Song(s) of the week

I’m going back a bit for this week’s instalment of the most pretentious column on this blog. You try talking about music without sounding ostentatious (thank you thesaurus).

This week’s pick:

“Metal Heart” by Cat Power

Where I found Cat Power: I didn’t know much of her early work at all before I heard this song, so in all honesty this is a brand new discovery for me. Cat Power first came onto my radar when her cover of Sea of Love (included below) appeared on the Juno soundtrack. Since then I’ve picked up on a few of her songs here and there, but most of them were covers. “Metal Heart” first caught my ear quite recently when it closed out a second season episode of United States of Tara (they have some great music on that show by the way). Naturally it prompted me to set up this little tribute.

What I like: This may not be general knowledge so full disclosure – there are two versions of this song. One recorded in 1998 on album called Moon Pix and the other in 2008 for Jukebox. While some of the people I’ve talked to seem to enjoy the Jukebox version more, I’m more partial to the original, so when I talk about the song below it’s the Moon Pix version I’m referring to. There are some major differences between the two arrangements, so I’ve included both versions for comparison.

I’m not sure how many of you have been following this particular column, but if you’ve been listening over the last five or so months it’s pretty clear what draws me to a song. I love chaos, especially chaos with melody. There’s just something incredibly organic about the messy way Cat Power recorded this song. There are two guitars doing two completely different things, drums that have a mind of their own, and yet throughout the entire recording there is a tremendous sense of purpose, as if the song itself were just raw emotion in musical form. It’s that improvisational style that makes me favour the Moon Pix version over the Jukebox version. There’s just something to say for that kind of spontaneity.

Enjoy!

Metal Heart - Cat Power (Moon Pix)

Metal Heart - Cat Power (Jukebox)


Sea of Love - Cat Power

Will You Guys Let Me Know If This Ever Airs?

Steve Carrel takes his final bow and gets my first ever A+. You can read about it below along with my second ever A+. Let’s just say it was a good night for NBC.

I promise to get Grey’s Anatomy to you all soon. Ryan’s in new job mode so the ETA on The Big Bang Theory and Fringe is a little up in the air, but he promises everything should be back to normal soon. Enjoy!

Spoilers...

The Office – “Goodbye, Michael” (A+)

Not much to talk about in this one...

Wow, that was sad. But hopeful. I don’t think as an audience you can ask for much more than that. The execution of this episode was superb. It’s hard to express just how perfect it was from a writing, acting, and – more important than anything – dramatic standpoint. Michael’s character came full circle, and it truly was a treat to watch.

The individual goodbyes did a great job of showcasing Michael’s relationship with each and every character, and in the process showcased some of Michael’s newfound maturity. He hit the supporting characters first, starting with a sweet little scene with Phyllis, and then moving on to Stanley and eventually Andy. In classic Michael fashion he managed to give Andy a staggeringly better gift than anyone else, seemingly without even realizing it (he was caught up in the metaphor).

I’m glad he did too, because Andy’s struggles with Michael’s client list gave Deangelo a nice side plot so as to not distract from Michael leaving. I wouldn’t say it was a great storyline or anything, there were certainly a few times where it really dragged, but it didn’t take up a whole lot of screen time and still managed to set the groundwork for Will Ferrell’s eventual exit. Oh and provided a nice little tag after the credits where each member of the office realized just how good they had it with Michael.

The rest of Michael’s goodbyes were also quite well done. While each of the main characters rightfully got their own extended moment with Michael, I’m quite glad that they acknowledged his special relationship with Erin. It’s fitting that his last scene with her character took on the father/daughter dynamic they’ve frequently displayed, and his parting words with her were quite sweet. I actually felt legitimately bad for Erin as he walked away because I think Michael was a very important... dare I say, role model in her life.

I’m also glad that he and Dwight finally buried the hatchet. I mentioned in my last review I was hoping that would happen, and while I think it was obvious they would eventually make up it didn’t make the moment feel any less special. I think Dwight’s talking head where he read aloud Michael’s letter of recommendation was one of the more touching scenes in the episode. Dwight finally got the approval he so desperately craved from Michael, and Rainn Wilson’s depiction did a phenomenal job of selling just that. There paintball scene together was just icing on the cake.

Jim’s goodbye was equally satisfying. It was classic Jim to be the only one in the office to realize Michael was leaving at the end of the day, and it was his goodbye that really struck home the theme of the understated farewell. I found it a little unfortunate that NBC played this scene to death in their previews for the episode – I think it would have been that much more special if it came without any expectations – but with that said the promos didn’t stop it from being another one of the truly great emotional moments jam packed into this episode. I mean how could this not melt your heart:

JIM: I think we should just save the goodbyes for tomorrow at lunch... and then tomorrow I can tell you what a great boss you turned out to be. Best boss I ever had.

The only goodbye I was somewhat disappointed in was Ryan’s. Sure, Ryan’s character doesn’t have a substantial presence on the show anymore, but I thought he and Michael had been through enough together to warrant something more than a joke about a tacky beer sign. I mean like Ryan said in the last episode – he helped get him off drugs and gave him a job when no one else would. Surely they could have thought of a better scene than that.

But that will stand as my only criticism of Michael’s farewell. From there on out it was nothing but beautiful. His final conference room scene where you could see the character starting to crack. His pause at the door where he took one last look at the office – business as usual – before he set out to the airport. And of course, his muted goodbye to Pam, right before he boarded the plane.

It was a smart decision by the writing staff to have Michael exit quietly by his own choosing. Over the years Michael has been guilty of blowing small moments out of proportion, so it was only fitting that in the end he decide to forgo the pomp and circumstance and leave with a quiet dignity. His passing of the mic and subsequent audio-free goodbye with Pam simply cementing his transition off the show.

Yet it was his farewell speech as he left the building that was perhaps the most poignant moment of the episode. Certainly the perfect summation of how the character has grown over these past 7 seasons. Michael has always used the office as a way of filling a void in his own life, treating his coworkers like a family because he had no family of his own. His speech highlighted exactly what makes his exit so hopeful – he’s found his wife, his purpose in life, and yet he still realizes how much working with these people, his best friends as he calls them, has affected him... and I think it’s fair to say, us too.

Line of the episode:

MICHAEL: I got almost everybody so... Holly’s my family now. She’s my family, and the babies that I make with her will be my children. The people that you work with are just, when you get down to it, your very best friends. They say on your death bed you never wish you spent more time at the office, but I will. Gotta be a lot better than a death bed. I actually don’t understand death beds. I mean who would buy that?

Community – “Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts” (B+)

Well it may not have been the literal Community bottle episode (see “Cooperative Calligraphy”), but this was a bottle episode to its core. With Shirley going into labour, and with the World Food Festival turning into a bit of a race kerfuffle, this week’s episode took place almost exclusively in the gangs’ Anthropology class room, and for the most part turned into an excellent example of a bottle episode done right.

Unexpected labour is one of the oldest sitcom tropes in the book, so it takes a particularly high level of writing to elevate the material enough to make it work. The writers on Community did just that in this episode, using their own strong characters (not to mention their equally strong supporting cast) to create a unique take on the well-worn material. Brita in particular was perfect for her role in this episode. It was hilarious watching her morph from pushing all natural child birth, to literally throwing up at the sight of what an all natural child birth entails.

