Life isn't black and white, neither should your characters be

I was watching the latest episode of Hell on Wheels this morning - which was excellent, by the way, as always - and I was struck by something. The characters are so very well written, and so well rounded that it isn't just a matter of black and white, good and evil. They are fleshed out in such a way that you can't always be sure how to feel about them. As I noticed from the beginning of the season, although I've never liked the Swede, and he's a complete and total ass, I've come to admire his strength of character. After his fall from grace, having been tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail at the end of the first season, his status in the town dropped as low as it possibly could. Mr. Durant, out of the "kindness" of his heart, kept him on, but he's been reduced to collecting the town's slops. But the thing is, he does it to the best of his ability and with a certain diligence and integrity, because he has this work ethic. No, I still don't like him, but I respect him more. Even the hero of the series, Cullen Bohannon, is not a cut and dried good guy. He's very complex, and he does what he needs to do. He's still incredibly hot, though, that hasn't changed.

My point is that characters are not static, nor are they completely one way or another - neither wholly good nor wholly evil. Even the bad ones have redeeming qualities. Depends on the writer whether you can see that or not. It's too easy to set up a cartoonish world of right and wrong, where the hero - dressed in white - always wins, and the villain - forever in black - comes out on the losing side in the end. Life is not like that, as we know. Evil can and does win, and nothing is guaranteed. Good, because frankly, that gets damn boring time after time after time. Good needs a challenge to keep it on its toes, and temptation to show its human.

Take for example one of the books I'm currently reading - Paradise Lost, by John Milton. The undoubted hero of this piece if Lucifer, the fallen angel, who comes off as far more heroic, brave, and virtuous than the man who tossed him and his compadres from Heaven. This is one hell of a book - no pun intended - and I've gotten a lot out of it, and I'm only half way done. But it's no easy task to take a character that historically viewed as the epitome of everything that is dark and evil in this world and make him appear in a more sympathetic light. As I said, not everyone is all good or all bad. Not even God and the devil. By the way, did you know that Satan means adversary? It's taken on whole new meanings, and is instantly identifiable with the bad side, with devils and demons, etc, but that is the original meaning.

It's such a temptation to write our heroes as perfect, unblemished, wonderful, beautiful, etc - because that's how we want to see them. But oh how boring that would be if true. Perfection is just boring, to the max. There's a reason that women love their bad boys. Seriously. Differences and imperfections are what makes the world go round. Different strokes for different folks and all that. From what I've been reading of Paradise, it was boring. I would have to take umbrage with so many things, not least of which is being under Adam's control (he comes across to me as a bit of a mindless oaf). Also, there are no books! What's a world without reading? B-o-r-i-n-g, that's what. All they did was tend the trees in the garden (except for the forbidden one, of course. Hey, I'm not gardener, that just sounds damn boring. And singing hosannas and praises all the time? Really?  Okay, I guess there was sex. Had to be. They were naked, they were human, and they were intended to procreate. Had I been Eve, I would have gone for the serpent/Lucifer too. By the way, Eve was supposed to populate the world? What, alone? That's a vagina, not a clown car! Get real! And then think about it, if everyone born (let's say she cranked out twenty kids, which is a lot, but let's go with it), then these twenty people only have themselves to procreate with... well, you get the gist, right? WTH? According to that line of reasoning (and for those who take the Bible literally, which doesn't include me), then we're all the long term products of incest. Well, I can see it with some...

Okay, back to the subject.

Make your characters believable and make them human. Even the villain has something about him or her that isn't wholly bad or wrong. Also, put them on a somewhat equal footing. What does it prove if the hero defeats a villain he far outclasses? What test of his worthiness is that?

Change up the problems too. If you write m/m, don't always use the nobody likes gays trope, that gets old. Don't make your characters' sexuality their sole problem in life. You won't garner a mainstream audience by constantly throwing sexuality in the reader's faces. No, it has to be more subtle than that. Create characters that people can sympathize with, get to know and like for who they are, and let sexuality be a part of who they are, but not the whole enchilada. Change doesn't come easily and it doesn't come quickly. Sometimes you have to be subtle and come in the backdoor. Then before you know it, you've affected the mindset of a whole lot of people, and they in turn will pass it on to future generations, and suddenly it will just be, and people will wonder at the ignorance of people, as we make fun of those who thought the world is flat and that man can never fly.

