Tag Archives: Brody

Sep 18 2012
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Fox, Glee, quotes, Recaps, TV

glee recapping: the new rachel

Here’s what you missed on Glee (last season): Goodbye

Story

  • Rachel has to start all over to establish herself at NYADA.
  • The McKinley High Glee Club has open auditions to find new members.
  • The glee club is no longer at the bottom of the high school hierarchy.
  • Kurt is struggling to find his way after graduation. But Burt and Blaine help push him in the right direction.

 

Separation Anxiety: My largest concern about this season was how the show was going to deal with the original characters’ departure from McKinley. I’m not sure if we are going to get a glimpse of what the rest of the former New Directions are up to but I knew Rachel was to be a focal point–I mean, she’s Rachel Berry.

Marley Berry? I wasn’t sure if the episode’s title was intended to be aimed at Marley’s arrival to the glee club or for the changes Real Rachel is going through in New York–and, honestly, I’m still not sure. Did I like Marley as soon as I heard/saw her? Yes. Does the glee club need a new strong female lead? Of course. IS she REALLY “The New Rachel”? I doubt it. But hopefully she is a strong enough character to carry the glee club going forward. Rachel started as a sophomore as well and we see what lengths she went through to solidify her place with the New Directions and at McKinley as a whole. Good luck Marley. No pressure…

M.I.A. Ummm…where was Santana? And Mercedes? And Puck? And Finn? And Roz? And Rory? And Emma? And Mike Chang?! And that one black guy from season one?!?! I need answers. Or explanations. Or apologies. In copious amounts.

Leap of Faith? Do parents really just send their children halfway across the country with nothing to support themselves with? I love the fact that Rachel has someone from Lima with her during her road to Broadway but it just seemed like the move was forced. I was hoping we actually got to see both her and Kurt struggle with their new environments for awhile before they became each other’s security blanket.

Wishful Singing: I know the singing angle usually belongs to Nicole, but I have a request–maybe more like a plea. Mr. Ryan Murphy, if you have a heart of any kind can you please have Sam and Artie duet it up with a Justin Bieber “Boyfriend” swoon session? Preferably directed at Marley. Just thinking of it brings back fond memories…

MUSIC

Call Me Maybe (Blaine, Tina, Unique, Brittany) This late spring/early summer hit hasn’t gotten old for me yet, but I’m still glad they knocked the obligatory performance out early on in the season. I hated the concept of this song being used to pick the “new Rachel” because it only showed how good these four sound as a unit without at all showing the strong stand-out voice/performer they seem to think the glee club needs. Watching Brittany dance with Blaine only made me miss Mike, but overall, a very adorable start to the episode. (B)

Dance Again/Americano (Cassandra) Someone over at Glee sure knows how to pick their blonde guest stars! I knew Kate Hudson could dance, but I was mostly indifferent about her role until this performance. Solid dancing and singing, but it also illustrated that it’s only appropriate to bump and grind with your students when they’re 18 and older (Mr. Schue, yes, I’m talking to you). I can’t wait to see if Cassandra’s sober Jekyll and drunken Hyde dynamic plays a part in the performances/musical selections she has this season. (B)

NY State of Mind (Rachel and Marley) A downtrodden Rachel in New York reminds me of the Rachel in season one, before she got borderline annoying, bursting at the seems, full of unappreciated potential. Maybe that’s why hearing her sing this classic gave me those familiar “Rachel Berry chills”. Marley was also great, although not quite Rachel great, but there’s no doubt she’ll bring something new and greatly welcomed to the glee club in terms of performance and sound. One minor note: I fear that Marley’s newsboy hat is her ‘thing’. Either I don’t like it because it’s distracting, or it’s distracting because I don’t like it. Regardless, I don’t like it! (A)

It’s Time (Blaine) If we’re going to have the requisite courtyard performance each season, it should always be done by Blaine. The double-dutch, jump ropes and red cups are things that can only be pulled off by those as adorably stylish as Kurt’s amor. Long distance + high school isn’t the best combination, so although I don’t have much hope for the longevity of Klaine’s romance, at least this performance will serve as a reminder of happier times. (A)

