My Top 10: Recent Emmy Snubs and Flubs

While the Emmys are a great platform to recognize outstanding work in television, there are many moments that leave me questioning its critical eye. I am an avid TV watcher, but not a professional of any kind in the field of TV criticism. If I can watch multiple shows a year and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, you're damn right I expect Emmy voters to do the same, especially when it is their exact job to do so. Here are the top 10 nominations (or lack thereof) that made me lose any respect for or faith in the Emmy awards in recent years.

10. SNUB: "Southland" forgottenAfter being shuffled around to different channels and times, it's a wonder even critics found this show again every time. But what started as a bizarrely dark NBC cop show that refused to be another standard procedural blossomed into a fantastically gritty drama that never hesitates to be depressing. Shawn Hatosy should have had a lock on a nomination this year, with Michael Cudlitz close behind.

9. SNUB: Anna Torv and John Noble pull double duty for "Fringe"Torv really pulled her weight in later seasons and proved that she can step up to the plate of being a dynamic lead character. John Noble displayed the most range, believably playing two drastically different characters with entirely different personalities. Many of the sci-fi twists of this show can sound like soap opera dreck to the unitiated, but it's handled so intelligently and the actors are a huge part of that success.

8. SNUB: "Battlestar Galactica" suffers from genre curseI'm not a fan of "Battlestar Galactica," but I'm not going to pretend for a second that it was a bad show. In fact, it was an excellent show. But it's hard-core sci-fi genre pretty much guaranteed that it would never be recognized, despite stellar acting and writing. It won some random technical awards and a few writing nominations, but should have achieved so much more.

7. SNUB: "Community" strikes outOne of the most egregious omissions this year was ignoring this show in favor of tired yet crowd-pleasing favorites like "Glee" and "The Office." Innovative in its tongue-in-cheek style, "Community" takes sitcoms to the next level each week as it lovingly skewers expectations. It'll take cliches, twist and turn them, and throw them back in your face, saying the whole time "we're above that, we can do better." And they do every week, whether they're mocking action films with epic paintball games or poking fun at the standard clipshow episode. If nothing else, it should be well represented in the writing category.

6. SNUB: Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop not taken seriously for "Gilmore Girls"Much like the Oscars, the Emmy Awards want to be taken seriously, so it votes for "serious" or "real" shows. Venturing outside the big networks or the prestigious cable channels is verboten. Hence the overlooking of SciFi, the WB, UPN, or the later CW network. In an ideal world, it shouldn't matter what network a show airs on. If it's a great show, it's a great show, no matter where it airs or who it stars or any other behind-the-scenes nonsense. "Gilmore Girls" elevated the family dramedy to something else entirely, proving that a little WB show could be whip-smart, heartbreakingly relatable, and side-splittingly hilarious. Lauren Graham ably switched from drama to comedy in a heartbeat as Lorelai Gilmore while Kelly Bishop perfected the love-her/hate-her WASP mother Emily Gilmore. Say what you will about the show itself, but these two actresses never failed to impress.

5. FLUB: Alfre Woodard nominated for sinister "Desperate Housewives" role She was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Comedy, meaning funny. Anyone who watched her season of "Desperate Housewives" was left scratching their heads in confusion when that nomination was announced. The new neighbor with a dark secret was great soap opera-esque dramatic fodder, but comedic it was not. You could argue that she gave a good performance in a show designated a comedy, but the award is put in the comedy category so the actor being recognized should be giving a comedic performance.

4. SNUB: Brilliant but undiscovered "Veronica Mars"Once again, the curse of a small network lives on. Even more obscure and less-respected than the WB, "Veronica Mars" started its run on UPN. While it sounded like a cutesy, fluffy distraction, viewers knew that "Veronica Mars" was a hip, noir mystery that didn't talk down to its audience. The high school drama plays out in class wars and the series stays firmly rooted in reality, like when a killer walks free simply for being a famous celebrity. Things weren't always tied up in a neat bow, and Veronica wasn't an invincible heroine. As played by Kristen Bell, she turned what could have been a fantastical character into a real person.

3. FLUB: Ellen Burstyn for brief moment in "Mrs. Harris"This is one of the biggest flubs I have ever seen because it proved clearly that Emmy voters don't watch all the performances they vote on. Burstyn was on-screen in this TV movie for 14 seconds in a role that contained 38 words. She is a fine actress, but I don't care if you're voting for Helen Mirren - you watch the person's performance to evaluate its merit. If there's any flub more outrageous than this one, I don't know what it is.

2. SNUB: Walton Goggins ignored for "The Shield"After watching "The Shield" for the first time earlier this year, I could not comprehend how he did not walk away with a single award. His performance as the often despicable yet painfully human Shane Vendrell was probably the best I have ever seen on television. The final season of the show had so many scenes that in and of themselves should have earned him a nomination and a win. Most "Shield" fans will also point out Forrest Whitaker as another snub, but I don't entirely agree. His Internal Affairs character was a dynamic, terrifying force, but I thought Whitaker tended to overact and he was the only character I felt was more a dramatic creation than a real man. While his scenes sometimes took me out of the show, Goggins' presence never for a second had me thinking about the actor rather than the character in front of me. Except maybe to think, "damn he's good." As another person once commented, "I have never simultaneously hated a character but loved an actor so much."

1. SNUB: "The Wire" celebrated by everyone but the EmmysOften cited as the best television show of all time, "The Wire" got next to nothing from the Emmys. Gritty realism at its finest, "The Wire" unfolded at a uniquely slow, ponderous pace. There were no sweeps week stunts, no suspension of disbelief required, and the actors didn't look like models. Watching "The Wire" is like watching literature on-screen for the density of the writing and depth of characterization. It never shied away from relevant and poignant social or political issues, and never delved into BS just for the sake of grabbing ratings. There were no heroes and villains, good guys or bad guys - just people surviving in tough situations. It examined societal issues with a sober mind, never for a moment sinking into the naive belief that anything has a simple solution or easy explanation. "The Wire" is serial storytelling at its finest and shows what television can do when it gets everything right. So why did it only earn two measly writing nominations from the Emmys?

All of my favorite things rolled into one video

I just finished making and posting a music video. Anyone who loves TV, dancing, or the Scissor Sisters will enjoy this video. I tried to include as many shows as I could, but since I tend towards dramas (where characters rarely break into spontaneous dance), I could only include about 25-ish different shows. Also, I didn't want to include shows I don't watch. It's my vid, after all, and I wouldn't know how to hunt down clips for other shows anyway. I just hope other people have as much fun watching it as I did making it.

