A MID-SEASON REVIEW: Showtime's The Affair Ep 1-4

I watch way too much television. It's a real problem. Clearly I should instead be studying.


But I am going to write this review anyway.

The Affair, where do I start?

What peaked my interest to watch this series was both Ruth Wilson (Alison) and the series winning a Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series and Best Drama Series respectively. I thought let's check this out. So I did.

The plot

A middle age novelist(Noah) with his wife and four unruly children leave NYC to go stay with his in-laws in the Hampton's for the summer. While on their way to there they stop at a diner in  town. The waitress (Alison) saves his youngest daughter from choking. He then becomes obsessed with her and meets up with her as she is his "tour guide" for the Hamptons which is the backdrop for the new book he is writing. Alison is a waitress who used to work at the local hospital and a few years ago lost her son when he drowned. Both are happy in their marriage however, they both need a break; Noah from his overbearing in-laws whom  he is staying with and his children and Alison from her husband who has a tattoo of an angel on his body that constantly reminds her of her loss. Additionally after getting married at 21, Noah then feels that he missed out on the freedom of a twenty something and is trying to fill that void with Alison, who is a twenty something.

They sneak off together and tour the island of Montauk to get ideas for Noah's book while they are really using this time to hook-up. Nevertheless, their real lives do intertwine due to them being on a small island. Noah's son ends up working for Alison's husband Cole on a horse-range (and I am sure much more will follow).

BUT THIS IS THE BEST PART!

Reader, you are probably thinking, Hillary why are you watching this horribly predictable series? While Reader, I'm glad you asked that, you see the series is shown  through two different perspectives: Alison's and Noah's. Through this Rashomon***take, Noah's account of events are first and entitled: "Noah: Part I" and the second being Alison's take, "Alison Part II". The viewer sees two series of events that occurred in the same day, as these events are being told to a detective and even when they are talking to the detective their stories are not the same. An example, in Noah's story, the detective says he is divorced however, in Alison's story the detective has been married 25 years. As predicted the events do not match exactly in either character's story and many times the event are not even close. As a fashion minor student I would also like to point out that during the two character's accounts everyone is usually wearing a different outfit than from the other character's story, such as  Alison is normally wearing a sexier number in Noah's story than in hers or Noah's shirt is green in his part and in Alison's its blue.
 I have always found the unreliable author to be quite fascinating. That their account may not be what actually happened. As even through a thousand people may witness the same thing all would not tell what happened in the same way. Have you ever been retelling a story to your family about a moment that you all experienced and have you ever had a member say that something else happened instead as they remembered it differently but you don't remember that detail? They remembered it differently than you so what did really happen? Are they or are you remembering it differently? Who is more reliable the child or the adult? The woman or the man? I have read from interviews for the series that women believe Alison's story while men believe Noah's. So who is more reliable? Who's story is the truth? We will never know, unless another character's perspective is introduced but even then, what if their story is different from both of the one's previous?

I personally do not know whose story I believe, although Alison's seemed more realistic while Noah's is always sexed up. But do I think that because I have a female brain and not a male one? Maybe a man watching the series wouldn't think that Noah's story was sexed up and that Alison's was unrealistic? I don't know. However, what I do know is The Affair will keep you watching to the very end to see if the characters will be caught by their respected spouse and what events (even if the account of these events are unreliable) occur next.

Oh and I forgot to mention their is a murder and that is why Alison and Noah are being interviewed. That's an element too that will keep you tuned in, to find out who was murdered. All we do know it is a man.

