IN WHICH The Girl Breaks Codes

BBC Night - the night in which I watch British shows with my grad school friends - had hit a lull for a few months. We had run out of episodes of the shows we often watch and hadn't come across a good, new one yet. Instead, we had spent a couple months of our get togethers re-watching mini-series we had already seen and trying out dissatisfying shows. But then we read this description on Netflix: "When former codebreaker Susan Gray spots a hidden pattern in a series of murders, she enlists her wartime friends to try and track down the murderer." Codebreakers! Smart women working together! Crime solving! We immediately knew The Bletchley Circle was the show for us.

While on the surface The Bletchley Circle appears to be a show about a group of women investigating a crime on their own, the show mainly revolves around the after-effects of war. We are first introduced to the four main characters when they work in Bletchely Park, the British government's site for codebreakers during WWII. I think one of the reasons I was so drawn to the show was because I loved The Imitation Game, and you can see the Turing machine working away in the background. A German Enigma also becomes useful at one point in the show. Due to their high intelligence, these women worked out of Bletchley finding patterns in Nazi communications and were instrumental in the war.

However, the timeline quickly jumps forward seven years. The war is long over and lives have returned to "normal." We get to see how differently people react to life after the war, and how both men and women are affected. Susan, the main character played by the wonderful Anna Maxwell Martin (see her in North and South, Bleak House, Death Comes to Pemberley), has since become a housewife and mother. Her husband is a vet whose leg was injured by the war. Within this one marriage, we see two drastically different reactions to the end of the war. Susan's husband relishes the quiet, almost boring, job that he now has with the government. The trauma of the war and his handicap has led him to avoid risks of any sort in his current life. Susan, on the other hand, misses the excitement of the war. She's genius-level smart, but her intelligence was only considered useful during the war. Once the war ended, she had to return to a more traditionally female role. On top of that, Susan can't even tell anyone about her important role in the war due to the Official Secrets Act. Her husband seems to have never noticed that she's smarter than the average crayon, and once this becomes obvious, he is clearly emasculated by the concept.

We see an interesting juxtaposition of ideas about women as Susan starts her investigation of a series of murders based on patterns she notices in the news reports. When she first introduces the idea to her husband, he thinks she is being ridiculous, but the only way she can get someone higher up to listen to her is through her husband. To placate her, he uses his government connections to get a meeting with the police. The police inspector is actually willing to give her the time of day because of his suppositions about her part in the war, being a military man himself. So again we see a respect for women's intelligence when related to war, but rarely outside of it. Of course, when her first clue doesn't pan out, no one will give her the time of day a second time. However, this gives her a great excuse to collect her former codebreaking friends and solve it themselves.

The murder mystery, without giving too much away, also ends up relating back to the war. This time we see the disturbing psychological effects war can have on people. A man who probably had some issues to begin with is then traumatized by a horrifying event in the war. Seven years later, he is still reacting to that trauma. In addition, the show portrays what people within the military might do to protect their wartime secrets.

Overall, I recommend The Bletchley Circle not only because it has an interesting mix of characters and mystery, but also because it takes an good look at how war doesn't end when the fighting stops and the position of women both during and after WWII.

Warning: The first series of The Bletchley Circle is excellent, and the first two episodes of Series 2 are good, but stop there. Things fall apart in the last two episodes of Series 2. It's best to pretend those don't exist.

IN WHICH The Girl Hides from Ghosts

Happy Halloween everyone! Many people would see Halloween as the time to break into the horror movies. I, however, have never been able to deal with scary movies. The stress is just too much for me. I also jump out of my chair whenever something pops out of nowhere, even when I know it's coming. What's a girl to do in October then?

Since I actually do love supernatural and science fiction stories with suspense and a little bit (but not too much) scare, I watch those instead of Saw. I've spent the last couple weeks catching up on a large variety of both good and bad shows about not-too-frightening things that go bump in the night.

I re-watched the 7th season of Buffy, which instead of making me hide under my covers is like a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold night. I know not everyone thinks highly of Buffy's final season, but I actually like it a lot. I will say that "Conversations with Dead People" does still gives me the heebie jeebies though, so that's a good episode for Halloween watching.

Next was part of The Secret Circle. I will admit that this show is awful and it only got one season on the CW. But it's about a circle of teen witches and demon possessions, so it works for Halloween.

Yesterday, I went with part of the first season of the British teen show, Wolfblood. Despite it's ridiculousness, I kind of love this series about a family of wolfbloods - similar to werewolves - living in this tiny village in Britain. It's the type of show that would be on ABC Family in America, but it's hilarious and cute. I made my friend watch a few episodes though, and she totally judged me for my life choices.

I did finally go outside of the teenland to watch Fringe today as well. Fringe is one of my favorites, but it's been awhile since I went back and watched the beginning. I forgot how gross some of the cases they investigate are, which does actually work well for Halloween. I think what's most frightening about Fringe, at least at the beginning before it gets super crazy, is that the idea of some crazy scientists doing all sorts of experiments for the military back in the 70s that are now reeking havoc on the world is just slightly plausible. I also enjoy the highly evolving mythology of the show, and I'm a sucker for anything with parallel universes. Plus, Joshua Jackson. And the amazing antics of John Noble's character, Walter.

