I think anyone who has been reading this site for any decent length of time knows that I have no particular fondness for politics, and I especially tend to find conservative politicians rather loathsome and unbearable--though, to be fair, there are just as many Democrats I wouldn't mind seeing hunted for sport by a post-apocalyptic Ted Nugent. However, the one time I do tend to indulge in politics is in retrospect. I am fascinated to no end by the machinations that led to some of the more memorable political blow-ups in history, and few are more memorable than the McCain/Palin campaign of 2008.
By all accounts, HBO's Game Change is actually a very good movie, one that doesn't demonize any of the players involved so much as it tries to grasp what the hell went wrong with the whole endeavor. The general consensus is "lots," but more to the point, evidently both Julianne Moore and Ed Harris' performances are not the sort of soap-opera-ish over-the-top nonsense that these political biopics often tend to deal in. Supposedly, this movie is aimed to make you feel just the tiniest bit sorry for Sarah Palin--at least until you remember all that shit with her reality show.
Beyond Game Change, there are plenty of new TV episodes to suck up your time this weekend. Let's have us a look, shall we?
 | The Mentalist Friday at 9PM - CBS - Wait, is this a new thing? I don't remember The Mentalist being a Friday thing before. Did they move it here so all the old silverbacks who stay home on Friday night can enjoy it with greater leisure? I can only assume so. Anyway, this week The Mentalist mentalises something, or whatever. |
 | Grimm Friday at 9PM - NBC - Fire dancing in Portland. That's the theme of tonight's episode. Shockingly, this is not the plot description of a Portlandia episode. |
 | Portlandia Friday at 10PM - IFC - Season finale! This season's been a let-down, but with any luck, they'll close out strong with this episode, in which a local brunch spot becomes incredibly popular and Fred and Carrie get annoyed at the lengthy wait. Because it's happened to all of us before, right? It's just so true. |
 | Game Change Saturday at 9PM - HBO - I will watch this, mostly because I haven't watched a good HBO original movie in a while, and also because I never go out on Saturdays anymore because I'm old and decrepit. |
 | Harry's Law Sunday at 8PM - NBC - Oh! Hey! Harry's Law is back! I'm sure somebody, somewhere, is stoked about this. |
 | Bob's Burgers Sunday at 8:30PM - FOX - Season premiere! Seems like a small miracle that this got renewed at all, but I suppose it's not like FOX can be too terribly choosy these days. |
 | The Walking Dead Sunday at 9PM - AMC - The farm-dwellers sense a threat skulking around the perimeter of the property, and begin a night watch to ensure nothing crosses over. It's either zombies, a rival group, or a rival group getting chased by zombies. Betting on option three, personally. |
 | GCB Sunday at 10PM - ABC - Nope, didn't make it past the first episode. Did anyone else have greater success than I did? |
 | Eastbound & Down Sunday at 10PM - HBO - Kenny becomes convinced his son has been cursed and is to blame for a recent run of bad luck. Have I ever mentioned how much I love this show? Yes? Many times, in fact? Okay, good. Just checking. |
 | Life's Too Short Sunday at 10:30PM - HBO - Steve Carell makes a brief cameo via video chat, and Warwick gets divorced. Well this sounds like a rather dark episode. |
SPARTACUS!
I quake with anticipation of new episode.
The Walking Dead on Sunday of course.
Alex, you're right about Portlandia, it hasn't quite lived up to the first season. I watched 3 episodes in a row last week and it barely got an audible laugh out of me.
@nofx4208 said:
Good call, man, I'm looking forward to the Comedy Bang Bang preview tonight as well. Also, Jon Benjamin Has a Van REALLY needs to come back, but I haven't seen a ton of support for the show on places like Screened and the AV Club. Bummer.
Bob's Burgers is fucking amazing. Such a perfect blend of comedy talent and just a touch of heart melting moments. Really cool animation as well.
Also, I don't think you can't actually be old and decrepit yet if you are willing to joke about it.
Walking Dead, without a doubt.
I can mentalise things, CBS. Give me a show!
I've heard nothing but terrible things about the book that Game Change is based on so I'll give the movie adaptation a miss. Also, I really need to watch Portlandia.
EASTBOUND AND DOWN MUH FUCKAS
Is Luck on this weekend? I hope so! its absolutely the best thing on TV right now.