Written by Rachel Decker

This week, I watched TNT's The Closer on Tuesday night instead of the usual Monday. (Since the advent of DVR, nobody watches their favorite TV shows when they're actually on, right?) This is a show I usually watch when it is broadcast on Monday night, despite the fact that I can't fast-forward through the commercials, because it gives me something to look forward to at the end of a long Monday. For whatever reason, that didn't happen this week, and I suppose given the change in routine I should have expected other changes—in my response to the show and the show itself—but I didn't. I was fundamentally unprepared. For what? I thought you’d never ask.

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Written by Rachel Decker

Since the series premiered in the summer of 2007, AMC’s Mad Men has become the powerhouse drama when it comes to award show season. Currently, Mad Men is the reigning winner of Primetime Emmys for “Outstanding Drama Series” and “Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series” two years running. Mad Men also holds honors for the past two consecutive years as the Golden Globes’ “Best Television Drama” and the Screen Actors Guild’s “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.” In light of all this attention, I thought maybe the season four premiere might be worth my attention, and with any luck, render a decent column.

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Written by Rachel Decker

In Philippians Paul says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” These seem to be among the hardest commands in Scripture to carry out. Partly, this is true because humans are selfish creatures, and partly it's true because over time the instructions within these verses have been misrepresented repeatedly until their meaning is twisted in our minds. Just as Jesus’ words in Matthew, "Blessed are the meek" have incorrectly become synonymous with lifetimes of doormat-hood in some circles, the idea of not only looking after our own interests but also looking after the interests of others has become the springboard for many misguided journeys in which people shortchange their contributions, dreams, passions and needs out of a belief that the Bible actually says everyone else's life is more important than our own.

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Written by Christy Gualtieri

Not too long ago, comedian Fred Armisen of SNL fame parodied the intense cable television reality show Intervention by staging a faux one for himself ... for watching too much Intervention. It was fun to watch (my favorite moment captured the height of his addiction and denial—“I watch only about one or two episodes a day,” said Fred, as the text “Fred watches up to 21 episodes of Intervention a day” appeared at the bottom of the screen), and it captured the deep interest that hooks so many viewers.

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Written by Rachel Decker

Have you ever noticed that some of the most obvious things become news stories? For example, a headline might read, "Sources say the family and friends of the accused plan to cooperate with investigators." What other choice do the family and friends have in this situation? In another example, a television news reporter may state, "Police have determined that speed was a factor when a small sedan careened off the road and into a tree." Really? Someone was driving too fast? No way! I do realize there are other possible outcomes and factors involved, but many times the progression of situations is obvious. That is kind of the case with this column. I don't really have to tell you change is inevitable, change brings out people's insecurities and everyone adapts to change differently. These realities are repeated, sometimes daily, in our experience.

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Written by Rachel Decker

USA Network's Royal Pains is not just another medical show. It's not about the medical procedures. It's not about the bureaucracy of the medical system. Instead, it takes us into a world most of us have never seen—a world where people are rich enough to have any medical procedure they need or want on their terms, at their houses, while completely skirting around paperwork and protocol. Described this way, Royal Pains certainly doesn't sound like a very likable show, but I like it anyway. I like it because it looks and feels like summer vacation. I like it because it is often funny. I like it because it gives me a whole hour to look at Mark Feuerstein. I realize that this last reason is probably laughable to many readers. In my mind, an hour of Mark Feuerstein in the midst of my week is absolutely no laughing matter ... but I digress.

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Written by Rachel Decker

It’s been a pretty big week on Fox between the season finale of Glee and the season premiere of Lie to Me. For all my fellow-“Gleeks” who are wondering what I thought of the finale: it was an absolutely satisfying way to complete the season one arc of the William McKinley High School glee club’s experience together. Above all, it was fun, and hey, Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) was nice … almost. As much as I think that fact demands to be appreciated, I can’t see myself coming up with an entire column devoted to it. And if I did, I can’t see too many of you being all that interested in reliving it. If I’m wrong, there’s always Hulu. 

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Written by Rachel Decker

Welcome to the interim. It's that time of year again when most of our favorite fall shows have ended and most of the summer's returning favorites and new offerings have yet to begin. I am left with anticipation—of anthropology Greendale Community College-style, of the day maybe 10 years from now or maybe next season when Ted will finally really tell his kids how he met their mother, of a world without Lost or 24, of finding out whether enough people (besides me) liked Parenthood that network executives will bring it back, of the inevitable crash-and-burn of American Idol minus Simon Cowell, and of what this summer’s television shows will offer as a distraction from the long wait for all of the above. Fortunately, summer TV offerings are coming soon. Most are probably cheesy, but there are always exceptions. And unless you have a lot more willpower than I have, you won't be able to stay away from the television for three weeks let alone three months. Assuming this is the case, here is a mini-preview of the television entertainment we can look forward to (or not) this summer. I hope you like cop shows and vampire dramas, or just drama, drama, drama.

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Written by Rachel Decker

A season finale is more than a conclusion. It is the culmination of an entire season of television—an opportunity to look back at how far a show and its characters have come. When I think of shows that have come a long way this season, NBC’s Community tops the list.  Why? I think the show speaks pretty cleverly for itself, but if you require additional evidence, I have that, too. First, it has brought Chevy Chase back to current pop culture from his self-imposed exile in the top 10 most formulaic cult comedies ever made. The fact that most of these movies are widely popular and purposely designed with a high slapstick quotient doesn’t necessarily make us like them more. (Don’t hate me. I never said I liked them less, either.) Second, Community has managed to make community college look like the cool choice. A whole generation of hard-core, Ivy League-bound academic overachievers watching Community is now disillusioned about the college search and experience. 

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Written by Rachel Decker

As graduation season approaches, ABC’s Cougar Town presented an episode this week appropriately titled “Letting You Go.” That’s what graduations are all about, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter if it’s a high school, college or grad school. Every ceremonial moment is meant to facilitate the process of looking back then moving forward—letting go. In many ways, these transitional chapters might be the most enjoyable of our lives apart from the messiness of letting go. There is almost nothing more exhilarating than having long-worked-for accomplishments honored and embracing a new challenge in your field and location of choice. But as someone who has graduated three times now, trust me when I tell you that every graduation, exhilarating though it may be, is accompanied by some new, often painful, level of letting go. It’s never about the obvious academic/professional crossroads. We expect that. And it doesn’t really matter if you’re headed for a job across town or a school across the country. The real process of letting go is personal and complex, involving your family, your friends and yourself.

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