What do you watch for Halloween?

Anyways, now I need to go put on my utterly not scary costume of Madeline, the little French girl from the children's books.

IN WHICH The Girl Relives Her Twenties

How much would you give to be 26 again? This question does not count if you are 27. Two shows - on surprising channels - took on this same theme during the spring, producing an interesting look at the ups and downs of reliving the good ol' days.

VH1's Hindsight goes the science fiction route back to the 90s. Becca, about to embark on her second marriage in her early 40s, suddenly travels back in time via a magical elevator to the eve of her first wedding twenty years earlier. Fully aware of her time travel, Becca must navigate the 90s and decide which past wrongs should be righted. This is the ultimate game of "what if?" What if you had quit that job before you learned it went nowhere? What if you had noticed your brother's drug problems earlier? What if you didn't marry the no-good man? We all wonder about different choices we could or should have made in the past, particularly the big life decisions of our twenties, and Becca has the impossible chance to find out the answers. However, while it seems easy to just make a new choice, Becca quickly finds out that knowing the future doesn't mean you can prevent it, and making "better" decisions can have disastrous effects. Becca ultimately just has to struggle through the 90s again, hoping she's doing the right thing like all the rest of us. At least she gets to listen to great music in her twenty-year-old body. 

Younger, on TV Land of all places, has a more realistic, if still somewhat unbelievable, premise. Upon leaving her husband and finding herself financially stricken (said husband gambled all the money away), Liza attempts to find a career after 15 years away raising her daughter. She quickly discovers that she's considered too old and inexperienced to get a book publishing job. Since she looks young and her daughter is studying abroad, the 40-year-old Liza decides to pretend she's 26 and lands a marketing assistant position. In this act, she befriends other twenty-somethings - who introduce her to the crazy hot mess of being young with some spending money - and she even starts dating a hot tattoo artist. However, Liza must learn the intricacies of social media, the lingo, and the norms (shaving trends have changed since she got married). She eventually loses out on some great opportunities only her age and experience could provide because she has to pretend she doesn't understand the perspective of a 40-year-old woman. Liza's adventures let us see how fun, but exhausting and limiting, returning to your twenties could be. 

These are both entertaining shows that feed on the nostalgia many feel for the past, but Younger is the better show. Hindsight provides an awesome time capsule of the 90s - the music, the clothes, the trends - which I love. Plus, it contains a great sidekick in Lolly. Becca, nevertheless, quickly gets annoying in her constantly switching love interests and ideas about how to fix the future. On the other hand, Sutton Foster's portrayal of Liza is utterly delightful. Younger is funny and cute with story lines that evolve steadily and keep the audience invested. It has the same feel as Sex and the City, which makes sense as it has the same producer. I can't wait for the next season in January!

Speaking of awesome shows on unlikely channels, everyone should check out UnREAL on Lifetime. My boss came in this morning explaining how she was so tired because she stayed up until two in the morning binge watching all the current episodes. I did the exact same thing last week. UnREAL is a scripted show about producing a reality series like The Bachelor. It follows the producers as they manipulate the competitors in truly awful ways to make drama. It's addicting as all get out!

IN WHICH The Girl Wants Waffles

Random question of the day: do people actually meet up for breakfast on a weekday? While watching Friends the other day, I noticed how often the characters eat breakfast together. In fact, this group waffle time is quite common on television. Now this might just be my abhorrence of all things morning speaking, but really? These people take the time to move to another location and hang out together before heading to work at a normal time? I don't buy it. However, maybe real people do this regularly, and I just missed the invite. 

Let's address this one point at a time. First point of contention with television portrayals of breakfast: the characters actually eat a full breakfast at a designated place - i.e. not on the go. Yes, yes, I do know that people do this; I've just rarely really seen them. When I was very young, my mom got out the cereal and all that, but from my teenage years on we were each responsible for our own breakfasts. Therefore, mine usually consisted of a yogurt consumed standing while waiting for another family member to grab his coat or in the car on the way to school. These habits followed me into adulthood. As I mentioned, I hate mornings. I'm a night owl at heart and give myself the least amount of time physically needed to get ready in the morning. As a result, I always eat breakfast at work instead of at home. I've noted this habit in a good deal of the people I've lived and worked with as well. So, while possible, I find it unlikely that most people - real or fictional - give themselves enough time to eat a nice sit-down breakfast before work.

The young women of Gossip Girl at least eat fairly realistic breakfast items on the go, such as yogurt and muffins. However, they actually got up in enough time before school to meet before classes started. I remember a couple special occasions where my friends and I went to breakfast before the bell rang in high school, but there was no way I was dragging my butt out of bed early every day, even for social brownie points. Hmm, maybe that was the reason I wasn't part of the in-crowd. 

