Penguin on the Telly

“This oldish photo illustrates how much Nick Offerman enjoys...

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:20:35 -0400

“This oldish photo illustrates how much Nick Offerman enjoys working with me.” -Adam Scott (Behind the Scenes of Parks and Rec episode “The Fight,” immediately following Ron Swanson’s infamous crazy hat dance.

And a Long Farewell It's Been (But We'll Be Back)

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:24:07 -0400

We started this blog, as you have heard a thousand times over at this point, in an effort to channel our obsession into a productive medium. We love TV. It’s no secret. It’s the opposite of a secret. TV means something to us that a lot of people in this world will probably never be able to fully grasp. Some people might respect us less for it. Lucky for us, starting Penguin on the Telly has opened the doors to people who understand exactly what it means to obsess over something, to love something “silly” so much that it hurts. To demand the best from it—whatever the hell that means.

We have discovered this whole community, with a great help from this blog, and we are forever grateful for what this has given us. And we will come back to it. That part seems inevitable. We love it. We are television critics, and fan-girls through and through. We may not get paid for it (yet), but it is our destiny (dun dun DUN), and we have embraced that. But we’re also students, and interns, etc, and life’s pulling us in different directions right now. So starting now, and extending probably until the summer crop of shows starts up, we will be taking an extended hiatus from Penguin on the Telly, off to see what else is out there.

This semester, Tori Neuman is spending her time in Italy. She is gallivanting around Europe, exploring ancient cities, and learning lot of important things.

Alanna, although still in Oberlin, has decided that being the sole blogger of Penguin on the Telly for all those months would be a dreadful loss of half of the blog’s voice and wit (Tori), and has thrown herself whole-heartedly into her awesome internship over at GiveMeMyRemote.com, as well as the thousand or so other things she has to do around campus.

See you in the summer!

___

You can continue to find Tori over at her study abroad blog, http://vivoladolcevita.blogspot.com/.

You can find Alanna over at GMMR

We’ll also be updating our twitter account on a VERY regular basis, so keep an eye on us there. (@PenguinTelly)

You can also always email us at editors@penguinonthetelly.com, or thepenguinonthetelly.gmail.com

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, CHUCK, COMMUNITY and More Favorite Television Musical Moments

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:19:24 -0400

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, CHUCK, COMMUNITY and More Favorite Television Musical Moments

COMMUNITY Recap: ‘Critical Film Studies’

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 02:03:16 -0400

COMMUNITY Recap: ‘Critical Film Studies’

GLEE's Cory Monteith Talks Finn-Rachel, Prom and More

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:41:36 -0400

GLEE's Cory Monteith Talks Finn-Rachel, Prom and More

Sady Doyle: As Far As I Can See, That 30 Rock Episode Was About (In Approximately This Order):

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:21:47 -0500

Sady Doyle: As Far As I Can See, That 30 Rock Episode Was About (In Approximately This Order)::

sadydoyle:

Jezebel

“The Tina Fey Backlash”

More Jezebel, specifically the Daily Show’s “woman problem,” as reported on by Irin Carmon

A character who was basically Cerie from Season One (with bonus Cerie line, to remind us that she’s smart now).

Ariel Levy’s Female Chauvinist Pigs, see: The…

Dying a Hero or Becoming the Villain: The Binary Future of Cult TV Shows

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:09:06 -0500

“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” – Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight

In the world of television appreciation, there exist a few seemingly magical terms which, when uttered, will almost always yield a passionate outcry, complete with hand gesturing, raised voices, and the occasional shedding of tears. Included among these extraordinary words are “Firefly,” “Arrested Development,” and “Freaks and Geeks.” Each of these represents a show that was fervently beloved by its fans, including even some of the most cynical of professional bloggers, but cruelly cut down by networks due to a lack of ratings success. These shows have since achieved the status of legends, spoken of alternatively in hushed, reverent tones and impassioned speeches by those who loved them best. It is almost impossible to have a conversation that includes the words “brilliant, but cancelled” and not have at least one of these come up. Some dark days, we the television cognoscenti swear to never love a niche show again, so we might never feel the same pain of its loss. In our more optimistic moods, we thank the television gods that we got to know them at all, and recognize that they will always live on in our hearts and our DVD collections.

These shows have come to emblematize a seemingly eternal story in television: a cutting-edge show comes along which yields brilliant writing and unforgettable characters, but it fails to strike a chord with the general public because of its niche nature, often because its concept is too specific or humor too nuanced. The networks can’t justify keeping a show that doesn’t bring in advertisers, so they cut it after one or two seasons, leaving the fans bitter and regretful. They turn these fallen soldiers into heroes and enshrine them in a pantheon of shows just too good for the public to understand. Moreover, they spend time speculating about the kind of marvelous wonders subsequent seasons would have brought with them had the public been smart enough to embrace them as their fans had.

