'I liked my social grave, I dug it myself and I was happy to lie in it...'

[marguerite_krux]

*flails* Sanctuary's coming to Sci-Fi! After putting up with months of squeeing from other flisters about how awesome this show is and how fantastic Amanda is, I'm FINALLY getting the chance to see what the fuss is all about! *dances like a crazy*

---

Lie To Me



I don't hate this show. I mean, I pay it out but that's a sign of affection from me. But seriously, this show is wack. The main characters don't have a method except for pissing people off and assessing the fallout, I just cannot get behind that. I know it's what House does every week, but it's different because the show is about him being an ass and not giving a damn and being brutal to get results. Everyone acknowledges that he is an ass and despises his methods and would never emulate him ever because he sets a bad example and epitomizes everything a doctor should not be [apart from his phenomenal success rate]. But in Lie to Me, we're supposed to believe that the good guys are totally justified in what they do and support them without having any problems with the way they run their investigations? No. It's good fun to watch but I want to tear my hair out at how unbelievable they can be sometimes.

Stream of consciousness...

Random guest star: 'My men need engineers and rescue workers, not a couple of freakshow shrinks pointing fingers.'
Cal: She's the shrink, I'm the freakshow. I'm sorry, we normally wear labels.

*gigglesnorts* Love that exchange. Not hostile at all, just a bit passive-aggressive, a bit mocking, it's great.

*

Cal and Gilly could diagnose the guy as a drug addict 'coz he couldn't recognize happiness or surprise on the photos but correctly identified disgust? They made it sound like he couldn't identify the right emotions in ALL THESE PHOTOS and they only showed him two. I mean, granted, the happy one should've been obvious but the guy's on the verge of a nervous breakdown, come on, give him a chance.

I liked Gilly playing bad cop, it's fun when the woman gets to be harsh on someone's ass, 'Did you lie about where you were before the collapse because you were getting high somewhere else?' I think I flinched a little at that. She's so pretty and sweet, it's a mental 180 when she goes for the throat.

*

So, Cal thinks it's odd a guy shows fear instead of relief at being told they're going to be rescued. Well, what if he's just being cynical about the chances of success? If I heard a person telling me, 'Sit tight, we'll get you out of there' and I'm in a precarious spot, thinking I'm gonna be crushed to death anytime now, I'd be a bit pessimistic, I'd think it was just a useless platitude and consider the myriad of ways things could go horribly wrong.

The problem is the show goes to such pains to explain everything- if a person is cross eyed and blinks three times in rapid succession, it's gotta mean something specific ['the woman left the stove on at home and she associated it with the memory of cooking dinner for her husband who suddenly departed on a business trip without warning and by the way she scratches her head and tugs her ear as I mention the husband's name, I deduce that she thinks he cheated on her and thus, she decided to kill him'] and I just don't buy it. A person can never just innocently engage in some behavior, it all speaks to some deeper motive, some concealed secret.

In The Mentalist, Jane shows an uncanny ability to predict people's actions or divine their darkest secrets and fears, but because he's like a magician never revealing how he pulls off the trick, I find it easier to believe than this show, which tries to back up the main characters' abilities with science, but a really lame science that makes me roll my eyes. I'd rather Jane, with his cheery enigmatic talents, refusing to reveal the method behind his success, where they don't belabor the point but just have fun with it. I can tell myself he's just really good at observing people and he's a keen judge of human nature or something, but it doesn't really matter. Whereas this show is founded on the notion that the science of micro-expressions is as believable and accurate as running an MRI or something. It's a real shaky premise.

*

Cal: I'm sick of watching you coddle these women.
Gilly: I'm sick of you derailingthis investigation.
Cal: You know, you can be a bitch sometimes.
Gilly: *dramatic gasp and THWACKS him*
Freaked out woman: Who the hell are you people? Stay away from me!'

Firstly, lol. Didn't see it coming til a second before it happened and that was just fun! Can we see a replay of this every week?!

Secondly, eyeroll. Everyone must think they're irrational idiots, they totally undermined their authority! ARGH. But of course nobody calls them out on it, of course everyone still treats them like they're gods. Because colleagues screeching and assaulting each other is just so common-place that nobody raises an eyebrow over it. Riiiiiiiight.

Gilly: We almost didn't sell it, I'm gonna have to hit you harder next time.
Cal: You know, you take a little bit too much pleasure in that one.

'k, no matter how dumb I think it was, I really did enjoy that scene and the gentle evil-ness that is Gillian. Their partner banter is definitely one of the best things about this show, actually, this couple is the ONLY reason I still watch at all.

