TV Spotlight {4} - Faking It

This week's spotlighted programme is:

FAKING IT

You may have heard of Faking It. You may not have. It's received quite a bit of buzz since its inception, and despite a few misgivings and a huge expectation that it would be horrible (like some of MTV's other recent projects, not to name names), I have to admit that I love this show. So much. Way beyond I ever thought I could. The season one teaser trailer (above) doesn't do a good job of showing what this show is really about.

At its core, Faking It is the story of a girl who discovers that she has a huge, impossible, irrepressible crush on her best friend. To make matters worse, said best friend has convinced her to pretend to be a lesbian couple in order to increase their social standing within their school. 

Amy (the super cute blonde played by Rita Volk) and Karma (the gorgeous brunette played by Katie Stevens) have been best friends forever. They are also each others' only friends. And Karma is dead set on changing that, especially if it means catching the eye of Liam, whom she believes herself to be madly in love with. Given Amy's feelings for Karma and Karma's feelings for Liam, it's inevitable that things get a bit (a lot) messy.

This face actually hurts my soul. My poor Amy!

I'll admit that when this show came out, I was really confused and kind of offended by its premise. A pair of cute, feminine girls pretending to be lesbians to become popular? What kind of alternate universe to they live in in which being gay makes you popular? Especially considering that this show takes place in Texas, of all places. But surprisingly, it kind of works. It's so much less offensive that I imagined, and I'm fully dedicated to seeing this show through to the bitter end, if only because I'm utterly in love with Amy Raudenfeld. 

There are a few unfortunate moments, namely an encounter that occurs in the final episode of the first season that really pissed me off but that I am not going to spoil here. But if you ask me, the fact that I'm still upset about it means that this show is doing something right. You can't get mad about something that you don't care about, and it just goes to show that I really do care about this show. And as infuriating as Karma can be at times, and as much as I sometimes want to throw things at her and tell her to wake the fuck up, I get it. She's a fifteen year old girl. She may be selfish and blind to what's going on around her, but so was I at fifteen.

So fucking accurate.

I'm really excited to see what happens in season two, which starts at the end of September. Honestly, all I want on this show is to see Amy happy. And also maybe for hottie-douche-face (Liam) to fuck off a little bit. Not such lofty demands, right??

Do you watch Faking It? Have you seen commercials for it or spotted gifsets on tumblr? You should go marathon it right now. It's only like 12 episodes and they're only 20 minutes long. You could knock that out in like a day, easy!

TV Spotlight Thursday (3) - My Mad Fat Diary

Warning: This post contains a LOT of gifs.

This week's spotlighted programme is:

MY MAD FAT DIARY

If you like contemporary YA, I can almost guarantee that you will love this show. My Mad Fat Diary follows sixteen year old Rae Earl, who is about to be released from a teen psych ward after attempting to kill herself. Rae has a lot of issues, and there is not a single character on television who is like her. There is also no one who I can relate to more than Rae. I may not always like her, but I understand her because I more or less was her.

Sharon Rooney as Rae Earl

Rae is my favourite part of this show. She's awesome. She's frustrating and naive and closed off and insecure, but she's awesome. I was a lot like Rae when I was a teenager, but way less cool. I also didn't have quite as serious mental problems. That's not an insult, that's just an acknowledgement that Rae's had a lot of issues, and still struggles with them. I actually can't rewatch this show because I can't put myself through some of her more awful scenes twice.

Nico Mirallegro as Finn Nelson

Everyone should have a Finn. Just saying. I should have a Finn. Finn is the nicest guy on TV, and super sexy to boot. The only problem I have with Finn is that sometimes he can be too perfect. I'd love to see more of what's going on in his life, though the fact that we see him through Rae's idealistic eyes definitely skews the opinion of the viewer.

Jodie Comer as Chloe Gemell

Chloe is Rae's best friend. She can be kind of awful, but she has a good heart. Chloe is pretty self-involved, but what sixteen year old girl isn't? The thing about Chloe is that we see her though Rae's perspective, which means that we get mad at her for not noticing what's going on in Rae's life. It's not a fair view, but it makes sense coming from Rae. She wants her best friend to be there for her, but Chloe isn't capable of providing the help that Rae needs. It's also partially Rae's fault for keeping things from her and then expecting her to just know the truth. We get a better idea of what's going on with Chloe in season two.