Make your reader care even a little bit for your villain, even if he or she will never truly like him. Same with the hero. Give him a flaw, something to overcome, something to strive toward. It makes for richer and better reading, and characters that will live in readers' minds long after the last page has been turned.

Until next time, take care! I'm off to see Lawless, and no doubt I'll review it and give you my impressions!

♥ Julie

Double Eliminations, a Birth, and more (Many spoilers)

There were four standing - Chefs Zakarian, Falkner, Guarnaschelli and Chiarello. And the night would hold a double elimination in the battle to become the next Iron Chef.  *****spoilers********The four chefs were taken to the exclusive area of the Hamptons - playpen of the rich and famous - set down on the docks with a budget and instructions to make three dishes. Chef Falkner had the advantage and a headstart. One chef would win the challenge and go straight to the finale. The chef on bottom would go home. And the other two would have a secret ingredient challenge to determine which would go to the finale.

Chef Zakarian secured the first spot, knocking it out of the ballpark with his winning recipes. Unfortunately, we had to say good-bye to Chef Guarnaschelli. I'd hoped to see Alex and Geoffrey in the last showdown; it wasn't mean to be. So Chefs Falkner and Chiarello met in a head to head. The secret ingredients were crackers and wine. What Chiarello came up with looked nasty, to be honest. I wasn't sorry to see him eliminated. Now it's Geoffrey and Elizabeth in the head to head final showdown next Sunday. Of course I'm rooting for Geoffrey. As I said before, he'll bring a definite touch of class to Iron Chef. If he wins, I'll definitely watch it on a more regular basis.

Last night was Top Chef Texas, which also contained a double elimination. First the quickfire challenge in which the chefs chose a type of Don Julio tequila to cook with and made a dish, pairing liquor and food. The winner received $5000. Then came the elimination challenge, in which chefs were paired up according to who they were standing by, and each pair received a game meat to cook. Unfortunately, Heather and Bev ended up together. Bev is a control freak who doesn't seem to get much done, focusing on small tasks, although she was stoutly defended by some of the chefs as a hard worker but I haven't seen much evidence of that yet. Heather, while just in some of her criticisms, was also a bit of a bitch about things. It's amazing they didn't shoot each other down, but somehow they managed to survive. The winners of this challenge were Edward and Ty. So far, Edward is one of my favorites. I also like Chris Jones. The losing pair were Nyesa and Dakota, basically because Dakota's meat wasn't cooked nearly enough and Nyesha hadn't checked on her until it was too late. I only recently became aware of Nyesa, and the fact that I should have recognized her sooner - she was the winner of the executive chef position at the Wilshire in LA, as shown on Chef Hunter. I've seen that episode at least three times, and never made the connection. Alas, too little too late.

So, Hell on Wheels. This is an unexpected gem in the AMC line up. I like it even better than I do The Walking Dead, which is on hiatus til February. It's a rich panoply of life in post Civil War America, involving the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. In last week's episode, Cullan and Elam were pitted against one another in a show of fisticuffs, one aimed to divert attention from the lack of a payroll. Elam won, but only because someone *coughIrishbrothercough* doctored Elam's gloves with pepper juice which got into Cullen's eyes. When Cullen mentioned it in this week's episode - not angry, but rather with admiration for his tactic - Elam denied it. Durant is having financial difficulties, and if he doesn't fulfill his part of the contract, he stands to lose quite a bit of money. He is thwarted by his lack of maps pertaining to the Rocky Mountains - he needs them badly, and Mrs. Bell is holding out for what she feels is a fair price - what he owed her late husband. In the newest episode, we see a father and a son and their respective beliefs clash, as the Indians are invited to Hell on Wheels to discuss being relocated to a reservation. I love Colm Meaney, he's awesome as Durant, and Anson Mount is easy on the eyes as Cullen Bohannon. This is a must see series.

American Horror Story - just wow. This is a great show. Haven't seen anything like this in years. Last week,  as you'll recall, Ben realized that his wife wasn't lying about being raped, and he arranged for her to be released from the insane asylum he had her committed to. Funny thing - she's only six months pregnant, but she seems much farther along. That's because one of the twins is growing at a phenomenal rate - and starving its sibling in the process. Last week we learned the shocking truth about Violet - she actually overdosed and she's dead. Now she can never leave, any more than the others can. When Dad tries to drag her to the asylum to see Mom, she refuses, and of course his dragging her to the car doesn't do any good - she can't leave the grounds. Chad and his bf are preparing for the big event, to Constance's chagrin, who tells them they can have Dr. Harmon's baby, but to leave her grandchild alone. Hayden wants the children too, and so does Nora Montgomery. Vivian refuses to set foot in the house, but she goes into labor in the car, with dire results. One child is stillborn, and Constance whisks the other away right after he's born - and Vivien bleeds out (Dr. Montgomery is the attending physician). Now she and Violet can be ghosts together. This series just keeps on getting better!

