The World Is Watching: A Review of THE HUNGER GAMES

Anticipated grade: 9/10

If you live in a cardboard box or have shunned all forms of entertainment and media for the past several months, you may not have heard that a little movie called THE HUNGER GAMES came out today.  So let me fill you in, just in case.  It's based on the first in a trilogy of best-selling novles about a dystopian future where a totalitarian government keeps its citizens in line by taking 24 of their teenagers once a year and making them fight to the death in an arena till there is only one Victor remaining.  Oh, and they televise the event nationwide as required viewing.  The midnight showings of the film across the country last night made $19.7 million dollars, the highest midnight gross for any non-sequel movie ever, and the seventh-highest midnight gross in history.  The six films ahead of it?  Three Harry Potter movies and three Twilight movies.  So yeah.  It's sort of a big deal.

I myself have thoroughly enjoyed the book series, having read each novel twice.  I've recommended them to several friends who looked at me skeptically and then returned to me barely a week later having finished all three books and raving about how much they enjoyed them.  If you are one of the seventeen people in the country who hasn't read them yet, then go read them right now.  No seriously, why are you still reading this?  Why aren't you on your way to Barnes & Noble as we speak?  Go!  Don't walk, run!

All of this is to say that I couldn't have been more excited to see this movie.  I loved every casting announcement and thought the trailers were fantastic.  As I sat in my seat in the theater in Times Square, surrounded by other rabidly anxious fans, I will admit that my anticipation and expectations rose to a ridiculously high level.  It was kind of unfair, as no film can match such high hopes, but I have to say that THE HUNGER GAMES did a bang-up job.

First off, pretty much all the casting is spot-on.  Jennifer Lawrence anchors the film with a raw, believable performance as our hero, Katniss Everdeen.  She's a resourceful, strong young woman, the kind of hero the multitudinous fans of TWILIGHT really need to shake off the icky influence of man-crazy Bella.  (Of course, as with any film produced by Hollywood, there is a bit of romance, but it's secondary [or, really, octonary] to everything else going on in this story jam-packed with smart satire, cultural critiques, and dire predictions of our country's future.)  Miss Lawrence, who has already received an Oscar nomination for her work in WINTER'S BONE, nails the desperate and scared, yet courageous and kind nature of Katniss.  Key moment: As she says goodbye to Cinna before being lifted into the arena, you can see her literally shaking with fear.  A wonderful, physical, fully-realized performance.

Josh Hutcherson, who proved he has acting chops next to Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo in the critically-acclaimed THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, really comes into his own here as Peeta Mellark.  I could literally feel all of the 14-year-old girls in my theater simultaneously start hating Jennifer Lawrence as Hutcherson stared adoringly at her with those hunky baker's eyes of his and stroked her face with those hunky bread-kneading hands.  Hutcherson nails Peeta's vulnerability and naivete, and I can't wait to see his arc in the next two movies, as Peeta really undergoes the most drastic and interesting journey of pretty much any character in the series.

The supporting cast is rounded out with a staggeringly talented group of actors: Donald Sutherland as the calculating and evil President Snow; Woody Harrelson as Katniss and Peeta's drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy; Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' enigmatic and supportive stylist, Cinna; Stanley Tucci as the winsome emcee of the games, Caesar Flickermann; Wes Bentley as the sycophantic Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane.  Perhaps best of all is Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, the vapid and oblivious advisor who guides Katniss and Peeta through the Capitol and cheerfully congratulates them on their good fortune.

The film is directed with tension and immediacy by Gary Ross (PLEASANTVILLE).  The cinematography is a bit shaky and relies heavily on close-ups, so it may take some getting used to by some audience members.  But it lends an air of realism to the proceedings, as well as helps to mask some of the violence.  That violence will be a main topic of conversation between attendees: for some it will have been too much, and for others (probably most) it will be too little.  While the violence is not necessarily shied away from, it is never gory and often not explicitly shown.  This will be disappointing to some fans, as the child-on-child violence is integral to the story -- I have heard fans both online and in the theater itself saying how much they wished the film had gone full-out "R."  To that, I would point out that one of the major themes of the books is the glorification of violence in our culture, and I would then ask how those people feel about being a part of the culture that sadistically feeds on the pain, dismemberment and death of fictional people.  It's a vicious cycle -- as one character in the movie says, "If no one watches, then they don't have a game."  Our participation is integral to the perpetuation of violence in our society -- if we stop going to see those kinds of movies, they'll stop making them.  I think THE HUNGER GAMES did a terrific job of not glossing over the violence of the source material while simultaneously not reveling in it.

