Halloween Musings and Recommendations

It’s strange, I associate Halloween with “do I really have to get a different costume every year for one party or dance?” instead of a particular feel and desire to watch or read something spooky. It isn’t like Christmas in the sense of an overall atmosphere. But I am going to come up with a spur of the moment recommendations list because I feel a sort of obligation. So here are some things that do remind me of Halloween.


TV: (sorry, don’t really have a good movies list)

• “Hush” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - THE MUSIC. THE DESIGN. SO CREEPY. (And I mean it’s also funny and weaves together characterization points about how they communicate…and it’s not even my favorite Buffy.)
• "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" from The X-Files - I know it sounds contradictory, but it’s a haunted house story and I first saw it around Halloween.
• Alternatively “Home” from The X-Files if you want to be really disturbed.
• And, well, probably “Blink” from Doctor Who if that wasn’t a given. Or maybe The Talons of Weng-Chiang if you can stomach the racism. Or The Seeds of Doom if you can stomach the frank violence. Really, anything from the Gothic era or some of the black and white era could work well.

Books; or, where I realize just how little scary stories I have read:

• Probably anything by Neil Gaiman, though I would have to say The Ocean at the End of the Lane (my favorite), Coraline, or The Graveyard Book
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, because I’m currently reading it and maybe it’s because of the time of year, but there is a creepy vibe to it.
• Frankenstein is also probably awesome but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. And Ray Bradbury wrote Halloween-sounding stories like Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Halloween Tree, and The October Country…none of which I have read quite yet but I’m sure they’re fabulous.
• And there’s always Stephen King. My parents like him…and I haven’t read any of his yet because I just don’t know where to start!

What stories remind you of Halloween?

P.S.: I'm really behind on blogging but my workload shout shorten up a bit soon...hopefully. My next post is kind of a big one.

American Gods TV adaptation is going to be a thing...on Starz

Neil Gaiman's most famous and breakthrough work, American Gods, has been in development for a TV adaption, and it was picked up yesterday by premium channel Starz.

I'm a bit disappointed because I was hoping to watch it live and I'm not going to pay extra for it, but I suppose that is fitting with the nature of the book. (And besides, the book is currently in my "reread in the future and then judge" list, because I ended up rushing it at times.) It needs a big budget (I am personally looking forward to the man being swallowed up by a vagina, and characters from I Love Lucy and Cheers speaking to Shadow), and an adaptation on network or cable would allow it to be severely censored.

I suppose I'll get it on DVD after I finish reading the book for the second time.

My Goodreads review of American Gods.

How I Met Your Mother, Season 2: Brief Thoughts

I already covered the basic of this show in my last post on it, so this one is going to be briefer and season-specific. Overall, though, I found Season 2 to be an improvement over Season 1.

First of all, Season 2 utilizes more of the non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, and other techniques for comedic purposes. Season 1 pioneered this, of course, but the show is getting more comfortable with it now and its style is really unlike a standard sitcom. There are also quite a few episodes that do not directly deal with romantic storylines (and especially Ted's), such as an episode all about anecdotes of Marshall's car, which is a refreshing change from Season 1 and proves that there is still a lot the program can do before it gets stale.

I was initially concerned about Ted and Robin getting together, since it was confirmed at the end of the pilot that she was not the mother, and the will they/won't they in Season 1 tired me as a result. However, I found that their relationship released that stress from the previous season. It was also helpful that Ted's quest took a backseat in Season 2. Looking at these first two seasons as a whole, this storyline was important for proving that Ted and Robin are great together, but they aren't willing to sacrifice that much to make their lives align, so it's time to move on.

Most of this season is focused on Marshall and Lily, which had its up and downs. I'm a big fan, of both the actors and the characters, and I'm really into the idea of having a permanent couple where their storylines don't come from relationship drama and they don't find the relationship boring after a while. So obviously I was disappointed that they broke up and this was dragged out over several episodes when they should have just talked to each other about it. I'm also not sure if blaming Lily was fair, and I don't think they really dealt with the issue in the best way. But getting back together was a relief, and it's also great that it's established that they tell each other everything.

I really enjoyed the wedding finale. Turning an absolute disaster into something hilarious worked because of the intimate, "real" outdoor wedding with the touching vows about how they really love each other in their own quiet, unspectacular way.

As for Barney, he came up with his own share of good lines and crazy schemes, and we finally got to see his bachelor pad. That toilet was one of the funniest moments of the season.  And I am aware that the slap bet will be coming back.

