Today on my favorite website (that isn't Facebook), Grantland.com, there was a piece on why saying "we" in reference to a sports team is the dumbest thing ever. The crux of the piece was that unless you are actually attending a college, a Green Bay Packer shareholder, or employed by the team there is no "we." The writer made a point that we as a society don't say "we" when watching a movie, seeing a band, reading a book. He used the Florida Marlins as an example of how little fans mean to sports.
I respectfully don't agree with this approach. The flaw to me is comparing your favorite sports team to a book, a movie, a band. When I go see a movie I know that what is going to happen will happen no matter how much I don't want it to (just tell Joaquin Phoenix you'll be loyal to him Maximus!). Same goes when I read a book, or listen to a band play. I can't influence the outcome. That is not the feeling we get with sports. And there is plenty of evidence to prove that. In the last two Detroit Lion home games Ford Field was so loud the Bears and 49ers combined for 14 false start penalties. No fan influence there. Arsenal vs. FC Barcelona in the Champions league: at the Emirates in North London 2-1 to the home team, in the Nou Camp 4-1 to the home team (Arsenal only getting a goal on an own goal by FCB as they had 0 shots on target). No home field advantage there.
I have been in stadiums, bars, field houses where the crowd is an entity. Seattle and Texas A&M call their crowd the 12th man. Players pick up on the vibe of the fans, the fans pick up on the vibe of the players. There is a give and take, an actually relationship. You cannot tell me that it does not exist because I have been on both sides of it. Fans can provide the energy to lift the team's level of play. Fans can provide the chaos to strike fear, or at the very least poor execution, into the hearts of the opponents. There is an emotional connection between team and fan you don't have in any other area of society. We wear our lucky jerseys (or don't wear unlucky ones in some cases), sit in our lucky seats, pray to whatever god we chose for success of our team; Our days are ruined by a poor performance and completed by a great one. I don't run around screaming for joy when Colin Firth nailed his performance in The King's Speech but I do when Chipper Jones belts a game winning homer.
It is the emotion that makes it We. It is the personal connection between fans, players, owners, towel boys, coaches. It is being a part of something bigger, no matter how small your contribution, that makes sports a WE endeavor. We don't say "Let's Go!" for no reason.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
A Retrospective
Thanks to Netflix I have just powered through the first 3 seasons of critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. All I can say is that I was underwhelmed. I am not saying the show is not good, I quite enjoyed it actually. However, for as much talk as the show gets as being put in the same pantheon as The Wire and Mad Men it completely failed to deliver, and I am biased because Vince Gilligan is a fellow Richmonder.
The one thing the show has going for it is strong characters. Bryan Cranston does an excellent job as high school chemistry teacher slowly turned drug lord. I can see why he has won an Emmy for it. What I can't see is why he has won more than one. His character, while not static, is on a very static path. There is this slow decay, which granted is hard to pull off, but seems once you get the hang of it, it's there. He really only plays three sides: happy, depressed, ruthless. I am failing to see why his performance is considered so much better than Jon Hamm as Don Draper. Draper has dealt with almost the exact same concerns: a secret that threatens life as he knows it, putting on appearances, ruthlessness in the business world. We also get to see what inspires Draper, what moves him, what really makes him tick. I feel like Walter White just is. He is happy he has money for his family, he is depressed his wife left him, he is ruthless in protecting his drug trade. For a show that really seems to be basing itself on character there isn't quite as much exploration as I'd like to see.
The this Breaking Bad really does not have going for it is plot. Constantly I found myself 3 steps ahead of the characters on screen. (SPOILER ALERT) A simple example comes when Walt needs a way to use his drug money on his family without raising eyebrows. A few scenes earlier his son set up a website asking for donations for Walt's cancer treatment. Duh. If I have to connect those dots for you, please watch this show, you'll be shocked by all the twists and turns. Season 2 also had a big fail moment for me when they teased the pink stuffed bear in the pool and the body bags in Walt's driveway all season. Maybe it was because I knew that there were 2 more seasons, but I knew that those two body bags did not contain anyone important. Then the show tried to tie it all together with a Soderbergh-ian moment of (SPOILER ALERT) Walt letting Jane die, which in turn depressed her dad, who Walt met at a bar who happened to be an air traffic controller, who let his depression distract him, which caused a plane crash right above casa de White. Except all of these connections came a few steps before the reveal.
