ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE

© by Gerald So | 7:30 AM

The Asian-led Netflix Original romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe premieres today on Netflix. Sasha Tran and Marcus Kim (stars and co-writers Ali Wong and Randall Park) were neighbors growing up in San Francisco. While Sasha's parents were workaholics who left her to herself much of the time, Marcus's warm parents treated her like a daughter.

Years later, Sasha returns to San Francisco as a celebrity chef and finds Marcus working with his father's HVAC business, concerned about his father years after losing his mother. While their personalities naturally complement each other, they have trouble recognizing they would be right to grow old together.

My life as an Asian American is dramatic and comedic enough I watch little Asian American drama or comedy in my free time. The trailer for Always Be My Maybe appealed to me because I had a similar dynamic with a college friend.

I'm pleased to say the movie is neither a case of Marcus carrying a torch unnoticed by Sasha, nor one of Sasha realizing the boy next door was Mr. Right all along. The characters are deeper than that and the resolution less fairy tale, more satisfying for it.

I saw the dramatic high point of #AlwaysBeMyMaybe developing, the moment the writers want the audience crying. Usually w/ that much notice, I don't cry, and yet I did. That is great writing expertly staged.

— Gerald So (@g_so) May 31, 2019

Sandra Seamans, RIP

© by Gerald So | 2:00 AM

Michael Bracken forwarded the sad news that Sandra Seamans, longtime member and 2010–12 president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, died May 23, aged 68.

I had the pleasure of editing Sandra's 2008 story "Starlight" at Thrilling Detective and encouraged her succeeding me as SMFS president.

According to our friend Patti Abbott, the 2015 deaths of Sandra's husband and mother stopped her writing, but she remained committed to blogging short story market information until days of her death.

I think it would be a tribute to her if someone else were inspired to track markets as enthusiastically as she did. I also hope her example of SMFS service inspires new members to ensure the Society's future.

NCIS Los Angeles: "The Guardian", "False Flag"

© by Gerald So | 4:30 AM

The multi-part tenth season finale was of special interest to me as a JAG fan. NCIS: L.A. showrunner R. Scott Gemmill, a producer on JAG Seasons 2–4, was able to bring David James Elliott and Catherine Bell aboard for a Tom Clancy-esque plot in which Callen and Sam needed help from Harm and Mac.

It was also a chance to resolve the open ending of JAG's final episode. Part 1 found Harm as the executive officer of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Allegiance, where Callen and Sam had tracked multiple conspirators in a attack against Saudi Arabia and Israel. But Harm was still a captain, implying he retired for a time. In Part 2, Mac, Marine liaison to the Secretary of State, ruefully told Hetty Harm lost the coin toss and moved to San Diego with her. After five years, he itched to get back in the fight.

While I'm not entirely happy with these developments, they are true to the strong-willed characters Harm and Mac are. Overall it was one of the most satisfying series reunion updates.

After The Big Bang

© by Gerald So | 8:00 AM

The Big Bang Theory aired its final episode last night, after twelve seasons. I got into the show the summer after its WGA strike-shortened first season. I was already a fan of Johnny Galecki from Roseanne and Kaley Cuoco from 8 Simple Rules... and I still find their characters' romance the best developed on the show.

While the others seemed contrived to me, the additions of Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik in Seasons 3 and 4 gave the show a much-needed female perspective to balance the male. Penny became more than the girl of Leonard's dreams. Viewers got to see her insecurities whether she could maintain a relationship with someone smarter than she was. I think it was the key to the show's longevity.

In its later seasons, with almost all the characters coupled up, the show lost some direction. Marriage and children are as far as most TV characters can go, so it made sense for the show to end while still relatively popular.

It's Not YouTube TV. It's Me.

© by Gerald So | 4:30 AM

Last September, I dropped cable TV in favor of YouTube TV. This saved $72 a month and offered unlimited DVR storage for nine months.

Last month, though, YouTube TV announced a $10 price hike to $50 per month, taking effect May 13. Some new channels came along with the hike, notably Discovery-owned ones, but I'd gotten used to not having them. In short, YouTube TV became less valuable to me. We're canceling it this weekend.

It's not the radical move it would've been before smart TVs. We'll still have Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and free Pluto TV. I'm looking forward to being largely off a live TV schedule. It'll give me more time for reading, writing, and anything else I'd like to do.

It means I'll have to buy more shows on DVD to watch them, but in the long run, that'll be less than I was paying per month for all the channels I wasn't watching and the one I was at any given moment.

Lucifer Season 4

© by Gerald So | 1:00 PM

Canceled by FOX but saved by Netflix, Lucifer Season 4 premieres today. Not to spoil anything, Season 4 fully answers the question, "How will Chloe react to seeing Lucifer's true face?" and continues exploring Lucifer's fluctuating self-image.

I also commend the show's handling of supporting characters Maze, Dan, Amenadiel, Linda, Ella, and Eve. They feel as if they have agency in the plot and don't merely exist to prop up the leads.

Is the show different on Netflix? I'm glad to say not too different. A tad more skin, a tad saltier language. Enjoy.