Point number two: these shows imply that people often get together for breakfast. I see this the most in sitcoms, such as Friends. Granted, I understand that all of the characters on this show live near each other except for Phoebe. It's not like they have to travel across the city. However, this still seems unlikely. I've lived in a Friends situation before where I lived with one friend, another lived on the floor below me, and another lived right across the street. We were pretty cool if I say so myself! Nevertheless, we never once got together for breakfast on a weekday. I don't think it was ever even suggested. On that matter, I've never eaten a weekday breakfast at home with a roommate. Everyone is in a hurry and on a different schedule in the mornings. Now, weekends are a different matter. I do love to brunch.

Last point: if the characters aren't cooks themselves, they venture out to get a full breakfast instead of grabbing something ready-made like yogurt. The women of Gilmore Girls go to Luke's diner almost every morning before school/work. For one, this takes even more time than eating at home due to transport, even if it's just a couple blocks away. Plus, you have to be completely ready before you leave.  It also cannot be good for you to eat all the yummy breakfast foods - eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes - on a daily basis. I know I'm getting old when I really worry about the food a television mom gives her daughter. Almost all the meals Lorelai and Rory eat are bad for you. Lastly, isn't this an expensive habit?

If you are rich enough, however, you can get a cook to make you a nice fancy breakfast at home. Oh the beautiful lives of the Upper East Side. I must be craving a Gossip Girl binge. 

I know not every television show provides such idyllic morning gatherings, and some people probably do have a similar daily ritual to the Friends clan. But how common is the breakfast meet up? You tell me.

IN WHICH The Girl Needs a Man

You mean women can work, drive, and even open tough bottle caps??? Who knew? Apparently, not the 1950s. Not that this is surprising. It is, however, entertaining to see ads from the 50s and 60s.

So I was looking for a new paper topic for my class, one they might find semi-interesting - a treat for getting through my enforced discussion of free speech in response to terrorism. Granted, my idea of interesting is usually very different from a college student's. I was looking for an article about the abundance of phrases like "man up" or "be a man" in commercials. Oddly enough, I couldn't find a good news article about this topic. You'd think there would be tons. Get on that, The New York Times. In the search, I came across this article, "26 Sexist Ads of the 'Mad Men' Era That Companies Wish We'd Forget." I was tickled by all the ads. So we are going to write about whether gender stereotypes have actually evolved or not in the last fifty years. Yay! At least they might laugh at a few ads.

Now, I just need some ads from today that display current gender stereotypes for comparing and contrasting purposes. Don't worry; I have some ideas. I'm always up for suggestions though.

Coincidentally, while writing this post, I was watching the Parks and Recreation "Pie-Mary" episode, which just happened to revolve around gender stereotypes during elections. Hilarious! 

“Where are the Male Men? You’re ridiculous. And men’s rights is nothing.”

"There is no bigger defender of gender equality than Leslie Knope. And my husband Ben is a progressive champion of women’s rights." ---- "Babe, the oven’s ready. Chop, chop. Time to get baking. Daddy want pie!"

IN WHICH The Girl Pits Jess Against Mindy

Fall television is back! Fall television is back!! 

While not many shows have premiered their new seasons yet, we did receive the first round of fresh television this week, including New Girl and The Mindy Project. So which one is better? Last season, The Mindy Project started to rise above New Girl - in my opinion - and the two premieres just confirmed that I'm way more excited by Mindy than Jess today.

Fox airs both shows in aligning time slots on Tuesday nights, and they fit well together. The two sitcoms focus on groups of thirty-somethings, centered around one main female protagonist, trying to figure out their lives. I am drawn to both shows, as well as the sadly departed Happy Endings, because they portray how ridiculous life can still be in your early thirties. Here we have large ensembles of primarily single people, many of whom are still trying to find decent jobs and live with roommates. I just might be able to relate.

New Girl did play up one aspect of this lifestyle in season four's first episode. Jess, the no longer new girl, and her large group of roommates - okay, while I can deal with one roommate, I don't think I could live with four other people at this point in my life - attend the last wedding of the summer. They bemoan the large number of announcements about engagements, weddings, babies, and other accomplishments. Jess wonders, "Why can't I have a party for really dedicating myself to knitting this summer?" I totally agree with this sentiment. I think 80 percent of my friends either had a wedding or a baby in the last year. Yes, I'm incredibly happy for them, but it gets overwhelming. Plus, I want presents too. Just because I haven't met the love of my life yet doesn't mean I don't deserve a set of all new kitchen appliances.

The wedding blues entertained me (along with Nick's tap shoes), but overall the episode left me thinking, "Meh..." I heard this season will amp up the sexiness, and I guess all of the characters tried to find a hook up for the evening, but it didn't really feel "sexy" despite the sex fist jokes. They are clearly trying to move past the Jess and Nick relationship while still acknowledging it, but I don't think the series has entirely figured out how to do that yet. Encouraging each other to go sleep with someone else a few months after they broke up felt awkward and a little cringe worthy, especially since that hook up might occur in the shared apartment. Plus, can they seriously give Winston something to do? He's very funny but has no story lines whatsoever. The past success of the show mainly relied on the group dynamic - Jess on her own takes quirkiness to an annoying level - and this episode did emphasize their friendship: "We're not going home alone." Last season was very hit or miss, and I'm hoping New Girl will return to its former glory at some point during season four.

