Tag: taking the parent out of parenting

The OC S02 E23 – Ignoring Advice

Hello! Deciding to guest write for Snark Squad was a slightly terrifying choice to make (all that EFFORT!), but it should be fun. My background with the OC only goes back to September of 2012 with SS's first OC post, so this show is all new to me. Onto the craziness!
After the previouslies we fade into nighttime with Seth going into the pool house to wake up/bother Ryan. Or I guess it's more to scare him awake because Ryan shoots up pretty quickly.

Gotham S01 E16 – Cirque du Suck

We open with a few quick establishing shots of various Gotham residents: Bruce is asleep on the sofa, his murder-investigation notebook open on his lap. Penguin is proudly watching his mother singing on stage in his new club. Fish wakes up on the floor of her prison and claps her hands, giving her fellow captives permission to get up and drink some water.
Clocktower Apartment and OH, GOODIE. Barbara’s back. (M: NOOOOOO.) She arrives home wearing a sexy black dress to find Selina and Ivy camped out in the living room. Selina explains that Jim dropped off his keys last week.

Gotham S01 E15 – Butter knife coup

It’s a stormy night in Gotham. (M: WHAT?! It's usually so bright and cheery.) A random guy with white hair arrives home to his Generic Gotham Apartment and grumbles about the wind blowing through an open window. He goes to shut it, but two guys in hoodies appear and grab him as he screams in terror.
Fish wakes up on the floor in some kind of prison, dashing my hopes that her leaving Gotham the city for a while also meant she would be leaving Gotham the show. Sigh. She asks the friendly-looking guy nearby if she’s dreaming, and he replies that he hopes so. Two scary-looking thugs saunter over, chuckling to themselves.

Dawson’s Creek S03 E08 – Schmaltzy meh

Jen and Pacey are having a domestic moment, grocery shopping and arguing about what to cook for Thanksgiving at Grams’s, which is conveniently ruining their sex-buddies situation. Pacey blames Jen for the fact that this situation has not actually happened yet, and she just kinda laughs at his foreplay, which, RUDE. Then Jen comes up with the brilliant idea to do it immediately before/during/after the Grams Turkey Day God Fest '99.
Pacey says, uh, kinda have to spend the holiday with own my terrible family at some point. (K: I don't even want to think about how horrible a Witter family Thanksgiving would be...) (D: I'm thankful we were spared a scene at the Witter house.) 

Pretty Little Liars S04 E20 – Burn it!

We open on Spencer, who has fallen asleep at Ezra's desk, and is drooling all over the Ali Diary. Ezra walks in, wakes her up and asks what she's doing. She's confused, just as anyone would be to realize that they're in their pajamas, at school, and this is not an actual dream. She tries to leave but he creepy stops her and tells her the path she's on is dangerous, then the bell rings and she uses it to make a break for it. Ezra creepy stares after her. But I guess he's used to people fleeing his dead-eyed stare.
SHHHHH.
Coma-makeup!Spencer is changing in the girl's bathroom.

The OC S02 E16 – Bonfire designs

My history with the OC is that I watched obsessively in high school, but I can’t remember how many seasons I got through. All I really remember is rooting for Anna, and I’m pretty sure her time here has come and gone. (M: SADLY.) I do know the basics of the main drama-makers here.
We open at what I assume is their high school, though everyone is a good seven years older than I was in high school. They must be a bunch of idiots.
Seth is reminiscing about how last year was so much better, even though his list of last year includes “possible illegitimate daughter”, but I get too distracted by Seth’s sweater vest and the fact that I think Ryan is wearing bell-bottom jeans to really pay close attention.

Supernatural S03 E02 – Leave me alone, tiny Satan

We open in Cicero, Indiana where a (presumably divorced) father is dropping his daughter home. Something’s clearly got her spooked, as she runs straight to her mum—according to dad, she pitched a fit. She missed her mother and doesn’t want to stay at her dad’s any more. “He’s mean, and there are monsters there,” she complains—her mother comforts her, as we cut to the dad’s house.
Like most homeowners in this series, the dad seems to have a Basement Of Don’t Go In There, and – bonus! – it’s filled with lots of woodwork tools. This can only end well. He’s making a wooden rocking horse, which is one leg away from completion - is that for his daughter? ‘Cause if so no wonder she doesn't want to stay with him, he’s hilariously out of touch; she’s about five years too old for a rocking horse.