There’s just one problem with the assumption that had the public accepted these shows, we would have been treated to years of brilliant material: the evidence doesn’t support it. We have a reasonable sample size to examine, since quite a few former cult shows have been lucky enough to take off in their second or third season and gain enough mainstream success to stay on the air for five or more seasons. Unfortunately, almost all of these shows accompany their upturn in ratings with a sharp downturn in quality.

A prime example of this unfortunate truth in television is How I Met Your Mother. Many episodes from the first two seasons of the show, especially “The Pineapple Incident” and “Slap Bet” still remain some of my favorite sitcom offerings of all time. They felt crafted as opposed to slapped together, playing with narrative devices while still offering subtle characterization, many hilarious moments, and plenty of genuine heart. Although never a ratings flop, How I Met Your Mother spent its first few seasons as a perpetual bubble show, just good enough for powerhouse CBS to renew it for another season; as a huge fan of the show, I remember thinking at the time that if only other people started watching it, all the problems would be solved. I realized this point of view was wildly naive when I got to simultaneously experience the elation of seeing How I Met Your Mother get an early renewal last year and feel the disappointment of seeing my favorite show descend into an abyss of guest stars and broad humor. The How I Met Your Mother I saw in Season 5 didn’t have half the heart of the one I fell in love with in Season 1, and I genuinely feel that this can be blamed at least partially on a desire of the producers to appeal to the broader CBS audience that makes Two and a Half Men one of the most watched shows every week. By making the show broader, the producers turned it into the kind of generic sitcom I have no interest in watching. I loved How I Met Your Mother because it didn’t pander for easy laughs the way other shows did; it wasn’t afraid of continuity-based humor or having genuine emotional stakes behind the humor. Although I believe the show is headed back in the right direction with Season 6, it’s going to take a lot of work for them to reach the kind of brilliant work they were churning out week after week when they weren’t sure if every season would be the last.

How I Met Your Mother is by no means the only example of this phenomenon, and indeed was not so affected that I actually stopped watching it. House, on the other hand, began as a darkly comic show with a groundbreakingly misanthropic protagonist and has strayed so far from its original premise and vibe at this point that plotlines seem like they would fit better in a romantic comedy than a medical mystery; I took it off my weekly roster last year and never looked back. Grey’s Anatomy, too, started its life as a midseason replacement with intriguing characters and a great soundtrack and spiraled quickly into a full-fledged primetime soap with no time for subtlety when it began pulling hoards of viewers.

This brings me to the quote headlining this article, from The Dark Knight’s Harvey Dent: “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” It occurs to me that this maxim, while undoubtedly originally intended for people and not TV shows, applies quite aptly to the two possible fates of cult TV shows. Some die heroic deaths and become martyrs to the cause of cult television, living on forever as examples of what was wrong with the system. Others survive their initial period of danger to go on to become primetime hits, but in doing so evolve into the kind of mindless, crowd-pleasing show that is responsible for the deaths of cult television programs.

I’ll close with a question: which path is the better one? Is it more preferable to have a good show cancelled while it was still on the top of its game or to see it continue as a shadow of its former self, creatively hobbled by network and public pressures? If so, perhaps fans of “Firefly” and other such cult classics can take comfort that while they never got a second season, they will always be left with a view of their favorite show untainted by mediocrity. By canceling the show, FOX created a phenomenon which would be as famous for what it could have been than what it was; maybe in the long run this was a greater gift to “Firefly” and its legacy than renewing it could have hoped to be.

"Community is a huge experiment. Every time we do something different and have success with it, each..."

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:58:35 -0500

“Community is a huge experiment. Every time we do something different and have success with it, each subsequent thing becomes less and less of a gamble. If I’d had to play by the same rules as traditional sitcom writers, I’d have wound up making a bad sitcom. Fortunately, I haven’t had to.”

- Dan Harmon, creator of NBC’s Community

Just finished watching the pilot of “Perfect...

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 22:11:10 -0500

Just finished watching the pilot of “Perfect Couples” and for those of you interested in how it is, here’s a breakdown of the funny bits - there weren’t nearly enough for me to watch it again.

BREAKING: Matthew Bomer can sing, has officially stolen the...

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:39:00 -0500

BREAKING: Matthew Bomer can sing, has officially stolen the title of Most Perfect Person on the Planet. In related news, the discovery of this clip while watching The Kennedy Center Honors caused me to die of bewildered happiness many times over, and I will be sending Mr. Bomer my medical bill.

FINALS. They suck. A lot. They also mean that, as you have...