The Mindy Project, however, has steadily improved over time. It had a rocky start, but by season two had settled into a reliably funny thirty minutes of television. Both Mindy and Jess fit into the "adorkable" mold, but as singular characters, Mindy's personality is easier to digest and her role is more necessary to the show. The show uses and pokes fun at romantic comedies regularly, making Mindy's idealistic views of life and romance, based on watching way too many movies, lead to revamped romantic comedy moments. For example, last season ended with Mindy and Danny, the series' will they or won't they couple, meeting at the top of the Empire State Building, but Mindy had to climb the stairs so she's collapsed in the doorway hyperventilating.

Season three's premiere has Mindy and Danny established as a couple but still trying to figure out how to mix their interests - "What is a relationship if not doing things you hate in between sex sessions?" -  and their personal/professional lives since Mindy keeps telling everyone at the office about their sexual exploits. As they switch from a friendship to a relationship, they also encounter new information about their pasts, such as Danny's stripper (!!) background. And then Danny dances. Yep, this may have been the winning moment for me. Hopefully, The Mindy Project can manage this relationship better than Jess and Nick in New Girl, and the signs look good for an entertaining season.

IN WHICH The Girl Returns to College

If you saw my post about Buffy, you might have guessed that I have a not-so-secret obsession with teen dramas. Oddly enough, my interest does not stem from the most obvious reason: nostalgia for watching these shows as an actual teen. I only sporadically watched the popular shows of my teenage years when the WB aired them, such as Dawson’s Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 7^th Heaven, and Felicity. For the entirety of my teen years, I danced until nine o-clock every weeknight, right smack through prime time television. I made a couple attempts at taping shows on my VCR, but I didn't have the time, energy, or ability to tape every episode of a show. Man, do I appreciate the emergence of the DVR. However, my interest in these shows today still has its roots in nostalgia – nostalgia for the nineties, the music, the clothing, high school, and the drama of being a teen that while entertaining I only want to experience vicariously at this point in my life.

A few weeks ago I started re-watching Felicity and it tapped into a specific type of nostalgia for the college experience. The first season of Felicity really revolves around all the firsts of college, which brings back a lot of memories. Watching it, I realized that there are few shows that revolve primarily around college instead of high school. Many shows start in high school and move unsuccessfully to college. Felicity started in college so it didn't have to split up it's main cast or pretend everyone from high school ended up at exactly the same college. The show more effectively portrays the college experience than most teen shows.

In addition, most teen dramas today portray high school students as independent (few parental influences and the ability to essentially do what they want), sexually experienced, jaded towards the ways of the world, and fairly confident, at least by the time the kids graduate school. Felicity does not portray any of these things. I appreciate that here is an 18 year old girl who is totally clueless; she’s naïve, innocent, nerdy, neurotic, impulsive, and unsure of herself. It reminds me of me at that age. She exemplifies the excitement and fear of that freshman year of college perfectly.

Not only is the character of Felicity relatable (for some), the series provides many great examples of the college lifestyle. I read an article that said Felicity’s University of New York "doesn't nail exactly how college is so much as how it seems like it should feel." I agree that it includes many ridiculous elements (have you seen the size of her dorm room), but there are enough recognizable characteristics to make me squeal, “Oh my God, I remember that,” multiple times throughout the show.

Most Collegy College Moments in Felicity

1. Welcome to College

In the show, we see the college first of the firsts, meaning all those things you do the very first week of school. Felicity gets her student ID picture taken, decides what courses to take, sees her dorm room for the first time, and meets her roommate (sort of). All huge moments.

When she's getting her college ID photo, Felicity explains that she wants a good one because she'll have to live with it for the next four years. On that first day, four years of college seems like forever. You can't imagine how fast that time will go. The image catches you at the moment when everything looks bright and hopeful. Well, only for a moment in Felicity's case. While getting the picture taken, she sees the boy from her high school that she actually followed to college. Oh, did I not mention that Felicity is crazy? Her high school crush, whom she's never talked to, writes a nice letter in her yearbook and she up and changes her college plans from Stanford to New York to be near him. Granted, have you seen Scott Speedman's goofy grin? I'd probably follow him too.

Visiting your dorm room and meeting your roommate for the first time is probably the most monumental moments of arriving at college. Even if you have talked to your roommate on the phone, it's a little scary to meet this new person you will spend an entire year with for the first time. You desperately hope he or she will be your new best friend. Sometimes this works out; I luckily had a great roommate and stuck with her throughout all of college. Sometimes it doesn't. Felicity ends up with a crazyass goth chick who thinks she's a wiccan and hides a very mysterious box under her bed. However, Meghan ends up having the most interesting character development throughout the series and provides endless entertainment. She'd be terrifying at first, nonetheless.