Change was also used quite well in this episode. I’ve said this before in reviews, but his crazy out there style of humour is very hit or miss on any given week. Because of how intricately his character plays into Shirley’s pregnancy storyline, it was crucial that he be on in this episode, and once again the writers came through. I loved his various descriptions of where the many Chang babies had been born and the way he conceded the baby to Andre after he discovered that it wasn’t his.

CHANG: Congratulations sir. After a fierce campaign I happily concede this baby to you. Pretty classy of me.

Pretty classy indeed. I also didn’t mind that Shirley named the baby after Chang. I say that because under normal circumstances that’s a pretty cheesy end to any pregnancy storyline, but the way they handled it kept things light instead of sentimental, which is what really made it work. Poor little Ben Bennett. That’s a terrible name.

What makes a bottle episode sometimes difficult to write though is the lack of, or difficulty in supporting, different subplots distinguished from the main plot. “Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts” managed to overcome these problems to various degrees. The Dean’s story, an interview with Dean Magazine (hilariously cancelled after just two issues at the end of the episode – worst idea for a magazine ever), was probably the funniest. The aforementioned World Food Festival kerfuffle was a great explanation for why Shirley had to deliver in the classroom, and I thought the Dean’s attempt to calm Shirley only to get her quiet enough to freak out himself was one of the funniest gags in the episode. Kudos to Jim Rash on that one – he really sold it.

Troy and Abed’s handshake subplot was a little more up and down however. I thought Troy’s reaction to being forced into the handshake for money – like a whore as Pierce put it – was pretty funny, especially the way Troy felt the need to cover himself up afterward. It’s just the rest of their little subplot felt like more of a distraction than anything, and didn’t really contribute much to the episode.

What I loved though, was the fact that they brought back Abed’s background story from “The Psychology of Letting Go”, where he delivered a baby in the back of SUV. It’s a call back that takes guts, because I’m sure more than a few people didn’t catch it even the first time around, but sticking with such a hilariously inventive bit like that is why I have so much respect for this show and its writers.

Actually, while we’re on the subject, the other great call back in this episode was to last week’s clip show, with Fat Neil mentioning the St. Patrick’s Day fishing trip that we all somehow missed the first time around (I also loved Vicky’s “we came so close to having one class that wasn’t all about them” comment in that little exchange). The whole supporting cast had a great week for that matter. Professor Duncan’s drunken everybody-gets-an-A opening was hilarious, and I love the fact that Shirley didn’t want to have her baby in the classroom because she didn’t want the first thing her baby saw to be Starburns. I don’t blame her...

One last thing... Troy and Abed’s after credits sequence would have been hil-arious if the same fire alarm gag hadn’t literally been used the week before on Parks and Recreation. That has got to be the most unlucky timing of all time... hmmm that was a weird sentence. Meh.

Anyway, next week is the hour long paintball episode/season finale and I literally cannot wait. Josh Holloway is guest starring and if any of you knew what an obsessed Lost fan I am than you’d know what a big deal that is for me. In the mean time though, here are my favourite quotes:

DUNCAN: Throw paper balls at her head until she sits down.

BRITA: Shirley that is full of chemicals, I wouldn’t expose your baby to that.
SHIRLEY: Actually my doctor said antacid is safe to take.
BRITA: Let me guess who paid for that study, big antacid.

JEFF: Listen back seat birther, Shirley’s on her third kid. She doesn’t need a 30 year old slacker with two one-eyed cats governing her body.
BRITA: First of all, together my cats can do anything. Secondly, you disqualified yourself from this conversation the moment you decided to grow a wang.
JEFF: I regret nothing.

DEAN PELTON: Can someone please get... every mop on campus.

CHANG: I’m just saying nobody has to freak out. A Chang is hardy to the core. We always come out healthy, that’s why there’s like a billion of us. You ever tried Googling me? It can’t be done.

ANNIE: Okay 911 says it’s gonna take over an hour because of a race... kerfuffle.

And line of the episode:

DUNCAN: (after throwing his glass full of alcohol on the floor to hide it from the Dean) And that, is what Jews do at weddings. Anthropology!
CHANG: Lehayim!

Parks and Recreation – “Jerry’s Painting” (A+)

Honestly, this was the funniest 38 minutes of comedy I’ve seen in a long, long time. There are few shows on television today that make me laugh as hard as this one on such a consistent basis. The characters are so strong on Parks and Recreation that it doesn’t even matter which ones they pair together – the result will almost always be nothing short of hilarious.

When Ben started looking for a place to live at the start of the episode I thought for sure the writers would pair him with Tom. The two have had good chemistry with each other in the past, “Camping” being a great example, and for the most part I thought there would be some great comedic possibilities with the pairing. But once again the writers subverted my expectations and delivered maybe the funniest character grouping/storyline I’ve seen from the show all season... perhaps ever.

Every scene between Ben, April and Andy was fantastic. Every joke landed. Every second they were on screen together was hilarious. I’m at a loss for words on where to even begin. How do you condense that down? There was April’s hilarious house rules, April and Andy’s complete misuse of the word cute, some melted marbles in a frying pan, an ill-fated trip to open a bank account, and of course a pair of marshmallow shooters. And that’s not even scratching the surface.

I so hope we haven’t seen the last of this character grouping. Ben acts almost like a parent to Andy and April, which really allows them to cut loose and be as immature as possible. The two of them are just funnier when they have a straight man playing off of them, and frankly, so is the straight man. Ben has started developing his niche in these sort of, one off, sarcastic throwaway lines, and in this episode he was given a plethora of them. In fact, I don’t think Ben has ever been funnier.

And then, wow... Jerry’s painting. What can I say? We all knew Jerry could paint, but who would have expected that would have come out? And that Leslie would have liked it too? First things first though. Ron at an art show – sheer brilliance. His speech (you can most certainly find it in the quotes section) was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen his character do. And when he looked at an artist’s minimalist painting (it was a white canvas) and said “you forgot to paint a painting son”, let’s just say I had a hard time hearing what happened after.

Leslie’s response to Jerry’s painting was also quite good. At first I was a little taken aback by her positive response to the painting, but after looking back over the episode I thought the writers set it up well. I think my favourite part of her story was her segment on Ya Heard, with Perd. I love how the porn star kept referring to her and Leslie’s work, like what Leslie was doing was definitely porn, and the way she later had to explain herself to Chris:

LESLIE: Well I did not know that Brandi was going to offer me a role in her next film.
CHRIS: I urge you not to take that role.
LESLIE: I’m not going to take the role.

Tom too, had a particularly strong episode. From his outrage at being cast in the role of the fat baby in Jerry’s painting, to his impassioned defence of pornography at the art council meeting, pretty much every time he was on screen he was good for a laugh. I thought he was a little too obnoxious in last week’s episode, so I was happy to see him back in fine form here.

Other than that though, I think the only way to really capture the brilliance of this episode is to just give some of the highlights. This could get long:

April’s House Rules

-          You can’t use the front door. You have to climb in through the back window.

-          No personal phone conversations.

-          If you ever speak to me in Spanish please use the formal ufsted (I’m sorry, I speak no Spanish at all and have no idea how to spell that).

-          No electricity after 6pm.

-          If you ever watch a sad movie you have to wear mascara so we can see whether or not you’ve been crying.

