2014 Honorable Mentions

Since we are living in an era of so much superb television, I decided to once again make a companion post to my Best Of list. Some of the following shows didn't make the Best Of cut for various reasons, but if you ask me, they are all worth checking out:

Boardwalk Empire- A shortened final season of this show brought most of the characters' stories to a satisfying close without sacrificing quality or craft. The use of flashbacks could be tiresome, but were also powerful and crucial to the show's thematic finale. The quality of Boardwalk Empire got much better towards the end of its run and I for one will miss its impeccably tailored costumes and send up to Prohibition Era accents and culture.

The Comeback- Oh my goodness this season of The Comeback was so darn good that if I hadn't made my Best Of list before the final episode aired, it certainly would have been included. I loved everything about this nine-years-later second season. Like its first season, The Comeback manages to capture the television landscape of its time while commenting on the price of fame and the treatment of women in Hollywood in often poignant and distressing ways. The meta-ness of the show never ceases to surprise me and Lisa Kudrow is doing amazing work. Lisa Kudrow for all the awards!

Fargo- Fargo was all at once an homage to the Coen Brothers' filmography and something of its own entirely, toeing that line expertly with craft and quirk. And it did it all with a smirk on its face. I think what held it back was it's pacing as it took me a few episodes to actually get into the story. But once I did, I enjoyed it as much as the best shows on TV. A time-jump mid way through the season helped on every level. And the characters kept you guessing as they embraced the sometimes heightened reality of the world they lived in. I need someone to give Allison Tolman a new role ASAP.

Homeland- Oh, what to say about the see-saw that is Showtime's Homeland? It will never live up to its zany first season, but the reset of this most recent season was the best the show has been in a very long time (since the second season episode, "Q & A" if you ask me). Yes the show remains uneven: One second I'm thrilled to the edge of my seat and the next rolling my eyes at the improbability and 24-tinted plot points. But I very much enjoyed these most recent episodes, finger-guns and all.

The Mindy Project- The Mindy Project tends to get a lot of hate, especially from the males of the world (which I guess I can understand, although I do believe there's humor for everyone). The first season and a half of the show was okay, yet always comedic. But the later half of its second season and the first half of its third have been firing on all cylinders. The ensemble work is spot on while the one-liners and wordplay keep me laughing for days.

Orange is the New Black- I didn't love OITNB's second season as much as its first and I think it came down to the season's villain. Vee was just such a cartoon villain with no real motivation behind her lust for power/control and her subsequent manipulation over the entire social system. I guess later episodes made her out to simply be a psychopathic egomaniac, but that felt like a disservice to a show that normally has fantastic character work. Aside from Vee, I have no complaints about the season (except for Larry continuing to be The Worst).

Orphan Black- Orphan Black keeps so many balls in the air and while it could be more successful at it, its impressive all the same. But I'm just waiting for it all to fall apart. Tatiana Maslany carries the show on her shoulders by playing all the major characters with such nuance that you can always tell who she is (even when she's one character pretending to be another character). The science of the show can be wonky, but that is what sci-fi is all about. And the end of one episode in particular was so beautifully thrilling that I think I stopped breathing.

Parks and Recreation- Parks and Rec is a forever favorite of mine. The show hasn't gotten stale per say, but it has definitely plateaued in its humor, momentum, and general story. However, the final minutes of this year's season finale was a much needed shot of adrenaline and humor. Jumping ahead three years avoids bogging the show down with pregnancy (again) and other story lines the show has already explored. For the first time in a while, I'm very much looking forward to next season. Filling in the gaps between timelines will hopefully be hilariously fruitful.

Silicon Valley- I found the pilot of this new HBO comedy lukewarm, but as the show found its characters and general story, the show gained a lot of comedic momentum. It all lead to a season finale that happened to be one of the funniest episodes of television I've seen in a while. The show is smart, silly, and cutting. One character in particular, Peter Gregory, was a standout of amusing eccentricity, which only makes the passing of actor Christopher Evan Welch, that more tragic.

Veep- I simply love Veep. I think Julia Louis Dreyfus, Matt Walsh, Tony Hale, and Timothy Simons are all hilarious people. I'm a fan of politics. I'm a big fan of creative cursing. As long as this show is on, I'll be watching it. And like Parks and Rec, I suspect it will be a forever favorite.

Boardwalk Empire: "A Man, a Plan..."

NOTE: Post-Sandy recovery means I finally got internet back this past weekend. Which means I'm catching up with my regular programming as quickly as possible. Which means posts may be shorter, rushed, and infrequent, but I'm trying to get back in the game.

Now to the point. Boardwalk Empire's latest episode, "A Man, A Plan...", basically broke my heart. [SPOILERS TO FOLLOW]

I knew Slater's death was imminent. It was written into every scene of the episode: Slater essentially proposing to Katie, his discussing St. Louis with Margaret, his volunteering to take out Masseria alone, and even in the scene when Luciano warned Masseria about Nucky. Not to mention we all knew plot-wise Margaret and Slater couldn't actually run away together. It didn't look too good for Slater. And I had such anxiety over it the entire hour. Because I knew it was coming. But I refused to except it until I saw it. You see, Slater is one of my favorite characters on the show. He was well written, was the bridge between Nucky and Margaret, and his presence helped define those characters. Plus Charlie Cox as Slater was über swoon-worthy.

We all knew what was in the box well before it was opened. But Margaret's reaction was heartbreaking. (Kelly Macdonald is sure to submit that episode for Emmy consideration. Very well done on her part.) It was also very well played on Buscemi's part that Nucky had clearly deduced Margaret and Owen's relationship just from her reaction. I have my issues with Boardwalk Empire, but it's scenes like this that have me unquestionably tuning in every week for three seasons. Kudos to everyone involved. 

Now, as for the final reveal of the episode: the extended flashback to Margaret and Owen's last conversation. I would normally be turned off of such a withheld plot-line. It seems to exist just for the sake of a gotcha emotional moment. (Even though the possibility that Margaret might be pregnant had already crossed my mind more than once). But I have to say it was the right decision to structure the episode that way. If they kept that whole scene intact at the beginning of the episode, I'm sure we all would have been extra heartbroken at seeing Slater in a box. But holding off and replaying it as Margaret reminisces in grief gave it a little extra emotional punch. It was nice to see Slater one last time in all his kind, gentlemanly glory. And the pregnancy reveal led to a final bittersweet moment between the two lovers. 

That being said, I am definitely looking forward to the end of the season. (Even if it means having to find someone new to swoon over.)