In recognition of things missed

I am a big fan of many things, and without ordering the things that I am a big fan of, two of those things are lists and television. Accordingly I have been reading any number of 'Best of the Decade' TV lists from many sources. Just a small sampling are Alan Sepinwall, Daniel Fienberg, and the AV Club. If you noticed that all of these lists have the same number 1, well good for you and I agree with them more then others. Now I am going to recognize a show that no one has recognized.

Cartoon Networks Justice League (later retitled Justice League Unlimited) 2001-2006

First, I can give any number of reasons why this show has not been recognized. In fact I will. This was a show made with children in mind, and even children's programming at it's best does not get the recognition. In fact it was written to a young teenage audience, but the principal characters are superheroes. Superheroes might have been big box office this decade, but not until later in the decade and not as animated features. Also the fact that it was written for young teens placed it squarely outside of Cartoon Networks two defined sweet spots for original programing this decade. The first was young children with shows like Power Puff Girls, Johny Bravo, and Samuri Jack, early in the decade. The second was young adults with the advent of Adult Swim being built around Anime features and later Family Guy reruns spawned a bushel of college age humor that has almost defined the network. Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, Sea Lab, Space Ghost, and many others defined the tone of network. This show would premier on Saturday nights and then finding episodes later took quite a bit of effort. For these and many other reasons this show does not make lists by TV critics. Now, just the small list of Cartoon Network shows I just mentioned were all creative and wrote very well to their audiences, which just goes to show how rich this decade was in original television. So what did Justice League do to separate it from it's peers? Well in a completely biased tone, it just rocked.

Right away this show is something special, this is the only non comic to place the Big 3, Superman, Batman, and Wonderwoman right next to each other in the same universe. As an action show the animation was exciting and engrossing. As a kids show it was funny and self referential. The creators of the DC Animated Universe had already had great success with Batman: TAS, Superman, Batman Beyond, and Static Shock, but with this show they got to take that level of writing and unleash it on the entire DC Universe.

The first two seasons of this show, known simply as Justice League, followed the big seven of the DC Universe. Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman, Flash (wally west), Green Lantern (Jon Stuart version), Martian Man Hunter (referred to almost exclusively as J'onn J'onzz), and Hawkgirl. The first episodes brought our heroes together meeting J'onn to fight the white aliens that took over Mars and discovering a promising rookie hero from the Amazon named Diana. The first season took place in 2 or 3 episode installments that were sometimes clunky, sometimes action based, and sometimes very funny. A silver age homage called Legends was both fun and self referential. The first season might have been uneven, but it ended on a 3 part alternate history movie, called the Savage Time. Vandal Savage went back in time to usurp Hitler and take a more pragmatic approach to world domination guided with his access to future weapons technology. Our Heroes go back in time to set things straight and from this point on the series never backed away from a theme or event that might be considered to serious for a kid's show.

After the shaky first season, the show only got stronger, keeping the same format as the first, the second season ended with a betrayal by a lead character (Hawkgirl) that challenged the trust of the entire league and threatened all of Earth. This subversion led to the expansion of the Justice League into the third season revamped as Justice league Unlimited bringing in second tier DC heroes like Green Arrow, Supergirl, Hawk and Dove, and the Question. From this point forward the show became a series of self contained episodes that had some significant and impressive story arcs.

This show, like everything Bruce Timm has done with Andrea Romano, had fantastic voice acting, centered by Kevin Conroy as the Batman we have known for years, and added to by just about everyone who came into the series, with an extra nod to the perfectly solemn Carl Lumbly as J'onn J'onzz and the irreverant but still likeable Michael Rosenbaum as Flash. Inherantly the conflicts adn resolutions of a comic book are objectively silly, but every actor attached to the show treated it seriously and thoughtfully. There were no silly voices or winking sarcasm, these characters acted in a manner where the world was at stake and still enjoyed each other in the confines of battle and rest. The voice acting is certainly a reflection of writing that never directly catered to the youth that were most predisosed to watching this show.

The writers, after years of showing sophistication beyond the medium of simply a superhero in Batman:TAS, took a while to get used to serving 7 lead characters (and later many more) but once they did were able to explore many themes with the characters provided. In the 4th and 5th seasons the idea of power and trust of the powerful were explored to such depths a child watching the show might no longer trust Superman himself. The Heroes were placed directly against the interests of the U.S. Government in manner that put the trust and faith on both sides in question. The writers did not abdicate the Heroes of responsability, although they were more noble in accepting it, of the importance of challenging authority. The show very clearly took on the idea of tyranny and that it does not always come from craven despots but from well meaning altruists trying the serve the needs of everyone at the same time. It was not simply Lex Luther versus Superman, it was the ideas of Luther versus Superman, a possibly challenging idea for a young audience, but one that the writers did not back away from the percieved intelligence of their percieved audience.