The series shouldn't be called, "The Affair" but instead If The Ocean Could Speak or Whispers of The Hamptons. As the title The Affair does not allude to the breathtaking Ocean which is the back drop of the series, which in turn cannot be overshadowed by the plot of the series due to its beauty. The Ocean should have a starring role in the series. As it is the prominent feature in the opening sequence which shows: Noah's book, the main characters looking sad along with their partners, two people having sex (there is a lot of sex in this show) and a little boy running on the beach all with ocean waves going on top of them. It almost seems that when you are watching it as the waves crash over, you are drowning into the ocean and sinking back into it. Which I think is kind of haunting as Alison's son drowned in the ocean. The ocean in addition is in the background of almost every seen. The ocean is almost like the Eckleburg Glasses in the Great Gatsby, the ocean is always watching them and is the only true witness to Alison's and Noah's affair. As when they are back with their families and their "real lives" their affair gets sunk back into the ocean, just like Fiona Apple sings in the opening sequence repeatedly.


There is no doubt that The Affair will become your latest guilty pressure. It is a series with a beautiful backdrop with the Hampton's and plot twists that you don't see coming. Thus the series overall is very refreshing and worth noting.


Opening sequence of The Affair.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6muh9kTlr88

NEXT ARTICLE: FAREWELL, MY DEAR  FRIEND, NICK STOKES



***If you have ever taken a film class you should have learned about Rashomon. If not, your professor should be ashamed.

Review of YTV's Open Heart

I watched the pilot of Open Heart with little expectations.

The series which, is produced by the people that brought you Degrassi, was much more intriguing than I thought it would be. I hate medical dramas. I find them annoying and I am scared of hospitals so they are not the show for me. The promos for the series did not help raise my expectations for the series either. They were cheesy and lacked information to what the series was even about.


The series opens with a bunch of misfit teens breaking into a fancy house (since the series is based in Toronto much like Degrassi, I'm just going to say this mansion is located on Bridle path). After successfully answering the password on a phone call from the security company, the misfits (including Dylan Everett as Teddy, a favourite amongst Degrassi fans) go on to wear sparkly clothing and dance around (apparently rich people only wear sequin clothing. I didn't know Paris Hilton lives on the Bridle Path).  Then one of the girls goes through a glass table and becomes unconscious. This causes the main character troublesome and rebellious Dylan Blake (a great trendy first name for girls today) to take her friend to the hospital with the person who's house she broke into's car! This caused Dylan to be arrested by the police however, she did not get charged instead she has to do community service at the local hospital.

Three months later Dylan is a volunteer at Open Heart Hospital, which her own grandfather paid for and where her mother and sister work. On her first day Dylan meets Mikayla and Wes played by Cristine Prosperi and the very handsome Justin Kelly both of Degrassi fame, respectively  Prosperi's character in OH seems dull compared to her lesbian and brightly dressed Degrassi character, Imogen. 

Both Wes and Mikayla decide to help Dylan find her father who disappeared mysteriously six months back. After the police decide to drop the case Dylan then takes it on to herself to help find him.  Dylan a true daddy's girl and truly believes that her father would never leave her and her family. Although Dylan seems very desperate at times and has become obsessed with her father's disappearance, this seems the only thing Dylan is truly passionate about and it has seemed to give her a purpose. Though defying her mother and sister who want to move on, which seems horribly premature since Mr. Blake only disappeared six moths ago. 

Dylan is played by new comer Karis Camerson. Karis holds her own in the role as the rebellious Dylan and has proven in the first two episodes aired that she communicates the true character of the passionate Dylan. However, in the scenes with Justin Kelly and Cristine Prosperi she seems to fade into the background due to the their scene stealing and expressive faced acting of the veteran young adult actors. This in addition to Mikayla's blinding bright outfits when compared to Dylan's monochromatic wardrobe.

After Dylan takes her new found friends to grandparents house for a swim uninvited, this becomes the first of many sneaky things the three-some do, making sneaking around their new hobby.

The three-some then breaks into the security camera room in hospital after they discover that Dylan's father was at the hospital the day he vanished. After trying to sneak into the room and failing, secuitry then asks Dylan's mother whether or not to press charges against Dylan. Her mother then says yes. Dylan's mother is ruthless and cold towards Dylan. The charges are unnecessary and who would jeopardize their child's life and career with trespassing charges?

Dylan ends up visiting the detective that was on her father's case and he shows her the video of her father at the hospital and in the video her father is with a lady in a tacky leopard coat.

