30 Days of TV: Day 30

Saddest Character Death

Why, why, why?  TV shows put so much time and effort into creating great characters that the public ends up falling in love with.  We look forward to seeing these characters, cheer for them when they walk into a room.  And then what does the TV show do...kill them off.  Sometimes it's because the actor wants to be off the show; other times the character has gone as far as it can and becomes collateral damage to the story line.  And then there are times when a TV show kills a character for no apparent reason, and it leaves the public scratching our heads wondering what the heck just happened.  Such is the case with my pick for the saddest character death:

The death of Mike Franks absolutely stunned me.  He is a character who would always come around when Gibbs' and the team were in A LOT of danger.  Gritty, and sarcastic, Gibbs' former mentor gave NCIS fans a laugh, and more insight into the protected past of Gibbs.

Apparently the writer's of NCIS decided to give Mike cancer.  When the antagonist of the season came hunting for all of our beloved characters, Mike was there to give one last fight....the fight that he lost.  Fortunately for fans of Mike, he's turned into the Obi-Wan Kenobi of NCIS:  he keeps reappearing as an apparition that only Gibbs' can see.

Mike's loss was felt by all of the characters, and the video below shows why fans love him.

30 Days of TV: Day 29

Current TV Show Obsession

A year ago, when George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, many fans were stunned because it meant that one of their favorite shows would no longer be on Cartoon Network.  To make matters worse, the deal happened right as the shows 5th season completed, leaving fans to wonder what was going to happen.

And then an announcement was made that had Star Wars fans, such as myself, jumping for joy.  My current TV show obsession was to begin streaming on Netflix in March, along with the 13 episodes that completed the story....the episodes Cartoon Network was no longer able to show.

What is my current obsession?

I had seen the first season of this show, and then when we had cable again, I saw seasons 4 and 5.  If the prequels had been like this show, no Star Wars fan would be complaining about them.  The Clone Wars takes place after the movies Attack of the Clones, and before Revenge of the Sith.  The constant character development, story line changes, and twists that you would never see coming helped make this show so much fun.  It's sad when cartoons can act better than actual people, but the writing is far superior on this show then on the prequels, and let's face it:  the cartoon actors are more fun to watch!



Social media is making it difficult to not have the 6th season spoiled.  Since Brandon and I have started from the beginning, I'm hoping to not find out what happens before I get there.  I saw this on Facebook the day after The Clone Wars was released on Netflix, and thought it was funny.

30 Days of TV: Day 28

First TV Show Obsession

If you were a teenager, and a girl in the early 90's, you watched Saved By The Bell on a weekly basis!  I loved this show.  What kind of trouble would Zach get into?  Would Kelly pick Zach or Slater?  Would  Slater wear a shirt that showed off his massive arm muscles?

Saved By The Bell gave us our first experience with teenage drama.  Zach and Kelly finally became a couple, only to break up over some stupid guy.  I remember being so sad watching that episode!  How could Zach and Kelly not be together?!?  It was like Ross and Rachel breaking up, just 15 years earlier....it traumatized many girls!!

Saved By The Bell also took on serious issues.  One of the most famous episodes was when Jessie began having an addiction to medication so that she could stay up and study.  It may look silly now, but  for many of us, it was our first exposure to harmful drugs.



In the end, it was a show all about 6 friends, one of which we each could relate to, who stuck by each other through all the twists and turns of high school.  The more I write this post, the more I wonder if the writer's of Friends just boosted the idea for their show from Saved By The Bell!!!   I stuck with the show through the spin-off; The College Years, but left once they tried to reboot it with Saved By The Bell:  The New Class.

I was thrilled that after watching this show for so many years, we got the ending we wanted:  Zach and Kelly got married!  Had they tried to end it any other way, and entire generation of girls would've been forever damaged!

30 Days of TV: Day 27

Best TV Pilot

I know I've mentioned Alias QUITE a bit during this 30 day journey, but the pilot of this show is simply incredible to watch.  So much happens in the first 20 minutes that you can hardly wait to find out what will happen next.  This is the only other show that I have all 5 seasons of on DVD; Burn Notice is of course the other show.

Jennifer Garner, as Sydney Bristow, displays so many emotions in this pilot.  The character development of the main characters leaves you wanting more, and this pilot shot Alias into one of the most popular shows of the early 21st century.

If you've never seen it, I've found the pilot on YouTube.  I've posted it below.  You can also catch Alias on Netflix.  Grab some popcorn, but beware; you might choke on it due to some of the events that happen in this episode!

30 Days of TV: Day 26

Best Season Finale

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!  If you haven't watched Sherlock, and you don't want to know what happens, skip this post!

The season 2 finale of Sherlock, The Reichenbach Fall has got to be the greatest finale I've ever seen....of ANY TV SHOW I'VE EVER WATCHED!  Moriarty returns set on destroying Sherlock, and he succeeds, making everyone question whether or not Sherlock is a good guy or bad guy.  It's the very end, though, that makes this episode amazing.  Watch below to see why.






HOLY COW!  As I watched this episode the first time, I almost had a heart attack.  Every time I watch it, I catch something new.  It is simply IN.CRED.IBLE!  And the part that sucked for early fans of the show is that they had to wait 2 LONG YEARS before finding out what happened!




If you're dying to know what happens in season 3 of Sherlock, you can have the first episode totally spoiled here.  So, if you haven't seen it, and don't want it ruined, don't continue watching.  Sorry that it's in so many pieces, but I could only find it on YouTube in 30 second chunks.