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rachg82Question: how lazy does it make me that I still haven't taken down my xmas lights? I suppose I should probably get around to that, huh?
And speaking of things I need to get around to, I think it's about time I wrapped up my end-of-the-year stuff considering it's, you know, January. I technically never did finish my End of the Decade Vidfest (there were still a few left I'd wanted to include), but that's not a big deal. Afterall, I do post a vid with every entry anyway, so it's not like I can't just throw the remaining ones back in the mix to share at a later date. At least I still got a few good BSG ones in there, along with some other 2000-2009 fave shows as well. So it all works out.[/unnecessary ramble]
Really, the only things left that I care to finish now are my 2010 resolutions, and the Top TV/Pairings of the Decade post I mentioned in my last entry. (yes, I will use any excuse to flail over television. Are you surprised?)
First up, resolutions:
1. Attend more events for my meetup group and be more social in general
2. Find some poor fool to go on a date with me
3. Be more physically active & lose weight in a healthy way. (I somehow already lost 4/5 pounds just by making a few smart changes in my diet--i.e. "yes, Rachael, oatmeal for breakfast is better than fried bacon"--so here's to a good start!)
4. Perform well at my job so that I can be hired on permanently when the hiring freeze lifts
And, maybe--no promises--but I will try to see if I can get myself to take at least one class (even if it's just online) and/or get my chicken-shit ass in a car & try driving again. WE'LL SEE.
Now, with that out of the way, onto the End of the Decade TV Lovage!
After much careful deliberation, I decided to make it a Top 10 list. . .with a few extra honorable mentions because I'm an indecisive cheater like that. Hee. And then, once that's done, I'll finish things out with my Top 3 Shipper Pairings. If I do my job right, you should all be 100% OD'd on TV goodness & joy by the time we're through.
Note: I'm not even going to bother trying to arrange these in order of preference, because then I know this would take me for-fucking-ever. No thanks. Instead I'm going to keep it simple & list them in order of their appearance in my life:
#1) The X-Files. Conveniently, if I were going to do this list in order of preference? This show would still come out on top. I don't know if I'll ever have the heart to remove its #1 status. Even though it sucked in my opinion in the 2000s (aside from the end of the 7th season of course. *hearts*), it's still the X-Files, yo. She of the flashlights, sunflower seeds, ubiquitous rental cars, insanely epic UST, and perfectly raised "Mulder, WTF are you thinking?!" bitchface-y eyebrows. Best show ever, man. IF YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU BETTAH AX SOMEBODY. Hee. Seriously though, this show owned my ass back in the day and still kinda does even now. Not only is it worth watching for the Mulder/Scully shipperiffic amazingness, it's also got fantastic direction, smart writing, & great acting. Trust me, when this show was good, it was *damned good*. Just. . .remember I warned you when you get to the 8th season. I'm sorry. Heh.
#2) Oh, Daily Show. I loved you in the '90s when Craig Kilborne was your host and I loved you when Jon Stewart took over even more. There's seriously a special place in my heart for that man, y'all. He kept me sane during both Bush elections, he's totally the lgbt community's BFF 4 Eva, and he helps yell at Fox News every night so I don't have to. I love him to infinity + 1, for real.
#3) The reason I pull out my "you kids get off my lawn!" old lady voice everytime I see something about Twilight, all "I LIKED IT BETTER WHEN IT WAS BUFFY AND ANGEL. SUCK IT, BITCHES!" Ha. But really, I wanted to hate this show so bad before I watched it. I was like "Okay, A: It's on the WB. I am SO ABOVE THAT TEENAGER SHIT, TRY AGAIN. B: Why do I need to watch some stupid show about vampires with lame-ass fake makeup & a girl named Buffy? Do you think I forgot how bad the movie sucked? And C: I'm not really into all that sci-fi/fantasy stuff anyway; X-Files is an exception![/nerd-denial]"
And then cue me watching it:
Season 1: "Hey, this show is actually kinda fun. . .still a bit cheesy, but certainly entertaining. I suppose I'll keep watching"
Season 2: "Um, ANGEL & BUFFY OMG! AND OH SHIT, JENNY! WHERE'S THE NEXT EPISODE, NEED IT NOW PLEASE"
Season 3: "Faith! Anya! The Mayor! EPIC GRADUATION EPICNESS & SAD ANGEL/BUFFY PROM DANCING! All right, FINE. I kind of love this show now. YOU WIN, WORLD. HAPPY?"
