Why are we so excited? - Warehouse 13 continues.

Another week, another Warehouse 13 episode. There were some glitches of course, but all in all it was a good one, again. So far, I’m really enjoying season 5.

The Warehouse seems to be out of danger (at least for now), so it’s back to business – tracking down artifacts. In the latest episode, the agents split – Pete and Myka travel to Washington DC to investigate a senator’s mysterious death, while Claudia sets out to find out what happened to her sister, with the help of Jinxy and Artie.

Let’s start with the first case: Pete and Myka are looking for an artifact which kills people, making it look like drowning. An interesting idea, although I cannot shake the feeling, that I’ve already seen it before (don’t ask me where, I have no idea). Now here’s my problem with the episode – they figure it out all on their own, and quickly too! I realize Artie was occupied, but they didn’t even ATTEMPT to call him! Did their Farnsworths malfunction or something? Also, when did Myka start carrying a real gun instead of a Tesla? During their investigation Pete and Myka reunite with their two former Secret Service colleagues, who after acting a little suspicious, turn out to be in a relationship. Is it just me, or are the writers trying to make the two Warehouse agents end up together in the final season? I’m not sure how I feel about this. While I’m no completely against Pete and Myka as a couple, it would be nice, just this once, if the guy and the girl who start off hating each other and grow to be good friends and partners over time, didn’t end up in a relationship. One can only hope.

The second storyline, was much better if you ask me. Artie takes Claudia on a trip into his memory using ,the Memory Walking Baby Shoes (best artifact name ever btw - Aga), so that she can see what happened to her sister, and her parents. It turns out Artie met his future protégé much earlier than we previously thought. When Claire, Claudia’s sister, was infected by Frances Farmer’s music box, Artie was the agent in charge of finding it. I must admit I didn’t foresee what was coming – Claire threw the artifact into a fire during a fit induced by it, and the music box could no longer be neutralized, making it impossible for her to be cured. The only thing the Warehouse agents could do, was put her in a coma. The episode ends with Claudia promising her sister, that she will find a way to help her, which means the storyline will continue. I really can’t wait! As an added bonus, we get to meet little Claudia Donovan, who already has amazing instincts, and impressive computer skills.

One more thing: I really love Mrs. Fredrick, but why the hell is she suddenly asking Myka about having children and “reevaluating her priorities”?! Come on! Just because she had cancer doesn’t mean she will suddenly decide to completely change her life, start having babies and leave the Warehouse…

Not perfect, so I’m giving the episode 4/5 stars – I have some beefs, but they are mostly details I can live with.

- Ziemia 

I definitely agree that this episode wasn’t even, but to be honest, I feel like Warehouse 13’s episodes rarely are. They usually have some amazingly mind-blowing moments right next to the weak ones. It’s the overall emotion I have after the final credits that determine what I feel about the episode, and this time I am pretty pleased with it. Let’s be honest though: it’s mostly because of Claudia’s plot which was really great. I loved seeing small Claudia, who was not only smart, but already had an intuition too! I can’t wait to see her become a Caretaker, because it’s obviously where the show is going (I just hope Mrs. Frederick is not going to repeat her fate from the end of 3rd season).

Like Ziemia said, Myka’s plot is getting weirder and weirder. There is just too many little details that seem out-of-character for her: carrying the gun, the whole “finding your new purpose in life" theme and the sudden Pete/Myka relationship promise, while the majority of fans have been rooting for H.G./Myka for some time now. All of it makes me wonder if they are not planning some evil plot twist for the end… that it won’t turn out that Myka didn’t make it out of the surgery and she’s in some kind of coma? That would explain why she’s slipping out of reality and starts to make less and less sense. I really hope that’s not what they are going to do to us, but I am going to watch her arcs and her relationships with other characters closely.

Also, Mrs Frederick giving a prep talk about having children was one of the creppiest things yet.

- Aga

Why are we so excited? - Orphan Black, season 2!

"Orphan Black". Probably the best thing that happened in 2013, a show that climbed my list of personal favourites with the speed of light, winning me over completely before I was able to mutter the words: "clone club". The first season was brilliant, and had everything a good show should have: almost unbearable tension, amazing characters, mind-blowing acting of Maslany (I swear, when I see Sarah and Allison next to each other, I almost always forget it's the same actress!), guns, secrets and clones. And naked butts of attractive people.