The pilot ends with the Blake family eating dinner and the lady in a tacky coat standing on the property of the family's house. Maybe she should be charged with trespassing instead of Dylan.


Overall, Open Heart is moderately gripping, however does not hold a candle its category reveal Pretty Little Liars. You will keep tuning in to see what clues Dylan and the gang find that lead them to her father. My prediction her father is still alive, out there and left due to a family secret. In OH the hospital of the same name seems to be simply a backdrop to the mystery of Mr. Blake and just seems to be a playground for the three-some to play and just the mother and sister to work.

Next article: Saying farewell to the LVPD's finest, Nick Stokes. 

10 CSI FUN FACTS

Due to my extensive knowledge of Crime Scene Investigation I have decided to write a blog post on my favourite 10 CSI fun facts:

1. Holly Gribbs. In the plot, the new addition to the team, Holly Gribbs goes on her first crime scene investigation. However, after returning to the scene to collect more evidence and being left alone by Warrick Brown she gets shot and dies. The writers chose to do this, as when the pilot was viewed by a test audience they said that Gribbs was an awkward character. They also stated that she was not relatable causing actress Chandra West to be fired after the second episode. The character that filled the gap left by Gribbs was none other than my fav Sara Sidle. Sidle was written in as a love interest for Gil Grissom however, they did not enter into a relationship to audience knowledge until Season 7. 
2. Too complicated. The series was originally pitched to the network, ABC. However, ABC refused to air the drama due to the fact that they stated that the series was too complicated for the American audience to understand. CBS then picked up the series and since then it is one of the longest running drama series and has become a pop culture icon. 
3. Why Las Vegas? Las Vegas was chosen as the setting for the original CSI due to the fact that the Vegas crime lab is the second most active crime lab in the USA other than the FBI's. 
4. The machines. The machines in the labs are all real and do indeed work. 
5. Facts. All the scientific facts listed on CSI are true. The series has researchers and fact checkers to make sure that everything scientific that appears on the show is authentic. 
6. The CSI effect. The show created the term, "The CSI effect" which has multiple definitions. The first is "a boarder knowledge of crime forensics by the general public". The series has caused jurors to demand more forensic evidence in trials. The second use of the term is the wave of crime series that were inspired by CSI since its premiere in 2000 such as Without A Trace, NCIS, Bones and Criminal Minds. At the time when CSI premiered no other crime/ mystery series had aired that strictly focused on the science side of crimes through forensic evidence. 
7. Helped solve crimes. After the series premiered in 2000 that year 46.9% of all rapes were solved in the USA a significant jump from the year before. 
8. Catherine Willows. When Marg Helgenberger was cast in the series she went and witnessed a real autopsy. The character of Catherine Willows was actually inspired by a real forensic investigator in Vegas. 
9. Different Name. In real life CSIs are called CSAs and do not perform all the activities the characters do in the show including interviewing, working in the lab, do not make arrests or obtain search warrants. 
10. Sara Sidle. Due to a contract dispute with CBS and actress Jorja Fox the character of Sara Sidle was going to be killed off in season 8. However, the writers decided not to kill off Sidle for the possibility of her character returning. It was a good decision as Sidle was a guest character in Season 8 and 9 (although billed as a main character in season 8) and a recurring character in season 9. Sidle then was instated as a main character in season 11 and is still apart of the main cast to date. 

Special thanks to IMDB for the information :-) 

Hill's TV WEEKLY PICKS

If you have ever talked to me you know that I love current television. You would also know about my love for CSI--Sorry my obsession--for what I consider the best television series on tv right now.
I personally am opposed to Netflix. I like watching current television series and on Netflix the options are what I consider "old" and not current. I like watching live television aka tuning into a certain station at a certain time to watch a show when it originally airs.  Okay with the exception for my marathon CSI DVD watching. Yes, the episodes are old and the first season is from Fall 2000 but I get a free pass right? So yes I binge watch CSI, my current watching schedule is Season 1, then a jump to season 9, next season 7, then 8, then 2 and 3. I skipped to season 9 because I wanted to see the last episode with Grissom and also I didn't have season 2 and 3 at the time...so it all makes sense now. I really like the Grissom and Sara Romance (GSR). I think they were made for each other. Fun fact the character of Sara Sidle was written to be a love interest for Grissom however, they didn't actually enter in a relationship until season 7.  Anyways I could talk about CSI all day but the article is about my tv picks so let's get back to that...