The show really fails as far as suspense. In The Wire anyone could go at any point. (SPOILER ALERT) Brodie and Poot murdered Wallace for crying out loud! I don't get that sense here. Breaking Bad is almost like "Ok so what's going to get them out of it." To me that isn't good story telling (and it reeks of Entourage).
While Breaking Bad is a good show, I would not put it in the same category of The Wire, Mad Men, or even Lost (at least with Lost you literally had no idea what was coming next). It has great acting, but not above and beyond it's AMC counterpart. It is a decent exploration into the human psyche, but again on par with, not better, than Mad Men. And it has average story progression with very limited twists that generally aren't shocking because it becomes an obvious twist before it gets there.
The one thing the show has going for it is strong characters. Bryan Cranston does an excellent job as high school chemistry teacher slowly turned drug lord. I can see why he has won an Emmy for it. What I can't see is why he has won more than one. His character, while not static, is on a very static path. There is this slow decay, which granted is hard to pull off, but seems once you get the hang of it, it's there. He really only plays three sides: happy, depressed, ruthless. I am failing to see why his performance is considered so much better than Jon Hamm as Don Draper. Draper has dealt with almost the exact same concerns: a secret that threatens life as he knows it, putting on appearances, ruthlessness in the business world. We also get to see what inspires Draper, what moves him, what really makes him tick. I feel like Walter White just is. He is happy he has money for his family, he is depressed his wife left him, he is ruthless in protecting his drug trade. For a show that really seems to be basing itself on character there isn't quite as much exploration as I'd like to see.
The this Breaking Bad really does not have going for it is plot. Constantly I found myself 3 steps ahead of the characters on screen. (SPOILER ALERT) A simple example comes when Walt needs a way to use his drug money on his family without raising eyebrows. A few scenes earlier his son set up a website asking for donations for Walt's cancer treatment. Duh. If I have to connect those dots for you, please watch this show, you'll be shocked by all the twists and turns. Season 2 also had a big fail moment for me when they teased the pink stuffed bear in the pool and the body bags in Walt's driveway all season. Maybe it was because I knew that there were 2 more seasons, but I knew that those two body bags did not contain anyone important. Then the show tried to tie it all together with a Soderbergh-ian moment of (SPOILER ALERT) Walt letting Jane die, which in turn depressed her dad, who Walt met at a bar who happened to be an air traffic controller, who let his depression distract him, which caused a plane crash right above casa de White. Except all of these connections came a few steps before the reveal.
The show really fails as far as suspense. In The Wire anyone could go at any point. (SPOILER ALERT) Brodie and Poot murdered Wallace for crying out loud! I don't get that sense here. Breaking Bad is almost like "Ok so what's going to get them out of it." To me that isn't good story telling (and it reeks of Entourage).
While Breaking Bad is a good show, I would not put it in the same category of The Wire, Mad Men, or even Lost (at least with Lost you literally had no idea what was coming next). It has great acting, but not above and beyond it's AMC counterpart. It is a decent exploration into the human psyche, but again on par with, not better, than Mad Men. And it has average story progression with very limited twists that generally aren't shocking because it becomes an obvious twist before it gets there.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Jabber Jaw: "Door to Door"
One of the funniest shows on TV is ABC's Modern Family. This week I've asked my good friend AW to talk about this week's episode "Door to Door." So let's give her a warm welcome and get talking about some TV. Overall I found the episode heavy on jokes, light on plot. There is nothing wrong with this at all, in fact it worked really well tonight. I didn't care if Manny sold wrapping paper, Gloria found the dog, Claire got her sign, or if Phil and Luke could get the ball back in the net. What worked was the interactions between the characters. It's always great seeing Jay be a dad to Manny, the two divas (Cam and Gloria) on a mission, and Phil and Luke do anything. Claire, eh I could do without the pissy, crazy Claire; it's been done so much she's just annoying (although it was toned down tonight). What are your overall thoughts AW?
