What I Watched/Am Watching/Will Watch

Hello my dear friends -

Since I am often asked what TV shows I watch now that LOST has been off the air for a while, I intended to give a rundown of my favorites, oh, I don't know... back when the fall season started in September. Six months have passed, which should give you an idea of how things have been going around here.

BUT, since I know many people are like me and don't always watch shows/series in real time and since I've already spent a few weeks cobbling together this post, I thought it would still be fun to go through my list. I've grouped it by days of the week, although I hardly watch anything live. Following the day-by-day lists is a section for the shows I've watched or am currently watching via On Demand or DVD.

MONDAY

Gossip Girl 
This was one of the few shows I tried to watch the night it aired because I need me my teen/20-something angst! Alas, its run has now ended (and for what it's worth, I LOVED its finale, especially the last ten minutes) and there's no way in hell I'm watching The Carrie Diaries (a girl's gotta draw the line somewhere), so now there's a huge hole in my life. I'm hoping a new series in the vein of The OC and Gossip Girl will pop up before too long. But there will never, ever be another Chuck Bass. Because he's Chuck Bass.


Currently I don't watch any shows that air on Mondays—it's usually a "catch-up" night for DVR'd or On Demand shows if I have some spare time. I did try Revolution for the first five episodes, but it just wasn't my thing. I considered The Following because of all the hype, but then I decided against it because I get too freaked out by that kind of show and am just looking for happy escapism.

TUESDAY

Smash
I LOVED the first season of Smash. Honestly and truly. I have fond memories of tuning in during those precious few weeks I wasn't working right after Des was born. So there was no hate-watching going on over here. (Although I agree with many of the complaints in that article, they never overwhelmed the rest of the show for me).

I was prepared for the worst with the Season 2 premiere, however, as I knew that the show had undergone dramatic changes during the break, including the departure of its creator. But I still enjoyed it, and remain hopeful despite the fact that I've heard things get a little messy once there are a few different productions (Bombshell, Jennifer Hudson's character's, and that bitter bartender dude's) in the mix. I like the British guy (Derek) SO much, though, that I'll keep tuning in just for him, no matter what.

Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan 
I've only watched the premiere so far and liked how it's a lot more about travel and different countries and cultures than just, you know, bugs and creepy crawlies. But I find those fascinating, too, so I'll be saving this series for a catch-up evening.

WEDNESDAY

Our DVR works hardest on Wednesdays, and therefore I usually try to watch at least a few of these shows that same night. One that's not listed below is The Americans. I watched the pilot and thought it was OK, but not compelling enough to stick with at this point (as you'll see, I'm not one for dramas).

American Idol
I have never been a Mariah Carey fan, didn't know who Keith Urban was until he married Nicole Kidman and then judged him by his ridiculously girly hair, could take or leave Randy Jackson, and thought I would despise Nicki Minaj. But I also had doubts about J Lo and Steven Tyler when they came on board a few years ago, so I decided to at least give the new judges a chance.

I'm really glad I did, because I think Nicki is the best judge they've ever had. Yeah, I said it—even better than Simon. She has really grown on me, and I truly like Keith as well. The faces he makes when someone he likes is singing are hilarious. Mariah... well, the jury's still out on her. Mostly I wish both she and Nicki would stop faking British accents so much.

As for the contestants? It's always too hard to say this early on. I've been rooting for Lazaro Arbos because I think his story (he's the one with the heavy stutter) is inspiring, he seems like a genuinely nice kid, and because he reminds me of a Cuban version of my cousin Brad, I can't lie.

Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites
I was a huge, HUGE Survivor fan when the show first premiered back in 2000. I stuck with it for several years, then stopped for quite a while (I think I skipped seasons 9-14), and was finally drawn back in for the China season in 2007. This show never fails to fascinate me—I think it's one of the best displays of the human-nature spectrum there is. Plus, there's something oddly reassuring to me about hearing Jeff Probst holler "Come on in, guys!" and declare "With that, it's time to vote," and all of his other catchphrases week after week. I can't explain it.

The latest season just kicked off two weeks ago, and I'm not too thrilled with the "Favorites" who returned. A lot of them weren't very memorable to me... or I just didn't like them in their original seasons, which means they're kind of the opposite of a Favorite. But my boy Malcom is there, so I'll keep watching.

Modern Family
I only started watching Modern Family last year, and really only because my husband started watching it, and he only did that because of how many awards it was getting and how many people were talking about it in the early seasons. I have a feeling it's not as good now as it was when it first hit the scene. I like it, but I could do without the three young kids. They are just very stiff and unnatural to me... but then again, I've been known to be especially hard on kid actors. Sofia Vergara also bugs that crap out of me. But everyone else is so funny that I guess they outweigh my annoyances. Needless to say, this isn't a show that I consider "must-see TV" when it airs.

Nashville
I had zero intention of watching this series because: 1) I'm not a country music fan, 2) Hayden Panettiere has always bothered me for some reason (and I didn't even watch Heroes), and 3) I had no idea who the lead (Connie Britton) was because I didn't watch Friday Night Lights (something I plan to remedy eventually).

However, I did hear all of the glowing reviews, and so did my husband. He is a musician, loves guitars (but is no country fan, either), and wanted to at least tune in to the premiere. So we did... and we were hooked. There are a few things that bug me about the show, however: Rayna's whiny squirrelly husband, and everything about Scarlett except her singing voice (I especially can't stand her nasally speaking voice and pinched-up face and maddening expressions, but am chalking it up to the fact that she's Australian in real life and must be trying reeealllly hard to nail a Southern accent).

But the music. Oh, THE MUSIC. The music is what keeps me coming back, and the guitars (and the music) are what hooked my husband. He's always shouting out "That's a [some kind of guitar]! That costs like $45,000!" and stuff like that. Anyway, we have fun watching this one. And Gunnar and Scarlett's duets kill me. All of them. So, so good. I've downloaded two from iTunes and am sure I'll buy the whole lot eventually.

Top Chef: Seattle
I don't cook at all (seriously—nothing), am vegetarian, and although I like Tom, Padma usually annoys me because she just NEVER seems unrehearsed or natural. But I do appreciate high-end restaurants and cuisine and learning who the best chefs around the world are, so I keep watching this show. I used to spend a lot of time in Seattle, so it's been cool to see places like Pike Place Market again. I'm now lucky enough to have THREE previous Cheftestants' restaurants right here in my 'hood! And word is they'll be coming back to Chicago next year, so I will of course have to tune in for that.

Stefan was my favorite this season, so now that he's gone I'm not really rooting for anyone in particular in the finale. (Not sure if the finale was last night or if it's next week. But I haven't watched last night's episode yet, either way!)

