Girl Detective

Right up front, Tim Gunn publicly absolved Jeffrey of cheating, thereby balancing the public accusation from last episode, and not prolonging the somewhat artificial suspense. The group I watch with was split. Some of us thought he didn’t cheat and Laura was venting her jealousy. Others thought he had too much opportunity to cheat. I felt somewhere in the middle. Maybe he did cheat, maybe not, but Laura’s behavior could have been better. She was, though, gracious in the face of the announcement.

Uli’s support of Jeffrey raised her further in my esteem, and I was happy to see her collection do so well. Michael, who seemed such a cinch to win mid-season, didn’t learn anything from the last challenge. His collection was full of variations on his last, losing design. Hindsight makes me wonder if he shouldn’t have been eliminated. Laura’s collection was no surprise–perfectly tailored formal outfits in neutrals. She said the collection is about dressing well, but I think her disdain of casual wear isn’t the strength she believes it to be. Uli’s collection showed a much larger range than the patterned flowing dresses she favored so often during the season. She learned from the last challenge, and it showed in a variety of wearable, fashionable looks. Jeffrey, too, learned to pay attention to his strengths. Of the final four, he had the most daring looks, and it was because of this that the judges awarded him the win.

I know many viewers were disgusted with Jeffrey as a person, and therefore didn’t want him to win. I think it’s facile to believe we can like or not like the people on these shows based on a heavily edited version of reality. Personality aside, I think he did the most interesting designs over the course of the season, and his collection was a strong finish.

I’m not sure I have much to add beyond what Manolo the Shoe-Blogger has written about the first half of the season three finale. Laura seems to be stirring up trouble out of jealousy and a desire to win, Jeffrey is acting shifty, while Michael and Uli should be minding their own beeswax, not backing Laura up. Jeffrey and Laura’s stuff looks the best. Uli’s looks the same as it always has, barring her recent win. And Michael, who I was certain would win, seems to be buckling under the pressure. The previews made it look like Jeffrey was going to be eliminated because of Laura’s accusations of cheating. Therefore, I suspect it won’t happen. Generally, they merely hint at things that will happen. Strong telegraphing usually means a red herring or surprise reversal. It feels like a disappointing end to this third season.

The reunion show confirmed many things for me about this season of Project Runway. Robert was funny. Bradley was strange. Alison was kindly. Kayne was charming. Keith was a liar, whose claims were about as believable as his nose. Laura thinks dressing up is a virtue.

And Vincent lives in a separate reality from the rest of us.

Apologies for the inconsistent posting. I hope to have things back on track soonish.

Episode 11 of Project Runway was both a surprise, and a letdown. The judges did not eliminate a designer, so the four remaining–Michael, Laura, Jeffrey and Uli–would all prepare for fashion week. I had picked Uli to lose, since she kept doing the same loose, flowy patterned dress each week. Instead, the other three choked. Jeffrey went so overboard trying to prove he was romantic that he did something boring and demure. Laura did the exact same thing she always does. Michael didn’t recognize that sexy, sensual and sultry all mean largely the same thing, and his evening gown flopped. I found the judges comments on him odd, though, since they kept saying he was clearly a sportswear designer, when they’ve praised his gowns nearly every time. Uli pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. She was about to do another loose flow-y dress, but correctly realized it would look like a “kitchen dress.” Instead, she changed course for something short, fitted, and daring. I think the judges had probably planned to eliminate her, but when her dress was clearly superior to the others, they couldn’t do anything but award her the win, and let the others stay on the merits of their past work. All four prepared collections, and all four seem to be all over the place with their designs, so I don’t think the winner or losers are so obvious after this episode.

As always, I checked out Manolo the Shoe Blogger’s thoughts, and was amused and impressed.

Wow. That premiere was pretty good, wasn’t it?