Claire Rushbrook as Linda Earl

Rae's mum can be hard to watch. She's a single mother trying to reclaim her youth through a relationship with a much younger man. Rae finds her infinitely embarrassing and annoying. She's pretty harsh in the way she treats her mum. I certainly don't relate to Linda, but I have a mum who's quite a bit like her so I was able to understand what was going on between her and Rae to some degree. She's not the greatest mother, and she has a quick temper and not much patience for Rae, but she does try. She and Rae disagree about pretty much everything, and she can be quite immature in the way she treats her daughter. However, for all the blow-ups between mother and daughter, there are a number of really tender moments as well. It's clear that they love each other no matter what.

My Ship: Rae/Finn

These two are just the cutest things. Their relationship is really different and true to life in how it comes about. They have a really organic relationship - they became close friends long before anything romantic came into play. Rae's insecurity in their relationship and the fact that she feels like she's not good enough for Finn really comes in between them. They're so freaking cute though! Also, who doesn't want to see a girl like Rae with an amazing guy like Finn? Funnily enough, they have the same names as Finn and Rachel from Glee. Don't hold it against them. This Finn is way more likeable than that Finn.

Bonuses:

1. The soundtrack. This show features some seriously great music. It's actually something Finn and Rae bond over.
2. The setting. MMFD is set in 1996, which is really special and different. It really really works, and it's fun to see all of the stylistic choices that were made to make such a seamless step back in time.
3. The relationships. It isn't all about romance on MMFD. Rae has really complicated relationships with her friends, her mum, and her therapist. It's interesting to see the different dynamics in her life and how compartmentalized she makes things.

TV Spotlight Thursday (2) - Shameless

Welcome back to my new feature! As you may know, I'm a huge TV buff, and want to share with you some of my favourite shows and some of the things that I like best (and hate most) about them.

Warning: this post contains a LOT of gifs.

This week's spotlighted programme is:

SHAMELESS

At the heart of Shameless are the Gallaghers, a chaotic, down-and-out family in the South Side of Chicago. Based on a popular UK program, Shameless is best known for its incredible sense of humour, but it can also be absolutely heart-wrenching. Surprisingly, the US version is better than the UK original. I know, consider me shocked. This never happens when it comes to American re-makes. The important thing to remember about Shameless is that after the first season, the two shows go in very different directions. Also, the US version has much higher production values, which makes it easier to watch (for me at least). 

Regardless, it is one of the best shows I've ever seen. It does have a lot of, ahem, adult content, so be forewarned. There's a lot of sex and foul language and nudity and violence. But good god is it worth the sense of corruption that you may experience whilst watching it. My favourite thing about Shameless is that it is absolutely realistic. Yes, it is over the top. Yes, these situations don't arise in most people's lives. But there is an undercurrent of realism in the show that allows for a truly poignant look at the underprivileged, and how privilege affects both those who have it and those who don't. 

Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher

Warning: Fiona is never allowed to stay happy for long. I believe she's nineteen in the first season, and she is the glue keeping her family together. She is the only mother figure her younger siblings have. Fiona hasn't had an easy life, and she makes bad decisions sometimes. She tries to do the best thing for her family and her friends, but sometimes she lets her desire for fun overrule her logic. In the hands of anyone but Emmy Rossum, I don't think that Fiona would be nearly as sympathetic as she is. That said, she's a perfect example of the incredibly complicated characters Shameless has to offer. She makes mistakes, just like the rest of the world. The problem is that mistakes sometimes have harsh consequences. At the end of the day, Fiona is one of my favourite characters no matter how much she screws up.

Jeremy Allen White as Lip Gallagher

Lip is the second-oldest Gallagher kid. He's pretty much a genius, but he's also stupendously lazy when it comes to school. He just doesn't care about education - he'd rather get drunk and have sex and be a general fuck-up. There are a lot of things that I don't like about Lip, but sometimes he does something incredible and I just get a surge of joy for him. He can be very judgemental at times, and is somewhat of a hypocrite, but I think that's what makes him interesting. Like Fiona, he'd drop anything for his family if they need him to. 