As the lists above show, this decade has been a glut of fantastic television, and when you look at works like Deadwood, Sopranos, or The Wire, their ambition and audience had no limits, but when a show has limits, a younger audience, a childish premise, and years of history to respect, and still succeeds, it deserves special credit. Justice League had many masters to serve, comic book fans, children, animation fans, and the public at large. It managed to please and surpass the expectations of all of these fans, be it with fantastic fight scenes, references to the Jack Kirby history of the medium, a quick glance of Hal Jordan, or an intense allegory of the Patriot Act played out with superheroes, this show deserves great notice for this decade and preferably syndication of it's 91 episodes.

HIMYM 113: Drumroll, Please

Ted meets a mysterious woman at Claudia and Stuart's wedding. She and Ted have a pact to have the perfect evening without reality ever interfering with pesky things like a relationship or the inconveniences that come with one, but Ted, ever the romantic, decides to find his mysterious 'Buttercup'. Marshall falls in love with the cake at the wedding as he and Lilly spend the next morning listening to Ted's weak ass story of fake ridiculous romance. Robin finds her way to the reception only to realize that Ted has already moved on from them never being involved and she cries a little. All while Barney does the most noble thing a person can do, pretend to join the Peace Corps to have sex with brides maids.

Ted: This is the Ted people like most. The starry eyed romantic and not the kind of abrasive superior acting douche. I am indifferent to the differences, but both play to the reality of the show, and even when he is 'this guy' he is pretty blatantly chasing sex and he came up with 'Lando Calrisean' as a pseudonym.

Marshall: Marshall's love affair with the cake was being acted from minute one and he sold it all the way till the end. "Ted, you have to marry this girl" "Ted. How do I explain this to you? Last night I had the greatest cake of my life. Now do you think I'm going to let that cake out of my life? Hell no, I am going to find out what bakery made that cake and I am going to get me some more cake."

Lilly: Lilly listens to a story better then any ten friends I know. "I am going to take that flower grenade and throw it into the crowd and yell 'crawl for it bitches!' that's just what girls do."

Robin: Robin has been a bit of a mystery up to this moment. She is in the group because Ted fell in love with her at first sight. She seems to believe that there are no repercussions for being in such a tight nit group where those types of feelings are involved, but now between this and the Limo, it's clear she's around because if the first date had gone without an overreaching emotional statement, she would be very happy to be with Ted, and by extension this group.

Barney: This is an episode where you realize how much easier it is to be like Barney then to be Ted for a given night. I am as big a fan of Victoria as anybody, but Tania was very hot and he doesn't have to worry about any long term implications.

MVP: Marshall falling in love with the cake was as pure a love as I have seen on TV. Even when he goes to the bakery with Ted and offers an encouraging word, he still wants Ted to pick up a cupcake for him.

Season count:

Ted - 2
Marshall- 3
Ranjeet- 1
Barney - 4
Lilly - 2
Guest (Ellen the matchmaker) - 1

Continuity:

• So why did Lilly need to tell Robin the whole story to have Robin realize that she knew Victoria was the one who made the cake? Didn't she know from her crying jag that Ted was into the girl.
  

Suit Ups: 1 (7)
Wait for it: 0 (2)
Have you met....: 0 (8)
Barney: 'Ted Ted Ted the second hottest bridesmaid Ted, I got the second hottest bridesmaid, Ted, Ted, See ya Ted' . Confirmed; Tania (2nd hottest bridesmaid), Work's with Carlos girl, Natalia (NYE) (3), Possible; Suitcase thing worked (1)


Up next: Ted and Victoria take some time to consummate their relationship, while Barney and Robin sew seeds that just may blossom in 4 seasons.

HIMYM 112: The Wedding

Ted believes he has a '+1' for his friends' Stuart and Claudia's wedding and invites Robin. Turns out he did not and Ted has to negotiate with the groom and bride and save the wedding's very existence.

Ted: OK Josh Radnor is universally considered the weakest link in the ensemble, but he really is the lead of this show, and in this episode, as in many he is selfish to the point of unlikeable, and yet he still is likable and someone we are rooting for to get the mother of his children. "If Stuart can bag a 9, I should be able to get like... a 16" "What's a 16?" "Those two 8's over there" You see Ted's quote is in the middle and not funny, but it makes the whole thing funny overall, like the show. See what I did there... that's a simile.

Marshall: How do squirrels define and express their wedding vows. Marshall's earnestness is in great form about wedding etiquette and how couples should relate. "Why don't we just poke this bear, or feed this gremlin after midnight."

Lilly: Lilly is a bit of a pain when it comes to negotiating her future wedding, and also wishes she and Ted were Ninjas. I guess we all do.

Robin: Officially Cobie Smulders became smoking hot to me in this episode. So, way to go red dress. she certainly brought it.

Barney: "You don't bring a date to a wedding. That's like bringing a deer carcus on a hunting trip" That line is so good, my mom uses it when I get invited to weddings. And come on Ted, it's a simile.