Like all book-to-screen adaptations, there are moments lost in translation.  Some die-hard book fans may despair at the omission of things like Katniss' friend Madge or Cinna's flighty prep team.  But to me, one of the most interesting parts of the movie was something that was added.  The books are all told from the first-person view of Katniss herself, which means we can only see what she can see.  With the movie unfettered from her viewpoint, we spend quite a bit of time with Seneca Crane in the Game Room, getting to see just how he manages to manipulate the games, inserting obstacles in Katniss' way and unleashing various terrors when things get too boring.  I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes machinations and all the things it had to say about our culture's love of "reality TV," where events some may perceive as "real" are either entirely fabricated or at least massively manipulated by unseen forces.

In terms of book-to-film adaptations, on the scale of THE GOLDEN COMPASS to THE LORD OF THE RINGS (I'll let you figure out which end is which), I would say that THE HUNGER GAMES lies somewhere near the top.  While no adaptation will likely match the brilliance of LOTR any time soon, THE HUNGER GAMES is a remarkably faithful film.  There is truly something here for everyone: standing in line in the men's room after the film, I heard one guy remark in a surprised tone of voice to his buddy: "It wasn't nearly as girly as I thought it would be."  There is action, laughter, tears, compelling characters, insightful commentary on our culture, and, yes, a little bit of romance too, although even that is intrinsically tied to the outcome of the Games.

While the movie didn't necessarily exceed my expectations (although it probably never could have), it definitely didn't disappoint.  Bring on the next two!  Hopefully they will both be as critically and commercially successful as this one and help to remind teenage girls everywhere that they don't have to be like Bella, always waiting for pasty, glittery emo boys to come rescue them.  They can be like Katniss, pick up a bow and arrow and rescue their damn selves, thank you very much.

Actual grade: 9/10

Your turn, Fellow Addicts!  Did the film live up to your expectations?  If not, what did you think was missing?  Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

What did you think of THE HUNGER GAMES?

PilotWatch: BENT

NBC Wednesdays @ 9

What's it about?
BENT is a romantic comedy about a womanizing, surfer dude contractor and his beautiful, no-nonsense, type-A client, who work together to remodel each other's lives as they renovate her Venice, California home.

You should watch if...
• you've ever had a fantasy about meeting the love of your life while remodeling your kitchen...in which case, rock on.
• you enjoy bad boy/good girl banter and sexual tension.
• you're a Jeffrey Tambor fan.

So, how was it?
For me, NBC has been extremely hit-or-miss with their comedies this year.  I absolutely adore UP ALL NIGHT and absolutely loathe WHITNEY.  I was worried that BENT would turn out more like the latter, so imagine my surprise when I found myself actually sort of enjoying the first episode.  My enjoyment was mostly due to the delightful chemistry between stars Amanda Peet (as Alex) and David Walton (as Pete), but there's plenty else to be optimistic about, too.

BENT is shot in single-camera style (ala MODERN FAMILY) as opposed to multi-cam (in front of a studio audience, ala TWO AND A HALF MEN), and yet it borrows heavily from the multi-cam format.  Typically, single-cam comedies have higher concepts: a trio of diverse families that are all interrelated, the zany goings-on at NBC headquarters, etc.  Conversely, most multi-cam comedies are centered around one set piece (usually a living room) and focus more on simple person-to-person relationships.  While the single-cam style of BENT gives the show a more cinematic quality and flexibility to visit multiple locations, the heart of the show is multi-cam: most of the action will revolve around Alex's kitchen, and the story centers around the "low-concept" concept of the relationship between a contractor and his boss.  This blend of styles is interesting and actually serves the show well.  It dispenses with all the awkwardness that is inherent in multi-cam format (the feeling of being on a stage, the soul-sucking laugh track) and yet maintains the simplicity at the heart of that format while reaping the benefits of the single-cam style.