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:44:21 -0500

FINALS. They suck. A lot. They also mean that, as you have probably noticed, we will be updating Penguin on the Telly significantly less for the next few weeks. You can still catch Alanna over at her internship for GMMR, though!

Community: There Was a Christmas Pterodactyl Involved. That's All You Need to Know.

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 01:38:00 -0500

Community: There Was a Christmas Pterodactyl Involved. That's All You Need to Know.:

“Dear Santa, For Christmas I would like the following things: a brand new slingbox, a kitten to cuddle with, for GLEE to stop being so inconsistent, and an Abed of my very own.

My love for Abed Nadir knows no bounds. Of all my TV boyfriends—and, oh, there are many—Abed tops the list every time. He’s sweet, observant, awkward, and a veritable encyclopedia of all things pop culture. In other words, my soul mate. Not to mention the fact that he stars in a show that consistently steals the title of My Favorite Series Currently on the Air from other greatly entertaining contenders like BONES, MAD MEN, and GLEE. That’s some tough competition, my friends.”

[Photo Courtesy of Flying-Angels]

Gossip Girl "The Townie" Skype Recap

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:08:00 -0500

Tori doesn’t watch Gossip Girl. Alanna does. So every week, Alanna liveblogs the show for her, for vicarious-watching opportunity. What follows is the (completely unedited) Skype conversation recap of last night’s episode, “The Townie.” Beware of Dair and misspellings.

Alanna Bennett: And now, Gossip Girl…
Alanna Bennett: Once it loads…
Victoria Neuman : I’m excited.
Alanna Bennett: OK, I am very confused about why Jail Bro of Serial Killer is so angry at Juliet (Serial Killer) for drugging Serena
Alanna Bennett: He’s the one who threatened to never speak to her again if she didn’t continue to try and destroy Serena
Victoria Neuman : He’s bipolar?
Alanna Bennett: She was all happy with Nate and willing to let everything go, then Jail Dude’s all “NEVER!”
Alanna Bennett: And everything went to hell
Victoria Neuman : He totes fucked with her head
Alanna Bennett: Now they’re not talking because she “went too far”
Victoria Neuman : I’d love to know what his idea of the perfect compromise is.
Alanna Bennett: OMG, I am SO EXCITED to see Dan and Blair work together
Alanna Bennett: They are so opposites
Victoria Neuman : They’ll be like the Odd Couple
Alanna Bennett: I just hope they don’t sleep together and go Dair, that’s always a risk on this show
Alanna Bennett: They have a MISSION!
Alanna Bennett: I love GG missions
Victoria Neuman : A mission?
Alanna Bennett: “You can’t show up at a masked ball and not expect at least ONE social climbing doppelganger to try and impersonate you”
Alanna Bennett: Truer words were never spoken, Blair
Victoria Neuman : She’s so wise
Alanna Bennett: Also, I really want her coat
Alanna Bennett: They’re drinking coffee simultaneously, this episode’s obvi gonna see some Dair sex
Victoria Neuman : Damn.
Alanna Bennett: OK, so at this point they’re JUST recapping the last two episodes. Exposition!
Alanna Bennett: WE KNOW, GUYS. WE WATCHED IT
Alanna Bennett: Aaaand, now we’ve caught up. Onward!
Alanna Bennett: They theorize Juliet is after retribution
Alanna Bennett: Which she is.
Alanna Bennett: And I’m really not even sure at this point if we know for what.
Victoria Neuman : So they’re about where we are
Alanna Bennett: And meanwhile, Serena is apparently still convinced she forgot that she started doing drugs
Alanna Bennett: Aka she’s in rehab
Victoria Neuman : Gah, Serena, come on.
Alanna Bennett: She does not seem very happy with her current situation
Victoria Neuman : Well she shouldn’t be!
Alanna Bennett: Oh, and she has made the decision not to allow visitors
Alanna Bennett: Which makes Dair smad
Victoria Neuman : Is smad sad and mad?
Alanna Bennett: yes indeed it is
Victoria Neuman : Like it.
Alanna Bennett: LOL, Dan is trying to convince the receptionist that they should be let in to see her because “I’m her brother! Well, step-brother really, which I really try to put out of mind because we dated pretty seriously”
Alanna Bennett: Wow, not a good way to convince the psych ward that you’re the best influence, Dan
Victoria Neuman : Yeah, that’s a bit of an overshare.
Alanna Bennett: Also, this show is weird
Victoria Neuman : I will not argue
Alanna Bennett: OK, so apparently people seem to think that, “no matter what screwy events led her here, she’s here now, and probably getting the help she’s needed for a long time.”
Alanna Bennett: Uh, what?
Victoria Neuman : Oh people.
Alanna Bennett: Dair disagrees
Alanna Bennett: Nate has some pretty serious eyebrow action going on this episode
Victoria Neuman : :D
Alanna Bennett: possibly to make up for the lack of Date this episode (Dan/Nate, natch)
Victoria Neuman : Natch
Victoria Neuman : He’s not eyebrowing with Nate? Sadness.
Alanna Bennett: Nate’s all sad cause his dad isn’t trustworthy
Alanna Bennett: Which we learned season one, Nate, keep up!
Victoria Neuman : He’s a simple lad
Alanna Bennett: Oh yes he is
Alanna Bennett: Lol Blair wants to go all Alias with wigs and accents
Victoria Neuman : Of course she does
Alanna Bennett: Now they’re trying to track down Juliet
Victoria Neuman : I’m surprised it wasn’t Dan who suggested it
Alanna Bennett: He suggested the accents
Alanna Bennett: But he was kinda being sarcastic…
Victoria Neuman : Sure…
Alanna Bennett: Ooooh, they’re planning on using Gossip Girl to track down Juliet!
Alanna Bennett: She’s their ouija board!
Alanna Bennett: Too bad they don’t know who she is…
Alanna Bennett: Although I suppose they could email her…
Victoria Neuman : So we have no idea who GG is?
Alanna Bennett: Not in the slightest
Alanna Bennett: They almost found out in the season 2 finale, but she outsmarted them
Alanna Bennett: So they kind of just gave in and embraced it
Victoria Neuman : Do we know?
Alanna Bennett: Nope
Alanna Bennett: All we know is that it’s Kristen Bell’s voice-over
Victoria Neuman : Is she supposed to be one of the characters?
Alanna Bennett: I don’t think so, it kind of stopped even being a real mystery a while ago
Alanna Bennett: She’s just kind of….omniscient…
Victoria Neuman : FE
Victoria Neuman : I’ve decided that’s an abbreviation for fair enough, cause I say it a lot
Alanna Bennett: A Juliet scene!
Victoria Neuman : With whom?
Alanna Bennett: And now she’s gone
Alanna Bennett: She was just alone, getting off a bus
Alanna Bennett: We don’t know where, I don’t think
Victoria Neuman : Did she run away or was she just visiting the brother
Alanna Bennett: She left the brother to rot in his cell because of his weird disapproval
Alanna Bennett: She “went home” maybe
Victoria Neuman : Is she going to help Serena?
Alanna Bennett: No
Alanna Bennett: She’s just…somewhere else
Alanna Bennett: OH
Alanna Bennett: GOSSIP GIRL FOUND HER
Victoria Neuman : Snap!

