Which Love Story Would Leave You More Gutted on MR. SELFRIDGE?

For the most part, I enjoy watching the first series of Mr. Selfridge because, as someone who's guilty about loving shopping, it's fun to follow what goes on behind a fashion empire's rise to the top.

I'm not sure how much of this series is patterned after real life. All I know is that Selfridge still exists in London as a high-end department store. And if ever its beginnings and history has been romanticized for the sake of TV, I don't care much for that. I'm just glad it's been a good series so far.

Part of the appeal of this show for me is the characters' backstories, beginning with Mr. Selfridge's wandering eye...

You have to watch all 10 episodes to get where this scene is coming from. But this happened during the series finale, which aired this week. (Spoiler alert!) This was when Mr. Selfridge's wife, Rose, declared she and the kids were leaving him.

I was crying my heart out watching this unfold:

Rose Selfridge: When I saw Rosalie, tonight in the play, I just wanted to sink to the floor. I felt so guilty and ashamed of myself.
Harry Selfridge: Even the children are everything to me, I'm lost without you.
Rose: You always say that, Harry.
Harry: So, where does it stand between you and me?
Rose: I don't know.
Harry: Are you gonna leave me? I'm gonna go to the store tomorrow and face all those people at 9 am. And I don't think that I could do it, if I didn't know that I was coming home to you.
Rose: Then why do you have other women?
Harry: I don't...I'm just...I'm just a damn fool. That's all and that's the truth.
Rose: I'm sorry Harry, we're leaving for Chicago...

Not a pretty portrait at the Selfridge's mansion

I though they were gonna make it! There was a brief moment in Episode 7 or 8 where they went through something and supported each other as man & wife. I really thought that was a turning point!

 Now, my favorite character on the show is Ms. Mardle, the head of the accessories department. (That I really love accessories has something to do with my love for her, too!) Ms. Mardle has been keeping her relationship with Selfridge's chief-of-staff, Mr. Grove, a secret since it's forbidden at work. 

A couple of episodes back, Mr. Grove, a widower without any heir, experienced a personal crisis and decided to break it off with Ms. Mardle...only to marry a younger shopkeeper, Doris Miller, not long after. Ms. Mardle remained a supportive friend to Mr. Grove, but I guess this scene was the last straw. 

I also couldn't stop crying watching this:

Mr. Grove: I was struck by this terrible sense of my own mortality. With dying, without leaving something of myself behind.
Ms. Mardle: I would have gladly bore your child.
Mr. Grove: I always thought you were wedded to your work.
Ms. Mardle: A little human will show what we women really long for. But now of course it's too late for me. Miss Miller on the other hand... 
Mr. Grove: She has a true kind heart and she wants nothing more in life than to be someone's wife and mother. And Doris can save me from the terror of dying without leaving any trace of me behind.
Ms. Mardle: I hope you will be a good husband to her, Roger.
Mr. Grove: She will never know I loved another far, far more.
Ms. Mardle: And did you, truly?
Mr. Grove: I did. I do. You're the love of my life.
Ms. Mardle: Thank you for saying that. Whether it's true or not, I shall always remember it.

Ms. Mardle's got the sads...

Mr. Grove: It need not end like this.
Ms. Mardle: I don't understand.
Mr. Grove: We can still have our precious Tuesday evenings together. Doris would never know, I would never hurt her unnecessarily. I could tell her I spend one night a week in my club, as I've always have. We need to see each other after all.
Ms. Mardle: But it seems so wrong.
Mr. Grove: It is not wrong in our hearts.
Ms. Mardle: To me it is. I could never do that to Doris...I want you to leave now, please, Roger.

Coz you, Mr. Grove, are an arse...

Gutted. Gutted. Gutted.

I don't know where I cried harder, for Miss Mardle or for Rose Selfridge.

I did not expect to love this show so much. The finale was....to borrow the famous word: PERFECTION.

The other thing I love about Mr. Selfridge? The women's clothes! Particularly Rose Selfridge's who wore a lot of laces.

I am so digging the granny look! 
She wore other prettier lacey dresses, I just can't find the photos of it. 

Anyway, have you caught this British series? This will work if you're missing your Downton Abbey fix, I promise you. Refer to Mr.  Selfridge on IMDb for show info.

P.S.