It's easy to see then why I was so excited to watch the first episode of the second series - "Nature Under Constraint and Vexed" (a.k.a. "The One in Which Sarah Goes Fully Badass"). Just like the new season of "Warehouse 13" about which I was writing a few days ago, it picks up where the last season left us, this time with Sarah discovering that her adorable daughter Kira has been kidnapped. In the period of a few minutes the series regains its full speed, honouring Hitchcock's motto about a good film starting with an earthquake, and being followed by rising tension. Though instead of an earthquake, we get two deaths and an intense chase.

The plot thickens, and the noose tightens around the girls' necks. Cosima is still sick, still with Delphine, still being offered the job by dr. Leekie. Sarah's still messed up and desperate about finding both Kira and Mrs. S. Allison on the other hand seems more normal, participates in rehearsals for a musical (not "Cats") and becomes a gun-supplier for the team. Felix is high and butt-naked. We see more of Rachel the Bitchy Clone too, and I swear there is more to her than it seems. Especially the scene of her confrontation with Sarah is marvelous, showing some emotions breaking through the emotionless mask.
The other big thread includes Art's and Sarah's growing relationship, and it seems Art has a chance to replace Paul as Sarah's ally this season (without the sex though, especially since we are supposed to meet Cal Morrison, Sarah's ex-lover. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where we are going to get our hetero-sex.). In the meantime Paul is still forced to be on the wrong side.
The very end of the show tells us two very important things: Helena's religious movement is back in town, with a new Big Bad Guy™ on the horizon. Speaking of Helena, guess who's not dead.

Yeeah. I have mixed feelings about that, as I was kinda happy about her death (don't get me wrong, the character was played brilliantly, but I just felt she was used to the fullest, and that her arc ended rightfully), but I am willing to give her a chance. I only hope we will get to see some new clones too.

One more thing: why haven't we seen Fee high before? That was the single best thing about the episode, and he got to be the first to show off a naked ass this season, which I am okay with.

I could end this thing by telling you how wonderful an actress Tatiana is, but I think everyone is aware of that already. But if you need any more convincing, watch the part in which  Sarah impersonates Cosima. In a way which makes it obvious to a viewer which girl it really is. If that's not a talent, I don't know what is.

 

- by Aga

Why aren't they together yet?

Beware: spoilers for Bones, Castle, Dark Angel (season 2), Friends, How I met your mother (the finale), Psych (season 5), Sex and the City.

[unless pointed otherwise the spoilers apply for the relationship of the main characters during the whole series]

Kate: "I am telling you. Something happened. Something changed. It's been weird between us lately."

Lanie: "Lately? Kate, it's been weird for four years"

(Castle 4 x 20)

It’s the oldest story in a book. You know it, and I know it. These two were meant for each other?. From the very first moment they laid eyes on each other their hearts started to beat faster, and they became obsessed with the other person. It’s the Holy Grail of the heterosexual script, the ultimate dream – to find the One True Love™ and Live Happily Ever After™. Let's not dwell too much on what I think about that and whether there really is something like a love from the first sight. For all intents and purposes, let’s pretend that we all believe in a fairy tale, just like the tv-series producers seem to. Because love, pretty much like sex, is the thing which drives humans, which means, taken more materialistically, that people are going to watch these series which have a touching love story and they are going to invest more into the characters who struggle to get their precious someone.

The longer the suspense and the more cruel the clifhangers, the more viewers and more money for the people responsible for the title. Sad? Maybe. But if it wasn’t exactly what we want, there wouldn’t be so many of those we-love-each-other-but-can’t-be-together-because-of-reasons couples! And while almost every title has some kind of love story, majority of these are One True Love type.

It all usually starts with the characters meeting in the first episode, which is followed by way too many seasons of them chasing each other. The poor bastards sometimes don't even realise they like each other until their cosy existence is threatened by some Big Event™ (like being threatened by death of the other one, new rival or some other generic Plot Twist™). They grow closer and fall apart and then again grow closer just to drive each other away, but no one fools the audience who quickly falls in love with them (even if sometimes the line between love and hate becomes too thin). They are our precious little babies, and we enjoy that vague chemistry they have going there, but on the other hand could they bang already, jeez, how hard that could be? Sometimes you just want to smack them in a head with something hard.

