Welcome to the Future

Well the cats out of the bag, Netflix is up, HBO is down. Netflix is an online streaming service which streams archive shows, in addition to old and current movies and original content. HBO on the other hand is a cable channel, which originally focused on boxing, specials and stand up comedy, and which now focuses mainly on drama and comedy series, including Game of Thrones, GIRLS, LOOKING, The Sopranos, Oz, Sex and the City, and Veep.

Well, the big advantage that Netflix has is price, the service costs about 8 dollars a month, fairly cheap for the sheer quantity of shows and movies available, and the flexibility of the service. HBO on the other hand, costs 11-20 dollars a month, significantly more considering that this is a fairly unflexible service, and that you still have to pay the subscription in between Game of Thrones and GIRLS. The quality of these channels is comparable, both make great original series, and Netflix original shows include Orange Is The New Black, House of Cards, Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove. Both channels produce great origianl content and both also produce TV films, Netflix was recently nominated for an Academy Award for The Square.

The other real advantage of Netflix is it's flexibility, the series allows you to watch series whenever, and most importantly, it allows you to binge watch. Netflix, being an internet subscription, also allows for watching on whatever device you want, wherever you want, if you move house, you don't have to contact your cable subscriber, believe me, this is an advantage.

Netflix is also a service which is really adapted to the way in which people watch TV, our modern lives aren't adapted to watching scheduled TV, even the idea of recording something takes too much organization, and you also have to be aware of the series in advance, and so if you are a little late on the game, you're out. More importantly Netflix allows you to binge watch series, which is how most of us like to watch TV, people don't really want to watch a little bit of something every day, they want to watch their favorite shows in a five hour block. Netflix has a policy of releasing all of their shows in a big block, and allowing you to watch them as you please.

So what can we do to save HBO? Well firstly the channel needs to launch an online subscription service, so that people can watch as they please. Secondly they need a more appropriate price for people who only want to watch certain series, and have little interest in watching boxing. HBO already have an on demand service, but an internet subscription service would really help them in keeping up with Netflix. HBO is a fantastic channel and has launched some of the best series in recent television history, all they need to do is provide a service which is more appropriate to the way people actually watch television today.

GIRLS - Season 3 In Review

Well, with the airing of Two Plane Rides, season three of GIRLS comes to an end, and i for one am sad to see it go. It appears that we will have to wait another ten months for any new GIRLS content, but that's the name of the game with HBO, the good news is that VEEP will be starting soon, so we have that to look forward to. This season of GIRLS has really been a high for the series, the show has managed to balance nudity and character development, and for once the nudity feels neither exploitative or unnecessary, and we finally get to know these characters as people.

The main focus of the season has been the relationship between Hannah and Adam, for once they seem to be in a good place, and their relationship is based on mutual respect. Interestingly the amount of sex in their relationship seems to be inversely proportional to how happy they are, in previous seasons Adam treats Hannah almost like an object, and he expects her to be available for sex at any time. Later on in the season the sex is almost non existent from the relationship, and this makes Hannah worried and scared about the state of their relationship. Interestingly, for Adam, he tells her that they don't have sex as much anymore because he actually cares about her, and he actually respects her as a person.

Sex is still almost omnipresent in the show, Marnie seems to have sex more than all the other characters, and although she is nude much less than Hannah, she is much more manipulative in the way she uses sex, sex is how she controls Ray and she the fact that she feels able to judge Hannah and the other characters is astounding. Marnie is easily the least likeable of the leads, she is manipulative and conniving, and she seems to have no respect for either her girlfriends, nor for any of the men in her life. Shoshanna and Jessa are by far the most underused characters this season, Shoshanna became slightly shrill and a little two dimensional. Jessa is also underused, however her storylines feel developed and realistic. Jessa goes through a lot this season, going to rehab and hitting bottom, Jessa is the only character who has a real moral compass, whe has strong opinions and views and she rarely deviates from them, what is interesting about Jessa is that her moral views is that they differ from 'classic' morality, and she has views that seem slightly amoral to the audience.

The season ends with Hannah and Shoshanna reaching real crossroads in their lives, and having to make real decisions about their futures. Jessa and Marnie essentially end up right back when they started, Marnie begins the season heartbroken, and she ends heartbroken. The fact that she feels this with two different men is a testament to the somewhat questionable choices she makes in her life. Jessa also ends up in exactly the same position, she stars the season as a drug addict, and she ends as a drug addict, the fact that these characters don't really change is a testament to how vacuous and naive these girls are. Despite everything they go through in the series, they never really learn from it, and the audience watches them make the same bad choices over and over again.

