orange is the new black

Season Wrap Up: OITNB Season Three

msemmyjones season wrap up , , ,

Okay, truth time. I’m still working out in my head exactly how I want thingsoitnb3 to go on my blog. How I want to categorize things, how I want things to look, etc. And this is one of them. These Season Wrap Ups, especially when it comes to shows like Orange is the New Black which airs an entire season all on the same day. And I’m a pretty excellent binge watcher when I want to be, so this latest season, for instance, was watched over a weekend. But it seems a little…I don’t know, rushed I guess, for me to post my season premier recap and season wrap up all on the same day. So I waited. I gave it about two months for the show to be available before I wrote up this Season Three wrap up. But I’m not sure if I like this either. Seeing as it’s been two months since I watched the season…

But let’s be real, you’re not here to listen to me think through the logistics of my blog. So let’s get started breaking down Season Three of Orange is the New Black. Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday: Emmy Noms

msemmyjones emmy awards, top ten tuesday , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

emmy-awards-imageOn Thursday, Emmy nominations come out. The Emmy’s are always a fun time for me; they’re a time to look back and think about what really worked on television the previous year, what made me laugh, what made me cry, what made me think and feel and rage. They’re a time for me to roll my eyes as that one show that I’ve never managed to get on board with gets nominated again. And they’re a time for me to scratch my head at some of the more questionable “comedy” entries.

I don’t think the Emmy Awards are necessarily the be all, end all of television accolades. For sure there’s a good amount of politics and campaigning and repeats. I, for one, have always felt that – since unlike any other award, shows and people are being nominated and awarded for the same project or character over and over again – there should b a gap year from winners. Like, if Modern Family wins one year, they should automatically be ineligible the next. Just to spread things around a bit. But I guess that would never happen.

Continue reading →

OITNB: One Step Up, Two Steps Back

msemmyjones character chat ,

oitnb piperI made myself wait a little over 24 hours before I allowed myself to start Season 3 of Orange is the New Black. I felt I needed to get myself prepared. Because when I did start watching, there was no stopping me. Yes, it took me a few sittings, seeing as I do in fact have a life outside of television and this blog (surprise, surprise!), but even then it only took me a day or two to have the whole season finished.

I write this blog not just because I want to put my own thoughts to paper, but because I like to engage with other people when it comes to television. I like seeing what other people think. Sometimes I find people who are just so incredibly smart with the subtleties they pick up on or the meta they want to discuss. I’ll read other reactions or analysis and it’s like a whole new world has been opened up in front of me when they point out something so excellent that I’ve missed. Other times, I find myself wading into an opinion on an episode or a character that is just so, so the opposite or anything I agree with that it just boggles my mind with its absolute wrongness! But either way, I appreciate people who make me think, whether it’s by opening up my mind to a new way of looking at something or by making me sort through my own feelings to better articulate why I disagree so heartily.

Continue reading →

OITNB: Mama Who Bore Me

msemmyjones episode reaction, season premiere , , , , , , , , , , ,

My first thought when I think about shows that predominantly oitnb-mothers-day-feature-still-27tell stories about women is that they generally fall pretty close together. They’re shows about friends living close together and experiencing the joys of life together. They’re mostly frothy and fun. Shows like Sex and the City, Girls, Gilmore Girls, The Golden Girls (a lot of titles with the world “girls” in them!). It’s not that they can’t showcase heartache and rage and fear, but there’s an element of privilege, of security to them.

Orange is the New Black, on the other hand, is different. It is still a show mostly about women, but it’s much deeper than just gal pals drinking wine together. The diverse array of women and stories that it’s telling – black women, white women, latina women, gay women, straight women, poor women, well educated women, young women, trans women, violent women, women who made mistakes, women who were careless, women who hurt others, women who hurt themselves, women with something to prove, women who don’t know who they are, women who fucked up, and women who never had a chance – are incredibly rich and real.

Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday: the Long Goodbye

msemmyjones top ten tuesday , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Well this is definitely the roughest going for any post I’ve written so far. Let me tell you, finding and watching all these clips? I’ve been weeping steadily since about the third one. You’re welcome.

I think I’m in the minority when it comes to tv characters dying. And by that I mean I’m not often all that outraged by it. There are certainly characters that I have and will mourn, but I’m not throwing in the towel if my favorite bites it. And I’m not one to find death a cop out for the writers – I’ll leave it to others to think up crazy ways to write off their favs. Death happens to every one of us. It’s how all our stories will end. And it almost never gives us a clean wrap-up.

So I get that people are up in arms right now about Derek Shepherd’s last episode. But I’m not one of them.

Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday: Ladies Night

msemmyjones top ten tuesday , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This past Sunday was International Women’s Day (and also, my birthday which is almost as important). So for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, we’re going to celebrate women. I realize that there’s absolutely no way to make a comprehensive list of awesome women and awesome female moments and relationships with just ten measly entries, so take this list as a jumping off point. This is a mere smattering of great characters and great shows, but it’s ten moments that have stuck with me: ten moments of women standing up for themselves, of women supporting other women, of women fighting for their families, and of women loving themselves. Enjoy the clips.

Continue reading →