OK. So we got used to that situation, and we even can admit that we enjoy watching characters torturing each other. But we want them to end up together, right? That’s the whole point of waiting, after all. But here appears the biggest problem. The tensions, the struggles, the perfect mixture of “oohs”, “aahs”, “awws” and eye-rolling was the best fuel for the series, and once that is over, so is the show we loved. The on-screen chemistry totally changes, and the series does as well. After that we might not even recognise it a s series we loved to begin with.

Let’s take a closer look at The One True Couple syndrome and the types of shows that can be diagnosed with it.

First genre is of course that type of comedic series which focuses on romantic and sexual part of life, which usually includes a bunch of close friends who all hang together. I will write some other time about how similar these series really are, but what is important to us now is that there is always one character who can be labelled as “main” and who is cursed with the task of pursuing the perfect Woman/Man: Ross loves Rachel (“Friends”), J.D. loves Elliot (“Scrubs”), Carrie obsesses after Mr. Big (“Sex and the city”), Leonard crushes on Penny (“Big Bang Theory”), Ted dreams about Robin (“How I met your mother”). In the meantime their friends have their own emotional struggles which usually are much more interesting or at least more surprising (we knew all about Ross and Rachel, but Chandler and Monika, that one we didn’t see coming).

If we were judging how melodramatic our main couples can be, we could count the number of times they were involved. Then we would give the first place ex aequo to Ross and Rachel ("Friends") and Carrie and Mr. Big ("Sex and the City") with 5 hook-ups and 4 break-ups.

Because the latter had a long time of being friends with benefits rather than a couple, I decided to count how many times they’ve been involved rather than how many times they had sex. Both winners end up together at the very end of the show, though Ross and Rachel cheated with the classical order: got married first, then divorced, then had a kid together and finally hooked up in the last episode. I guess that shows how desperate they are about each other and how horrible at relationships, at the same time.

While writing the first draft of this article, I pointed out that “How I met your mother” was an interesting exception from the rule, because while Ted and Robin meet all the criteria of being a proper True Couple, we all knew Ted was going to end up with someone else. But that was before the finale in which the lovely Mother gets killed off and Ted ends up wit his dream girl, just like “it should be”… I guess. One of the very few positive voices about this ending is that “we would all be disappointed if they didn’t end together” and maybe though the disappointing for many ending just shows how strong is the need to have this one True Love Pairing.

The second genre which loves to deny it's characters the emotional satisfaction are crime/detective/police/FBI series. In this case the series concentrates on the more morbid part of life, and it tries to avoid the topic of love so they don’t have anything in common with a mushy chick-flicks. The women working with the polices, secret services etc. usually have more guts than an average man, so they can’t play the stereotypical role of a emotion-driven soft female. And when both sides are “manly”, then there is no one left to pursue the love. So it just lies somewhere in the corner, waiting for a miracle.

Don't get me wrong, I love detective series a lot, but the main love affair tends to be so horrible and so unnaturally prolonged that after some time I can't stand it, rolling my eyes every couple of seconds. I am exaggerating maybe a little, but let’s look at few of the main couples and how obvious they are.

Sociopathic Bones IS going to end up with Booth ("Bones") even if the show doesn't throw it on us with such an intensity as the romance series,

                             

while Castle and Beckett ("Castle") themselves know that they love each other but just can't start dating for some reason.

Interestingly enough there are slightly different rules for the Main Couple in crime series than they were in the romantic ones. In the latter the characters were getting together and splitting up, but their final hook up was happening around the very end of the series, providing a happy ending. Here there is one major hook-up, which changes everything. Therefore we have to deal with the effect I mentioned earlier, which causes the series to loose it's rhythm and character - it is especially visible with Bones, because the creators of the show worked very hard to show her as a sociopath who doesn’t really get emotions. So when suddenly the need for love kicks in, it’s impossible to keep both her sides balanced and when she becomes a different person, she changes the series as well.

