American Horror Story - Pilot, S01E01

I slept with the light on after watching this pilot.

American Horror Story is creepy. You spend half of it in suspense, and the other half covering your eyes. And all you know is that there is something very very wrong with that house, but who can say what it is. Frankly, I want to know, but I'm not sure I really want to find out.

The show certainly does its job of freaking its viewers out, and the only concern I have for it is how it will maintain that. Do I really want to subject myself to terror every week? Can I stand not knowing what is going on, what might happen next from week to week? Can they keep up the fear I feel, and do I really want them to? These are factors we will have to examine over the next few episodes.

What I do like is how original it feels. Sure, the concept is standard - wounded family moves into new house to start over, but the house is evil and haunted. It's been done many times before.
But it's still different. What is with that maid? The women see her as an old hag, but Ben (Dylan McDermott) sees one hot redhead who is bent on seducing him. And the neighbour, Constance (Jessica Lange), threatened to kill her again? What exactly did that mean?

What part in the horror going on in that house does Constance play? Is she a ghost too, or something worse? And Tate (Evan Peters) is equally baffling. How did he end up as Ben's patient if he's not real? Or is the house just messing with some poor unbalanced kid?

And so we wait and watch and discover new things, all the while leaving our nerves in a raw state of anxiety. But I will go back to the well, as long as the storytelling remains as fantastic. I will stick with it, even though it frightens me.

The Season So Far

It's mid October, and while we are still waiting on the premieres and pilots of a few shows - Walking Dead, Chuck, Grimm, Boss, and Once Upon a Time - most of the new series have been on long enough to form an opinion on whether they are worth it.

As previously mentioned, I liked the Playboy Club, although it was the first casualty of the season, but like many other people, I never got past the pilot.

Other shows that I did not bother watching more than one episode of were Unforgettable, Revenge, Charlie's Angels, Person of Interest, Prime Suspect, A Gifted Man, and Hart of Dixie.

I thought Revenge, Charlie's Angels, A Gifted Man, and Hart of Dixie were absolutely atrocious. I'm rather disappointed with the popularity of Revenge, and while I give CW a lot of credit for ordering full seasons to give viewers a better sense of security, Hart of Dixie did not deserve it.

As for the others, I will give Person of Interest special mention. I did not dismiss watching it after the pilot. Indeed, I have the second episode ready to go whenever I want. But with all the other shows on my roster, plus all the old series like the West Wing to catch up on, it just didn't make the cut.

Shows that did make the cut were Ringer, The Secret Circle, Pan Am, Terra Nova, and American Horror Story.

Ringer and The Secret Circle I watch because, well, I like Sarah Michelle Gellar and I like witches. I really need to catch up on Vampire Diaries. I realize I am in my late 20s now, but I still like the same kinds of shows I did when I was 15...and really, I wouldn't mind being 15 again. In some respects.

Pan Am and Terra Nova, while one is a period piece and the other a futuristic-blast-into-the-past dinosaur show, are both just fun. They make me smile and I have a great time while I am watching them. So worth my time.

American Horror Story, the only one of these shows that I watch with my boyfriend, although he did sit through multiple pilots with me, I watch because it is excellent. It is well written, well acted, and well filmed. It's scary as hell (which means that I actually need my man beside me to protect me while watching it), but it is terrific too.

Now, the "old" favourites that I am sticking with are

Castle - which has delivered entertaining mysteries with just a bit of a darker flavour than pervious seasons, as expected;

Big Bang Theory - which is still exactly what a sitcom is supposed to be;

The Mentalist - where I am hoping that Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and Grace (Amanda Righetti) will get back together this season;

Boardwalk Empire - which is not living up to the standard it set in season 1, but which i am hoping will improve since it has already been renewed for a third season

Dexter - which only disappointed me once, and season 3 is a while ago now

If I could find the time, I would catch up on Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Fringe, and The Good Wife, as well.

So that is the current overview of what's worth watching out there. Do you share my opinions? Is there a show you can't believe I watch? A show you can't believe I don't watch? Let me know

Pan Am - Pilot, S01E01

It starts with a gimick - who doesn't want to watch a show about 4 gorgeous women in the 60s breaking out from traditional roles to do something wonderful like travel the world. And then we add substance - what does it truly mean to have a life where you are always going to a new place, where the only thing you can count on is change? Add some CIA intregue and a dash of romance and broken hearts, and you have a show that I can't wait to watch every week.

Sure, the characters are pretty stereotypical. Maggie (Christina Ricci) wants to do more than travel the world - she wants to change it. And she's not going to conform to expectations or the rules either. Colette (Karine Vanasse) is the exotic flavour, a french girl who favours surprises as long as they aren't that the man she was sleeping with is married. Then we have sisters, Laura (Margot Robbie) who ran away from home and her wedding to discover herself, and Kate (Kelli Garner) who left home to do what she wanted in the first place and now feels a little cramped by her sister.

But, hey, I'm not looking for uniqueness here. I'm looking for sheer entertainment. I want to be interested, amused, enthralled, and if occassionally it's a little predictable, I can live with that. But, regardless, I don't actually know what the direction and feel of the whole season is going to be like. I can't wait to find out!

Dexter - Those Kinds of Things, S06E01

I did not think that anyone could be so creepy as John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer, but Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks may give him a run for his money this season. The master-apprentice serial killer bond is one we have not explored fully, despite Dexter (Michael C. Hall)'s dabbling in it in various manners. It also gives us many possibilities for seasonal development since we are dealing with two men, instead of one, but Dexter and Miami PD don't know that yet.

Otherwise, we seem to have returned to the status quo. Dexter is back to killing other murderers and serial killers, and things are going well since his new baby sitter lives next door and really doesn't mind his frequent absences. She chalks his odd behaviour off to still mourning his wife. Angel (David Zayas) and Maria (Lauren Valez) are divorced already, but still have a running tension between them. Maria has been manipulating her way towards promotions, and may help Angel climb the ladder as well.

My favourite development is between Quinn (Desmond Harrington) and Deb (Jennifer Carpenter). As soon as the arguments started, I knew that Quinn was planning on proposing. I think these two are so well suited for each other, and I hope that Quinn's attempts to propose continue to get delayed until he does it right. Was he really going to ask her in that bar?

So the developments this season are likely to be very interesting, with a strong spiritual theme to them. I loved Dexter's conversation about God with Angel. Not everyone is able to be eloquent about their beliefs. And when Dexter went to speak to that nun to get his son in daycare, and she was so impressed that he bothered to come in person, while it never occurred to Dexter that he was doing anything that was unusual. Indeed, if he realized how markedly different his attempts to always do the right thing made him, he probably would not bother.

What are your thoughts on the new season?