I'm really looking forward to where this goes next season, and it's just generally a lot of fun to watch with my family.

P.S. I noted all of the Joss Whedon actors last time, and this season brought at least two more, both in the episode "Swarley." Morena Baccarin (Inara from Firefly) plays Marshall's date, and Tom Lenk (Andrew from Buffy) also appears.

How I Met Your Mother, Season 1: A Mostly Refreshing Comedy

I began hear a lot about How I Met Your Mother from classmates, but my family had never actually watched the show. I caught a few reruns (from 2011 I think) and really liked how flashbacks and other visual techniques (such as showing how the characters saw what happened, rather than what actually happened), and my family and I began watching it from the beginning on Netflix. We just finished Season 1, and I have some things to say, but certainly not enough to go episode-by-episode.

I can't say I'm too familiar with comedies, especially newer ones, but I have seen all of Seinfeld and How I Met Your Mother appears to be in that tradition. Set in New York City, a cast of best friends who hang out in one place (the diner, the pub); two main characters who dated at the beginning but have broken up and remain friends (Jerry and Elaine, Ted and Robin); and a quirky guy who no one is sure what he does for a living (Kramer, Barney). That's not to say there's a ripoff going on here; the characters and their dynamics are only the same in the ways I pointed out. And while the HIMYM cast is less quirky than Seinfeld, I actually think they are an improvement. The Seinfeld quartet were never meant to be role models (remember the finale?) and were never big on committing, often breaking up with the girlfriend or boyfriend of the week because they just couldn't stand one strange habit. How I Met Your Mother gives us more believable characters, and even Barney's playboy antics receives criticism from the rest of the characters and some girls he hits on (the lemon law), showing that they have a choice in the matter too.

I also really enjoy how there is a permanent couple on the show, too, and how it brings up how they still can have problems, jitters, and had to willingly sacrifice dreams to be together. The suggestion that they broke up at the end of the season finale bummed me out, but I'm hoping there's more to this than meets the eye and I know they get back together anyway. In the tradition of Elaine, Lily (Alyson Hannigan, who I'm already a fan of from Buffy) makes it clear that she enjoys sex, but unlike her Seinfeld counterpart she also wishes to stay in one relationship.

I am enjoying the dynamic between Ted (the hopeless romantic who wants to get married) and Robin (who wouldn't mind a relationship but doesn't want to commit), but the "will they or won't they" is getting quite tiresome because the end of the pilot implied they would not be together. If that line hadn't been there, I would enjoy it much more. Still, I really liked how Robin acknowledged the complexities of what love means and committing to another person. And what happened to Ted's "soul mate" that the computer found, but whom he never met because he had to fix Lily's flat tire?

Like all comedies, How I Met Your Mother does best when it has a crazy plot, and there were certainty plenty of them. I did become weary during the extended Victoria arc, partially because I knew it wasn't going to work and it didn't end when it should have, but more because of the stereotypical ways it allowed the other characters to act when she wasn't around. Ted gets to complain to his guy friends about he secretly hats not being able to have sex with her for a month because she wanted to wait, and even though Lily subverts the "girls like long distance because it's all talking and no sex" idea, it was all quite disappointing. These stereotypical discussions make young women worried about what their boyfriends are really saying about them, when in reality that might not happen, and relationships should be based on good communication between the two partners anyway. It's even more frustrating considering HIMYM does attempt elsewhere to point out that girls enjoy sex and even hint that there's more to a relationship.

I might sound harsh, but these were the only few things that bugged me. The show is very fun and has a lot of potential, and I know it will get there because I've seen some of the inventive stuff it does in 2011. It does have a real heart and attempts to tackle complexities in relationships. And I can be awfully critical on relationships after knowing what the blueprint is for a good one, but I'm aware I may just be one of very many blueprints. (Still, Marshall and Lily, get back together now.)

Geek comment: Is this a secret Joss Whedon show? Because in addition to Alyson Hannigan, Alexis Densiof (Hannigan's husband and Wesley on Buffy and Angel) appears as Sandy Rivers, and Amy Acker (Fred on Angel) appears as Penelope in the season finale. [Update: and Neil Patrick Harris was in Dr. Horrible. And Cobie Smulders was apparently in The Avengers.]

Why I Like The Rings of Akhaten

This is a post I submitted to The I Like Doctor Who Project (an attitude I'd like to see more of on the Internet) about a particular episode I loved but doesn't have that great of a reputation. Though there are many reasons why I love it, I particularly focused on singing, storytelling, and not giving up, through a rather personal lens.

