I’m really not used to having an evening where I actually look forward to two television programs. Don’t get me wrong. Lightning would strike me if I tried to play the “I don’t watch much TV” card. I just don’t have much in the way of “destination television.” But last night was one of those cases.
Gilmore Girls: That’s a side of Rory I don’t need to see very often. While it’s probably past time that the Perfect Pretty Princess Crown got knocked off her head, she really is being startlingly unpleasant. On the other hand, I don’t think anyone writes for Lorelai as well as series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Lorelai gets to be charming and witty and mature. Dean was really creeping me out during the episode, and I think it’s repulsive of him to treat his wife like crap because he’s changed his mind. Luke is a treasure.
As a side note, now that those standbys from Sex and the City and Frasier are out of the Emmy running, maybe some of this show’s cast members will finally get the nominations they deserve. Lauren Graham, Kelly Bishop, Liza Weil, and Scott Patterson should surely have earned bids by now, and Bishop and Weil each should have one at least once.
The Amazing Race: That was a tremendously satisfying conclusion. While Chip and Kim may not be the best racers in the show’s history, they are one of the most functional teams I’ve ever seen. It’s very gratifying to see a mature, supportive, loving couple come out on top. An added bonus was the fact that Chip and Kim enjoyed the race throughout. Nothing bothers me more as a viewer than when a contestant on one of these shows, who actively applied to be there and was not kidnapped and tossed in the back of a van by television producers, grinds on about how hard it all is to see the world and possibly win a million dollars. None of that from this year’s winners. It almost makes up for Flo.
I have to concede the rightness of Colin and Christie making it as far as they did, even if I find them really unpleasant to watch. Their racing skills were top-notch, despite their horrible sense of entitlement. Listening to them carp about how they were Yielded was terribly annoying, because a) it was perfectly legitimate game play, b) nobody is obliged to let them win, c) it ultimately didn’t have any effect. Use of the Yield didn’t result in their elimination, and even if it had, the race designers created it to be used. Chip and Kim made good, strategic use of it, and they had every right to do so. Also, considering the points subsequent to that when the teams were bunched up and a level playing field was re-established, Colin and Christie lost because they didn’t get to the finish line first, not because Chip and Kim stalled them.
I probably would have preferred to see Linda and Karen in the final three over Brandon and Nicole, just because Linda and Karen raced harder. Brandon and Nicole seemed to drift from mishap to mishap, surviving to race again despite their hopeless lack of skill. Linda and Karen, after a shaky start, developed appreciably better racing technique. Brandon and Nicole pretty much finished where they started.
As a side note, I’m no theologian, but I’m guessing that no self-respecting supreme being cares who wins a contest on a reality show. They also probably don’t care who wins a Grammy, an Emmy, a Video Music Award, etc. Actually, the Greek Pantheon probably would have cared a great deal, but look where that attitude got them. They’ve been reduced to guest spots in Wonder Woman and Teen Titans.
As for future viewing, I hope tonight’s Lost lives up to its hype. I also hope that Sunday’s Desperate Housewives is smart, trashy fun.