One New York Life

I’ve become somewhat enamored with BBC America. I hesitate to say that in crowds because I feel like it comes off snooty. “Why no, I don’t watch your pithy American television. I only watch the Beeb, mate.” I know that’s not what I’m saying but I’m pretty sure that’s how it sounds. Anyway, on weekend nights they have air actual BBC shows. I got caught up with Robin Hood a few months ago and, during a recent episode of Kitchen Nightmares, I saw ads Demons. The show’s about the descendant of Abraham Van Helsing. The show is built from the premise that Bram Stoker’s novel was non-fiction. The Van Helsings and Harkers were actual families, their descendants live in England, and Dr. Van Helsing was a demon hunter. Luke Abraham discovers he’s the last Van Helsing. His father was killed during a “business trip” and Luke lives a relatively normal life until his Godfather returns and reveals his legacy. Luke’s father wasn’t so much “accidentally killed on a business trip” as he was “murdered by demons.”

The Good

• Nothing is better than BBC shows (and, really, Premiership Games) for learning new expressions. Instead of “you’re crazy” I can now use “you’re takin’ a piss.” God bless British people.
• Much like in the Buffy universe, I was happy to see that demons in this world also all automatically know karate. I’m not sure whether or not all the allusions to Whedon’s universe are on purpose or not. The older gentleman who guides Luke’s training and teaches him stuff is named Rupert. Also, Mina Harker is a character on the show, who was bitten by Dracula in the novel. If we’re taking the show from the premise that Stoker’s book is non-fiction, then I’ll have to assume she is this world’s Angel/Angelus.
• I really do love the concept. Why not? It’s similar to how most of these show’s are set-up. All this stuff goes on around us all the time but we don’t see it because we don’t expect it. Or, as Rupert puts it “people say you’re never more than 20 feet from a rat. They outnumber humans 7 to 1. But how often do you see one?”

The Bad

• The show has the weirdest theme song ever. It opens with this heavy, British scene of a boarding school. A little demon breaks in to the school and murders a teacher, throwing her out the window in to the street. The tense moment then breaks in to this theme song. Which totally took me out of the moment and made me start laughing.
• Luke’s girlfriend Zoe (Holliday Grainger) runs right on the border of being really annoying. Her role is to put the group in danger by being relatively dumb. Like, getting handed a gun and being told to “shoot the demons” and then not being able to do so and getting attacked. I couldn’t figure out where she was from and then I realized she’s been in EVERY BBC show I’ve watched. She appeared in both Merlin and Robin Hood. Anyway, I do hope the character gets smarter as the series progresses. I understand she’s there to be the love interest/foil for Mina Harker but, at the point when one sees the love of their life being attacked by demons, it might be nice to snap out of the nonsense.
• The demon cannon fodder annoyed me for a good portion of the episode. They’re cat-faced monsters who wear dirty hoodies and sweatpants and are used by greater demons to create fight scenes and get killed. I couldn’t place why their movements annoyed me so much until it realized they moved and attacked exactly like Putties from the Power Rangers complete with the senseless jumping around and dragging their arms along the ground. There’s no way I’m going to find a clip on Youtube by searching for “Demons”, but you’ll have to take my word for it.

The Rest

I immensely enjoyed the first episode of this show. But, sadly, it’s the BBC. Their shows aren’t 22-episode seasons. Instead, most of their shows are 6-12 episode series. There is only one “series” of this show which means six episodes. By the time I get in to it, the show’s going to be over. I understand it’s the British format but jeez it sucks — especially when I find something I like.

The next show is called “Survivors.” From what I gather, it’s essentially the same setup as Stephen King’s The Stand. A group of people coming together after a superflu wipes out most of Europe.

Host: John Hamm (2). Jon Hamm’s John Ham — a roll of toilet paper that was also delicious ham — was my favorite part of his last hosting gig. This year’s monologue was about his previous acting gigs. It included the little known fact that a guest appearance on Def Comedy Jam got him Mad Men. Hamm is a really good host so far and I hope he joins the Baldwin Club of guys who come back often.

Musical Guest: Michael Buble (1). PLR’s been a fan for a while. I filed him under “Sinatra Rip-off” pretty early (since the first few songs I heard were, in fact, Sinatra covers). Recently his stuff has gotten more modern. I had a long discussion about him with someone last night and he made the point that it takes a certain type of guy to just go completely outside the box and get big band stuff over as pop music. By the end of the conversation, I totally agreed. I still have to be in the right mood to listen to him. First song was the type of stuff from him I like. The second was more throwbacky and I didn’t.