Interesting thing- they were testing the notion that the woman's husband was abusive and violent at home, right, it would've made more sense for Gilly to provoke Cal and get slapped by him but instead, they did it the other way around. Because it's totally acceptable for her to hit him, but if he'd been the one to slap her, I bet people would run up and bashed him but good. Aren't double-standards lovely?! I used to bash up my guy friends at high school all the time and they could never do a thing about it. >:D

*

Much as I find them cute and hilarious, I have to say I cannot believe them sometimes. Two people standing close together and the fluttering of eyelashes indicates that they're having an affair and the guy must be guilty of setting up the explosion to kill off the competition. The notion that a decent human being is providing comfort to a woman in distress is just way too outlandish to consider, huh? They read way too much into what would 90% of the time be innocent gestures and it's hard to take their schtick seriously when they look like a pair of gossips, standing around, dishing the dirt on everyone.

*

I'm picking up some good tips on how to lie, like, learning which are the appropriate moments to look a person in the eye and when to look away so as to not oversell it, that I should use metaphors to enhance the believability of my story...but I don't know anyone who actually says they're 'on cloud nine', I mean, no teen these days would use that expression. Not only have I never heard them use that expression, the friends I've talked to about their relationships don't really get all metaphorical at all about their love, am I to conclude they're lying?

*

I don't get why they have technology to analyze micro-expressions [the contract of whatever muscle indicates this emotion] if Cal is just going to negate the finding, 'It's not contempt'. So, the writers are undermining their own science, wtf?O.o Would some internal consistency within this universe be too much to ask for?

*

Okay, I really felt it was so invasive and unnecessary when they were airing the guy's dirty laundry, forcing him to discuss his illness and his marital and financial problems. I know that in some way, this will all prove vital to the investigation but- their methods seriously suck.

I can see a logical reason for House to poke and prod and pry with his patients because finding out if they're having an affair or went on a secret holiday or something could be relevant to their illness, but the problem is that Cal and Gilly don't seem to have any idea what's going on, they just turn thing upside down and shake vigorously to see what falls out and then piece things together, when the details they unearth and expose to everyone could have nothing to do with the investigation whatsoever. I'm not doing a good job arguing the difference between the two, but there is, okay? Honest. It's just...doctors running around, even breaking into people's places, I can understand because it goes to the need to treat the patient. Cal and Gilly trailing around, making random accusations, provoking people, studying reactions...I suppose it just doesn't seem as noble, doesn't seem to mean as much, you know?

Anyway, the guy confesses to beign responsible for the collapse way too easy- who admits to that kind of culpability just like that? You'd think he'd need to be left in an interrogation room for a few hours without food or drink, then questioned under harsh lights by a shadowy faceless figure before spilling his guts like that. Too. Easy.

*

I really hate the young dude, I still don't know his name and he disgusts me so much, I don't really want to know it either. He irritates me more than Newbie now, if you can believe, and I hate her with a burning passion. This guy is just such a jackass, he has a view of the world and he can't stop til he's made everyone see it and live by it the way he does. It's like if there's one person that doesn't agree with him, it invalidates everything he believes in, he's gotta force everyone to be on the same page as him and that bugs me. There's no subtlety in his world, no light-and-shade, no grey areas. 'She's after his money'- yes, what chick wouldn't enjoy financial security, I'd love to marry a millionaire, but it doesn't mean there's no affection or love involved in the equation. Stupid frakking jerk.

*

Why are people so stupid? The dialogue makes me cringe a little.
Cal: The city engineer doesn't believe a blwotorch caused the building to collapse.
Random guy: Of course he does, he said so.

SERIOUSLY. WHO SAYS THAT? SOMEBODY SAID SOMETHING AND SO IT MUST BE TRUE?! ORLY? I AM GOD AND YOU SHOULD WORSHIP ME, YO. BELIEVE THAT.

Ugh.

*

Omg. *headdesk* Is it just me or do they sound a tad ridiculous going, 'The shoulder shrug indicates you do not believe a word coming out of your lying mouth'. As if you wouldn't go, 'Oh, I was really itchy but I didn't want to be scratching in public, it ruins my image, y'know?'

*

It gets a little wearisome seeing them make wild accusations to see the reaction and then go 'That's a lie...lie...oh, that's the truth'. Cal pulls this stunt in every ep. He says things and waits for a facial tic to confirm his statement or indicate something else. I'm waiting for someone to just turn their back on him and walk away, like, ANALYZE THIS. They don't have any real authority, why do people put up with these guys peering into their faces and being all nosy?