Victoria Neuman : Was the narration like “Bitch, I found you”
Alanna Bennett: What does she, have tracking devices on every person who steps foot in the upper east side?
Victoria Neuman : That would explain a lot
Alanna Bennett: “Buckle up, kids, looks like this unholy alliance is hitting the road”
Alanna Bennett: That was the narration
Alanna Bennett: Ooh, a Serena therapist session!
Alanna Bennett: “Serena, are you upset because of what you did or because you can’t remember it?”
Victoria Neuman : That’s a weird question
Alanna Bennett: “Both and neither. If you saw that kind of picture of yourself on the internet, what would you think?”
Alanna Bennett: NOT THAT I DID IT
Alanna Bennett: Serena is now having flashbacks to screwing Nate when he was dating Blair
Alanna Bennett: It started with a very phallic champaign popping
Victoria Neuman : Haha, as all good things do
Alanna Bennett: Now she’s flashing back to the time she accidentally “killed” that one guy
Alanna Bennett: AKA he overdosed, she was there, she felt guilty
Victoria Neuman : Ah, was gonna say
Alanna Bennett: That’s when she ran away to boarding school, before the show started
Alanna Bennett: I think they’re going to the town where the boarding school was!
Victoria Neuman : Who?
Alanna Bennett: Dair! Maybe that’s where Juliet was from!
Victoria Neuman : That would explain some things
Alanna Bennett: Blair is mocking Dan’s slow driving
Alanna Bennett: Where on earth did they get the ancient car they’re driving
Alanna Bennett: it’s like a 1940s model
Victoria Neuman : Is it fabulous or just broken-down?
Alanna Bennett: Fab
Victoria Neuman : Of course.
Victoria Neuman : Like I had to ask
Alanna Bennett: Dan is wondering how Blair can be such a backseat driver when she doesn’t even know how to drive
Victoria Neuman : I’m surprised he knows how
Victoria Neuman : Manhattan kids.
Alanna Bennett: pft, true dat
Alanna Bennett: Oh, actually, I think it’s supposed to be broken down
Alanna Bennett: and yet still kind of fab
Alanna Bennett: It’s broken down because it’s Dan’s dad’s car
Alanna Bennett: Chuck!
Victoria Neuman : Yay!
Victoria Neuman : Why is he there?
Alanna Bennett: He’s elsewhere
Victoria Neuman : Ah
Alanna Bennett: Oh, Lilly, that’s a horrid dress
Victoria Neuman : Tsk Lilly
Alanna Bennett: Also, I like how Chuck acts like a 30 year old man
Alanna Bennett: He probs hasn’t even turned 20 yet
Alanna Bennett: He runs his own hotel empire
Victoria Neuman : That’s just so badass
Alanna Bennett: They are at Juliet’s living space, now, supposedly
Alanna Bennett: ….It might be a frat house…
Alanna Bennett: I’m confused
Victoria Neuman : She’s a dude?
Alanna Bennett: I doubt it, but ya never know with television
Alanna Bennett: Lol Dair “What are we, just going to walk up to her and pull her hair?”
“for starters”
Victoria Neuman : Now they’re getting serious
Alanna Bennett: Ha, not a frat house I don’t think, but there is a drunk guy passed out with “I heart balls” written on his forehead
Alanna Bennett: Always with the class, Gossip Girl
Victoria Neuman : Maybe he does heart balls
Alanna Bennett: Also, wherever they are it appears to be a mansion
Alanna Bennett: And that’s what Blair says: “Well at least he’s owning it”
Alanna Bennett: OH
Alanna Bennett: This is something I did not actually witness first hand as I was not watching the show at the time
Alanna Bennett: But this is not Juliet’s abode, it is the location of Dan’s whorey little sister Jenny’s old drug-dealing boyfriend
Alanna Bennett: Who is VERY attractive, I’ve gotta say
Victoria Neuman : That’s a new one
Alanna Bennett: Apparently his name is Damian Dalguard
Alanna Bennett: He does not look happy to see them
Alanna Bennett: Wow, Nate wears a lot of guyliner
Victoria Neuman : That’s the first step
Alanna Bennett: Especially when he’s supposed to look brooding
Alanna Bennett: Nate and Damian look very similar
Alanna Bennett: Damian asks about his ex (Jenny), and Blair simply says “I banished her”
Alanna Bennett: He’s dressed like a cast member of the vampire diaries