2. Dorm Living

Felicity shows a lot of the ups and downs of living in a dorm during the first couple seasons. You really only spend a few hours in class a week; therefore, your main experiences at the beginning of college occur in the dorm. You meet your first friends there, you eat there, you sleep there, and you attempt to study there. In the show, we see lots of floor meetings, resident advisers, students attempting to do laundry and turning everything pink, dorm parties, and the cafeteria, most of which I remember well from college. I never turned anything pink though (and I'm not entirely convinced this happens in real life and not just on television). On Felicity, they even play the assassins game - you get a card with the name of another dorm member and hunt them down with a Nerf gun to obtain their card, continuing until one radiant survivor is left standing - that we definitely played my first semester at school.

The dorm item that cracks me up the most in Felicity is the mini-fridge. The mini-fridge comes up again and again during the first two years. On the show there's a lottery for mini-fridges, meaning not everyone gets one, and this causes tension and conspiracy theories among the dorm residents. I remember how exciting those little fridges were. For some reason, being able to store your own food, and not very much of it, caused all sorts of grown-up feelings. A symbol of independence! I also love Felicity's excitement at putting the first thing in her fridge: an apple. I'm fairly sure our mini-fridge in college mainly contained contraband alcohol. 

I had a very odd freshman dorm experience, living in a Radison Hotel (RadHo!) because there was an overflow of new students without enough dorm rooms. The Radison held five floors of college freshman among the regular hotel guests. God, they must have hated us. While they did move dorm beds and desks into our rooms, we still had the individual bathrooms, the televisions with cable, and maid service every once in awhile. So spoiled. After the first semester, BU moved us onto the regular campus, though we mainly ended up in upper classman housing because those rooms opened up faster due to students studying abroad and graduating early. Overall, I got very lucky in my dorm rooms.

3. It's Nice to Meet You

Now, if you go to a state school near your home, then you would have a bevy of friends from high school to start the year off with. However, Felicity went across the country to school and only knew one person there from high school - as did I. Therefore, the dorm, should you live in one, becomes the meeting ground for most of your friendships. Most of Felicity's long term friendships start that first semester in the dorm: Julie (though they technically met in class, they do live across the hall from each other as well), Elena, Noel, Meghan, and Richard (should you want to call him her friend). Proximity plays a big role in forming friendships, and these people live right next door. Plus, those first few weeks of college are slightly terrifying, so finding a few people to help you through the process is key.

For at least Felicity and me, these freshman year meetings form the core of your friendships throughout college. For me, living in the hotel really bonded our group of students because we were farther away from the main campus and not only lived together but traveled back and forth to classes and dining together. Most of my friends throughout college lived in that same dorm with me the first semester of school, and that goes for the friends I have today as well. I still see two of my college best friends regularly (I'm actually going to hang out with them this afternoon), and we're all RadHo alumni.

What about the romance? College provides an onslaught of potential mates, plus you are still dealing with all those annoying teenage hormones so every crush feels ginormous. Felicity obsesses over her Ben crush to a stalkerish degree, hopefully more than the normal girl, but it's easy to remember how big those feelings seemed. However, she also experiences all of the dating firsts with Noel, which is very entertaining to watch. The Ben vs. Noel dilemma creates much of the show's drama. For me, it really depends on which episodes I'm watching and at what point in my life. In the first season, Noel definitely wins the contest, but later he becomes annoying and clingy and Ben gains character. You can still find plenty of articles arguing for one beau over the other, so clearly the triangle gained a passionate response from the audience.

Lastly, parents can play a big role in your college experience. One of the hardest things to do when starting school is figure out how to mix your past relationships - parents, friends, significant others - with your new relationships. For Felicity, she has the hardest time doing this with her parents. They are understandably worried when she changes her college plans a couple months before school starts. However, they take this too far, trying over and over again to drag her back to California to focus on medicine instead of art (the girl is still going to a good college - chill). We quickly learn that Felicity's decision to move to New York has less to do with Ben and more to do with making a move towards independence from her parents. Breaking away from your parents and trying to determine your own identity away from past influences can be extremely difficult, but it is a necessary part of growing up.

4. Major? What Major?

Art or medicine? Psychology or English? Dance? Some people go to college knowing exactly what they want to study. Most of us don't. Felicity can't decide between pre-med, her parents choice that she also enjoys, and art, a passion she's had for a long time but hasn't seriously studied before. She's even further along than many students, who don't even have two options picked out. One of the best things about college is the array of classes available. You can take anything from The Social Life of Paper to Costumes of Czarist Russia. On the other hand, the number of options might overwhelm students and make it hard to focus. In the end, it often doesn't matter exactly what you studied, as long as you actually studied. Felicity eventually decides on art, but ends up going back to school for medicine after she graduates. I majored in psychology and then went back and got my master's in English later. Things never really go how you think they will.

