Coping With Mortality - Being Human "There Goes The Neighborhood Pt. 2" Review

The cliffhanger from the previous episode is resolved with kind of a dud, but it shows the key to the Aidan/Josh dynamic: they need each other.  As Josh is about to turn, Aidan comes in the nick of time (Being Human's vampires are not killed by sunlight but still superfast. I have given up on critiquing vampire shows for "breaking traditions" because there really are none anymore). Later in the episode, when Aidan is feeling his blood addiction getting the best of him, he calls Josh for help, who comes as fast as he can.  I am liking the dynamic between these two, since it seems that vampires in general don't think much of werewolves.

The vampires were fleshed out a bit more this week, since Rebecca, Aidan's victim from the last episode, joined their ranks.  I did not like Rebecca at all, however. She was very grating, reminding us that it's fun to be bad. I hope she gets some more emotions beyond angry, however, as she eventually learns to cope with the fact Aidan left her for dead. I can't say her reaction is irrational, but her place in the show needs some work.

Bishop looked a lot more menacing in this episode, and I'm really leaning towards my vampires-as-mob theory, especially once we found out that their headquarters was a funeral parlor.  Bishop is definitely their Don, but unlike a Godfather-style Don, he does have a job, as a police investigator.  Bishop is not just a mastermind, he gets dirty.  He clearly has plans, what with increasing the vampire numbers, but we don't know what that is yet.  We also learned that Aidan was turned during the Revolutionary War, so he's old, and valuable.  I'm guessing that Aidan is not going to get any peace and quiet anytime soon.

Possibly the most important scenes from this episode were the three characters' origin stories.  We saw Aidan in the revolutionary war, so I wonder if we can expect snippets of his past life in each episode, like we saw him at the wedding in the previous episode.  Josh was attacked while camping, and presumably the only one who survived, so he probably also suffers from survivor's guilt in addition to the rest of his neuroses.

Then we saw Sally dead on the staircase, and we heard Danny tell the story of her falling down the stairs during a blackout.  I don't believe him.  I have no doubt she fell, but why is another question.  I suspect either she had suicidal/schizophrenic episodes, or there was some foul play.  I can definitely see Danny feeling guilty rather than just mourning, but we'll have to see why.  I believe that if it really was as simple as her falling down the steps in the dark, Sally wouldn't be having so much trouble.  I guess most of this is hopeful guess work. For all we know, she really did just fall, and her story becomes one of simple self discovery.  I just hope something more comes along for her.

I can see why Josh couldn't just tell his sister what was going on with him, since she wouldn't believe it, but anybody can tell that this is not the last we've seen of his sister.  We did learn that their mother had some mental instability issues.  I do not think that she would also be a werewolf, because that would be too convenient, like Sally's fall, but I do believe at the very least their mother can sense the supernatural, be it ghost, werewolves, vampires, or all of the above.

Finally, we saw the end of the cute girl who passed over Josh for the much more dangerous Aidan, and we saw some crossover between the characters' stories, specifically Josh getting involved in the affairs of the vampires.  This is what I want more out of the show. I want to see Sally, Josh, and Aidan confront things together, and not just share a house while they have their own lives.  We got the sense that that is where the show is heading by the end of the episode, so lets just hope they keep going this way.

GRADE: B
More histories and mysteries were established in this second outing, but a few unfortunate cliches brought down an otherwise enjoyable episode.  Either give Rebecca a personality, or stake the bitch.

MVP: Sam Witwer, for showing how Aidan wants, and needs, to reform.
Runner Up: Meaghan Rath. Sally has a long journey of acceptance ahead of her, and the scenes of her inspecting the landing showed just how far she had to go, and how able the actress is in taking us there

True Buds - Being Human "There Goes The Neighborhood Pt. 1" Review

As soon as this series was even announced, you couldn't mention it without a resounding chorus of "The British version is better!" Some even call it the "actual" Being Human.  I have never seen one episode of the original, and I am going to keep it that way. Not because I want a clean slate when approaching this show, but because I am not a fan of British television. I just don't have the patience for long, slow, expository television. I also need to lead with this so you understand why I wouldn't comment on where things would be headed in the British version. If the producers are approaching this correctly, like the producers of The Office did, they are using the original series as a launching point, and not a guidebook. It helps, of course, that I'm so far enjoying where this show is headed.