#4) And speaking of! While I didn't go quite as crazy for Angel as I did for Buffy (in terms of going out & buying all the seasons on DVD & watching them a million times), I still really, really enjoyed it. Enough to put it on my top 10 list, so there you go. Its angst kicked my motherfucking ass toward the end there, but in an "oh, it hurts so good" kinda way. And really, after I had time to process the "ooooooh my god, Joss Whedon, are you trying to kill me?!" reactions, I think that ended up being my favorite thing about it honestly. That, and the great cast, all the fun lighthearted moments, and the overall message of the journey: What do you do if nothing you do seems to make a difference? Keep doing it anyway. That alone is reason enough to place it on this list. Well, that, and Puppet Angel. Can't forget that.
#5) Goddamn, I loves me some fast-talkin' Gilmore Girls. Admittedly, it took a few times of me sort of only half-watching the show before I finally decided to give it a chance & pay attention, but once I did? I was like "okay, the writing on this show is actually super freaking clever & funny, and these characters are all endearing as hell. Who knew?" From that point on I was basically hooked. Lorelai Gilmore has got to be one of the funniest, best written (in terms of dialogue, I mean) female characters on any sitcom or drama ever, hands down. No debate. And her relationship with Luke--aside from a good portion of the 6th & 7th seasons obviously (when the show took a bit of a hit in general)--is just so much damned fun. Like, really. If I were doing a top 4 pairings list here, they'd for sure be on it. And all of this isn't even touching on the great mother/daughter relationship between her and Rory, the drama between her & her parents, and the crazy Stars Hollow shenanigans constantly going on around town. Regardless of the quality drop in the last two seasons, it's still to this day one of the most purely enjoyable shows I've ever watched.
#6) Ah, the only show I've ever gotten my sister to watch in entirety. Gilmore Girls came close--she and I got all the way to the 5th season before we had to put our marathon on pause due to RL interruptions & lack of time--but with Sex and the City we made it all the way through. For that reason right there I have a certain fondness for it, I have to admit. Like, "aw, sisterly bonding associations!" Heh. But really, although I wouldn't say I'm some *huge* SatC fan or anything (i.e. I've never felt the need to go hunt down fanfic or anything), it's still one of my faves. It's simply good, mindless fun and everyone needs at least a little of that in their life. Plus it boasts one of my favorite series finales for any show actually. Loved it. And in all seriousness, when you get past the sex jokes & shoe worship, this show was--at its heart--a love letter to female friendship. As Big says in the finale, "you three know her better than anyone. You're the loves of her life." And that right there is why I love it. Well, that, and the sex jokes are fun too. Heh. Not to mention Big & Carrie, because come on: Moon River? Kissing in elevators? "Cabs are bullshit"? Always good times.
#7) Yes, a reality show made the list. DON'T HATE. Hee. Not only have I been watching this show since the beginning, but I remember hearing about it before it started and being excited. That's what a big dorky fan I am. Heh. I'll admit I wasn't quite as crazy about it the last two seasons (Melissa & Ade love-fests notwithstanding), but I still love the hell out of it just in general. And don't even get me started on season 2. SO MUCH LOVE, Y'ALL.
#8) While I thought the show weakened over time--the first season was amazing, the second season was great, and the third season was just good--it was still one of the best shows to air in a long time. The first season alone is like a study in how to perfectly plot out & resolve an arc. And Veronica is just plain awesome, no matter how you slice it. Strong, independent, funny, smart, knows how to deliver a one-liner & solve a murder all at the same time. What more could you ask for?
#9) Boooooooooooooones! I love this show so freaking hard. And while the first two seasons were undoubtedly my favorite in terms of overall "that episode was so damn good!" quality, that doesn't change the fact that I still absolutely adore it even now (just in a slightly different way is all). It also helps that some of the things I felt were lacking last year have been showing steady signs of improvement again this year. It's rare to have a show that starts out fantastic, dips a little in quality mid-way through, and then actually begins getting strong again. Usually, once a show starts slumping it's all downhill from there. But not my Bones. No way. It's the show that ~takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'~. Add that to the fact that nearly each & every one of the characters is pretty much 100% awesome, Brennan herself is fucking irresistibly wonderful, and the Booth/Brennan relationship is like this crazy slow upward climb of ever-increasing UST & love & OMGJUSTMAKEOUTALREADYYOU'REKILLINGMEHERE moments, and it's like axljvosihoiahgieaghghj GODDAMMIT I LOVE THIS SHOW! Haha. But seriously, shit. There should just be a disclaimer before every episode, like "WARNING: MAY INDUCE CAPSLOCK AND FLAIL. WATCH ONLY AT YOUR OWN RISK."