Chasing Pavements (Marley and the New Directions) Did I find this song particularly relevant to Marley solidifying her status as a New Directions member or Kurt joining Rachel in New York? Not at all. But whatever, this moment wasn’t about relevance, it was about reminding us that the New Directions are moving on with a very solid group and at least half of the show will now be Rachel Does New York (or some variation). For Marley’s first solo with the group, this was pretty great. (A)

Busters Get Popped (Stoner Brett)/ Never Say Never (Jake) Please, oh please, don’t let this not be the last time we see Stoner Brett. I know the focus was supposed to be on everyone else sounding so crappy that Jake and Marley stood out, which they did, but Mr. Brett certainly shined by providing one of my favorite moments of the night. Jake aka the bad boy that is going to take Puck’s place (just in case that wasn’t clear, and to avoid even a hint of symbolism, the writer’s went the literal route and made him Puck’s little brother) sounds and looks like a beautiful, albeit slightly rough, little angel. I’d like more of him and more of his voice, so let’s not drag this whole “I’m damaged and singing won’t fix that” thing out too much longer.

QUOTES

“Oh, in case you’re wondering, which you were, I’m straight.” – Brody

“Kitty is my new head bitch. She’s like a young Quinn Fabray, except she’s not pregnant, manic depressive or in and out of a wheelchair.” – Sue

“That’s a great haircut Mercedes. I thought you graduated.” – Brittany…after seeing Wade

“It’s hard making out over Skype, you can’t really scissor a webcam.” – Brittany

“I had a song in my heart Blaine Warbler, and you killed it. Now, I have a dead song in my heart and pretty soon, the corpse of my head heart’s song is going to start to smell.” – Brittany

“…a pre-op Precious, based on the novel Barf by Sapphire.” – Kitty…on Wade

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Dec 19 2011
1 Comment
Homeland, New for Fall 2011, Recaps, Showtime, TV

thoughts on homeland: marine one

Cryptic Camerawork: If it wasn’t clear what Brody’s part in Abu Nazir’s plan was to you so far then I would think he spelled it all out with his recording. I understand clarifying that he was only trying to make those domestic enemies pay for what they did to all those children but he had to know that his side of the story would never come out anyway. Also, what if someone walked by his storage locker while he was recording that? Fail.

On Deaf Ears: The only person who knows what’s going on with the assassination plot is the only person who keeps getting shut out and restrained at every turn. Add Saul, Dana, and Jess to the growing list of those people who dismiss Carrie’s correct theories. Can you really blame them though? She is unstable – to say the least – and she is the woman who Brody had been having an affair with. Sorry Carrie?

Wardrobe Malfunction?: If anyone thought that Brody was goin to off himself with that vest then you can’t possibly be all that intelligent. Yes, he did flip the switch initially but the vest didn’t work. Without thinking about the plot and all that, he is the STAR of the show! I just wanted to see how his failure to follow through with the plan would play out.

Dana Stalls Terrorism: Maybe I jumped the gun with Dana dismissing Carrie earlier? Her pleading with her father to come home was the only reason Brody didn’t flip that switch a second time and carry out Nazir’s plan. Congratulations Dana, you just saved the world!

No Room for Wild Cards: Since Brody BS’d his way out of a a failed plot he is the only one – that we know of – that is still in contact with Nazir. Sucks for Tom Walker. Everyone thought he was dead then he came back as a terrorist sniper and he’ll be the only one linked to the assassination attempt. But every good terrorist plot needs a solid fall guy I guess?

Quiet Explosions: Now that Saul has come across the redacted documents and videos that show the bombing of Abu Nazir’s son’s school he understands Carrie timeline. It is disgusting that so many innocent lives were blindly taken to bring Nazir out of hiding but is all really fair in love and war? Hopefully Saul doesn’t halt on his investigation into Vice President Walden and Estes because Carrie needs to get back to doing the job she does better than everyone else.

Shock Value: In, perhaps, the most gripping scene of the entire show so far we got to see Carrie have shock therapy performed on her in hopes of helping her psychosis. I didn’t know procedures like this were still performed and seeing it happen – even on a scripted show – is a bit unnerving. I guess to some point I can understand why Carrie would go to such an extreme because everything in her life in crumbling around her. Brody doesn’t want anything to do with her. Saul tried to get her detained. Estes basically fired her from the only constant thing in her life. I don’t know what to expect from Carrie next season because no one is sure what side effects will do to her mind but I just hope they don’t ruin the best character on the show by taking away her drive.

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Oct 10 2011
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Homeland, Recaps, Showtime, TV, tvdm picks

homeland recapping: grace

One of Sgt. Brody’s flashbacks is the opening scene. He is digging a grave in a desert-like area. His captives carry a dead POW  to the hole Brody is in and throw the body in. Brody is then put on his knees with a gun at his head until the trigger is pulled and he is woken up from his nightmare; subsequently waking up Carrie who is watching via surveillance. Jessica is doing her morning routine with the kids (making sure they eat breakfast, getting ready for school on time) when Brody enters. She tells him that he grabbed her while they were sleeping and started speaking in Arabic. She has the bruises to prove it. Jessica offers to stay home with Nick but he says that he was “alone for eight years” so one more day won’t hurt. But as soon as his family leaves he spends the whole day sitting in the corner of his room.

Saul manages to get a warrant from a judge that he has some dirt on. It gives Carrie four weeks to find some substantial evidence that there is reason to keep an eye on Sgt. Brody. Carrie tells Saul that Brody has been acting weird by sitting in the corner all day and that he is struggling with what he has to do since he has been “turned”. Saul says that if he had been turned he would be in front of the cameras playing the “hero card”.

We then are introduced to Lynne Reed. She is giving women some…uh…thorough interviews to become part of Prince Farid’s harem. After telling a girl that she needs to wax her lady parts for the Prince, Lynne calls to set up an appointment for herself. Instead she calls a CIA operator to arrange a meeting with her handler Carrie.

Estes and another military official await Mike in his office and tell him to convince Sgt. Brody to reenlist. They say that Brody will get a promotion and more money to help his family. I think that Estes knows about Mike’s relationship with Jessica while Nick was assumed dead and he is using that as his advantage against Mike.

Carrie and Lynne meet up and Lynne shows Carrie a video on her phone; it’s a meeting between Prince Farid and Abu Nazir. Nazir hasn’t been seen in seven years. This is a huge breakthrough for Carrie but Lynne is terrified of what will happen to her if they find out she is a spy. She says they “stone women like her” when they are caught. Carrie tells her the she will get her some protection. When Estes gets hold of the information he congratulates Carrie but is not going to give Lynne any protection. He tells Carrie that Lynne is her responsibility. Saul tells Carrie that Estes isn’t going to be too happy that Carrie is trying to prove Brody is a terrorist.

Nick punches a reporter in the throat, in front of his son, when he sees him on his property taking pictures. After that Nick leaves through a wooded area in the back of his house. Carrie demands that Max follow him. He ends up in a hardware store inside of a shopping mall looking at a variety of tools. When he returns home Mike is there for dinner and to convince him to reenlist. Brody is furious about that notion and says that he won’t fight anyone’s war. Brody apologizes to his son for hitting the reporter in front of him and Jessica tries to convince Nick to talk to the media as well. It didn’t seem as though he paid too much attention to her.

As Lynne is about to meet up with Prince Farid Virgil spills tea on her. She doesn’t know who he is though. When she goes to the restroom to clean up Carrie is there. Carrie gives Lynne a device to download information from Farid’s phone. She assures her that she has a team watching her at all times.

Brody has another flashback of captivity and then he goes to the garage – a blind spot from Carrie’s surveillance – and begins a Muslim prayer. He then comes back inside and gets in uniform then heads outside to address the media. Carrie calls Saul and tells him to “turn on (his) TV” because Brody is doing exactly what Saul said he would do by “playing the hero card”.

 

 

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