Felicity does, however, show the craziness of signing up for classes, taking college level courses, and studying. As the article mentioned earlier says, this show, oddly enough, has the students going to class and studying fairly often. This is college after all, and while it does have a lot of fun elements, you still need to attend class and do your homework every once in awhile. Some of the funniest episodes take place during finals. We see Felicity and her friends camped out in the library, freaking out about topics they don't understand, and taking things like smart powder to stay awake. I certainly remember spending hours in the library during finals week and how much stuff people would bring with them. I mean some people had provisions for several days: food, pillows, alarm clocks, insanity. Dorky me today is like, oooh that looks fun.

5. A Brand New City

Lastly, Felicity portrays the shock and joy of moving to a new city at a young age. Now, this element will highly depend on where you went to school. However, even if you stayed close to home, you probably moved to a new town for school. This move involves learning how to get around and all that the new town has to offer (aka the bars). Felicity moves from Palo Alto to New York City, so she needs to readjust to the big city. We often see her out in the city as she tries to figure out the subway system, finds a neighborhood bar to attend regularly, goes on dates to fancy restaurants, and visits museums for class. She finds it overwhelming at first but adjusts quickly.

While Boston isn't nearly the size of New York, when I moved there from Kansas, it still seemed huge. BU, like Felicity's version of NYU, doesn't have a traditional campus, so the city becomes your campus in a way. BU's buildings run along a very long street by the Charles River. Due to laziness, we often took the T train from one end of campus to the other, integrating city and campus life regularly. In addition, Boston includes like 400 colleges, so you can travel from campus to campus for parties and meet college students practically anywhere in the city. It's like one gigantic college party across the city, or at least that's how it appeared at that age. Working adults probably have a different vision of the city.

People claim that the ratings dropped in the second season due to Felicity chopping off all her hair (I definitely do remember that moment from the original airing: everyone freaked out!). While probably somewhat true, the second and further seasons also involve less of Felicity stumbling through the college firsts. She inevitable becomes more comfortable with herself and her life in New York, switching the focus of the show to the relationships rather than the college experiences. I still enjoy the later seasons, but they are never quite as fun as the first season. Felicity vicariously takes me back to college from a slightly more idealized and dramatic viewpoint. Television nostalgia gets me every time.

IN WHICH The Girl Learns the Killer

Finished Broadchurch last night. Brilliant. Watch it. BBC Night lasted until nearly midnight because we had to finish it. Exhausted. That's all for today.

P.S. Because of the David Tennant connection, I will also provide you with this funny video. I feel the teacher's pain. Can I shrink my own students into action figures using a sonic screwdriver?

IN WHICH The Girl Tries to Solve a British Murder

Once a month, I get together with a couple friends from grad school for BBC Night. To clarify, BBC here stands for British Broadcasting Network, as I've been informed it has dirtier implications as well. Our BBC nights generally involve thai food, a decent amount of wine, and the viewing of a British television show.

You should know that I adore British television. I love the accents, the underhanded sarcasm, the wit (Sherlock), the focus on the past (Downton Abbey and every mini-series of a classic novel), the ridiculous of some (Doctor Who), the darkness of others (Luther), or the overall quality of the shows. I love British literature for many of the same reasons. As a teacher, we are observed in the classroom by our higher ups every once in awhile. Last fall, the person who observed me informed me that I had a very subtle but snarky wit when I lectured (I wasn't really sure if this was a good thing or not, but he seemed to think it was entertaining). He asked me where that snark came from, and I responded that I read a lot of British literature. He just nodded like that was a perfectly acceptable response.

So during the course of our BBC nights, which have now been going on for several years, we have watched a large variety of shows: every episode of Sherlock, Downton Abbey, and Luther, plus some Doctor Who, Coupling, Top of the Lake, and at least two versions of Jane Eyre. Last night we started watching Broadchurch, which I had heard was good but knew very little about. So far, it's excellent. The show starts with the murder of an eleven year old boy in a small close-knit community. Yes, not the happiest of topics, but intriguing. The season follows the investigation of this one murder. We have watched three out of the eight episodes in the first season, and I quite literally have no idea who committed this murder. Like all small town dramas, everyone knows each other, but they all have secrets. Every character is suspicious in one way or another, even the kids. I appreciate the fact that the killer is not instantly recognizable. See the trailer below:

The show has a good balance of suspense, drama, and emotion with some wonderful actors. I'm especially happy to see David Tennant, my favorite doctor for you Whovians. You will probably start to notice a pattern here, but I have two main British loves: Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant (Idris Elba ranks pretty high as well). While Tennant doesn't have the effervescence and hyperactivity here that he portrays in Doctor Who, he taps into his darker (and more haggard) side to represent the lead detective on the case. He's clearly struggling with both his own conscience, clues point to a past case gone bad, and some sort of drug or medical issue that hasn't been revealed yet. However, I did question why every lead detective in this type of murder mystery has to be both physically and mentally damaged. Granted, dealing with murder on a regular basis would probably take its toll. Tennant stars in the American remake of the show as well, but listening to him with an American accent seriously disturbs me. I think I'll just stick to the British version.

