What the Hell Happened this Year

The headline does not end in a question mark. That is intentional. I stole this list from a friend because I thought it had some fun 2012 recap questions. You can read her responses her and check out the rest of her blog while you're there. 

The Narrator of 2013 is dead. Long live 2013!

[Narrator's Note: Please keep in mind that all favorites, and what not, pertain to 2012, not of all time.]

Year: 2013

City I started it in: Milwaukee, Wis.

City I ended it in: Chicago, Ill.

Countries visited: America, where else could I possibly need to go?

States visited: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Colorado.

Milestone moments: Graduated college, moved out on my own, got a job I love, ran a mildly successful blog (not this one) and a few other things I'll keep to myself. 

Jobs: Co-editor-in-chief, writing intern, writing tutor, level maker, social media and PR account coordinator.

Religious affiliation: Catholic.

Births: Nope.

Deaths: Michael Clarke Duncan.

Best friends: Jason, Billy, Kimberly, Trini, Zack and Tommy. No wait...those are Power Rangers.

Relationships: Certainly had some.

Age: 23

How I spent my birthday: Making levels.

Biggest lesson learned: Maybe the first step to making the world a better place is to just try and not make other people's lives miserable.

Biggest accomplishment: Getting a job.

Biggest mistake: Hahaha, no thank you.

Favorite thing to cook: Frozen pasta dishes that come in a bag.

Favorite musical artist: Childish Gambino.

Favorite TV shows: Louie, Mad Men, Happy Endings, New Girl, Parks & Rec, Community, Ben & Kate, Doctor Who, Top Gear and so many others.

Favorite movies: Seven Psychopaths, Goon, Looper and Moonrise Kingdom.

Favorite books: Zeitoun, Storm of Swords, 11/23/63, David Copperfield and Purple Cow.

Favorite hangout spot: Lime Kiln Park.

Favorite change: Switched to two percent.

Significant news events: Again, no thank you.

Significant elections: The Walker recall and the presidential.

Coffee or tea: Still neither.

Morning or night: Morning.

Optimist or pessimist: In 2012 I had a lot of pessimism, but I'm turning things around in 2013.

Email or letter: Definitely more emails than I ever imagined I would ever write.

Call or text: Call, always call.

City or suburb: Born, raised and still living in the suburbs.

Best means of travel: Rail or hot air balloon (what is with these questions?).

New habits: Making sure my door is locked.

New tattoos: Nope.

New piercings: Nope.

New pets: Nope.

New technology: Samsung Galaxy SIII.

Songs that will remind me of the year: Gangnam Style (for better or worse), Die Young, Feel So Close, It's Time and Anna Sun.

New Year's Resolution: As always, write more.

Live large in 2013 friends, we weren't even supposed to make it past December of 2012.

Yuletide TV Day 25: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Series: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 

Episode: S1E15 "Deck the Halls"

Original airdate: December 10, 1990

Santa? Plastic Santa

Other holidays mentioned: None

Availability: Amazon Video

Unique Christmas Story:

In "Deck the Halls" Will Smith needs to deal with a family who is taking a dull approach to Christmas. The Banks family doesn't share the unbounding joy Will feels for the season. Even his cousin Ashley, the youngest of the Banks whom Will hopes will get excited for the season, has decided to use her winter break to learn vocabulary.

Will's aunt takes pity on him an sends him to pick up their Christmas decorations, instead of having them delivered and put up by a service. Will takes Ashley along with him and gets involved in one of the funniest and most depressing exchanges about the season with the store clerk. The store clerk is the epitome of 90's L.A. culture. He doesn't like anything mainstream and takes his holiday inspiration from Jamaica and its tropical climate.

But Will isn't going to settle for a straight-laced Christmas. He ditches the decorations and takes Ashley to buy their own. He covers the house in obnoxious lights, reindeer, candy canes and jolly men in red suits. However, he soon finds his efforts to spread some Christmas cheer have riled up the neighbors who view the display as too tacky for their upscale tastes.

It's a story with a happy ending, but one that also demonstrates the importance of letting loose during the Christmas. There are few opportunities throughout the year when it is socially acceptable to have unbridled enthusiasm about an event, and Will shows that Christmas is the perfect time to do so.

Unique Christmas Message:

If you got it, flaunt it.

That's it for Christmas folks, hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Keep checking back for more posts and some year end wrap ups next week.

Yuletide TV Day 24: Community

Series: Community

Episode: S1E12 "Comparative Religion"

Original airdate: December 10, 2009

Santa? Non-denominational Mr. Winter

Other holidays mentioned: Something called Merry Happy, Hanukkah

Availability: Hulu Plus and DVD

Unique Christmas Story:

Tis is probably not the episode that most people would pick when overing a Community Christmas, but let me make my argument as to why this is the best of the three Community Christmas episodes. I won't deny the sure brilliance of "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas," I love that episode. I also won't deny the sheer fun that oozes out of "Regional Holiday Music," but that episode doesn't have a whole lot going on beyond the musical numbers.