-          There’s no noise allowed on Mondays.

-          No TV after breakfast.

CHRIS: I love setting people up! Here’s my secret – I determine someone’s best qualities, and then I find someone else with compatible qualities... and I bring them together!

RON: Okay everyone, SHUT UP and look at me. Welcome to visions of nature. This room has several paintings in it. Some are big, some are small. People did them, and they are here now. I believe that after this is over they’ll be hung in government buildings. Why the government is involved in an arts show is beyond me. I also think it’s pointless for a human to paint scenes of nature when they could just go outside and stand in it. Anyway, please do not misinterpret the fact that I am talking right now as genuine interest in art and attempt to discuss it with me further. End of speech.

BEN: Are you guys frying marbles?
ANDY: We were checking to see if the fire alarm worked.
APRIL: It doesn’t.

TOM: In one brush stroke Jerry has killed the Jay-Z vibe that’s taken me years to cultivate and replaced it with a fat brown baby vibe... which is not as cool of a vibe.

LESLIE: Pornography is very difficult to define. In fact it was Justice Stewart who once said “I can’t define pornography, but I know it when I see it.”
PERD: Brandi, how would you define pornography?
BRANDI: For me it’s when the penis goes in.
(silence)

BEN: And then you get your laundry... where’s your laundry detergent?
ANDY: Right there...
BEN: This is bubble bath. You wash your clothes in bubble bath?
ANDY: Bubble bath, clothes soap, same thing.

LESLIE: I’m sorry that I’m trying to defend a beautiful work of art.
JERRY: Thank you Leslie.
LESLIE: Stand down Jerry, this isn’t your fight!

And line of the episode:

BEN: Stick to the list and you’ll do great. I have total faith in you. (Aside to the camera) There’s like a 30% chance they’ll both die.

30 Rock – “Everything Sunny All the Time Always” (B+)

Avery + Freedom = :(

Last week, during the 100^th episode, Jack had a hallucinatory vision of his future self, a white haired magnate with a gorgeous new wife. When he asked what happened to Avery, Future Jack responds “oh, you’ll see. It’s hilarious.” Well future Jack, you were right – it was pretty damn funny.

I’m very impressed with the way 30 Rock managed to follow up on its 100^th episode. To be honest, after the star studded spectacle of last week’s affair I thought this one was going to be a letdown. I was wrong. Jack and Avery’s North Korea storyline was fantastic. I like Elizabeth Banks, so I hope this isn’t the last we’re going to see of her, but if this is how her character gets written off the show than I’m happy she at least went out with a bang.

I thought it was hilarious that Jack and Avery have Reagan themed Skype sex. I particularly loved how passionately Jack said “yes” when Avery asked him if he wanted to watch her eat Jelly beans in a Reagan mask. I also love, that after all these years of talking about his past relationship with her, they finally got Condoleezza Rice on the show. Her acting wasn’t spectacular, but I don’t think anyone was expecting much, nor do I think it mattered. I very much liked their piano/flute competition. It was reminiscent of that great scene from Anchorman where Will Ferrell dances around a bar playing the crap out of his flute.

Liz’s story was perhaps my favourite. The writers did a terrific job of contrasting how ridiculous her problem of a bag stuck in a tree was compared to Jack losing Avery to North Korea.

JACK: But I am going to solve this. Just like you are going to solve your equally important bag in a tree situation.

Her trip to city hall was terrific, as was her frequent conversations with bag (not all of them one-sided either) but I think my favourite part of her storyline was her musical interlude, where she described just exactly what musical montages are used for. It’s too much for this paragraph but you can find the lyrics below.

Tracey’s story this week was also quite good. The man pretty much lives or dies on his one-liners and they were particularly sharp in this one. I loved his inside joke recreation meeting, gavel and all, where he pitched such solutions as Dot Com licking subway steps and Kenneth stealing a rain machine. Much like Liz’s bag storyline, the concept was just so ridiculous you couldn’t help but find it funny.

Some of my favourite quotes:

LIZ: No, I’m talking about taking control like I do every day at work. I found Tracey, I saved the show, I always think of a third thing when I’m listing stuff.

DOT COM: Tracey, welcome back! I think I speak for all of us when I say how thrilled we are –
TRACEY: Great impression of a guy that sucks Dot Com.

AVERY: I don’t know why our daughter would be afraid of Reagan.
JACK: Are you accusing me of not doing enough Reagan time with her?

JACK: I’m facing a similar situation myself.
LIZ: Lay it on me. Two way street.
JACK: Avery has been kidnapped by Kim Jong-il.
LIZ: What?!? Why? Is she a spy? Oh my god, I already know too much!

AVERY: And in food news... you’ve had enough to eat today.

FRANK: Dude, I think you did a North Korean propaganda film!
TRACEY: It was either that or play a rapping doorman in a Kate Hudson movie.
FRANK: Oh, okay.

And of course Liz’s montage song:

Sometimes we use a song to move the story along and explain it to you
Cause Liz is taking charge, she’s in control of everything she do
In her personal life Hey, Hey, Na, Na, in her personal life
But here comes the story obstacle now

Wizard Versus Nerd

Last night’s Cougar Town...

Cougar Town – “You’re Gonna Get It” (B)

“Bar’s closed. Everybody out, bar’s closed!”

Ah bar trivia. There’s nothing like the soaring highs and wallowing lows of outguessing your friends at questions based on pointless, irrelevant facts. I’m assuming Grayson learned just that when he hilariously decided to close his bar after losing to Laurie for the second time. This was of course after he said bar trivia would be good for business.

I’ve got to say – while this episode may not have been up to Cougar Town’s usual standard, watching Ellie and Grayson turn on each other as Laurie beat them at trivia was pretty awesome, especially the way Laurie just continued to be Laurie throughout the entire process.

LAURIE: Wow, big brain and rockin’ hoots and stems. Just goes to show you can never judge a book by its front part.

Oh and as it turns out, Laurie’s twitter account @TheLarmy is real a thing, so check it out if you have a bit of time.

I also liked the set up for Jules’ little problem this week. It’s so true – when you learn things as a kid it’s always through repetition, so you end up learning the sounds instead of the actual words themselves. I mean it’s never happened to me, but you know... I’ve seen it. Anyways, Jules’ freak out over the embarrassment of saying the Pledge of Allegiance wrong was appropriately over the top and led to a few good Jules gags, my favourite being her suspicion that a random guy in the mall had somehow heard about her screw up (she later turned out to be right).

And her embarrassment tied in nicely with Bobby’s story this week, who we finally got to see play his first (and I’m assuming last) PGA event. This was probably my favourite storyline of the episode, as I love the unique brand of idiocy Bobby and Andy bring whenever they’re together. And more than anything, the conclusion of this storyline just fit. One of the great things about Bobby’s character is that he’s so easy going (willing to live in a boat, etc.), so the way he embraced his mistake was both a good lesson for Jules and a great way to tie up both of their storylines.

The only real flaw in this episode was that the real laugh out loud moments were too infrequent. The story was fine and each story thread nailed down a few great jokes, but not enough to truly elevate the episode. I’m also a little antsy they haven’t yet gone back to that Trav proposing storyline. I’m not sure if they’re putting it off or if Trav walking out with the ring was just there to resolve Jules’ storyline, but either way I feel like they need to acknowledge it. Plus I wouldn’t mind another episode with Kirsten. She always brings out the best in this show, and it couldn’t hurt to have her back on.