AW: I appreciate this opportunity, Matt. I’m a big fan of the blog. Or, am I? Let me just start off with a little self disclosure:
1. Modern Family is my second favorite television show, hands down. It is bookended by crime dramas, followed by a never-ending satire about how a winey New Yorker meets the love of his life (Matt, I think you’re familiar).
2. I’m not going to lie about how I like to spend my Wednesday nights: couch, roommate, puppy, chocolate, and wine. So please take up any problems you have with me or this post with my friend, Merlot.
Saying that, I hope I can give this week’s Modern Family a fair assessment. First, I totally agree with you on Claire: been there, done that, signed a petition. Like what I did with that? We’ve seen her get mad at neighbors, chastise the carpool lady and now with the traffic commission? It’s played out. You know what I love? Claire and Mitchell. The brother/sister repertoire needs to make a comeback, no?
Speaking of chemistry, you can tell the writers are really trying to play up the actors who work well together: Phil/Luke (in my opinion, they could start their own sitcom), Haley/Alex, Jay/Manny, Gloria/Cam. All genius pairs, but it didn’t quite fit together for me this episode. All in all, it wasn’t my favorite. I’m really rooting for it, but something just is off this season.
MTA: I agree. We are four episodes in and we haven't really had an episode that stands out. I think this week was much better than last week and the opener on location in Jackson Hole, but about on par with "When Good Kids Go Bad." Interesting that like that episode this one featured Jay/Manny, a Cam-Mitchell fight (which is treading dangerously close to insufferable/ overdone Claire territory), and Claire at her worst. Maybe we have to hate Claire to enjoy everyone else?
Where this season has excelled though is it's use of Luke. He is no longer this clueless kid who runs through a screen and wonders what happened (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCbSRRTax8w). He was already my favorite character and this new combination of carefree-ness, creativity, deceptive intelligence, and (selective) self-awareness has actually made him funnier. And I think that he Phil's personalities feed off each other so well (not to mention Ty Burrell and Nolan Gould have phenomenal chemistry). Give me more of that team please.
What's working for you this season? You made a great point that more Mitchell/Claire could entertain us without hating Mrs. Dunphy. What else would you like to see more of?
AW: agree with the Cam/Mitchell bouts. Although they are far more entertaining than "The Claire," I'm ready for something new. I think the adoption will either take care of or continue to drag this theme out. Crossing my fingers for the former.
What is working for me? The one-liners. The show has always capitalized on these in the one-on-one interviews, but they've done a good job stringing them through the dialogue this season. A big pat-on-the-back to the writers for some phenomenal puns (which I believe are the highest form of intelligence). Phil's Blindside "offensive line" comeback had me in tears laughing.
What would I like to see more of? The whole family together. The one-on-one relationships are great and I can't wait to see those continue to develop, but comedic genius happens when they all get together. Dinner parties almost become battle royales of who has the best story of the episode. These family get-togethers also help tie the plot together. Bringing me to the next point ...
The writers need to set up the plot earlier and stick to 2-3 main story-lines. We were halfway though the episode when I finally had a grip on what was going on. My rule of thumb: the story should develop before the first commercial break. And finally, more Phil. This might be personal because I have deep feelings for that weird quirky man. But he absolutely kills it.
Speaking of one-liners, what was your favorite this episode?
MTA: I agree with you on the moving the plots faster. Like you by the first commercial break I didn't really know what anyone was going for. And you are also spot on with the one-liners although I would expand that to more of the isolated jokes. Concussed Phil might have been the funniest thing on TV that didn't happen in a bar in Philadelphia in a long time. My favorite one liner last night was Luke's how many moms it takes to change a light bulb, not for the joke, but how it shows that subtle I'm-smarter-than-I-let-on quality Luke rocks like a champ, and the "Sucker!" ending.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on getting the whole family together. You are right that the comedic value is very high, but so is the degree of difficulty. And I think the writers know this. There have been a few whole family plots where there is just too much going on for anything to really click. When they are battling for the best plot yes it works, but sometimes no plot is strong enough and everything falls flat (cf. "Dude Ranch").
