New Fall TV: Yay or Nay?

A while ago I wrote a review of Matthew Perry's new TV show, Go On. I started watching a few more new shows after that, basically I'll write about my impressions of each show's first episode.

1. Ben and Kate

Every website I checked praised this "funny" new show. It wasn't funny. It was actually painful to watch that I didn't even finish the first episode. Also, what's with shows having voice overs in the beginning of episodes? Viewers aren't stupid, we can follow a storyline. I blame this on Grey's Anatomy. Back to this show, the dynamic between the characters in the story is bad, the dialogue was poor, and frankly, we are done with the whole who is raising who thing after Gilmore Girls.
verdict: Please, Fox, cancel this.

2. Emily Owens M.D.

 A med graduate discovers that working in a hospital is like being in high school all over again. There is really nothing more to it. This show too had a voice over, but this one carried on all through the episode. There was a Mean Girls-esque analogy to the social groups of the hospital, which was the only thing I found funny. The medical stuff were a bit unrealistic though. Emily's first day into being an intern or whatever and she gets to help in surgery AND extract fluid from her first patient's heart. Sounds legit. I also hated the graphics of the intro song. I think after the first rehearsal the writers saw that the shows consisted of white people and then added two African American girls, one of which is a lesbian.
verdict: nay.

3. Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

Again with the voice over. Hollywood, stop. They couldn't have stereotyped the characters more if they tried: Big eyed blonde with a petite form as the innocent newcomer to New York from Indiana, black haired super skinny girl with huge red lips as the well informed new yorker. (This is NOT Two Broke Girls, okay) The other characters are unique enough to overflow the drabness that is the lead character of June.The dynamic between the characters is really good, and what the show lacks in good jokes it makes up in a crazy cat lady, minus the cats. The show isn't smart or funny but it's very entertaining.
verdict: yay (as long as you're bored and have nothing better to do)

4. Partners

Remember in old 80s and 90s comedies when characters had catch phrases exclusively when interacting with certain characters? I bet you thought that was gone forever in the comedy hall of fame (or shame, depending which way you look at it), but it is back in the form of a TV show that somehow manages to fail on all levels. Am I the only one who thinks the bromance thing has been exploited after Scrubs? The jokes are old and lame, and the dynamic is poor in this "bromance". Sophia Bush, this is the worst comeback anyone can be a part of after the One Tree Hill or whatever you were in. Guy from Ugly Betty, can you play ANY other role? Joseph Gordon-Levitt's BFF from 10 Things I Hate About You, just no. Stop with this role. You can do better. The only funny joke was when the male nurse said he's working in the cardiac wing and that's why he has a heart on. He then asked the other male character if he wanted him to give him one. I know, juvenile, but hilarious.
verdict: Burn it. Quick! before it has more episodes!

5. The Mindy Project

Possibly my favorite new comedy show. It's funny, cute, and familiar yet new. It does have a voice over, but there is a reason behind it, it's as she is "narrating" her life as a romantic comedy. The dynamic between some characters is great and some other characters are disposable. The jokes are funny, the storyline is interesting and evolving. Although there is one thing I'd have to get used to, and that is the story line's inconsistency; it seems like each episode's story is separated by weeks.
verdict: YAY!

6. The New Normal

 There are no words for this show. Again, with the "who is raising who?" plot line. They gay couple's problems can be solved in a little more or less than a single episode of modern family. Also, btw, the names of those two shows are so similar it's not even cool. The female lead in this show is a leech that sucks all the money and time out of the lead couple because she is their surrogate. How she got to be their surrogate is more ridiculous than the show itself. "I had a baby when I was a teen and now caught the father of said baby cheating on me so I moved to LA and decided to do what I do best, be pregnant!" The lead's grandmother is a racist homophobic republican who occasionally cracks a funny joke. They also added an African American assistant who is just "FABULOUS" and moves her head a lot when she speaks.
verdict: nay

7. Arrow

This is your basic superhero story: guy has a life changing event that makes him want to avenge his *insert family member here* and protect his city. The story doesn't add up to be honest; a guy is stranded on an island for five years and then can take an ex-military bodyguard the day he returns? A man attacks a rich criminal's mob the exact same day a dead man returns to his city and no one puts two and two together? Also, a green hooded vest is a poor disguise, and two detectives got a visual of him! And yet, he walks away a free man. Let us not kid ourselves, this story is bad, but most people will still watch this show because a) everyone is so hot b) action kickass stunts c) archery is having a comeback or something.
verdict: yay?

The Night Circus

I just finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and while the book's idea is very interesting the writer's style fails me in some aspects.

While the story itself is wrapped in a veil of anonymity and mystery, many of the surprises are easily predictable.  I don't know if it's just me or everybody who read it, but you can guess what is going to happen in each chapter by the first page of it. I found that to make the experience of reading this book -which is based on a great idea- a bit dull.

Basically the book is about a magic battle with Le Cirque des Rêves as its venue. The contenders must create magic without interfering with the other's work. Both of the opponents are bound by magic. The writing style of the author is very captivating. She is very lyrical in her choice of words. Her paragraphs are medium in length but are filled with vivid descriptions. The direct speech and conversations are kept to a minimal, something I found very suiting for this book.

Many of the main characters are well developed, such as Celia, Chandresh, Herr Thiessen, Widget, and Ethan Barris. Other characters are very cliched and hastily put together, like Marco, Tsukiko, Bailey, Poppit, Isobel, Alexander, and Hector. Likewise, the relationships of the characters in the book differ from deep and well developed relationships to shallow how-could-this-happen relationships.

The book is divided into five titled parts, each containing several chapters. I thought that there wasn't much reason behind why the book was divided as such, except for the author to print those quotes by actual characters from this exact book. Okay, there was one Oscar Wilde quote.

After the quote comes a tiny "chapter"that is written in the second person pov. I strongly oppose anything written in this form. Do not force include me into stories in ways you see fit, author. I want to be every character, not an insignificant by stander. 

I also just read this in the author's website:

Is there going to be a movie?
Maybe. This will continue to be the answer for a good long time because anything can happen in the strange and mysterious world of film production. The film rights have been optioned by Summit Entertainment, which means they have the option to make The Night Circus into a film. They are indeed working on it but I do not personally know all that much about what’s going on with it at any given point. When there are official updates, I’m sure the internet will know.
PSA: I have very little to do with the movie. Strange but true. I wrote the book, other people will adapt it into a screenplay and handle casting and designing and do all the movie-making things. I cannot tell you how to audition or anything like that, not that it’s even reached that stage yet. Summit is in charge. I’m just along for the ride.

And because of the movie talk here is a very beautifully enchanting fan-made poster:

and here are some internet based casting options and my views on them:

 no

 NO!

err... BEN BARNES! but no.

except shouldn't they cast two guys to play Marco? considering he has two faces and all. Also, it would be great if they made the movie in paper animation. Just putting this idea out there for you, summit.

final rating of the book: 4/5

This footnote is for my dear friend Rehab who got me this book as a gift. THANK YOU so much! You were right in thinking I would love this because I did enjoy it very much.