My Top 10: TV Pet Peeves

I'm not normally one to bitch and moan about tiny details in TV shows. Product placement doesn't bug me. Historical anachronisms don't elicit any hate mail from me. Language blunders make me groan, but little more. But there are some TV show pet peeves I have that annoy me more than all the others. Some of them we've been trained to accept by now, but that doesn't make them any less unrealistic. I'm talking about those tiny details that actually take me out of the show because they're so incredibly irritating.

10. Not wearing weather/job appropriate clothes

("Does anyone realize that I'm actually 41 years old?")

Most shows shoot in LA, meaning they don't get realistic winter weather or very much wind (most of the year). This makes it difficult for shows set in New England to create realistic settings when characters are outside in supposedly December weather wearing light jackets. Just in the Midwest the winter weather is bad enough to render your eyes red, nose runny, hair mussed, and skin dry from a short walk outside. This works in reverse as well for shows set in scorching places like Miami, Florida and not a single character looks hot or remotely sweaty. I also mention job appropriate clothing, mainly for procedurals. Female cops in warm weather climates apparently wear nothing but tank tops and let their hair flow free, even when examining delicate crime scenes. If you're smart enough, they'll even let you wear completely inappropriate goth clothing! (Yes, I'm looking at you, Abby from "NCIS.") I don't mean to be some ultra-conservative who is anti-self expression, but while you're at work at a federal government job, odds are low that they'll let you indulge.

9. No one uses toothpaste

("I have twelve cavities but at least my teeth are shiny white and smooth!")

You can't have actors foaming at the mouth every time a character attends to their hygiene, but it's still painfully noticeable when they don't use any toothpaste.

8. Intuitive spellers

("Matthew McConahay...McConaghy....Mconuhay....&%@# forget it")

"I need a background check on Alan O'Shaughnessy." "Got it. Two prior arrests, one for assault..." No matter what the name is, no one ever needs it spelled out for them. TV police departments are always filled with snarky geniuses, so I suppose it's not entirely fitting for the smartest people in the room to stop and ask about spelling.

7. Huge dorm rooms/living beyond means

(Enjoy, Freshman. You get to share that with three other people. There's a bucket down the hall if nature calls)

This is an obvious one from sitcoms like "Friends," but that's pretty naturally accepted by now and the dorm room one bugs me more anyway. Dorm rooms in "Gilmore Girls" were like luxurious apartments (maybe Yale is different because the students can afford it anyway?). Dorm rooms in the "Transformers" movie were multi-room as well, with plenty of space for a team of geeks to huddle over tons of computers. In real life, a college dorm room is more akin to a storage closet. And I don't even mean that as hyperbole. I've seen rooms that fit two beds bunked because two wouldn't fit in the room otherwise, and two human beings are supposed to live like that. A large portion of dorms I've seen don't even have air conditioning, since most universities are quite old and therefore the dorms are quite old unless they keep up-to-date on renovations. Fictional dorm rooms are like swanky Manhattan apartments - real life dorm rooms are an exercise in solitary confinement, claustrophobia, and heat stroke/hypothermia.

6. Old-fashioned answering machines

(Old answering machines are not without their perks)

You know the ones I'm talking about - those ones that play the message out loud. They're a favored plot device when you need someone to overhear something they weren't supposed to hear. Ask Rita from "Dexter" when she heard what Lila really thought about her. Ask Jerry's girlfriend from "Seinfeld" when she heard George relay the description of her 'Elmer Fudd sitting on a juicer' laugh. Ask Luke from "Gilmore Girls" when he overheard Christopher leave a message on Lorelai's answering machine. I'm sure there are a million more examples, probably plenty from sitcoms. Does anyone (or at least anyone under 30) still have these kinds of answering machines? This plot device just reeks of laziness, especially from modern shows like two of the ones I mentioned where this accidental eavesdropping isn't even realistic.

5. Sunny mornings

(Just another normal 5am breakfast at Luke's Diner in the town of Stars Hollow)

"Gilmore Girls" always bugged me the most for this one, but many many shows have irked me for this. Most any show with kids going to school falls victim to this. Say a kid has to be at school by 8:30. Even if they have to do things before school, like eating breakfast, it will inevitably be bright and sunny outside. I know it would probably suck for the lighting crew to reenact sunrise, especially if any natural light is in the shot and therefore already dictating what time of day it is. But unless you're in a weird Northern location and it's summer, the sun is not out and shining like noon at 6 am (definitely not in winter in Connecticut, "Gilmore Girls!" I hate to keep picking on "Gilmore," but I know the show really well and love it, so these minor pet peeves absolutely don't overshadow its greatness).

4. Fake CPR

(Don't worry, Charlie, your actual death is much more heroic and cool)

Everyone knows (or at least should know) what CPR looks like. Even if you don't know the exact counting and breath/compression ratio (it seems to change every so often), you know that you're not supposed to bend your elbows when doing chest compressions. I even saw a character in a TV show give compressions to a person on a bed. And when all else fails, the desperate pounding Fist of Life will revive a person.

3. Taste-testing drugs

("Get Agent Johnson in here to taste all these substances, we need to know what they were cooking!")

What? You mean they don't give lessons on this at the Academy? Surprisingly, law enforcement doesn't encourage their investigators to stick a finger in a mysterious white powder and taste it to identify it as an illegal narcotic. Strange how we can apparently get the reflection of the killer off of the victim's eyeball in an image, but we can't test the drugs in a timely and efficient enough manner for TV investigations.

2. Enhance that photo!

("There's a reflection of the killer in the car door! Rotate, zoom, and enhance!")

This is a famous one and one of the many good reasons why I cannot watch "CSI." Investigators will bring up a slightly blurry photo and ask the techie to "enhance it." They then zoom in on the aspect they're interested in, and the photo magically clears up! In real life, you zoom in on a photo and that's it - it's just blurriness blown up. But in the world of procedurals, cameras have higher resolution than us mere mortals can dream of. As I mentioned, you can even get the reflection of a suspect off of someone's eye!

1. Empty coffee cups

(Don't lie, Gibbs. We know there's nothing in there.)

Sure, you can't have actors waving around actual cups of steaming hot coffee, risking stains and burns every day. But can we not put water in the cups? Or something semi-solid to weigh it down like bean bags or something? Everyone knows what a cup full of liquid looks and feels like. And everyone knows you don't tip a cup horizontal to take a first sip or take big gulps of supposedly scalding hot coffee.

Honorable mention: No one saying goodbye on the phone; turning off lights never resulting in total darkness; it only rains when something sad/dramatic is happening; carjackers searching for car keys in the glove compartment or visor (who on Earth leaves their keys in the car?); Tyler Perry presents Tyler Perry's Tyler Perry starring Tyler Perry; "I'll have a beer" (which is like walking into a restaurant and ordering a 'sandwich'); groceries in paper bags; windows never having screens; ancient prophesies about the apocalypse foretelling the end of the world at midnight - which conveniently happens to be the same exact time zone as our heroes in California.