Now, when I say "simplicity," that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of kookiness to keep the show from getting too boring.  The supporting cast is filled with a diverse mishmash of characters.  Most notably, Jeffrey Tambor of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT fame costars as Pete's eccentric father, a perpetually unemployed yet self-obsessed actor who devours his Uta Hagen books while playing the piano part-time at a department store with a flask of rum in his pocket.  He definitely plays the same role as Maya Rudolph in NBC's other good new comedy, UP ALL NIGHT -- he's the crazy guy in the background with the big ego whose antics off-set the more normal relationship between the two leads.  Then there's Joey King as Alex's precocious young daughter Charlie, who dispenses such gems as "He sounded melancholic."  Margo Harshman (SORORITY ROW) is the oddly-yet-aptly named Screwsie, Alex's bad girl sister who is immediately attracted to Pete.  And Pete has a trio of eclectic handymen who accompany him on his jobs and round out the comedic background with their antics.

But the main star of this show is the chemistry between Amanda Peet and David Walton.  Their rapport, full of quick back-and-forth banter is surprisingly fun to watch and if the show survives, it will be on their shoulders.  It's not the most unique of shows, although the blend of sitcom styles is a refreshing change of pace.  But what will keep viewers tuning in week after week is the relationship between Alex and Pete, so hopefully the writers will keep coming up with ways to make their relationship feel fresh and exciting.  Well, that or people will just tune in to see Jeffrey Tambor act crazy.

Rating:
*** Solid. I'm interested and will definitely keep watching.
At least for the foreseeable future, I may keep checking it out casually, although the one thing the show misses without a high concept is a meaty hook to keep me craving more.  I will tune in again with cautious optimism to see where the show goes, but I wouldn't necessarily put it on my "must-see" list yet.

What about you, Fellow Addicts? Is BENT a must-see for you? Or is it a must-avoid-at-all-costs? Did you enjoy the blending of styles or find it off-putting? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For the complete rundown of when all the new shows are premiering, check out my 2012 Midseason TV Preview.)

What did you think of BENT?

PilotWatch: MISSING

ABC Thursdays @ 8

What's it about?
Ever since Michael saw his father Paul blown up when he was just 8-years-old, Becca has always been a tad overprotective.  But she couldn't say no to Michael's amazing opportunity to study in Rome.  Just a few weeks into his trip, however, Michael disappears.  Becca flies to Rome for answers, but no one takes her seriously -- so she takes matters into her own hands.  You see, Becca isn't just a mother looking for her son.  Both she and Michael's father used to be lethal CIA agents, and whoever took Michael messed with the wrong mother.  Now, if Becca wants to find her son alive, she will have to rely on old friends and reopen old wounds.  Her resourcefulness, skill and determination will be put to the test -- but a mother's love knows no limits.

You should watch if...
• you're looking for a weekly fast-paced action fix.
• you enjoy the globe-trotting plots and hand-to-hand fights of the BOURNE films.
• you want to see the ever-amazing yet ever-mortal Sean Bean die in yet another TV show/movie.

So, how was it?
I was cautiously looking forward to this series, knowing that Ashley Judd is a very capable actress, that Sean Bean would be making at least a brief appearance, and that it would be fast-paced and action-heavy.  The pilot almost lived up to my expectations, although my biggest concern going forward is how the show will sustain itself over a multi-season run (if it were to garner one...it may yet be a moot point).

Ashley Judd does indeed bring the kick-ass as Becca Winstone, the ex-CIA mother of a son gone missing while studying abroad.  She is simultaneously worried, determined, furious, sad, and bad-ass.  She cries over photos of Michael and strangles a baddie with an electric cord with equal aplomb.  Sadly, the rest of the cast can't quite keep up with her.  Cliff Curtis is passable but unremarkable as the CIA man ordered to bring Becca in.  Adriano Giannini is a walking Italian cliché as Becca's former contact and ex-lover.

