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Fairly Legal: Win-Win (Mostly)

by Marcilene St. John

Here’s what we know so far.  Former lawyer Kate Reed (Sarah Shahi) has just returned to work, as a mediator, at the law firm that her recently deceased father founded.  She works, albeit grudgingly, with her “wicked” stepmother Lauren (Virginia Williams), the managing partner of the firm, who appears to be similar in age to Kate.  Luckily, Kate has her very capable and loyal assistant Leo (Baron Vaughn) to help her out and provide a bit of a buffer between her and Lauren.  Leo is just the right combination of helpful, quirky and snarky; and you can’t not love his geekness and ingenuity.  Gifting himself with the iPad for Kate’s birthday was pure genius on his part, though I doubt Justin would agree.  Kate also seems to rely heavily on her semi-ex Justin (Michael Trucco) for support and the occasional sleep over.  Justin is completely endearing and in the most recent episode, “Bo Me Once”, we were allowed to see much more of his depth of character.  We still haven’t seen a lot of Kate’s brother Spencer (Ethan Embry) and I really hope they make better use of him in future episodes.  And though Kate sees Lauren as her “wicked” stepmother, she has had several moments that have made me feel for her.  There’s clearly more to Lauren than initially meets the eye.  All of the characters we have met so far bring something great to the show and all have a definite, if sometimes differing, depth of character that makes each of them interesting to watch.  Even Kate’s neighbor Andrew (Tim Fellingham) seems to have an interesting backstory to share.  I can’t wait to learn more about each of them.

Throughout each of the first four episodes, we clearly see Kate’s strong ability as a mediator.  So far she’s had cases that run the gamut from a DUI traffic incident that could destroy a buyout agreement the firm had been working on, a $10 million dispute over a botched marriage proposal, attempting to put a price on what 22 years in prison is worth for a man wrongfully convicted of murder, a case involving a high school football coach that isn’t at all what it seems, to a case involving a squabble over barbecue sauce, which also turns out to be much more of a story than it first appears.  Kate has an amazing ability to not only get to the heart and truth of the matters that appear before her, but to also find a reasonable, and often very creative, solution to the variety of disputes she mediates.  Win-Win!  Kate is definitely one of my favorite characters on television today.  She just jumps off the screen as someone that you would like to be, for her benevolent manipulative abilities, or as someone you would like to be friends with, so she could get you out of a jam.

I must touch on something that really bothers me about the show, however.  In the pilot episode, Kate had a Wizard of Oz ringtone and picture for each of the important people in her life, and I loved it. From the Wicked Witch Theme to warn her that her stepmother Lauren is calling, to the use of the Scarecrow for her brother Spencer, the Cowardly Lion for her assistant Leo, the Tin Man for her almost ex-husband Justin, and the Wizard for her father Teddy.  All of these ringtones say so much about those of import in Kate’s life and how she feels about each of them, and I found this to be an amazingly creative and fun way to express that to the audience.  Unfortunately, all but the Wicked Witch one didn’t continue into the following episodes.  I have to say that I greatly miss the ringtones and since they seemed to be an integral part of who Kate is and how she sees the people in her life, as evidenced by Justin’s comment in the pilot where he asks her if she has a “new Tin Man”, I find it very disappointing from a character continuity perspective for them to have just been disregarded.  I really hope they rectify the issue and somehow make the disappearing ringtones make sense.

I also need to make further mention of the relationship between Kate and her semi-ex Justin.  I happily declare them my favorite new TV couple.  I really look forward to seeing a lot more of them interacting with each other, as they light up the screen when they’re together, as well as learning more about their history and what caused them to become almost divorced.  In the majority of the interactions we’ve seen them in thus far, they seem to work well together and they clearly love each other.  There’s definitely an interesting backstory here and I desperately want to know what it is.  Yes, I’m hooked on them.