I like "Comparative Religion" for its un-elaborative-ness. I don't mean it's simplistic in the way Cheers, was, in fact there are some big issues being dealt with in this episode. It's a nice half-way point in the show's first season where the characters are still discovering things about each other, and in this case, that thing is each other's religious beliefs. But wrapped up in their religious dialogue is also a story that stays true to the show's college experience roots.

This episode really deals with bullies. There are two kinds of bullies in the world: aggressive and passive-aggressive. The aggressive bully in this episode picks on Abed, and Jeff, who is tries to calm the bully down gets roped into a fight with him on the school grounds. Shirley is the passive-aggressive bully. When everyone is discussing their holiday plans she finds out not everyone in the study-group is Christian. While she invites everyone to come to her holiday party to celebrate their traditions, she gives  the party an overwhelming Christian vibe, going so far as to shove Annie's menorah into the depths of a Christmas tree.

Jeff is roped into a conflict with both bullies. Shirley does not want anyone to be fighting around Christmas and bans Jeff from her party. This alienates the rest of the group who don't believe Shirley is acting very Christian by doing so.

The episode has a lot of great moments, including the one below where Jeff puts some of Troy's fight advice into practice:

Like most of the Christmas episodes this one has a happy ending, but also takes a closer look at how we respect other people's traditions during this season than any other episode I've covered. 

Watch the episode and hit the comments with your thoughts.

Unique Christmas Message:

Everyone's faith is weird. 

Tomorrow:

I spend Christmas with a kid born and raised in West Philadelphia.

Yuletide TV Day 23: Mad Men

Series: Mad Men

Episode: S4E2 "Christmas Comes but Once a Year"

Original airdate: August 1, 2010

Santa? Roger Sterling, arguably the best Santa

Other holidays mentioned: None, because it's the 60's

Availability: Netflix 

Unique Christmas Story:
As we get closer to Christmas, the pressures of the holidays begin to mount. Time runs short, demands are high and everyone is running around to make sure all of their plans come to fruition. Nothing can throw a wrench in those plans like an unwelcome guest.

In only the second episode of Mad Men's fourth season, Matthew Weiner breaks out a Christmas episode that deals with this very issue.

The new Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is a fledgling agency still trying to hold its ground. A large chunk of their business is made up by one client—Lucky Strike. Because of their tight budget, they make modest holiday plans; no big party, just modest gifts and bonuses for the employees. Unfortunately, those plans get thrown out the window when Lee Garner Jr. announces that he's going to be in town and is looking for some entertainment.

So Roger rounds up the troops to pull together a last minute party that won't disappoint, because they can't afford for Lee to be unhappy. The whole team goes to great lengths to meet his demands, no matter how degrading they may be. They know Lee owns them, and so does Lee. 

Every now and then Christmas brings about a particularly demanding guest. Whether its an older relative who is used to having everything their own way or a child who just wants to open presents, we put up with these people because it's Christmas.

Watch the episode and hit the comments with your thoughts.

Unique Christmas Message:
No message, just this beautiful musical montage:

Tomorrow:
Spoiler, it's a Community episode, but not the one you might think.

Yuletide TV Day 22: How I Met Your Mother

Series: How I Met Your Mother

Episode: S7E12 "Symphony of Illumination"

Original airdate: December 5, 2011

Santa? Nope

Other holidays mentioned: None

Availability: Netflix 

Unique Christmas Story:

HIMYM has a number of Christmas episodes to choose from, some much more in the spirit of the season than "Symphony of  Illumination," but I chose this episode because it is one of the best representations of what the show has become in its later seasons: a mediocre system that still manages to rock its loyal viewers with emotional episodes like this one.

"Symphony of Illumination" begins by pulling the rug out from under viewers. Instead of the normal Bob Saget overtones introducing the episode, we hear Robin Scherbatsky talking to her two kids. Wait? What? Robin has kids? Something that has never even been remotely foreshadowed before in the series? Bold move HIMYM.

Robin's narration calls into another interesting question about the series. For six seasons, every episode has been narrated by future Ted, but why not let someone else take the reigns for an episode? Scrubs did it all the time. Sure JD narrated most of the episodes inside his head, but every now and then he would pass it off and let someone else do the heavy lifting for an episode. But the fact that HIMYM never did it before makes it stick all the more.

The episode begins with Robin thinking she is pregnant, but things quickly turn when she discovers not only is she not pregnant, but she is unable to ever have kids. 

During soe Christmas or another I'm everyone has had the experience where they didn;t end up getting what they wanted, but "Symphony" turns that idea on its head. Robin has always said she has never anted kids, but not wanting to, and not being able to are two different things. Robin has always been established as a very independent character. she's strong willed and makes her own decisions, so if one day she decided she did want kids, it wouldn;t go against the grain of her character. However, while Robin has never been a control freak, having something like decision to have children be taken out of her control puts her off balance. 

She decides not to tell any of her friends because she knows they will overreact. HIMYM is famous for it's codewords, and Robin decides to substitute not being able to become a pole-vaulter for her inability to have a child. 