#10) Behold, the show that has EATEN MY EFFING BRAIN & BITCHSLAPPED ME WITH ITS EPIC WIN. I swear, if it weren't for the X-Files, it would easily be wearing the #1 crown. As it is, it's like right at XF's heels, all "WATCH OUT BITCH, HERE I COME." And then X-Files is totally all, "GTFO WHORE, WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER 14 YEARS! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SAUNTER UP NOW & STEAL MY GIRL? OH HELL TO THE NAW, IT'S ABOUT TO BE ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!"
And for those just tuning in who haven't already realized this? I AM CRAZY. Haha. But for real, this show has like CONSUMED my ass over the last seven months or so. And while in all honesty X-Files is still secure in its #1 spot--like I said above, I don't know if anything will ever be able to remove it. It's just too close to my heart & was too good for too many years--I am serious that BSG is right behind it for me. Regardless of certain boring and/or WTF storylines that I could have done without (why, hello there, Demetrius arc! How are you today, Tigh & Six?), or the heavy-handed execution of certain things in the finale (*cough*timessquare*cough*), it was still just an absolute masterpiece in my opinion. The direction, the music, the writing, the acting, all of it, fucking A+++++. I could probably write an entire essay on all the reasons I love it without even getting into Adama & Roslin and their freaking ridiculously perfect selves (and you know how much I love them!). The social issues, the moral & philosophical questions, the angst (ohhh, the angst. IT BURNS), the random moments of comedy (remember that time Ellen pinched Lee's ass? Heeeeee), the suspense, the action, the drama, the way it manages to feel so authentic & relatable when it's a show about people fighting robots in space? Just, GAH. Amazing. And the fact that the Emmys didn't pay closer attention to that, aside from nominating it for writing & directing, and giving it a few measly wins for sound editing & special effects? Makes me want to cut a bitch. I mean, I know it got lots of other awards, but STILL. I DEMAND MARY MCDONNELL BE GIVEN THE EMMY SHE DESERVES. DON'T MAKE ME SIC ROSLIN & HER EYE-TEETH ON YOU.
----
And there you have it folks! My top 10 shows of the last 10 years. Fun times all around, y/y? I have to admit though, it took me a good million years or so to decide whether to stick Veronica Mars in there or Arrested Development. It was like "hmm, extremely good 1st season & damn good show overall (V Mars)? Or chicken dances and the best continuity & attention to detail of any show in the history of ever (AD)?" Such are the decisions that are the bane of my existence, yo.
And then I was also like, "What about Weeds and Mary Louise Parker's hot, sexy ass? What about Freaks & Geeks & its My So-Called Life-level teenage fantasticness? What about my love/hate relationship with The L Word? Sure, it had its ridiculously stupid plot twists, and its final season was the most horrendous pile of shit in the world (don't even get me started on the finale), but the first season or two was actually pretty good and the 5th season was cracktastic fun. Plus it *was* historic, you have to admit. And most importantly, it DID give me a reason to watch all those snarky vlog recaps & reenactments on afterellen.com back when that site still kicked ass. It's got to get some credit for that, right?"
Which, speaking of, btw:
Hee. Sorry, but I couldn't resist posting that after mentioning those vlogs. "What am I gonna wear? WHAT AM I GONNA WEAR!!!" Hahahaha. Never gets old. God I miss that vlog.
Soooo, yeah. I am clearly the worst person in the world to create a top 10 list. Ha. It ends up being a Top 10 List of Extreme Wordynessand a few extra honorable mentions that I slide in when no one's looking. Hee. Oh well though. Can't win 'em all, right?