I give GIRLS huge credit for a fantastic third season, possibly the best season of the show yet, the show should be lauded for its ability to make the show's main characters truly unlikeable and unpleasant, and yet keeping them compelling. the show doesn't need to find a reason to make these characters even partly understandable or empathetical is risky and interesting, but the gamble pays off, and the characters become highly compelling, because of their flaws. I have high anticipation for the next season of this show, and i laud this season for it's frank portrayal of sex, relationships and female friendship. Rating: A-

It's made me want to find a hole in the world, in the shape of me, and just fill it up.

Looking back on Looking

Well, this sunday marked the last episode of the first season of new HBO comedy LOOKING. We recently learned that against all odds, the show was renewed for a second season by HBO. The show follows three gay friends living in San Franciso, the series mainly follows Patrick, played by Jonathon Groff as he attempts to find a boyfriend, as well as the exploits of his friends Dom, played by Murray Bartlett as he tries to progress professionally and find love, and Augustin (played by Frankie J. Alvarez), a struggling artist working as a call boy who moves in with his boyfriend.

The series got off to an auspicious if perhaps a slow start, and the show was strong out of the gate, the first few episodes gave us just the right blend of character development and story arc, and managed to pique our interest with complex and well defined characters, and story-lines that were risque enough to keep audiences watching. The show is fairly slow, and this is typical of Andrew Haigh's work, particularly on his 2011 film Weekend, which laid the groundwork for much of LOOKING's narrative structure and visual style. The first few episodes gave us a quick reason to care for these characters, and thus gave us a reason to watch the show.

The show has had a few standout episodes, episode 5, Looking to the Future features an extended conversation between Patrick and new flame Ritchie, taking place over a whole day the two discuss bottoming, HIV and anal sex. This episode is indicative of the shows willingness to discuss gay sex openly and frankly, many shows in the past, even gay centric shows, have shyed away from talking too graphically about gay sex so as not to alienate a straight audience, but LOOKING takes advantage of HBO's significantly younger audience and discusses these topics in frank and interesting ways. The discussion about bottoming is especially significant, as it is something those not members of the gay community will necessarily understand, the dialogue between Ritchie and Paddy about bottoming represents the internal homophobia inherent in the gay community at the moment, where all that is masculine (and by extension heterosexual) is considered virile and desirable. Patrick's refusal to bottom for Ritchie represents in part his internal self loathing and his discomfort with being gay, and his inability to open up to Ritchie about his needs and desires.

This theme will be revisited in the season finale, Patrick has a flirtation with his boss throughout the series, which culminates in a brief kiss at the wedding, and which is finally realized in the finale when Kevin (Patrick's boss) lures him to the office late at night, where they have sex, with Patrick assuming the role of the bottom. Again this encounter represents some of the internal homophobia of the gay community, Patrick finally agreeing to bottom represents not only the inherent difference between his relationship with Ritchie and his relationship with Kevin, but also the fact that as his boss, Kevin is in a position of power, is thus stronger and more typically masculine, and thus he assumes the role of the top. The series uses sex a huge amount, in order to show the connections between the characters. The sex between Ritchie and Patrick is sweet, and loving, but lacks passion, and the sex between Patrick and Kevin is passionate and graphic. Augustin and his boyfriend have trouble connecting, and always feel the need to bring someone else into the bedroom, and Dom looks for fleeting encounters with young twinks from Grindr, as an attempt to feel young and free.

The show deserves to be lauded for its use of sex, and sex is used intelligently as a tool in order to show us how the relationships between the characters progress, the use of sex in the show is creative and doesn't feel gratuitous. The concept of the show is that everyone is looking for something, a boyfriend, an apartment or a relationship, a job or a promotion, however rather than showing us how they got them, the show uses the concept of constantly looking for something to show us that in a sense we are always looking, and that even if we do occasionally find what we are looking for, mostly, life is just a perpetual cycle of looking, and rarely finding. The show is visually interesting, smartly written and surely acted, and the characters are interesting enough to carry us through into season two. Rating: A-

Patrick: So now what?
Kevin: I don't know Patrick

LOOKING - A New Comedy

Often described as the gay comedy for the new generation, LOOKING is the new series on HBO, which debuted on sunday. I know that it may seem like i'm writing a lot of TV reviews at the moment, but what can i say, i'm feeling inspired. LOOKING is a show about three gay friends living in San Francisco, each at a crossroads in their lives, and looking for something new. The series stars Jonathon Groff as Patrick a man with a successful career as a video game developer looking for love.