And the WOMAN confesses too easily. He pinpoints the emotion of relief on her face when he accuses someone else of the crime- I mean, couldn't she be relieved the guilty party has been apprehended? I'd be happy, now everyone can get on with rebuilding their lives, y'know? Cal had nothing on her but for a quirk of her features and inhalation, but this is going to put her in jail? Okay then.

*

Was the arrest of the other guy under false pretenses? Did the agents know they were being used to set a trap for the woman to betray herself with an unguarded facial expression? It's hard to believe they get away with all these shenanigans.

*

Still. I love the mission:accomplished slow-mo power strut at the end of the ep. And despite it all, I do enjoy this show, even if it makes no sense at all.

---

Gossip Girl



I am...so disappointed with this show. I know it's the nature of soapies to feature relationships that break down and restart and fail catastrophically, then rewind and begin all over again...that characters will have multiple partners, possibly at the same time, even...that there is no such thing as true love that cannot be tainted and ruined, that no romance can ever run smoothly...but GODDAMN, this show is pissing me off now.

There's no payoff anymore, you know? I was into Nate and Blair way back in the first season but I thought they were done for good. I was okay with the love triangle all through the first season because it made sense that she was in love with Nate and trying to deal with her broken heart when he didn't love her the way she thought she deserved to be loved, and then Chuck wormed his way under her defenses and appreciated her and they clicked. They bickered and screwed and bantered and fought and it was so awesome. I'm a big fan of the girl liking the guy but keeping him at a distance, you know? Making him work for it, lol.

I liked Blair with Chuck so much better because they're like the reigning King and Queen of Hot Diabolical Evil, right? Nate bowed out and that was it. Second season was about Blair realizing her feelings for Chuck, it was going so well, he was self-imploding, she was trying to save him, he cut her out of his life and hurt her and then she couldn't forgive him. Angsty, yes, but it shows how deeply she cares. Except they ruined it all by making Blair the slut of the Upper East Side. And hooking her up with Nate again. When he was still with Vanessa. I love Blair so much but ARGH, I can't stand infidelity and she didn't even give a damn about being the other woman, she just wanted to rub V's face in it and humiliate her and shamelessly show off her shiny new toy. I'm disillusioned.

So, Blair/Chuck has been thrown out the airlock and I am sad. But Chuck/Vanessa had potential.



Chuck: I came up with several excellent ideas. You just shot them down.

Vanessa: Yeah, because most of them involved leaking the Chuck-Vanessa sex tape on the Internet.

Chuck: We don't have to leak the tape if you don't want to.

*gigglesnorts* She's so disgusted by him- 'Are you staring at my boobs?'- but she's oddly charmed by him. JUST LIKE BLAIR AT THE BEGINNING OF THEIR EPIC ROMANCE. Okay, nobody can replace the awesome that was Blair with Chuck, but V was stepping up. Yet another feisty chick with snarky comebacks for him to banter with, I love that she makes her disdain for him clear from the start, I love that she's being forced into allying with him to win Nate back and I wanted the writers to slowly, gradually develop this new ship, take it in stages, from hate to resigned acceptance to possible interest- but what do they do? CHUCK AND V FRAK EACH OTHER A DOZEN TIMES BY THE END OF THE EPISODE. *headdesk x infinity*

Couples can't just tentatively explore their interest in one another, it's all or nothing, they just gotta fall into bed straight away the moment they have an inkling they might have the hots for one another, it PAINS ME. I'm used to the romances that develop over years and I know this is just a soap so I don't hold it to that standard but I wish they could try and pace themselves. Would at least one or two eps be too much to ask before the hook-up? Come on! Nearly every possible pairing has been tried and ditched now, what are they going to do in season 3? There's only so many times people can get back together.

Thankfully, in the face of all this fail, Dan and Serena were NOT hooking up. I don't think I could've taken that again. I hate Dan so much but he was kinda cool here. I like him as a 'Bass der Humphrey', the sibling dynamics there are so great, it's cute seeing him and Serena be domestic without being a couple because I can't STAND their relationship drama, ugh. I think after the Rachel fiasco, it should definitely stay dead, okay?