I think I have great taste in my television watching choices so here is my current television picks

Monday night (the night that I consider the WORST night for television)

• Celebrity Apprentice at 8pm on Global--this is the first time I've watched it and it's entertaining. However, it drags on and on. It should be 1.5 hours because they are in the boardroom for an hour and the apprentices bashing each other should be restricted to half an hour. 
• That's it for Monday. I didn't like Gotham I found it boring, too graphic and confusing.

Tuesday 

• Pretty Little Liars 8pm on M3--scary, breathtaking and this season really creepy and morbid. But I am a super fan having read all 18 books and I have never missed an episode. The liars fashion is on point too. 
• Degrassi 9 pm on MTV--the Canadian cult classic is a must watch for me. Although with the new actors and their HORRIBLE acting I just want to see the characters that were in Grade 9 when I started watching graduate then I'm not sure I'll tune in anymore. However, the show is the best at representing CURRENT teen issues including this season's sexting scandal. Issues also seen in this season include: date rape, suicide, drug use and teen pregnancy.
• Real housewives of Beverly Hills--Very entertaining and I used to watch RHW of Vancouver. I love realty tv its entertaining and hilarious. I also find it interesting how other people live their lives. With the new additions to the cast its going to be great season. This is a show I wish was two hours because it feels like an hour isn't enough.
• See my review of YTV's Open heart.  

Wednesday 

• Dragon's Den 8pm on CBC--Love this show. My mom introduced me to it to teach me how to value a business since I was in fashion design and I told her I was scared of going bankrupt. The new cast member Wek is hilarious however, the show has lost some spark with the departure of the infamous Mr. Wonderful aka Kevin O'Leary. The show is still very entertaining and keeps my attention through the hour. 
• The Middle 8pm on City TV--This show was discovered by my family eavesdropping on a guy recommend the series to a friend on a bus at Disney World. This show is so relatable to my family from the teenage boy Axl, the teenage girl Sue and the try-really hard mother, Frankie. It's hilarious and the only series my family all watches together. 
• Law and Order: SVU 9 pm on CTV 2--I love this show, even after 16 seasons the writers still have original and gripping storylines. It keeps my attention the whole hour and I look forward to it every week. 
• Say Yes to the Dress Canada 10pm on W--Cheesy and amateur but I cannot stop watching. 

Thursday 

• How to get away with murder 10pm on CTV--see the past review on my blog!
• other than that...nothing 

Friday 

• Shark Tank 9pm on CTV2--I learn a lot from it and the hour goes by so fast. I love it. Also I tune in just to see what Mr. Wonderful is going to say. Also it's interesting what people have come up with as inventions.
• Blue Bloods 10 pm on CTV--I have been watching it since it returned and I really like the plot involving the view of a law practicers including the DA sister, the two brothers that are cops and the father who is the police chief. The plots are also gripping. 

Sunday

• CSI 10pm on CTV--the writers always out done themselves and after 15 seasons still keep me at the edge of my seat with each episode. Additionally,  with the departure of Nick Stokes at the end of the season every episode this season counts. 
• Girls 10pm on HBO--always both entertaining and cringe-worthy. My mom hates but I like it. I consider it very educational about sex and relationships even more so than sex ed. Although they say the characters represent our generation I don't feel that. Sexy Adam Driver doesn't hurt either. 

Every week day: Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy 7pm and 7:30pm--I have a gift of answering puzzles and I know a lot of random stuff...

Next article: 10 CSI FUN FACTS

Goodbye, Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily!