THURSDAY

The Office 
I keep DVRing this even though I haven't watched one episode all season. I'll probably forward through the last few right before the finale. Steve Carell's Michael Scott annoyed me for the last couple of years of his run, and then the show only went downhill afterward. The original British version remains superior! David Brent was a madman. And their Jim (Tim) is now Bilbo Baggins. You can't really top that, hellloooo.

30 Rock
I thought its final few episodes were great. When Liz met her twins? Just PERFECT. Brilliant stuff. So was the final final scene with Kenneth. But it was time for this show to end, so I can't say I'll miss it.

Glee
All I've EVER done with Glee is forward through to the musical numbers. From what I can tell, I don't like any of the new cast members. But it's really not about the acting and storylines for me with this one.

FRIDAY

Nothing—this is a true catch-up or watch-a-movie or read-a-book night. And no, I never watched Fringe. That's a choice I regret because there are so many people who share my tastes that loved this series. It sucks because now I already know what happens throughout each season, thanks to Twitter. But I still do intend to watch the entire series one day after the final season is released on DVD or Instant.

SATURDAY

Saturday Night Live
What I do with this one is read reactions on Twitter, read my girl Claire Zulkey's recaps for the L.A. Times and my man Ryan McGee's recaps on Hitfix, and then forward through to the best skits based on their takes.

SUNDAY

666 Park Avenue
Sob. This was my favorite new show of the year, but it was cancelled. And I swear I didn't like it solely because it starred LOST's Terry O'Quinn. I REALLY loved it, and so did my husband, who's waaaaay pickier than I am.

The special effects left something to be desired, but this show had a great cast (meaning they were all really good actors), an awesome soundtrack and cranked out the suspense and creepiness week after week. I was 100% prepared for it to be, dumb, too. On that note, I think it suffered from an awful title that deterred people. I mean, *I* almost didn't want to tune in, and I'm one of Terry's biggest fans! They should've just called it The Drake.

Ah, well. Apparently they're going to air the final few episodes this summer. I'll find a way to watch them one way or the other in order to get some closure. But I really wish The Man had given this series a chance and had marketed it better. If there ends up being a way to watch all of the first season, you should check it out.

Once Upon a Time
My feelings about this show haven't changed a ton since I wrote about it last season. I'm glad they toned down all of the LOST references since then, although I almost died laughing with Belle was watching Exposé in the hospital a few weeks ago. A sly nod like that I appreciate, just don't bang us over the head with it.

This current season has been dragging a little for me... until the most recent episode ("Manhattan"). I think it might've been the best of the series. I'm still no fan of Henry, Emma, or really any of the characters on their own, but I continue to love the twists on classic fairy tales and appreciate the overall sense of hope and optimism in the series. My husband won't come near the TV when I watch this show, though. I married a cynic.

The Amazing Race
I haven't watched this season's premiere yet, and bowed out of last season about midway through. I mostly watch this series for travel ideas and to learn about new places, but if the teams aren't interesting to me, I lose enthusiasm quickly. Here's hoping there are some people worth rooting for this time around. Phil's eyebrow can't do ALL the work.

ON DEMAND / DVD

Breaking Bad
Since I already wrote about Breaking Bad here and intend to write another post before its final episodes start up again this summer, I won't say a ton more today except that this is my new favorite show. Nothing else that's currently on the air even comes close to touching Breaking Bad. I'm still surprised that I started watching it at all, but I'm so, so glad I did. And did I call how the midseason finale would end or what?

I am kind of depressed because I have no more new episodes left to watch. I had caught up with the series completely out of order, and until last weekend still had two Season 4 episodes ("Box Cutter" and "Thirty-Eight Snub") outstanding. I waited to watch them for a while because I knew I'd get all sad afterward, and I was right. Now that I've seen them, it just reminds me that I don't watch anything right now that can even remotely hold a candle to this show.

(If you're like I was and are still reluctant to watch this series, you really need to read this post of mine.)

Homeland

My birthday present to myself last month was to spend 45 minutes on the phone with DirecTV, negotiating a way to get HBO and Showtime for "free" in order for me to be able to continue my Homeland binge. Unfortunately my husband didn't get my several hints that this was something I wanted him to take care of... either that, or he resented my inappropriate crush on Officer Brody. By the way, does ANYONE else think it's weird that people only call him Brody? Even his wife does. That's his LAST NAME. I don't get it. And while I'm venting, can I ask if it's weird that I like the bad-guy characters more than Brody's mopey stoner daughter? I seriously can't stand her.

Anyway, I'd watched Season One on DVD and the Season Two premiere was available on the Showtime site for free, but then I was jonesing for more. I couldn't take waiting—I NEEDED TO WATCH THE REST RIGHT NOW. And so thankfully I got my cable deal and am all caught up. I'd say that while it's not on the same level as Breaking Bad, Homeland is still up there and is probably my #2 favorite show right now. It's another one I didn't think I'd like before I started watching it. But it's hard to resist Inigo Montoya.

I'm mostly looking forward to watching this one with the rest of the world in real time going forward... but part of me is sorry I'll no longer be consuming episodes in a vacuum. I thought Season Two was just fine, and I feel like if I'd been keeping up with Twitter while I watched it I would've had my opinion swayed and would've been more sarcastic and negative about the show as a result. Twitter is dangerous that way—for me, at least. I don't like to feel stupid or wrong for enjoying something.

Oh, and I didn't realize until I watched the extras that both Brody and Estes are British in real life?!?! That blew my mind.

And never forget: Mandy. Patinkin. HOLLA!

Game of Thrones
I read the first Game of Thrones book and then saw Season One on DVD. Now that we have HBO, I just caught all of Season Two via On Demand a few weeks ago. Now I wait with everyone else until Season Three premieres at the end of March.

I enjoy Game of Thrones, but not as much as everyone else seems to. I think it's because the stuff Joffrey does makes me physically nauseous most of the time. I know it's Not Real and all of that, but come on—killing babies? Torturing women? It's too much. I just wanna see the dragons grow up and then torch him. (No spoilers there: I only read the first book so I don't know if that's what will happen. I actually think they'll never kill off Joffrey because he's too good of a villain. But if they do I hope it's Arya or Sansa taking care of business!)

Anyway, I thought the Season Two finale was totally anticlimactic, especially following the very tense "Blackwater" episode. And I think all those zombie soldier things are lame, so I hope that's not going to be a huge storyline next year. BUT I enjoy the majority of the cast and this series is still better than 99% of everything else on TV, so obviously I'm going to keep watching. Tyrion 4eva.

The Walking Dead
I've only watched the six episodes of Season One so far, so I feel like there's not much I can say about this series just yet. I liked it, but since I almost had a heart attack when the DVD menu popped up featuring a bloody zombie girl and have now suffered a few restless evenings filled with zombie nightmares, I'm not sure if it's a good idea that I keep watching this series.

