Goals

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

I start every year listing a set of goals that I want to challenge myself with: a list of TV series that I want to watch that year. Will update as I watch them.

Here's 2017's:

Homeland
After six seasons, I'm finally able to root for the characters. As a start, Carrie is not that annoying this season. She doesn't manipulate anyone -- like a teenage boy in Pakistan, for example -- and we are mad that she got separated from her daughter. Which brings us to Dar Adal -- why is the guy there? People would save money by not creating his job.

I don't remember caring much about Max before, but he really is a friend everyone could have. Who doesn't need a friend who can do surveillance, bugging and life-threatening undercover work for them?

And Quinn -- snarkier and cursing a lot, probably just a little more than usual (I don't remember) -- just breaks our hearts in the end. I didn't think they would bring him back. Not that I didn't want him to be, but you can't bring someone back after reading out their last letter on TV. I'm glad that his character changed, though, because just mourning won't be enough. We're suckers for punishment.

This is one of my favourite Homeland seasons.

Survivor
Game Changers is as exciting as SJDS and Thailand, so that's not a compliment. I have a feeling that Zeke's outing incident, not that there's nothing positive you can take away from it, will make us look back at the season the same way we look at Worlds Apart now: with zero fun.

I'm sure Sarah is great. Maybe her editing is just not glowing enough, but some of her storylines do feel like a little more-than-necessary-patting-on-the-back. And maybe as a result, she didn't turn out to be the most exciting winner the show has had. Lol what does she care about being exciting, she has an extra million dollars in her account now.

Speaking of editing, this whole season does have a strange editing and hype -- starting from the theme, the twist and the sometimes unclear storylines to Probst revealing the way to break a tie in the final vote (the third place finalist will vote for the winner). So, what if Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Heroes vs Villains, Nicaragua, Redemption Island, South Pacific, One World* and Micronesia** were a tie?

*(3-3-3)
**(4-4)

Bates Motel

The Americans

Better Call Saul

Veep

House of Cards
I've stopped understanding the politics, the votes and the laws in House of Cards since season 2 (with Feng and Donald Tusk). It got stranger when Claire ran as Frank's VP. And now we are at what must be stage 4.5 of strange: Frank's letting go of his presidency, all orchestrated apparently, and Claire is now the POTUS. What are you trying to do, showrunners? Out-crazy real life politics?

I miss the magic of the show's little details, like Frank's video games and battlefield miniatures; that out-of-character moment when Claire cried -- which I have no sympathy for -- after the Megan Hennesey incident; Meechum and his robotic expression; or those times when we weren't sure yet if we should 100% despise Doug.

As much as I find Tom Yates creepy and extremely annoying, I now realize I can also look at his screen time as a comic relief. Every time he appears on screen, it's an opportunity to rotfl and WTF-is-this guy-doing-lurking-around-the-WH facepalm. Seriously, can anyone else see him?

Game of Thrones
It is unfair that season 7 is pushed to July, not the usual April. But I'm glad we're getting the conclusion getting nearer to the conclusion. As much as I like a show, I need it to conclude before too long. (Update: writing it here.)

Honourable mentions / maybes:
Stranger Things
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
The Handmaid's Tale (because everyone on Twitter says it's "brutal and terrifying". Update: writing it here.)

Make it stop:
The Walking Dead