"The Rings of Akhaten" aired on April 6, 2013 near the end of my freshman year of high school, one of the more turbulent years of my life. I couldn't resist glancing at a few reviews online after the episode had aired in the UK but before it had aired in the US. Radio Times didn't like it, and it usually likes everything, and it didn't seem to be alone. I started to get upset, and I went into the viewing with low expectations. And then it blew me away. And the Internet still acted like it was obviously to be shorthand for "worst Smith episode."

There are quite a few reasons why I love "Akhaten." The themes of how memories, storytelling, and sentimentality comprise us; the exploration of Clara's past and her mother's encouraging words; Clara saving the day by essentially blowing the Old God's mind with the possibility of endless possibilities to every story; the symbol of the leaf, representing how every little occurance shapes our lives; the Doctor's insistence that every life is important; the wonder of Clara's first journey. Also, it's just downright gorgeous. But the main reason I love "The Rings of Akhaten," the reason I started tearing up on first viewing, is the singing.

Not everyone likes singing and musical numbers, and there are quite a few who may find the singing in this episode more embarrassing than moving. That is okay. But even if it doesn't work for you stylistically, that doesn't mean this episode gets it wrong.

I've loved singing ever since I was five years old and first watched The Sound of Music. But at some point around fourth or fifth grade, I got very shy about it, allowing my more popular classmates to take center stage while I thought I could sing, but called that a secret of mine. I signed up for choir in middle school--and most of my friends then would be taking it--but ended up moving, and the school I went to did not begin choir until seventh grade, and all my new friends took band or orchestra instead. I was alone.

I still loved everyone singing together, but the eighth graders in the class would pick on me--and once I believed I overheard comments about my singing--and the teacher did not want to be bothered with it and avoiding addressing the issue in a way that involved me. When I did tests in class I was told I was off-pitch, often a result of overthinking it, but no effort was made to explain this and help me. Because of my lack of "strong singing," rather than tested vocal range, I was a soprano. The older bullies were gone the next year, but my scores on tests were still lower than some of my classmates, I was paranoid other kids were discussing how awful my singing was, and I still proved I could not hit notes correctly when singing in front of others in class because I was afraid to be heard.

And in "Akhaten," there's Merry, a little girl who is supposed to sing but is afraid of it. She's afraid of "getting it wrong." And Clara doesn't just let her walk by; Clara gives her words or encouragement, Clara cares about her. Doctor Who is all about lifting people up to their potentials and showing them what they are capable of, after all. Merry's singing is valued highly--not something to be scoffed at, or to be afraid of. It's an honor, and it's beautiful.

...of course, that also means sacrifice in this world. Even if Merry's been prepared since she was very young, it's still terrifying. The Vigil might as well be the tension between her fear and her duty. But by the end, she's able to willingly stand up and sing to help all she can.

The climax relies not only on the Doctor, but on Clara and Merry as well. It's teamwork, helping each other out. Perhaps Merry only further appeases the planet with more stories and  songs, but her songs provide a momentum and energy that would not have been present otherwise--whether aesthetically or narratively. There is an immense power to it, something that can be generated when singing without being afraid. And the others join in. That background song spurs the Doctor and Clara along. (Clara is absolutely fantastic in this episode.)

Stories (even those contained in objects), songs, customs, and traditions are the bread and butter of our society. They both reflect and influence our culture. But there is a danger--the danger that the episode's conflict is built upon--where too much reliance on stories that have been passed down for so long causes harm. These people don't actually know what the Old God is, how it behaves, or the limits of their appeasement of it. It's the Doctor and Clara's quick-thinking outside of the box that helps upturn these customs and save the lives of the Akhaten people. Never run away from your problems, the Doctor essentially says.

The Doctor also goes out of his way to save Merry's life, too, because she isn't a Queen who is deserving of this ritual. She's just as individual as everyone else there. She might store thousands of stories, but buried in there are her own, unique experiences, and those are worth as much as everyone else.

"The Rings of Akhaten" left me so enthralled. It made me feel alive and worth something. I still continue to struggle with singing, but I believe it is getting better, and I'm now in a better environment and an alto. And it's comforting to know I have a powerful episode on lavish Blu-ray if I ever need something to brighten up my day. It's a spiritual journey of wonder and love. And that's what Doctor Who is all about.