Photo by Alan Zenuk – © USA Network

And, let’s not forget David Smith, who was revealed in the second episode, “Priceless”, as the fourth person, outside of Kate, Lauren, and Spencer, to receive a share in Teddy’s will.  He hasn’t been mentioned since the reading of the will and I think that’s unfortunate.  It seemed to be a set up for a season long, or even a series long arc, but only mentioning him the one time and not referring to him again at all seems very odd to me.  I’d think that this family, especially being a family of tenacious lawyers, would be all about immediately finding out who this mystery man is and why he’s receiving an equal share of Teddy’s estate.  Hopefully they’ll at least bring up the issue of him again sometime soon, before the viewers forget about him entirely.  I don’t expect, or even want, a resolution of who he is anytime in the near future, but a mention of his existence is at the very least only reasonable.

So, all that to say, I’m still very much loving Fairly Legal, despite the issues I mentioned.  The show is charming, quirky, movingly dramatic when it should be and laugh out loud funny when you least expect it; overall it’s a complete joy to watch.  I’m thrilled to say that I have a new favorite show on Thursday night and this is it!

I’m going to fully admit upfront that I am one who is very anti-remake, as I generally don’t see the purpose of reworking something that’s already been done when there’s so much great original work out there not being put to good use.  Therefore, it was with some trepidation that I chose to watch this new version of Being Human, as I love the original BBC show.  Putting that hesitancy aside, however, I watched with an open mind and I was very pleasantly surprised by the opening sequence.  The initial voice over by Josh (Sam Huntington), the werewolf of the show, was phenomenal and I have to say that I loved that scene as much as, if not more than, anything that I love about the original.  Actually, I enjoyed almost every moment that the character of Josh was on screen.  Sam Huntington, with help from the writers, does a wonderful job of bringing the character fabulous wit and charm.  For me he was endearing and truly a joy to watch, even in his disturbing scenes.  I loved the song that accompanied the opening scenes, as well.  Actually, all of the music contained within the episode was great and well suited to the show.  Additionally, the episode was very visually appealing from beginning to end and the special effects were very well done in my opinion.  Another plus, something the British version does extremely well, was the dialogue.  It had its off moments without question, but for the most part, I found the dialogue to be very well written, and that was something that I had not anticipated.

Now for the not so good things about the show.  The first and worst for me is the character of Sally (Meaghan Rath), the ghost.  I honestly have to say that I’m not sure if it’s the character or the actress that is the problem here, but for most of the episode I found Sally to be unwatchable.  Her whining moments were beyond annoying to the point of being just plain intolerable.  I do give props to her final scene, however.   The moment when she reaches for the doorknob, in an effort to leave the house, was the only dramatically compelling point in time for the character.  Another negative for me was the character of Aidan (Sam Witwer).  I just have to question if the character name is an homage to Aidan Turner, the vampire Mitchell in the original show, or is it just an interesting coincidence.  Doesn’t really matter I guess, just something that made me wonder, but back to my thoughts on the character.  I admit to loving vampire characters for the most part, so I was very surprised to not care for Aidan.  Vampires should be dark, but they shouldn’t be dull.  Sadly, for me, this character didn’t appeal at all.

The thing that bothered me most about the episode was the preview sequence at the end.  Based on what was shown, it appears that this version is going to follow almost exactly the storyline of the original.  Not a problem for those who haven’t seen the original, but for those of us who have it will get really tiresome, very quickly, as we already know what’s going to happen.  I don’t know for certain that this will be the case; I’m solely basing that thought on the previews that were shown.  It is my great hope that they will be switching up more than just the character names to make the show more enjoyable for all of us, not just the newcomers to the Being Human world.

All of that being said, my overall feelings about the show are positive and I will definitely watch a few more episodes to see how it goes.  What the show does well, it does very well and I was beyond pleasantly surprised by that.  The things that aren’t so good are fixable and it’s my hope that they’ll work those issues out and change things up enough to keep it interesting and enjoyable.  Hopefully Syfy is listening.

Being Human Review- There Goes the Neighborhood, Part 2

I just need to state again, and can’t say enough, how much I really love the music used in the show.   Huge kudos to whomever is responsible for choosing it.  Keep up the great work!!  For anyone else who’s loving the music, here’s a link to Syfy’s  Being Human Playlist.