Cameron Monaghan as Ian Gallagher

Ian is a very interesting character. I honestly don't know how to describe him. At the beginning of season one, he's a closeted gay kid who is having an affair with his (married) boss, but he's so much more than that. Ian is quiet and could easily be lost in the cacophony of his boisterous family, but he never is. You know what, let's not talk about Ian. If you want to learn about Ian, go watch the show. It can explain him so much better than I ever could.

Emma Kenney as Debbie Gallagher

In seasons one and two, Debbie is an innocent child. She's absolutely adorable, with her round face and unruly red hair. She's actually one of my favourite characters because she is so unlike everyone else. Debbie faces a lot of changes personality-wise as she goes through puberty around the third and fourth seasons. She is less innocent, wide-eyed child and more angry teenager, but I love her all the same. She wants so badly to grow up and to be like all of the other girls she knows, but she doesn't really know what she's asking for. She longs for the illusion of adulthood she sees in her friends - she wants to be seen as pretty and happy and confident, but doesn't realise that there is more to growing up than appearances.

Ethan Cutkosky as Carl Gallagher

Carl is a little hellion. He's unruly - his favourite activities are blowing things up and making shivs out of household objects. He's basically a juvenile delinquent in the making. In the first few seasons, Carl functions more as a background member of the family. He's there on the sidelines causing a ruckus, but it isn't until season three and four that he gets some real story lines of his own. While is kind of a nut job, Carl is in many ways the moral centre of the show. He's the only character left who hasn't been completely corrupted by his surroundings. He still has hope in the world, something his older siblings have long lost.

Blake and Brennan Johnson as Liam Gallagher

Liam is the youngest Gallagher. He doesn't really have much personality other than cute. He gets tossed around among the kids a lot, functioning mostly as a plot device and complication. But he's so cute that I just can't care. His role does increase in season four, as he's central to a VERY important event that occurs, though he has been important to many stories throughout the seasons. Nobody knows why he's black, considering both of his parents are white. He just is.

A few other highlights include William H. Macy as deadbeat Gallagher patriarch Frank, Shanola Hampton and Steve Howey as ever-entertaining neighbours Veronica and Kev, and Joan Cusack as the agoraphobic mother of Lip's girlfriend Karen.

Confession time: I don't actually have any particular ship on this show because all of the relationships are, pardon my language, absolutely fucked. In lieu of my own favourite romantic relationship, I'll briefly mention the most popular ship in the Shameless fandom.

Gallavich

Gallavich is Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich. That gif-set makes them look way cuter than they actually are. They have their moments, but I'm pretty sure most of the attention they get is due to the fact that Cam Monaghan is a cutie pie and that there is a serious drought of gay couples on TV. And there's nothing fangirls like better than gay white guys. Am I wrong? Anyway, they have a super dysfunctional relationship because Mickey is so far in the closet that he literally beats Ian up at one point. Yeah. Not the healthiest couple. There is a lot of character development between season one and season four, which does make them significantly more palatable, but I have no patience for abuse.

Oooh! I just remembered that there is in fact one amazing super-couple on this show that everyone should (and I'm pretty sure does) love! Kev and V! 

They literally have the best relationship ever and I aspire to their love for one another. They are the epitome of soul mates, and kinky as fuck to boot! They're pretty much perfect, though they definitely have arguments and their relationship is put to the test on various occasions. 

On that note, Shameless is definitely a show you should be watching (have you downloaded the first episode yet? Go do it! Now! I'll be here when you get back!). If you watch Shameless or start watching it, talk to me about it on twitter or in the comments! If there's one thing I like more than talking about books, it's talking about TV.

TV Spotlight Thursda {1} - Teen Wolf

I'm debuting my very first feature! Because I watch so much TV, I thought why not find a way to incorporate that into the blog? I hemmed and hawed over whether I wanted to share my super nerdy, sometimes awful taste in television, but I figure if you aren't judging me too hard already, I should be fine. Plus I get to share my biggest non-book-related obsession with my favourite people! 

Warning: this post contains a LOT of gifs.

