TV Drama Critique

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Homeland is a US drama which has proved extremely successful and I believe this has to do with a number of reasons. Firstly it covers a current issue – terrorism. Since 9/11 terrorism has been featured excessively in film and television dramas. Homeland approaches the subject in a unique fashion, with a US Marine (actor Damian Lewis), returning to the US a hero after being captured in Iraq for eight years. The series begins with the viewer constantly trying to decide if Brody has been turned into an Al-Qaeda terrorist whilst being a capture in Iraq. This brings intrigue instantly to the drama and with rouge CIA agent, Carrie Matthews (played by Clare Danes), trying desperately to prove his guilt under great adversity consistently adds to the tension.

Not only does Homeland sustain tension and drama very well, it also has extra character flaws which contribute extra depth to the program. Carrie, our lonely heroine digging for the truth, suffers from a distressing character disorder which threatens her credibility in proving Brody’s betrayal. She also initiates a sexual relationship with Brody adding a deeper angst for her character as she struggles with her feelings for him. Fellow CIA agent Saul Berenson has troubles at home and CIA boss David Estes is pulled in different directions by the Vice President – dangling a top job in front of him when it suits his needs. The Brody family adds a family dimension to the flawed Brody character. His doting wife was sleeping with his best friend before his arrival back in the US, and his daughter is a rebel who is closer than anyone else and seeing his true personality.

Dexter is a US drama which was once unique and gripping, but after multiple series it has exhausted all it’s character arcs and is now dragging out repetitive story lines. The only way Dexter can regain it’s integrity is to finally out main character Dexter Morgan as the vigil anti serial killer with twists and turns which would hopefully restore its original creativity and tension. Sometimes it is necessary for a drama to know when it is done. Too often producers drag them out as they are originally popular, but this can lead a series to lose it’s magic and lose viewers.

UK period dramas have had a revival recently with Downtown Abbey and Sherlock Holmes proving very popular with audiences. Period dramas have a tendency to do well and have longevity due to their association with historic events such as world wars and politics. The characters are able to grow and change due to their reactions to these story arcs which always gives the programs a fresh approach.

Dramas have to be fresh and thrilling from the conception but must know when their time is up or when a character is done. Everything has a shelf life and the secret to a successful drama is knowing when that is.

Naked Men and Giggling Brides

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There comes a time in your life when the weddings start rolling in thick and fast that you can’t remember a time when you didn’t have several every summer. As a wedding fan, I love canapés, champagne and cheesy music.

Part in part with weddings, are hen parties. Of course they can be very funny and enlightening, but organising hen parties can be very stressful. As a bridesmaid it is your duty to coordinate the most original, hilarious and outlandish party possible.

The making or breaking of the hen party is the ‘activity’ you choose. With most hen parties being organised in secret, it’s up to you as bridesmaids, to pick the activity. They can range from garter making to cliff diving.

A recent trendy activity is attending a life drawing class as a group. This was the activity at my eldest sister’s hen, and although I previously had reservations, I found it hilarious and very interesting. When the young model first dropped his robe and stood there naked it was initially weird and surreal.

Viewing any full frontal naked man up close with people, including your sisters, would be strange for any one, but after settling down it all became very civilised. A teacher was on hand for giving advice on drawing techniques and with our BYO wine and snacks it turned out to be a very enjoyable class. I highly recommend it as new kind of education!

Modesty Preserved!

Internet Dating Gone Mad

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Personally I have never tried Internet dating and now being in a relationship hope I will never have to. I would never be able to deal with the blind dates and the realisation of not being socially capable of meeting anyone the time honoured way – drunk, at a pub.

It was whilst reading a book the other day that I came across a couple of websites that brought to my attention how much ID has come along. The site www.veggieromance.com is for those singletons looking for like minded meat conscious partners. One member has written his favourite quote as ‘Vegan’s make better lovers’. I can’t see how – they can’t use whipped cream or use chocolate body paint in the bedroom.

Then there is www.petpeoplefishing.com which ‘help people who love animals find love’. Member’s profiles on here are often pictures of their pets rather than them. What has the world come to when you pick the dog first, then the partner? One of the questions asked of each applicant is ‘When you go out where do you leave your pet?’ What has having a pet and where you keep it got to do with your love life?? Whatever floats their boat, or maybe that should be Noah’s Ark.

So for those out there who had given up hope of finding a fruitarian dog lover then have no fear, as Internet dating for all is here.

 

 

Addicted to an App

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Words With Friends Free – The App that has any one who plays it completely addicted within one game. The App I am referring to is a game based on Scrabble, in which you play instantly over a wifi connection, and cannot live without. I am currently playing 9 or so games against my mum, sisters, brothers, boyfriend, friends, friends boyfriends.  Safe to say, I got them all hooked.
 
Game for geeks you say? Well you don’t have to be able to spell onomatopoeia to play this. You just have to be very clever about what you do with your words. For instance the triple word score is the holy grail of point scorers. Triple letter squares are also fab for boosting your points bank.
 
A popular word for when you have a ‘Q’ and no ‘U’, is ‘qi’. Placing your ‘Q’ (worth ten) on the triple letter score will pay dividends. No idea what ‘qi’ means and now I definitely sound like a loser. My boyfriend said so, but now he plays and will message me if I don’t take my turn in a few hours (through the game’s free instant messaging service) with ‘ahem, it’s your go!’  He’ll also start a new game the second one has finished! Who’s the geek now?
 
My mum messaged me saying ‘where are you’ the other day. This got me in a panic so quickly replied: ‘at work, why’. To which she said: ‘well you haven’t had your go for a while’. The addiction creeps in unknowingly….
 
The only worry is losing a good friend over something as simple and non threatening as an Iphone App. My close friend – username ‘Scrabslag’ – has lost a few matches to me and is not happy about this. I receive angry messages, leading me to feel bad about winning a game, wtf!
 
So be careful folks, play fake scrabble at your own risk – and play me!! Username: Rose_tinted. I look forward to it – I am officially a loser.

Don't ask me what 'Fava' means