Now, for the rest of the episode.  I didn’t care for Sally’s opening voice-over at all, but did enjoy seeing a little of Aidan and Josh’s history during that opening scene.  I was very thankful that Sally didn’t whine quite as much in this second half of the pilot, but I still found nothing interesting or likable about her, I’m sorry to say.  I do still really love the visual effects used with her character, however.  Sadly, that’s all I like about her so far.  Moving on to Aidan, I was pleasantly surprised to have him grow on me a bit more.  I really didn’t care for him in the first half of the episode, again, as with Sally, there just wasn’t any appeal there for me.  Now, however, he seems to be becoming a character I could get attached to in time; and he had the best line of the episode when he says to Sally “You too, Amityville”.  Now to the darker side of his character, or maybe it’s my darker side.  Is it wrong that I was urging him to kill the very annoying nurse, as he did with Rebecca (Sarah Allen), or at least thought he did, in the first half of the pilot?  I completely admit being pleased when Rebecca got rid of her.  I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate another episode if that character stayed around.  I knew there was something I liked about Rebecca.  Bad me, I guess.  Actually, I’m guessing that her annoyance was purposeful for this very reason, but I could be totally wrong about that.  And finally there’s Josh, who was my favorite character from the beginning and he still holds that title. There’s a charm that San Huntington brings to this character that is undeniable and I truly enjoy every moment of screen time that he has.

Though I’m still not in love with the show, I’m interested enough to keep watching.  I  also want to reiterate that I really hope they’ll be making more changes to the original show than what they’ve done so far.  There was the addition of the character of Josh’s sister, Emily (Alison Louder), which was nice, and I hope that they’ll be doing a little  more changing up of the character’s storylines to keep it interesting for everyone watching.

So, what are your thoughts about the show?  I’d love to hear from both viewers of the original BBC show and from those who are for the first time being introduced to our roommate trio; so feel free to leave a comment.

By Marcilene St. John

“The guilty paid the price, the innocent went free, and all is right with the world.”  Fairly Legal premiered tonight, and that quote from it sums up what I’m sure will be the focus of episodes to come, just as it was this pilot episode.  The series centers around Kate Reed (Sarah Shahi), formerly a lawyer in her recently deceased father’s law firm, as she ventures forth into a new career as a mediator.   I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from this show, but whatever I was expecting, I was very pleasantly surprised with what I received.

It’s rare that I can find almost no fault in a television show, especially a pilot episode.  Leave it to USA to do it again and give us yet another winner!  Never have lawyers been so much fun to watch and who knew that mediation could be so endearing.  Okay, I admit that Kate’s extreme ease of mediation throughout her daily life, from talking a convenience store holdup man into accepting beer and beef jerky instead of cash to sorting out her firms actual legal cases, is not very realistic, but with so much else done right who cares.  The point of the show is that she’s a great mediator, due to some natural skill and her legal background, so let’s just all go with the unlikelihood that she is the most amazing mediator ever.  I’m fine with that.

There was so much to love from beginning to end, and everywhere in between, that I’m not sure where to start praising this great show.  So, since I need to start somewhere, I’m going with my favorite of the fun quirks, Kate’s Wizard of Oz ringtones.  I love the Wizard of Oz and one can never go wrong in my book by paying homage to it.  From the Wicked Witch bike ride music to warn her that her stepmother Lauren is calling, to the use of the Scarecrow for her brother Spencer, the Cowardly Lion for her assistant Leo, the Tin Man for her semi-ex, Justin, and the Wizard for her father, each says so much about those of import in her life.

Secondly, and maybe even more importantly for me personally, is the setting of San Francisco.  As someone who was born in San Francisco, and spent most of her life in the S. F. Bay Area, it always brings joy to my heart to see the city on film.  What I especially loved is that they actually filmed there rather than just using stock footage of San Francisco to give the impression of being there; my gracious thanks to the show’s producers for that.