Victoria Neuman : Obviously ridiculous twists are eminent
Alanna Bennett: Ah, apparently Damian went to boarding school with Serena
Alanna Bennett: So apparently ether is a turn-of-the-century roofie, and Juliet used it on Serena when she kidnapped her
Victoria Neuman : That’s old school
Alanna Bennett: Apparently Juliet was a townie in the town where Serena’s boarding school is
Victoria Neuman : Ah, the plot thickens
Alanna Bennett: I have a feeling the town/gown relationship was not great
Alanna Bennett: Also, this episode is CALLED “The Townie”
Alanna Bennett: JULIET HAS SPOTTED DAIR AND DAMIEN
Victoria Neuman : Oh no!
Alanna Bennett: She looks vaguely panicked, but mainly pissed
Alanna Bennett: Ohh, more flashbacks’ to Serena’s Bad Girl days!
Alanna Bennett: She’s mixing…drugs? drinks? i can’t tell
Alanna Bennett: Ah, drinks
Alanna Bennett: Now she’s dancing to Soulja Boy
Alanna Bennett: OMG
Alanna Bennett: a very dorky Damian is next to her
Alanna Bennett: He’s obviously developed some swagger since then
Victoria Neuman : Awww, that sounds adorable
Alanna Bennett: He has nasely dork voice and everything!
Alanna Bennett: Whereas now he kind of looks/acts like Damon
Victoria Neuman : That is definitely 15 steps up
Alanna Bennett: He’s helping her forge her grades
Alanna Bennett: And in return she kissed him
Victoria Neuman : And he magically got swagger?
Alanna Bennett: He was her tutor, now he’s a high-class drug dealer
Alanna Bennett: I have no idea what happened in btw, but I kind of want to see him get a spinoff
Alanna Bennett: They arrived at Juliet’s doorstep!
Alanna Bennett: Her mother answered
Alanna Bennett: Damien is SO attractive
Alanna Bennett: Also, I recognize him, no idea from where
Victoria Neuman : Damn he is fine! And so do I!
Alanna Bennett: O
Alanna Bennett: M
Alanna Bennett: G
Alanna Bennett: He was in “It’s a Boy Girl thing”
Alanna Bennett: Such a terrible, awesome movie!
Victoria Neuman : Haha
Alanna Bennett: Also, he had an affair with Emily Blunt in Jane Austen Book Club
Alanna Bennett: So great
Alanna Bennett: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482527/
Alanna Bennett: I highly suggest you watch this movie
Victoria Neuman : It looks ridiculous/awesome
Alanna Bennett: I love it so much
Alanna Bennett: He has to be a girl at heart for half of it
Alanna Bennett: And fall in love with the guy in his/her body
Victoria Neuman : I recognize him from Transamerica
Alanna Bennett: Was he the son?!
Victoria Neuman : Yeah!
Alanna Bennett: I NEED TO SEE THAT MOVIE
Victoria Neuman : It’s a good movie
Alanna Bennett: Also, I know where this episode is heading
Alanna Bennett: Ben (Jail Guy) was a teacher at the school, and Juliet’s brother
Victoria Neuman : Ah. Yep.
Alanna Bennett: I’m going to say that Serena maybe slept with him?
Alanna Bennett: Or got him fired some other way?
Victoria Neuman : That was my guess too
Alanna Bennett: Aaand, cue flashback to inappropriate teacher/student relationship
Victoria Neuman : There it is.
Alanna Bennett: Serena’s hitting on him
Alanna Bennett: More subtely than is usual for her, so that means she actually liked him
Alanna Bennett: He’s apparently the guy who got her on the right path and off the booze/drugs?
Victoria Neuman : Bummer he got arrested
Alanna Bennett: OK, in flashbacks Damien looks EXACTLY like Zac Efron
Alanna Bennett: Ah, Ben (Jail Guy) is trying to resist the powers of Serena
Alanna Bennett: he should know the attempt is futile
Alanna Bennett: He was the only guy to ever say no to her, apparently
Alanna Bennett: And that was how it ended…
Alanna Bennett: Wow that was an anticlimactic flashback
Victoria Neuman : That is anticlimactic
Victoria Neuman : And they threw him in jail for that?
Alanna Bennett: I kind of doubt it
Alanna Bennett: That part of the story is still fuzzy
Alanna Bennett: UH OH
Alanna Bennett: Juliet, what are you doing?
Alanna Bennett: WHAT, WHAT, WHAT are you doing??
Victoria Neuman : :D
Victoria Neuman : That’s just so applicable to all situations
Victoria Neuman : I said it a lot during Brokeback Mountain