Serena was so awesome in this ep, throwing a party for Jenny. I know it was kinda for her as well, but she had good intentions and I wanted to throttle Jenny for ruining it out of spite. What a stupid little brat. Just when I think I can accept her again, she goes and fails on a level so epic it boggles the mind. I'm glad Serena didn't take the blame, I was feeling so bad for her, 'When this family was just me and Eric, if things got out of control, it was a pretty safe bet that it was my fault. But as this family grows, so does the pool of suspects. This is not my mess.' YESSS. I wish Jenny had gotten punished though, but as usual she deflects attention from her colossal errors to someone else. Why can't her father ever assert his paternal authority? Her actions caused Lily's place to get trashed, but he lets her redirect the conversation to his plans to move in with Lily and somehow, she slides out of trouble yet again. Damn it.

And oooh, the secret half-brother appears again! It's so typical that he would fanboy Dan's writing, Dan's atrocious writing that is a waste of the paper it's printed on. *eyeroll* It's hilarious that his adopted parents were freaking out so bad, thinking he knew about his true parents, lol. This is what happens when you keep secrets, your paranoia gets the better of you!

So, the relationships are a total mess and it's not a proper GG episode if someone doesn't frak up their life in some catastrophic way, but hey! Underage drinking, infidelity, promiscuity, reckless endangerment of property, and fleeing the country aside, there wasn't much drama. Nobody nearly got raped or murdered this week! And the pretty people were pretty!



---

I don't want to seem ungrateful- I love the library, I'd get on my knees and praise whoever first came up with the idea for this marvellous institution because I'm too cheap to go out and buy books and I'd die of boredom if I couldn't borrow them for free. Gratitude acknowledged.

But I want to kick whoever does the ordering because they have this exasperating habit of buying bits and pieces of a series. Usually the latest books, instead of the first. WTF? I don't usually have a problem reading things out of order, but some fantasies are pretty complex and it hurts my head trying to figure out what I've missed out on. And now I'm trying out Anne Bishop's  Black Jewels series but for some inexplicable reason, they've got the first two books, skipped the third that concludes the trilogy, that book that RESOLVES IT ALL, and then merrily continued with books four, five and six which are set in the same universe but have separate storylines. *head!splodes*ARGH.

---

BWAHAHA. This will probably amuse nobody but me, but you know how when you get super obsessed with a character, just seeing their NAME thrills you immensely? I have this thing in winter where I write my ship's names on the condensation on my window because THAT is how obsessive I am. *nodnod*

Anyway, the point of this little anecdote: I was just looking up some romances on the library website when I find this synopsis:

'Marguerite, the daughter of a courtesan and a lord and a spy for the French king, forges a new passionate alliance with her former enemy, Nicolai, as she navigates the court of King Henry VIII of England.'

Okay, there are comma issues happening there, unless the human race suddenly needs three individuals to reproduce all of a sudden...but the name! The career as a spy! And...okay, the rest of it doesn't fit at all, but damn, still! *geeky!glee* I love my romances. :D

---

Vid spam.

'k, we've all heard of Susan Boyle by now. But then spence_reid  tipped me off about Hollie Steele. Super talented little kid with a phenomenal voice. I am officially enchanted.

Comments

[sapphs.livejournal.com]

Sanctuary is SO MUCH FUN

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

I CAN'T WAIT! :D
LOL, APPROPRIATE ICON IS APPROPRIATE! *TWIRLS*

[sofie-sanctuary.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Lie to me, one of my favorite shows atm. totally love Gillian and Cal ♥. can't wait for the next epi, looks rlly rlly good :D

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

AWWW, cute icon! *squishes her*

can't wait for the next epi, looks rlly rlly good :D

'k, is that the one with the ex-wife? 'coz I'm all kinds of hair-pulling and whingeing over that. *pouts* I love the Cal/Gillian partnership, it really peeves me that the focus on the show is so much on extraneous characters I could care less about. *guiltyface* I have these shipper blinkers on, you see, I get a little narrow-minded, lol.

But I love that the Lightman Group's getting sued. It's about time, the way they steamroller over people and offend everybody- I laughed in this ep when Gillian was racing out of the office to try and get to the site before Cal managed to alienate everyone and Newbie's like, 'You better hurry!' *g* :D

[sofie-sanctuary.livejournal.com]

no, not the ex-wife one. it's an episode called Blinded, and it airs tomorrow in the US. I saw the promo last week (can't seem to find it now anymore though), and some pics, and it looks rlly good :D. I'm very excited, cause there seemed to be a lot of Gillian and Cal.

absolutely love that episode, the Gillian running scene was def one of my favorites :D that was a great epi. I saw the ex-wife epi yesterday, and thought it was ok. the very last scene was NOT

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

there seemed to be a lot of Gillian and Cal.