Now, as promised, who's ready for some shipperfied deliciousness? I hope you all are, because I hereby present my Top 3 Shipper Pairings of 2000-2009, complete with vidspamming:
#1) Mulder & Scully, y'all, the one & only. My original ship. . .my life-long love. . .the reason why I had a poster of Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny lying in bed half-naked on my wall at fifteen years old (Oh, '96 Rolling Stones cover!). While I wasn't exactly a fan of how their relationship was handled in the final two seasons, they are still the ship to which I compare all others. Hell, they're the reason we all throw words like "shipper" around in the first place (hells yeah I remember those days. What up, noromos! Guess who lost? Hee). And it doesn't matter how many years go by either, I can always pop in an episode like "Small Potatoes" or "Pusher" or "Redux II" and fall in love with them all over again. Eight years after the show ended, that's a hell of an impressive thing to be able to still say.
Now, for our M/S vid, I'm gonna let erockfurnia here take it away & remind us all why these two deserve to be on *everyone's* list for favorite pairings of the decade. Because, again, as I mentioned above? IF YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU BETTAH AX SOMEBODY. Heh.
#2) Booth & Brennan. As I said in my section for Bones above, these two drive me totally nuts with flail on like a regular basis. Especially this season and the last. What the 4th season lacked in consistency, it more than made up for in Pure OTP Goodness. I mean, COME ON: Booth & Brennan ice-skating? Going out for drinks together all the time like they're doing some kind of not-so-sneaky secret dating? Booth feeding Brennan ice cream at his apartment? Letting her "fix his back" instead of going to a medical doctor like a normal person so he can let her feel him up? Going undercover together as married circus performers, sharing a tiny trailer where YOU KNOW THEY SLEPT IN THE SAME BED? God, I could go on forever. And none of this is even touching on the stuff that's happened this season, or all the crazy eye-sexing & sweetness that went on in the first 3 seasons. Which, in case any of you have forgotten, let me jog your memory: kissing under mistletoe, sitting unnecessarily close to one another making super intense eye contact as they talk about everything from smurfs to sex at the diner, saving each other's lives, giving "guy hugs". . .fighting over whether Brennan gets to have a gun (okay, so that last part's not shippery at all, but I just love it, all right? Heh). It's just a wonderful ride, that's all I can say. And if you're not already on board? Time to buy yourself a ticket.
To help reinforce that statement, here's a vid by Ferryboat Productions which I know I've used as a Vid of the Day here before, but which I love too much not to use again now. Deal with it. Heh.
#3) Roslin & Adama. Oh man, where do I even start with these two? I can't even begin to cover how much I love them. Mulder & Scully may be my first & guaranteed life-long ship, but Roslin & Adama are my most complete and utterly satisfying ship. Period. Of course I'll always want more, and that's what fanfic is for, but at the end of that series? I still would not have gone back & changed even *one single thing* about how their relationship was handled. They are perfection, plain & simple. One of the "Top Pairings of 2009" lists I saw online recently (on Buddytv, I think) said something like they were "the most realistic portrayal of love to possibly ever grace the small or big screen." I couldn't agree more and I'm not even exaggerating. There are no gimmicks with them, no contrived plotlines working to either keep them apart or get them together. They are 100% honest feeling from start to finish. Full of tenderness, love, respect, trust, desire, imperfections & miscommunications, friendship, and unwavering loyalty & support (well, aside from that time he threw her in the brig. But it was just that once! Haha). I know I've said this here before, but there is just something so fucking beautiful about them, it makes my damn heart ache. They are so sweet & real, and everything they do in regards to one another is laced with the deep, abiding love that they share, which is allowed to grow unrestricted by the writers for four seasons. Something as small as Adama showing up to read his favorite book to Roslin in the sick bay is portrayed by the actors with such bittersweet gentleness & adoration that I almost can't even stand it. Like, I turn into some Victorian Maiden with a case of the vapors, seriously. And watching them finally express their feelings aloud to one another, and act on those feelings physically? Right as she's dying of cancer? And is all "I don't think I've ever felt truly at home until these last few months here with you"? IT'S JUST TOO MUCH. MY HEART, IT CAN'T TAKE IT.
So, yeah. I kinda love them. Kinda a lot. Heh. And to help introduce their epic fantabulousness to those of you who don't already watch the show (and to deliver a dose of Victorian-style Vapors to those of you who do), I offer up this vid by one of my favorite BSG vidders, sczep84. This video leads you through a preview of the Adama/Roslin relationship from beginning to end, with quotes, clips, the whole shibang. There are so many great A/R moments one could include in a vid such as this, so of course it can't cover all of them, but I think sczep still does a great job here paying tribute to the depth of their relationship and the journey they undertake.
