30 Rock: Back to the Start

We have a LOT of significant series coming to an end this year: 30 Rock, The Office, and Breaking Bad to name three. And tonight, in about 90 minutes from now, we will get a taste of our first: 30 Rock will airs its final episode. And as long as I've been a fan of television, I (oddly) have also always been a fan of series finales. So many amazing finales pop into mind. When I think back on classic shows it is often moments in the last episodes that I remember best. Most people will typically say they hate endings, they hate saying goodbye, and that they avoid such situations. (I even have a friend, an avid Lost fan, who put off watching the final episode for a year and a half.) But for some reason that's not me. I always look forward to a good ending, a cathartic conclusion, and an emotional satisfaction with the story/characters. And thats especially true of such a monumental show like 30 Rock.

But before going into tonight's finale, I took it upon myself to rewatch the show's pilot episode (which I honestly don't think I've seen in years...possibly even since it aired). And what I took away was how much this show has changed. Its voice, its focus, the characters, their appearances, and most of all, its comedic tone, were all DRASTICALLY different at the start than where we are today. And this is neither good nor bad. While many of the relationships have developed, and characters have grown, and careers/lives have progressed, that is generally a fair expectation of a critically acclaimed show seven seasons in. And yes, humor often changes as well: just compare early Friends to late Friends. But for a show like 30 Rock, with such a distinct and unique zanyiness it calls its own, I found the more subdued pilot incredibly fascinating. That, and the drastic changes in character (Tracy: skinny, charismatic, and even sly; Jenna: smarter, more together, and easier to accept as Liz Lemon's best friend; etc), were the major takeaways I took from the rewatch. But I'm so glad I got another quick glimpse of the beginning right before experiencing the end.

I absolutely adore the 30 Rock we have today (even if its for only about an hour more). And while I prepare for tonight's farewell, I have been reflecting back on the show's run. It really was such a clever show that bravely addressed race, gender, politics, and comedy without actually even trying to. Besides its quirk, that is what I admire most about the show. And while I'm very sad to see such a comedic milestone come to a close, thats not to say I'm not looking forward to a genius and poignant finale. So lets go to there, people. Because there ain't no party like a Liz Lemon party and a Liz Lemon party is...ending.

The Office: "Customer Loyalty"

So I was trying to get this post out all weekend. But for some reason I was finding it hard to articulate it in a way that made it sound worthy of a post. Then I realized I was making a mountain out of a molehill all over a quick minute of television. And every post doesn't need to be a dang essay.

Anyway, now to the point.

This is the ninth and final season of The Office, a show that has definitely dropped in quality over the years, but which remained one of my favorites out of habit and sentimentality. Its heyday is long past, but at its best it was hilarious and heartfelt, yet cringy and conventional. It was somehow standard and specific at the same time. When Steve Carrell left, the show lost its way a bit, but it still made me laugh (and what more could I ask from a comedy?). I accepted the fact that the story was going forward without Michael Scott (a decision I personally wasn't jazzed about) and that it was probably going to stumble along the way. But I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did because it somehow managed to reveal glimpses of former hilarity and heart. This ensemble is so in tune and professional, it remains hard to resist their charisma and comic relief. I'm glad the show has finally accepted it's time to leave, and I'm even more glad they are tying things up and pushing the story forward.

One thing I always loved about The Office was its acceptance that relationships grow, people change, careers progress, employees have secrets and interests and dreams, and that its okay to just let characters find each other and be together. Most shows would have dragged Jim/Pam out so much longer than The Office did. Greg Daniels isn't afraid to let relationships progress in relatable, natural ways. He still finds ways for there to be stakes and to keep things funny and fresh. This is something I've always admired about The Office (as well as Greg Daniels and Michael Schur's other amazing sitcom, Parks and Recreation).