My Top 10: Fictional Eateries I want to visit

It's roughly mid-month, which means it's time for another bizarrely themed Top 10 list! This time I'm profiling some of my favorite imaginary restaurants and cafes from movies and television. Since I've missed out on some really popular shows, I like to refrain from saying "the greatest X of all time," instead substituting "my favorite X of all time." As always, I (futilely) encourage feedback, so you're always free to dispute my choices or offer your own.

10. Monk's from "Seinfeld"An absolutely iconic eatery in television history, this one ranks so low because the food looked like it sucked. But when Reggie's, the bizarro coffee shop, is your only other option, Monk's starts to look like five-star cuisine. If nothing else, I hear the Big Salad is good.

9. Java the Hut from "Veronica Mars" I admit it, this one gets a spot partly because of the awesome name. But it also had plenty of great music acts in addition to secret private investigator meetings. It has the perfect atmosphere of teen hangout mixed with film noir.

8. The Soup Nazi's place from "Seinfeld" Once you get past the delicate ordering procedure, it sounds like the soup is totally worth it. Word to the wise - if they forget to give you bread, just let it go.

7. Rick's Cafe Americain from "Casablanca"Of all the gin joints in all the world, this one is the definition of cool. Suave, classy, and full of intriguing people, Rick's Cafe is the place to be. Referencing any more of the famous quotes would be too easy, so I'll just say that this movie really never does get old...even as time goes by (too easy, but I can't resist).

6. Any diner from any gangster movieIt's basically a requirement for any major gangster, crime drama to have the characters discuss their plans in a diner. Tarantino particularly enjoys this trope, whether the characters openly discuss robbing a diner like in "Pulp Fiction" or they discuss the validity of tipping or the meaning of Madonna songs like in "Reservoir Dogs." So why would I want to visit those places? Because you're guaranteed some drama and shady patrons. The rest of my choices are pretty tame by comparison, so this is my one wild selection.

5. The Krusty Krab from "Spongebob Squarepants"The episode where Squidward tried his first Krabby Patty sealed the deal for me - I must have one. They may not be the most healthy food option under the sea, but they're good for your soul.

4. Coffee Bucks from "Scrubs" (or "Cougar Town") Bill Lawrence carried over his fictional coffee chain into "Cougar Town," but it was featured prominently in "Scrubs" first when Kelso put one in the hospital. You'd be guaranteed to run into everyone from Sacred Heart here. Just be sure that you don't pass on your coffee-drinking ways to your kids.

3. La Chocolaterie Maya from "Chocolat"This definitely places high on a list of 'movies not to watch while hungry.' As far as my sweet tooth goes, I would be fine if chocolate was the only candy I could eat for the rest of my life. Vienne knows all sorts of long-held secrets of chocolate preparation, so mix that in with the natural beauty of the French village and you've got one great hot spot for chocolate lovers.

2. Luke's Diner from "Gilmore Girls"
I just wish I could move to Stars Hollow for a few months. Luke makes the best cup of coffee in town, according to the local coffee experts Lorelai and Rory. He'll make you something unique (if he likes you) and handle orders with charm and patience. Not to mention there's always plenty of local character.

1. The Pie Hole from "Pushing Daises"I'm not even a big fan of pie, but if the Piemaker bakes it himself, I'll definitely make the exception. Unlike Keri Russell's inspired pies in "Waitress," the town in "Pushing Daisies" isn't nearly as depressing and the pies are far more magical. This place has the most local color of all since it's like stepping into a fantasy land. The show was best described as a 'forensic fairy tale' and, really, who wouldn't want to take a visit to that genre?

Honorable mention: Good Burger from "All That" and "Good Burger," The Drunken Clam from "Family Guy," Weston's from "Gilmore Girls," Independence Inn or Dragonfly Inn from "Gilmore Girls," any of "Chuck"'s random restaurants (Lou's sandwich place, the Orange Orange, Wienerlicious), Pizza Planet from the "Toy Story" movies, Sacred Heart Cafeteria from "Scrubs"

My failed New Year's resolution - Tvgirl vs. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

I'm not much for resolutions, but as 2009 turned into 2010, I made a pop culture resolution that I thought was a worthwhile venture. I resolved to watch all of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." After I realized that there are several crossover episodes with its spin-off "Angel," I resolved to watch that as well. People rave about these shows and frequently cite "Buffy" as one of the best TV shows of all time. I adored Joss Whedon's "Firefly" and I enjoy the horror/supernatural genre, so it seemed like a no-brainer that I would fall in love with these two shows like everyone else. Well, I'm sad to report that I failed. I could only get about four and a half seasons in until I couldn't take it anymore. I made it through some of the first season of "Angel" but dropped that because I couldn't acquire the rest of it, not because I couldn't stand it. But I dropped "Buffy" because the things I disliked about it outnumbered the things I liked about it. So just what is it that I found so insufferable about "Buffy" while everyone else adores it? (Feel free to yell at me all you want. Or explain to me why I should stick with it and what I'm missing, which would be more helpful.)

Buffy Summers
Sorry, I don't like the Slayer. I find Sarah Michelle Gellar kind of annoying in this role and I tired quickly of her. I also got tired of her "serious" acting, which basically involves talking in a soft, hurt voice. I think a lot of this dislike comes from the intense pressure I feel to think of Buffy as a badass female role model who I should worship. Yeah, she kicks ass, but she isn't very bright and has others do the brainwork for her. And I know she's a teenage girl, but she gets really moody, cocky, bratty and insensitive and I don't have the patience for it I suppose. I also have an issue with the clever dialogue coming out of her mouth (as well as Xander's, but he'll get his soon enough). On "Firefly," the dialogue was full of slang and wit but it was set in an entirely different, future setting. "Gilmore Girls" as well as "Veronica Mars," to a certain extent, had witty dialogue but the characters were very intelligent and worldly. Buffy is just a petulant kid, so the dialogue comes off more cutesy and attempting to be hip than organically clever.

Xander and Anya
Same goes for Xander regarding the dialogue. I cannot stand Xander. He's an annoying, quippy, useless person in their little group. And then he has his little romance with Anya, another annoying character. I know it's a common suspension of disbelief regarding ages of actors playing teens, but there's a scene where Anya tries to order a drink at a bar and gets turned down because of her age. It's supposed to be hilarious. I'm sorry, but she looked like she was 35. These two together really drag down the show for me. Maybe I could just fastforward through their scenes? The only time I actually like Xander is when he grows a pair and tells the hard truth about a situation or character that needs to be said. But then he goes back to being plain old "lovable" Xander.