Now, some of my favourite moments from the episode:

GRAYSON: What, does your college just let everyone in?
TRAVIS: No you have to be really good at art... so yeah.

ELLIE: Richard Stands sounds real, like one of those guys who you don’t really know what he did, but there’s a beer named after him.
LAURIE: You know who should have a beer named after him – Ben Franklin. Yeah, he invented baseball, he was an awesome president, and he made the first wig.

JULES: Let’s hold hands, Bobby needs positive vibes.
ELLIE: Vibes can’t be sent through a TV.
JULES: What do you know about vibes... or positivity for that matter?

JULES: Dear Lord, you know I don’t bother you unless it’s important... except for the time that I asked you to speed up my bangs. I’m sorry, it just seemed so serious.

ELLIE: Hey bartender, how could you miss a question about bartending?
GRAYSON: I don’t know, okay. You missed the one about blood draining parasites.
ELLIE: Not the same.
GRAYSON: It is the same.

LAURIE: Look I used to watch Jeopardy every day because I had a major lady rod for Alex Trebek... until I found out he was Canadian. Gross.

And line of the episode:

JULES: Oh yeah, little Amare. He’s ten. I’ve gotta say, those letters are getting a little repetitive. It’s hot, I’m hungry, there’s snakes, you know.

Remember to Remove Placeholder Title

Just The Event today folks... sorry about that.

Spoilers...

The Event – “Strain” (B)

I really don’t know what to think of this show. It seems to seesaw back and forth between terrible and semi-competent on almost a weekly basis. I liked “Strain”. It wasn’t perfect, but it was engrossing enough to keep me interested through the entire hour. The problem is, so far the writers haven’t been able to maintain momentum in their storylines for more than one or two episodes and I end up taking everything good I see with a grain of salt, understanding that next week I’ll probably end up being disappointed by another boring and inconsistent affair.

“Strain” cut back immediately to the cliffhanger from last week – the frozen body of the poor dead soldier. Going into this episode that was the story thread I was most interested in, and I’ll admit I enjoyed uncovering the mystery of what the NTBs wanted with the body. I figured it would be some sort of biological weapon and the Spanish Flu explanation worked for me enough that I was satisfied with the answer.

I do have two problems with that resolution however – minor problems, but problems nonetheless. First, is in the giant inconsistencies with the last episode. I didn’t talk about it that much in my last review, but last week’s episode (the last few weeks’ episodes actually) started with a fairly intriguing premise, with a scientist testing ice samples and eventually committing suicide to protect his research. It was clearly meant to pique our interest in the weapon the NTBs were trying to find. Now that we know what that weapon is, I look back on that scene and it makes very little sense. Why would a scientist be taking ice core samples in order to look for a body? I mean I’m not a scientist but something doesn’t really add up there.

It’s exactly that type of short sited writing that is killing this show. Lost used to stylize episodes, but usually there was some substance in the resolution. I look at that opening sequence now and it just seems hollow. And really, it’s hard to trust the writing staff to follow through on anything anymore. Even when I’m watching something cool, in the back of my mind I’m still thinking “can they back this up”, which seriously hampers my enjoyment.

The other problem I had with the resolution is that now that Sean and Vicky have found out exactly what the NTBs were using the body for, there isn’t any mystery left in the storyline. Now granted, they may add something new in next week (they do still have that parchment), but at the moment I care very little about them finding the courier because at best it’s probably going to be primarily action based and without a compelling story to back it up I tend to find straight action to be a little monotonous.

One question I do have – and I could just be looking a little too into this – are Sean and Vicky starting to become an item. I’d be interested to hear your opinions in the comments about this, but I felt as though Sean and Vicky’s frequent conversations about why she was still helping him were pointing towards a more romantic connection. At one point Vicky asked Sean “why do you think I’m here” and it looked to me at least like she wanted him to realize that she liked him. She ended up playing it more like she was telling him just to stop asking, but I saw that longing gaze. I know what she’s looking for... probably.

I thought the President’s assassination storyline was decent this week, if only because we got to see a little more of Sterling. He’s been kind of quiet these last few episodes, which is unfortunate as he’s one of The Event’s more interesting characters. I did laugh a bit though when the writers had to stumble over the fact that Martinez’s Chief of Staff just sort of inexplicably showed up in the middle of the season and for some reason wasn’t around for the first attempt on the President’s life.

Anyways the two of them made a good team, and I enjoyed watching them try to figure out how to prevent Jarvis from becoming President. I’m interested in seeing what Sterling does with the evidence on his shirt sleeve. I’m assuming now that Jarvis is acting President it’s going to be a lot harder for Sterling to expose him, I just hope the writers can come up with some sort of semi-interesting way to play out that storyline.

I do have a theory about they’ll reverse the President’s condition however. There was a scene in this episode where his wife Christina broke down by his bedside. Now obviously that could be nothing. She’s a grieving wife watching her husband slowly die. What got me thinking was why the writers spent so much time portraying such an obvious character reaction. If you go back to last week you’ll remember there was some suspicion over whether Christina was an NTB or not. My theory is that she is, and her breakdown was meant to show that she legitimately cares for him despite being a sleep agent, in which case she may know how to counteract the poison and save the President. I’m probably wrong, but I mean what a call if I’m right... right?

Anyways, moving on... the last storyline of this episode – Michael and Leila covering up the murder of the man tasked with watching her – was probably the weakest.  I didn’t mind watching Sophia’s tense visit, but honestly, of the three arcs in this episode this was the one I was least interested in. If Sophia does eventually find out about Leila stealing the phone it may make these two characters a little more interesting, but at the moment the show tends to drag whenever they’re on screen.

Song(s) of the week

This week’s pick:

“The Last Living Rose” by PJ Harvey

Where I found PJ Harvey: Well I don’t think PJ Harvey is a huge secret, but I found “The Last Living Rose” on Conan. It’s one of those songs that just kind of grows on you the more you listen to it. The first time I heard it I didn’t hate it, but I certainly didn’t love it either. Yet much like Grouplove from a couple weeks ago I decided to give it another listen on YouTube, and now I’m literally listening to it on repeat.

What I like: I love the lyrics and the sense of nostalgia they create. I’m a little jealous of my sister right now because she’s going to England in a week and this song just makes you want to be there. Of course I have no idea what she’s actually talking about. It sounds like a tribute to me, but if you have some other interpretation feel free to go with that.

Enjoy!

The Last Living Rose - PJ Harvey

Always the Padawan, Never the Jedi

Four reviews in less than 24 hours. That’s got to be a personal best. Enjoy!

Spoilers...

Community – “Paradigms of Human Memory” (A-)

Did Community just parody itself?

I’m pretty sure that’s what just happened. It was almost like the writers just decided to use all the little story snippets they had left over from the last two seasons and jam them all into a single episode. They took us everywhere – from a deserted old west ghost town, to a haunted mansion, to what I can only describe as the camping trip from hell – and in the process managed to call out almost every single convention in the show’s history. I’ve got to hand it to them, it was pretty brave.