This show is perhaps best describes as being to Queer As Folk what Girls is to Sex And The City, the show in a sense shares much with its older, maturer, camper predecessor. The show feels fresh, and modern, and speaks to a younger audience than Queer As Folk. I think that the younger parts of the gay community are much less overt than the older parts, they are less segregated and tend to blend in more easily, the show reflects this. Looking is essentially a show like any other, its about dating and life, the only quirk is that the characters are gay, but it doesn't speak only to that group, it speaks to anyone of this age.

The show feels well written and well plotted, the characters seem well rounded and don't often fall back on stereotypes, the characters interactions seem realistic and there is little of the 'meeting up for cocktails' that so often featured on Sex And The City, instead this show is more likely to feature smoking a joint in the park or going cruising on the subway, which perhaps speaks to our generation.

Overall i was fairly impressed by LOOKING, the show feels fresh and modern, and adds to HBO's already impressive comedy roster. The show is unpretentious and realistic, and the shows leads seem competent, so despite not being flabbergasted by this show, i feel that there is promise for the rest of the season, and it is finally nice to have a show in TV that speaks to people like me, a demographic that feels poorly represented. Rating: B-

GIRLS - Season 3

Well, the other night the first two episodes of the third season of one of my favorite shows GIRLS premiered on HBO. The first two episodes are shown back to back, and feature a continuous storyline. At the end of season two, Hannah was suffering from debilitating OCD, Marnie had just got back together with Charlie and Shoshanna was discovering her sexual inner being. Jessa however was totally absent, having disappeared in a previous episode. Adam was also in a bad place, having broken up with Hannah he rediscovers a dark sexual side to his relationships.

The first two episodes deal mainly with Hannah and Adam's relationship, they are back together, and everything seems to be going great, however we soon realize that all is not as it seems, they barely talk, Adam still uses Hannah as a sexual object and he won't meet or talk to her friends, his behavior is erratic and uncompromising and he still won't discuss his feelings. Hannah presents her life as being so much better since season 2, but the truth is that she is still as fucked up as she always was, her life hasn't really gone anywhere, and although her book is progressing, and her publisher is no longer threatening to sue her, she still hasn't finished her novel.

Jessa is really at the center of these episodes, after the events with her parents in season 2, Jessa is in rehab, paid for by her grandmother, but she isn't opening up at all, and still treats her addiction like a joke, and antagonizes the other patients. Eventually Shoshanna, Hannah and Adam come to find her, renting a car and driving through the woods. Shoshanna too has progressed since the previous season, having discovered her sexuality, she is on a crusade to live a life of sexual freedom, a quest which leaves her exhausted and hungover. Shoshanna discovers that despite sleeping with lots of men, that she is really lonely and tired, and she longs for the kind of relationship that Adam and Hannah think they have.

One of the techniques that this series uses often is making moments which aren't actually funny, comedic, we start laughing at gloriously unfunny moments, such as someone sharing a ridiculous story in a group therapy session before realizing that Jessa is laughing too, we laugh at Adams ex-girlfriend confronting him about the way he treated her despite his having done some truly awful things. This is perhaps one of the defining features of GIRLS, it's funny without the characters actually knowing that it's funny, and this is certainly a good thing. There's nothing worse than watching a comedy film (probably starring Vince Vaughn or Adam Sandler) where the characters continually laugh at their own jokes, in fact probably laughing more than the audience.

The beginning of the third season of GIRLS shows promise, season 2 ended on an unbelievable high, and season 3 shows a fierce attempt by Lena Dunham to not simply continue the formula of seasons 1 and 2, but to move forward with a different style of storytelling, whilst retaining the signature style of the beloved show. Overall, a success. Rating: B+

Jessa: “I figured my shit out already when I was 5 years old. Heroin is really fun, but it can also kill you.”

Sex and the City

Welcome to the age of un-innocence. In 1998 HBO commissioned a series based on the book 'Sex and the City', by columnist Candace Bushnell. The book was based on a series of columns published by the New York Observer, the book was essentially a novelization of her and her friends lifestyles, and featured many real life new yorkers under pseudonyms, for instance the character of Mr Big was based upon publishing executive Ron Galotti, whom Bushnell dated for several years. The first few series of SATC were based around dating in new york city, characters often broke the third wall, looking into the camera and being frank about relationships. The series followed Carrie Bradshaw as she wrote her column, often using her friends for inspiration.

