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Lately I’ve developed an affection for TV shows that aired on ABC between 1989 and 1993. Doogie Howser, and the Wonder Years have been faves for some time, and nostalgia has led me to add thirtysomething and Life Goes On to my Netflix queue. Most recently, however, I’ve fell in love with a show I’ve actually been hunting down for years: Homefront.

Homefront aired on ABC from 1991-1993. Its short run means it was rarely syndicated and no one has gone through the trouble to release it on DVD, so creative googling and luck are necessary to hunt down VHS recordings. It was rather critically acclaimed during its initial run but failed to pull in the ratings necessary to guarantee renewal. It seems a very similar story to my favorite show on TV these days, Friday Night Lights. Kyle Chandler stars in both, but whereas Homefront died due to lack of viewership, Friday Night Lights had the advantage of being produced in a more flexible era of television, allowing it to live 5 (short) seasons–for which I am eternally grateful.

But back to Homefront. It’s an evening soap that revolves around a town, River Run, Ohio, at the end of WWII. The first episode begins with the young soldiers returning home from overseas and begins to explore the early post-war era.

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Star Trek: Enterprise – the final episode “These are the Voyages…”

Original Airdate: May 13, 2005

The final episode of Enterprise doesn’t quite seem as epic as it could have. TNG and Voyager both ended with a look ahead to the future as well as a nod to the past. DS9 left everyone parting ways with a farewell that served the characters and audience equally well. Enterprise, however, falls flat.

The episode takes us 6 years into the future (from the perspective of the last episode, 10 years after the pilot). The Enterprise is returning to earth where it will be decommissioned as the new, faster fleet comes to take its place. Captain Archer will give a speech honoring a new charter between humans and a handful other alien races. A hitch in the trip home comes when a former acquaintance, Shran, shows up. Apparently Archer owes this guy a favor, so the Enterprise helps him get his kidnapped daughter back.

(Click the link to check out the rest of the entry, but I’m putting SPOILER ALERT on this post. If you ever plan on watching Enterprise you might want elements of this episode to remain a surprise. The episode itself actually spoils those moments early on, but, well… I’m warning you anyway.)

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CBS doesn’t want America to think about Choice, so we have to do it virally.  Here are some awesome counterpoints to the anti-choice rhetoric that is being crammed down our throats with Doritos and beer this SuperBowl Sunday, starting with Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards explanation of the meaning of Choice:

For a multitude of reasons I will not be watching the SuperBowl today, but welcome any tips on who the winners and losers in advertising are this year.

“In the beginning, it was odd to have so much attention brought to my body type [by Mad Men].  I thought, Uh-oh, brace yourself.  But everyone has been so positive.  During the first season a woman came up to me at dinner and said, ‘I just want to thank you. Watching you has made me proud of my body.’ I thought, What an amazing thing for someone to say! To make anyone feel good about themselves makes me feel good.”

- Christina Hendrix
“Joan” of Mad Men

From Marie Claire via the Feb/Mar issue of BUST magazine.

Last night marked the end of the Dollverse as we know it.  Because I canceled my cable service a week too early not thinking about this, I just watched the finale online this morning.

The end of a favorite show is always bittersweet.  We get a little bit of closure, and a significant sense of loss in saying good-bye to characters we have come to love.  I find that this is especially true when it comes to Joss Whedon’s shows, as his characters are complex, charasmatic, despicable, and loveable – often simultaneously.  Although Eliza Dushku’s performances are often criticized (and her portrayal of Echo was no exception), I believed in Echo.  I watched her transform from a passive, agreeable creature into a fierce and confident leader.  And this is the type of leading character women and girls could stand to see more of.

Each of the characters evolved over the two seasons of the show – Topher grew a conscience and suffered from the mental fallout of what he had created; Adelle went from cold, hard bitch to warm and maternal (and back again a few times); Boyd and Paul showed us the gray areas between the light and dark sides; Sierra/Priya and Victor/Anthony taught everyone that there are levels of emotion and connection that are stronger than any wipe.  And the LA Dollhouse taught us that no matter how we kid ourselves, there is always a greater potential for harm and evil within human nature than we are willing to admit – but there are also people willing to stand up and fight against that.

Dollhouse didn’t live up to everyone’s expectations, but a lot of those expectations were really high.  There were a lot of themes (identity, individuality, agency, sex work, human trafficking, economic privilege, power) and little time to address them.  It was a bumpy road, and themes and storylines didn’t always get the attention they deserved, but Dollhouse gave us a show that was willing to take a look at the dark side of human nature and the future of technology.  Dollhouse made us think, made us feel, made us question.  I’ll miss it.  Until next time, Joss.

Check out these other send-offs from io9 and Adventures of a Young Feminist.

Law & Order: SVU has quickly become my newest obsession (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Thank you Netflix Instant queue! – I should get paid for this), and I have been thrilled to learn that actress Mariska Hargitay is every bit as awesome as her character, Detective Olivia Benson, who could probably fill a 10 Reasons of her own.