I'm finding most of the mythology in this series intriguing so far.  The vampire side is nothing new so far, but that doesn't mean Sam Witwer and Mark Pellegrino aren't selling it.  They do seem to function rather tribe-like, or even corporation-like, which is something I haven't seen before, but I'm still feeling a little bored by it.  I get the whole blood-is-a-drug aspect, and Bishop's group does function like a gang, or a mob family, which are, again, tribe-like, with a plant in the cops and what-not.  I guess the producers were anticipating the most backlash against the vampire character, with The Vampire Diaries and True Blood getting high rankings, so I understand their thought-process on fleshing out the vampire society so thoroughly, but I guess I have just lost my interest in vampires after so long. I want Aidan to deal with other issues as a vampire, not just vampire issues.

Then there's Josh the werewolf. The easiest comparison for his werewolf would be Oz in Buffy, only much more emotive and neurotic.  I don't like how much he whines, though. It can get to be a bit much. I don't know how I feel about his sister showing up in the pilot.  It adds to the drama, that's for sure, and they do mention that its been two years since he disappeared, so he should have it together enough to handle running into his past, but he is clearly incapable of handling spilled milk, much less a nosy sister. It is cute, and maybe even a shout out to Buffy, that the little sister is a lesbian, though we don't learn exactly how they ended up at that particular hospital. I guess Josh wasn't smart enough to run far away and not just to the nearest big city. It was smart, though, for Aidan to find him a safe place to turn.

This leads me to the opening scenes, of Josh's first transformation and of Aidan's date with Rebecca. We see them both contemplating the results of their actions: Aidan feels vile and wicked for killing Rebecca, albeit accidentally, and Josh is just terrified that he killed something.  I think it explains perfectly how these two live each of their days: Aidan in moral despair, and Josh in blind terror. They can help each other cope, but are lost when on their own.

Where this show takes the biggest step away from the "Vampire Craze" is the inclusion of the ghost, Sally.  I am simultaneously excited and worried about where they are taking Sally.  She is just an image and noise most of the time, but when she got angry, she knocked over a chair.  She also can't leave the house. I was very intrigued to learn that it's not that she can't leave, but she can't convince herself to leave. There haven't been many ghosts with such deep psychological issues since The Sixth Sense, and I'm loving it.  What I'm worried about is whether or not she will spend all of her time complaining. I guess we'll just have to see.

Sally did bring the funny, though, between quoting Bon Jovi and berating Josh for masturbating to Nova, which is the saddest thing I've heard.  I can see where these characters need to go, and I just hope the show takes the right way to get there.

Grade: B
The premise works for me, and I hope they can fix their few flaws, like the overemphasis on vampires, and Josh's whining, but I'll keep watching anyway.

MVP: Sam Witwer. The emphasis was more on establishing the story rather than character work, but as the most recognizable of the main cast, he had the bigger job of drawing people, and I think he did it well.
Runner Up: Sam Huntington. Whiny and neurotic though Josh may be, he does convey the confusion and angst of a young Jewish man who has this curse suddenly thrust upon him.

Dragsmas Eve Ball - RuPaul's Drag Race "The Queen Who Mopped Christmas" Recap

What's that sound you hear? Why, it's the maniacal laugh of RuPaul as she leads her newest batch of Queens to the slaughter!  That's right, girls, Drag Race is back, and its bigger than ever, in more ways than one!

The first act in RuPaul's RuPremier (patent pending) was the casting special.  Now, some of these ladies were pretty bad, some in good way, like the Alaska/Ukelele queen, who maybe should have just done up like Sarah Palin if she was gonna be so awkward, and some in a sad way, like the queen in the bubblebath. I'm sorry, but if you can't even manage a bedsheet into a working outfit, then you're lucky Ru even finished your video, which I'm not sure she did. I did think it was hilarious how a lot of the queens thought that actually singing would be their ticket in. And so I'm sure they sang almost all of their sentences. How wonderful.

 
I sure as hell bet that Ru was there for every inch, er, minute of the pit crew auditions.  While I still commend the queens for actually putting themselves on the line with drag, I do want to bitch out the failed pit crew auditions.  You're not auditioning for Broadway, but you're also not auditioning for amateur porn.  You just need to stand there, look pretty, and dance a little (which I don't think they need to do too much). This brings me to

Drag Race Life Lesson #1: Don't upsell the product, let it sell itself.