I know everyone else loves it, though, and I AM curious to see how things progress for the poor survivors. So odds are I'll watch all of Season Two via On Demand, continue to have bad dreams, and then be bitter about how there's no way for me to watch the first half of Season Three right now. (If there IS a way that I don't know about, please tell me!) I am DVRing the last half of Season Three that recently started up again. Perhaps they'll have a marathon of Season Three sometime soon? Does AMC do that?

(P.S. If zombies ARE your thing, you should check out The Harvesting by fellow LOST fan Melanie Karsak, who contacted me about reviewing her book a loooong time ago. I still intend to (I read it and liked it, just haven't had time to put down my thoughts in a post), but in the meantime you should give it a whirl—the sequel's coming out soon!

ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?

As I mentioned above, I intend to watch all of Friday Night Lights at some point. And Fringe.

I tried out Mad Men and it's just not my thing, so there's no going back with that one. I also have no interest in Downton Abbey (my general avoidance of period pieces and dramas is kicking in), despite everyone trying to convince me otherwise. I don't want to watch Girls (I'm just not that cool) or Sons of Anarchy (too violent) either. What else have I missed? I need guidance. And quick, before the spring/summer movie season heats up and I have even less time at night to watch TV!

- e

56 Up (and the entire "Up" documentary series)

Hello my dear friends -

I spent a good chunk of the past two days searching and searching and searching the bowels of this blog because I could have SWORN that I'd written about the Up documentary series before. But if I did, that post has been sacrificed to the Blogger demons and I just can't find it. It's gonna drive me nuts.

Since I can't reference the post I thought I wrote in order to give you some background, let me start out by saying that the Up series is — by far — one of the best, if not THE best, film-viewing experiences of my life. It has affected me profoundly, and I think it will do the same for you, which is why I chose to not only fire up this long-neglected site today, but also promote a competitor's product (56 Up is now in select theaters, but Netflix has all of the past Up movies on DVD and Instant (as you guys all know, I've been a freelance writer for Redbox since 2008) Also, since I first posted this an hour ago, others have let me know that the past installments are often at public libraries as well).

The series began in 1964, when a British filmmaker decided to test out the maxim "Give me the boy until he is seven, and I will give you the man." Ten seven-year-old boys and four seven-year-old girls were interviewed that year to establish their attitudes about certain issues, their dreams and their life plans, and then these same individuals were revisited every seven years since to see how they've changed and how things actually turned out.

TOTALLY AMAZINGLY, all but one of them have remained a part of this grand cinematic experiment for nearly half a century. (And happy spoiler alert: they're all still alive, which I guess is also pretty amazing.) The great irony is that the one guy who dropped out, Charles Furneaux, went on to become a documentary producer himself.

Michael Apted, who was a researcher on the first film (entitled Seven Up!), took over the reins with the next installment (7 Plus Seven) and has stayed with the project ever since. While you can't see him in 56 Up, you can hear him — and the age creeping into his voice (he's 71). Thankfully he has made arrangements for the series to continue on when he is no longer around to do the interviews.

My hope is that the interviewees will want to continue on after that point, too. The series was enormously popular in Britain, and the participants experienced a strange sort of fame. Almost all of them have struggled with how their "characters" have been depicted, and they clearly have a strong love/hate relationship with the project — and I'm sure with Apted himself to some extent.

Despite the negatives that have come with the series for the thirteen participants, after watching 56 Up my husband and I were talking about how cool it would be to have your life documented in this way. What a gift these people have for their children, their friends and their other family members! And really, themselves, too. How many of us would jump at the chance to see and hear what we were like at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56? To be reminded what we thought about the issues of the day and what are dreams were at that point in time? It would be nothing short of extraordinary. It's not the same as home videos.

So now I guess I better talk a little bit about why I feel so strongly about the Up series, besides the Cool Factor mentioned above.

I love these movies because — for the most part — they radiate a sense of hope, a sense of peace, a sense of happiness, and a sense that everything's going to work out. However, they accomplish this in a way that is very much NOT what the original filmmaker planned. He seemed to be out to prove that a British family's educational, class and social standing would ultimately determine how their children ended up. That's true for some of the participants, but couldn't be further from the truth for others—coming from money didn't always guarantee happiness, and growing up poor didn't always prevent success. Luck, determination, optimism and personality have played HUGE roles in the interviewees' lives. Perhaps they, too, have realized this at age 56, because few of them have any real regrets (even when what's happened to them isn't all rainbows and puppy dogs). The general sense seems to be "I've done the best I could, and for the most part I'm happy."

One of the most memorable interviewees is Tony, whose boundless energy has hardly waned since he was a wee lad. Here is a person who had big dreams, went after them, and achieved almost all of them despite great odds. But he's not perfect, and his many personal and professional missteps have been documented right along with his achievements.

Tony through the years

Then there's Neil—one of my favorites from the original installment—who was just a bundle of personality at age seven. But at some point before he turned 21, things went horribly off track. His is the most concerning of the updates in 56 Up, though my hope is that he's currently more content than he lets on.

Neil, now and then

If you are able to watch the very first film in the series, I'll forewarn you that there's lots of talk about the British school system, and all of that went over my head. But you'll still get the point the director is attempting to set up for the rest of the project, and the UK-specific parts lessen as the series progresses.

You don't need to see all of the other films first because they recap the life story of each of the interviewees and show clips from all of the previous Up films ... BUT I think if you have some time, I would do everything you can to at least try to catch a few of the early installments beforehand. It would be hard to have much of an emotional connection to the group otherwise. Though make no mistake, if all you can make time for is to only see 56 Up, do it. It will still be an incredible and moving experience.

If you're here in Chicago, 56 Up is playing at the beloved Music Box Theatre all week.

If you're not in Chicago, you can see when 56 Up is coming to a theater near you here.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's watched any of the Up installments. Are you as obsessed with them as I am?

A trio of friends from the series

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Breaking Bad

It was the same thing every Sunday night. I'd let out a dramatic sigh as my Facebook and Twitter feeds were overrun by friends and acquaintances heaping praise upon one (or several) of the following shows: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, Girls, True Blood, Newsroom, The Killing, and/or Revenge.

But I didn't follow any of these shows. Not a one.

Most people are surprised by how little TV I watch. I guess since I'm generally up on most pop-culture-related buzz, there's an assumption that I tune in to every hit series. But the last true drama (meaning no sci-fi/fantasy component) I watched regularly was ER—and that was only during its peak in the late '90s. What can I say? Dramas just aren't my thing.

(If you don't care about my history with Breaking Bad and just want to talk about predictions for the finale and next year, click here to jump down in the post.)

