My friend and I had one of our typically long conversations last night wherein we dissect various TV shows and other pop culture notions. I completely respect what he has to say, because he has no problem talking about the shortcomings of shows that he still likes and watches.
I seem to suffer a condition that I hereby dub…erm…Cheerleaderitis. (Which apparently translates literally into “inflammation of a cheerleader” but whatever.)
Anyway, I have a problem being critical about stuff that I like, to break it down simply and without fanfare. It’s not that I am unaware of flaws, or of the belief that just because something is created, for example, by J.J. Abrams, it is perfect in every way (hello, have you not seen Six Degrees, What About Brian, and that one episode of Felicity where Felicity goes back in time…or something?)
It’s just that when I like something, I prefer the whole glass-half-full approach rather than breaking down its every flaw.
That’s not to say I can’t do it, and it’s not to say that I won’t abandon a show when it starts seriously stumbling. I stopped watching Alias, which I used to adore, about three episodes into Season 4, and couldn’t even watch Season 5, despite the addition of one of my favorite TV actresses, Amy Acker.
I wrote this whole post when I used to be over on Blogspot called The Death of Seth Cohen, about how Adam Brody’s arrogance and jackassery completely ruined Seth Cohen, one of the best and brightest characters on TV, and subsequently started The OC on its downward spiral. I used to love The OC. Season 1, despite the horrificly wooden acting (if you can call it acting) of Mischa Barton, was excellent. Even Season 2 was decent. I gave up before Season 3 could even reach its Chrismukkah episode, and even though ding dong, Marissa’s dead, and Rachel Bilson is as cute as ever, and Ben McKenzie is an Austin native, I can’t bring myself to watch Season 4.
So I can be critical. But when there is 90% goodness and 10% not-so-much-goodness, I prefer to focus on the goodness. Which is why I rarely, if ever, have a bad thing to say about shows like Veronica Mars, Grey’s Anatomy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, Heroes, House, etc. *Most* of the time, the complaints about shows like this are from fickle viewers that can be explained away by something known in the scientific community as logic.
The friend I mentioned above has some problems with both Lost and Grey’s Anatomy, and his opinions are extremely valid. But as is the case with most shows that I watch – at least dramas — I watch for different reasons than most people I know. I guess it has something to do with the writer in me, but I care more about the characters in a show than the plots into which they are inserted.
I guess, when it comes down to it, I’m just loyal. Pure and simple. Probably loyal to a fault. Like a Golden Retriever. The loyalty can be broken (see Alias, The OC), but it takes a lot.
Which is why I’m perplexed over my reaction to last night’s episode of The Office.
Don’t get me wrong — I liked it, and thought it was hilarious. I knew it would be, considering it was penned by Ricky Gervais, but my reaction to the Jim and Pam interactions was surprising. I thought John Krasinski, as always, nailed his performance. That one look he pulls off after Andy hits on Pam the first time by her desk killed me. We rewound it, like, four times. Ed Helms was effing brilliant. That guy seriously cracks me up, and I prefer him to Dwight in so many ways. There definitely was not enough Karen, but what there was, was adorable. I have such a freaking girl crush** on Rashida Jones. (Speaking of, I’ve been watching that TNT series Wanted, and to see her in jeans and ponytails and kicking people and wielding guns is so surreal now that I’ve seen her as glamorous, sophisticated Karen.)
But the Jim-Pam stuff felt…I don’t know. Kind of stilted. Maybe because Gervais was writing them instead of the usual team of writers. Maybe that’s it. I hope it is, because with Rashida’s arc coming to an end (supposedly she and Ed Helms are only on board for 10-ish episodes), I need to be back on board with Jim and Pam. But last night? All I wanted was more Jim and Karen interarction.
See? I CAN be critical about a show with which I am still completely in love!
Veronica Mars break-down by Sunday. (But I caution you, there will be no criticism, especially about an episode that drew the show’s highest numbers to date, and drew the highest numbers of the whole CW to date.) And I’ll wait to dissect Heroes till the fall finale Monday, but suffice to say, “Six Months Ago” was all kinds of wonderful.
**Girl crush: refers to that fervent infatuation that one heterosexual woman develops for another who may seem impossibly sophisticated, gifted, beautiful or accomplished.