Lastly, I want to touch on each of the main characters, starting with Kate.  How can you not love her and who wouldn’t want to be her?  She just jumps off the screen as someone who you would like to be, for her benevolent manipulative abilities, or as someone you would like to be friends with, so she could get you out of a jam.  And, as a completely selfish desire, I’d really love to have her wardrobe, especially her shoes.  Don’t judge.  Kate’s assistant Leo (Baron Vaughn) is just the right combination of helpful, quirky and snarky; and you can’t not love his geekness.  Kate’s semi-ex, Justin (Michael Trucco), is also completely endearing and I’m not entirely sure why.  Just take my word for it that he is.  Even Kate’s “wicked” stepmother Lauren (Virginia Williams) had some moments that made me feel for her.  All of the characters we have met so far bring something great to the show and I’m looking forward to seeing more of each of them.

Fairly Legal is charming, quirky, movingly dramatic when it should be, and laugh out loud funny when you least expect it; overall it’s a complete joy to watch.  I don’t know how USA picks winner after winner, but I’m sure glad they do.  You need to watch this show!

Thankfully, Syfy was kind enough to post a playlist for the series and here’s the link for those who are interested in the music used on the show.  Being Human Playlist

Enjoy! : )

I am writing this in a fairly sleep deprived state, so apologies in advance for any nonsensical comments or typos.  Actually, I pretty much function day-to-day in a sleep deprived state.  Honestly, at this point, I’m not sure how I manage to function at all.  I can’t even remember when the last time was that I slept through the night.  I’m awake at least every two hours, and that’s the good nights, usually it’s more like hourly waking.  I don’t often have trouble falling asleep, but staying asleep is something that never happens for me.  So, my quest for the new year, in addition to my previous resolutions, is to find a way to actually get a good night’s rest.

In an effort to find a way to accomplish this goal, I purchased both Melatonin and Valerian Root yesterday at the drug store, as several people recommended both.  Each are natural supplements and that seemed to be the healthier way to go.  I’ve taken other sleep aids in the past, usually containing Diphenhydramine, and though they do help me to sleep a little better, I always wake up feeling very groggy in the morning and that lethargic state lasts for much of the next day.  Therefore, my preference is to not keep going that route, but to find a better and preferably drug-free way.

I decided that rather than take both together last night, I would take them separately over a couple of nights to see exactly what each does for me.  Last night was the Melatonin, which claims to be a clinically studied supplement that promotes relaxation and sleep while allowing the taker to wake up refreshed and revitalized.  Sounds like just what I need, right?  I purchases 5 mg gelcaps and the directions say to take one at bedtime.  I did as instructed and though I generally don’t have trouble falling asleep, I definitely did last night after taking it.  I’m not entirely sure that I even slept at all.  About a half hour after taking the pill, I started to feel a little drowsy, but more in a groggy way than a restful way.  As the hours passed, all I felt was very zombified.  I didn’t feel sleepy at all; actually, I was drowsier before I took the pill.  For me the entire night was like being in some sort of semi-conscious daze.  I remember dreaming, but feeling like I was completely awake while doing so.  Needless to say, my night of hopefully great sleep turned out instead to be one of the most bizarre nights of sleep, or rather no sleep, that I have ever experienced.  So, what’s up?  Is it just me?  Do I not respond to this hormone, which our bodies produce naturally, by the way, that is linked to our sleep/wake cycles?  Did I take too high a dosage, too low?  Lots of questions I know, but these are the things I’m questioning right now.  So, does anyone out there have any insight into this?  If so, I would love to know your thoughts.

Moving on, I do plan to take the Valerian Root next.  Probably not for a day or two though, after the unpleasant experience with the Melatonin.  I purchased 450 mg capsules of the Valerian Root, as that was the only option at my local store.  The directions say to take one to five capsules at bedtime.  That is quite a large range in my opinion, so I have no clue how much of this I should take.  My instinct is to start with just one and see what happens and that is most likely what I will choose to do.  Anyone know what the standard recommended dosage is for this product?  Additionally, are there any strange side effects I should be aware of before taking it?  Yes, call me a little hesitant after the bizarreness of last night.  Still, I need to start getting some decent sleep and I’m still in the arena of being willing to try anything to achieve that goal.