After we had our son in late January, my husband was looking for shows he could stream from his iPad to watch when he was on Desmond Duty. He, too, had heard all the hype about Breaking Bad and decided to give it a try. Because, you know, when you have a newborn, the first thing that comes to mind and seems most relatable is a show about cooking meth. (Plus we'd already rented Game of Thrones on DVD and neither of us had any interest in the other series listed above.)

So my husband starts watching Breaking Bad, but I refused to. I refused for the exact same reason I avoid watching the news: I figured it would depress the hell out of me. A show about a high school teacher who starts cooking meth because he's dying of cancer and wants to ensure his family can survive financially after he's gone? Yeah, that sounds like a GREAT time.

What's more, I am also absolutely terrified of meth-heads. Not that I've ever come into contact with any, but the "before/after" pictures of addicts I've somehow failed to avoid over the years are hard to shake. In short, I thought the series would be much too dark for my delicate psyche to handle.

So there my husband would sit, feeding Des and watching Breaking Bad off to the side. Or he'd watch it while Des was sleeping. And there I would sit, ten feet away on the couch, listening. Listening but not seeing. And dammit if I still didn't get sucked in. I'd be like, "Who's that talking now? Is that the brother-in-law?" "What just happened? I heard a gunshot!" "So wait, are those two women who are talking right now sisters?" And so on. To say this annoyed my husband is putting it lightly. Eventually he refused to respond because I was, in fact, being ridiculous.

But I continued on-and-off in listen-only mode for the show's first three seasons, which were all that was available through our streaming service in early 2012. (Random side note: I CANNOT BELIEVE Breaking Bad had a two-year overlap with LOST?!? That boggles my mind. I feel like the hype went mainstream this past year and was therefore stunned to learn the series had been on since 2008. (P.S. I'm right: scroll down to "Search Insights" on this page—the fandom didn't start heating up until October 2011, and the biggest push came this calendar year.))

When Season 4 arrived on streaming services (which was the same day the Season 5 premiere was going to air on AMC this summer), I still didn't give in. But once I started seeing all the crazy-excited Breaking Bad tweets in my feed again, I finally relented and started watching Season 4 a few episodes in alongside my husband, after Des was sleeping. We were simultaneously DVRing the current season to watch once we'd gotten through Season 4.

So I caught most of Season 4, am up-to-date on Season 5, and have been spending the last month getting through one or two episodes per night from the earlier seasons.

A funny story on that front: At the start of August I was watching the Season 1 finale late at night while Des was asleep and my husband was at Lollapalooza. All of a sudden I get this text from him: "I just met Jessie Pinkmen (sp?)"

PAUSE.

WHAT?!?

So I text back asking for details, and it turns out that Aaron Paul (the Emmy award-winning actor who plays Jesse... and my #1 celeb crush these days) was at Lollapalooza with his fiancée and randomly came up to my husband (who was alone at that point) and asked him a question. My husband was so stunned that he was just like, "You're Jesse Pinkman!", and Aaron laughed and walked away. My husband intensely regrets not asking for a picture.

Since Jesse is my favorite character, to say I was green with envy, sitting alone in my pajamas on my recliner WATCHING Breaking Bad... while at the very same moment my husband was MEETING the guy who plays Jesse, is an understatement. But I digress.

So, I'm currently on episode 3 of Season 3. And I am just so, so ecstatic I started watching this show. For the first time in two years, I get excited for (and nervous about) an episode of TV. For the first time in two years, I'm talking about characters like they're real people. Meaning that Breaking Bad is the first show I've truly cared about since LOST, as different as the two series might be. I think the reason I feel this way, of course, is because the writing and acting are so excellent, and I care what happens to ALL of the characters more than the storyline (which was the case with LOST as well).

Is it dark? Sure, in parts. But not at all in the way I feared. I thought the whole thing was going to be about drugs and meth-heads and this dude dying of cancer. In reality it's about relationships, greed, ego, and so, so much more. (Like science! And magnets!) When there's violence that stems from drug-dealers/bad guys fighting with each other, I am not fazed (even though I usually cover my eyes at those points).

There are only two episodes so far that have troubled me: 1) Peekaboo (because it focused on a meth-addicted couple and their kid, though I guess in a way it had a "happy" ending), and 2) this season's Dead Freight, because of what happens in the final seconds. Maybe there will be something in the rest of Season 3/early Season 4 that shakes me to the bone, but I'm in too deep to stop now!

If you haven't gotten the gist of this post yet, it's that I highly recommend this series. If it's not your thing, you will know by the end of the second or third episode and then you've only spent a few hours of your life checking it out. And if, like me, you already know some of the major plot points and twists, it doesn't matter. I knew pretty much everything about the show from what I'd read of friends' comments online, and it didn't dampen my enjoyment of the series one bit. I wasn't SHOCKED by anything since I had heard what was going to happen, but was still on the edge of my seat all the same.

PREDICTIONS

So here's what I think could happen in tomorrow night's mid-season finale, as well as the final 8 episodes next year. Along with what I WISH would happen. If you're one of the many people I know who's currently catching up on the series, you've been forewarned that there will be spoilers on Seasons 1 - 5 ahead!

It's probably easiest to just go through the main characters, huh?

Hank: For the record, I love Hank. And I want him to "win" in the end. And I always thought that the mid-season finale HAD to close with the audience seeing that the light bulb has finally gone off in Hank's mind. I envisioned this "Holy. Shit." look coming over his face... and then the end credits rolling.

But after thinking about it some more, as well as watching Season 3's Episode 2 (Caballo sin Nombre) last night, I'm not so sure. What happened in that Season 3 episode is that Walt was freaking out to Saul (yet another classic character—his "We The People" office is one of my favorite things) about how Skyler might go to the DEA. And Saul was like, "Your brother-in-law will look like the biggest idiot ever if you were right there under his nose the whole time." And he makes a good point.

So maybe Hank will never figure it out, and the moral of the story is that sometimes the bad guys win. Or maybe Hank WILL figure it out, but then instead of being the hero, he'll suffer the consequences of not having made the connection immediately over a year ago. Either way, I started to doubt that anything along these lines will happen tomorrow night, because we already know that a year from now, Walt is still being shady (and looking like he's preparing for a huge showdown) from the opening scene of Season 5. Walt was turning 52 in that scene (unless that part was just an act, but I doubt it), which is about a year from the present time... even though the first 4.5 seasons only spanned one year in total. Does it seem impossible to anyone else that Hank could figure out that Walt is Heisenberg RIGHT NOW and then have Walt still be around in a year?


All I know is that Hank better still be alive in the series finale. They already killed off my second-favorite character last week. Which, on a related note, everyone saw coming from a mile away, right? Didn't make it any less gut-wrenching, though. (On the "talking about characters like they're real people" front, I found myself begging a friend to agree with me that Mike's granddaughter would still end up getting the money he left for her. My friend disagreed. Boo.)