Just last week I was talking about the crazy number of relationship possibilities on this show, and sure enough it only took them a week to comment on exactly that. Not only did we find out that Brita and Jeff have been hooking up pretty much all season long (despite Brita kissing Troy just an episode ago) but I think we got the writers’ response to all the perceived sexual tension between Annie and Jeff. I loved the clip set where they showed Annie looking far too into a bunch of innocuous situations, set to a soundtrack of romantic music, and then compared it to a similar clip set between Abed and Pierce, also set to that same romantic music. I loved Jeff's line:

JEFF: It’s called chemistry. I have it with everybody.

I think it’s fair to say we shouldn’t be looking too far into any of these relationships. The writers are just going to give us whatever best serves the joke.

I guess you could call “Paradigms of Human Memory” this show’s version of a clip show, without really any of the clips coming from any of their past episodes. Not every segment of the episode worked, but that didn’t really matter. If you didn’t like something, you just had to wait a couple seconds and they’d be on to something else.

Some of the other conventions this episode hilariously covered were the Dean’s love of crashing into the study room wearing insane costumes and Jeff’s tendency to give broad group uniting speeches. Both topics had hilarious clip mash ups that had me picturing some truly off the wall episodes that never were. Jeff’s speech especially was a great a commentary on how sitcoms (including this one) love to tie the moral of their story into whatever outrageous premise they’ve set for that episode.

JEFF: Because the real bugs aren’t the ones in those beds...

I also absolutely loved all the shots at The Cape. I just wish Ryan was around so I could have watched his reaction. If you remember Ryan covered The Cape for this blog and was one of the few writers on the internet who actually enjoyed it. But man, when Abed took out Jeff’s food with his cape I had a hard time trying to stop laughing.

Some of my other favourite moments:

-          The hilarious clip where the gang filled in for the Glee Club, which Annie nicely reminded us was because the formal Glee club died in a bus accident.

-          The return of Annie’s Boobs!

-          Jeff saving Annie from an apparent robot attack.

-          The outside perspective of the claymation Christmas special – “Remember when Abed had a total mental breakdown at Christmas?”

-          Brita taking Annie’s lip balm without asking. The look on Annie’s face was priceless.

And the quotes:

TROY: Didn’t we decide at the beginning of the year that for the good of the group we wouldn’t allow any intimacy between each other and ourselves.
JEFF: Troy, we never said ourselves.
TROY: Okay, now I’m really mad!

DEAN PELTON: This habitat was for humanity. Whoever did it step forward. (after everyone but Jeff and Brita step forward) You 5 are in big trouble. Jeff and Brita, you’re free to go, because you didn’t step forward and are therefore innocent.

SHIRLEY: You guys actually go out of your way to endanger the fabric of this group.
TROY: Yeah, leave our fabric alone!

JEFF: It’s not you it’s me.
BRITA: It’s you.

Line of the night:

TROY: You can yell at me all you want! I’ve seen enough movies to know that popping the back of a raft makes it go faster.

The Office – “Michael’s Last Dundies” (B+)

Ah nostalgia. I have a feeling (I don’t know why) that we aren’t quite done looking back fondly on our times spent watching The Office, but at least in this instance the Dundies were one of those warm memories worth looking back on. The original Dundies episode (they’ve only had one before this) was all the way back in the Season 2 premiere, right as the show was starting to hit its stride, so to get one last look at the awards show before Michael leaves was well worth the half hour.

The show started with a new twist on the format, with Michael and Deangelo hand delivering nomination certificates at ungodly hours of the morning. I loved that Stanley just chased them off his lawn and that Michael chose to egg Toby’s house instead of giving him a certificate (a sentiment echoed when he awarded Toby the Extreme Repulsiveness Award at the end of the episode – I love that he’s taking this feud with him as he exits the show), but more than anything I loved their visit to Meredith’s house. Deangelo put it best:

DEANGELO: Do you usually leave your door unlocked... and ajar?

The Dundies ceremony itself was fairly familiar, but with a few pleasant twists. I really liked Jim’s acceptance speech for his Best Dad Award (“I do not parent for the awards, but I gotta tell you it feels pretty good”) and the fact that Pam actually felt slighted for not getting mentioned by him. I also thought it was funny that for the first year since he started working in The Office Ryan didn’t win Hottest in the Office, instead going to Danny, the new traveling salesman. His disappointment over not winning was understated, but all the funnier because of it.

I also loved Erin breaking up with Gabe in her acceptance speech (broken record I know). It was a great twist on the way her character pretty much misunderstands everything. Her scene with Pam in the car was an excellent set up. The way she didn’t want to be mean to him (like Pam), and then ended up breaking up with him in just about the meanest way possible was hilarious. And the way she sold out Pam in the process – just brilliant.

ERIN: I’m not attracted to you. I just, I cringe when you talk. I have to be honest... right Pam?

The one thing I do hope the writers clear up before Michael’s exit is the rift between him and Dwight. Dwight’s anger over not being chosen as Michael’s replacement has played for a few good laughs – I liked his garbage can acceptance speech in this one – but the characters have too much history with each other to leave on a sour note. Even a character like Dwight deserves some recognition from the boss he’s admired for all these years.

And finally we come to the big musical finale – The Office rendition of Rent’s “Seasons of Love” (damn I wish I didn’t know that). Normally I hate when this show does musical numbers, but since we were already taking a walk down memory lane anyways, why not? There were some great call backs to season’s past, like Oscar and Michael’s kiss and Ryan’s stint as a drugged out corporate douche. Even just watching Will Ferrell riff over the chorus was incredibly entertaining. Overall it was another really touching moment in Michael’s prolonged departure.

Some of my favourite lines:

MICHAEL: When Larry King died they didn’t just cancel his show, they got Pierce Morgan to come in and do his show... and that way Larry lives on.

MICHAEL: Anything can happen at the Dundies. They’re like the Golden Globes but less mean.

DWIGHT: Always the Padawan, never the Jedi.

MICHAEL: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”... that Phyllis bit. That was pretty good right.
JIM: I don’t know if we need to dissect it all right now.

And line of the episode:

MICHAEL: I was hoping it would be more like Godfather 3 that wrapped up the whole franchise in an extremely satisfying way. But instead it was like Godfather 1 that was very confusing... had maybe 3 big laughs. Oh well.

Parks and Recreation – “Soulmates” (A-)

It’s funny, one week after the phenomenal marriage episode between Andy and April, the writers follow it up by showcasing the unique relationships the two of them have with other people. The even funnier part – it was almost just as effective.

Yes, it was kind of a dream storyline this week. The stark contrast between Ron and Chris has been highlighted several times this season, so when Chris starts a health initiative within the government of Pawnee, and in the process eliminates hamburgers from City Hall, we finally get the showdown we’ve been waiting for all this time – a cook-off between health-nut Chris and meat enthusiast Ron (that sounded less gay when I wrote it).

That’s where these unique relationships came in to play. Ron was quietly paired with April while Chris was paired with Andy. Watching the two duos go about making the perfect hamburger was incredibly enjoyable. Chris and Andy, who have only been paired together a handful of times before this (yet are almost always funny together), took on an almost father and son dynamic. Their walk through the health store together was an endless stream of hilarity. From Andy emptying a coffee dispenser – predicated by a brilliantly casual “what’s this” – to Andy’s description of his favourite food (just check the quotes section) I was pretty much laughing every time these two were on screen together.