Overall, I'm totally hooked on Broadchurch at this point. Sadly, I need to wait three more weeks for our next BBC night to watch the rest. It's truly considered a betrayal to sneak ahead (though we've all been known to do it at one point or another).

IN WHICH The Girl Wishes for Happy Spies

Oh, the woes of watching summer television. Yes, I know: first world problems. Obviously, our tv watching options become extremely limited during the summer. Beyond reality television (of which I will only watch So You Think You Can Dance), only a few stations produce new episodes between May and September, mainly USA, TNT, and ABC Family. Since I rarely watch TNT and I’d like to keep the number of ABC Family shows I watch on the DL, let’s talk about the USA Network.

Overall, USA has dominated summer television, producing a number of interesting and fun concepts that work well for short runs of ten to twelve episodes over the summer. The shows tend to involve silly but entertaining premises – burned spies, lawyers without law degrees, snarky criminals and/or psychics helping the police, and concierge doctors in the sunny Hamptons. I have watched and enjoyed many of these shows over the years, but I recently started to notice a trend in the USA shows. Over time, the shows turn darker, more serious and more involved, switching from episodic plot lines to season-long stories. While this narrative evolution would be a great thing for normal television, I believe it’s the downfall of the summer series.

My favorite summer shows over the last couple years have been Covert Affairs and Suits. They both started out with fairly simple set-ups. In Covert Affairs, a new spy, Annie Walker, starts working with the CIA and deals with learning the ins and outs of being a spy while trying to hide her new job from her family. Suits begins when a hot shot lawyer, Harvey, hires Mike, a young genius, but one without a law degree, who accidentally ended up in the firm’s interviews while running away from cops. We follow the progression of both Annie and Mike’s careers from the beginning, watching them solve a case a week and enjoy the excitement and danger of their risky jobs while juggling duel lives. Ultimately, the characters’ friendships and love lives evolve from episode to episode, but you never had to follow any complex plot developments and if you missed an episode here or there, no problem.

Lately, Suits has become a little more serious. Over the last couple years, the writers introduced season-long stories that one must follow from episode to episode. Also, Mike left the firm at the end of last season, putting the best part of the series, watching Mike and Harvey outsmart the opponents together, on hold. Mike’s personal life has also fallen apart, so it’s even more depressing. However, the show still includes some light-hearted elements, namely Donna and Louis, and it looks like Mike and Harvey will be fighting on the same side again soon. Suits appears to be following the darkened path of earlier USA shows, like Burn Notice, but still has time to redeem itself.

Covert Affairs, however, has been on the air longer. While still a good show that I continue watching, it’s not nearly as light or fun as it used to be. The previous couple seasons have provided complex season-long stories that I barely cared about, such as the take down of Henry. My favorite part of the show has always been watching Annie hop from country to country on missions, and dishing about these events to her handler, Auggie. But recently Annie’s goal changed from feisty spy craft to revenge, living undercover, and now hiding her medical condition. I can’t remember the last time she genuinely smiled or enjoyed her job. The only thing that looked promising was her relationship with Auggie, which also went kaput. I’m not sure I see a happy light at the end of this tunnel, but I keep hoping.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe that television shows, like any story, must develop over time. You can’t stay static forever. Usually I enjoy watching characters evolve and deal with serious conflicts. Nevertheless, when you start a show off with the promise of an exciting hour of entertainment with little commitment, you should stick to that promise. That is all I want during the summer. I want to watch Annie sleuth through a cocktail party, beat up the bad guy, and then laugh about it before making out with Auggie. I’m taking a break from Lost-style television because in theory I have all sorts of fun summery things to do outside instead (in theory). So please, USA Network, turn the light back on.

IN WHICH The Girl Remembers a Hero

It’s Thursday, and that means throwback pictures of childhood adventures are circulating social media by the dozen. I have decided to take a slightly different track: throwback television. Today, we will discuss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Everyone has comfort foods. Well, my television comfort food is Buffy. She’s a kick-ass girly-girl fighting Big Bads with an odd assortment of friends. Love it.

The focus today, however, will be on Buffy’s heroic journey. You may have studied the hero’s journey, developed by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1973), back in grade school. Campbell developed a monomyth of the hero – the idea that heroes from every era and culture share similar characteristics and develop their greatness though a series of parallel stages. The usual class will follow the path of Moses or Prometheus (or even Star Wars), but I always choose Buffy. I have done this presentation in class before with varied results (heavily influenced by this article). Most of my students are too young to really remember Buffy (“Wasn’t that on in like the 90’s??”), but there are always a few who have watched it on Netflix and enjoy it. They ALL think I’m a dork, and it’s true. But she's a hero, you see.

Stage 1: Separation/Departure

      The hero starts in an ordinary world, say a nice normal high school. The hero is called to become a hero, but he or she usually resists the call at first. Buffy’s first call actually happens in the 1992 movie with Luke Perry (I thought he was so dreamy as a child). 

Let’s focus on the television show though. Buffy receives the call again when she arrives in Sunnydale. She's just as unhappy about it the second time around.