I do fear that Walt will end up killing Hank if he finds out that the DEA is on to him, though. I really, really, REALLY hope that doesn't happen. If the showdown Walt's preparing for in the flashforward is in fact with the DEA, then I'm sure at least some of Hank's friends (like "Gomie") are going to go down, even if Hank survives.

Skyler: I've been shocked by how much Skyler Hate is out there. Granted, I'm missing a HUGE piece of her backstory right now since I haven't watched Season 3. But still, especially after that fantastic but scary-as-hell scene between her and Walt earlier this season where he's like, "What exactly are you going to do?" and then he was shooting down all of her schemes, I don't know how anyone could side with Walt. Or not be scared for Skyler and the kids.

Since she and Jesse finally had some scenes together this season, and since they shot each other a really weird look at the car wash in the last episode, my hope is that they eventually work together to bring down Walt. Whether or not they involve Hank is anyone's guess—they probably wouldn't. But I think if Jesse ever realizes how much Walt has manipulated him, he might find a friend in Skyler.

Finally, I do not think she'll die by the end of the series.

Jesse: Will Jesse ever find out what Walt did to Brock... or Mike? He never found out that Walt let Jane die, so maybe Jesse will always remain in the dark about everything, and therefore will always give Walt the benefit of the doubt, and that will be his ultimate downfall. I certainly don't think that—even with as maniacal as he's become—Walt would ever kill Jesse. What's been interesting to me as I watched the end of Season 2 this past week is how much Walt has gone out of his way to save Jesse in the past. Which reminds me, I did forget about another troubling scene: When Walt goes in to the crack-house place (while Mike waits in the car, shortly after he was first introduced on the series) to find Jesse and then takes him to rehab after Jane's death. Would Walt do something like that for Jesse today? I actually think he still would. I can't explain it.

This might just be my personal hopes coming through, but I really don't believe they'll kill Jesse off, ever. Especially since the show's creators had actually planned to kill him at the end of Season 1, but then realized how great the dynamic between Jesse and Walt was. I mean, can any of you imagine the show without Jesse? To me, the show is about Walt and Jesse's relationship just as much as it is about Walt's descent into ego-driven drug-kingpin evil.

So my guess for Jesse is that he will get indisputable proof that Walt has screwed with him or was responsible for Brock's poisoning and/or Mike's death, and that will be the final straw. Jesse will get in touch with Skyler and she'll be the brains behind Walt's take-down, which may or may not have to do with the flashforward scene where Walt's got a trunk full of weapons.

Walt: I encourage you to watch the series premiere again at some point before the final 8 episodes air next year. Walt was such a huge, dorky goof in the first season. And he really did have the best of intentions. But I don't think there will be a happy ending for him in any way, shape, or form. He already seems to not care about his family anymore at all, which was the entire reason he started cooking meth in the first place. For him to refuse to admit the danger he's put his children in is beyond idiotic. And in last week's episode, specifically during its final heartbreaking moments, Walt showed major signs of cracking. As poor Mike's bleeding out, Walt has a conversation with himself, totally distraught, as he realizes aloud he "could've gotten the names from Lydia." The man is starting to lose it.

Another example of this is how he made that kid Todd his apprentice. Who else thinks that Todd is MUCH smarter than he's letting on? The guy is freakin' writing down notes about how to make the Heisenberg Special, for God's sake. Once he learns the method, why would he need old man Walt around anymore?

But once again, we KNOW Walt is still kickin' a year from now, so perhaps Todd is going to be yet another person who suffers after eventually trying to cross Walt. Or maybe he'll be there by Walt's side in the finale. No idea.

If I was forced to guess, I'd guess Walt WILL die by the series finale. No jail, no trial, he's just gonna die. The great irony would be if it was because his cancer came back rather than any of his meth-related dealings, but I don't think that'll be the case. He's got a full head of hair back in the flashforward. While I don't think Walt would ever kill Jesse, I DO think Jesse could possibly be driven to kill Walt if he found out about Brock or Mike.

Unlike LOST, Breaking Bad isn't the kind of show where you can really come up with outlandish predictions and theories that actually might play out. I don't feel like I've written anything above that most fans haven't thought as well. We're talking about who's going to survive and who's going to die and whether or not Walt will ever be caught, and that's about it. Having said that, I would LOVE to hear any of your spoiler-free theories (are there spoilers out there for this show, even? I don't know, but if there are, please be cool and don't post them here) in the comments section. And yes, I'll probably post about Breaking Bad again at some point after tomorrow night's mid-season finale. ENJOY IT!

By the way, did you guys know there's a REAL Walter While who cooks meth and is on the run in Alabama right now? Whoa.

I guess I better try to end this on a lighter note. Fellow Jesse/Aaron Paul fans, CLICK HERE!

- e

Prometheus

Some people can't wait to see Prometheus because it's a Ridley Scott movie. Some people can't wait to see Prometheus because it's a Ridley Scott movie that, in his words, "shares some of the same DNA" as Alien. (Just call it a prequel already, brotha!) Some people can't wait to see Prometheus because of its stellar cast, which includes Noomi Rapace (the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Michael Fassbender (fully clothed this time, folks—sorry!), Charlize Theron, and Idris Elba (also both fully clothed—double-sorry). Some people can't wait to see Prometheus because its ever-present ads and trailers are making it look like a Not To Be Missed Epic Summer Movie. And still others can't wait to see Prometheus because they will always support anything Damon Lindelof (co-creator of LOST and co-writer of the film in question) does. Needless to say, I was a part of that latter bunch.

I went to a press screening of the film last week and have been DYING for others of "my kind" (read: LOST nerds, or just nerds in general) to see it so that we can discuss. The funny thing is that I can't say I was a big fan of the movie overall. But, as with LOST, Prometheus left me pondering some big questions that I was still debating with my husband three days later. And there's certainly something to be said for that.

So it's about a team of people on a spaceship (Prometheus) who have traveled for the past few years (frozen so they're not aging) toward a planet that two archaeologists (Noomi and a jerky guy played by Logan Marshall-Green—completely unconvincing as a romantic couple) think might be the home of the "Engineers." The Engineers, this couple believes, are aliens that created human beings. Noomi and her man want to asks these aliens some questions.

Well that's all fine and good, but one example of the sloppiness in the story was that the rest of the crew learns what the mission is about AFTER they've woken up from years in hibernation and are about to step off the ship. Huh? Wouldn't that kind of presentation be given before anybody even boarded the spacecraft?