1. She’s got her head on straight when it comes to body image:

“I’m a size 8, and I feel proud of that because it’s healthy.  I’ve never felt compelled to be a skinny actress.  I think I’m a very attractive person, but that’s not where I get my esteem.  A guy at ABC told me to change my name and get a nose job.  I said, ‘You get a nose job.’”

2. Although SVU is often challenging, it has inspired her.

“It’s opened my eyes to the plight of victims. And helped me find new ways to make a difference in the world. Without SVU, I would’ve never started the Joyful Heart Foundation.”

3. Yeah, about that Joyful Heart thing…

“I used to call myself the “accidental activist.”  No more.  I have fully engaged in this mission.  It is part of my path, one of the reasons I am here.”

4. She is proud of her character.

“I thought the character was extremely complex and would be a challenge for me as an actor. The second I read the script, I was drawn to Olivia’s strength, passion, humanity, and her desire for change. But what most intrigued me was her past and how she could use it to help others face theirs.”

Click here for 6 more reasons to love Mariska

I’ve touched on 30 Rock before and argued against it as a feminist show.  I’ve reviewed season 1 and watched season 2, and am more often offended and stupified than impressed.  But I keep trying.  Anyway, clearly there are many people who do like 30 Rock and Tina Fey, and Colleen at Cultural Voice Over has an interesting post up about Liz Lemon as a feminist icon.  Here are some of my thoughts about her thoughts:

And then it occurred to me…Liz Lemon (played by Tina Fey, of course) of 30 Rock has to be, truly, one of the best female icons on television right now.Essentially, Liz Lemon is a lot like Tina Fey (except “more of a loser,” as Fey herself once said.) But they seem to represent the same concepts and ideas, and the similarities are obvious when comparing Lemon and Fey’s careers and histories.

I had revered Tina Fey as a feminist role model until I started doing a little research and kept getting stuck when trying to put together a 10 Reasons for her.  I’m willing to admit that I’ve made some stretches in the feature before in finding quotes to support the theory that so-and-so is a feminist role model, but Tina was tough.  I found (and continue to find) myself wondering why I had been operating under the assumption that Tina was a feminist – because she’s intelligent?  Because she isn’t overtly and constantly sexual/ized?  Because she wears glasses?  I’m still not sure, but I’ve had trouble finding enough evidence to convince myself she’s a strong feminist role model (not that she needs to be one).

There are oh so many reasons why us women looooove Liz Lemon. She strives and struggles to “have it all!” as a creative writer, business woman, single woman on the New York dating scene, and a sometimes “clock-a-tickin’” wannabe mother.

Stereotypes are dangerous, double-edged swords.  They exist because there is some truth to them, but as often as they provide us with a blueprint for understanding a group of people they fail us in misrepresenting the individuals that compose that group.  As Colleen notes, Liz is never fully satisfied in any of her roles, and never views herself as successful or deserving or confident, despite her clear successes and intelligence.  And the baby-crazed thing is insulting.

Women say they can relate to Lemon because they “eat like her,” or are “dorky” like she is. Or they get nervous around men like she frequently does. We can relate to her. We see her at home, not made-up, hair a mess and lounging around in un-sexy sweats eating blocks of cheese late in the night.

It’s nice to see a dorky, unique character on tv.  It’s nice to see her as an independent career woman.  It’s nice to see someone who eats.  However, Liz is always either ashamed of her eating or mocked, teased or insulted by her coworkers about them.  The things that we see in Liz that are reflections of ourselves are things that Liz is constantly dogged for and never defends.  Jack is Liz’s boss, so it wouldn’t be easy for her to confront his misogyny, but ignoring and taking it day-in and day-out isn’t really inspiring.

I started watching 30 Rock hoping that Tina Fey’s influence would create an awesome feminist role model in Liz Lemon, and I have been disappointed at every turn.  What’s your perspective?

I’ll admit that I typically don’t give crime shows a fair chance.  Something about horrific crimes as entertainment rubs me the wrong way, and when sex gets rolled into the mix it seems like a recipe for disaster.  But I gave Law & Order: Special Victims Unit it’s chance, and let me tell you – I was pleasantly surprised (thanks Netflix instant queue!).

I still believe strongly that sex and violence are a dangerous cocktail, but SVU handles the topics with class.  The violence, although sexual, is never sexy, and the bad guys are almost always clearly bad (exceptions include child perps and false accusers).  Stranger rape, date rape, marital rape are all treated with equal seriousness (a level of respect we often can’t even expect from our own local news), and more controversial topics such as sexual orientation, sex work, and patient-doctor confidentiality and spousal privilege are handled with care.