This week's spotlighted programme is:

TEEN WOLF

Teen Wolf follows the adventures of a teenage boy who is bitten by and turns into a werewolf. It's pretty self explanatory, right. Teen Wolf: a show about a teen wolf. It features a pretty wide cast of good-looking dudes with minimal chest hair. There are also a handful of really badass ladies who are the true draw (IMO) to the show. Here are some of my favourite characters (like I said, big cast!):

Tyler Posey as Scott McCall

AKA Actual Puppy Scott McCall

Sometimes the show forgets that Scott is the main character because people really love comic relief character and Scott's best friend, Stiles Stilinski. Stiles is great (for the most part) but he's no Scott. Scott is basically a giant puppy dog. He loves everyone and is pretty much the best person in the world. He is so including of others and adorable and lovely. I've recently had my eyes opened the the beautiful person that Scott McCall is. He's pretty much the opposite of an anti-hero. The best thing about Scott McCall: he never judges. He loves you for you.

Holland Roden as (Queen) Lydia Martin

A lot of people say that Holland isn't a very good actor, but I disagree. This may partially be due to the fact that I really love seeing her on my screen week to week, but I really do like her! It's not just because she's pretty, I swear! Lydia is an incredibly strong character. She is crazy intelligent, sex-positive, creative, and all-around badass. She's been through a lot, and she's still holding it all together. I attribute most of Lydia's mental well being to her incredible friendship with light-of-my-life Allison Argent. Her boyfriend, doucheface Jackson Whittemore, doesn't exactly help her out too much.

Crystal Reed as Allison Argent

Allison Argent is pretty much my idol. I'm actually totally in love with her. It took about a season and a half for me to really appreciate her badassery, but OMG she's amazing. THIS GIRL. Where to even begin? First of all, she's a better archer than Katniss Everdeen. Just sayin'. Also, she's a werewolf hunter whose boyfriend is a werewolf. Allison is incredibly strong. She's lost even more than Lydia, but she doesn't let it keep her down. She fights for what she believes in - her friends and her family. Ugh, ALLISON FREAKING ARGENT.

JR Bourne as Chris Argent

Chris (AKA Papa Argent) is Allison's father. He's a veteran werewolf hunter and pretty freaking scary at times. He's also a major DILF. Yeah, I went there... He's a really interesting character. He has a lot of conflicting ideas and feelings about the goings on in Beacon Hills, particularly as they pertain to his daughter. At the end of the day, though, he loves Allison more than anything else in the world.

Gage Golightly as Erica Reyes

Erica Reyes is a horrendously underrated character. She is so strong and brave and wonderful. She becomes part of Scott and Derek's pack in season 2 and her life is completely transformed by her turning. The bite was the best thing that ever happened to Erica in many ways. She isn't my favourite character, but she's a lot better than most of the dudes on this show.

Arden Cho as Kira Yukimura

Kira is a new addition to the show, introduced in season 3B. She brings a host of new mythology to the show. Through Kira, the show has tackled a bit of Japanese mythology, though I don't want to spoil anything! She's a cutie pie - eager, excitable, effervescent. Anymore e-words to describe Kira? I'm not sure. She is introduced as the friendless daughter of Beacon Hills High's new English teacher, and she's adorable from day one. She also has really cute style. I have a few issues with her, but they lie more in the writers than in Kira herself.

My ship: Allydia

MY GIRLS! These two are the best thing that ever happened to Teen Wolf. They're totally not canon, and never will be, but I don't even care. I love them anyway. I READ FANFICTION FOR THESE TWO, OKAY? I don't read fanfiction. Like, ever. I love these two because they're already best friends. Would it be so difficult for them to take that step from best friends to girlfriends? I don't think so. Plus we already have evidence that they are 100% there for each other, no matter what.

I'll admit that I had very low expectations of Teen Wolf when I started watching it. It's not exactly high-brow television. The MTV show tends to be promoted on the basis of its roster of hot, shirtless guys. Not really my thing. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the pilot. I must admit, the first season of Teen Wolf is hilarious. It improves in some ways and deteriorates in others. Though the show gets darker with each passing season, the tonal differences between season one and season three are immense. 

I will let you in on a little secret though: the battle scenes are atrocious. Like, they're comical. The CGI is ridiculous. I firmly believe that this show would be so much better if it didn't have any werewolf battle scenes.