So they get to the planet and, as you can guess (or know from the trailers), all hell ends up breaking loose. As things unravel, there were some scenes that seemed—like the presentation sequence referenced above—a bit amateur. Would someone EVER really think it wise to get up in the grill of an alien creature and not expect to be attacked? I mean, come on. How cliche. What's more, an entire subplot having to do with the Weyland Corporation seemed pointless. Did Guy Pearce's character (CEO of Weyland) and Charlize's character (a Weyland employee overseeing the mission) really need to involved at all? All that was a distraction. And don't even get me started on a certain character's miraculous ability to MOVE—much less walk, run, shoot, or fight—after a very invasive and urgent, um, surgery.

There were other scenes, however, that I found to be creative (I'm talkin' 'bout holograms) and chilling (pretty much everything having to do with Fassbender's android David) and memorable. Noomi Rapace is definitely a star. Everything looked stunning, too, and I didn't even mind the 3D for once. And finally, as I mentioned earlier, I thought the Big Questions Prometheus raised kept my mind whirring enough that I was still toying with ideas from the film days later and am anxious to hear others' thoughts about them now.

Here are a few to chime in on in the comments, if you'd like. I'll write these in a non-spoilery way in case anyone who hasn't seen the film yet is hangin' around.

1) What was your interpretation of the opening sequence?
2) Why do you think David (the android/Fassbender) did what he did?
3) Was your interpretation of what the Engineers were planning to do the same as the characters'? (Mine wasn't.)
4) What exactly do you think was in all of those black cylinder thingies? (I have an opinion but am curious as to what others think.)

If you read this in order for me to tell you whether or not Prometheus is worth seeing, my answer is yes. Yes, it's worth seeing on the big screen in all of its glory, but lower your expectations because I don't think it will be going down in the history books as a sci-fi classic.

- e

Snow White and the Huntsman

"Are there dwarfs in it?" my husband asked.

"What do you mean, are there dwarfs in it? Of course there's dwarfs, it's the Snow White story," I scoffed.

"But it's Snow White and the Huntsman so I figured it was just about those two," he replied.

"No. If you are talking about Snow White at all then there's going to have to be dwarfs. Always."

End of conversation.

(Random side note: Lord of the Rings mastermind J.R.R. Tolkien was responsible for popularizing the alternate spelling "dwarves." These are the useless facts you learn in my line of work.)

So yes, in case you were also wondering, there ARE dwarfs in Snow White and the Huntsman, and they're one of the best things about the film, especially since they're played by the likes of Ian McShane, Nick Frost, and Bob Hoskins, to name three of the seven.

But the crazy visuals and special effects are, by far, THE best things about the movie. They're also responsible for the scene which started to sour my experience, but I'll get to that later. First things first, however: the plot. Yes, it's basically the same Snow White story you've always known, except the Huntsman plays a much greater role and the ending is a little different.

Charlize Theron rocks as the Evil Queen, and the most spectacular scenes involve her using black magic to turn things into, um, other things. Mind-blowing sequences—truly impressive effects work. If you're into that sort of thing, then it's worth seeing on the big screen for those effects alone. Alas, Kristen Stewart had no business being cast as Snow White. I totally flipped out in early 2011 when I learned she'd landed the lead role, and my gut feeling was correct. It's not like she's an awful actress or anything, but she just DOES NOT have the pure, innocent, singing-with-forest-animals vibe that Snow White needs to have. And Chris Hemsworth was fine as The Huntsman, but I felt like he was essentially still playing Thor. 

So what went wrong for me? Over halfway through the film there's a scene that's very effects-heavy, and it just changed the entire tone of the film too sharply for me. It's like SWatH went from being a respectful—though darker—retelling of the Snow White fairy tale to all of a sudden jumping into cheesy Rainbow Brite territory or something. It was really, really bizarre. I also felt like director Rupert Sanders was trying too hard to make the film seem "epic." There were at least three different "single-file line of drastically different-sized people trekking through mountainous landscapes" scenes that smacked of Lord of the Rings wannabe-ness. So what had started out as an enjoyable take on the beloved fairy tale (and believe you me, I'm a huge HUGE fairy tale fan, as I mentioned in my post about Once Upon a Time) deteriorated into a Huh? What? kind of experience by the end.

The bottom line: If you can't get enough of awesome special effects, then you might find this one worth seeing in the theater because it's not like it's a horrible movie overall or anything. But if your money and time are precious to you and/or limited, then I'd wait to rent it. It's worth checking out at some point because of the effects and the mostly good cast. I just wished they'd picked a different Snow White.

Wrath of the Titans

Hello my dear friends -

Here I am again, apologizing for not having posted in so long. But I have good news: my transition to setting up a home office (I've been writing from my kitchen table since I left The Man in 2007, remember) is almost complete, I now have a wonderful nanny who is helping me out with Desmond (What's that? You didn't know I had a kid in January? Get all the details here!), and I'm soon going to make it a top top TOP priority to write at least five times a week here on According to e. Go ahead and make bets with each other as to whether I'll stick to my word this time. I WILL DO IT, and if you bet against me YOU WILL LOSE!

(But seriously, I don't actually blame you if you bet against me. I know I've made this sort of proclamation before...)

So here's a bit of good news to kick off this next chapter of According to e: I started writing for Redbox again at the beginning of March and couldn't be happier about it. I'm doing more behind-the-scenes stuff this time around, but every once in a while I'll be posting movie reviews on their blog. Like this one I did on The Hunger Games.

Today, however, we've got Wrath of the Titans to talk about. Since my time is very precious these days now that little Des has arrived, I'm being extra choosy about which film screenings I attend. Perhaps that's why my husband was surprised that I wanted to go to the Clash of the Titans sequel. "Really?" he asked when I made him promise he'd be home from work in time for me to head to the theater. "Yeah, I liked the first one—I love all that Greek myth stuff."

And that's the truth. 2010's Clash remake was totally over-the-top ridiculous, but who cares? It had a Kraken and Pegasus and Zeus. I was down with it, despite my hatred of 3D. So I was looking forward to Wrath of the Titans for all of those same reasons (well, there's no longer a Kraken, but there ARE tons of Greek gods, on top of Chimeras and Cyclops (what's the plural of Cyclops?)!). But little did I know that the absolute best thing about the screening would be The Hobbit trailer that played beforehand—in 3D. Let me tell you, it was incredible. It brought tears to my eyes, no lie. I cannot wait until December 14.

So The Hobbit trailer alone is worth the price of admission for Wrath. But I liked the main feature as well, thankfully. It's one of those nonstop action flicks whose dialogue is shameful, so the reason you go to this one is to just zone out and escape into another world for a few hours. It even has major drinking game potential: if you dare to sneak some flasks into the theater and take a sip every time a character says "my brother" or "my son," you will definitely be drunk within 30 minutes—apparently the writers did not think we'd be able to keep the gods' family tree straight.