Sean Bean appears in the opening sequence as Becca's husband and Michael's father before being quickly dispatched.  However, he is listed as a regular cast member, and evidence points to him being featured heavily in flashbacks throughout the series.  You don't cast Sean Bean unless you want two things: A) a badass mofo to kick some ass and take some names, and B) a good death scene.  (Here's a compilation of Sean Bean dying in 21 different movies.)  He's already completed the latter requirement, and now we need to see him fulfill the first.  I theorize that his character, Paul, will turn out to be much more important than we think (i.e. not even actually dead and possibly behind the kidnapping).  That's just the kind of twist the writers of the show would think is clever.

And that's the problem.  We've seen this a thousand times before.  Gregory Poirier, the show's creator, is the writer of such illustrious movies as A SOUND OF THUNDER (the horrendous Ray Bradbury adaptation), THE SPY NEXT DOOR (the Jackie Chan family action flick) and NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS (no explanation necessary).  This is his first foray into television, and he fills it with all the cliché twists and turns we've come to expect from NATIONAL TREASURE, THE DA VINCI CODE, TAKEN, and all the other international-scavenger-hunt knock-offs we've seen in the past decade.  He tries to imbue it with a sense of realistic danger lifted from the BOURNE series, but it just turns the whole episode into a series of interchangeable scenes serving no purpose but to steer Becca towards the next fight.  How Mr. Poirier chose to end the first episode is hugely indicative of his sense of the dramatic (spoilers obviously): Becca gets shot and falls off a bridge into the Seine.  Ooh, I wonder what's going to happen next?!  Clearly he didn't just off his protagonist at the end of the pilot, so where's the suspense in that "twist?"  It's just another cliché roadblock in Becca's path to finding her son.  (End spoilers)

Rating:
** Okay. I may give it another episode or two to see if it gets better.
The only reason I may be tuning in again is for some more kick ass Ashley Judd and to see if Sean Bean gets any increased screen time.  However, I'm afraid the show will be unable to sustain itself over the long haul.  Would I pay to see a movie starring Ashley Judd as a mother searching for her son?  Absolutely.  Will I commit myself week after week to watching her do the same thing? Maybe not.  With no promise to end Becca's emotional trauma anytime soon, the show could quickly get exhausting to watch.  You know what would make me keep watching?  If Becca were to suddenly find her son less than halfway through this season and the show were then to turn out to be about something completely different and bigger (i.e. Paul).  Now that would be interesting.

Unfortunately, with MISSING premiering even blow the numbers for the already-cancelled-by-ABC CHARLIE'S ANGELS, we likely won't ever find out what kind of show MISSING could have turned out to be.

Your turn, Fellow Addicts!  Were you sucked in by Becca's story?  Or have you seen it all before?  Will you be tuning in again?  Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For the complete rundown of when all the new shows are premiering, check out my 2012 Midseason TV Preview.)

What did you think of MISSING?

FOX cancels I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER

As we get closer and closer to May, when the networks typically unveil exactly which shows will be returning and which are canceled, we're starting to see a spate of underperforming shows falling by the wayside.  It's thrilling but sad, like watching a highway pileup.  Last week, FOX decided to abandon its expensive dinodrama, TERRA NOVA.  Just yesterday HBO called it quits on LUCK after three horses perished during filming.  And now FOX has dropped the axe on one of its freshman comedies, Jaime Pressly's I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER.

Originally, FOX had planned to move the sitcom from its Tuesday slot into Wednesday nights starting next month, shortening the Wednesday episodes of AMERICAN IDOL to 90 minutes to accomodate DAUGHTER.  Now we are learning that FOX has changed their minds, deciding to keep AMERICAN IDOL at its full two hours, meaning...there is no longer room in the schedule for DAUGHTER.  As of right now, the show's last episode is scheduled to air on Tuesday April 3, after which it will disappear into the ether.

The show has been pulling in on average a mere 3.6 million viewers for a 1.4 rating.  There is a chance the remaining episodes will be burned off throughout the summer.

How do you feel about FOX canceling I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER?

HBO cancels LUCK

Looks like the cast and crew of HBO's freshman series LUCK have run out of that eponymous substance...

Following reports released today that another horse had died during filming of the Dustin Hoffman-starring TV show, the network released the following statement:

"It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series LUCK."

Ironically, the show had already been picked up for a second season after averaging a healthy 4.8 million viewers in its first season.  However, they were in the middle of shooting the second episode of the new season when a horse was injured so severely it had to be euthanized.  That marked the third horse to be killed in just the first eleven episodes of the series, a horrific track record that ultimately pressured the network to call it quits on the fledging show.