What actually really disappointed me last night was how the writers kept hinting they would finally string some episodes together with Gloria losing the dog. There was a loose connection because we know she hates it, but I was hoping that it would lead to a confrontation where Jay suspected her of doing it on purpose (like Gloria's Rat Shovel). It was saved with Cam's gayest Stanley Kowalski ever finding the dog with a 10 year old Blanche, but still lost opportunity. Also good nod to Alex still skyping with Gino the Ginny BF from the premiere (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUhOvJOVetg).
AW: Yes. First, I would like to address the video referenced at the end of your email. What is this and where did you find it. Really? I mean, really?
Second, I'm going to disagree with your disagreement with getting the whole family together. How absolutely perfect was it last season when they all gathered for Jay's birthday? Granted, it was the season finale, but sweet Jesus that was smart. However, you are right (as much as that pains me to say) about the Dude Ranch. It did not work, except for Dylan, who came out of nowhere and finally made a legitimate contribution. But that is neither here nor there since that is clearly not the focus this week. Do you think he will come back? I think Phil, Luke and Dylan could make a really good story line soon.
And I am going to have to agree with you on Luke's quote, not for the content but for the delivery. Who cast him? Sir/Madam, you deserve a raise.
And I agree with you once again on Cam's "Stellaaaaa!" I wanted to like it so much, but it was forced. I found myself feeling sorry for him and desperately wanting him to put his shirt back on. They could have done a lot more with the Gloria and Stella rivalry but it fell flat. Move on.
One last thing. I would like to extend an honorable mention to Phil's Austrailan accent.
MTA: Gino the Ginny is a throwback to college, pre-Jersey Shore when Gino, My New Haircut (and the equally funny my new syrup) made the rounds on the frat email chain (or was it the swim team? I can't ever remember).
I'm not saying that the whole family together doesn't work; I'm saying if it's going to be done it has to be done right. You are totally right on last season's finale, pure genius. I'm always cautiously optimistic with those episodes. When it works it works fantastically, when it fails it is probably the lowest the show can go (which would be very high for many shows).
I think that about wraps up with this week's Modern Family. AW, I want to thank you; you've done great in your first at-bat here on the blog. I know the reader(s?) will appreciate a fresh voice and perspective. Hope to do this again soon.
AW: I appreciate this opportunity, Matt. I’m a big fan of the blog. Or, am I? Let me just start off with a little self disclosure:
1. Modern Family is my second favorite television show, hands down. It is bookended by crime dramas, followed by a never-ending satire about how a winey New Yorker meets the love of his life (Matt, I think you’re familiar).
2. I’m not going to lie about how I like to spend my Wednesday nights: couch, roommate, puppy, chocolate, and wine. So please take up any problems you have with me or this post with my friend, Merlot.
Saying that, I hope I can give this week’s Modern Family a fair assessment. First, I totally agree with you on Claire: been there, done that, signed a petition. Like what I did with that? We’ve seen her get mad at neighbors, chastise the carpool lady and now with the traffic commission? It’s played out. You know what I love? Claire and Mitchell. The brother/sister repertoire needs to make a comeback, no?
Speaking of chemistry, you can tell the writers are really trying to play up the actors who work well together: Phil/Luke (in my opinion, they could start their own sitcom), Haley/Alex, Jay/Manny, Gloria/Cam. All genius pairs, but it didn’t quite fit together for me this episode. All in all, it wasn’t my favorite. I’m really rooting for it, but something just is off this season.
MTA: I agree. We are four episodes in and we haven't really had an episode that stands out. I think this week was much better than last week and the opener on location in Jackson Hole, but about on par with "When Good Kids Go Bad." Interesting that like that episode this one featured Jay/Manny, a Cam-Mitchell fight (which is treading dangerously close to insufferable/ overdone Claire territory), and Claire at her worst. Maybe we have to hate Claire to enjoy everyone else?
Where this season has excelled though is it's use of Luke. He is no longer this clueless kid who runs through a screen and wonders what happened (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCbSRRTax8w). He was already my favorite character and this new combination of carefree-ness, creativity, deceptive intelligence, and (selective) self-awareness has actually made him funnier. And I think that he Phil's personalities feed off each other so well (not to mention Ty Burrell and Nolan Gould have phenomenal chemistry). Give me more of that team please.
What's working for you this season? You made a great point that more Mitchell/Claire could entertain us without hating Mrs. Dunphy. What else would you like to see more of?