Zeus to Hades: "My brother, why are you so mean?"
Poseidon to Zeus: "My brother, are you OK?"
Zeus to Perseus: "My son, why won't you join us?"
Ares to Zeus: "My father, why do you like Perseus better than me? Waaa."

OK, so that's not actual dialogue from the movie, but it's pretty damn close and you get my point about the "my brother" stuff. I wish I'd counted how many times brother, father, or son was uttered.

BUT I DIGRESS and it's all good because: 1) the effects are stellar, and 2) this new guy (Toby Kebbell) who plays the demigod Agenor is like a funnier, less annoying Russell Brand, and 3) Sam Worthington is totally cute (and the chick who plays Andromeda, Rosamund Pike, provides the eye candy for the fellas), AND 4) there are the aforementioned mythical beasts.

As with its predecessor, Wrath seems like it would've been more at home during the summer movie season rather than its random March 30 release date. But since we've already had a string of record-breaking warm temps here in Chicago and elsewhere across the country, maybe it kind of already IS summer, at least in our heads.

If you see Wrath of the Titans, let me know what you thought of it. AND of The Hobbit trailer, of course.

- e

The Reef Atlantis -- Our Room and Beach

This year my husband and I were faced with a dilemma: should we attempt to stick with our tradition of going on a vacation in the fall, or skip it because of my pregnancy? (And I do realize this isn't really a true dilemma per se, but rather a really nice problem to have.)

As I alluded to in Monday's post, I haven't exactly had the easiest time with things, so I was really paranoid about being far away from my doctors in Chicago. Yet I also knew it was important to not let all of my fears about something going wrong overpower what should be a happy time, or deter us from experiencing something that a lot of "normal" pregnant couples take part in nowadays—a babymoon.

We eventually made the decision to go ahead with a trip, but I had a ton of criteria that our ultimate destination had to meet, the main points being: 1) We had to be able to get there by taking no more than two short (less than three-hour-long) flights, 2) There had to be a doctor on site, and 3) it had to count as a place we'd never been before on the Travelers' Century Club's List of Countries. (One of our ultimate goals in life is to become members of this club, and to do so you have to hit 100 places on their spreadsheet. I currently have 41 or so checked off.)

The Bahamas immediately became the obvious choice. It's the closest of the Caribbean islands from the US, it's one of the few places in that area I hadn't been to yet, and I knew that the Atlantis resort there was big enough to warrant an on-site medical team. We waited until the ultimate last minute to book the trip (they had an incredible "off-season" deal that expired at the end of August, good for travel during the fall), which did come into question briefly thanks to Hurricane Irene wreaking havoc across the region a few weeks before we were set to depart.

But we ended up going in the middle of September and had exactly the kind of vacation we were hoping for: relaxing days at the beach (with things for Dustin to do while I lounged) and nice dining options every night. We would typically never choose to stay at a monstrous resort like Atlantis, and we'd been prepared for the worst based on online reviews and some of our friends' experiences. In the end, however, we totally lucked out because not only were we there during the lowest point of the low season (there were probably even fewer people around than would've otherwise made it there had the recent hurricane not scared them off), but we'd also randomly chosen to stay at The Reef, which was by far the quietest of the towers on the property. It's the furthest away from the center of the complex and is mostly comprised of for-sale condos, so there just wasn't anyone around. And that's exactly what we were hoping for.

We had a small suite that was just the right size. I couldn't NOT share the picture of our bed with the ten bazillion extra pillows I'd requested to assist with my weird pregnant-chick sleeping positions. The cleaning staff must have thought we were freaks:



To give you an idea of just how secluded The Reef's beach was (our tower had its own private beach, far away from the main complex's beach), here's a picture of all of the empty rows of beach loungers (with our two pulled away from the pack—that's my husband on the left!):


And here's a picture looking the other way down the beach. You can see a cruise ship in the distance:


Can I also just say that the water was some of the warmest I've ever been in? I usually take—no exaggeration—about 30 full minutes to get into any body of water. But I was able to wade right in at The Reef. I swam every day!

More either tomorrow or at a later point about some of the restaurants at Atlantis, as well as its truly impressive water park. Kind of sad to wrap up this post and then look out the window at an utterly dreary Chicago afternoon, though. BOO.

- e

Once Upon a Time: It's No LOST, But It'll Do

First and most importantly, I want to thank everyone who left a kind message on this site, Facebook, or Twitter in response to yesterday's post. I had mixed feelings about writing out such personal stuff and then putting it on display oh-so-publicly, but now I'm glad I did.

So since you're up to speed on some of the bigger things that have been going on with me over the last few months, let's move on to the #1 question I've been asked by fellow LOST fans during that same time period: "What new shows are you watching now that The Best TV Series Of All Time has come to an end?"

What most people find hard to believe is that I really don't watch TV. I think that since my LOST posts were SO LONG, combined with the fact that, in general, I tend to be well versed in all things pop culture, there's just a natural assumption that I tune in to a lot of shows. But the reality is that since I've typically spent about three nights a week in movie theaters at press screenings since mid-2008, and since I've also had a rotating stack of DVDs begging for attention here at home that entire time as well, it just doesn't leave much room for TV. What's more, I don't have any of the cable channels like HBO or Showtime, and I'm just one of those people that hardly ever has a TV on overall—I refuse to watch any sort of news program (I read the news instead) and prefer silence whenever possible, so I'm not one to have shows/commercials/whatever on for background noise. However, I read a ton of entertainment magazines, blogs, Twitter feeds and sites, so I tend to have a handle on what's going on with all of the mainstream/popular TV series, even if I've never once watched them.

The shows I've chosen to keep up with over the years (and by that I mean that I DVR them and then sometimes weeks go by before I'm finally caught up) would admittedly fall into the "COMPLETELY MINDLESS entertainment" category. I think my brain just needed a rest after LOST. So the only shows I've watched with any regularity are Gossip Girl (yay for Chuck Bass!), The Amazing Race (travel/vacation ideas, duh), Survivor (new shades of deviousness never fail to amaze me, even after a decade), Top Chef (I hate to cook but like to learn about and be able to better appreciate good food), The Office (this one may soon get the boot, but I still love Jim at least), and—as embarrassed as I am to admit this—every recent season of The Real World and The Challenge on MTV (doesn't get more mindless than that, folks). That's it. My husband and I usually DVR all of the late-night talk shows as well, but only so that we can pick and choose to watch a specific interview or band/singer's performance that we're interested in.

But there is one show that I picked up this season, and as you already know from the title and graphic in this post, it's Once Upon a Time. I chose this one because: 1) I love, love, love fairy tales, 2) it's from two of the writers of LOST, and 3) it had gotten the thumbs up in advance of its premiere from many of my TV critic pals, like JOpinionated.