Angel
I never knew that the whole Edward Cullen/Bella Swan thing was a complete rip-off of the Angel/Buffy romance. God, I couldn't wait for their boring relationship to end. Or at least for Angelus to come back. Angel was such a bore and a downer. Until he got his own show, that is. Once he got his own show he was a much better character. But on "Buffy" he seemed to suck the life out of every scene he was in.

The excessively quippy dialogue
Like I said earlier, I think Joss Whedon's writing on "Firefly" really worked. But the quips and the "hip" dialogue just starts to make my ears burn on this show. I don't know how Giles keeps it together around these kids. I can actually understand now why some people don't like "Gilmore Girls," although the whip-smart dialogue on that show wasn't coming out of the mouths of dopey teenagers.

The stupid people of Sunnydale
Another element that really tests by ability to suspend disbelief. Any "Buffy" fan is aware of this infamous plot issue, so I won't bother explaining it, but the people of Sunnydale are absolute morons. Sure, they had that scene at the dance or prom or whatever honoring Buffy as Class Protector, but it didn't seem like enough. I guess Sunnydale has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy for the supernatural. They don't even bother to do a half-assed mass amnesia like "Smallville" always did. The death rate must not faze anyone either. It's like "Murder, She Wrote," where half the town is evil and the other half ends up as dead victims of the evil ones.

Those scheming, nefarious villains
I got really sick of having a new Bond-esque demon plotting the world's destruction in a cave somewhere underneath Sunnydale. Every new villain was going to bring about the end of the world. But when every villain claims to be high stakes, it makes the threats less tangible every time. I grant "Buffy" a little wiggle room with the cheesy villains because it was produced on the WB during the 90s. But I felt like I was watching the supernatural version of "24," where Jack Bauer kills the Big Bad, only to be told "you think this stops here? You have no idea who you're dealing with. Wait until you meet my boss. He's even badder! This isn't over!"

The logic of the Slayer mythos
So there's only one Slayer for the entire world? There really isn't any evil in the rest of the world? Or maybe evil just goes unchecked everywhere outside of Sunnydale? But of course Sunnydale has the Hellmouth, so it does have more evil. Who picks the Slayer? The Powers that Be? Is there any rhyme or reason to it? Why can there only be one? There's a whole lot of evil out there and the deck is really stacked against the side of good if we only get one chosen fighter. All the other cities dealing with vampires just get to suffer I guess.

That empty library
This is another infamous sticking point among fans, but in the high school years, why is no one ever in that damn library? I know it wouldn't work if it was a highly trafficked area, but it's not exactly a secure meeting location. Maybe that's why Sunnydale students are so dumb. They never go to to the library to study, and even if they did, all the books would be about ancient texts and evil creatures.

Why didn't Buffy and Willow just room together in college to begin with?
The fourth season sends the gang off to college and hilarity ensures when Buffy and Willow must deal with horrible roommates. Why didn't they just room together? Maybe because then they couldn't have the contrived storyline about Buffy's evil roommate?

Now that everyone hates me, I will list some things I do like about "Buffy." Because there are some things that I enjoy about this show.

The Initiative
I dropped the show about halfway through the fourth season so I never got the resolution to the whole Adam thing, but I liked that this was the season where "Buffy" fully embraced its campiness. It was like, "screw it, there's a secret government facility under the college! Just go with it!" The whole thing was so ridiculous I couldn't help but love it.

Computer nerds were still, well, nerds
Because it's a show from the 90s, no one knows how to use a computer but the one nerdy friend. This amused me to no end.

Giles
I love Giles. He's smart, experienced, and can actually fight when he needs to. The addition of Wesley served to make Giles look cooler by comparison, but I loved him before that.

Cordelia
I was kind of pissed when she left the show. She was a spoiled teen but at least she was honest and spoke her mind. She wasn't a complete cliche either like I expected. She's the beautiful popular girl but she also does well in school. She seemed like a much more realistic character to me as she was a young girl craving attention and popularity despite being strong and smart. Buffy just comes across as a petulant child to me. Cordelia was destined for greatness. I haven't seen much of "Angel," but her presence on that show can only mean good things.

Spike
I know he's a fan favorite and I can see why. His character absolutely embraces the camp of it all and seems like the only one actually having any fun. He adds that much-needed element because I honestly think the show isn't that fun without him. I should watch the rest of "Buffy" just to see him get more screentime. I much rather see him and Buffy throw down than Buffy and Angel.

So I've listed my main complaints and the few things that kept me with the show that long. I failed at my resolution. But for 2011, I think I'll renew it. Partly just to be able to say that I've seen the entire series. Partly to see if it gets any better. I kept waiting for it to take off and it finally caught on with me in the fourth season, but it didn't hook me strong enough. By the time I got to another episode with Danny Strong's character, I just couldn't bring myself to pick up the series again. I had better things to do anyway. But I want to see if any other season hooks me. I still haven't gotten to Evil Willow or "Once More, With Feeling" or "The Body," so maybe the great episodes come later. I certainly hope so. I started to get the feeling that this show is a lot like "Supernatural" or "Chuck," where it's a good show that is criminally overlooked and underrated so the rabid fan base talks it up so much that it gets a spot in TV history. I love these two shows but I think their greatness can be exaggerated by over-zealous fans, leading newcomers to think "well, this show is good, but nothing life changing." I think this is what's happening with me and "Buffy." It's fine, despite the 90s cheesiness, but not the extraordinary experience I've heard about. It's hard for a show to live up to the kind of hype "Buffy" gets. I wonder how much of the hype is due to nostalgia and how much is due to actual quality. Because I don't think the show is overrated crap, but I think the passing time and fond memories have helped lift it in the public consciousness.

I'm also going to try and pick up "Angel" again. I really liked it, despite the cruel decision to kill off Doyle so soon and sub in Wesley. The only reason I haven't watched "Angel" is because I can't manage to obtain it to watch it. But I like the darker, more serious tone and I love crossover episodes between shows, so I'll try to find it.

