We watched TNT's new drama Leverage last night. It premieres Dec 7. And I liked it. It had a fun jewel theft caper feel to it, which makes sense because it's about a team of high-target thieves. The characters were a little flat, but they'll perhaps round them out as the show goes along. More to come as the date draws nearer.
TV is filled with "that couple." You know, the ones who can't live together, can't live apart, 
who hook up and regret it, split up over simple misunderstandings, only to reconnect in uber-romantic scenes, usually during sweeps week. Ross and Rachel come to mind. It's an old story: The viewers want to know if the lovers will be together. Once the question is answered one way or the other, the tension is released and viewers lose interest. A married Ross and Rachel is a boring Ross and Rachel.
Which is why I cheer every time I see the main couple on NBC's The Office. Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) started dating last season, after a few seasons of misconnection. They did what most of us do. They fell in love, dated happily, and got engaged. No messy breakups, no angry fights, no passionate reconnections. Now Jim has encouraged Pam to follow her dreams and go to art school in New York. She's a few hours away, which he hates, but he's willing to sacrifice to support her goals. When did Ross ever do anything like that for Rachel? In a recent episode, Pam's former fiancé (brilliantly played as a run-of-the-mill jerk), plants seeds of doubt and jealousy in Jim's mind. Jim embarks on a frantic drive to New York in the middle of the night, to check on Pam. Part way there, he turns back, saying "I'm not that guy and we're not that couple."
Indeed not.
Trust. Sacrifice. Friendship. Maturity. Bringing out the best in each other instead of the worst. What a concept.
This is what happens when the market falls out of the donut industry.
Link is: http://videogum.com/archives/parodies/breaking-video-the-simpsons-s_031281.html
