tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post114523377188959044..comments2024-03-28T18:01:28.997-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Bye, Leo, we'll miss you. Now LET'S SMOOCH!Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145374553657967432006-04-18T11:35:00.000-04:002006-04-18T11:35:00.000-04:00I did not like "What About Brian." It was a very m...I did not like "What About Brian." It was a very mediocre, and was J.J. Abrams worst pilot by far. I think for the first couple of episodes a little more focus was needed on Brian. And the "swinging" plotline could have been drawn out over time, at a later point in the season, not forced down our throats in the pilot. Let Brian want to get married and then let's discover the uglier side of marriage.highbrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01227851853019490562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145325324285173342006-04-17T21:55:00.000-04:002006-04-17T21:55:00.000-04:00I was kind of irritated with all the bed-hopping w...I was kind of irritated with all the bed-hopping worry too(although the Donna-Josh-Amy scene was great!). I mean like Donna (or anyone who was around for the first term) would in any way be surprised by the CJ/Danny thing? Her whole deal was Press Secretary and she doesn't have that job anymore (granted she has a fancier one). Also CJ would totally give Donna a thumbs up for her and Josh finally getting together.<BR/><BR/>Leo/John Spencer deserved a great deal more gravitas in passing then he/they were given in either episode. Splitting his requiem over two episodes was a bad idea. They could've crammed things in two in a way that gave Leo an episode just for him.Heather Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08803986002619715757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145319373493491962006-04-17T20:16:00.000-04:002006-04-17T20:16:00.000-04:00I thought What About Brian was great. I was SO gl...I thought What About Brian was great. I was SO glad they changed the beginning from the original pilot and got rid of the voice over. VO is totally played out.<BR/><BR/>I actually really liked the music. I think it was a smart move -- use songs everyone has heard of to give them something to remember the show by the next day, and hopefully that helps them to remember the show and tune in again. It's easy to remember a scene when Baba O'Riley is playing in the background. Although I love indie music, I hope they don't get TOO indie and do what The O.C. is doing now, where they just play songs that are "cool," rather than songs that perfectly fit the scene.<BR/><BR/>Also, I totally agree about Barry Watson -- who knew?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145306488252022472006-04-17T16:41:00.000-04:002006-04-17T16:41:00.000-04:00I think it's typical of a Wells script -- he knows...I think it's typical of a Wells script -- he knows his weaknesses, and he avoids them, choosing to write around the scenes that Sorkin would have gloried in. So it can be disappointing, but who knows what we were spared?<BR/><BR/>EllenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145302811761666762006-04-17T15:40:00.000-04:002006-04-17T15:40:00.000-04:00Well, Emilio or Charlie could plausibly stand in f...Well, Emilio or Charlie could plausibly stand in for a late thirtysomething/early fortysomething Jed. I have no idea who looks like a young but still adult John Spencer, however. <BR/><BR/>In terms of the storytelling scene, I would have liked at least a few of them to actually be scenes from old episodes. Would it have killed them to mention Big Block of Cheese Day?Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145302430502163552006-04-17T15:33:00.000-04:002006-04-17T15:33:00.000-04:00A flashback-heavy thing could have worked, but how...A flashback-heavy thing could have worked, but how do you do that without having Spencer appear? Two Cathedrals worked without having the cast appear because it was such a distant flashback that the roles were properly recast. Even Jed and Leo, who've known each other for the longest time, were adults when they met.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00295270766215749309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145292677966577432006-04-17T12:51:00.000-04:002006-04-17T12:51:00.000-04:00I would say that "Requiem" was very good for what ...I would say that "Requiem" was very good for what it was. I did not expect the whole thing to be about Leo so I was little bit prepared in that respect. The teaser was one of the best that the show has done - no dialogue other than the priest, scanning the faces through the crowd, the opening with Bartlet, C.J., Josh, Toby, and Donna getting ready. We are lucky at all that the producers were able to work in a Leo episode at all. It is not like it is something that was planned for at the start of the year.<BR/><BR/>Could it have been better? Probably. Was it still good? Absolutely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145292350311229522006-04-17T12:45:00.000-04:002006-04-17T12:45:00.000-04:00"Trish-ing" and the bit where Brian's two friends ..."Trish-ing" and the bit where Brian's two friends can tell, from a distance, that Car Girl's breasts aren't the same size, were the moments when I knew I might like it. Barry Watson as a leading man of an interesting show? Who knew?Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145288629180071542006-04-17T11:43:00.000-04:002006-04-17T11:43:00.000-04:00That's good to hear about the music. I just read ...That's good to hear about the music. <BR/><BR/>I just read your actual review and I totally agree with you on the small conversations of the show being the thing that makes everything work. Those bits of dialogue are fun and playful but not annoyingly so (ie, "Trish-ing").Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145287983270289522006-04-17T11:33:00.000-04:002006-04-17T11:33:00.000-04:00When I talked to Nic Harcourt about "Love Monkey,"...When I talked to Nic Harcourt about "Love Monkey," he said he wasn't really involved with the pilot, which is why the first episode had so much more classic rock than the later episodes. I'm guessing the relationship was the same here; from what I remember of the second episode, the songs aren't nearly as recognizable.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145287805827868352006-04-17T11:30:00.000-04:002006-04-17T11:30:00.000-04:00"What About Brian?" was perfectly charming. The "..."What About Brian?" was perfectly charming. The "Thirtysomething" potential is there, and that was an astute observation on your part. The music during this first episode felt a little heavy-handed. I could've done without The Who and I hope the show gets a little more hip with that aspect during future episodes. If the second episode is as good as the first, I think I may be hooked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1145285677800936062006-04-17T10:54:00.000-04:002006-04-17T10:54:00.000-04:00I miss that Sorkin touch. i would like to have se...I miss that Sorkin touch. i would like to have seen what he would have done with a Leo send off. i could imagine the whole episode revolving around the National Cathedral memorial service with several characters having flashbacks to some pivotal moments that show what Leo meant to them. That would have WGA award written all over it.<BR/><BR/>The episode was good, but it should have been more about leo. i think the sagging ratings during the Santos-Vinick episodes show fans would rather see things wrapped up for the old gang rather than spend a whole lot of time on the new team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com