Guests: Claudia kinda rocked by breaking down Ted's argument that he checked +1. His story was full of holes and she argued with her husband in fast forward.

MVP: It is between Claudia and Barney, but Barney got my mom to quote an amazingly misogynist line.. so really no contest. Barney

Season count:

Ted - 2
Marshall- 2
Ranjeet- 1
Barney - 4
Lilly - 2
Guest (Ellen the matchmaker) - 1

Continuity:

• "Claudia is crazy" "But to be fair she is also hot" Eventually we will get a hand drawn scale to decide what the tolerable relation is between the two traits.
• Claudia goes to the bar to deal with the temporary break up, Lilly needs to meet her downstairs to talk to her. Well the guys got to Stuarts apartment before Lilly got downstairs and let Barney hit on her for a very long time.
• Claudia and Stuart will show up a couple more times, Stuart goes to Marshall's bachelor party, and eventually develops a drinking problem requiring and intervention.
  

Suit Ups: 0 (6)
Wait for it: 0 (2)
Have you met....: 0 (8)
Barney: 'I have hooked up with my share of girls below my level of attractiveness.. but I was drunk' so no specific number hence we will stay at the current count. Confirmed; Work's with Carlos girl, Natalia (NYE) (2), Possible; Suitcase thing worked (1)


Up next: We get a real threat for the Mother title... except this is season 1 out of 5 so far, so no.

The Other Guy Looks at 103-111

Gonna respond bullet point style since there's a lot of ground to cover:

• "Sweet Taste of Liberty" -- Holy balls, that was only the third episode?! "WE ARE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSMEN" is a line I hope to use during an interrogation someday.
• "Return of the Shirt" -- Really the episode I can point to as a defense against the "Why don't you want to get married as much as that guy on 'How I Met Your Mother' does?"-style questioning as this is the one that proved Ted had a shopping list and not an interest in love. Ted's the guy who wants something but doesn't know how to get it and then if he does somehow get it realizes he never wanted it in the first place; Barney knows exactly what he wants and gets it (except, according to Hobbes' tally, sex); Ted & Lilly want nothing because they have each other. This episodes "I know, right? Right? RIGHT?" was particularly annoying. All that said, I liked it quite a bit and think more shows should do past relationship explorations. High Fidelity is one of my favorite films and uses that exploration for its setup.
• "Okay, Awesome" -- *Probably* my favorite episode of season one. I have never seen a show make fun of clubs and clubbing before. That seems very anti-establishment, as most young people who watch sitcoms are brainwashed to believe by default that they can have fun at "Da Club." But not me. I'm quite boring, you see. This was just a tight, well-constructed episode that also showed off what the flashback/narrative style can do in a hybrid sitcom like this. There's a part where Marshall's about to have a celebratory "I escaped from a boring-ass party and now I can have some fun" beer when Narrator Bob Saget suddenly remembers that Marshall had dental work done just prior to that evening. Jason Segel's immediate switch from joy to pain is *as* fun as his dancing. That whole bit worked about as well as anything else in this gem. BUT, there is a big minus here: Samm Levine guests as a nerd who can't get into the club but there is nothing memorable or important about the character. Wasting Samm Levine isn't just something that sounds like a Comedy Central movie, it's also an entertainment crime.
  
• "The Slutty Pumpkin" -- More concept mastery at work here. I really think the show earned the right to its formula: (Outlandishly titled concept/event) + (Robin asking Ted/Barney/Marshall/Lilly to define outlandishly titled concept/event) = Funny episode. We want to know what the slutty pumpkin is and we are perfectly willing to buy that Ted is this desperate, since he told a woman he loved her on their first date already.
  
• "Matchmaker" -- Hobbes said it best: Camryn Manheim FTW.
  
• "The Duel" -- Another classic first season episode. I really, really liked this one, all the stuff about Lilly's apartment and its sudden conversion to a Chinese restaurant, the bit involving Marshall's mix CD, etc. That all worked great. It also had one of the biggest SITCOM JOKES I can recall, when Marshall says to Ted: "Your British phone booth arrived." Marshall gives Ted a pointed look, the audience roars, and the TV Gods are appeased for another sweeps.
  
• "Belly Full of Turkey" -- Probably funny, but definitely one I can't recall.
• "The Pineapple Incident" -- Now, this episode demonstrated (to me, anyway) that maybe the writers are trying a bit too hard to make HIMYM a *classic* sitcom in the same strata as Seinfeld or Friends. There are too many little gimmicks at play, but it is all forgiven because Winnie Cooper is gorgeous, Drunk Ted needed to happen and I'm a sucker for a comic mystery.
• "The Limo" -- For reasons I can't recall, it was with this episode that my crush on Cobie Smulders began.

Overall, this is a strong, strong stretch of episodes, and did exactly what it needed to do to build an audience: be funny, clever and unique. Maybe this show doesn't smack of pure originality, but it puts enough spin on the tropes of yore to make it feel fresh, and the performances really do raise HIMYM a cut above the rest.