Series over Shows - An article mostly about Psych

Around two years ago, I tried watching a show called Monk. I hated it. I finished the first season and started the second one, just to quit like three episodes in. I just couldn't watch it. I'd find myself multitasking; gaming, reading, and just not paying attention to the show. Whole episodes would go by and I wouldn't remember shit because I just wasn't invested in what I was watching.

The problem with shows like Monk is exactly that, it's a show. And I'm the type of guy who prefers a series. What do I mean? Well, lets compare.

It's just an image, and I'm already bored.

In the simplest way possible. A show suffers from little to no character development. You walk out of episodes and seasons the exact same way you went in. Nothing changes with or between these characters. They always treat each other in the exact same manner. Which is totally crap, because everything people do changes their reality and the way they treat one another.

On the other hand TV series, requires at least an underlying story arc that motivates and carries the viewer from episode to episode. I say 'at least' because it can be underlying. It's not always the most important aspect, but it just needs to be there. There are many shows that I like that use this underlying system (Burn Notice, Castle, White Collar).

Then we have the shows that I really love. Where the story is everything. If you miss one single episode you shouldn't watch the next one, because you're going to be totally lost in the story. It's this type of show that gets the viewer invested in both the characters and what's happening to them (Dexter, Lost, True Blood, Weeds, Chuck, Californication).

That's why I just couldn't get into Monk. As far as I could see, it just wasn't developing any real story. It was just lame case, after lame case. It never grew into anything. I could pick any episode from any season and I could just jump into the story without needing any background whatsoever. And in some ways, I can see how that would be appealing to some people, but I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

I went through this long winded introduction so I could get into one particular show. In my final bit of late night summer boredom, I started watching Psych. And I must say, that at first I wasn't really into it. Much like Monk, it starts out in a case to case basis. The only difference is that Psych made me laugh. It's quirky and it constantly throws out the most obscure references you could imagine. And it made the lack of story bearable. It satisfied my boredom.

They may seem unlikeable, but they grow on you. I promise

I put up with two seasons. And suddenly, I received a pleasant surprise for season three: A story. Psych actually pulled off one of the nicest transformations I've seen on television. It evolved from show to series out of nowhere. It really does sneak up on you.

Once this story begins to unfold I actually realized that over three seasons I had grown to care about these characters. Without this story I would never have noticed because I always assumed that nothing would ever change between them, so why should one care about them.

Out of nowhere an episode comes along where you realize that something bigger is going on. This situation between these people is actually causing a reaction that's deeper than the usual episode. It breaks the superficial nature of the show and it alters the way they are around each other, impacting the way they conduct themselves in the next episodes. And that's what makes a good series. Instead of just isolated incidents, you get a chain of events.

I'm not saying it's perfect. It's actually far from it. It's slow and tedious. It's the slowest build I think I've ever seen on television. But it's actually very well handled. Psych has it's 'blah' episodes. But when it's good, it's really good. And in every season there's a good handful of episodes that really carry it along.

The Yin Yang trilogy is the perfect example of this. For three consecutive seasons (3-5), every finale had a related storyline. I don't think I've ever seen a story told from finale to finale. But they make it work. Through interesting storytelling and well placed humor they really build a short story arc over a three season span by just using three episodes. And I just find it amazing that they hooked me into it.

All in all, I'm not really considering this a review. More like a little rant.

If you really want me to review Psych you can request it. For now, I'll just recommend it to those who need something to watch to pass the time. Honestly, you could even skip seasons one and two if you really wanted to.

It's a Classic to me dammit: Stadium Arcadium

Not only do I think this album is a classic. Not only do I think it's the best Chili Peppers album. This is my favorite album. 

I jokingly call this album the playlist breaker, because whenever I'm making a playlist I just skip over this because I  might just throw the whole thing in there.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rare type of band. Loved by many, hated by few. No matter what you're into, you like or know at least one RHCP song.