As you probably noticed, the pit crew members that one were not the ones who felt they needed to do extreme dancing and acrobatics (Being a dancer is nice, but it's kind of hard to find you hot when we secretly hope you fall during your handstands, you sexy bastards), and they were also not the ones who felt the need to talk themselves up (You want to be a household name, Alien? You did better in the 80's when you were bursting out of space marines' chests than you do now as a middle aged shag carpet, dear...). Ru wanted economy class hotties who could move, no old junkers or overcompensating sports cars here.

Then there were the auditions. My god, Ru's face at the judging table said it all.  Broken Barbie queen was hilariously awkward, but the propositioning old queen was terrifying. Add that to the too-large list of "I'm pretty, so there" queens, and you get a horrible day for poor Ru. At least the two winners from this round actually had fun personalities.

I don't really want to comment on the finalists' videos, since, from what I've seen in the past 2 seasons, they are not very good representations of the girls.  The video submissions are always the right combination of hope and attitude, never one more than the other for the finalists. I do, though, want to see Shangela's reentry. That would cast some insight into her surprise return.

After we saw what could have been, we launched right into the premier.  Ru had the girls do Christmas themed challenges, including thrift store and tchochke dresses and a trampoline snowstorm photoshoot.  I want to take the girls one by one:

Delta Work

 

Delta didn't do too much this episode. As Big Girl #1, she was surprisingly demure.  Porkchop was too friendly, and Mystique was too crazy, but for having such a strong showing during her audition, it was strange to see her in the background so much.  The big girls' photos weren't much to look at, but I don't blame them. It seems to be Ru's mandate that their first challenge be awkward and disarming, but most of them held it together enough.

I did not like Delta's final dress. She looked like Carmen Miranda with Marge Simpson's hair, minus the fruit. I know Ru loves it when the girls follow the rules to a T, so I'm surprise she let this one slide. I mean, Kwanzaa? Really?! I will let her go, too, though, being that it was put together well enough, more so than some of the other girls. Let's hope she lives up to her name and pulls herself out from the middle of the pack, cause at this point, I'm liking some of the others more than her.

Carmen Carrera

Carmen is a Joysey Girl, and just like her Shore-mates, she seems to have forgotten to have a personality and just GTL's her life away. She's got a pretty good body and isn't afraid to show it, but she needs to put some pants on in the work room. I want Ru to come in and bitch this nudist out for relying too much on her fake-tits-and-assets.  She did do a pretty good job on the photo shoot, in my opinion. I actually think she did better than the winner of the photo shoot, Raja, but hey, I'm not calling the shots.

I have no idea what Carmen was doing during the workroom time, cause she seemed to have forgotten to make a dress and just glued some decorations to the naughty bits and called it a day. As cheap as I thought she looked, Vanessa Williams loved her, and you gotta give her props if Wilhelmina herself asks where your tuck went. Still, the girl has gotta stop bronzing her brain away and do something besides nudity.

Mariah

 When Mariah first walked into the work room, I got some bitch vibes, and I was worried where she might end up on the bitch spectrum, but she seems to straddle that line like Jujubee did last season. Between the snarky "Mariah was before MiMi, Miss ImFurst!" and the sweet way she helped MiMi pull it together, I started to like her. I guess the problem lies in that we didn't see much out of her this week, so I hope she can have more to do later.

Her outfit on the runway was good, and I liked it a lot. Wilhelmina Slater, for sure, with a dash of Narnia's Ice Queen. As much as I liked her look, I can see why she didn't make it to the top. Ru is quite the literal gal, and very rarely does breaching her rules get you a bonus.  At least she didn't end up in the doghouse.

Phoenix

My only problem with this season, at least so far, is that some of the queens are starting to blend together for me. Phoenix is from Atlanta, like Mariah, but ended up with the same outfit as India during the introductions, and ended up doing smashed-up bulbs like Venus, who I thanked for wearing a bandanna during the boy segments, so I could stop confusing them. Phoenix has a bit of attitude, and has almost as bad with the boy voice as Tyra "Boncee" Sanchez from season 2, so she's coming as a bit of a villain (though she seems too obvious a choice, like Tyra last season and Akashia in season 1). I want to like her, but we'll have to see.

Her dress was interesting. She looked like a Christmas General with a Medieval Shield to protect her hair.  I'm glad she survived for the next round, since I think she can do better, but there are other queens outshining her, so I don't think she'll see the end.