PETA has issued a statement announcing their intent to call on law enforcement to "investigate the deaths of the horses used on the set and to bring charges as appropriate."

Season One of LUCK wraps up on March 25.  HBO has said that the two episodes of Season Two that were filmed will be aired at some point.

How do you feel about HBO canceling LUCK?

CBS renews 18 shows

CBS just became the first of the Big 5 Networks to announce which shows they've picked up for another season.  The good news has officially been handed down to the following 18 shows:

Comedies:
• 2 BROKE GIRLS (the 2011 season's highest-rated new comedy)
• THE BIG BANG THEORY (which recently became the first scripted show to top AMERICAN IDOL since GREY'S ANATOMY in 2007)
• HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
• MIKE & MOLLY


Dramas:
• BLUE BLOODS
• CRIMINAL MINDS
• CSI
• THE GOOD WIFE
• HAWAII FIVE-O
• THE MENTALIST
• NCIS (the highest-rated scripted drama on television for three consecutive years)
• NCIS: LOS ANGELES (the second-highest-rated scripted drama on television for two consecutive years)
• PERSON OF INTEREST (the highest-rated new series of 2011)

Reality:
• THE AMAZING RACE
• SURVIVOR
• UNDERCOVER BOSS

Newsmagazines:
• 48 HOURS MYSTERY
• 60 MINUTES

Shows conspicuously not on the renewal list include: freshmen series' A GIFTED MAN, ROB and UNFORGETTABLE, CSI off-shoots Miami and NY, and most notably CBS' tentpole comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN.  Supposedly CBS is currently undergoing preliminary discussions with Warner Bros. Studios over the fate of TWO AND A HALF MEN, so it may get renewed yet.  For the rest of the series' left off the list, this doesn't necessarily mean they're cancelled, but no news in this case probably doesn't mean good news.

Which show that CBS renewed is your favorite?

FOX cancels TERRA NOVA

It's official. Almost three months after the season finale of 2011's most ambitious new drama, FOX executives have finally decided on the fate of the fledging show, and it looks like it's going the way of the dinosaurs...

The decision on whether or not to renew TERRA NOVA has been so drawn out because the ratings for the show were actually not terrible...if it were any other show on FOX.  However, TERRA NOVA is notoriously expensive to produce what with all those dino special effects, so whether or not those modestly good ratings would be enough to carry the show into a second season was unclear.  Now we know that the average of 10.1 million viewers (with a 3.6 rating in the adult demo) was simply not enough for FOX to consider a second season worthwhile.

This is unfortunate timing for those who actually sat through all 13 episodes of the show.  After a promising-but-shaky two-hour premiere, the show delivered us nine frustratingly weak, dino-lite, family-friendly hours before finally ramping up the action again for the two-hour finale.  The last episode was definitely the strongest of the entire (short-lived) series, so it's a little bittersweet to see it get the axe just as it was starting to get interesting.

For those of you who are still dying to find out what secret is hiding out in the Badlands, there is still a tiny glimmer of hope.  20th Century Fox, TERRA NOVA's production company (aka the company that produces the show, as opposed to FOX, which is the network that airs it), isn't ready to give up the fight.  They've started shopping the show around to other networks, in the hopes that someone else will want to pick up an already-established brand and give it a second chance.  However, the chances of a network taking a gamble on a show that was already deemed "not worth it" by a competitor seem low, so barring such an eleventh hour miracle, it looks like we can declare TERRA NOVA officially extinct.

How do you feel about TERRA NOVA getting canceled?

PilotWatch: G.C.B.

ABC Sundays @ 10

What's it about?
Based on the book Good Christian Bitches, GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up?  When former mean girls Amanda Vaughn moves back to Dallas 18 years after high school, former unpopular teen-turned-diva-of-Dallas Carlene Cockburn gets a major dose of PTSD.  To top it off, Amanda's living across the street from the Cockburns with her feisty mother Gigi Stopper!  Amanda has changed for the morally better but Carlene and her other victims -- the GCBs -- have their doubts.  The GCBs now rule the school that is Dallas society and are about to settle the score with Amanda Vaughn.