Despite ebing told she cannot have kids, Robin continues to talk to her future kids sitting on the couch listening to her story. She reveals Barney is their father, and all the while as a viewer you are left to think that this story will have a happy ending. If not being able to have a child has become a bit overused as a plot device, why not subvert that by reversing the decision?

But, alas, not all holiday stories have a happy ending, and even though Robin still has not shared her grief with her friends by the end of this episode, she knows they are there to support her no matter what.

Unique Christmas Message:

Our true friends are the ones that will set up holiday light display in our apartment set to ACDC.

Tomorrow: 
Christmas, Christmas, 60's, cigarettes...

Yuletide TV Day 21: Misfits

Series: Misfits

Episode: S2E7 "Christmas Special (Episode Seven)"

Original airdate: October 25, 2010

Santa? Nathan in a Santa suit

Other holidays mentioned: None

Availability: Hulu

Unique Christmas Story:

I'll start this with a warning. This Christmas story is not appropriate for all ages. Misfits is a foul-mouthed show, but I had forgotten just how bad this episode was until I rewatched it. I tend to remember something for how good of story it tells, not how many crude jokes it makes, so believe me when I say underneath the sex jokes and language, there is a pretty good Christmas story being told.

In my American Dad! post I talked about the episode and how it dealt with the second coming of Christ. "Christmas Special (Episode Seven)" deals with a similar idea, although this Christ is a false one.

This episode is unique because it uses Christmas to advance the plot of the show forward by leaps and bounds. Misfits changed radically after this episode and it is because it introduced a concept that allowed it to play with the dynamics of the show.

"Christmas Special" introduces a character named Seth. Seth is a dealer, in super powers. He can absorb someone's powers and imbue them with new ones, for the right price. 

A priest at the community center is frustrated by the lack of people showing up for his Christmas services, so he takes what little money he has to buy a power that allows him to walk on water. Pow! New Jesus! People start sowing up and opening their pocket books, and the more they give, the more powers he is able to buy.

Meanwhile, the Misfits also find out about Seth, and in a combination of greed and frustration they decide to sell their own powers for cash. The only on who hesitates is Simon, the one among hem who embraces the responsibility that comes with the power he has received. However, even he ends up selling his power after being manipulated by his girlfriend.

Due to an unfortunate series of events, the Misfits realize they have taken their powers for granted, and look to get them back, only to find they don't have enough cash. To add insult to injury, Seth has already sold off some of their powers.

Despite their lack of abilities, the gang decides to confront fake-Jesus and steal the cash he has collected from his followers.

They return to Seth with the stolen cash, pushing the reset button for future seasons.

This episode has everything you could want for Christmas: Jesus, super powers, manipulating loved ones and lessons in giving and receiving.

Watch the entire episode below, and hit the comments with your Christmas musings.

Unique Christmas Message:

You never know the true value of what you already have.

Later today:

Have yourself, an emotionally devastating Christmas.

Yuletide TV Day 20: Smallville

Series: Smallville

Episode: S5E9 "Lexmas"

Original airdate: December 8, 2005

Santa? Drunk Santa and Santa Clark

Other holidays mentioned: None

Availability: iTunes 

Unique Christmas Story:
"Lexmas" is, in a way, a rip-off of the Nicolas Cage movie "The Family Man," which in turn is a rip-off of "It's a Wonderful Life." In "The Family Man," instead of seeing what the world would be like if he had never been born, Nic Cage gets to see what his life would have been like if he stayed with the woman he loved. Manipulating this idea for their own designs, the people behind Smallville use "Lexmas" as a fork in the road for Lex Luthor.

Lex is shot on Christmas Eve while doing a shady deal to dig up dirt on Jonathan Kent. He goes into a coma and wakes up next to Lana Lang with their child jumping on their bed. This episode is well into the fifth season of Smallville, a show that started with Lex and Clark Kent as friends, but slowly evolved the relationship to the one fans are familiar with today. This episode is the point of no return for Lex. His dead mother informs him he is seeing what his life will be like if he gives up his quest for power. If he does not, he will succumb to it and turn into the villain viewers know he will become.

The episode's result is a foregone conclusion, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting to watch. Sure the plot device is a bit of a cheat, but it works well in both a Christmas context and for the plotting of the show.

Michael Rosenbaum plays Lex Luthor with depth. Lex Luthor is a complicated villain to begin with, but placing him in a context where he can see what it would be like to live a happy life puts a nice spin on an otherwise familiar tale.

Lex comes from a troubled background, so he gets to experience the happiness of having a family with Lana, a strong friendship with Clark and a proxy father in Jonathan Kent. This Lex is one who uses his intellect and cunning for good, and lives a richer life because of it.

As I said though, we all know how this ends. When something happens to Lana, Lex realizes that because he forfeited everything that comes with being a Luthor, he won't be able to save her.

So he chooses a different path, the one he is destined for, in the hopes that his power with be able to bring him everything he longs for anyway.

Unique Christmas Message:
Um...don't...be...Lex Luthor. That's the best I got.

Tomorrow:
My final trip across the pond will include an encounter with some super-powered delinquents.