All for now. Person of Interest tonight, and Chef Hunter. More about Once Upon a Time next time, Restaurant Impossible and Mystery Diners. This weekend is Bishie Con so I won't be around much. But tomorrow is another day.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

AMC's Got it Going on (Beware of spoiler)

AMC has two new hits on its hands, and you can find both series on Sunday nights - The Walking Dead, now in its second season, and the new offering, Hell on Wheels. Both original, and both well done shows in completely different genres. Kudos to AMC for going outside of the box and doing more than simply showing movies. I hope that they find more such worthy candidates in the future, although not to the exclusion of the movies, of course.

Hell on Wheels is a very visually appealing series. I enjoy the look of it, as well as the feel of it. The character development is great. There's a great deal of social commentary here, threaded in with the history. It doesn't sugarcoat the attitudes of the times toward the various groups; they're all represented here. From the former slaves to the Indians, to women and Christians and even the former Confederate soldiers who are simply trying to get by. ****Spoilers ahead*****  Last episode, we saw Cullen kill the foreman of the railroad gang, because of what he did to his wife, for which he was incarcerated by the Big Swede (who's actually Norwegian, but that's another story), made his escape and boldly asked Colm Meaney for the dead man's job - and got it. This week we watch as he finds the clue to the other man he needs to kill to avenge his wife's death. And we see more of the widow with the plans. And the two Irish brothers who run the show, and are looking to make their fortune. I love history, and this series just brings it to life very well. I hope it continues for some time to come.

As for The Walking Dead - next week is the mid-season finale (it seems as though most of the shows are shutting down until January - bummer!) This week, we watched as Lori tried to abort the baby she carries, and fails, and confesses to Rick about her and Shane. His reaction wasn't what I expected. Also we learn about the walkers in the barn and why they're there. Sophia has been missing for several episodes now - I have to wonder if she'll ever be found. Everyone is learning to defend themselves, and Carl wants to learn too. He has a tendency to turn to Shane for parental permission, and I have to wonder if this will create friction between Shane and Rick at some point. It's a harsh post-apocalyptic world, one I'm not sure I'd want to survive in. It's also about the survival of the human spirit.

I'm really enjoying Grimm, Friday nights on NBC. Last week's episode was Lonelyhearts and dealt with a Bluebeard who attracted women to himself and killed them. In this episode we saw more of Captain Renard, in his dealings with a grim reaper - my speculation is that the Captain is the devil. We'll see. I'm really liking Wolfy more and more, he makes a great, albeit unwilling sidekick, to Nick. I hope this show continues for a while. I believe more scripts have been ordered.

Last night the theme of Next Iron Chef was Improvisation, as the chefs were taken to a comedy club in LA, where Kevin Nealon was the host. With the participation of the audience, he made a list of ingredients, and pared it down to four which the chefs had to use in their challenge - octopus, kumquats, tortillas, and marshmallows. Quite the challenge! The winner of that challenge was Chef Chiarello. At the bottom were Chefs Samuellson, Zakarian and MacMillan, but Marcus lived to cook another day, and the other two had to face off. The secret ingredient was coconut. Chef Geoffrey did two dishes, despite the repeated warnings from the judges that it's not a good thing to do. Luckily, he made something really really good, and he squeaked through. Good-bye Chef MacMillan. Sorry, not sobbing over this one. I like seeing more of chefs I never got the chance to actually see in action - such as Alex and Geoffrey. I think both are strong contenders, but I think Anne Burrell is even more so. From now on, the competition will only get fiercer.

Alas for no Sweet Genius, but I hear they are recruiting cast members for a second season, so that's wonderful news. As I mentioned before, Justified will be back in January. A lot of shows are going on hiatus til then, I've noticed. I hope Californication comes back soon, and The Borgias. Cesare Borgia - well, he's to die for, he's so hot.