Best Skit: Hamm and Buble — A commercial for a fine new restaurant called Hamm and Buble (pronounced Bubbly) which specializes in delicious pork dishes and champagne. This is involuntary on Michael Buble’s part who’s pretty sure it’s a bad idea but is scared of Jon Hamm. I thought they might put Buble in a sketch since he has subbed for Regis on Regis and Kelly and it worked really well. I know this is a joke… but I’d go here. I might not order the champagne with floating pork, but, well, yes I would. I also loved the Barnes and Noble American Entrepreneurs skit, but it’s probably only funny if you live in a city.

Honorable Mention: New Senator — The Senate democratic leadership discusses their recent defeat in Massachusetts. Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi fantasize about him since he’s, you know, Senate Hot. And by “Senate Hot” I mean, you know, not over 85 years old. California, sending batsh*t crazy ladies to federal office and proving both the Senate’s and Electoral College’s respective cases since 1987.

Line of the Week: Barack Obama speaking on jobs in the State Of The Union open: “This week, I’m going to sign legislation ending the ban on gays in the military. This will create 30,000 new armed services jobs and two new series on Bravo.”

Character of the Week: Tarky Fenzington. In a rare callback for SNL, they showed a commercial early featuring the Closet Organizer (which seemed to be an excuse to dress Forte up in spandex and throw things at him. Later in the night, Jon Hamm was out at a bar and recognized Forte as the Closet Organizer Guy. Not sure if this is something they’re planning on doing going forward but it might be an interesting way to keep people tuned in after Update.

Worst Skit: Court Stenographer — Fred Armisen plays an old lady court stenographer who uses a typewriter. Brutal. This might have been filed under “Should Have Been Funnier” but it just got too bad at the end.

Should Have Been Funnier: State Of The Union (cold open) — I liked a lot of this. I loved the Coakley stuff and how they crushed her for running the worst campaign ever and not knowing who Curt Schilling was in New England. I liked poking fun at the constant standing ovations. I loved the inclusion of the Brenden Frazier Clap that got play on The Soup last week. I don’t know, it just hit a huge dead spot in the middle and didn’t pick up until the close when Armisen delivered: “also there’s health care reform. To be honest, at this point, I could either way on that. If you want it, pass it… whatever, I’ll sign it. It’s your call. I really don’t care anymore.”

Digital Short: Sergio — Samberg is a stockbroker who gets cursed for stepping on a sacred talisman. He receives the Sergio curse, which makes a ripped saxophonist (Hamm) ruin his life. Great short.

Weekend Update

• Sonia Sotomayor (Nasim Pedrad): Justice Sotomayor appears to talk about both the Court’s diversity and Justice Alito’s faux pas of shaking his head in response to Obama’s faux pas of calling out the Supreme Court in the State of the Union. “For a dork like Alito that’s about as 8-Mile as it gets. It’s not like the Bronx where I’m from. You criticize someone in the Bronx they don’t mouth ‘not true.’ They take a can of gasoline and a Jesus Candle and light your cousin on fire.” I don’t know if there’s a Bronx slang definition of Jesus Candle — I can’t find it on Urban Dictionary.
• Snooki 2 (Bobby Moynihan): This time even more orange and rocking a Bedazzled Solo Cup and more obnoxious following Seth’s (and my own) disbelief that the Jersey Shore cast will be getting paid $10k/episode for season two. “We’re crazy famous now. Like Buttafuoco famous.” I’m not sure if that’s funny outside the East Coast so I’ll go with: “We’re hotter than a dog’s balls right now.” I was discussing Jersey Shore with PLR last weekend (she watches, I really don’t) and wondered at what point the MTV production crew knew that had an absolute hit on their hands.
• Lots of great lines from Seth this week. My personal favorite (as usual) is Seth’s ability to be my anti-Apple mouthpiece on a national stage with “This week Apple released a thing that does stuff that it’s other stuff already does.” He had a great bit about Obama’s appearance at the GOP meeting and just making them look foolish (“It was like scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when the guy charged Indy with a sword and he just shot him”). Probably the best Weekend Update so far this season.

Final Thought: I thought this was one of the best episodes this season — at least right up there with Ryan Reynolds for top two. It’s also the second really strong appearance from Jon Hamm. Really there was only one clunker sketch (the stenographer) which, itself, even had moments. Great update, great sketches, great host, funny musical guest — just all around great stuff.