Alanna Bennett: She said, because Dair and Damien are over questioning her mother about things, that it’s time that she “finish this thing once and for all like she should have in the first place”
Victoria Neuman : That sounds ominous
Alanna Bennett: This does not bode well for…anyone
Alanna Bennett: SERIAL KILLER
Alanna Bennett: Ben said not to hurt Serena, she said “Pfft, like you can stop me”
Alanna Bennett: DOES NOT BODE WELL
Victoria Neuman : Yeah…no…
Alanna Bennett: LOL
Alanna Bennett: Nate, who knows very little about what is going on these days, walks into the jail to visit his dad and Ben screams “SERENA!”
Alanna Bennett: Now he’s telling Nate to find Juliet
Victoria Neuman : Oh this show
Alanna Bennett: Or rather, make sure Serena hasn’t been murdered
Victoria Neuman : Date reunion!
Victoria Neuman : Potentially
Alanna Bennett: They are on the phone right now
Alanna Bennett: Nate is telling him about the strange jail man who told him to protect Serena
Victoria Neuman : Yay!
Alanna Bennett: They are going to meet at the Van Der Woodsen’s
Alanna Bennett: WHAT
Alanna Bennett: Serena is reading a book
Alanna Bennett: believability down 89%
Victoria Neuman : Hahahaha
Alanna Bennett: JULIET IS IN HER ROOM
Alanna Bennett: RUN, SERENA
Alanna Bennett: RUNNNNN!!!
Victoria Neuman : SCARY!!!!
Alanna Bennett: Gossip Girl says “Uh oh, you’ve got a surprise visitor and she’s about to give you shock therapy”
Alanna Bennett: Way to play down MURDER, Gossip Girl!
Alanna Bennett: Oh, apparently Ben became a crazy stalker and Serena pressed charges?
Alanna Bennett: Hence the jail?
Victoria Neuman : That seems weird
Alanna Bennett: Lol, Blair seems to think Dan is going to do the same thing
Alanna Bennett: He’s like “Yeah, but Serena LOVES ME BACK”
Alanna Bennett: That’s what they all say, dude
Victoria Neuman : True
Alanna Bennett: Juliet is confessing to Serena
Alanna Bennett: …Serena seems…serene
Victoria Neuman : Haha
Alanna Bennett: And surprised that Juliet is Ben’s sister
Alanna Bennett: She also seems to have no memory of sending Ben to jail
Alanna Bennett: Must be all the imaginary cocaine
Victoria Neuman : Must be
Alanna Bennett: OR someone else forged Serena’s signature on the papers!
Alanna Bennett: Was it DAMIEN?
Alanna Bennett: My money’s on Damien
Victoria Neuman : GASP!
Alanna Bennett: He WAS in love with Serean
Alanna Bennett: *Serena
Alanna Bennett: And he probs knew her handwriting because he did all her homework
Victoria Neuman : GASP
Alanna Bennett: Ah, Ben is innocent, someone DEF set him up
Victoria Neuman : Poor Ben.
Alanna Bennett: It was either Lilly (Serena’s mom) or Damien
Alanna Bennett: Chuck is back!
Alanna Bennett: So is…Serena?
Victoria Neuman : Still not where the action is?
Alanna Bennett: Also, she brought Juliet to the party her mother is throwing
Alanna Bennett: UH OH
Alanna Bennett: Looks like Serena’ gonna out her mother’s (possible) subterfuge in front of all the guests
Victoria Neuman : WHOA
Alanna Bennett: Oh, apparently not in a speech, she pulled Lilly aside to confront her
Alanna Bennett: But first, a photo op!
Alanna Bennett: Also, Dair has arrived at the party with Damien!
Alanna Bennett: And she is annoucing it in front of everyone!
Alanna Bennett: Why, Serena, WHY?
Alanna Bennett: Oh, not the details, just called her a selfish liar
Victoria Neuman : That imaginary cocaine has done some crazy shit to her brain
Alanna Bennett: Whaaaaaaaaa
Alanna Bennett: They’re selling Bass Industries!
Victoria Neuman : Wait, what? Why?
Victoria Neuman : Does that affect the hotels?
Alanna Bennett: Which Lilly is in charge of but was supposed to pass down to Chuck!
Alanna Bennett: (It was his father’s empire)
Victoria Neuman : Damn it, Lily!
Alanna Bennett: And we don’t know why
Alanna Bennett: Also, Dair’s spotted Juliet!
Alanna Bennett: Serena seems awfully willing to forgive Juliet’s kidnapping/drugging of her
Victoria Neuman : I wouldn’t be
Alanna Bennett: She just said “nothing excuses it,” then moved on
Alanna Bennett: Blair, however, wants revenge