I just finished the final Pretty Little Liars Novel, Vicious. I finished it on the GO train and started crying, it is the end of an era. I started reading the books in 2010, my friend had told me about this awesome series that had been made into a television show. So one day I was at Costco and I picked up the first novel, little did I know that novel would have a great impact on me.

I since read all the next 7 novels: Flawless, Perfect, Unbelievable, Wicked, Killer, Heartless and Wanted. I would buy them and then pass them on to my best friend to read them. After that it was announced that there would be two companion novels, Pretty Little Lies (an Xmas novel) and Ali's Pretty Little Lies. Then after the success of the television series, there came 8 more novels: Twisted, Burned, Ruthless, Stunning, Crushed, Deadly and now Vicious. 

There was something about these novels, I could never stop reading. They got released within a span of every 6 months and I would count down the days until the next one came out. I would run to my local chapters the second it opened and would start reading that day. It was the ultimate treat to me. 

These novels were groundbreaking, they starred very relatable characters, Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, Spence Hastings and Emily Fields. It is very hard to find YA (Young Adult) Mystery-thriller novels, that have not single dimensional characters  (characters known for only one personality trait). Every single one of these characters I could relate to: Aria with her love for culture and art, Spencer the overachiever, Hanna the ultimate girly girl and Emily the athlete. They felt like my friends: I've known them for years from high school to university. They are all smart and thinkers and they stick together. They are the epitome of friendship. They all had something that linked them: Alison DiLaurentis. Although Ali brought them together because they were all outcasts this occurrence is the core of their friendship. All friendships and relationships are like that, they all have a connecting factor whether it's being in the same classes or having the same interests. the best part was  the mystery of who was A and how there were two different ones: Mona and Ali.

I had a friend like Ali in Middle School just like the PLLs. She was mean and made fun of my clothes but she was fun to be around, just like Ali. Just like Alison she was manipulative and strived for perfection. Maybe thats the factor that makes me relate to the PLLs so well. Just like them when you end your friendship with something like that, like Ali it is a relieve.

I am sad that the series has come to an end. PLL was a big part of my life the one thing that I also looked forward to and the thing that always connected me and my best friend. From the series I learned a lot. And I can't complain how it ended, I couldn't have written it better.

Although I watch the television series religiously, it was the plot within the books that I preferred and value the most.

Thank you Sara Shepard for writing these novels. They were so relatable and groundbreaking, allowing young women to experience the mystery-thriller genre through characters that were more than relatable. I look forward to reading the second  Perfectionists novel due in the spring.

So Goodbye Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily enjoy your life-A

Next Article: Hillary's TV PICKS

A Mid-Season in review: ABC's How to get away with murder!

What You’ve Been Missing—A pop culture blog; Reviewing current television series, books and films

Review: “How To Get Away with Murder”

How to Get Away With a Confusing Plot:

5 reasons for reasonable doubt and 5 reasons for strong defense.

MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS!

            One of the most anticipated fall television series, How to Get Away with Murder aired on September 25^th starring critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated actress Viola Davis.  With all the teasing advertisements, the show created a large amount of anticipation especially with myself.

I live for murder mysteries. I have seen over 125 episodes of Crime Scene Investigation and watch an episode everyday. So I thought that this series would live up to its premise and I was not prepared to be disappointed.

Basic plot

The best defense lawyer and law professor, Annalise Keating (Davis) teaches at a prestigious Ivy league-type university in Pennsylvania. Her course as she calls it is “Criminal Law 100: How to get away with murder” (not creepy at all). Keating teaches an auditorium full of over achieving students who go out of their way to impress her. She then chooses five of her top students to assist her in her private practice. The “privileged team” of the students who go above and beyond to once again impress her. If they achieve this they are awarded a trophy. Yes, a group of law students are after a trophy and will stab each other in the back to get it.  The plot follows Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch, aka one of the only hot guys from the Harry Potter film franchise), a stunned (he always looks stunned) student that miraculously ends up with the trophy and as part of Keating’s “privileged team”. On campus a pretty girl, Lilla mysteriously disappeared and is found dead in a water tank on the roof of a sorority house. Lilla is also a student of Keating’s husband, Sam.