A few thoughts. Amanda Peet, with wide eyes and a weird half smile, didn’t exhibit much range, though she did look good in a pretty, Marc Jacobs-y dress. If you took all the lines on Matthew Perry’s forehead, and all the lines on Bradley Whitford’s forehead, and compared them to the suspiciously smooth forehead of Steven Weber, what would you have? Matthew Perry did a great job of not ever acting like Chandler Bing. He did not, though, act as if he were hopped up on painkillers, or move as if he had recently had back surgery.

While I liked the premiere, I refuse to get excited about this show. I remember how much I liked the premiere of The West Wing, and how quickly it degenerated into mawkishness. Studio 60 reminded me pleasantly of Sports Night, Sorkin’s first television show, which was also about television.

In which Angela and Vincent are brought back from elimination to make everyone else more anxious. I thought the producers might do something like this, but I talked about it with the group I watch with, I didn’t write about it here. So you can mock me mercilessly and not believe, but I won’t pretend I came up with the idea myself–I loved and remembered it from when The Morning News did it during their Tournament of Books.

The results of PR3’s Zombie Round paralleled that of The Morning News: the former losers were still eliminated. I was surprised that Angela and Vincent didn’t try harder. Both their outfits were not near their best. It’s the people who listen to both Tim Gunn and the judges who do well. Tim told Michael his dress was see through, then Michael used his extra fabric to line the dress. Good listening, Michael! (Can you tell what stage of toddler development we’re in at our house?)

Laura spent the episode exhausted and in tears. She realized, and was worried by, her lack of a previous win. I know many viewers think she’s heartless, but I suspect, as with Jeffrey, that a lot of her surface brashness is just that: surface. Her comment from a few weeks ago, when she admitted she was pregnant again and said she’d just throw the kid on the pile, sounded more like an attempt to cover trepidation with humor than true indifference. Her comments to Angela belittling the win that enabled her to return were tough, but fair. Angela’s win was a team effort. Laura was part of that team, and the final outfit had more of Laura’s aesthetic than Angela’s, as did the Angela’s Audrey Hepburn dress the following week. Angela was at her best when she designed like Laura.

While I agree that Laura’s dress was the best of the bunch, I’m not sure I agreed with the judge’s comments that it was MUCH younger than what she normally did, or that it wasn’t designed for her. That dress, with its empire waist, would have made a stunning maternity dress if she’d put a little give in the belly. Michael’s was elegant and a departure from his usual hip-hop twist, but what was with his model? She looked ready to fall over. Jeffrey and Uli were chastised for doing their same things. And Kayne, poor Kayne, who tried to do something classier, listened to the good advice of Michael, but couldn’t get far enough away from his penchant for glitz and drama. He was a good sport, though, as he was during the recycling challenge. He knew he’d misstepped, and he admitted it. I admire that openness and honesty, even while I agree it was time for him to go. Kayne, goodbye and good luck.

There are four designers left, and I think it’s become a battle for who will be second to Michael. Last week, I felt certain that Laura would be the next eliminated after Kayne; now I think it could be Uli, or even Jeffrey. But I’m going to predict Uli. She is either not listening to the judges, or not able to deviate from her flowing patterned styles. Both Laura and Jeffrey seem more able to adapt to the judges’ advice to do something different.

Check out the kind folks at Blogging Project Runway, who have lots of fun things to read about the episode.

If you missed season one of Bones, don’t fret. Most of the stuff from the season two premiere about her family happened in the season one finale, which is recapped here.

Just to be clear. Bones is a good show. By that I mean that if I have to get up to go to the bathroom, I pause the Tivo. I am somewhat bummed if I miss an episode. But I get over it quickly. House, on the other hand, I like a lot. Hugh Laurie is just dandy as the cranky diagnostician. I know lots of people love Grey’s Anatomy, but I only have room in my life for one medical diagnostic show.

I did my annual haunting of Target and Barnes and Noble until the Entertainment Weekly Fall TV issue came out. I read it cover to cover in 24 hours, but am only planning on watching one new show, Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Nothing else stands out for me this season.

In our house, we’ll be setting our Tivo thusly for the major networks this fall: Monday, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip; Tuesday: Bones; Wednesday, House and Veronica Mars; Thursday, My Name is Earl and The Office.