Maybe I'll fall in love with "Buffy," but I've been sitting through it for four seasons and I keep on waiting for it to grab me and become the iconic show I've been promised. Or maybe I'll still be bored with it and just watch "Firefly" for the billionth time instead.(Let the flogging commence)

"Brothers & Sisters" - "I'm just as lost and damaged and screwed up as the rest of you"

My review of AMC's "The Walking Dead" is in the works, but in the meantime I thought I'd talk about an exceptional episode of "Brothers & Sisters" that took place the same night.In "An Ideal Husband," Scotty's infidelity to Kevin was addressed and viewers were reminded just how emotionally invested you can get in this show when they have a family crisis. And it's all about family, really. The other key terms of the episode were commitment and marriage. It started off nicely with Nora on her new radio show talking about Kevin and Scotty's 'perfect' marriage. For a long time, their marriage has seemed like the most perfect on the show. And I always hoped it would stay that way since, as they pointed out later, every other relationship on the show has ended in divorce or death. But then the Walkers soon find out what we found out at the end of last week's episode - Scotty slept with someone else. I loved the scene where Nora and Sarah found out that Kevin slept on the couch and they kept badgering him, wondering what he did wrong. Perfectly understandable, as I would assume the same thing. Kevin's always the one screwing up relationships, so it was great to get a different perspective on things in this episode. I hated that Scotty cheated, but I liked how the writers handled it. It "didn't happen in a void" - Kevin had been distant, his best friend was in a coma, their surrogate had miscarried, and he couldn't be there for anyone in the months after the big accident, even his own husband. But the writers really tried to emphasize that they weren't blaming Kevin for his husband's infidelity, they were just explaining that things aren't so black and white. Scotty wasn't excused and Kevin wasn't blamed, but rather, circumstances were explained and context was set. It's so easy and tempting in this situation to just blame one party or the other, but it was more complicated than that.

I kept comparing it in my mind to the cheating incident in "Gilmore Girls," where Dean sleeps with Rory while he is married. Lorelai insists that Rory shouldn't "be one of those girls who blames the wife for forcing the husband to cheat." I remember being disgusted by Dean and Rory in this episode, and I was trying to pinpoint why it was different for "Brothers & Sisters." Because I like Scotty and Kevin more than I liked Dean and Rory? Perhaps. But a big difference is that Scotty slipped up once and felt so horrible that he told Kevin about it. He told the truth when he didn't have to. Dean slept with Rory more than just once, and his wife only found out when she found Rory's letter to Dean stashed away somewhere. Also, Kevin was emotionally absent, unsupportive, and lying to Scotty. Not that this is a justification by any means, but it's not as simple as one person cheated on another person who was an absolute angel. You don't want to blame the victim, but "Brothers & Sisters" addressed the necessary - nobody is perfect. Not even my beloved Scotty. The moment between Scotty and Kevin after the fight in the restaurant was heart-wrenching and brutally honest. Kevin was in pain and upset. Scotty had to deal with the possibility of losing his husband and his family. But for the first time, they saw him as someone who is mortal like the rest of us. It got me thinking what an enormous pressure for a naturally good, kind-hearted person to deal with - the constant pressure that you have to be the epitome of all that is good and honest in the world. They made Scotty a more three dimensional character than the saint he's been all along. It was painful to see, but necessary. He admitted that "I'm not perfect. I'm just as lost and damaged and screwed up as the rest of you."

Nora summed it all up very well, when she went back on her radio show talking about the meaning of commitment and marriage. I think they made a great point on why marriage matters. Nora mused that "the thing about a good marriage is even if a terrible mistake happens, you just can't imagine your life with anyone else. That's why you commit to each other. That's why you make vows to each other. That through the good or the bad you'll just keep trying. You're fighting not only for love, you're fighting for something bigger than either one of you. You're fighting for the family you've become. You're fighting for the 'us' you've become. And that really is worth fighting for."

In subplots, Luc and Sarah got engaged, called off the engagement, then re-engaged. The affair spooked Sarah, since she was reminded that the person you least expect to betray you can hurt you, and hurt you more than anyone else since you love them. Kitty thankfully broke it off with the dull handyman or plumber or investment banker or whoever the hell he was. He couldn't have been more wrong for Kitty in the long-term, so I'm glad they just fessed up to who he really was - her rebound guy. I hate that Rebecca and Justin separated. As a viewer, I understand the constraints of the writers when an actor leaves a show. As a person invested in the Walker family, I'm pissed that Rebecca and Justin just gave up and stayed divorced. As they pointed out last week, they both have grown up so much together, that it's painful to see them separate.

This episode proved that "Brothers & Sisters" can still be a great show. As annoying as the Walkers are, you still want to be in their family. The final scene between Scotty and Saul reinforced what the Walkers were all about. Saul said he overreacted and he couldn't pick sides that easy. He sided with his nephew, but he couldn't simply side with family because Scotty is his family too. That's touching to us at home, but it's even more meaningful to Scotty, whose own parents basically disowned him and wouldn't even come to his wedding. These heartbreaking, emotional episodes are hard to sit through sometimes, but they remind us that we can get so emotionally invested in the Walker family. It put the crises back on a personal level. Not to say that the big accident wasn't personal, but it was so clearly a season finale stunt to get Rob Lowe out of the way and tug at our heartstrings. But the mini-crises throughout the season give the actors a chance to shine and they really did here. I was thrilled that Matthew Rhys and Luke MacFarlane got more screentime, even if it was for something so sad. Kevin and Scotty weren't reconciled by the end of the episode, but they're clearly on their way to reconciliation and a better, stronger relationship. In the end, this episode effectively boiled the show down to its essential element - the importance of family.

Songs I'm ashamed to admit I know all the words to (Part 2)

Ready or not, here are some more songs I somehow remember all the words to. This has caused me many moments of angst when I wonder, frustrated, "how can I remember the lyrics to every single Backstreet Boys song but I can't remember the uses for the dative case in Russian? Shouldn't there be an easy way to swap useful info with useless info in the brain?"

1. Time Warp from "Rocky Horror Picture Show" - I thought I'd start off with a simple nerdy one. If you know just one song from "Rocky Horror," it's the Time Warp, if for no other reason than it's played on the radio all Halloween night every year. I know plenty of other songs from this perverted little movie, my favorite probably being "Dammit Janet" or "Sweet Transvestite." But "Time Warp" wins a spot on this list because it's the one I knew first word for word. And every time I hear it, it reminds me of Halloween, my favorite holiday, so it also qualifies as a feel-good song.

My favorite lyric: Let's do the time warp agaaaiiinnn!

2. It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls - here's another feel-good song with such a wonderful and positive message. This is one of those songs you just have to know so you can have fun clapping along, kind of like Hall & Oates' Private Eyes (they're watching you, clap clap!)

My favorite lyric: God bless mother nature/she's a single woman too...she taught every angel to rearrange the sky/so that each and every woman could find the perfect guy

3. In For the Kill by La Roux - this is a band that is wildly more popular on the other side of the pond while only mildly popular here. I was in the UK when this song was at the height of its popularity and heard it way way way too many times. It happens to walk the border between catchy-pleasant and catchy-annoying. When I overheard some girls doing this song at karaoke, I realized it's pretty darn annoying.

