! Moreso the lovable Mrs Hudson? How?! Kids love and respect your grandparents... even if they turn out to be serial killers. Haha

6. If Sherlock is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, which is also the basis for the Robert Downey movie, my question is: WHERE IS IRENE ADLER?! Or is that character particular to the movie adaptation only. Hmm. Where is the Sarah Walker to Sherlock's Chuck? Ok fine, maybe that's stretching it too much. Let me rephrase: Where is the Sarah to Dr. Watson's Chuck?

7. Benedict Cumberbatch is oddly too white. Are they still doing auditions for the nth Twilight movie? Yeah I know, nitpicking.

Edward's long lost kuya? Pwede.

Sherlock looks promising. It was able to elicit enough reactions/opinions or intelligent comments from me in one episode compared to Bored to Death, Modern Family or Arrested Development combined. It came highly recommended and it did not disappoint, unlike the other shows that came before. If I have to rank it, it will certainly be on the top of my QNBS list. But I'm wary that it's too mind-consuming, too intellectually stimulating. I can now understand my blockmate when she said she thinks about Sherlock a lot. Maybe even more than law school. Cumberbatch overload, indeed.


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You may want to check other QNBS reviews:

QNBS: Suits
QNBS: Game of Thrones
QNBS: IT Crowd 
QNBS: Rizzoli & Isles
QNBS: Community
QNBS: Outsourced
QNBS: Awkward
QNBS: New Girl

Lawyered!: Plain view doctrine and White Collar

This series will cover topics involving the law, law school and everything in between told from the perspective of a frightened, enlightened, irritated, and engaged law student. :)

It has been a time-tested, experienced-based rule of the universe that whenever you keep doing something for a long time--say, two years--chances are you're going to get bored. Two things I've been doing for almost two years are: blogging and being in law school.

To counter the effects of the rule, I blog about the law and try to equate, parallel or analogize it with something I love, and write under the title: Lawyered!. Example: Right to travel and Lily of How I Met Your Mother, etc.

Recently, I've blogged less Lawyered! stuff and busied myself with reviews of TV serieses to find a replacement for Chuck, which has aired its final series-ending episode last January 27. So to dovetail Lawyered! and Quest for the Next Best Series, here I am, writing about White Collar and search warrants.

The thing that impresses me most about my Criminal Procedure professor is his passion for the law. It is shown through his superb lecturing and teaching skills and knowledge of the law. In class, we are amazed at how much he knows about CrimPro (he knows the cases by heart and can recite them, unlike some of the profs I've had before, haha) and how dedicated he is to learning more about it. He updates his knowlegde by reading on new cases and sharing new-learned info to us.

Anyway, we've been discussing search warrants for about two or three weeks now. In the US, search warrants are governed by Supreme Court decisions in Katz vs. United States, Terry vs. Ohio,  State vs. Von Bulow etc. The general rule is: A search without warrant is illegal. But there are exceptions. One is the plain view doctrine as explained in Harris vs. United States (1968), Coolidge vs. New Hampshire (1971) and Arizona vs. Hicks (1987), as shown in the pilot episode of White Collar.

For the plain view doctine to apply, the following requisites must be present: (1) Lawful intrusion of the person/s doing the search into the private property being searched; (2) Inadvertent discovery of the items seized; and (3) Object seized is/appears to be a contraband or is evidence.

From 52:00 to the 54:56 mark of the White Collar Pilot episode, it is shown how a pursuit of a fugitive can justify the search of private property and seizure of obviously illegal items. The Dutchman, an art restorator suspected of forgering 1944 bonds, is caught at his warehouse printing tons of fake bonds when FBI agents barged in the said warehouse where a known fugitive named Neal Caffrey, who has GPS attached to his ankle, was tracked at.

Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke

Based on the requisites, there is a justified application of the plain view doctrine. Lawful intrusion: The FBI agents were there to catch a fugitive. Inadvertent discovery: No other act was done by the person/s doing the search in order to find out that the materials/items were being used to commit a forgery. They came in and saw them in the act of printing and/or trying to hide the said items. Apparently contraband/evidence: Printing high-definition copies of a 1944 rare bond (although many was made, there is only one surviving copy) without authorization to do so is, rightly, a forgery and art theft in the US.

Honestly, I didn't see the search warrant part coming thirty minutes into the episode but I loved and appreciated the fact that it did fit perfectly into the story. I know this makes me sound conceited but I will say this: I liked the "Aha!" moment I had when the plain view doctrine was shown/mentioned. It makes me feel proud that I was able to find something law-related in an unexpected moment and understanding it. Goes to show how you go on to do one thing, and turn out finding/liking something else fascinating about it. Aside from providing a good illustration of the application of the doctrine, this certainly is a plus factor in White Collar's favor*.

Lawyered!

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*More on White Collar in a QNBS review coming soon.