My first Peppers album was in sixth grade when Californication came out, and I loved it. It's without a doubt one of their best and most revered albums. From then on in I looked backwards at them, picking albums like One Hot Minute, and the consensus favorite, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Each one brought something different to the table, whether it be a new sound or vibe, they kept it fresh.

By the time By The Way came out in 2002 I was more than ready for a new album. And once again it was very different. It was a bit mellow by RHCP standards. Don't get me wrong, it's a great album but it just feels light in comparison, it's not an album you rock out to, and on first listen it seemed like a downer. They seemed to be missing that heavy funk that made them excel and they settled into a slower pace. Coming off an album like Californication into this new sound seemed like a step down I really felt like they slumped.

When the hype machine started reving up for Stadium Arcadium I was in my senior year of high school, and at first I didn't buy in. I hadn't bought an album in a while (sound familiar?) and I was kinda unplugged from the music scene. Then, the video for Dani California came out, and it blew my mind. It was a totally new sound for them. Frusciante's guitar work seemed much more intense, and it gave the song really big feel to it. I immediately thought it was the strongest first single I'd heard from a Peppers album.

I already knew it was a double album before it came out, and that info just fueled my fire... I was pumped. Stadium Arcadium dropped on May 5, around three weeks before my graduation. I was actually the only person in my class who was really pumped about it.

I showed up the next day with my headphones on, ignoring the universe. I still hadn't gone through both discs... A product of the repeat button on most of the songs. I was hooked. It was almost like I was selling the album to people at lunch. SA was just the perfect Peppers album to me. It was like listening to a greatest hits album of all new material. They just took every single style they had played in and revisited it in they're new found musical maturity, and it showed; it was brilliant.

The double album feature also worked in their advantage. They planned the perfect order for the tracks to keep us interested, the split the disks evenly in style and sound making two similar but different disks that would stand alone (Unlike what the Foo Fighters did with In Your Honor).

To this day, I have a hard time skipping songs from that album. It's great in the sense that it's hard to memorize 28 songs; there's always that one that you forget is on there, and it's a pleasant surprise when you hear it. I actually have a friend who has never heard the whole second disk because he's never gotten tired of the first.

Personally, I don't know some of the singles from the record. I wasn't paying enough attention to MTV at the time. I just know there were at least five. Also, I don't want to know. I'd probably be angry that some song was never a single (The title track comes to mind).

As the next Red Hot Chili Peppers album shows it's head on the horizon later this year, I can't help but expect great things. They have a lot to live up to. New guitarist and all, I expect them to try and top themselves. And to me, it's a big role to fill.

I know that to most it's hard to imagine an album that's any better than Blood Sugar, or Californication; but Stadium Arcadium to me seems like the perfection of those albums and what they meant. The Peppers took what they'd done and made it perfect, in one album... One really long enjoyable album. And honestly... No matter what you say... It's a classic to me dammit!

Hank Moody FTW: Californication season 4 review

The only words I can use to describe Showtime's Californication would be sexual situational comedy with a family element thrown in... Did that make sense? No? Well, it's much simpler than it sounds. And honestly it's totally hilarious.

The show follows the exploits of author Hank Moody, a New Yorker living in California, legendary womanizer, and all around smart ass/asshole to most. That's honestly all you need to know about the characters; much like House, it's one of those shows where you have one amazing character and most events revolve around people reacting to him and his behavior.

On it's fourth season now the writing still seems oddly fresh. Most shows go through cast or locale changes by this point just to keep the viewer into it. But CF has managed to keep at least me totally into Hank's exploits. The show just feels consistent throughout the four seasons, other than Hank's daughter Becca's sudden growth spurts between seasons you'd think that they were totally continuous.

Californication is definitely in my top five shows. It's just one of those shows that literally makes me laugh out loud constantly. The characters are all very lovable... And when one comes up that you don't like, your love for the other ones just makes you not care. And if season five, and hopefully six keep coming in the same fashion then I can't see myself not staying hooked.

9/10