My dream job would be to someday have a series of my own on cable. I dream of seeing To The Max as a series. I'd also love to do a historical, something that makes history more real and interesting to people. Most history teachers seem determined to make their students dislike it because of the way they teach it. If I'd ever have become a teacher, it would have been history, I love it that much. And I'd have tried to make it alive and real, like it was when it happened. I hope I do that with the historicals that I write, anyway.

That's all for now. Back to editing and writing! Working on something secret (not writing, a craft type thing), but I can't say too much, it's a secret. When I'm done, I'll take a picture and post it. Home made gifts rule, I think.

Until next time, take care!
♥ Julie

Hell on Wheels, Next Iron Chef and more

Last weekend AMC premiered another new series, Hell on Wheels. It airs on Sunday night, same night as their other original series, The Walking Dead. Hell on Wheels is the name of a town, it's set post Civil War and concerns the building of the Transcontinental railroad. Colm Meaney (DS9) is determined to not only get that railroad built but to make as much money as he can in the process - no matter what the cost. Anson Mount plays Cullen Bohannan, a former Confederate soldier, who's bent on revenge against the Union soldiers that murdered his wife.  ***spoilers*****  In the first episode, we see Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs, Monk) in a role that reminded me of the one he played in Wild Wild West, General Bloodbath McGrath. Minus the ear trumpet. Alas, that's the only episode we'll see him in. Colm Meaney makes a good bad guy - ruthless, money hungry and cold - quite different from the Chief O'Brien we knew and loved on DS9. The show looks really good. The cinematography is very well done, I really enjoyed the look of it. I found the story interesting, the characters too, and I look forward to seeing more.

This episode of Next Iron Chef took us to the San Diego Padre stadium, where the chefs were told to change  up some ballpark food, utilizing ball park ingredients. Alex Guarnaschelli hit a home run with her dishes, so much so that the judges had nothing to say to her - they were perfect. Geoffrey Zakarian made great food, but they warned him he wasn't following the rules. He found himself in the bottom three but squeaked by, leaving Robert Irvine and Michael Chiarello as the bottom two who had to do the sudden death mystery basket face off. The secret ingredient, in keeping with the ball park theme, was peanuts. Unfortunately, the casualty was Chef Robert. I've come to like him on Restaurant Impossible. I was sorry to see him go. Marcus received a warning that if he continued to overcook, he would have to choose the two he wanted to represent him in future. Sarah and I think Anne Burrell has a good shot at becoming the Next Iron Chef.

I watched last night's Grimm this morning. The episode was entitled "Beeware", and concerned a flash mob murder. A guy gets on a bus carrying a duffle bag. Everyone looks nervous, especially when he opens it. But then he pulls out a boom box and "YMC A" begins to play and everyone rocks out. They all get off at the same stop - except for one woman. She's dead. This episode involves bees, and the guest star was Nana Visitor (Kira from DS9). I am really enjoying this series, and we are learning more about the mysterious blonde woman who tried to kill Nick's aunt. He is forced to protect her in this episode. I really like his wolfy sidekick too, his reluctant henchman. I hope it lasts for a while.

Hawaii 5-0 was good, as always.Danno is dealing with moving to smaller digs in the form of a sleazy motel,  and this episode sees him gain a four legged friend, whose owner has been killed. In this episode, Greg Grunberg guest stars (Matt Parkman, Heroes) and it was funny to see him and Max (who played Hiro on Heroes) reunite. Max kept asking did he know him. Great scene. Beautiful scenery, great banter between Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) and Danno (Scott Caan), and any scene with Alex in it! Hope it lasts for a while.

Vampire Diaries - what can I say? The only thing it has going for it, as far as I'm concerned, is Damon Salvatore (Ian Sommerhalder). Sometimes the writing verges on the ridiculous, the plots are stupid, and I hate the flashbacks to the past. God knows what they're going to do with the cave drawings they've recently found, unless it's just what they're doing now - tieing it all in with Klaus and Michael. ****Spoilers******* When Stefan screwed up Damon's carefully laid plan, I wanted to choke him. Until I found out why he did it. Then I had to forgive him, of course. He has his humanity back - oh joy. Now I guess we'll be forced to endure him and Elena as a couple again. Not that I think that will stop Damon, alas, from pining over her. What does he see in her?  I'll never know.

More later about Once Upon a Time and Top Chef Texas.

Til next time, take care!

♥ Julie