Wednesday, February 8 2012
A Look to the Past, An Insight Into the Present: The Use of Gender in ‘Mad Men’
Looking beyond the aesthetic surface of the series, what is the true motivation behind Mad Men’s frank depictions of these troubled social times? Is sexism being used as some sort of nostalgic trope, or does Mad Men actually delve deeper and explore these issues?
Tuesday, February 7 2012
Mitt Romney Can Reside at Today’s Proverbial ‘Downton Abbey’... Newt Gingrich Cannot
Downton Abbey reveals not only the play of chance that often confounds choice, but the power of social class to confine choice within established boundaries -- and we're comfortable with that.
Thursday, January 19 2012
TV 2011: Survivalist Crime Solvers
Recent US crime shows claim not only that the law does not provide justice to ordinary Americans, but also that it cannot do so.
Thursday, January 12 2012
The Best TV Performances of 2011
For all the high points on TV in 2011, there were also things that bothered me, and not all of them were named Kardashian.
The Guilty Pleasure TV Shows of 2011
Anthropomorphized food... insane soap opera creeepshows... and at least one example of the 'Unhappy Englander" on holiday. Must be time for the guiltiest of TV fare.
Wednesday, January 11 2012
The Best Television Shows of 2011
The small screen offers up the usual suspects, proving once again that, with a few exceptions, what's good on today's prime time schedule will stay that way until the next best-of list.
Wednesday, November 23 2011
And Nothing but the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert
A funny and personal portrait of the comedian who became the headline-making, ground-breaking star of The Colbert Report.
Tuesday, November 22 2011
Mothers, Killers and Vampires: The Post-Familial Society in “True Blood”
True Blood suggests that a change in family structure within a society doesn't necessarily entail a downfall of traditional concepts of morals and values.
Friday, November 18 2011
A Truly Grand Finalé: The Final Six Minutes of ‘Six Feet Under’
Six Feet Under cements its legacy with a send off that is so sublime, so simple and so perfectly obvious you can't help but laugh... through buckets of tears.
Thursday, November 17 2011
The Crows Come Home to Roost: The Death of Lisa Kimmel Fisher
Six Feet Under concludes its third season with a bold suite of emotionally devastating episodes that go straight for the jugular, nearly drowning the Fishers -- and the viewers -- under a tidal wave of fear, guilt and despair.
Wednesday, November 16 2011
Better Living Through Therapy: Six Feet Under’s “The Plan”
In the episode "The Plan", Ruth's humorous attempt at self-actualization and self-discovery at a self-help seminar reflects television's ingestion of and obsession with society's therapeutic culture.
Tuesday, November 15 2011
Defying Convention: “Six Feet Under” and the Unreliable Narrator
A pivotal, emotionally raw argument late in the second season of Six Feet Under completely undermines our perceptions of Nate and Brenda's primal and toxic relationship, illuminating the way the show plays havoc with our sympathies and televisual convention.
Margaret Chenowith: “Six Feet Under’s” Resident Existentialist
The bitter taste that the existentialist worldview may leave in some people’s mouths can be compared to the sting we feel when we meet Margaret Chenowith, the eternally cackling, gleefully hedonistic, complexly troubled mother of Brenda.
Monday, November 14 2011
Think Big Fisher, Think Different!
Minor in name only, the many minor characters of Six Feet Under play a crucial role in foregrounding the foibles, dilemmas and defining features of the Fishers.
The Madness of Minor Characters
The oddness of minor characters on Six Feet Under often led to the Fishers acting not quite like themselves, illuminating just how normal they were when compared to the rest of the world.
Friday, November 11 2011
Drifting Together, Drifting Apart: Sibling Bonds on ‘Six Feet Under’
Six Feet Under presents one of the most beautiful, honest and painful views into sibling relationships ever presented on television.
Wednesday, November 9 2011
Reconsidering Ruth: Reflecting on Motherhood in ‘Six Feet Under’
Though Six Feet Under does perceptibly depict Ruth attempting to find herself outside of her at time stifling domestic role, she ultimately finds her fulfillment and passion through her role as mother and in her relationships with her children.
Tuesday, November 8 2011
The Book of Ruth
A decade on, Ruth Fisher, the deceptively buttoned-down, wildly unpredictable matriarch on Six Feet Under, remains a singular representation of motherhood on television.
Monday, November 7 2011
You Can’t Fix Death: Living Life, Fisher Style
The tumultuous, but loving, relationships within the Fisher family illustrate Six Feet Under's complex and often contradictory views of the well-lived life.
Friday, November 4 2011
Funeral Songs: The Music of ‘Six Feet Under’
Two specific sequences from two separate episodes of Six Feet Under illustrate the show's complex and sophisticated use of popular music as both dramatic dramatic device and cultural signifier.