India Ferrah

Not a fan. It's not just because she had almost the same outfit as Phoenix, it's because she is pretty bland, and kind of nasty, but I'll get to that more with Untucked.  Her look itself was nothing new to anyone who's seen drag before, and she didn't say enough during the actual show to present much of a personality.

Her Runway outfit was also...meh.  She got herself some fake titties, which is fine, but at least when Akashia in season 1 had a big enough attitude to cover hers, it feels like India is using them as a sort of protection. I'm waiting for Ru to ask India a question and, at a loss, just start jiggling her knockers at Ms. Paul. Here's to hoping we see that soon! Beyond that, I know she was trying to go for gold trimming on her dress, but it looked like stained white fabric. Maybe next time, dear...

Manila Luzon

My jury is still out on Ms. Manila.  She said she's originally from Minnesota, so as a Minnesotan, I feel her pain.  That said, she often came of as bitchy. Not that she was a standout bitch or anything, but she didn't give off much of a vibe beyond that. Besides, those painted-on eyebrows are in control of all of her actions, or so I believe, so I'll give her a chance to come back.

I would have voted her outfit as the best of the episode, honestly.  She was maybe not as edgy as Raja, but she was awesomely elegant. Again, those eyebrows were there, along with a strange whiteness-makeup around her eyes, but hey, she wasn't blinded by an overstarched scarf.

Yara Sofia

Yara didn't have much to do this episode. She was priding herself on being the Puerto Rican Queen, but when Alexis Mateo walked in, she didn't know what to do! Having her very identity ripped out from  under her, she was left with nothing but a snarky comment or two.

Her dress was not the best. It looked like she draped some wrapping paper and glued on construction paper circles on the bottom. Then she got down to her booty. Meh. Her contacts are so intense, though! They remind me of Miss Loca, Nina Flowers, and, I shamefully admit, I was not a fan of Nina in the first episode either, so as with Manila, I will withhold judgment...for a little while, at least...

Alexis Mateo

Miss Alexis Mateo was unimpressive.  When she walked in, she, right away, wanted to separate herself from being the Puerto Rican, and in a way she did. She was nothing. I have more to say about her, but lets wait for Untucked...

Her dress was actually kind of cute. Salsa-y, with a dash of Navidad thrown in. I am glad she's safe for now, though, since she reminds me of Jessica Wild, who was, up to her elimination, kind of a dark horse. Maybe she'll begin to pop as a contender later, but right now, she's pretty boring.

Stacy Layne Matthews

 

Miss Back-Swamp-Thing is a standout as the biggest of the big girls, and also as an unfortunate Miss Piggy look-alike. She was very meek and quiet throughout most of the show, but I will commend that she never once complained about how none of the clothes fit her, which I believe was one of Mimi's complaints.  I can't help but feel bad for the girl, cause it just would seem too easy to write her off for being too big, but being big is all she has going for her at the moment. At least she has Kermit to make her feel better

Her dress was certainly nothing special, either. I believe Miss Piggy owns one in pink. I think Ru was a little concerned with losing a big girl so quickly again, and I guess the bottom two did do worse than her, but I'm afraid she has nowhere to go but down...

Mimi Imfurst

Mimi is a mess. Not a hot one, mind you, just a mess. This hair you see in the photo? She uses it way too much, and it looks kind of...horrible. She is kind of funny, but unlike Pandora Boxx, who was consistently funny and was not tied down by a horrible semi-fro, Mimi ain't that good.  

Then there was her breakdown. By god, girl, pull it together. I understand the pressure, but you are a drag queen on the THIRD SEASON of Drag Race.  You HAVE to know that you will need to make a dress at some point. Even Carmen, who was clearly baffled by the sewing machines and probably used Elmer's glue sticks, got something together with out a breakdown.  Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't cackling with glee at her inability to handle pressure, and it really was sweet when some of the girls rallied around to help her. 

The problem was that she ended up doing just fine. I actually thought it turned out great, but I just felt like she acted like nothing had happened. She just hammed it up.  Does the girl only have sad and hammy for emotions? I think this girl is gonna make some enemies. I also think her wig is gonna start to smell.