And yet honestly, I’d say they took second place to Ron and April. Their bond had long been established since before this season began, but it had been a while since we’d seen the paired up, and it’s true what they say – absence makes the heart grow stronger. Their meatless bacon scene was spectacular. The look they gave each other after April joyfully (for her anyways) dropped her piece of bacon in the trash was the perfect expression of what makes these two characters awesome together. And the fact that Ron shops at a store called the Food and Stuff... how do you come up with anything better than that?

The cook-off was just icing on the cake. It was probably fairly obvious by the way the scene was set up that Ron would end up winning, but it didn’t make the sequence any less enjoyable for me. Chris naturally pulled out all the bells and whistles for his turkey burger. Ron, meat on a bun. The lesson being that beef is just naturally better than turkey meat. Amen to that. I loved the way even Chris instantly accepted that Ron’s burgers were better than his, and you had to love the way Andy just devoured the hamburger from Ron. Chris Pratt is a genius at physical comedy.

And after being turned down for a date by Ben Leslie dipped her toe into the world of online dating this week, only to have her profile matched up with one Tom Haverford. It was a fairly enjoyable plotline, if only so we could watch Ann and Leslie make her profile. I did think Tom came off as a little too obnoxious though, even for him, and I wasn’t entirely sure if the writers earned Leslie kissing him, but it did lead to the hilarious fire alarm pulling bit, so I’ll give them a pass just for that.

In the end though, Leslie finds out that Chris has a strict no dating policy between government employees, which is why Ben was so squeamish when she initially asked him out. I very much liked the sweet wildflower mural connection they made at the end of the episode. I don’t know if they have the same level of chemistry as Andy and April did, but they’re really a different animal and I’m still rooting for them.

I also think that Chris’s no dating policy is a good way of keeping them apart for the time being. They were so close to finally becoming an item in that last episode that if they didn’t find some way of keeping them apart the whole will-they won’t-they aspect of their relationship was going to grow old fast. I also see it as a great little test for Leslie’s character. She’s a very dedicated government employee and they’ve shown in the past that she doesn’t like breaking rules, so I could foresee a scenario where she has to decide whether she wants to risk her job in order to go for it with Ben. Or maybe even something where they have to keep their relationship a secret. I’d prefer the former over the latter but this writing staff has a way of pleasantly surprising me with unexpected storylines so I’ll just leave it up to their judgement.

Now on to my favourite quotes. Fair warning, there may be a lot of them.

CHRIS: Now if anybody would like to join me, I will be running backwards up the big hill behind the Wal-mart.

CHRIS: You ever tried a turkey burger?
RON: Is that a fried turkey leg inside a grilled hamburger? If so, yes. Delicious.

CHRISH: A turkey burger! You take lean ground turkey meat. You make that into a burger instead of red meat.
RON: Why would anyone do that to themselves?

CHRIS: What do I get if I win?
RON: The rarest jewel of all. Victory over me, Ron Swanson.

ANN: Okay, what do you think of dogs?
LESLIE: Love.
ANN: Cats?
LESLIE: Love.
ANN: Fish?
LESLIE: Love.
ANN: Turtles?
LESLIE: No opinion. They’re condescending.

ANN: Describe your ideal man.
LESLIE: He’s dark and mysterious, and he can sing, and he plays the organ.
ANN: I think you just described the Phantom of the Opera.

CHRIS: What’s your favourite food?
ANDY: Oh, I take Skittles and I put it between two Starbursts. You know what I call it?
CHRIS: Skittle sandwich.
ANDY: That’s pretty good. No, I call it Andy’s mouth surprise. It’s nice because the flavour of the Starburst really bring out a similar flavour in the Skittles.

And joke of the episode:

ANDY: Did you know that the food you eat becomes energy? Yeah! Boom, that’s spaghetti. (flails his arms) Nachos. (jumps and flails) That’s a cookie.
APRIL: That’s my husband.

30 Rock – “100” (B+)

Wow, 100 episodes. Has it really been that long? It seems like just yesterday I was watching the second season of this show as I leisurely worked the night shift at my summer job. How far we’ve come. Like most shows hitting their 100^th episode, 30 Rock took some time to reflect on just how far it’s come in these past 5 seasons. Yes, it seemed to be a theme for NBC on Thursday, but nostalgia was rampant in this episode, and rightfully so.

Liz’s story focused on her attempts to save TGS from cancellation. Sure enough, it had all the right ingredients to a classic Lemon storyline. She had to deal with a gas leak, her incompetent writing staff, Tracey’s antics (though in this case she was encouraging them), and, in a delightful surprise, the return of her ex-boyfriend Dennis. Liz’s life was never so scattered than when she was with Dennis. Some of his early appearances were what really got me into this show in the first place, so having him on with his crazy mix of outrageously out of date technology (did you see his answering machine set up) and never-say-die attitude was a fantastic way to celebrate Liz’s evolution over these past few years.

I think my favourite storyline in this episode had to be Tracey’s though. My favourite character on this show rotates on almost a weekly basis, and for a variety of reasons. Liz because she’s such a nerd, Jack because he’s played by Alec Baldwin, and Tracey, because he’s just endlessly quotable. He can get away with saying just about anything and it always seems completely in character.

His storyline in this episode played off just that. Tracey’s quest to lose everyone’s respect was a joy to watch. I love that his outrageous behaviour is all of a sudden justified now that he has an Oscar. The morning show clips were great (I also loved his little cutaway where he practiced with Liz), and I couldn’t stop laughing when he ended up saving a drowning man when all he was really trying to do was alienate the public. The highlight though had to be the therapy session that broke out when he and Liz visited the strip club. That was just too funny.

But while Tracey had my favourite storyline, it was Jack who had my favourite line, or should I say speech. Watching Alec Baldwin interact with his three alternate selves was pretty great, but the real apex of his storyline (and probably the episode) was when Jack talked Tracey out of shooting Kenneth on the roof. In a speech filled with numerous self-deprecating references, Jack convinced Tracey that the only thing he needed to do to lose people’s respect was to quit movies and take a job on network television, much like what Baldwin did for 30 Rock. I couldn’t think of a better way to cap off the 100^th episode than that.

The other thing that was great about this episode was the guest stars. 30 Rock has always been good at wrangling them up, but they pulled out all the stops in this one. Rachel Ray, Regis and Kelly, Matt Lauer. No? Not doing it for you. How about Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton, and Bono. Most shows would be lucky to land even one of those people for an episode, and 30 Rock managed to get them all. Oh and I think Brian Williams may have been in there somewhere too.

My favourite cameo was Tom Hanks (my all time favourite actor by the way, though that’s not exactly special). His phone call to Clooney was hilariously entertaining and I love that when we were first introduced to him, he was sitting on a chair crocheting. Who knew Tom Hanks could crochet? Man that guy is talented.

And now for the quotes... get comfortable:

JACK: Hank as you know tonight is TGS’ 100^th episode and we’ve been getting some good media buzz. We got on Wikipedia this week.

TRACEY: No it’s unbrave! You should hate me.
MATT LAUER: I can’t, you fly free. I’m a bird in a cage.

TRACEY: You better be right Liz Lemon, because I can’t take much more of this. I think Bono got in my limo.

SIDEWAYS JACK: You used to be a shark.
JACK: I still am. Look at my claws.
SIDEWAYS JACK: Sharks don’t have claws. You don’t even know what a shark is anymore.

LIZ: Hey Jack, you’re friends with Jeter and Springsteen right? Can you call and see if they’ll be in the cold open? They’d have to kiss.

LIZ: Did you also have to evacuate the NBC store?
JACK: No, it’s just empty.

DENNIS: You think I’m just gonna give up now huh. I’m a Duffy Liz, and us Duffy’s, we didn’t give up when we got kicked out of Ireland. We didn’t give up when America sent us back. And we didn’t give up when Ireland then just sent us adrift on a log.

JACK: Do you have any idea how much paperwork I would have to do if you shot Kenneth?
TRACEY: I didn’t know that Jack, I’m sorry.

And of course the speech, in its entirety:

JACK: Do TV and no one will ever take you seriously again. It doesn’t matter how big a movie star you are, even if you had the kind of career where you walked away from a blockbuster franchise or worked with Meryl Streep or Anthony Hopkins. Made important movies about things like civil rights or Pearl Harbour. Stole films with supporting roles and then turned around and blew them away on Broadway. None of that will matter once you do television. You could win every award in sight and be the biggest thing on the small screen, and you’ll still get laughed out of the Vanity Fair Oscar party by Greg Kinnear. Tracey your career hit rock bottom the first time you decided to do TGS. You want it to hit rock bottom again, go on network television.

I’ve Got Dog Travis On It

Last night’s Modern Family and Cougar Town...

Spoilers ahead.

Modern Family – “Someone to Watch Over Lily” (B-)

I hate to say it, but I was a little disappointed with Modern Family this week. It had such a promising premise, with Cam and Mitchell looking for a guardian for Lily in the event something unfortunate happens to the two of them, but sadly just couldn’t cash in on its potential. There were a few great character moments, but on the whole the episode was light on the laughs.

Take the main Cam/Mitchell storyline. Now I will give it to the writers (and of course Sofia Vergara) for Gloria’s contribution. For what must have been the third week in a row she stole the episode. It was hilarious how inappropriately happy she was at the thought of getting Lily despite it meaning Cam and Mitchell’s untimely demise. But other than that, there wasn’t really anything fresh about the storyline. The sporting goods scene fell pretty flat in my opinion, and while I liked Manny’s talk with Jay that ultimately convinced Cam he would make a good guardian, it was more nostalgic than it was funny.

Hayley and Alex’s storyline was along the same lines. The two of them bonding over a shared experience was a sweet storyline, just not a very funny one. I really liked their final little talk in the car, but they barely even attempted to make a joke in that storyline, and while I like the sentimental aspects of this show, they can’t carry an entire episode on their own.

I also didn’t like that, because they didn’t want them stealing focus from Jay and Gloria in the A story, they portrayed Claire and Phil as scatterbrain parents. I get that it was part of the joke, but the execution was a little too over the top for my liking. I don’t really understand why they decided to shy away from a straight up competition between the two families. I think that would have been a pretty funny route too.

Anyways, with that said there were a few good lines. Some of my favourites:

CLAIRE: Phil the frying pans on fire.
PHIL: Son of Jor-el!

PHIL: How did I what? Know you were some place you left no trace of except for a tiny notation in your calendar. It was quite simple really; I noticed a tiny not... shoot

LUKE: I didn’t even have to take my pants off... I found that one out a little late.

GLORIA: That is great news! Lily, when something horrible happens you’re going to be all mine!
MITCHELL: It really is an if situation.
GLORIA: All mine!

And my line(s) of the episode:

PHIL: He doesn’t have issues, you’re just a worrier. Like when you thought he was never going to talk.
CLAIRE: He was 2 and all he could do was bark.
PHIL: I understood him!

Cougar Town – “Baby’s Rock ‘N’ Roller” (B)

I’m sorry, did Travis not walk out of the house with an engagement ring in the last episode? I was kind of hoping they would follow up on that storyline in this episode. Not so much though. So despite not being the episode I wanted it to be how did “Baby’s Rock ‘N’ Roller” do? Well it was pretty average. Every storyline had a few goods moments, but not enough of them to truly elevate the episode.

The main storyline in this one was Jules and Grayson looking after Ellie and Andy’s baby Stan for a night. Now I know what you’re thinking – Ellie and Andy have a baby? Well they do, they just never show him (the writers had a funny acknowledgement of this fact in the episode), which is totally fine with me. Babies on television tend to be pretty boring. Just look at Cece on The Office. It is worth noting that Bill Lawrence sitcoms rarely spend much time with the offspring of their characters, so perhaps he realizes this as well. Both J.D. and Turk (with Carla) had babies for multiple seasons on Scrubs and you barely ever saw them. Only Dr. Cox’s kid Jack ever got any screen time and that wasn’t until the kid could talk.

Anyways, watching Jules and Grayson get foiled by a two a year old was probably the strongest storyline of the episode. I laughed at their baby prison and the way Jules shoots awake with a barrage of questions. It looks like they’ll be trouble ahead though between Jules and Grayson as Grayson clearly wants a kid and Jules doesn’t. I was wondering when they were going to throw a real obstacle between these two and looks like now is that time. I really hope the two of them don’t break up though. They generate a ton of humour from Grayson playing the straight man to Jules’ more off the wall personality traits, and that’ll become a lot more difficult if they’re no longer a couple.

Laurie and Andy’s arc in this episode wasn’t the greatest I’ve seen from these two characters, but did have its moments. I thought one of the funniest gags in the episode was Laurie’s walk of shame minus the shame. It’s one of those storylines you could only pull off with her character, but watching how happy she was to still be able to have one night stands without going out to clubs was really funny.

And while Bobby didn’t get a ton of screen time in this one, he made the most of what he was given. I loved all the elaborate methods he devised to wake himself up, and even funnier were all the ways he managed to subvert them. I really loved his dog Travis and the hamburger snooze button. And I think maybe the most underrated joke of the episode was his sleep induced golf cart incident in the after credits sequence. I loved the big overhead shot they used to sell the bit. It was understated but hilarious.

Now for my favourite quotes:

JULES: He’s allergic to Telemundo?
ROSA: I think that’s more for me.

JULES: Rosa I’m great with kids. You know my son almost made honour role... twice. I’m a bit of a Mary Poppins.

TRAVIS: Oh, is this one of those times when you take something tiny and then say how it means something more profound?
BOBBY: My failure to wake up shows how I blow all my chances for a better life.
TRAVIS: Yeah, I called it.

LAURIE: I used to love clubs like that, now they suck... I don’t know who I am anymore.

ANDY: Plus it reduces the odds of you being randomly murdered by like half.
LAURIE: (unconvinced) I guess...

And my favourite joke of the night:

JULES: Stan should be sleeping now, but genius here gave him chocolate covered espresso beans.
GRAYSON: I thought they were raisins... and I wanted him to like me.

Wow, I Have Not Lived a Hard Life

This is a sad, sad day for me. My TV, the one that’s served me faithfully since my days as an undergrad, died unexpectedly this morning. I could never express in words how much he’s meant to me other than to say he was irreplaceable, and he will be missed... *pours malt liquor on the floor*. Godspeed Tubey, Godspeed.