I know I’m not the only one who has sleep issues and I’m sure others would like some good advice on this subject, as well.   So, help us out here.  If you have any thoughts and/or experiences with the above two supplements, please share them.  Also, if you have other great tips on getting a good night’s sleep, I would love to know what they are.  Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and share your thoughts.  Hopefully many of us can be helped out here.

The new Americanized version of Being Human premiered last night on the Syfy network.  I’m going to fully admit upfront that I am one who is very anti-remake, as I generally don’t see the purpose of reworking something that’s already been done when there’s so much great original work out there not being put to good use.  Therefore, it was with some trepidation that I chose to watch last night, as I love the original BBC show.  Putting that hesitancy aside, however, I watched with an open mind and I was very pleasantly surprised by the opening sequence.  The initial voice over by Josh (Sam Huntington), the werewolf of the show, was phenomenal and I have to say that I loved that scene as much as, if not more than, anything that I love about the original.  Actually, I enjoyed almost every moment that the character of Josh was on screen.  Sam Huntington, with help from the writers, does a wonderful job of bringing the character fabulous wit and charm.  For me he was endearing and truly a joy to watch, even in his disturbing scenes.  I loved the song that accompanied the opening scenes, as well, and for that matter, all of the music contained within the episode was great and well suited to the show.  Additionally, the episode was very visually appealing from beginning to end and the special effects were very well done in my opinion.  Another plus, something the British version does extremely well, was the dialogue.  It had its off moments without question, but for the most part, I found the dialogue to be very well written, and that was something that I had not anticipated.

Now for the not so good things about the show.  The first and worst for me is the character of Sally (Meaghan Rath), the ghost.  I honestly have to say that I’m not sure if it’s the character or the actress that is the problem here, but for most of the episode I found Sally to be unwatchable.  Her whining moments were beyond annoying to the point of being just plain intolerable.  I do give props to her final scene, however.   The moment when she reaches for the doorknob, in an effort to leave the house, and her hand goes through, was the only dramatically compelling point in time for the character.  Maybe this scene worked so well because she wasn’t speaking at all in it.  I hope that doesn’t seem too harsh, but it’s how the character struck me.  Completely opposite of my expectations, I might add, as the character of Annie, the ghost in the BBC show, is my favorite of the three main characters.  Sadly, the best thing about the original for me is the worst thing about this version.  Another negative for me was the character of Aidan (Sam Witwer).  I just have to question if the character name is an homage to Aidan Turner, the vampire Mitchell in the original show, or is it just an interesting coincidence.  Doesn’t really matter I guess, just something that made me wonder, but back to my thoughts on the character.  I admit to loving vampire characters for the most part, so this again was against my expectations.  Vampires should be dark, but they shouldn’t be dull.  Sadly, for me, this character, or maybe it’s just bad casting, didn’t appeal at all.  I will give one positive to both of these characters, however, by touching on the scene where Aidan tries to touch Sally’s hand.  The visuals of the scene were great and the emotion was well felt.

The one thing that bothered me most about the episode was the preview sequence at the end.  Based on what was shown it appears that this version is going to follow almost exactly the storyline of the original.  Not a problem for those who haven’t seen the original, but for those of us who have it will get really tiresome, very quickly, as we already know what’s going to happen.  I don’t know for certain that this will be the case; I’m solely basing that thought on the previews that were shown.  It is my great hope that they will be switching up more than just the character names to make the show potentially enjoyable for all of us, not just the newcomers to the Being Human world.  I believe they are calling this “original” Syfy version a re-imagining, rather than a re-make, and therefore it really should have something new to offer in my opinion.

All of that being said, my overall feelings about the show are positive and I will definitely watch a few more episodes to see how it goes.  What the show does well, it does very well and I was beyond pleasantly surprised by that.  The things that aren’t so good are fixable and it’s my hope that they’ll work those issues out and change things up enough to make this an interesting and enjoyable show for all of us.  Hopefully Syfy is listening.

I would love to know your thoughts about the show as well, both from viewers of the original and from those who are for the first time being introduced to our roommate trio, so feel free to leave a comment.