Love didn’t work on the advantage on the series in “Psych” too. I’ve never been a fan of Juliet, so I wouldn’t care about Shawn finally winning her over, but when he did, he deprived the show from one of it’s most important gags. I miss the awkward and absurdly funny ways in which Shawn was trying to flirt with her.

At the end I need to mention one more genre, in which the love affairs usually go more smoothly and the separate rules of the dating are not shown as explicitly, but when it comes to creating obstacles for the couple, there is nothing worse. I am talking about s-f, which unfortunately gives the authors the very powerful weapon of “do what the fuck you want, it’s all made up after all”. Now they can keep the love-birds apart for really absurd reasons. So you are not only rolling your eyes, you are screaming at the computer. Yes, I am thinking about you, “Dark Angel”. SERIOUSLY though, a virus that attacks ONLY Logan and is transmitted ONLY when he touches Max? I am not going to calm down about that, because that was some serious line crossing and for me it really ruined the otherwise enjoyable series: in the second season the couple’s problems became unbearable to watch.

One True Pairing is just one of many, many relationships we see in tv-series, but it’s probably the most annoying one. In the same time, just because of the intensity of emotions it brings, it’s the one type that always has the most followers, and the biggest number of fans. Let’s face it though: we are hardly watching their struggles to learn how it’s gonna end, we just like to watch them torture themselves to prove to ourselves that it’s not only us who is not able to handle that thing called “relationships”. 

 by Aga

Why are we so excited? – Warehouse 13 is back!

On April 14^th finally, the fans got what they were waiting for: the first episode of 5^th (and final!) season of Warehouse 13 aired. It was action packed, but goofy at times (this time, surprisingly, mostly because of Jinxy not Pete), and, what I probably loved most about it, filled with references and, sometimes unexpected, comebacks.

This show loves cliffhangers so it wasn’t surprising that season 4 left us with another one – this time it wasn’t the world, but the Warehouse itself that was endangered. Apparently it wasn’t enough, because Myka got cancer too. The new episode, “Endless Terror”, threw us in the middle of things, literally where the last season left off. I thought it was too quick, and too abrupt, and for a bit of time I was worried. But then Jinxy crashed the car and got electrocuted in the period of a few minutes, both things unnecessarily, and I knew the new season was going to be just like the previous ones (only shorter). 

The plot of the episode may seem simple: after Claudia failed to defeat Paraselsus (showing more guts and giving more awesome one-liners than we’ve seen for a couple past episodes!), the team follows him through time and parallel universes to stop his plan to change the Warehouse into an anti-utopian, futuristic center devoted to human experiments. But the episode was filled with emotions, action and references to previous seasons (is it something that’s going to continue as a last season’s tribute to the whole show  I very much hope so!). There were some of the old and well-known artifacts shown again, including the Spine of Saracen, H.G. Wells’ Time Machine and Alice’s Mirror which seems to be a favorite among the props. It wasn’t only artifacts which seemed familiar! Both doctor Vanessa and Hugo dropped by, but probably the most important was the appearance of Mark Sheppard as Benedict Valda. Especially that it seems he’s going to stay, which I am very okay with.

To sum up: I am happy with how the new season started. It had a solid story (and I am a sucker for parallel universes/time travel arcs!) and believable emotions and motivations; especially Claudia’s character development seems very promising and exciting, and I look forward seeing how her story will develop. The only thing I really can’t forgive is how they handled Myka. The ending of the previous season dropped an emotional bomb on us, and after how devastating her illness was to Pete, I expected that season 5 would take some time to deal with that topic. But nope, apparently surgery is all it takes to be able TO RUN AND FIGHT LIKE NOTHING HAS EVER HAPPENED. No, I am sorry, but in the series like that there surely has been some other – reasonable - way they could’ve put her back on her feet in such a short notice. I dunno, an artifact maybe?

 I really do hope that they would address this issue in the following episodes, because otherwise I will be really disappointed.

All in all, I give it 4/5 stars.

                                                                                                                                                     by Aga

Let me start by saying it again: MARK SHEPPARD IS BACK. I don’t know what it is about this guy, but whenever he appears on a show, it gets soooooooooo much better. I’m always excited to see him on screen. 

Now, back to discussing the episode. I mostly agree with Aga with the one exception: yes, the Myka-has-cancer  plot resolution was rather anti-climatic, but in the writers’ defense – this happens sometimes! Sometimes it turns out to just be a binine cyst. I’m not saying they handled it perfectly, but I must admit I kinda like their mischievousness. They laid the ground for potential drama, had fans worrying for almost a year and it all turned out to be just fine. That’s not what you were supposed to be worrying about! Besides, if Myka was lying in a hospital somewhere, who would save everyone’s ass? It’s not like anyone else reads the manual.

Claudia was great as usual, and although I miss her colorful hair, it’s nice to see she is still a total badass with a witty response to just about anything. I wish there was more interaction between her and Jinxy in the episode, because I really love their dynamic, but I’m hoping for more of their goofiness in future episodes.  Speaking of Jinxy, I wonder if he is going to be the one getting into trouble from now on, or did Pete just get one episode off?

All things considered, a really good episode, and hopefully a herald of a great season.

by Ziemia

 

Best Lesbian Couples* on TV

by Ziemia

I am always on the lookout for interesting portrayals of LGBTQ characters in tv shows, and even though most mainstream shows seem to have a token gay person these days, they are usually secondary characters.  When choosing couples I focused not just on their likeability, but also on the way they were portrayed.

Behold, my very subjective list of the best lesbian couples on tv, which frankly was more difficult to compile than I initially thought. Turns out my favorite characters are either single or dating girls I do not approve of. I wonder what that says about me? J

Beware: spoilers for Defiance, Sugar Rush, Skins,  The L Word, Lip Service, Orange Is The New Black, Orphan Black, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

8. Kenya & Stahma Defiance

While technically not a couple (Kenya is a prostitute and Stahma is her client) it is easy to forget about this tiny detail sometimes. Their affection often seems genuine.  Until the very moment she killed her lover, I kept wondering whether Stahma had some actual feelings for Kenya, or was their affair just a part of her elaborate plan to help her husband become mayor of Defiance. This pairing raises not only the issue of interracial relationships (one of the women is human and the other Castithan – an alien) but more significantly, the issue of women paying for sex (with another woman!) which is still a rather big taboo.  

7. Kim & Saint Sugar Rush

Kim is a closeted teenage lesbian with a massive crush on her straight best friend, Sugar. That is, until she meets Saint – the owner of a sex shop for women called The Munch Box by day and a DJ at a lesbian club called The CC by night. Although their relationship isn’t without problems (often caused by the age difference), it progresses rather quickly, and by the end of the 2^nd (and last) season, the girls decide to move in together. Bonus points for not avoiding sex scenes, even though Kim is a teenager, and it may seem controversial.

6. Naomi & Emily Skins

Again, teenage lesbians. You know the drill: coming to terms with your sexuality, coming out to friends and family, dealing with homophobia etc. Sounds like a lot of storylines for LGBTQ characters. And yet I didn’t put this couple here just because they are likeable (which they are).  Naomi and Emily are a good example of how challenging a relationship can be when two people are at different stages of coming out (it takes Naomi more time to admit she’s attracted to a girl). However, what I like most about this couple, is how they handled infidelity. When Emily found out her girlfriend cheated on her,  her reaction wasn’t to immediately leave (which doesn’t mean she forgave Naomi on the spot). Their relationship was pretty strained for a long time, but in the end they prevailed.

5. Shane & Carmen The L Word

I’m not a big fan of The L Word and I haven’t even seen the entire show, but Shane is one of my favorite characters on tv. First of all, she is very androgynous in a show dominated by lipstick lesbians. She is also promiscuous, which is rare for a female character. Since her sleeping around is one of the thing I liked most about Shane, you’d think I wouldn’t like her to be in a relationship. And yet, I loved her with Carmen. They always seemed to have fun together. I do not have a better reason for putting them here. Also, another couple whose relationship wasn’t destroyed by infidelity (at least, not directly).

4. Alex & Piper Orange Is The New Black

Even though I’d much rather see Alex with Nicky (they have so much fun together!), they aren’t a couple just yet, so for the time being, I’ve settled for Piper . I really don’t like her, unless, she is with Alex. Somehow, when they are together, Piper stops being so irritating and pretentious, and transforms into an adventurous woman, who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to have fun. Alex, on the other hand, I like quite a lot, so it drives me crazy when I  see her miserable because of her ex (not that she is a saint).

3. Cosima & Delphine Orphan Black

Unlike most relationships on this list, this is not a case of “girl meets girl” (although it may seem that way at first) but rather “clone girl meets  girl, who turns out to be her monitor and is just gathering data”.  When Cosima falls for the nice French exchange student you just know it’s too good to be true. And wouldn’t you know, Delphine turns out to be working for the Neolutionists. Despite that, the girls have such chemistry, that seeing them together you can actually believe it’s all real. And since Delphine seems to have come to her senses and switched sides, Cosima might get a happy ending after all.

2. Frankie & Sadie Lip Service

Not one, but two promiscuous lesbians!  I think Frankie and Sadie were perfect for each other, even though they dated briefly and Frankie was in love with Cat at the time.  They were both spontaneous, ready to break the rules, and didn’t give a fuck what people thought of them. Like Frankie, Sadie knew what she wanted, and when she wanted something (or someone) she did everything to get it. Compared to her, Cat was really proper and boring.  Why Frankie preferred her, eludes me.  

1. Willow & Tara Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Willow and Tara were one of the first lesbian couples on TV (Carol and Susan from Friends were a bit earlier, but they only occasionally appeared on screen) and they are still my favorite. In the early 2000s, their relationship was still pretty controversial, so there was little physical contact between the two (it took over a year for the girls to kiss on screen!), and for a long time sex was only implied (for example: Willow reaching an orgasmic state while casting a spell with Tara).  However, what I really like about the way they were portrayed, is that issues like coming out, homophobia etc (often main storylines for LGBTQ characters ) were raised, but not focused upon. Willow and Tara were shown as a couple, not a “gay couple”.

I was also thinking about putting Jenny and Vestra form Doctor Who on the list (they are a great couple), put I decided to focus on women who are main characters in their shows. I hope you like it, and will come back for more!

Now remember, you don't need sleep, that's what caffeine is for, so go on and watch something!

*by lesbian couples I mean women in relationships with other women, not all characters on the list are gay

TOP 10 OPENINGS

By Aga

I started my adventure with tv series by being obsessed with anime, and openings were always my favourite part of the episode. Ok, it may be an exaggeration, but in anime openings play quite a different role from the one they have in western tv-series. In japanese animation they are longer, more carefully planned, so they can serve as a real business card of the show. In American and British tv-series the opening sequences get shorter and shorter up to the point where they become just a few-second flash of the title. "Supernatural" is probably the only one who pulled it off, with the title card changing from season to season (with few special episodes having their own design), but always maintaining the spirit of the series.

OK. So what makes a good opening for me? First of all, it has to share the atmosphere of the series. If the whole season is cute, let's make it cute, if it's funny, I want to crack a smile, and if it's is creepy, I want to feel shivers down my spine during these few seconds or a minute. Secondly, as an aesthete, I want something pretty, with the visuals that match the catchy or captivating song. Last but not least, it can't be something you get sick of after three or four times.
Remember though, it's a very personal list, which gives you a full right to both agree and disagree. You are welcome to share your opinion whichever it may be. If you have another candidates, leave a comment too! :)

10. Sex and the city

song : "Sex and the city theme song" by Douglas J. Cuomo

One more thing: I prefer when used part of the song includes lyrics, because it usually makes the whole clip more dynamic and interesting. That's why the opening for "Sex and the city" took it sweet time to grow on me, but when I did, I started to adore it. It's short, it's dynamic, and without words it lets us know everything we need to know about the main character - she's famous, but clumsy when it comes to handling her own life. Plus it indicates the show's gonna be pink, fluffy and funny at times. All of these things prove to be true, so congrats.

09. True Blood

song: "Bad Things" by Jace Everett

Okay. I may not be the fan of the series, but this opening is something beautiful. Mostly because of the soft, sweet voice of Jace Everett, which contrasts with the creepy images in such a delicious, twisted way. The video part is strange, but I love how it shows both the brutal/morbid and the overly sexual side of the show in a very tasteful way.
My main reproach is that the opening suggests something deeper, more exciting and, above all, more elegant than the show delivers.

08. Veronica Mars

song: "We Used to Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols 

The deep, sexy vocal captures the attention at the very first seconds of the song, but it's not even my favourite part - it's the lyrics, which match the plot of the first season so unbelievably accurately. It sums up the relationship between Veronica Mars and rest of the world in just three lines. Additionally, the visuals are great too - both sweet, with the spirit of the teen show, but with the hint of something darker (the doodles on the pages), which is exactly what that show was.

07. New Girl

song: "Hey Girl" by Zooey Deschanel

I know, I know. It's not something that you can usually see on this kinds of lists, but you know what? I don't care. This intro actually meets all my criteria: it's sweet and funny just like the show, makes you expect something slightly weird, but light-hearted, while the song is catchy and thanks to the sudden ending, it makes you wanna listen to it over and over again.
(Also Zooey Deschanel is cute.)
(Shutup.)

06. Friends

song: "I'll be there for you" by The Rembrants

Probably the most famous opening on my list. The lyrics capture what we loved in the show: the life sucks, but the friends are there for you. Simple enough, but combined with a catching tune and quite a lovely and charming choreography performed by the cast it's really something you don't want to rewind, no matter if it's the first or tenth season.

05. Orange is the new black

song: "You've got time" by Regina Spektor

"Orange is the new black" is one of a kind for so many reasons, opening being just one of them. It's main idea is to show collage of faces of female inmates who are the characters of the show, concentrating on how different they are, while revealing their similarities which go deeper than appearances - it's the similiarity of the situation, and of the emotions they might feel. After all, they are all just women, just people, trapped in the prison for their mistakes. I think it is a nice summary of what the show is.
(The deep, sexy vocals are not a drawback either!)

04. Firefly

http://www.downvids.net/firefly-opening-credits-355636.html
(sorry for the outside link, but youtube provides only the song :c )

song: "the ballad of Serenity" by Sonny Rhodes

Probably my favourite song on the list, one I listened to many, many times and still love it as much as the first time when I've heard it. The brown and yellow colour scheme fits with the western-ish style of the whole series and even though the opening introduces the characters in the least unique way possible (and one that Whedon clearly likes), it actually doesn't bother me, because the whole thing keeps the pace and remains entraining.

03. Pretty Little Liars

song: "Secret" by The Pierces

If the list was called "the creepiest openings I've seen", this would be a number two. It's short, and very, very suggestive. Even though Alison's funeral is what brings the main girls together in the first episode, her death is treated rather symbolically in the series; in the opening it's anything but. There is something almost abominable in how plastic, waxen is the body prepared for it's own funeral, but it's kept just on the edge of tastefulness. It's not the images that make me flinch, it's the thought behind them.
Song is catching, and the atmosphere is captured brilliantly.
A special bonus: the Halloween episodes tend to include a slightly different version of the opening - the lips, or eyes of the dead girl are different, there are some extra sounds in the background that make it more scary.

02. Psych

song: "I Know You Know" by The Friendly Indians

Short, down-to-the-point with the not-so-random sync of the line "they just don't have any clue" (0:11) with the perplexed detective Lessie, is cheerful and funny, just like the show.
A special bonus: "Psych" does one of my favourite things ever when it comes to the opening sequences. It changes the song according to the theme of the episode, and with the criminal shows, that means endless opportunities. It has been sung in spanish (twice), in hindi (for bollywood-themed episode), a cappella, had a christmas version and slower version for a Twin Peaks-inspired episode. The visual side was mixed with too. All of it, apart from being simply awesome, adds to the really-not-so-serious atmosphere of the show.



and the winner is...

01. Dexter

song: "Dexter Main Title" by Rolfe Kent

I haven't seen "Dexter", because I am way too scared, and let's face it: the opening is partially here to blame. Even when I KNOW that no one dies in there, I still can't watch it all without flinching. But if I had the guts to watch a show, I know I wouldn't be able to resist watching to the opening every single time. It's original, it's brilliant, and it's beyond creepy.




Ok, so that's all. There are many openings I love, but didn't make to the "top ten" like the awesome Scrubs' opening, which just missed the list, or energetic Buffy: the vampire slayer's. It was hard enough to pick 10 and trying not to play favourites with the shows they are from!

                                                Stay positive and remember to watch something before going to sleep!
                                                                                                                                - Aga.