Aaaaaand WE'RE DONE. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT, 2009. It's been real!
And speaking of things I need to get around to, I think it's about time I wrapped up my end-of-the-year stuff considering it's, you know, January. I technically never did finish my End of the Decade Vidfest (there were still a few left I'd wanted to include), but that's not a big deal. Afterall, I do post a vid with every entry anyway, so it's not like I can't just throw the remaining ones back in the mix to share at a later date. At least I still got a few good BSG ones in there, along with some other 2000-2009 fave shows as well. So it all works out.[/unnecessary ramble]
Really, the only things left that I care to finish now are my 2010 resolutions, and the Top TV/Pairings of the Decade post I mentioned in my last entry. (yes, I will use any excuse to flail over television. Are you surprised?)
First up, resolutions:
1. Attend more events for my meetup group and be more social in general
2. Find some poor fool to go on a date with me
3. Be more physically active & lose weight in a healthy way. (I somehow already lost 4/5 pounds just by making a few smart changes in my diet--i.e. "yes, Rachael, oatmeal for breakfast is better than fried bacon"--so here's to a good start!)
4. Perform well at my job so that I can be hired on permanently when the hiring freeze lifts
And, maybe--no promises--but I will try to see if I can get myself to take at least one class (even if it's just online) and/or get my chicken-shit ass in a car & try driving again. WE'LL SEE.
Now, with that out of the way, onto the End of the Decade TV Lovage!
After much careful deliberation, I decided to make it a Top 10 list. . .with a few extra honorable mentions because I'm an indecisive cheater like that. Hee. And then, once that's done, I'll finish things out with my Top 3 Shipper Pairings. If I do my job right, you should all be 100% OD'd on TV goodness & joy by the time we're through.
Note: I'm not even going to bother trying to arrange these in order of preference, because then I know this would take me for-fucking-ever. No thanks. Instead I'm going to keep it simple & list them in order of their appearance in my life:
#1) The X-Files. Conveniently, if I were going to do this list in order of preference? This show would still come out on top. I don't know if I'll ever have the heart to remove its #1 status. Even though it sucked in my opinion in the 2000s (aside from the end of the 7th season of course. *hearts*), it's still the X-Files, yo. She of the flashlights, sunflower seeds, ubiquitous rental cars, insanely epic UST, and perfectly raised "Mulder, WTF are you thinking?!" bitchface-y eyebrows. Best show ever, man. IF YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU BETTAH AX SOMEBODY. Hee. Seriously though, this show owned my ass back in the day and still kinda does even now. Not only is it worth watching for the Mulder/Scully shipperiffic amazingness, it's also got fantastic direction, smart writing, & great acting. Trust me, when this show was good, it was *damned good*. Just. . .remember I warned you when you get to the 8th season. I'm sorry. Heh.
#2) Oh, Daily Show. I loved you in the '90s when Craig Kilborne was your host and I loved you when Jon Stewart took over even more. There's seriously a special place in my heart for that man, y'all. He kept me sane during both Bush elections, he's totally the lgbt community's BFF 4 Eva, and he helps yell at Fox News every night so I don't have to. I love him to infinity + 1, for real.
#3) The reason I pull out my "you kids get off my lawn!" old lady voice everytime I see something about Twilight, all "I LIKED IT BETTER WHEN IT WAS BUFFY AND ANGEL. SUCK IT, BITCHES!" Ha. But really, I wanted to hate this show so bad before I watched it. I was like "Okay, A: It's on the WB. I am SO ABOVE THAT TEENAGER SHIT, TRY AGAIN. B: Why do I need to watch some stupid show about vampires with lame-ass fake makeup & a girl named Buffy? Do you think I forgot how bad the movie sucked? And C: I'm not really into all that sci-fi/fantasy stuff anyway; X-Files is an exception![/nerd-denial]"
And then cue me watching it:
Season 1: "Hey, this show is actually kinda fun. . .still a bit cheesy, but certainly entertaining. I suppose I'll keep watching"
Season 2: "Um, ANGEL & BUFFY OMG! AND OH SHIT, JENNY! WHERE'S THE NEXT EPISODE, NEED IT NOW PLEASE"
Season 3: "Faith! Anya! The Mayor! EPIC GRADUATION EPICNESS & SAD ANGEL/BUFFY PROM DANCING! All right, FINE. I kind of love this show now. YOU WIN, WORLD. HAPPY?"