AW: agree with the Cam/Mitchell bouts. Although they are far more entertaining than "The Claire," I'm ready for something new. I think the adoption will either take care of or continue to drag this theme out. Crossing my fingers for the former.
What is working for me? The one-liners. The show has always capitalized on these in the one-on-one interviews, but they've done a good job stringing them through the dialogue this season. A big pat-on-the-back to the writers for some phenomenal puns (which I believe are the highest form of intelligence). Phil's Blindside "offensive line" comeback had me in tears laughing.
What would I like to see more of? The whole family together. The one-on-one relationships are great and I can't wait to see those continue to develop, but comedic genius happens when they all get together. Dinner parties almost become battle royales of who has the best story of the episode. These family get-togethers also help tie the plot together. Bringing me to the next point ...
The writers need to set up the plot earlier and stick to 2-3 main story-lines. We were halfway though the episode when I finally had a grip on what was going on. My rule of thumb: the story should develop before the first commercial break. And finally, more Phil. This might be personal because I have deep feelings for that weird quirky man. But he absolutely kills it.
Speaking of one-liners, what was your favorite this episode?
MTA: I agree with you on the moving the plots faster. Like you by the first commercial break I didn't really know what anyone was going for. And you are also spot on with the one-liners although I would expand that to more of the isolated jokes. Concussed Phil might have been the funniest thing on TV that didn't happen in a bar in Philadelphia in a long time. My favorite one liner last night was Luke's how many moms it takes to change a light bulb, not for the joke, but how it shows that subtle I'm-smarter-than-I-let-on quality Luke rocks like a champ, and the "Sucker!" ending.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on getting the whole family together. You are right that the comedic value is very high, but so is the degree of difficulty. And I think the writers know this. There have been a few whole family plots where there is just too much going on for anything to really click. When they are battling for the best plot yes it works, but sometimes no plot is strong enough and everything falls flat (cf. "Dude Ranch").
What actually really disappointed me last night was how the writers kept hinting they would finally string some episodes together with Gloria losing the dog. There was a loose connection because we know she hates it, but I was hoping that it would lead to a confrontation where Jay suspected her of doing it on purpose (like Gloria's Rat Shovel). It was saved with Cam's gayest Stanley Kowalski ever finding the dog with a 10 year old Blanche, but still lost opportunity. Also good nod to Alex still skyping with Gino the Ginny BF from the premiere (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUhOvJOVetg).
AW: Yes. First, I would like to address the video referenced at the end of your email. What is this and where did you find it. Really? I mean, really?
Second, I'm going to disagree with your disagreement with getting the whole family together. How absolutely perfect was it last season when they all gathered for Jay's birthday? Granted, it was the season finale, but sweet Jesus that was smart. However, you are right (as much as that pains me to say) about the Dude Ranch. It did not work, except for Dylan, who came out of nowhere and finally made a legitimate contribution. But that is neither here nor there since that is clearly not the focus this week. Do you think he will come back? I think Phil, Luke and Dylan could make a really good story line soon.
And I am going to have to agree with you on Luke's quote, not for the content but for the delivery. Who cast him? Sir/Madam, you deserve a raise.
And I agree with you once again on Cam's "Stellaaaaa!" I wanted to like it so much, but it was forced. I found myself feeling sorry for him and desperately wanting him to put his shirt back on. They could have done a lot more with the Gloria and Stella rivalry but it fell flat. Move on.
One last thing. I would like to extend an honorable mention to Phil's Austrailan accent.
MTA: Gino the Ginny is a throwback to college, pre-Jersey Shore when Gino, My New Haircut (and the equally funny my new syrup) made the rounds on the frat email chain (or was it the swim team? I can't ever remember).
I'm not saying that the whole family together doesn't work; I'm saying if it's going to be done it has to be done right. You are totally right on last season's finale, pure genius. I'm always cautiously optimistic with those episodes. When it works it works fantastically, when it fails it is probably the lowest the show can go (which would be very high for many shows).
I think that about wraps up with this week's Modern Family. AW, I want to thank you; you've done great in your first at-bat here on the blog. I know the reader(s?) will appreciate a fresh voice and perspective. Hope to do this again soon.
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