However, for the past couple of seasons I've been fleetingly craving something else from The Office. For this documentary crew, through which we witness the weekly happenings of Dunder Mifflin, to become more involved with the goings on of these characters. I just felt that a crossover was bound to happen. I knew the writers were perfectly capable of it, and I was surprised they didn't do more with it. Yes there were references and creative flourishes now and again...but I honestly thought it was a missed opportunity that we at least didn't get an intoxicated Meredith propositioning a camera man (straight into the camera and unsettling viewers at home would have been perfect), or Kelly crushing on a sound-guy, or Ryan the egomaniac constantly blogging/tweeting about the crew. So upon this final season's premiere episode, I was very glad to see Jim and Pam talk to someone off camera, asking why the crew was still filming after all these years, only to actually hear a voice respond: telling them they wanted to see where Jim and Pam Halpert ended up, of course.

And then this past Thursday's episode happened. I feel like seasons and seasons have been leading up to the last five minutes of "Customer Loyalty" in which a raw and emotional fight between Pam and Jim led to a devastated Pam looking to the familiar faces behind the cameras for comfort and advice. And she actually received a sympathetic hug from a boom operator named Brian, who put down his equipment and got the cameras to turn away. They broke the fourth wall in those last five minutes and it was pretty riveting-- especially for a comedy that has "lost its way." It was emotional in way The Office has always done so well. We've known Jim and Pam for nine years, we've seen their friendship lead to love and marriage and family. We know them. And seeing that fight was actually really hard to watch (a true testament to both the actors, I have to say). That alone was story-telling I responded to. And then the show actually did something I thought they would have done long ago for a gag. But they pulled it out in a very tense moment instead. And I'm glad they chose such a dramatic and vulnerable moment to do it...to make it important, to spin the show on its head and actually shake things up a bit before bowing out in May.

Who knows where we go from here. Who knows how big of a part Brian and his crew will play going forward. Some people weren't a fan of this reveal. But I have to say, I'm truly excited to see what Greg Daniels-- who returned for this final season-- does now that this card is in play. I for one am excited about The Office in a way I haven't been in years, and truly intrigued by what they do with their final twelve episodes.

A Blogged History of D's Relationship with GIRLS

I know. Enough already. I'm sick of hearing it. You're sick of hearing it. But upon last night's Golden Globe awards, and the season two premiere of Lena Dunham's brain child, now is as good a time as any to get some things out there.

As I mentioned in my "Top Ten of 2012" list, I personally connect to Girls. It's one of my favorite shows and I relate on many levels. I am the same age as the characters. I have had similar life experiences and I know these people on this show. And I happen to have been born and raised in New York. So it goes without saying that I have been defending Girls for quite some time. But I wasn't always on its side. The pilot episode left me defensive and annoyed. I had a lot of conflicting thoughts and emotions about entitlement, whether I liked Dunham's character Hannah, whether she was defensible or awful or sympathetic or delusional or, more likely, everything at once. I actually posted my immediate thoughts on my tumblr...and its pretty clear I started off a bit of a hesitant fan (ugh I can't believe I just linked to my tumblr). But I came around. And I came to the conclusion that I couldn't dislike Hannah for being more fortunate than I am. Because if my parents ever afforded me the opportunities Hannah has, to live in Brooklyn post-college and intern (or go to grad school) and follow my dreams and live my life with my closest friends, I would have done it in a heartbeat. Yes, Hannah is insufferable a lot of the time. That's who she is off the bat. She's a privileged middle-class white girl in her twenties. What do you expect? Thats the point of her character. And I genuinely love how conflicted I was--and still am--about just one episode of television. Especially a pilot episode with a blank slate. You have to admit that's pretty damn impressive.

Being the same age as Hannah and her crew, and seeing what Dunham has accomplished, I am left beyond impressed--even if her parent's and nepotism helped her along the way. She was so sure of what she wanted to do and she used her station in life to achieve it. And she does it well. I'm sure there are plenty of people our age who tried following their dreams, who had parents with connections and enough money to support them, but who never got off the ground due to laziness or lack of talent. But Dunham somehow made it work. I am an underemployed twenty-something living at home. I work a nine-to-five job, come home, roll my eyes at my parents, get jealous of the care-freeness of my 19-year-old sister's age, sit on the internet for hours, visit some social media sites and the like, and, if I'm feeling up to it, maybe right a blog post of my own for a blog that no one even reads (but me and possibly you...thank you, by the way). Meanwhile, Dunham spends all day doing things I WISH I could. And she manages to do it provocatively and compellingly. She writes whole episodes of television, directs her friends and herself in these episodes, and tells a cohesive, amusing story with well drawn characters. AND SHE'S MY AGE. I think about what I do in general, even things I guess I do well, and its nothing compared to this. I watch this show and its still crazy to me whenever I realize that Dunham is my peer.