#4) And speaking of! While I didn't go quite as crazy for Angel as I did for Buffy (in terms of going out & buying all the seasons on DVD & watching them a million times), I still really, really enjoyed it. Enough to put it on my top 10 list, so there you go. Its angst kicked my motherfucking ass toward the end there, but in an "oh, it hurts so good" kinda way. And really, after I had time to process the "ooooooh my god, Joss Whedon, are you trying to kill me?!" reactions, I think that ended up being my favorite thing about it honestly. That, and the great cast, all the fun lighthearted moments, and the overall message of the journey: What do you do if nothing you do seems to make a difference? Keep doing it anyway. That alone is reason enough to place it on this list. Well, that, and Puppet Angel. Can't forget that.
#5) Goddamn, I loves me some fast-talkin' Gilmore Girls. Admittedly, it took a few times of me sort of only half-watching the show before I finally decided to give it a chance & pay attention, but once I did? I was like "okay, the writing on this show is actually super freaking clever & funny, and these characters are all endearing as hell. Who knew?" From that point on I was basically hooked. Lorelai Gilmore has got to be one of the funniest, best written (in terms of dialogue, I mean) female characters on any sitcom or drama ever, hands down. No debate. And her relationship with Luke--aside from a good portion of the 6th & 7th seasons obviously (when the show took a bit of a hit in general)--is just so much damned fun. Like, really. If I were doing a top 4 pairings list here, they'd for sure be on it. And all of this isn't even touching on the great mother/daughter relationship between her and Rory, the drama between her & her parents, and the crazy Stars Hollow shenanigans constantly going on around town. Regardless of the quality drop in the last two seasons, it's still to this day one of the most purely enjoyable shows I've ever watched.
#6) Ah, the only show I've ever gotten my sister to watch in entirety. Gilmore Girls came close--she and I got all the way to the 5th season before we had to put our marathon on pause due to RL interruptions & lack of time--but with Sex and the City we made it all the way through. For that reason right there I have a certain fondness for it, I have to admit. Like, "aw, sisterly bonding associations!" Heh. But really, although I wouldn't say I'm some *huge* SatC fan or anything (i.e. I've never felt the need to go hunt down fanfic or anything), it's still one of my faves. It's simply good, mindless fun and everyone needs at least a little of that in their life. Plus it boasts one of my favorite series finales for any show actually. Loved it. And in all seriousness, when you get past the sex jokes & shoe worship, this show was--at its heart--a love letter to female friendship. As Big says in the finale, "you three know her better than anyone. You're the loves of her life." And that right there is why I love it. Well, that, and the sex jokes are fun too. Heh. Not to mention Big & Carrie, because come on: Moon River? Kissing in elevators? "Cabs are bullshit"? Always good times.
#7) Yes, a reality show made the list. DON'T HATE. Hee. Not only have I been watching this show since the beginning, but I remember hearing about it before it started and being excited. That's what a big dorky fan I am. Heh. I'll admit I wasn't quite as crazy about it the last two seasons (Melissa & Ade love-fests notwithstanding), but I still love the hell out of it just in general. And don't even get me started on season 2. SO MUCH LOVE, Y'ALL.
#8) While I thought the show weakened over time--the first season was amazing, the second season was great, and the third season was just good--it was still one of the best shows to air in a long time. The first season alone is like a study in how to perfectly plot out & resolve an arc. And Veronica is just plain awesome, no matter how you slice it. Strong, independent, funny, smart, knows how to deliver a one-liner & solve a murder all at the same time. What more could you ask for?
#9) Boooooooooooooones! I love this show so freaking hard. And while the first two seasons were undoubtedly my favorite in terms of overall "that episode was so damn good!" quality, that doesn't change the fact that I still absolutely adore it even now (just in a slightly different way is all). It also helps that some of the things I felt were lacking last year have been showing steady signs of improvement again this year. It's rare to have a show that starts out fantastic, dips a little in quality mid-way through, and then actually begins getting strong again. Usually, once a show starts slumping it's all downhill from there. But not my Bones. No way. It's the show that ~takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'~. Add that to the fact that nearly each & every one of the characters is pretty much 100% awesome, Brennan herself is fucking irresistibly wonderful, and the Booth/Brennan relationship is like this crazy slow upward climb of ever-increasing UST & love & OMGJUSTMAKEOUTALREADYYOU'REKILLINGMEHERE moments, and it's like axljvosihoiahgieaghghj GODDAMMIT I LOVE THIS SHOW! Haha. But seriously, shit. There should just be a disclaimer before every episode, like "WARNING: MAY INDUCE CAPSLOCK AND FLAIL. WATCH ONLY AT YOUR OWN RISK."
