My Interview: Melissa Miller

Some of you may not know this but one of my favorite things to do is to interview fellow TV writers/reviewers. I read so much about TV every day and through Twitter, I have become friendly with a great group of very gifted writers. Asking for exclusive interviews is one way I can confirm and show off the fact that I have the best taste in friends.

My favorite writer this week is Melissa Miller from Small Screen Scoop.com. Melissa is a fellow fan of The Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill and The O.C.  It must be said: she writes the best Sons of Anarchy recaps ever! She is also married to a man who wishes she watched fewer CW dramas. We have plans for a husband play date.

You are what I consider a true connoisseur of Television. Of everything  you are watching right now, what is your favorite?

Oh, dear. I knew a question like this would be on here. And right off the bat! I apologize in advance to all the shows I love and I’m not naming. I still love you. Okay, I’m going to have to cheat a little. I’d say, as far as all-around quality goes, Sons of Anarchy and Justified are essentially tied. Each episode is somehow better than the last. Every actor is at their best no matter how little material they have in any given episode. They are both just solid shows. I am giddy with anticipation every single time I watch. Kurt Sutter and Graham Yost are brilliant masterminds behind two shows that screw with your head on a weekly basis and I love them for it. That being said, my favorite thing to watch is The Vampire Diaries. It’s a thrilling hour on a weekly basis and the addition of watching it “with” my Twitter buddies every week adds to the experience in a way that makes TV more fun than ever before.

What are you wishing you could give up?

First of all, I love how you phrased the question. It shows you are a true TV fanatic, because “giving up” a show isn’t as easy as just giving it up. Once you are invested, no matter how bad it gets, it seems impossible to delete that season pass, am I right? Anyway, one would be Desperate Housewives. I’ve watched from the start and it’s been getting on my nerves, but it’s ending, so… I can’t give it up now! Also, I haven’t been happy with House in awhile, and yet I’m drawn to it and can’t stop watching. I blame Jesse Spencer’s accent.

We are getting pretty close to February sweeps! Is there one show you are expecting the most from?

My initial response: The Vampire Diaries. However, they play every episode like a sweeps episode, so that seems too easy of an answer. I think the one I’m really looking for something HUGE to happen is Revenge. We already know the big reveal that catches us up to where the season started is slated to air in February so I want that episode, and frankly the ones that follow, to be massive. For a show that has only had 12 hours of programming so far, I’m almost shocked at how high my expectations are. But they are way up there. I want fireworks – literal fireworks, actually. It’s a party in the Hamptons thrown by Victoria Grayson on one of the soapiest night time soaps ever. If the figurative fireworks aren’t punctuated by literal fireworks, I’ll be disappointed.

Bonus answers: Chuck. The series finale airs during February sweeps. I expect it to be a perfect final hour. I need something to make me feel better about the show ending. I would also like a guarantee that I will see Zachary Levi will be on my TV again soon. Also, Supernatural because I always expect great things from that show. And not just because those Winchester Brothers are pretty pretty boys.

Is there a show you feel will disappoint?

Honestly, and I don’t want to sound like a really negative person, but I’m sure plenty of them will disappoint me. I find comedies have taken to just relying on stunt casting that feels forced for most of their sweeps episodes, so I’m sure that will be happening. Not included in that statement: Paul Rudd on Parks and Rec. That will be amazing. Beyond that, I fear that Gossip Girl will disappoint me most. I don’t have any specific reason beyond that I’ve been so frustrated with Blair this season and since sweeps will likely revolve around her, I fear disappointment. I hope I’m wrong though.

We are both rabid Vampire Diaries fans. Who is your stand out for Season Three so far and why?

While I think Nina is the stand out over all – I am convinced she has a twin sister that play Katherine – I think for season 3 specifically, I’ve got to give it to Paul Wesley. How flipping amazing is he as Ripper Stefan? I am in awe. I’m starting to think maybe someone else is playing this version of the character. He volleys back and forth between heartless killer to those subtle glimpses of the old sappy Stefan so quickly and seamlessly I almost get whiplash. In the best way possible, of course. He has transformed the character. My only complaint – Ripper Stefan doesn’t get quality time with his Vampire BFF Caroline. I want to see what Paul would do with that. Because so far this season it is clear he can do no wrong.

