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I have reluctantly accepted a level of product placement/integration in shows these days. It’s just part of the system now. The Subway tie-in on Chuck was silly and in your face but I didn’t mind too much since the show is part comedy and I can actually see those characters having a meeting in a local Subway. But some shows lately have taken it too far.

Bones has now given me two automobile product integration episodes. And they have to reach to fit it in the storyline. First I have Angela and Daisy in a Toyota and Daisy wants to know why Angela drives a minivan. “Ooh, because the Sienna has all this space for my artwork!” Seriously! Nothing important happened in this drive sequence – it was just there to talk about the car. Although here’s an article that believes it actually worked.

And then we had Angela and Hodgins in a Toyota Prius that beeps at them when Hodgins is so distracted by what Angela is making him look at while he’s driving (way to go Angela) that he veers out of his lane. “What’s that beeping?” “That’s the Prius telling you you’ve gone out of your lane.” Thanks for that built-in commercial guys! That’s exactly what I was missing in my fictional television drama!

This brings me to 24. This past week Chloe and Arlo are so upset that they can’t help Jack Bauer because there is too much security in CTU – so they set up their own mobile hotspot with Sprint’s new device. Are you kidding me? If it’s so easy to set up your own system (in 3 seconds I might add) that can bypass firewalls and security issues at a government facility, don’t you think that would be happening all over the place? Terrorists pay attention – just use your Sprint mobile hotspot and create your own network to steal info from CTU. Who knew it was that easy.

Because it really is just that easy to bypass security, enhance a picture taken by a crappy surveillance camera, and figure out the exact location of a hostage based on blurred building shapes seen through a window (thanks Castle). Just press a few buttons on a keyboard with intensity and voila! But only if you’re using your “insert brand name device here.”

Here’s a collection of awesome TV moments using their technology to "enhance."

Pause

Hmm, I don't have TV ramblings today... I went to North Carolina two weeks ago for work and got really behind on my TV. So then I finally caught up this past weekend during the tornadic storm system. But my marathon TV watching didn't leave time for thoughts or processing. I was just trying to get through the DVR list. You really need time to process the show or movie you've just watched, but instead we immediately get dumped to a commercial. It drives me crazy when you have a climactic or meaningful ending to a show and it fades to black and POW! - Coke commercial or a cell phone commercial. Where is my breathing space? Where is my pause to contemplate what I just saw? Of course this is a little better since they started regulating commercial volume so at least we aren't always inundated with the loudness of the commercial. But I still need a visual pause. I want a few seconds for the powerful images of the TV show to sink in before I have commercial images fed to me.

Don't get me wrong, I actually really like some commercials. I think they can be brilliantly executed and effective. Like this lovely Old Spice one.

I know this pause issue is a result of the way shows and commercials are designed and sold. Programs have to be a very specific length (seconds and frames) with specific commercial breaks built in for network and then affiliate spots (down again to seconds and frames). But geez already! I need a breather. I'll never forget the season 5 ending of LOST with Juliette hitting the hydrogen bomb and the screen goes to white and COMMERCIAL! I needed a second to deal with the impact of what I'd just seen.

This is why I prefer to stay through the credits at movie theaters. I need a moment to process. I fall into the movies. So the credits give me the moments I need to conclude if I was satisfied or not with what I've just seen (that and I like to show a little respect for the hundreds of people who put their effort into the movie making process). I don't want to immediately hop out of my theater chair and walk out and ask my movie companion "did you like it?" Gimme a second!