#10) Behold, the show that has EATEN MY EFFING BRAIN & BITCHSLAPPED ME WITH ITS EPIC WIN. I swear, if it weren't for the X-Files, it would easily be wearing the #1 crown. As it is, it's like right at XF's heels, all "WATCH OUT BITCH, HERE I COME." And then X-Files is totally all, "GTFO WHORE, WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER 14 YEARS! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SAUNTER UP NOW & STEAL MY GIRL? OH HELL TO THE NAW, IT'S ABOUT TO BE ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!"
And for those just tuning in who haven't already realized this? I AM CRAZY. Haha. But for real, this show has like CONSUMED my ass over the last seven months or so. And while in all honesty X-Files is still secure in its #1 spot--like I said above, I don't know if anything will ever be able to remove it. It's just too close to my heart & was too good for too many years--I am serious that BSG is right behind it for me. Regardless of certain boring and/or WTF storylines that I could have done without (why, hello there, Demetrius arc! How are you today, Tigh & Six?), or the heavy-handed execution of certain things in the finale (*cough*timessquare*cough*), it was still just an absolute masterpiece in my opinion. The direction, the music, the writing, the acting, all of it, fucking A+++++. I could probably write an entire essay on all the reasons I love it without even getting into Adama & Roslin and their freaking ridiculously perfect selves (and you know how much I love them!). The social issues, the moral & philosophical questions, the angst (ohhh, the angst. IT BURNS), the random moments of comedy (remember that time Ellen pinched Lee's ass? Heeeeee), the suspense, the action, the drama, the way it manages to feel so authentic & relatable when it's a show about people fighting robots in space? Just, GAH. Amazing. And the fact that the Emmys didn't pay closer attention to that, aside from nominating it for writing & directing, and giving it a few measly wins for sound editing & special effects? Makes me want to cut a bitch. I mean, I know it got lots of other awards, but STILL. I DEMAND MARY MCDONNELL BE GIVEN THE EMMY SHE DESERVES. DON'T MAKE ME SIC ROSLIN & HER EYE-TEETH ON YOU.
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And there you have it folks! My top 10 shows of the last 10 years. Fun times all around, y/y? I have to admit though, it took me a good million years or so to decide whether to stick Veronica Mars in there or Arrested Development. It was like "hmm, extremely good 1st season & damn good show overall (V Mars)? Or chicken dances and the best continuity & attention to detail of any show in the history of ever (AD)?" Such are the decisions that are the bane of my existence, yo.
And then I was also like, "What about Weeds and Mary Louise Parker's hot, sexy ass? What about Freaks & Geeks & its My So-Called Life-level teenage fantasticness? What about my love/hate relationship with The L Word? Sure, it had its ridiculously stupid plot twists, and its final season was the most horrendous pile of shit in the world (don't even get me started on the finale), but the first season or two was actually pretty good and the 5th season was cracktastic fun. Plus it *was* historic, you have to admit. And most importantly, it DID give me a reason to watch all those snarky vlog recaps & reenactments on afterellen.com back when that site still kicked ass. It's got to get some credit for that, right?"
Which, speaking of, btw:
Hee. Sorry, but I couldn't resist posting that after mentioning those vlogs. "What am I gonna wear? WHAT AM I GONNA WEAR!!!" Hahahaha. Never gets old. God I miss that vlog.
Soooo, yeah. I am clearly the worst person in the world to create a top 10 list. Ha. It ends up being a Top 10 List of Extreme Wordyness
Now, as promised, who's ready for some shipperfied deliciousness? I hope you all are, because I hereby present my Top 3 Shipper Pairings of 2000-2009, complete with vidspamming:
#1) Mulder & Scully, y'all, the one & only. My original ship. . .my life-long love. . .the reason why I had a poster of Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny lying in bed half-naked on my wall at fifteen years old (Oh, '96 Rolling Stones cover!). While I wasn't exactly a fan of how their relationship was handled in the final two seasons, they are still the ship to which I compare all others. Hell, they're the reason we all throw words like "shipper" around in the first place (hells yeah I remember those days. What up, noromos! Guess who lost? Hee). And it doesn't matter how many years go by either, I can always pop in an episode like "Small Potatoes" or "Pusher" or "Redux II" and fall in love with them all over again. Eight years after the show ended, that's a hell of an impressive thing to be able to still say.