Here are 8 things about How To Get Away with Murder: 5 things that prove that the series is indeed, well thought out in addition to highlights of the series: Reasonable doubt and 5 things that prove that the series is disappointing, Strong Defense.

Reasonable doubt

1.     Wardrobe: Gibbins has a wardrobe to dream of. She always wears statement jewelry and great suits: highlights include episode 4 where she wore a peplum top and a matching pencil skirt. For a top defense attorney one would hope that she has a great wardrobe to go along with her great reputation.

2.     Couples: In the series, Gibbins an African American woman is married to Sam, a Caucasian male causing them to be a biracial couple, which is still a statement even in a television series from the year 2014.

3.     A different view: In other legal dramas, we normally see the other side of the courtroom, in that we see the cases from the view of the crown not the defense such as in the Law and Order series. However, it is only recently that we see it from the defense perspective as in the Good Wife. Additionally there are not many current television series that feature “the life of a university law student” which, by the way the writers of the series make a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.

4.     Horribly relatable: In the pilot, Gibbins enters the lecture hall where the class is held and does not find anywhere to sit and no one to sit with (every liberal course I have ever attend week-after-week). In addition, due to the fact that all the students want to impress Keatings they choose to interrupt the literature to show their knowledge on the subject…no I cannot think when that happened during my lecture at all (not).

5.     The finale. That moment when Annalise is sitting in the chair…..

Strong Defense

1.     Confusing. Flash Forwards (!!!): Every. Single. Episode. And the next scene after a commercial break. Opens with a “Flash forward” aka what happens in future episodes…aka who all Keating’s “privileged team” choose to murder and the events that occur after and up to the murder. Why would you want to tell your viewer what happens in future episodes? Talk about spoiler alert! And it is so confusing that I have trouble telling the difference between a flash forward and what is happening on the show in the “present”.  May I also add that the “flash forwards” lack continuity…it’s a puzzle that doesn’t fit properly (that will probably never fit together).

2.     How to get away with murder…Literally: In episodes #2 and #3, the two clients that Keating defends both get away with murder. As one escapes during recess and the other did committed murder in another country and yes, got away with it. Additionally, in the “flash forwards” the “privileged team” says that they think they can get away with murder…maybe they will indeed, if Keating agrees to defend them all. “We are smart enough to get away with murder, destroy all the forensic evidence”. No. No you won’t. Especially after one of the members of the “privileged team” leaves her HUGE engagement ring at the murder scene…her engagement ring. How does one lose their engagement ring committing a murder?

3.     Kill for your neighbor: As you too can conclude, “This show would be amazing without those ‘flash forwards.’” Yeah no duh. In one of the “flash forwards,” it is revealed that the “privileged team” murdered Mr. Keating to keep Gibbins creepy neighbor, Rebecca (Katie Findlay, who played the annoying bff of Carrie in The Carrie Diaries) safe. Why would you risk your life (and the death penalty) for your neighbor who looks like a Lisbeth Salander wannabe? And why would your fellow law students help you? And murder your professor’s husband? It is hinted that Mr. Keating may be involved in the murder of Lilla who was one of his students. In the present, Rebecca is being tried for Lilla’s murder with Keating defending her…if Keating couldn’t get her off who can? #lostcause

4.     Unbelievable: To impress Keating students go as far as to break the law: hacking into computers and sneaking into prison just to name a few, to get the information they need to help Keatings with her current cases. As one of the character’s partners says in the latest episode: “For someone who wants to practice law, you think nothing of breaking it.”

5.     The fatal (pun intended) flaw of the students. The fact that each student in the finale did not call 911 and went to their partner’s house after the murder…do you really want your partner to go to jail with you?

You be the judge (punny). Will you tune into How to Get Away with Murder?

Next article: Goodbye Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily