DVR Cleaning: The Return Of Jezebel James, Miss Guided
By fred | March 23, 2008
I still haven’t had a chance to watch In Treatment, but since there are no new episodes this Monday and Tuesday, I’ll just watch Sophie’s last session then. So at least I’ll have this over you guys, I get to watch to sessions of Sophie this week !
Meanwhile this week-end I did watch a couple of “comedies”, sadly I wasn’t laughing much. Miss Guided I didn’t expect anything, after that awful pilot I was sure this show was never going to be great, and guesting little Britney Spears (whatever her name may be) isn’t a sign of anything good. Jesus I can’t believe that actual Britney found her way into the great sitcom that is How I Met Your Mother, CBS better announce its renewal very soon !
Anyways, let’s start with Jezebel James…
The Return Of Jezebel James: Needles & Schlag
(S01E03) You know, I really wanted to like this new show, and I was really hoping it would be a great little thing, coming from the mind who gave us the wonderful Gilmore Girls, but it’s so not there !
And actually, I think that everything that made Gilmore Girls such a great show, is here what makes The Return Of Jezebel James such a “bad” one. For starter, the writing. While in Gilmore that very special and unique ways characters had to talk and express their feelings was something we all fell in love with, when it happens here is just doesn’t sound right. I was under the impression that this had been made to try to recreate what someone had seen on another show, but without ever succeeding at it of course. It just sounds (too) forced.
Besides, we’re in a completely different situation here : a sitcom. GG wasn’t a sitcom, and it could have such great long conversation because it did not have to be funny or make one laughs, as long as it was great. But within a sitcom the tone of the show is not the same, it’s a different pace and also different expectations from the audience. And trying to put cheesy jokes in there just doesn’t cut it.
But it’s not just the writing, and another reason for the success of GG was Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel (among others). Those two were absolutely perfect, there’s no question there. They were the Gilmore Girls, each week we got to see the actual and very unique Lorelai and Rory, who on fact happened to be brilliantly portrayed by Graham & Bledel.
Here we got such a different situation, and yes Parker Posey is completely out of it. She’s simply not her character, I don’t see Sarah on screen, I see Posey trying so hard to figure out who Sarah is so she could finally portray her. Everything sounds and looks wrong, the way she moves, the way she speaks, it’s simply not working. Posey was really miscast for this role, or is being given completely wrong direction if that’s how people want her to play Sarah Thomkins.
Though to be fair, I’m not that impressed or even pleased with Lauren Ambrose. But that may be me, or just a reflection of Posey.
And again, the writing is not that good. So many things are clichés or highly predictable that it really ruins everything. And don’t even mention the laugh tracks, I just can’t stand it. It’s really sad to say, but I don’t think I’ll be made at Fox when I’ll learn that they canceled this one, I don’t see how I could be.
Miss Guided: Hot Sub + The List
(S01E02+E03) I’m not quite sure why this show is on the air, really. I hated the first episode, but I figured maybe it was a one-time mistake and would maybe improve, but far from it. It’s still completely unfunny, a boring succession of stupid clichés one after the other, and I can’t think why anyone would be interested in this crap.
It’s not just that I find the main character quite annoying or that none of the “jokes” work, but I’m having a hard time really find out what what supposed to be funny in this show. I’m guessing the only reason they don’t use a laugh tracks it not per choice, but constraint. They tried to, but couldn’t really tell where to put jokes, it never seemed right, and there’s a reason for that.
Seriously, it’s painful to watch. I’d rather watch a rerun of Carpoolers than this crap !
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Miss Guided, The Return Of Jezebel James