Now, for our M/S vid, I'm gonna let erockfurnia here take it away & remind us all why these two deserve to be on *everyone's* list for favorite pairings of the decade. Because, again, as I mentioned above? IF YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU BETTAH AX SOMEBODY. Heh.
#2) Booth & Brennan. As I said in my section for Bones above, these two drive me totally nuts with flail on like a regular basis. Especially this season and the last. What the 4th season lacked in consistency, it more than made up for in Pure OTP Goodness. I mean, COME ON: Booth & Brennan ice-skating? Going out for drinks together all the time like they're doing some kind of not-so-sneaky secret dating? Booth feeding Brennan ice cream at his apartment? Letting her "fix his back" instead of going to a medical doctor like a normal person so he can let her feel him up? Going undercover together as married circus performers, sharing a tiny trailer where YOU KNOW THEY SLEPT IN THE SAME BED? God, I could go on forever. And none of this is even touching on the stuff that's happened this season, or all the crazy eye-sexing & sweetness that went on in the first 3 seasons. Which, in case any of you have forgotten, let me jog your memory: kissing under mistletoe, sitting unnecessarily close to one another making super intense eye contact as they talk about everything from smurfs to sex at the diner, saving each other's lives, giving "guy hugs". . .fighting over whether Brennan gets to have a gun (okay, so that last part's not shippery at all, but I just love it, all right? Heh). It's just a wonderful ride, that's all I can say. And if you're not already on board? Time to buy yourself a ticket.
To help reinforce that statement, here's a vid by Ferryboat Productions which I know I've used as a Vid of the Day here before, but which I love too much not to use again now. Deal with it. Heh.
#3) Roslin & Adama. Oh man, where do I even start with these two? I can't even begin to cover how much I love them. Mulder & Scully may be my first & guaranteed life-long ship, but Roslin & Adama are my most complete and utterly satisfying ship. Period. Of course I'll always want more, and that's what fanfic is for, but at the end of that series? I still would not have gone back & changed even *one single thing* about how their relationship was handled. They are perfection, plain & simple. One of the "Top Pairings of 2009" lists I saw online recently (on Buddytv, I think) said something like they were "the most realistic portrayal of love to possibly ever grace the small or big screen." I couldn't agree more and I'm not even exaggerating. There are no gimmicks with them, no contrived plotlines working to either keep them apart or get them together. They are 100% honest feeling from start to finish. Full of tenderness, love, respect, trust, desire, imperfections & miscommunications, friendship, and unwavering loyalty & support (well, aside from that time he threw her in the brig. But it was just that once! Haha). I know I've said this here before, but there is just something so fucking beautiful about them, it makes my damn heart ache. They are so sweet & real, and everything they do in regards to one another is laced with the deep, abiding love that they share, which is allowed to grow unrestricted by the writers for four seasons. Something as small as Adama showing up to read his favorite book to Roslin in the sick bay is portrayed by the actors with such bittersweet gentleness & adoration that I almost can't even stand it. Like, I turn into some Victorian Maiden with a case of the vapors, seriously. And watching them finally express their feelings aloud to one another, and act on those feelings physically? Right as she's dying of cancer? And is all "I don't think I've ever felt truly at home until these last few months here with you"? IT'S JUST TOO MUCH. MY HEART, IT CAN'T TAKE IT.
So, yeah. I kinda love them. Kinda a lot. Heh. And to help introduce their epic fantabulousness to those of you who don't already watch the show (and to deliver a dose of Victorian-style Vapors to those of you who do), I offer up this vid by one of my favorite BSG vidders, sczep84. This video leads you through a preview of the Adama/Roslin relationship from beginning to end, with quotes, clips, the whole shibang. There are so many great A/R moments one could include in a vid such as this, so of course it can't cover all of them, but I think sczep still does a great job here paying tribute to the depth of their relationship and the journey they undertake.
Aaaaaand WE'RE DONE. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT, 2009. It's been real!
