Sunday Night

Now that So You Think You Can Dance is over, there is only one night a week that I watch television. Sunday night. Why? True Blood, Mad Men, and Rubicon. Except, they're all kinda pissing me off. Is it me or...

• is True Blood especially bloody this season? I mean, wasn't the whole premise that the vampires now had the synthetic blood to drink and therefore it was safe for vampires and humans to mingle? I mean, sure, this whole season seems to be about the fact that vampires and humans are not really equal -- or even remotely alike -- but then again who the heck in Bon Temps is actually human? Seriously, people. I know I should accept a certain about of blood in a TV show about vampires, but this is a blood bath! (Or, as last night's episode showed, a blood shower...)



• is True Blood especially misogynistic this season? From Bill throwing a flaming torch at Lorena's head and setting her on fire to Bill twisting Lorena's head around while raping her as she declared her undying love for him; to Bill feeding off of Sookie until she's almost dead to her just forgiving him and jumping in the sack with him by the end of the next episode because she just loves him sooo much; to Tara's weirdly fun and sadistic relationship with Franklin, all the women on this show are suffering from Battered Woman Syndrome, and I'm finding it a little uncomfortable.



• is Mad Men especially depressing this season? Don Drapper as a divorced alcoholic = no fun at all. Even his womanizing is now creeping me out (Anna's niece? Ew).




• is Mad Men revealing a little too much in the damaged side of their characters? I'm looking for a little redemption here, people, and that New Year's Eve episode was almost my undoing. No, not Layne Price, Don! Betty is an unrelenting, miserable shrew. One felt bad for her when Don was cheating on her, but now that she's divorced her vendetta against the man is almost unpalatable and it makes Henry Francis less of a man in the process. Thank god for Peggy.



• is Mad Men gearing up for Stonewall? The riot happened in 1969, and it's only just 1965 in the show, but almost every episode this season there has been a gay vibe to it. From Lee Jr. forcing everyone to take a turn on Roger's lap to Don and Layne being identified as "queer" on New Year's Eve to Peggy's new lesbian friend, it definitely feels that way. Just bring Sal back already!



• is Rubicon going to say that 9/11 is a conspiracy? Right in the pilot, they let you know that Will's family perished at the top of the World Trade Center where he was supposed to meet them. Um, WHY were they at the top of the WTC on a Tuesday morning at 8:30AM? The restaurant didn't open until lunch. I'm completely ambivalent about Rubicon right now. I adore James Badge Dale. (He's my new fake husband.) But I cannot stand one of the executive producers of the show! (Side effect of working in Hollywood.) Plus shows like this never end up being as smart as they want you think they are. (See, Lost.) I'm watching for now, but there's already little tiny cracks in my interest. Fissures that might just break wide open and make me pissed off that I ever spent one minute of my life watching it. I'm just putting it out there....