You should watch if...
• you are looking for a new show to soften the blow of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES going off the air after eight seasons.
• you enjoy some good religious hypocrisy mixed in with your bitingly sassy humor.
• you could watch Kristin Chenoweth read the Yellow Pages and still find her endlessly entertaining.

So, how was it?
Despite having the most unfortunate title in recent memory (or, at least since last year's punctuation-heavy, similarly-censored $H*! MY DAD SAYS), the pilot was a surprising delight to watch.  I was mostly interested in the show as a fan of Kristin Chenoweth in everything from YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN and WICKED to her guest role on GLEE and her stint on the short-lived but amazing PUSHING DAISIES.  Thankfully, she has a found a show that can keep up with her acerbic comedic style.

Kristin Chenoweth shines as Carlene, the leader of the GCBs and the one most desperate to see former-rival Amanda get her comeuppance.  But the rest of the GCBs are played by equally well-cast, adept comediennes: Miriam Shor (SWINGTOWN, DAMAGES) is Cricket, about whom Amanda once spread a malicious herpes-related rumor, and is now a high-powered CEO with a dashingly-good-looking husband who happens to be a harboring a secret (hint: it involves his equally good-looking ranch foreman); Jennifer Aspen (PARTY OF FIVE, GLEE) is Sharon, the insecure former-beauty-queen-turned-binge-eater whose husband still harbors a flame for Amanda; and Marisol Nichols (24) is Heather, the perpetually-single real estate agent, who is the first to forgive the reformed Amanda and help her navigate the treacherous waters around the other GCBs.

So far the biggest flaw of the show is Leslie Bibb as Amanda, but that's not necessarily entirely her fault.  She has been given the absolutely thankless job of playing the straight (wo)man surrounded by a cast of eccentric supporting characters, each crazier than the last -- it's next to impossible to not seem flat when going toe-to-toe with the likes of Kristin Chenoweth.

I found the premise of the show itself to be somewhat intriguing -- that of a former-mean-girl-turned-caring-mother returning to her hometown to reap what she sowed in high school from an antagonistic clique of big-haired divas.  It would have been just as easy to build a show around the exact opposite concept -- that of a group of close friends once terrorized by a mean girl in high school who must band together and cope with her sudden return to their neighborhood.  But GCB is asking us to sympathize with Amanda, while casting Carlene and her cohorts as the villains.  At this point, I'm kind of skeptical of Amanda as a protagonist -- her turnaround seems too complete and unexplained as of yet.  I wish we had seen shades of the mean girl she used to be, so we could better understand why Carlene hates her so much.  Hopefully as the season goes on, we will start to see meaner shades in Amanda and friendlier shades in Carlene, just to make their characters more complex and their story more interesting.  I'd prefer to feel conflicted about who in this story I'm supposed to feel sorry for, rather than being told I should be feeling sorry for Amanda immediately after being told about all the horrible things she did as a teenager.

Fortunately, the one-liners were flying fast and quick in this first hour (along with big hats, big cars and big hair).  ABC is billing GCB as a replacement for DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, which has long been a staple of their network, but at least thus far, GCB is taking itself far less seriously, which can only be a good thing.  With no new neighbor harboring a deep, dark and contrived secret, there's no heavy drama to bog down the zippy, sarcastic humor.  I hope the show manages to maintain its quick wit and its superb combination of hypocrisy and optimism without getting mired in the soap-opera-machinations that eventually plagued the ladies of Wisteria Lane.

Rating:
*** Solid. I'm interested and will definitely keep watching.
This could be a new guilty pleasure for my Sunday evenings -- I am looking forward to seeing more delicious, double-entendre-laden, bible-quoting interactions between Carlene, Cricket, Sharon, Heather and Amanda.  The pilot informs us that "Hell hath no fury like a woman you scorned in high school."  I'm excited to witness more of that fury be unleashed in the weeks to come.

What about you, Fellow Addicts? Were you amused by the GCBs and their hypocritical antics? Or was the über-Texas setting too Texas-y for you to stomach? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For the complete rundown of when all the new shows are premiering, check out my 2012 Midseason TV Preview.)

What did you think of GCB?