There’s a spider on the ceiling above my computer. I nicknamed him Walter... I don’t think he likes it.
Anyways, before we get started Ryan asked me to post this apology letter:
Dear reader(s),
My most humble apologies for not writing to you over the past two weeks. I’ve been lacking in my ability to post here. I wrote an exam two weeks ago and was therefore very busy leading up to that. Immediately after the exam I got on a plane to Florida where I let my so called "batteries" recharge. I tried to keep up on some of the TV, but it’s hard when you’re staying in place that is built for the parents of Jerry Seinfeld. Time just slows down. So I write to you today an apology and hopefully a well considered review of the shows from Friday February 25th to Sunday February 27th in this most gracious year of our Darwin, 2011. I promise to get you Castle and the Cape reviews VERY SOON. Tomorrow even. I'm sorry.
Sincerely,
Ryan
I especially liked the part where he was careful not to assume we have more than one reader.
Spoilers...
How I Met Your Mother – “A Change of Heart” (B+)
Things got a little serious with Barney’s story this week. It seems as though Barney may be developing real feelings for a girl for the first time since Robin. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this storyline to be honest. On one hand I love the character drama, and the ending was quite powerful. I feel bad for Barney. He wants to change, but he just can’t bring himself to do so.
On the other hand though, I’m not entirely sure where this storyline will end up taking Barney’s character. I absolutely believe that eventually his character will need to change, but with at least two more seasons on the horizon I’m not sure how you mature his character and still maintain what makes Barney funny. I’m not adverse to a change, just so long as the writers have an angle on how to keep his character funny. Perhaps though, this episode was just a subtle step forward in what will be a much longer arc for the character. It remains to be seen whether Nora will be back on the series.
I didn’t mind the set up for this week’s episode. Shaken by what happened to Marshall’s dad, the whole gang decides to get their hearts checked out. Initially reluctant, Barney decides to follow suit, and to finish his testing the doctor recommends he wear a heart monitor for 24 hours, the same 24 hours that just happens to coincide with his date with Nora. The rest of the episode was told in flashbacks based on interesting activity on the heart monitor.
While at times it may have been a little heavy handed – his heart skipping a beat at the site of Nora being one example – I enjoyed the way it framed the episodes events. Plus, how else would we have discovered he was really serious about wanting Nora, marriage and all. With Barney you need a full out lie detector to know when he’s telling the truth in matters of the heart, and the heart monitor gave us just that.
The B story this week was quite entertaining as well. Robin professes her desire at the start of the episode to get another dog, but Ted is adamant that he doesn’t want her to. So to compensate, Robin goes out and inadvertently snags a boyfriend with some dog-like tendencies. All of the dog references were pretty funny. I particularly liked when Robin got fed up with the situation and had Scooby go fetch her keys for her.
All in all it was a good episode. Don’t mistake my reservations about Barney’s storyline this week as a condemnation of the more dramatic elements this show has undertaken as of late. I think the strong character storylines are exactly what How I Met Your Mother needs right now. Early in its run I wouldn’t have cared nearly as much about Marshall’s dad dying, because I wouldn’t have gotten to see their great relationship in action. The same goes for Barney longing for a relationship. I would have called the writers crazy, because at that time Barney was there for comic relief and comic relief only, and I wouldn’t have gotten to see how he’s grown as a character. But now that we care about these characters these dramatic storylines can take over for where the humour has grown stale (not by fault of the writers but simply by repeated exposure). Heart was exactly what last season was missing, and its return has led to a significant improvement in the quality of the show this year.
Fringe – “Subject 13” (A)
Subject 13 is a really awesome look back into the beginnings of the Fringeverse. We go back in time to 1985 starting with the really awesome 1985 style intro – distinct from our blue universe and red universe intros – and we are dropped into the story essentially where we left it. Walter brought Peter back to cure him, but as we know Walter does not return Peter immediately. Now we get to find out why. BUT WAIT... I missed a whole review of an episode, where it should be noted that Olivia forgives Peter and they have sex. Or at least I think they do. They go to his room. Maybe the blue universe will survive. But now here’s a question... does Olivia know that she has to get Peter to love her so that the universe will survive? Is it all a lie? Can he really love her when he has a child on the way in the red universe? THIS IS MESSED UP. Pacey has some hard choices ahead of him. But we don't get any of those answers this week. Instead we just get a wonderful story about little children.
The story starts in Walter's cabin, and Peter is trying to "get home" to his "real home at the bottom of the lake." For a sick, unconscious child he remembers a lot about the night he was taken. He can tell that it’s not his real mom and dad. There are differences and some wonderful pop culture references like Peter proclaiming that "the Red Lantern shouldn't be Green." So Peter goes into the middle of the ice and tries to get to the bottom of the lake. HOLY COW PETER WHAT A BAD IDEA. Doesn't he know that he needs to get between UNIVERSES and drowning will do nothing? Jeez, it’s like he's a little boy or something.
So the scene changes to Jacksonville where Walter is hard at work trying to make Olivia a superhero that can take Peter to the other world. He wants to return him, but there’s a problem. She only flashes when she’s scared. So the only way to flash to the other Universe is to make her afraid. To do this Walter tries to scare her by pretending one of the other children in the program was killed. This makes Olivia explode in some fire, and then she runs away. Of course little boy Peter, struggling with his own issues brings her back. They were destined to be together from the time he came to this universe apparently.