Subsequently, as the characters of the show became more loved the show became more character driven, and went on to discuss a range of relationship and health issues such as STD's, pregnancy, cancer, anal sex and threesomes. The show was the perfect blend of fashion, gossip and glamor, and became appointment Sunday night viewing. The series featured Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon in leading roles. Each character represented an archetype of the New York woman. A feminine fashion loving writer, a Pollyanna gallery owner, a promiscuous PR expert and a tough love lawyer.

The show does for women on their thirties what 'Girls' does for women in their twenties, the characters on the show were perpetually single, and often had frank discussions about the state of their sex lives. The shows protagonist was incredibly realistic about life, and referred to the nineties as 'the age on un-innocence'. New York really was the fifth main character on the show, and the shows entirety was filmed in Manhattan.

Overall SATC was a phenomenon, the series is funny, heartwarming and realistic, and is a great show for single people to binge watch on lonesome tuesday nights in! Welcome to the age of un-innocence!

"Welcome to the age of un-innocence. No one has breakfast at Tiffany's, and no one has affairs to remember. Instead, we have breakfast at 7AM, and affairs we try to forget as quickly as possible" - Carrie Bradshaw

Why I Love Girls

Forgive the tongue in cheek title, anyone who knows me will know that it is totally false! Girls is a HBO series created, written, produced and directed by Lena Dunham, who infuriatingly is 26 and recently signed a book 4 million dollar book deal with Random House. The series follows four new yorkers in their twenties as they attempt to navigate the world of dating, sex and work. The series mainly follows Hannah, a 24 year old from Connecticut struggling to make her mark on the world. Hannah is a writer who near the end of series two signs a deal to write an e-book. During the series premier Hannah is financially cut off by her parents, she is fired from her internship at a law firm and quits her job due to perceived sexual harassment from her boss.

The series takes inspiration from another HBO series; Sex and the City, a fact which is referenced in the pilot episode. Dunham described on Letterman how the characters were probably inspired by SATC to move to New York, and yet discovered a very different world. The show differs entirely from SATC in both tone and energy. The jaunty lounge inspired soundtrack is replaced by a more subdued, indie soundtrack, and the characters snappy retorts are replaced by very real conversations, where characters say things that sound utterly ridiculous. One of the real attractions of 'Girls' is that it is real. The characters are developed and three dimensional, and feel like real people, rather than mere representations. The show presents twenty-something life as we know it, the shows characters are deeply flawed, and the relationships between the main characters are not perfect; there is no eternal friendship and no perfect relationships, the characters are self centered and are not always there for their friends, and the show doesn't present the idea that your friends will always be there for you no matter what.

The show is also noteworthy for its frank depiction of sex. The characters actually have sex, there are no negliges, the characters actually get naked. The show is unafraid to show characters in an unflattering light, double chins and all, and Dunham herself often appears naked. Scenes featuring the character playing ping pong naked and having sex doggy style show the characters looking at times ugly and real. The show features a character who has some very dark sexual practices and fetishes, anal sex, masturbation and dirty talking are all analyzed and explored. Hannah herself proclaims that it is her greatest sexual fetish to have sex with herself, 'and also her worst nightmare. The costuming is also very real, he characters clothes are not always perfectly tailored, the characters are often costumed from thrift shops and from chains such as H&M. The characters often wear clothes that look frankly ridiculous, such as Hannah's 'shorteralls'.

The show also depicts sexuality in an interesting way, the second season premier shows Marnie having sex with Hannah's ex boyfriend, Elijah, now a gay man. The casting of Elijah is interesting, as he is played by Andrew Rannells, who by the way is really camp. The interesting thing about this casting is that it tells us a great deal about Hannah, in that she is so self involved that she doesn't realize that her boyfriend is gay, even though he is really camp. The shows opening shot is also interesting, as it shows two heterosexual roommates in bed together. It is this kind of sexual ambiguity which is really practiced these days, and characters in the show are rarely defined by sexual labels but by sexual expression, just as Samantha predicted on Sex and the City.

'Girls' is a show which portrays women as they see themselves and as other people see them, not in the glossy, smart way they would like other people to see them. Characters are self involved and selfish, and entire episodes are dedicated to really trivial problems, whereas actual problems are brushed over. 'Girls' is honest, frank and real. The characters are complex, delicate and realistic, and not always likeable. 'Girls' is essentially a tribute to our generation, fucked up and wasted as we may be, we're still important.

Hannah: I could be the voice of my generation. Well, a voice. Of a generation.