I don't foresee myself giving up on this show, despite some of the major problems I have with it, which I'm about to list out for you. But I'll start with the positive: I'm not going to give up on it because I like its core concept too much. All of the characters are living in the present day in this weird town and have no idea that they're actually all major figures from fairy tales. We see LOST-like flashbacks to their fairy-tale existences and learn how those same experiences have now translated into their current situations. It's unique and creative and I've usually found myself shedding a tear at least once an episode—another thing it has in common with LOST!

But make no mistake: Once Upon a Time is no LOST. Not even close. Here are the two main reasons why:

1) It might have the worst special effects I've seen on TV in years. Granted, I've just revealed that I don't watch that much TV so I'm probably not a good judge of what is and isn't acceptable, but so much of OUaT looks amateurishly green-screened or horribly CGI'd or just laughably fake that my husband actually refuses to watch it. I know this isn't the writers' fault, but I certainly hope that since the show has done well in the ratings that ABC will give the production team a higher FX budget going forward. It would help my enjoyment of the series immensely to not be so distracted by the B-movie-looking scenes.

2) There's no one character or actor/actress I'm really digging. As you all know, I immediately loved the character of John Locke on LOST, but also personally identified very closely with Jack from the beginning...and also adored almost ALL of the other characters, with Desmond, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Charlie, Lapidus, Ben and Juliet (and Vincent, dammit!) being other favorites. On OUaT, I'm feeling no such love for anyone. If I HAD to pick a favorite, it would have been the character that was just killed off in this past weekend's episode—d'oh. And don't get me started on the kid, Henry (who's trying to convince everyone of their real identities). A child actor has to be REALLY good to not annoy the crap out of me, and the little guy playing Henry is unfortunately not up to snuff.

But the story's the thing, and that's what OUaT has going for it. I absolutely must know how everything's going to turn out for these characters—not because I really care about any of them individually at this point, but rather because the overall set-up is just so intriguing to me. How will they react when they learn who they really are? Will they remain in our world or go back to fairy-tale land? Are people like Henry and Emma Swan recognizable fairy-tale characters or not? Etc., etc.

I know a lot of you are watching Once Upon a Time, too, and so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you agree with my gripes above, or am I being too hard on the show? Spoilers are allowed in the comments, of course!

- e

Testing, testing... is this thing on?

I've neglected "According to e" for 4.5 months. What do I have to say for myself?

A lot, actually.

So as to not "bury the lede"—a practice we writer-types tend to frown upon—let me start by sharing my biggest bit of news: I'm pregnant, and this kid is a-comin' next month. Assuming he (yep, it's a boy) decides to stay on schedule, that is.

Didn't my pregnancy go really fast for all of you? Aren't you glad I spared you a bunch of "oh my aching ____ " complaints and posts on stuff that only pregnant chicks care about? You're welcome!

Part of the reason I held off on mentioning this news is that my journey to bring a teeny Lord of the Rings fan into the world has taken four years. Four. Freaking. Years. As you might imagine, that period of time involved many ups and downs, and since the whole experience could very well be the subject of my next book, I'll keep it to myself for now. All that really matters is that my husband and I finally joined the ranks of parents-to-be this spring... and then I felt sick for the majority of the summer. I emerged from the depths of nausea in the fall, and then stupidly proceeded to take on a ton of clients (in addition to my full-time film critic/movie-blogging gig for Redbox) in order to try and make some extra cash before the arrival of "Baba Ghanoush," aka "Baba G," aka The Nickname We Chose Based on a Random Line from Wedding Crashers.

Unfortunately my plan backfired, as I failed to anticipate how incredibly tired I'd be—or that my Feeling Normal Again phase wouldn't last forever. All of this led to me barely being able to keep my head above water. I had no choice but to focus solely on getting my client work done each day, which in turn caused the majority of my family members and friends to assume I'd fallen off the face of the earth for the past few months.

So that's Big Piece of News #1. On to Big Piece of News #2.

As my January due date continued to creep closer and closer, I was forewarned by an increasingly large number of people that my husband and I had no idea what "exhausted" meant... but that we'd be finding out as soon as Baba G makes his debut. We were told this exhaustion would last at least two months, and that I was fooling myself if I assumed that during that time I'd still be able to maintain the level of work (writing an average of two posts a day, in addition to social media responsibilities and attending multiple film screenings per week) I'd been doing for Redbox. Believe it or not, in my 3.5 years of writing for them, I'd only taken off a total of 2 weeks. Not 2 weeks off per year... but 2 weeks off IN TOTAL across 3.5 years. I'd always found way to write during (or in advance of) vacations, on weekends, et cetera, and it just kind of became The Way It Was. I somehow made it work. But I was beginning to doubt that I'd be able to keep up this same pace come early 2012.

As it turns out, a decision on this front was made for me. A week ago my co-blogger Locke and I were informed that the site we'd been writing for (Redblog) was soon going to be managed in-house, and that while we might be asked to help with some one-off projects here and there, our time with Redbox had essentially come to an end. As the company has experienced phenomenal growth and success since we'd been brought on back in 2008, this news wasn't exactly a surprise to either of us, but I'd be lying if I said (speaking only for myself, of course) that the finality of it wasn't a bit of a shock. Even when you suspect something like this is going to happen, you're never really prepared for it to happen, you know, RIGHT NOW.

So I'm currently wading through the Stages of Grief, but I'm also reminding myself that the reason I landed the awesome Redbox gig in the first place is because of the movie reviews I'd been writing on this very site back in the day. The fine folks at Redbox had first been fans of my Long Live Locke blog, and then had noticed that in addition to loving LOST I was also quite a sucker for movies. So they reached out to me after I left the Chicago Board of Trade, and the rest is history. Had I not had the income from my work with Redbox, I probably wouldn't have been able to ride out my three-year quest to become a published author, nor would I have some of the other clients I've been fortunate enough to work with. Nor would I be a proud member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and currently be in the process of watching every last movie made this year in order to fulfill my annual awards-voting obligations (it's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it, as the saying goes).

My point is that while I'm incredibly sad that the weekly movie-screening-and-blogging-centric routine I've enjoyed since I left Corporate America is now drawing to a close, I'm thankful I got to experience it in the first place, and know that my life is about to change in even bigger and better ways. I figure the timing of all this change is probably as perfect as it could ever be, right? And yes, I do intend to once again write about movies on this site, so prepare yourself for a slew of year-end film reviews, Best Of lists, and all that good stuff.

I dare say this post has grown long enough, wouldn't you agree? And to think that I still have to tell you about how I'm finally going to get a home office after four years of writing from my kitchen table. And about our trip to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. And about my new MacBook Pro. And about the LOST book I'm contributing to. And about all of the new Pet Peeves I've discovered!

So, um, yeah... there's still much that I need to catch you all up on. Stay tuned for lots and lots of posts in the near future. And thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate it.

- e