Love Machine

Oh, yeah
I’m just a love machine and I won’t work for nobody but you
Yeah, baby, I’m just a love machine
A hugging kissing fiend

I think it’s high time you knew
Whenever I think of you
My mind blows a fuse
When I look in your eyes
My meter starts to rise
And I become confused
My motor cranked electric goes
When I’m sitting next to you
Electricity starts to flow
And my indicator starts to glow

I, I, I’m just a love machine and I won’t work for nobody but you
I’m just a love machine, yeah, baby
A hugging kissing fiend
La-La la la la-La la la la-La la
La la la la la-La la la-La laaaaaaaaa
I, I, I’m just a love machine and I won’t work for nobody but you
I’m just a love machine, yeah, baby
A hugging kissing fiend

I’m gentle as a lamb
I’m not that hard to program
There’s no way that you can lose
Chassis fits like a glove
I’ve got a button for love
That you’ve got to use (push it, push it baby)
If you look into my power
I am sure you can find out how
To turn me on just set my dial
And let me love you for a little while, ooooooh

I, I, I’m just a love machine and I won’t work for nobody but you
I’m just a love machine, yeah, baby
A hugging kissing fiend
La-La la la la-La la la la-La la
La la la la la-La la la-La laaaaaaaaa
Push it push it baby, aaaaaah

I, I, I’m just a love machine and I won’t work for nobody but you
I’m just a love machine, (yeah, baby)
A hugging kissing fiend, (ah, ah)

I’m just a love machine and I won’t work for nobody but you
I’m just a love machine, (he, baby)
A hugging kissing fiend

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Since I didn’t have time to share yesterday’s song, I’m going to just add it on here.  Yesterday morning I woke up to “Those Magic Changes”, the Sha Na Na version from the movie version of Grease.  I never knew that this song was actually written specifically for the broadway musical.

Those Magic Changes

What’s that playing on the radio,
why do I start swaying to and fro
I have never heard that song before,
but if I don’t hear it anymore
It’s still familiar to me, sends a thrill right through me
Cause those chords remind me of the night that
I first fell in love to
Those magic changes my heart arranges
A melody that’s never the same,
a melody that’s calling your name
It begs you please, come back to me
Please, return to me, don’t go away again,
oh make them play again
The music I wanna hear is once again,
you whisper in my ear
Oh my darling, aha I’ll be waiting by the radio,
you’ll come back to me someday, I know
Been so long since our last goodbye, but I’m singin’ as I cry
While the bass is sounding, while the drums are pounding
Beatings of my broken heart will rise the first place of the charts
Oh my heart arranges, oh those magic changes,
oooh yeah

That’s all for now.

Band Aid was the brainchild of Geldof and the original assemblage that recorded this song consisted of the following members: Adam Clayton, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof, Steve Norman, Chris Cross, John Taylor, Paul Young, Tony Hadley, Glenn Gregory, Simon Le Bon, Simon Crowe, Marilyn, Keren Woodward, Martin Kemp, Jody Watley, Bono, Paul Weller, James “J.T” Taylor, George Michael, Midge Ure, Martyn Ware, John Keeble, Gary Kemp, Roger Taylor, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Sting, Pete Briquette, Francis Rossi, Robert Bell, Dennis Thomas, Andy Taylor, Jon Moss, Rick Parfitt, Nick Rhodes, Johnny Fingers, David Bowie, Boy George, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Stuart Adamson, Bruce Watson, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki.

Here are the lyrics:

Do They Know It’s Christmas

It’s Christmastime; there’s no need to be afraid
At Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade
And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime
But say a prayer to pray for the other ones
At Christmastime

It’s hard, but when you’re having fun
There’s a world outside your window
And it’s a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears

And the Christmas bells that ring there
Are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you

And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime
The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life
Oh, where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow
Do they know it’s Christmastime at all?

Here’s to you, raise a glass for ev’ryone
Here’s to them, underneath that burning sun
Do they know it’s Christmastime at all?

Feed the world
Feed the world

Feed the world
Let them know it’s Christmastime again
Feed the world
Let them know it’s Christmastime again

No idea why this would have popped into my head during the night, but can’t go wrong with a group of people coming together to help others in need. The single raised approximately 14 million dollars for African famine relief.  Sounds like a win to me.