Sunday night’s season finale cliffhanger left many fans wondering about the future of Political Animals. [Picture courtesy of USA Network]. The show started out as a one shot miniseries, but many view the finale as more of a cliffhanger than a definitive ending. If these dreams come true, fans will get to see how Elaine forges her run for the White House in the middle of an interim presidency crisis. Here are 5 more things that I believe should be in Season 2:
1) 2012 Presidential Election References:
The upcoming events and media shenanigans from Obama vs. Romney are going to be ripe for jokes and plots ripped from the headlines. The writers don’t have to wait too long for material; controversies in the Obama and Romney camps are happening as I type.
2) Political Perspective Flip:
In Political Animals’ version of modern American history, it seems like all Democrats, all the time. The only major Republican character this season was known more for his personal life than his political life. Who is the Republican version of the Hammonds in the show’s universe? If creating an entire alter ego family is too much, then at least add a few new Republican characters so the audience can see the other side.
3) Journalism Meta:
There’s a lot more underneath the surface to Susan and Georgia’s arguments than many realize. Newspapers are losing readers every day to the internet. Bloggers like Georgia are beginning to overshadow established reporters in newspapers and magazines. The line between legitimate reporting and gossip are too often blurred. Questions related to media ethics definitely deserve more attention in the next season.
4) More Character Development
Although PA is an ensemble show, some characters didn’t have enough time to shine. Annie has existed only as Douglas’s fiancé/wife. The writers avoided the pitfall of writing token diversity characters. However, next season should feature more Annie reacting to the madness her husband and in-laws are involved in. Margaret Barrish played the prefect snarky senior citizen. She’s more than just a walking internet meme. The parallel between her struggles with alcohol and TJ’s drug addiction are begging to be explored in further detail. Also, it is still not clear if Margaret went beyond emotional support of Elaine’s previous presidential run. Even the characters we have seen the most of this season (Elaine, Bud, T.J. and, Douglas) could do with some extra insight.
5) Emmy Bait
Political Animals mixes Sorkin-esque gritty Washington drama and the traditional soap opera. Some scenes however tip the balance too far into melodramatic territory. If the balance is improved upon or steadily maintained, positive critical attention will result. Some critics and awards voters are already biased against summer scripted programming, and the writers shouldn’t give these people any more weight for their line of reasoning. It is way too early to tell if Political Animals will qualify for future awards, but I already see nomination potential. Sigourney Weaver’s compelling portrayal of Elaine Barrish Hammond could easily be a contender in the miniseries/drama category. (Note her inclusion in my dream Emmy ballot post.) Nominations in writing, directing, and supporting actor/actress categories are also possible.
Political Animals has a lot of room for development. I hope the excitement over the series causes production on a second season to start soon.
I am way too excited about White Collar’s fourth season premiere tonight to do a standard recap review, so here’s a spoiler filled liveblog:
- Peter is grieving, and he has to lie to his superiors about Neal. How sad.
- SHIRTLESS MATT BOMER!!!! I feel like I’m watching a deleted scene from Magic Mike!
- Neal is looking rugged and hot in what appears to be the Carribbean or South America. Both Neal and Mozzie have funny disguise beards (Photo courtesy of White Collar Facebook page):
- Neal’s mourning New York City. He’s reading the NY Times Arts section. He wants to go back but he obviously can’t without risking his freedom.
- Hi Mrs Suit! Great to see you again.
- I’m laughing at the fact that Neal loves to listen to public radio.
- A stakeout with El? How adorable! I kind of wish El could become an agent too and they would have lots of adventures together.
- Neal sets up a romantic date on the beach. Too bad he had to use a kid lackey to get the girl there. I don’t think this relationship is going to last unfortunately.
- Neal ran away from his native city of St. Louis. I defnitely want to see more of this backstory this season.
- Oh no Burke, how could you tape Neal??!!? Now you’re going to make it easier for the FBI to find him on Cape Verde. Also Neal, you should have just hung up. Or not have a cell phone at all.
- Burke’s house is getting searched. Oh crap the bad agent found it! Why didn’t you hide the map?!
- I want to know more about Neal and Mozzie’s tiny lackey, Hector. He seems like a baby Neal in the making.
- Peter’s running to find his friend. He’s defnitely putting his career on the line.
- Mekhi Phifer, you’re doing a great job of making everyone hate you right now!
- Mozzie and Neal need to run! Everyone’s out for them now, especially since the agent promised them $500,000 for their heads.
- “Double Barrelled Suit”: BEST MOZZIEISM EVER!
- LOL Mozzie oversaw someone’s wedding. Is he a man of the cloth now or just a really good liar?
- Running away in the middle of the day is a really bad idea. So is punching some dude in the face in the middle of the street. At least Neal’s island girlfriend came to the rescue on her Vespa.
- Our friends have split up. This will not end well.
- NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! THEY FOUND NEAL!!!! (It makes sense though because Neal, Peter, and Mozzie made a few bad decisions. Still, it’s upsetting.)
I cannot contain my excitement for the next episode! Come back next week for another White Collar recap.
June for me is the slowest TV watching month of the year so far. My fall/spring shows have ended their seasons, my British favorites are on hold thanks to the Olympics, and many summer/early fall premieres have yet to begin. Common Law, one of USA Network’s newest shows, filled in this gap. I didn’t expect a show that aired on Friday nights to make up for an entire week of TV viewing but it did.
(Photo courtesy of USA Network)
Michael Ealy and Warren Kole play bickering Los Angeles police detectives Travis and Wes. Even when they try to get along, something bad happens and they begin fighting. One time, Travis was so mad at Wes that he a gun at his partner. This breach of police protocol results in mandated therapy sessions.
Every episode begins with a snippet of Wes and Travis in group sessions of couples’ therapy. These candid moments not only set up the case of the week, but they’re also filled with memorable insults and one liners. Every session ends with an assignment from the therapist that they must fufill. These assignments are designed to repair the strains in their partnership, but often things do not go according to plan.
The plot takes care to not completely derail the flow of each episode with their relationship issues. Criminals must be brought to justice, missing evidence/people/items must be found, and witnesses must come forward to testify. Coworkers and bosses will try their best to thwart their carefully thought out plans. Gunshots and explosions remind the audience and characters of the hazards of detective work.
Only 7 episodes have aired so far, so it’s easy to catch up via DVR, 1 am Saturday morning repeats on USA, or on Hulu/USA’s official site. Fans of other TV bromances and/or crime procedural fans should definitely give Wes and Travis a try.
BY The Daily Hey Now Staff
Characters United, USA Network’s charity devoted to ending all types of prejudice and hatred took their message to the streets of New York City. Today and tomorrow, passerby can join the fight by visiting an insulated booth on the corner of University Place and 14th Street.
Hundreds of people made their own free personalized t-shirts with the slogan “I Won’t Stand For…”. Participants chose from a variety of stamps highlighting injustices such as racism and religious intolerance. A computer and camera were ready to take pictures of participants for instant uploading to email and social media sites. If you are interested in adding your voice to the cause, you can visit the Characters United official website.
Viewers of USA Nework might have seen public service announcements featuring the network’s talent. Today, White Collar stars Tim Dekay and Tiffany Thiessen were on hand to lend support to the cause. DeKay’s shirt was personalized to stand against bullying and homophobia.
After their time in the booth, DeKay and Thiessen talked to members of the press about what’s to come on White Collar. In Part 2 of this exclusive report, staff member Amanda interviews both on what fans can expect for the end of Season 3.