Awesome! You know I can't get enough of that... :P

We're a little behind, Blinded should air the week after next [provided it's not yanked off air again *glares at channel 9*] but I just looked it up online and OMG, Gillian's got a bandage and I think a cast as well! *flails* Hurt/comfort, writers, pretty please? *bounces*

Gillian running scene was def one of my favorites

Lol. That reminds me of Gillian showing Tea Leoni how to run in high heels in Hollywood AD. *headdesk* :P

But yeah, not looking forward to the ex-wife ep, grr. I might have to skip to the last scene first, just to get it out of the way otherwise I'm going to be fidgeting anxiously the whole way through, wondering how bad it is. *woes*

[laurandbillever.livejournal.com]

hehe- I would love to see some more Vanessa/Chuch, too... I think the writers will definitely explore this some more now whne Blair is with Nate... unless they decided to make V go back to the "lonely boy" which will be a shame....

and about everyone going straight to be- they are teenagers.. what else do you expect? hihih :P:P Of course I would like some romance and exploring first, but this is not BSG...

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

Ha, you know, the one couple they haven't done yet is Vanessa and Dan! They were never a couple, were they? It's like the one relationship on the show that is actually platonic, lol!

I think Chuck and V are really cute together- I love how she was like, 'this never happened, I'm gonna go now and pretend to forget about this' and then they start kissing again and she's like, 'Really! I'm leaving! Now...soon...fine, later...' *g*

I would like some romance and exploring first, but this is not BSG...

THE THREE SEASON COURTSHIP! And then the SEASON LONG DEVELOPMENT OF THE BILL/LAURA ROMANCE. *dies*

No, I don't expect it to be anything other than a soapie, but- Chuck/V happened so quickly, I didn't see it coming and I feel a little cheated. One moment they're verbally sparring on the elevator, next minute sex? Jeez!

[laurandbillever.livejournal.com]

Well, Vanessa and Dan have been a couple before the show... but yes, technically, in the show, they have never been together... and maybe it is better that way...

ahhh, yeah- how V was unable to leave was really fun, especially since she coinsiders herself really decisive person :P not in that case, obviously :P

ah, yes... 3 season courtship.... I watched those 3 seasons in two weeks so it was not such a torture like for the people who have watched the show since the beginning, but still... the final season is enough for anyone to get crazy...

and I don't know about Chuck/V... remember that Chuck was supposed to hit on her in the previous season, to buy some shop and so on in order to impress her? I think the sparks started back then... and you know what they say about hate and love? The best indicator for attraction is if the characters can't stand to be around each other :P:P

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

Wait, wait, so it's confirmed that V and Dan were a couple? I always thought they were just friends?!

Wow, dude, three seasons in two weeks? That's insane! 53 episodes in 14 days, that's like four eps a day. You were dedicated! I don't think I've done that for any show. Although when I was rewatching The Lost World with my cousin, we got through, I think, 20 episodes in two days...the siblings and boyfriends were laughing at us because they left in the morning when we were in front of the tv and when they came back in the evening, we were still there, lol.

OMG, I loved that episode! I remember thinking then that Chuck and V would be so great together- I wonder if the actors were in a relationship then, because there were real sparks. I love that Chuck is supposed to be heartless but he wanted to save that historical building to impress her...aww!

The best indicator for attraction is if the characters can't stand to be around each other :P:P

WORD. All my ships are like this. I think Bill and Laura are the most extreme example. He locked her up and stripped her of the Presidency, FFS!

[laurandbillever.livejournal.com]

well, from what I got when V first showed, they ahve been a couple and then decided to separate and be only friends and V was still in love with dan while he was seeing Serena back in season 1....

heh- I am soo guilty :P But it was my spring avcation ( 2 weeks :P ) and i hsad nothing to do, it was too cold to go out, all my friends were studying for something ( of course, I never studied during vacations :P ) so I had no choice but to entertain myself with the computer. I have seen the miniseries about an year ago and never even imagined there will be ashow after that so when I saw the show online I immediately started watching with the thought that it will be like Star Trek... I was soo wrong :P:P

But your 20 eps for 2 days is definitely beating my record :D:D:D

And I loved how the old man cahsed Chuck away- it was priceless :D:D:D The great Chuck scolded by some old man... hihih

Ohhh, Bill and Laura were definitely the most extreme case!! Anger is such a strong afrodisiac.... :P:P And they looked sooo damn sexy throwing those glares in the brig...