Now I'm not idolizing Dunham. I often have similar reactions when I think about what actresses like Emma Stone or Elizabeth Olsen or Dakota Fanning have accomplished. (The difference is that these actresses dont have complete control over their projects. They're artists but they're not creators). Essentially, the whole point of the previous paragraph is that I don't think we can hold it against Dunham that she's living the dream and doing it well and so openly. She lets her insecurities out for the world to see and is genuinely sincere when people respond to it. And it just really grinds my gears when I see so many people harshly hating on her, and the cast, for this show. Because any of us would love to do what she does. And I could only assume I'd do it maybe half as well.

My personal feelings and defenses aside, the quality of Girls itself and what it's trying to say should also be addressed. It's only fair. And to begin with, I am sick and tired of all the vitriol Hannah & Co. get. Yes Hannah does dumb, grating, selfish, immature, bonehead, irresponsible things. But so does Claire Danes on Homeland, and Mindy Kaling on The Mindy Project, and Edie Falco on Nurse Jackie, and Kat Dennings on 2 Broke Girls, and Krysten Ritter on Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, and....you get the point. I just don't understand why Girls gets all the hate and controversy. Because it's a braver show? Because its characters and situations are relatable? Because the humor isn't cruel? Because she's not bipolar and chasing terrorists? God forbid TV (well technically it's not TV, it's HBO) presents us with three-dimensional characters. With human beings who are young and unsure of themselves. Who make mistakes and who are still searching--like so many of us currently are or have in our past. So...enough already. Back off this girl and her show. I'm sick and tired of this trendy opinion of disgust and dislike. Why does it have to be black and white, love versus hate of this character? It's the dumbest most unnecessary extreme I've come across in quite some time. Just admit that you are conflicted about Hannah and Dunham alike. And unsure of whether you like her, love her, or hate her. There's room for more than one emotion here. Thats what you fill the gray areas in with. And thats what good writing does. It was okay to admit it about Tony Soprano and Walter White and Don Draper, but why not Hannah? Is it her lack of Y chromosomes (you sexist!)? Is it that she's middle class (like the male antiheroes I just listed)? Or that she's white (ditto)? I just don't get it. We allowed ourselves to feel conflicted about Joan Holloway this past season of Mad Men. And about Skyler White over the course of Breaking Bad (which is another character that gets way more hate than she deserves). What makes Girls different? Is it unworthy of nuance, reflection, and critique? The only conclusion I can come to is that certain websites have made it trendy to have a negative opinion. Its easier to let the cynicism from such snarky sites sway your perspective rather than watch the show with an open mind. And its getting ridiculous.

That being said, Girls is clearly not the best comedy on all of television this past year, as the Golden Globes deemed last night. However, in that particular Golden Globe category, it actually was the best. The Golden Globes seem to make television award decisions based on buzz, celebrity, and trends. And lets be real, that has been Girls this past year. And if you're sick of seeing such an undeserving, awful, indefensible female and the show she created (and writes, directs, and manages to star in) win in the future, then try shutting up about it already. And while I admit that Girls deserves writing and directing recognition, it didn't necessarily warrant acting. As much as Dunham pushes herself, there were other actress more deserving. But it's still better than most things on TV. Personal feelings aside, as a television show, it's a damn good show. I just wish other's were more willing to see it. And at least appreciate how refreshing it was to see a show other than Modern Family win something.

And lastly, if I could go off on a tangent real quick, can we just acknowledge how awesome it was seeing so many great young actresses take home trophy's last night? And I'm including Jodie Foster in this. How great and emotional were all their speeches? So good! And how amazing were the hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler? Hilariously amazing! And how surprised were you to see Hillary Clinton's husband? So surprised! Good for the women. And good for the Golden Globes for mostly getting it right this year (minus Les Misérables and Don Cheadle....and perhaps Lena Dunham...but I'll get to that later...)