The 2012 DVR Cleanup Project: Week 4

Good day people and I welcome you back to my near incoherent ramblings about the losing battle I am fighting with my DVR. Not sure if you missed me last week, but if you did all apologies. I was in the throes of finishing the designs for the UnderScoopFire t-shirts, so unfortunately this post took a one week back seat. Now that I’m almost fully mentally healed from that arduous task, I figured I’d give you some more thought nuggets about three shows that I watched on the ol DVR this week.

As I was watching these three shows a theme crept into my mind. Most of you may not know this about me, but I am what you would call a beer connoisseur. Do not get this confused with a beer SNOB, of which I am not. I enjoy a good PBR or a Budweiser more than I do some micro-brews (Coors Light is garbage though. Tastes like beer flavored water. And don’t say i drink it to get drunk, not for the taste, because it can’t even do that properly either). So as I was viewing these programs I wound up immediately comparing them to  three beers that I have poured down my gullet in the past 12 months. So, without further ado, this weeks shows:

First Round- Happy Endings (episode title “The Butterfly Effect Effect”). The beer that came to mind as I was watching Happy Endings this week was my now beloved Gennesee 12 Horse Ale. And I say NOW beloved, because the first time I tasted a 12 Horse, I hated it. It was bitter and left a weird aftertaste in my mouth. Which is exactly how I felt after watching the series premier of Happy Endings last year. But now everything has changed. I’ve pulled a complete 180 regarding both beer and show. The beer is a classic, and what I once thought was bitter with a weird aftertaste, I now realize is a subtle hoppiness with a great malty finish.

The show is now really good as well. Equal parts hilarious, absurd, and witty, Happy Endings has grown on me the way no other show has. The cast is great, especially Eliza Coupe (who I have loved ever since Scrubs), Zachary Knighton, and Casey Wilson (formerly of SNL). Oh and Elisha Cuthbert is still smokin hot (and surprisingly funny)….and Adam Pally and Damon Wayans Jr. are downright hysterical as well. Okay so I like the whole cast, sue me. This show has won me over big time. Give it chance some time, you shall not be displeased.

Second Round- The River (eps. Magus; Marbeley) Yawn. That is the best way I can think of to describe The River. Just like the beer it brought to mind, Otter Creek Summer Ale, it was dull, bland, and overall boring. Utterly forgettable. We had a season pass set for it and immediately deleted it, along with the rest of the unwatched episodes that had already aired. It just couldn’t hold my attention. Nothing grabbed me, not a character, a scene, a line, nothing. But just as I did with the beer, I finished the first one and made note to never order again. And to anyone who enjoys this show, I would like to know why. If there is something I’m missing, fill me in. It would be nice to have another pleasant surprise down the road like I did with Happy Endings.

Third Round- Awake (pilot) As I am writing this post, I am eagerly anticipating the recording of our Drunken Podcast this evening. When I watched Awake this afternoon it immediately brought to mind one of the beers I purchased for tonight, Three Heads Brewing “The Skunk” Black IPA. The Skunk is, unequivocally, my favorite beer. But that is not why it came to mind when I watched Awake. See, the first time I sipped The Skunk, I fell head over heels in love with it. It has a wonderfully earthy hop aroma with a little citrus and caramel malt to the background. The taste is hoppy but not overly so (my wife likes it and she HATES hoppy beers) and that lingers on the aftertaste as well as a mild raisiny flavor. Overall complicated, wildly enjoyable, and well brewed. As is Awake.

Unlike The River (and just like The Skunk) I was hooked from the very first second. I will not go into many details so as not to spoil the show, but the premise is fantastic. Family of three gets into car accident. Husband survives. Goes to sleep, wife is alive, son is dead. Goes to sleep again, son is alive, wife is dead. Complicated but oh so delicious. And the cast is top notch. Jason Isaacs looks and feels like DeNiro (the opposite of his most famous role, Lucious Malfoy in the Harry Potter films). He anchors the show with a powerful combination of confidence, heart, confusion, and pain that boldly illustrate his marvelous skills as a thespian. Steve Harris brings his usual brand of earnestness the he deployed so well for years on The Practice. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a cult fave of mine in B.D. Wong, playing the role of one of the shrinks that our leading man visits in one of his realities. Also, to my complete and utter surprise, Wilmer Valderrama does a very fine job playing serious with all of these heavy hitters. Kudos to you sir! I never knew you had it in ya.

I can not speak more highly of this show. The writing is great, the acting is great, the premise is great. Overall, it’s magnificent. Watch it and love it, because I, personally, am along for the whole ride.

So there is this weeks round-up. Hope you enjoyed as always, and as an aside, if you would like to learn more about my life as a beer connoisseur, let me know. Maybe another recurring post could be borne of it. God knows i drink enough of the stuff. But not too much. And I never drive afterwards. No problems here. But seriously, I LOVE beer. So let me know, and feel free to share some of your faves as well. Bye bye for now. Time for a beer. Or two. Or eight. Na Zdrowie!

Check out the entire epic DVR Cleanup Project starting here.

Christopher “Googs” Gadawski is a wise, handsome, worldly man. He is also a massive geek who devours anything Star Wars related. He loves beer, books and lots of television and can often be found wandering the streets preaching about the greatness of “Community” to all who will listen. He also loves his beautiful wife (just covering my bases here). Hi dear.