Furthermore, the female characters on the show are complex, intelligent, and self-sufficient.  On top of this, their counterparts are possibly the most decent men I’ve seen on television in a long time.  Detectives look out for each other regardless of gender, and there is a sense of camaraderie and caring that has nothing to do with genitalia.  For instance, knowing Detective Benson’s sensitive history with her father (all she knows about him is that he’s the man who raped her mother), Detective Stabler calls out a coworker who made an inappropriate joke about the subject.  He does this discretely and out of a desire to protect his partner, not a poor sensitive woman, and Det. Benson watches Stabler’s back with an equal amount of respect and concern when his buttons are pushed.

Although Det. Benson is still in the minority as a woman detective on the unit, she is quickly replacing Special Agent Dana Scully as my favorite woman in uniform.  She is always the defender of justice, warmly and kindly comforting the victims of the atrocities featured on the show while giving the Ice Queen a run for her money when she gets alone in the room with a perp.  The various ADAs across seasons (nearly always portrayed by women) are equally cool and collected and fantastic at their jobs.

One of the most unique themes that I’ve noticed in watching, however, is the clear and direct condemnation of misogyny.  Many of the perps on the show target women (prostitutes, girlfriends, wives, strangers) because they are women.  One of the ADAs sets out to be the first lawyer to successfully convict a rapist of a hate crime.  The hatred and loathing these criminals (and occasionally cops) have for women illustrate the most vile misogyny that can be imagined – and they way that it is portrayed is as disgusting and loathsome as it really is.

Although there isn’t a great deal of ethnic diversity on the team and no significant address of ablism, the competent women on the show are a breath of fresh air, as are their respectful and admirable coworkers – men as allies in “women’s issues” fights are too sparse on television.  The women are still held to a higher standard as far as the limited variety in body image portrayed and the requirement that they are still able to demonstrate a sensitive and nurturant side that is more acceptably absent in male characters, but I’m willing to argue that Law & Order SVU is a pretty feminist-friendly show.  And with 11 seasons under its belt, I’m impressed that it has been given the chance to put these images and messages out there for so long.

Shoutouts to the post at Bitch blog that addressed this a little while ago.  Follow their (and my) advice and give it chance if you haven’t yet!

Enterprise – the first episode “Broken Bow”

Original Airdate: Sept. 26, 2001

After a long break, I bring you the next installment in “Star Trek Through the Years.” We’ve made it past the beginnings of the franchise, through the three middle series, each achieving seven year runs, and we have now made it to the ever-controversial (among Trekkies) Enterprise.

Notice that’s just Enterprise. No “Star Trek” in that title. Part of the goal of Enterprise was to rejuvenate the series, try something new while bringing it back to its roots. So they went back in time, in terms of Trek chronology, to 2151 (for those looking for a frame of reference, the Original Series took place in 2265). The show chronicles the adventures of the first Enterprise and Starfleet’s (and mankind’s) first steps into the great beyond of space.

The ship is led by Captain Jonathan Archer. His dad worked hard on developing warp vessels with the Vulcans (the first alien race aliens encountered–that story is chronicled in the movie Star Trek: First Contact). The senior Archer never really got to see his ship take off, however, because the Vulcan’s were never too willing to give away information and Mr. Archer died before they perfected the technology. Due to this Cpt. Archer’s got a chip on his shoulder. He’s not a fan of Vulcans and likes to mock them snarkily whenever possible.

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As a whole, I was let down by last night’s Saturday Night Live.  I had missed the episode last week hosted by Taylor Swift, and was impressed with the clips I caught online afterwords.  I had also caught sassy January Jones giving Jimmy Fallon a hard time on his show, and hoped that she would be given some decent material to work with.  If you were watching, you know that “decent material” is not what we got.

January’s monologue was redeemed by Fred Armisen’s quip about preferring Mad Men’s Peggy (his newlywed wife in real life) to Betty.  The monologue pretty much drove me crazy with anticipation, as I plan to start watching Mad Men (Season 1) this week.  Aside from the monologue, January Jones was primarily a prop in most of the skits, but she shone in the following short, which was my favorite skit all night.

Favorite lines include:

• “Avoid looking at the newspaper, as it may give you ideas.”
• “Greet women by her husband’s name, or not at all.”
• “Greet a divorced woman by her attorney’s name.  Be sure to make note of the flaws in her figure and bust that brought about the divorce, so that you may learn from them.”
• “Address cats by their full name, and dogs by ‘Mister’ and then their dog name, because cats are girls and dogs are boys.
• “If a black person arrives…  Just kidding.” – (SNL usually follows this recommendation)

All around, I can’t really understand SNL like I used to.  I came of age during the Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, Anna Gasteyer era and since then have often missed the jokes in SNL.  The regular theme of gay skits (this week’s Kristen Wiig as a creepy newscaster coming on to a teen hero, the Dr. Jeckyl/Mr. Hyde skit) always seem a little off, kind of in the same way that 30 Rock’s handling of gay men always comes off as stereotypical and offensive to me.

Did you like the episode last night (or the season so far)?  How do you understand SNL’s new common themes?

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