Gotham S01 E09 – Fun with ringtones

Gordon arrives home to an empty apartment, bringing Selina with him. While Selina heads into the kitchen to help herself to food, he reads Barbara’s note in which she apologises for being so jumpy and useless lately, and says she’s leaving town for a while to pull herself together. (M: I even hate Barbara when her presence is merely implied by a letter.) Gordon gets a phone call, so Selina takes the opportunity to sneak a look at the note and pry into Gordon’s personal life while she swigs from a bottle of milk. I see what you did there, show. Selina is the future cow-woman!

Gotham S01 E08 – #deep

A very worried man in suspenders is trying to make his way unnoticed through an what looks like an office/storage area. He slips on a ski mask and makes a run for it, but another identically dressed man leaps out at him. A fight ensues, and it's a little hard to keep track of what's going on because I don't know who is who. One Ski Mask Man rips the blade off a paper cutter and uses that to attack the Two Ski Mask Man. All said and done, One Ski Mask Man cuts Two's finger off, but in the end, it is Two who wrestles away the blade and hacks One to death. Two lifts off his mask and reveals he is not the original, very worried man we saw. RIP Very Worried Man. We never knew ye. Two looks toward a nearby survellaince camera and now we're watching him on the video. He lifts his arm in some sort of salute at whoever is watching him.

Doctor Who S01 E08 – Don’t cross the streams

We open with a slightly terrifying close-up of a ginger bloke and Rose voiceover-ing about her dad, the most wonderful man in the world. I feel like I know the ginger bloke from something, but IMDb informs me it's just One Episode of Every British Police Show Ever. (M: A+) That throws us into a flashback of Jackie showing Mini!Rose photos of her father and telling her about the day he died, how it was the same day that friends of hers got married. In the TARDIS, Rose asks the Doctor if they can go and see her father when he was still alive. The Doctor is briefly concerned and tells her "be careful what you wish for" but agrees with a grin nonetheless. He pulls some controls and the TARDIS vworp vworps.

Dawson’s Creek S02 E21 – Needs more Bowie

Shrine o' Spielberg. We're treated to like 20 seconds of Casablanca, which is clearly the best 20 seconds of this entire show, and then Dawson's moping over having to write a final essay comparing his own life to Casablanca. Um...
He starts writing about how Hollywood Sabbatical is clearly evil and his archnemesis, then deletes it all because that won't get him a good grade. He asks Joey why he still wants to please Hollywood Sabbatical, and she's all "IDEK". (D: Uh, because she's your teacher? For a class that's actually important to your hopeful career path?) She suggests he interview someone. He decides he'll present his final on camera because that way he'll get bonus points for thinking outside the box.

The OC S02 E08 – The Power of Blah

I feel like I should start by saying that I remember very little about season two. I diligently watched the entire season when it aired and then once again a few years ago when I scored the DVDs at Target for $10. But pretty much the entire season is one big blur of now-dated bands, bland love interests, and me wondering when Seth and Summer are going to get back together. So "The Power of Love" should be a fun trip down not-really-a-memory lane.
Marines: A+. "Not really a memory," describes 95% of my OC experience. The other 5% is a mixture of adorable Seth, flying pool furniture and a certain alley in Tijuana.
Sweeney: Television's gold standard depiction of Tijuana, really.

Dawson’s Creek S02 E19 – CRYFACE

Outside Leery Manor, Joey and Dawson - still in their catering outfits - make out. There's some brief discussion that's clearly of the "we should go upstairs and boink" variety before they climb up the ladder. IS THE DOOR BROKEN?!?!?! I hate these people. (D: Cosign.) Anyway, they reach the Shrine o' Spielberg and start kissing again, but Joey stops in surprise when she sees Jen sitting on the bed, weeping. They ask her what's wrong, and she tearfully explains that Abby's dead. Joey hugs her and Jen starts to sob.
Democracy Diva: A round of applause to Michelle Williams, who was a really fucking good actress SO LONG AGO.

Dawson’s Creek S02 E15 – Confession o’clock

Shrine o' Spielberg. Pacey's watching Jerry Maguire as Dawson walks in carrying homework. It seems that Pacey's been hanging out at Leery Manor every day so that his douchey father doesn't know he got suspended. Um. Do they not inform your parents of suspensions in America, or is this a TV Land thing??
Democracy Diva: Oh, I thought he was just avoiding his douchey father's rage, but that Douchey Father did know about the suspension. If not, then yeah, that's definitely just a TV Land thing.
K: CONFUSION.