My favorite lyric: Ooooooooooooooooo (hey, that's half the song right there!)

4. Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb - I downloaded Love Will Keep us Together because of "Will & Grace." Well, I downloaded Shadow Dancing because of "Gilmore Girls." There's only a brief moment where Lorelai listens to it in her car, but I liked it, got it, and still enjoy it. Tvgirl's confession? I like disco. Would it be cooler if I said I like it ironically? Plenty of people proudly admit they like country music. Live and let live.

My favorite lyric: I can't really decide on just one...the lyrics are pretty generic, but I still love the song.

5. I'll Make a Man Out of You from "Mulan" - Remember the day when your childhood worldview was shattered by reality? Remember when you found out that Santa Claus didn't exist? Remember when you found out that the dashing Captain Li Shang was voiced by Donny Osmond when he was singing?

My favorite lyric: We must be swift as the coursing river/with all the force of a great typhoon/with all the strength of a raging fire/mysterious as the dark side of the moon (who doesn't want a man who is mysterious, like the dark side of the moon? That certainly sounds fancier than tall, dark, and handsome.)

6. Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell - This is another happy Halloween assocation for me. I'm sure plenty of other people know the words, reluctantly, just because of the ubiquitous Halloween radio play. But I bet no one else sings along with it with as much zeal as I do!
My favorite lyric: And I don't feel safe anymore/oh what a mess/I wonder who's watching me now/(WHO?)/The IRS?!

7. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes - this is one of those songs that should win an award in cheese. Also, an award for most quotable lyrics. I think I love this song for its nonsensical-ness and for the fact that it makes two people cheating on each other into a humorous situation where you half expect them both to throw up their arms and shrug as a sitcom laugh track breaks in.

My favorite lyric: I didn't think about my lady/I know that sounds kind of mean (you think?)

8. Disco Inferno by The Trammps - Yeah, I'm not lying when I say I love disco. This is one of those songs that gets really disturbing if you take it literally. I think they should play it at all building demolitions. And cremations. (This song gets bonus points for getting a mention from an episode of "Doctor Who.")

My favorite lyric: Burn baby burn!

9. Schadenfreude from "Avenue Q" - I know every song from "Avenue Q" by heart, but I feel like knowing Schadenfreude is the most impressive. The song is oh so educational, fun, and brutally honest. It's hard to pick just a few lyrics from this song because I think the entire thing is hilarious, like pretty much every other song in "Avenue Q."

My favorite lyric: Being on an elevator when somebody shouts "hold the door!"/NO!/Schadenfreude/Fuck you lady, that's what stairs are for...Watching actors never reach/the ending of their Oscar speech!

10. The entire "Scrubs" musical, specifically The Rant Song and Everything Comes Down to Poo - Once again, I know every song in this production by heart. It's less impressive considering it adds up to about 15 minutes of music, but I think it's still random and slightly embarrassing to admit. Guy Love gets all the attention, and it's great, but Everything Comes Down to Poo is funnier in my opinion and The Rant Song is more impressive linguistically.

My favorite lyric: All across the nation/we trust in defecation...our number one test is your number two! (Everything Comes Down to Poo)...It's your hair, your nose, your chinless face, you always need a hug/not to mention all the manly Appletinis that you chug/that you think I am your mentor just continues to perplex/and oh my god stop telling me when you have nerdy sex! (The Rant Song)

11. El Dorado from "The Road to El Dorado" - I've certainly seen this movie enough times to have the music memorized by now. Like all great kids movies, it has a famous singer doing the soundtrack. In this case, Elton John. The wonders of the new world and the difficulties of being a god seem much more impressive when Elton John is there to tell us in song. Okay, he didn't sing that second one, but he does do the fantastic traveling tune The Trail We Blaze. (What trail? The trail that we blaze!....THAT trail that we blaze!) If I ever go on a road trip, The Trail We Blaze should be the first song I listen to. But on the topic of El Dorado, any rabid fan needs to know this one so you can sing along with the opening cartoon narration.

My favorite lyric: And made El Dorado/the mag-ni-fi-cent!
12. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from "Monty Python's Life of Brian" and "Spamalot" - I think anyone who is alive should be required to know this song by heart. Like Billy Joel's Piano Man, everyone should know this just so they can belt it out when the situation calls for it. Bonus points to you if you can actually whistle along too.

My favorite lyric: Always look on the bright side of death/just before you draw your terminal breath/life's a piece of shit/when you look at it/life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true

13. "Bill Nye the Science Guy" theme song - And back to my 90s past with this one. Back in my day we didn't learn science from stuffy old teachers, we learned science from none other than Bill Nye, a science guy. These days, you kids with your rock music and hip hopping have nothing to compare to that. You don't have anywhere to get your real science education from! You know, except "Mythbusters." (I'll admit, this isn't quite a song, and doesn't have much in the way of lyrics, but just the fact that I know how it goes still is the crazy part).

My favorite lyric: Inertia is a property of matter (Who knows if I would have graduated high school without knowing that vital fact!)

14. Be a Star from "Life-size" - Ah, what a simpler time. Lindsay Lohan was still an adorable child actor and Tyra Banks was just breaking into television. This movie had a peppy little theme song that is still stuck in the recesses of my brain.

My favorite lyric: The lyrics are too insipid and repetetive to select favorites. It was a Disney jingle after all.

15. "Tiny Toons" theme song - I don't remember the plot of any episodes, and I don't remember why I liked this show since I never liked the original Looney Tunes that much, outside of "Space Jam." But I remember the theme song. There are plenty of random Disney and cartoon songs I remember because they were ingrained in my psyche as a child, but I think "Tiny Toons" is the most random of them all. Okay, maybe the intro to Disney's Sing Along Songs videos with the owl and birds in the classroom is more random, but I don't know if anyone else besides me really remembers that at all.

My favorite lyric: We're comic dispensers/we crack up all the censors
16. "Powerpuff Girls" theme song - ah, the mystery of Chemical X. This is one of those cartoons where you wonder what the creators were smoking when they came up with the concept. Just look at the villains! Mojo Jojo? Gangrene Gang? Him?! After the Red Guy from "Cow & Chicken," Him is the most terrifying, ambiguous, bizarre, crimson villain in cartoon history. And it just dawned on me - why was Professor Utonium trying to create the "perfect little girl"? I need to stop thinking about this before my nostalgia turns sour.

My favorite lyric: Also, on second thought, this isn't really a theme song with words either since the only words are during the narration before the music...wait, the theme has words in the ending credits! I know those!