Now I make this all sound kind of cartoonish but it’s not. It’s quite well done. The makeup on Walter to make him look young, the casting of the young characters and the way in which they tie the plot together is fantastic. They switch between universes a couple times to show us Walternate and how he has collapsed since the loss of his son. These flashes also show us how Walternate discovered where he was taken. In a moment of intense fear that she will have to return to an angry stepfather, Olivia runs to Walter to tell him not to let him beat her anymore. But she’s scared, and she crosses to the other universe in the same spot, where Walternate is waiting at his desk and receives a picture she drew of her and Peter together. So now he knows. The crazy little girl that appeared and disappeared essentially tells him that Peter is in the other Universe. It’s a great tie in from a great "flashback" style episode. I loved it.
There is one last loose end from the blue universe though – Walter is faced with the decision of whether or not to step in and stop Olivia's stepfather from beating her. If he does, it means no more travel between universes. If he doesn't then maybe they can make it happen. But Walter has a heart. He stops him from doing it by threatening to call the cops. So Walter needs to go back to the drawing board. But the damage is done. Walternate knows, and he can now plan his attack.
Shameless – “It’s Time to Kill the Turtle” (A)
Few shows can do what Shameless does in just under an hour. It’s remarkable how well this show can blend comedy with poignant character driven drama.
I thought Lip’s story this week was especially powerful. The real tragedy of his character is how he keeps getting glimpses into worlds he can’t allow himself to want. His visit to the University of Chicago was just that. I felt so bad for him as he looked into the robotics lab after his discussion with the professor. He wants to be their but his circumstances won’t allow it.
And with Frank’s story we saw where Lip got those defence mechanisms. Most would think he would be happy to see Frank getting sober, but knowing it won’t last he wants nothing to do with it. His protectiveness of the younger Gallagher children was sweet, but in the end it was just another glimpse for his character. He can’t allow himself to want Frank to be a good father, because he knows he won’t be able to handle it when Frank inevitably goes back to the bottle.
Fiona walked a similar line in this episode. She too feels trapped by her circumstances. It’s kind of been an ongoing theme for her character throughout this first season, but her final breakdown after being forced back to the sports bar was another heart wrenching moment for her character. I really hope a future storyline involves her getting a more satisfying career for herself. She definitely deserves it.
On a lighter note, how awesome is Kev? He is absolutely one of my favourite characters on this show. He’s hilarious, and in this episode, incredibly caring as well. When he gets his foster child and she’s not what he expected he could have been angry. He could have taken it out on the kid, or Veronica. But he accepts the child for who she is and tries to help her in the process. And that kid needs some serious help, so I can’t wait to see how the rest of this storyline plays out.
We also got to learn a bit more about Steve in this episode. It turns out that he comes from a very wealthy family who think he’s going to school in Chicago. Even more shocking though, he has a girlfriend he’s left behind. He’s always been a somewhat mysterious character so I found this little look into his back story quite interesting. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen when Fiona inevitably finds out about all this. If I recall she doesn’t like rich kids... oh and getting lied to.
Californication –“Lights. Camera. Asshole.” (A-)
I want to try to write this one really quickly. Here it goes:
1. Hank is awesome. He banged Sasha's mom, and Sasha. And somehow they still think he's a decent person.
2. Becca is a drugged out teenager who likes to drink and smoke pot. Basically she lives in L.A.
3. Charlie bangs #21. She is a fat girl.
4. Marci, with help from Stu and Charlie, pitches a network a show about waxing the vaginas and balls of the famous. Stu gets diarrhea, Charlie saves the day, and in the end the show looks like it’s going to get made. Oh and Stu thinks she's preggers with his baby.
5. The Ben Harper looking dude wants Karen. Karen isn't ready.
And there it is. Californication in 5 points.
I really liked the episode. It’s the same as it always is – funny, obscene, and just a really good half hour of television. I laugh pretty hard every time I watch. Can't complain.
An interesting point is that Sasha's mom pretty much tells him that he needs to man up and get over his destructive ways, and if he doesn't, it will be too late for him. I hope Hank listens. I hope the writers make him listen. The other characters are funny enough to help carry the drama of the show into the next 2 seasons (which I'm sure it will get). Hank needs a nice ending.
House – “Recession Proof” (B+)
I was a little surprised with “Recession Proof”. On top of being one of the rare episodes where the team actually loses the patient, House took the loss a lot harder than we’re used to seeing. I enjoyed his candid discussion with Wilson in the bar. “Love and happiness are nothing but distractions” laments House, yet for the first time in the history of this series, that’s okay with him.
It’s an interesting metamorphosis for his character, and one that I hope they don’t completely settle him on. Don’t get me wrong, I like that he’s embracing happiness. I just don’t want it to be entirely at the expense of his patients. It’s very much “with great power, comes great responsibility.” No one can match House’s diagnosis skills, and while I think the character deserves happiness, I don’t want him to stop struggling for both. That’s what makes the character so interesting.
This week also followed up on the Taub and Foreman roommate situation. I was really excited to see how this would play out when they first decided to live together and the results this week were a little mixed. I loved all the gay jokes at their expense but their interactions in this episode really displayed the most unlikable aspects of these two characters. There was some hope here though as they put aside their differences at the end of the episode and decided to keep on living with each other. I’m hoping as this storyline plays out over the rest of the season these two can have a positive impact on each other.
The other interesting pairing in this episode was Chase and Masters. For the first time in a long time Chase’s history with Cameron was acknowledged, which is definitely a good thing for the character. As much as I love the comic relief he’s brought to the show this season the writers needed something to give his story a little more substance.
Which was where Masters came in. Although he initially didn’t want to work with her, he did eventually end up teaching her a few things, just as she ended up calling him out on a few of his own demons. More interesting though, was the hint of sexual tension buried in this storyline. So long as they develop it a little more over the next few episodes this may end up being an interesting pair. I’m enjoying Masters more and more each week, and the brilliant but socially inept angle they’re working with her may be a good counterpoint to Chase’s womanizing ways.
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