Eventually the chosen one gives in, and receives some form of aid from a mentor. Buffy has a Watcher, named Giles, who serves as her mentor throughout the series. He’s part of the Watcher’s Council, a group that has trained and assisted slayers throughout history, though both him and Buffy eventually break away from the stuffy old council. He’s a lovable British dude who tries to keep Buffy and her Scooby Gang - her other helpers Xander and Willow - focused on the task at hand.

The chosen one crosses the first threshold, which is the first task of the hero, taking him or her from the normal world to the unknown land of danger and adventure. There could be a number of first tasks for Buffy, such as first killing a vampire in the movie, but for the show her first Big Bad is the Master, a very old and gross vampire who wants to open the Hellmouth below Sunnydale and take over the world. He’s also, incidentally, prophesied to kill Buffy.

Lastly in Stage 1, the chosen one must enter the belly of the whale, in which he or she usually faces an abyss – a dark night of the soul – and then a rebirth as a full blown hero. Buffy, understandably, quails at the idea of dying at 16, her abyss. She fights the Master, who actually does kill her, but Xander brings her back to life through CPR, the first of several rebirths for Buffy. Buffy, of course, then goes on to kick the Master’s ass. After this experience, Buffy becomes a little darker but more dedicated to her mission.

Stage 2: Initiation

The hero embarks on his or her quest, enduring many trials. I.e. Buffy fights a lot of vampires, demons, robots and even other slayers to protect us poor, vulnerable humans. Hiyahh!

The male hero usually meets the goddess who fosters love and inspiration in the hero. He also faces a woman who tempts him with lust and is a dangerous shadow figure. But Joss Whedon doesn't stick with those stuffy, old archetypes and flips everything around. Angel, Buffy’s vampire-with-a-soul boyfriend, fulfills all of these roles for our hero. She falls in love with Angel, but when they have sex for the first time, he loses his soul and becomes evil. Now if that’s not a lesson to all young girls about men, then I don’t know what is. Sadly, Buffy must kill Angel, performing a hero’s sacrifice for the good of the world. Don’t worry, he comes back later though. This is a supernatural world, after all.

Next comes atonement with a father figure or powerful force of life and death. There are a few possible options here. Buffy’s mother dies during this period, forcing Buffy to make peace with both her mother and her death. Giles also feels out of place as Buffy ages, sometimes feeling unnecessary and at other times feeling like she depends on him too much. Most of this tension comes in the next stage of the story, however. My choice of “father figure” is the First Slayer, who gives birth to Buffy’s superhuman qualities. In addition, she inspires Buffy to learn about the slayer’s history and forces Buffy to re-examine her role as a hero. She explains to our weary hero that she is still capable of love: "Love is pain, and the Slayer forges strength from pain. Love, give, forgive. Risk the pain; it is your nature. Love will bring you your gift." Oh and what is that gift? “Death is your gift.” Cheery.

At the end of this stage, the hero faces his or her ultimate challenge, usually victory over death. As a result, he or she is awarded some form of apotheosis – a heroic vacation where the he or she can rest in peace - and a reward. At the end of Season 5, Buffy fights an actual god, Glory, who opens a portal to a hell dimension that will bring all sorts of beasties into the world. Only one thing will close the dimension: Summers’ blood, meaning either Buffy or her sister must die. Buffy makes the ultimate sacrifice and gives up her life for the sake of humanity – death really is her gift. As a reward, Buffy goes to heaven. Now, if only her friends knew that.

Stage 3: The Return

After a nice rest, the hero returns home from the apotheosis and vanquishes evil. Most heroes resist the return, wanting to stay in their peaceful place forever, because who wouldn't? He or she is pursued by enemies on the return who must be killed. Thinking Buffy has ended up in a hell dimension, her friends bring her back to life with magic. Obviously, she is a little confused by the circumstances and wishes to be back in heaven. A demon also hitches a ride on her return, and Buffy must defeat it in her perplexed state.

After his or her return, the hero needs help adjusting to the new world and facing reality. Knowing the Scooby Gang brought her back out of love, Buffy refuses to tell them about her sojourn into heaven. She feels isolated from her besties and some resentment as well. Therefore, Buffy turns to Spike, a previous Big Bad who has become a reluctant ally to the slayer. He helps her in all sorts of ways - boom chica wah wah – starting a fairly messed up but entertaining relationship of fighting and sex. Eventually, the hero comes to terms with the return and becomes a master of two worlds, stronger than ever. Despite Season 6’s depressing tone, Buffy does eventually adjust to reality, accepting that she’s not entirely human any more, and continues to fight the good fight.

Ultimately, the hero ends his or her quest and obtains the freedom to live a peaceful life. Buffy fights one last apocalyptic Big Bad by creating more vampire slayers. After the slayers defeat the “first evil,” Buffy is no longer solely responsible for protecting the world and can do as she pleases. The series ends with Buffy smiling as the Scooby Gang discusses all the things they don't need to do tomorrow.

For anyone who is paying attention to details, this was a simplified and not necessarily perfect version of the hero’s journey. For more accurate descriptions, try this thing called a library.