17. "Doug" musical moments (from the Beets to Bangin' on a Trash Can) - Okay, I'll make up for playing fast and loose with my own rules and include some songs that are actual songs. Like I Need More Allowance and Killer Tofu by "Doug" universe band The Beets. I love that "Doug" actually bothered to write and record actual snippets of songs for their fictional band. I think it's one of the reasons I give "Spongebob Squarepants" so much credit - it's similar to many great cartoons of my day that included musical numbers.

My favorite lyric: I need more allowance/yodelayeehoo/why? Because I do!
18. "Arthur" theme song - this is going even further back in my childhood, but "Arthur" is a classic. I even remember everything leading up to the theme song, including PBS thanking Viewers Like You who make the channel possible and the Juicy Juice ad about 100% juice for 100% kids. 100% kids? How's that for phoning in your ad campaign? Apparently the theme's official name is Believe In Yourself, naturally. And it's reggae. I also remember the Jekyll and Hyde number Brain sang in the "Arthur" musical/literary episode which also included an inspiring ditty about getting a library card.

My favorite lyric: And I say hey (hey!)/what a wonderful kind of day

19. I Wish Every Day Could Be Christmas from "The Fairly Oddparents" - I still like listening to this song in the winter. I like to find the episode itself when I can, just so I can hear Timmy's dad go nuts over eggnog again and again. Crazy, obsessive dads in cartoons are fun. That's why "The Muffin King" will always be the greatest episode of "Dexter's Laboratory." I think this song perfectly captures the feeling of a kid on Christmas and how you wish it would never end.

My favorite lyric: New Year's Eve's for mom and dad/the Easter Bunny eggs smell really bad!/Valentine's Day always makes me sad/(Cause Timmy just can't get a girlfriend!)
20. Every song from "Moulin Rouge" - At first glance, this might not seem so odd. Most music in this film was a cover of some other famous song. But for some reason, since I was younger at the time I saw it, I didn't really know all those songs too well yet and I now associate them with the movie instead of the original artist. The song Roxanne doesn't make me think of The Police, it makes me think of El Tango de Roxanne, and so on. I am a little ashamed to admit that when I hear Like a Virgin, the first thing it makes me think of is definitely not Madonna.

My favorite lyric: Rather than mention lyrics, I have to say the Elephant Love Medley is my favorite example of combining popular music into one epic love song.

21. Way too many Backstreet Boys songs - Being a child of the 90s, one of the biggest questions of my childhood wasn't "Team Edward or Team Jacob" (thank god!) but Backstreet Boys or N*Sync. I was a Backstreet Boys girl all the way and didn't come around to N*Sync until, say, about a year ago. It was a little disturbing when I was uploading all my old CDs onto my computer a few years ago and, when coming across the album "Millennium," I realized I remembered the entire song list, in order, word-for-word. That was more like nostalgia resurfacing and hitting me in the face. But I don't care what anyone says, I Want It That Way is one of the greatest songs of all time.

My favorite lyric: All the "tell me why"s. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the key to making a hit song is making it really easy to sing along to.

My Top 10: Unfairly Hated TV Characters

One of the unfortunate products of the Internet is the fact that people are allowed to spew all sorts of hate in comfortable anonymity. Now, I take TV kind of seriously but I also realize it's all fiction intended for our entertainment. Other people, however, take things very seriously and apparently get very worked up over certain plotlines or characters. I've noticed that a lot of characters that get chastised for being annoying are often very realistically written and perhaps people just don't want to spend time with fictional people who whine and complain just as much as real people do. I also love the irony of people complaining about characters who complain too much. Some of the hate heaped on certain characters is, in my opinion, unwarranted. And when I say hate, I don't mean so-bad-it's-good, love-to-hate hate. I mean hate-to-hate, revulsion, cancel-this-monstrosity-now-it's-burning-my-eyes-out hate. So I made a list, in increasing order of unfair hatred, to defend some of them. The standard caveat applies: I can only cover shows that I'm familiar with. I'm sure there are plenty more unfairly reviled characters, so feel free to comment away with other suggestions.

10. Susan Meyer (Teri Hatcher) from
"Desperate Housewives"

There's a LOT of hate for this character, even more than the hate for everyone else on this show. I think most of it stems from a general hatred out there towards Teri Hatcher for some reason. I'd like to clarify that I don't even like Susan Meyer - in fact, she irritates me quite a bit when her neurotic side takes over (which is, let's face it, often). But I also find her neurotic disposition and gossipy lifestyle to be painfully realistic sometimes. These qualities are exaggerated for comic effect, but I think there are plenty of people in the real world who are just as annoying. People get really nasty about this character because of lots of reasons that combine into one giant force of annoying. Lots of people hate Teri Hatcher. Lots of people love to hate "Desperate Housewives," since it's cool to bash it and try to make yourself look smart and superior. Lots of people hate Susan because she's silly, clumsy, and immature. Some complaints on this subject are warranted, but it shouldn't take the nasty form it often does.

9. Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) from
"Gilmore Girls"

I put this one low on the list because it's a rather dated reference by now. Luke is a good example of character assassination because the writers demanded it but didn't bother to make it realistic at all. After Luke and Lorelai finally got together, the writers decided they needed obstacles, so they threw in Luke's long-lost daughter April, a lispy precocious young teen who drove a wedge between the couple. As that season progressed, Luke became more and more distant as he kept Lorelai and April apart for no reason whatsoever leading Lorelai to eventually explode and run into her ex's arms. While I hated Luke during the season or two he became even more crotchety than normal, I think the hatred by a lot of fans was unfair. His change in personality was out-of-character and completely contrived. It was the kind of personality change where it takes you out of the show to the point where you can hear the writers pondering "hmmm....should we bother giving them an organic conflict that leads to a satisfying resolution and deepens their relationship? Nah, let's just make Luke act like an ass so we can have fun with Christopher again! We already know Luke and Lorelai will end up together at the end of the series, so let's not bother worrying about things like consistent characterization."

8. Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) from
"Heroes"
People really started to hate Mohinder. I might be a little biased in my opinion since I had a major crush on him and I stopped watching the show for a while when he finally got more storyline, but I still think he was unfairly reviled. To lots of people, he came off as preachy and ineffective. But he was one of the only people on the show with no powers, the cast of the show was huge and he wasn't given enough screen-time to flesh out his character, and the brief arc where he was pals with Sylar (when he didn't know it was Sylar) certainly didn't do him any favors. Now, I missed the storyline of him getting his own powers somehow, so maybe it was awful and he deserved the hatred for that, but a lot of the hate was spewed before that season and I just felt really bad for him.