Favorite television character of all time:

Uh oh – another one where I’m starting to hyperventilate! There are some I want to name because they were deliciously evil or incredibly funny, or well, just hot. But I think I’m going to have to go with Lorelai Gilmore. I love Lorelai, first and foremost, because of the perfection of Lauren Graham. The fact that she was never acknowledged by any major award show for her performance of that character is, for me, one of the greatest TV tragedies. Lorelai is my favorite because she is perfect in her imperfections. She is a walking contradiction who made every person she came in contact with simultaneously infuriated with her and in love with her.  I wanted her to be my mom and my best friend. Mostly, I just wanted to be her. Even while being frustrating beyond words I was always in love with that character.

Favorite Television moment of all time:

Well, here is the moment where my ooey gooey romantic center is revealed. My favorite television moment of all time is…. (insert drumroll sound effects)…. When Jordan Catalano held Angela Chase’s hand in the hallway on My So-Called Life. Yep. As a 14 year old girl, I could not possibly have thought of anything more romantic or moving then a guy like Jordan holding any girl’s hand in the hallway at school. Although, honestly, at 31, I’m still finding it difficult to think of anything more romantic or moving. But the simple sweetness of that moment is only half of why it’s my favorite television moment of all time. It also marked a turning point in my television watching. Before that show TV was something fun, interesting, whatever. I liked it. But I was never changed by it. My So-Called Life changed me. I felt more about those 19 episodes than I had about every other television show I’d watched in my life until that point. That moment in the hallway on that episode was like this explosion in my head. Suddenly I realized television can be so much more than just some silly thing to kill time. It can be art. It can speak to people. I was forever changed by that moment and that show.

The show you wished would have never ended:

After that last answer you’d think it would be My So-Called Life. But let’s face it, if that show had lasted they would have screwed it up. My show that I wish would have never ended: Friday Night Lights. I wanted to follow Coach and Tami Taylor until they both died together holding hands in an old age home. I wanted to see Julie and Matt get married and have a bunch of adorable kids because I think the Taylors would be amazing grandparents. I wanted Gracie Bell to grow up and be a beautiful smart girl who didn’t have people yell “Gracie Bell Taylor is a slut” at her. I wanted to see Tim’s house when it was finished. I wanted to see Becky and Luke live on a farm and have cute little kids/farmhands. I wanted to see Smash win a Super Bowl, get the disco ball trophy on Dancing With the Stars and then be a commentator on ESPN. I wanted to meet all the other kids whose lives Coach and Tami would change over the years. Basically, I just want to know what happens with every single character that was ever on the show for the rest of their lives. That show was perfection even at its worst. And I think if it had lasted 40 years that wouldn’t have changed. I still ache for it. And if you are reading this and haven’t seen an episode, go. Right now. Watch it. And so help me, if you say, “I don’t like football” I will find you. Y’all will love it. Clear Eyes. Full Hearts….

Is there a show you NEVER watch with your husband?:

Well, as you know, most CW shows would have to make that list. Although he does enjoy Supernatural and Nikita – the two that are a little more male friendly, I suppose. Especially Nikita. Maggie Q kicking butt in tight fitting clothing? Yeah, guys will like that. But the shows I tend to pause if he enters the room: Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill. I love them. I’m not ashamed. But of all the shows I watch that are easy to mock openly when seen out of context (or frankly even in context), those are probably it. By the way my husband would like to interject and say, “The O.C.” which I’m currently in the midst of a rewatch. To him I say, “Stay out of it, Nick Lachey.”

Is there a show you never watch WITHOUT your husband?:

There are actually quite a few. We make a point that if we both enjoy a show we will always watch it together. Awwww. Aren’t we adorable? But I’d say the ones he loves best, and therefore are the most important to watch together are: Justified, Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead. He doesn’t get as invested in shows as I do, but those three shows are a big deal for him. He loves them, and the more frustrating they get, the happier he is. It’s fun to watch him watch them.

If you could say one thing to all of the current TV watchers what would it be?

If you aren’t having fun, you’re doing it wrong. I love TV. A lot. I am extremely over-invested in the characters and their lives on all of my favorite shows. I appreciate shows that get lauded with accolades and shows that are the guiltiest of pleasures. I dissect them, and study them, and talk about them ad naseum. But here’s the kicker: I’m always having fun. If two characters get together that I don’t want to get together I get sad/annoyed/frustrated, but I don’t claim to hate the show and threaten the writers to fix it. I just hope for the best, and go with it. Fandom is an amazingly powerful– Nina Dobrev getting that People’s Choice Award is proof of that – and I have nothing but respect for people who love a show that much. But when the Fandom stops having fun watching their show, things have gone awry. Whether you watch just a couple shows on occasion, or obsess over dozens of them that you just possibly can’t miss – remember to enjoy yourself! It’s TV for goodness sake!

Be sure to follow Melissa on Twitter and read her stuff over at Small Screen Scoop.com.