Raja

 

What did Celebrity Photographer Mike Ruiz© say about her? "She's a graceful gazelle!"? That seems a bit much for just a tall skinny girl. Then it comes to my attention that Raja was a makeup artist on America's Next Top Model. The girl as a goddamn in with famous people. This actually makes me dislike her, since it gives her a condescending attitude to the competition. It was cocky of her to walk in with the cyclops hat, but it worked. Her photo was, honestly, pretty good, but not any more special than the other girls'.  She was never an out and out bitch to anyone. She was just above it all. And it pissed me off. If Ru does not serve this girl a dose of reality, I am gonna be pissed.

Then came her outfit, which, fine, was pretty good, but I really thought Manila did a better job. Maybe the judges were swayed by her snow angel during her catwalk, but come on, Celebrity Photographer Mike Ruiz© wants to, or already has, hit that, so keep this girl on the level.

Shangela Laquifa Wadley

 Boo! She's back! I am actually glad to see her back. Even though last season, she was a 4-month old queen who went home right away, I think the exposure made her grow up faster.  I honestly think that if she had made it past the first round, she would have done pretty well.  She also had much more personality than some of her competition, like her combatant in last season's synch-off, Sahara Davenport, who was pretty and a good dancer and as dull as a rock. But Shangela did make a worse outfit, so she did need to go back to work things out and try again.

And tried she did, but unfortunately, it still wasn't good enough. She ended up in the bottom two once again, for using a ridiculous prop and a broken skirt that didn't pan out the way she wanted it to.  I felt so bad that she was in the bottom 2 again, but as Celebrity Photographer Mike Ruiz© pointed out, we need to see her beyond her sewing skills. After getting mauled by Venus D-Lite, she survived to round 2.

 Venus D-Lite

Well, that was quick. At first, I didn't feel much one way or the other for Miss D-Lite, but as the episode went on, I was ready for her to get outta there. Of course, there was her hissy fit about the crushed bulbs, which was stupid, because who gives a rat's ass. You are all working with Christmas crap, and there is only so much you can do. Besides, if you are more concerned with being "first," you will never be "best." Beyond that, surgery, really? To look like Madonna? cause you look like a pouty-ass-cheeked Cyndi Lauper! Get your money back! Your pesos, or whatever they use in Paraguay.

I did not think her dress was downright horrible, but her hair was really overdone, and as we saw in the lip sync, it doubled as a flail. Before the sync, I wanted Shangela to stay, since she worked her ass back to the runway, but as the lip sync commenced, I wanted Shangela to just murder Venus. What queen is going to want to be on the same stage as her now?

UNTUCKED!!!!

Untucked really speaks for itself, so let's just rundown some of the finer points:

Alexis will not shut up, will she? She claimed that MiMi will be the annoying one in days to come, which she may just be, but Alexis is well on her way towards that spot as well. She just needs to shut up.

Yara asking Stacy if she was a tranny was completely rude, totally inappropriate, and absolutely necessary. She does look like a tranny. I wanted to feel bad for Stacy, but goddamn, she looks like Bubba, the lesbian hot-dog vendor outside of a Nascar speedway. 

Any sympathy for Stacy went out the window when she asked Phoenix if she saw any competition in Stacy.  That question is dangerous, and it was immature of Stacy not to expect such a response, since she did nothing the whole episode.  I did love "You don't know me, I'm very talented!" I have to wonder what the hell she can do, since I don't think "move fast" is one of her abilities.

I admit, after listening to it about 5 times, I am still not sure what Manila was worried she looked like in front of Vanessa Williams, who was draggier than half the queens, by the way, but Mimi's failed joke made it funny, Manila's death stare made it funnier, and Mimi's face dropping was the best.

Finally, what the hell is India's problem? Does she feel the need to be bitchy to compensate for her shark-mouth? Why did she ask about the top 6 already, and after being labeled "safe," why does she think she's doing any better than any 3 of the other safe girls? Cocky bitch.

When Venus walked in and Mariah brought up the dispute between her and Phoenix over the crushed bulbs, I felt a storm brewing, but when India flat out asked Venus "Do you think she copied you?", I just thought that was the dumbest move she could have made. She looks like an instigator, and much like Jujubee, who had the personality to pull off getting in everyone's business, she's gonna get caught up. Unlike Jujubee, though, India is just gonna end up falling hard.

But I have to wind this down. It took me almost a week to finish this write up, so as Shangela would say "Hallelu!", and Hallelu to you, girl, for making it to round 2!