You may want to read:


Lawyered: The Law-down
Lawyered: Do the Math
Lawyered: Top Reasons Why You Should Date a Law Student

Two-Second Moment

It amazes me how, at a very precise two-second moment, we are given the opportunity to connect with someone we don't know and have just seen. This moment happens randomly. Maybe you're walking at the mall, crossing the street, dining with friends, browsing books, holding hands with your partner... It happens when you least expect it. You look at each other amidst a crowd people, or in spite of the great distance between you. Then, you smile at same precise moment that you're looking at each other. The look may be romantic or platonic but the connection is unmistakable. Because you don't know each other, and the current circumstance you're both in limit your actions, you break eye contact, and turn away, as if nothing happened. You're afraid to look again. To see if that person is still looking.

You chalk up this moment as one of your life's greatest mysteries. Who is this person? Why is he/she looking at me? Why are we looking at each other? Why did he/she smile? What is he/she thinking?

You will never know. Unless fate, destiny or luck gives you both another chance, another circumstance to connect...connect in a manner that matters.

I thought these moments happen only in the movies, books or TV serieses. Apparently they do happen to ordinary people.

QNBS: Suits

As I wait for January 27 (the airing of Chuck's last two episodes), I feel time is running out on me. I have reviewed a lot of series, hoping to find a replacement for Chuck but so far none has come out as the clear winner. So I continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. Many series have been recommended but today, I will write about Suits.

Plot: A twenty-something college dropout decides to stop getting stoned and taking tests for other people, and be responsible on his own by becoming the 'protege' of a thirty-something brilliant lawyer.


PROS:

1. It was recommended by one of my friends whose taste in books, movies and music I find really good, or is highly similar to mine. Props to Vizzie for suggesting that I try Suits.

2. Mike Ross reminds me a lot of Chuck Bartowski. Twenty-something loser who was kicked out of college because of cheating and has nothing to show for or be proud of in his life. Although Mike is not as endearlingly clumsly or nerdy as Chuck is, he still has that "loser" charm going for him. If you love underdogs or rags-to-riches stories, I think it's safe to say that Mike has, to say the least, a little bit of underdog quality in him. Mike's photographic memory, intelligence and ability to retain tons of information can be paralleled to Chuck's nerdy-ness when it comes to video games and technology. And of course, like Chuck, I expect Mike to get the girl...no matter how long the series writers decide it to be.

Rachel: Take notes I'm not going to repeat myself.
Mike: I love you.

3. It's about law. Although I try not to do things related to law when I'm not studying, I'm surprised to find Suits really entertaining. I guess it's always okay to watch things you can relate to. Aside from Marshall from How I Met Your Mother and an occassional mention of issuance of warrants in Bones, Suits is the most law-related show I have watched so far.

4. The characters are interesting, and the actors playing them are very effective. Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter  is perfect. Harvey is like a better-dressed, less condescending but highly cunning Gregory House. Patrick J. Adams is a very believable Mike Ross. Their chemistry is commendable--from the usual sarcastic senior lawyer-junior lawyer banter to the "Because you're afraid you have to admit you're not as smart as you think you are" moments.

Harvey (l) and Mike (r)

The supporting actors Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle and Gina Torres are very strong in their portrayals of Louis Litt, Rachel Zane, and Jessica Pearson respectively. They provide the leads, and the show, the necessary back-up in case they fail to interest enough viewers. Sarah Rafferty as the strong-willed paralegal with her own office is H-O-T. She provides the necessary eye candy for the show. Hoffman as Louis is highly effective as that annoying villain/highly insecure other partner of the firm.

His face is really annoying. Perfect for a villain.

5. The first two episodes reveal enough detail about the characters for the viewers to get interested and yet they manage to make some stories open for clarification or exploration in succeeding episodes. Aside from the obvious Mike-Rachel relationship, I also expect to see the Harvey-Jessica dynamic expounded, albeit in a non-romantic manner (like, how they met, how Jessica helped Harvey etc), and I noticed how the writers laid down the foundation for a Mike-Trevor's girlfriend possible connection/conflict.

And of course, there's annoying Louis and the exploration of why he is how he is and the limit (or lack of limit) of the mean things he can do. I even found the secretary Donna Paulsen (played by Sarah Rafferty) promising.

CONS:

1. It sends the wrong impression  (to law students or would-be law students) that you can be brilliantly good at being a lawyer without having a law degree. Yes, it may be possible but, as a law student who's trying to find reason and drive to continue learning about the law with the hopes of being a good lawyer, the show does not set a good example. It makes one doubt the necessity of undergoing the rigors of law school.

Oh, photographic memory, law school would have been a lot easier if I had you.

2. It reinforces the popular sentiment that lawyers are liars--very good ones at that.

3. I wish it was funnier. Yes, Louis is funny but he is such in a very annoying manner.


I admit, at this point, Suits looks promising. I can see myself regularly watching it and being entertained by it. But the question is, will it continue to have the "stick-by-it" factor Chuck and The Big Bang Theory have and How I Met Your Mother is slowly losing? I hope so.


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You may want to check other QNBS reviews:

QNBS: Game of Thrones
QNBS: IT Crowd 
QNBS: Rizzoli & Isles
QNBS: Community
QNBS: Outsourced
QNBS: Awkward
QNBS: New Girl