7. Grace Adler (Debra Messing) from
"Will & Grace"
Grace is the type of character you either like and enjoy or find grating and dislike. She's the standard neurotic, flustered female you get on a sitcom. This definitely falls under the category of "if you loathe the main character, why are you watching this show?" "Will & Grace" is a sitcom - you're pretty much ensured this kind of character. I feel like the kind of people who go around talking about how much they hate a character like Grace are the kind of people who feel like they have some sort of obligation to humanity to convince everyone that the show sucks as much as they think it does, even though every person is completely free to watch or not watch depending on how they feel on the subject.

6. Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) from
"Will & Grace"

Once again, you know what you're getting into with a sitcom - wacky characters. I'm in the camp of people who love Jack. But I can understand where some people are coming from in hating him. He's played as a stereotype and a lot of the humor on "Will & Grace" comes from stereotyping. But once again, it's a sitcom. Almost every sitcom has some sort of stereotypical character. I don't see people up in arms over "Glee" reinforcing stereotypes of drama queens and gay characters, yet I know "Will & Grace" received plenty of criticism for this. The way I see it, it was a groundbreaking sitcom still held back by a time period of considerable homophobia. And while the characters were often stereotypes, they were also endearing, funny, heartwarming, and compassionate friends. Jack may have been a stereotype, but he was not a negative character by any means.

5. Violet Turner (Amy Brenneman) from
"Private Practice"

Violet shares a lot in common with Meredith Grey in that they're both characters with dark pasts who are not immediately likeable to the unforgiving viewer. I was surprised how many people hoped Violet would be the one to get killed off in the season finale since I don't think she's that insufferable. She went through a major traumatic experience! Some mourning time and recovery is warranted here. Her romantic entanglements I can take or leave, but I actually enjoyed her storyline when it involved her trauma and the custody battle over Lucas. I was especially glad that, instead of getting nasty and staying there, the Oceanside group got nasty for a while, then felt bad and rose above it. Violet dealt with her situation in a mature manner - she understood she had to get better before she could be entrusted with Lucas, yet she demanded her rights as a mother. I think most people on the outside of the show find everyone in the cast insufferable, but the people who can stand the show and enjoy it on a certain soapy level have no reason to hate Violet in particular, in my humble opinion.

4. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) from
"Grey's Anatomy"

This is just a character that lots of people don't like. But since she's the star of the show, complaints about Meredith often lead me to wonder once again, "then why are you watching the show?" Many people hate the voiceover device. I like it when used well but I don't mind it so much to the point of hatred even if it's vague and adds nothing to the show. Physically, Ellen Pompeo isn't a stunner and I do have a hard time imagining guys fighting over her. She's like primetime TV's version of Bella Swan (although that may be a bit too harsh. Okay, extremely harsh). And personality-wise, she isn't the most fun either. But I find her to be a realistic character in the way her dark and twisty-ness comes out. She complains about legitimate things most of the time - like her issues with her mother's affair, her father's abandonment, and all sorts of other family trauma. She's not the most immediately likeable character, but I think there's something human about her in that, once you get to know her, her eccentricities make sense and her dark attitude becomes justified. Also, I give "Grey's Anatomy" and Meredith major points for allowing the character to change and evolve over the years. Meredith isn't still doing the same dark and twisty routine she did in early seasons. She's married, she's matured, and dealt with many of her childhood traumas. She's got a good relationship with Lexie and her marriage to Derek is surprisingly - dare I say it? - healthy.

3. Daniel Shaw (Brandon Routh) from
"Chuck"

This one might be pretty controversial for "Chuck" fans. I was by no means a fan of Shaw, but I think this is another case of The Powers That Be influencing the narrative negatively. I could understand just not liking him - Brandon Routh is like handsome cardboard. And I could understand not liking him for coming between Sarah and Chuck. And maybe it's my own opinion, but I never felt like Shaw was that big a threat. Romantically with Sarah, he never had the same charm and magnetism that Bryce Larkin did. I knew that he was thrown in to give Chuck and Sarah another obstacle, I knew that Sarah was afraid of getting involved with Chuck and afraid of what Chuck was becoming so she might find solace in fellow spy Shaw, and I knew that Chuck and Sarah would end up together anyway. So yes, I understand he wasn't a likeable character, but I think people went way overboard with how much they despised him. I think this backlash was more from the Shipper fans, who couldn't stand to see anyone come between Chuck and Sarah. (Oh, and to note: this was my attitude before he became the finale villain and killed Chuck and Ellie's father. Then we were supposed to loathe him. I'm talking about the period before, when we were supposed to accept him as a team member. Later, I loved-to-hate him since he gave us some epic Chuck vs. Shaw action).

2. Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) from
"Doctor Who"

Poor Freema had a very tough position. She had to follow the beloved Rose Tyler played by Billie Piper. She was also saddled with a forced crush on the Doctor that was, of course, not going to end well. In retrospect, she gets an even worse rap since people adored Donna Noble as played by Brit comedian Catherine Tate. One of the biggest disadvantages Freema had was being an unknown. While unknown to us US viewers, both Billie Piper and Catherine Tate were already famous before being cast as companions and therefore already had solid fan bases. Freema didn't get this luxury and ended up with an uphill battle to win fan support. I personally think Donna is as overrated as it gets. People loved her habit of "knocking the Doctor off his high horse, calling him on his mistakes, and generally keeping him grounded." I hated her habit of being an annoying bitch most of the time. (She had her highlights though. I actually really loved her in "Partners in Crime" and "Turn Left.") Martha was smart, driven, and an asset to the Doctor. It was about time to have a companion who wasn't a doe-eyed worshipper of the Doctor, but Martha wasn't the fluttery preteen-like fangirl that many "Doctor Who" fans make her out to be. If nothing else, I think she should get major points for being gorgeous. Not to be entirely shallow, but she did have redeeming qualities on a purely physical level! (And now that I sound like a lesbian creeper....on to number one!)

1. Rita Bennett/Morgan (Julie Benz) from
"Dexter"

The inspiration for this list. It's a little late coming since most of the hatred was released in the wake of her death as people everywhere declared "good riddance." Me, I could never understand why people hated or even just didn't like her. I loved her with Dexter and loved seeing how he became a better person when he was with her. Most, if not all, of the complaints came from Rita's purported "nagging" of Dexter. Apparently people think a wife should be perfectly fine with her husband being gone at all hours of the night or gone on secret trips, even if he's had a history of leaving you for another woman amidst a heroin addiction. What a pain in the ass, a woman wanting to know where the man she loves is! What a nagging bitch, asking you to commit to your family! I wasn't thrilled when she got killed off and hope her character gets a proper send-off on-screen, since many "Dexter" fans celebrated her off-ing. Rest in peace, Rita.