Site concerns: I seem to have lost my page rank and I'm still trying to figure out why this site is no longer indexing in the search engines. I may have to suspend posting the news link for now and observe what is happening.

Thank you for watching with me, as always!

Marnie Covers Kanye on GIRLS

It was so awkward listening to Marnie make a fool of herself on Girls tonight. Why is she still throwing herself over Charlie?? I honestly believe she's weakest, in the psychological sense, of all the characters. I've been hatin' her guts since last season. I mean, GET A GRIP GIRL and HAVE SELF-RESPECT! Watching Marnie stresses me out!

Anyway, this is the song. Is it even original to Girls? I am not sure, I Googled and didn't come up with any good hits about the song. But I've transcribed this by ear, so some lyrics are probably not accurate. You can help me correct this by making a comment below. Thanks!

Work it, make it, do it, makes us harder, better faster stronger.
That, that don't kill me,
Can only make me stronger.
I need you to hurry up now
Coz I can't wait much longer.
Let's get lost tonight,
You can be my white (Kate Moss) tonight.
Play secretary, you're the boss tonight.
And you don't give a fuck what they all say, right?
Bow in the presence of greatness
Coz right now, thou has forsaken us
You should be honored by my lateness,
That I would even show up to this fake-shit
So, go ahead, go nuts, go ape-shit.
Specially my pastels and my babe-shit.
I know I got to be right now.
Coz I can't get much wrong-er
Man, I've been waiting all night now.
That's how long I've been on you.....

Update: (8PM) Apparently, this song is originally Kanye's. Which I didn't know. Coz I am too dorky for Kanye's music. Haha.

Here's the actual trainwreck that was....Marnie!

Oh, TV! How You Disappoint Me So!

I wanted to initially start this entry by saying, "I'm sorry I haven't been blogging often," but apologizing should mean I won't be making the same mistake again. And that's something I cannot promise.

So, instead I'll just start off by saying --- I've had a helluva week! Not complaining, just stating a fact.

Which is why I couldn't keep with the summary of news updates I started doing last month. I know some of you come to this site for that (like, 3 of you haha --- so I apologize to the 3 of you!). But I still do up-to-the-minute updates on my Twitter, so you can still get your fix there.

Anyway...

Trying to relax by watching TV isn't helping right now because, as much as I try to stay glued to all the shows I'm following...this Winter TV Season run? Sucks balls! I don't know if someone out there gets what I'm trying to say (Oh, there was at least one on Twitter! Hi, Monica!) but as this article --- "Why new shows are a turn-off?" --- puts it, there are 6 reasons why this is so.

I'm on board Theory #2.

It's the show, stupid. Or put another way, most people don't want to watch boring, derivative TV anymore. [snipped] "At the end of the day if you make something people want to see, they will come, and I think this has been a year where there has not been a lot of compelling new shows on broadcast TV."

Derivative is the right word to use for it. The similarities in concepts? It's making American network television,  well......bland. (American cable TV, not so much. Saving grace, I know!)

Which is probably why, I tend to look for other shows to watch outside US more and more these days. Among the ones I can recommend: The Spa, Mr. Selfridge, Ripper Street and Broadchurch, which just started this week.

The women of Mr. Selfridge and their lace-y gowns
are two reasons why I'm loving this show!

I can remember a time when Winter TV season used to have shows that ended up surprising a lot of viewers because, not only were they entertaining, they had quality. They were potential gems. Grey's Anatomy premiered during Winter season (aka mid-season). So did The Office. In their *earlier* years (stress on earlier), these shows were really in their own league.

No show is quite like these two this season.  No gems this time, it seems. Haven't been so for...probably two-three years now, in fact. For someone who breathes TV, realizing that bums me out big time.

I tend to have high expectations during pilot development season. When development was happening last year, I was hopeful TV 2012-2013 was going to be fantastic. Look where it is now. I'm close to abandoning a lot of shows this year, especially from the freshies. And I still question why Emily Owens, M.D. was cancelled!!!

Anyway...this is a list of shows in development for TV 2013-2014, which we shall begin watching by September. And because I'm not getting along with American TV so well these days, I'm trying not to be excited about this list.

I'm not getting my hopes up. Coz, just maybe, that will help me appreciate TV next season, huh?

What about you? Disapponted by TV lately?