Surviving...

Being sick is definitely a blessing and a curse! On one hand I can actually catch up on all the new TV series I’m either behind or completely missed out on which is great and quite relaxing at times. But on the other hand its horrible because I’m starting to miss class and fall a tad bit behind on my work. This time of year is the beginning of the depression for Ithaca College students, its the time when we all become homesick, the skies are constantly  grey and the temperatures begin to drop. Being homesick and being physically sick is just never a great combination. However, I have great friends that keep me moving along and have really been taking care of me! 

Series I caught up on:

Gotham 

I was a little nervous about the second season of Gotham but they definitely returned better than ever, every episode is completely intriguing and the endings always manage to piss me off (in a good way!) The art design and production design in the show is still phenomenal and the character development is very much appreciated. I would even go as far as to say that it is visually appealing. 

Scream Queens

In the beginning I was nervous about watching this show, I’m not into horror and I don’t find the Scary Movies humorous, so when i read reviews stating how this series was along those lines I was for lack of better words, hesitant. I’m pleased to say I’m actually loving this show I find it to be a television adaption of the game whodunit, where theres a massive amount of murders surrounding one household, but the serial killer can’t be picked because everyone has motive to kill. The show does a great job at capturing and keeping your attention, you remained invested in not all but most characters, and most of all you always come back because you want to know, who did it! I also appreciate that the script for Scream Queens tackles conversational topics in a comical way, that way the audience understands how outrageous this topics are but are not offended or overwhelmed by the material. It’s a smart move. 

Films I’ve Watched: 

 I was in a romantic comedy type mood this weekend and decided why not watch films are completely predictable. 

Love & Other Drugs

Staring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, this is definitely not Princess Diaries, there is a lot of sex. But the storyline is quite interesting, a free-spirited young woman meets her match in a pharmaceutical salesman, and the couple soon discover that the chemistry between them is stronger than any other drug. My thoughts: She is 26 with Parkinson's Disease and he sales pharmaceuticals, whats the worst that can happen?

Something Borrowed 

Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, and Colin Egglesfield, this film is you classic romantic comedy involving a love triangle, or possibly a rectangle turned octagon— i don’t know but there is a lot of people in love with other people who don’t love them back because there too business trying to get another person to love them. In short it’s conducing but the film does a better job at describing it than i am. In short: Some friendships are tested and secrets come to surface when Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin)falls in love with Dex (Collin Egglesfield), her best friend Darcy’s (Kate Hudson) fiance.

Outside of catching up on new television series and watching pretty cheesy films while drinking tons of water and Gatorade and eating nothing but soups while blowing my nose in millions of tissues…. and eating halls like gummy bears..

 I did have the chance to relax a bit and start sketching, and that has been the biggest achievement of all :) 

Stay healthy everyone, 

Krystal

'Big Love': Polygamists Keep You Coming Back for More

While I am not religious myself, I've taken a sort of curious interest in Mormonism. Needless to say, when I heard back in 2006 that HBO was putting out a show about Mormons, I was pretty excited. I was even more excited when I heard Chloë Sevigny was slated to play one of the wives of a polygamist. I watched Big Love through its short five season span, where it ended in one of the top conclusions I have seen on television.

Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Bill (Bill Paxton), and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin).

Big Love is about a man, Bill Henrickson, and his relationship with his three wives, Barb, Nicki, and Margene. They are a polygamist foursome that live in Salt Lake City, Utah, with there many children. Even from just this short description, the show screams controversy. Add in a law-breaking fundamentalist compound, false prophets, Native American casinos, and a fair share of murder and deception, and you get the superbly crafted world of Big Love.

Mark V. Olsen and partner Will Scheffer are the creators and writers of the show. It is produced by a number of talented individuals, including Alexa Junge (who worked on Friends) and Tom Hanks. The score for the series changed hands from season to season, but included some heavy hitters like Mark Mothersbaugh and David Byrne (Talking Heads).

While the show at purely entertainment face value is enthralling, it also touches on many deep-seated issues dealing with family, faith, and sense of self. Themes of feminism, reputation, and political change are also at the heart of Big Love. What has been interesting throughout the show's run has been the actual Mormons' responses to the portrayal of Mormons in the show. The actual church claims that they are generally against the show because it "glamorizes a practice it renounced in 1890." From the same article, it seems that a lot of Mormons, especially fellow polygamists, feel that the show sheds light on a side of polygamy that is completely different than what the current mainstream America stereotypes it as:

"This is a glimpse of a family that is mainstream," Mary Batchelor, a 37-year-old mother of seven and director of "Principle Voices," a leading polygamy advocacy group, said of the Henricksons. "There are hundreds of these families. It shows an aspect of polygamy nobody ever sees."

Big Love was a refreshing addition to my television intake (which, at the time I was watching it, consisted of Cartoon Network, Malcolm in the Middle, and Six Feet Under). I've recently re-watched the series after it ended in March of this year and found myself just as taken with the show's twists and turns, even though I knew each one.

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An interesting behind-the-scenes look on the title sequence of Big Love:






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To read more, try these links:
'Big Love' creators discuss the finale: 'We didn't want it to be a downer' - latimes.com [WARNING: Spoilers!]
Critic's Notebook: Farewell to 'Big Love' - latimes.com [WARNING: More spoilers!]
'Big Love' in big trouble with Mormons - chicagotribune.com