Victoria Neuman : Hells yeah
Alanna Bennett: They just let her walk away….
Victoria Neuman : And then shoot her.
Alanna Bennett: Blair is not happy, she had to sit in a car with Dan all day
Alanna Bennett: Serena is confronting her mother again
Victoria Neuman : Exciting stuff
Alanna Bennett: Lilly falsely accused Ben of statutory rape (allegedly)
Victoria Neuman : Whoa.
Alanna Bennett: That’s what sent him to jail
Alanna Bennett: Lilly wanted to get Serena back into the good manhattan schools, but they wouldn’t take her unless they had a reason for her bad grades
Victoria Neuman : That’s a bitch move
Victoria Neuman : x7
Alanna Bennett: Pretty much
Alanna Bennett: Now she feels bad because now she knows he was innocent
Victoria Neuman : Serena or Lilly?
Alanna Bennett: Lily. Chuck’s like “pfft, I’ve done worse”
Victoria Neuman : Of course he is
Victoria Neuman : Did she think he was guilty?
Alanna Bennett: Lilly thought he’d done it
Alanna Bennett: She thought he’d been having an affair with Serena
Alanna Bennett: WHOA
Alanna Bennett: Rufus (Dan’s dad, Lilly’s husband) just spilled the beans about Lilly selling Bass Industries
Alanna Bennett: Chuck will NOT be pleased
Victoria Neuman : Yeah…no…
Alanna Bennett: His BOWTIE looks angry
Alanna Bennett: And he’s going all Brando
Victoria Neuman : Ooh, that sounds hot
Alanna Bennett: It is
Alanna Bennett: Now all of her children are mad at Lilly, and Lilly’s in the same position Serena was two episodes ago
Alanna Bennett: Aside from the drugs/kidnapping part
Alanna Bennett: One week later!
Victoria Neuman : Damn
Alanna Bennett: Dan is cooking for the gang, Nate says they should end this experiment in middle-class living and call the house-keeping to clean up
Victoria Neuman : Haha, dear God
Alanna Bennett: Apparently they are having a belated thanksgiving?
Victoria Neuman : They should also end their experiment in heterosexuality, just BTW
Alanna Bennett: Blair admitted to having stuffed her hand up a turkey’s (dead) butt
Alanna Bennett: Believability down 800%
Victoria Neuman : :D
Alanna Bennett: Chuck just said he’s off to New Zealand to enjoy girls who enjoy sex games in the rainforest…
Alanna Bennett: This show is weird
Victoria Neuman : Yes.
Victoria Neuman : Yes it is.
Alanna Bennett: Aw, Nate is helping Dan clean up!
Victoria Neuman : Cuteness!
Alanna Bennett: Oh, apparently now Serena wants to help get Ben out of jail
Victoria Neuman : That’s nice of her.
Victoria Neuman : And as it should be
Alanna Bennett: Dan is going with her on the road trip to find the judge?
Victoria Neuman : Yay!
Alanna Bennett: Nate is walking Chuck out
Alanna Bennett: So is Blair
Alanna Bennett: Apparently Chuck is going to Australia to find his uncle (creepy Joey Quinn) to help with the whole BI thing
Victoria Neuman : BI or bi?
Alanna Bennett: BI
Victoria Neuman : Disappointing
Alanna Bennett: Yup
Victoria Neuman : Very disappointing
Alanna Bennett: Indeed
Alanna Bennett: Ok, everybody (including Dan now) has been treating Serena like she’s on this delicate balance and might go back to her evil ways if they, like, hang out with her
Alanna Bennett: Which is blatantly untrue
Victoria Neuman : That makes no sense - they know she was framed.
Alanna Bennett: Precisely!
Alanna Bennett: Also, Nate’s dad is going to live with him when he gets out of jail
Alanna Bennett: That’s gonna be interesting
Alanna Bennett: OH NO.
Alanna Bennett: IS DAIR SEX IMMINENT?
Victoria Neuman : OH NO
Alanna Bennett: They’ve realized they have no one to hang out with except for each other
Victoria Neuman : Shit
Victoria Neuman : Maybe they’ll just play Scrabble
Alanna Bennett: They’re going to see a french movie
Alanna Bennett: It’s about orangutangs
Victoria Neuman : That’s….weird.
Alanna Bennett: Apparently Blair knows the orangutang personally
Alanna Bennett: They’re now washing dishes together
Alanna Bennett: No sex yet, but they are my new favorite friendship
Alanna Bennett: Serena’s visiting Ben!
Victoria Neuman : Yay!
Alanna Bennett: And, end of episode!
Alanna Bennett: No more till after hiatus!

We hope you enjoyed our random thoughts. This program will likely return when the show returns from hiatus in late January.

[Photo Courtesy of The CW]

Community Celebrates Troy's Expulsion From a Uterus

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:03:00 -0500

Community Celebrates Troy's Expulsion From a Uterus:

Penguin on the Telly’s own Co-Editor-in-Chief Alanna has an internship at Give Me My Remote! Head over to GMMR right now to read her post on last night’s episode of Community!

BREAKING: Watch Chris Colfer and Darren Criss sing “Baby...

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:34:00 -0500

BREAKING: Watch Chris Colfer and Darren Criss sing “Baby it’s cold outside!” Swoon!

(via lifeisintheair) ADORABLE.

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:16:30 -0500

(via lifeisintheair)

ADORABLE.

Psych's "Dual Spires": The Slash Version

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:04:49 -0500

“Dual Spires”, in which Shawn and Gus’s simple quest to find someone willing to have a threesome with them turns into something much more. Tune in for tandem bicycling, longing looks, cinnamon pie, and a surprise ending! (Warning: Contains strong homoerotic overtones and some serious bromancing)

It was a normal day in the Psych office - Shawn and Gus were pretending to work while exchanging flirty looks and sexy Skype messages.

You’ve all probably seen this by now, but I present to you...

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:22:00 -0500

You’ve all probably seen this by now, but I present to you the best fan video ever made.

Breaking: Idina Menzel to Star in Musical TV Drama for ABC

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:44:54 -0500

Breaking: Idina Menzel to Star in Musical TV Drama for ABC:

Glee meets Gilmore Girls? Our minds might just be blown right now. The former Wicked star signed on recently to the show, to be produced by Samantha Who? writer Bob Kushell. Deadline, who broke the news, said this of the series:

“Idina Menzel is headlining her own musical hourlong project, a mother-daughter relationship drama in the vein of Gilmore Girls. It will star the Broadway actress as the single mother of a teenager who, to make ends meet, waits tables and performs at weddings and bar mitzvahs, odd jobs that Menzel herself worked early on while pursuing a Broadway career.”

Life Unexpected creator Liz Tigelaar tweeted this:...

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:02:09 -0500

Life Unexpected creator Liz Tigelaar tweeted this: “Picture from wrap. i may have burst into tears when our DP gave me my own slate.” RIP Life Unexpected, a show gone before its time.