Spoilers...

Cougar Town – “Walls” (B+)

It feels like forever since the last time I was watching an episode of Cougar Town. I almost missed this episode being that it was aired on a Monday night (to capitalize on the Dancing With the Stars crowd according to the title card), but I’m glad that I’m not going to have to wait too long on that Travis proposing cliffhanger. Mostly I was just happy that I was back watching the unique energy this show has to offer.

First up on the docket we had Jules trying her best not to interfere in Trav’s life. I really like the storyline for her character because as anyone who’s ever watched this show knows, Jules is a meddler. So to not stop Trav from proposing to Kirsten (who is pretty hilarious so I wouldn’t mind seeing it happen) it’s a pretty trying moment for her character.

I’m really interested in seeing whether Trav actually does propose. At the start of the episode I thought for sure he wouldn’t, but the fact that they left this as a cliffhanger has me questioning that judgement. If I were laying bets down I’d say he’s not going to do it and that it’s probably just a ploy to get some of that Dancing With the Stars audience to follow them back to Wednesday night, but you never know. I could also maybe see him proposing and Kirsten turning him down, leaving Jules to pick up the pieces. It’s only two days away so we’ll find out soon enough.

And no matter how it turns out, the storyline had some pretty funny moments to make it all worthwhile. I loved Ellie’s truck ghost (who ended up just being Jules messing with her, but Ellie still doesn’t know that) and the fact that over the course of the episode every inch of Jules’ lawn was dug up looking for that time capsule. Oh and of course everyone continuing to rip on Tom. I love ripping on Tom.

JULES: Hey Trav, did you happen to find any of Tom’s business in those holes?
TRAV: Let me check, no.
JULES: Sorry Tom, none of your business over here.

I think my favourite storyline of the episode though was Bobby and Laurie’s penny can venture. These two just have fantastic chemistry with each other. They are endlessly quotable together. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything for this show so I can’t remember if I’ve said this before, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them potentially paired up as a couple, provided they can keep this same energy.

They stole this episode. I loved Laurie’s description of the screenplay she’s working on and her radio jingle had me laughing out loud. And the way the two of them, along with Andy, decided to change the meaning of “kicks ass” was hilarious. Of course you’ll be able to find all of these examples in the quotes section below:

LAURIE: Oh! We could give her a puppy that would blow up if she took it across town lines. It’s from my new screenplay, The Blow Up Pup. It’s a prequel to Speed.

ANDY: (demonstrating the concept of forbidden fruit) Laurie, what if I was to tell you I had an apple in my pocket from lunch?
LAURIE: So what, who cares.
ANDY: What if I was to tell you this apple is so special you couldn’t even look at it?
LAURIE: What’s so special about it? I want to see the apple! Gimme.

BOBBY: I just earned $600 from borrowing it from Andy and Jules.

BOBBY: (receiving bad news) Oh that really kicks ass!
GRAYSON: No when something kicks ass it’s a good thing.
BOBBY: How? Every time I’ve had my ass kicked it’s been horrible?
ANDY: We’ve been misusing that phrase for years. So all agreed to change it?
LAURIE: Absolutely.

BOBBY: Man, my names got a lot of B’s in it.
LAURIE: My name doesn’t have any B’s in it.
BOBBY: Oh I’m sorry I brought it up.
LAURIE: It’s okay.

BOBBY: They give out awards for radio ads right?
LAURIE: Well they better! We worked on this for well over an hour.

And of course the line of the night, Laurie’s radio ad:

LAURIE: (sirens) Calm down, it’s not the real police, it’s the fun police! And we’re bringing you the greatest coin-based game since heads or tails. Do you love having a good time? Then call 1-855-PENNYCAN. Hold for an operator, then ask for Carol. Say you’re ordering penny can, and not any weight loss products or sexual aides and she’ll contact us with your order. It’s that simple! Ask for Carol, no sex stuff, Penny Can!

How I Met Your Mother – “Hopeless” (B-)

The return of John Lithgow. I enjoyed his last appearance on this show so I had some high expectations coming into this one. There were a few funny moments in the episode – the whole gang pretending to be a band in place of the opening credits, Barney and Jerry’s drunken night on the streets of New York – but for the most part “Hopeless” seemed a little light on the jokes, or at least the laugh out loud variety. Once again, what I found most interesting was the more dramatic and story based elements of the episode.

The car ride home between Jerry and Barney was another great moment in Barney’s development. Barney’s admission that he felt like he was just “too far gone” when it came to settling down was a poignant moment, but even more interesting was his response to Jerry’s comment about meeting the right girl. The writers were playing pretty fast and loose with the Barney and Robin hints in this one, but Barney’s “maybe I’ve already met her” response to Jerry’s advice seemed less like a hint and more like a giant pointing arrow in the Barney and Robin direction.

With the wedding shown at the beginning of the season fast approaching (assuming it’s the subject of the season finale) the renewed talk of Barney and Robin as a couple again has me super pumped. Though that’s not to say the wedding will be for the two of them. The writers have been throwing out a lot of red herrings (though I guess they’re only red herrings if they don’t pan out) and in this episode that included Robin’s guy crush, which narrator Ted commented isn’t quite over with.

I think maybe the more likely scenario is Robin will attempt to get married and Barney will rush to the altar to stop it. Barney putting himself out there like that would be a major step forward for his character and fits perfectly with his current arc. Along those lines, another possibility would be that it’s actually Barney’s wedding and he’s marrying that Nora girl from earlier in the season, but since I’m rooting for Barney and Robin ending up together I kind of hope that’s not the case (I don’t see Robin rushing to altar to get Barney back). Of course, it could just be Punchy’s wedding, but that would be pretty boring.

A few other closing thoughts on the episode. Marshall’s impression of a playwright was hilarious – “we’re all writers, just some of us don’t know our story yet” – and I loved the call back to Ted’s red cowboy boots.

Unfortunately this show is going on another two week hiatus before finishing out the season, so we won’t get any more answers on any of those lingering questions for a little while at least. What that does give us though is time to speculate, so if you have a theory please post it in the comments.

Oh, before I forget, the line of the night:

ROBIN: (responding to Ted being a hypocrite) So get off the field at the Super Dome, because you ain’t no saint.

House – “Last Temptation” (B)

And Masters takes her final bow. I’m a little disappointed to see her go after spending so much time getting to know her. Now that I know she probably won’t be back I feel a bit letdown by the character in general (for those of you who don’t know Amber Tamblyn has signed on to another Fox pilot). I thought the writers were going to build to something a little more, and now that the character’s gone I’m just left with an empty feeling.

That’s not to say her exit was bad. I think this show does a lot better when the focus is on the characters more than the case. This was another one of those episodes told from the point of view of a character other than House, and like the show’s previous few attempts at this type of episode, the results were a refreshing take on life at Princeton-Plainsboro.

I think once the suddenness of Masters’ departure wears off (I didn’t know she was leaving until after I watched the episode) I may warm a bit to the way her character was written off. We’ve seen plenty of examples over the years of the way House’s influence can corrupt even some of the most idealistic doctors, so it is nice to finally see one of them leave him rather than let that happen. Even I’ve complained in the past about Masters’ lack of response to House’s bullying (I just thought she would be sticking around a little longer) so perhaps this was the right way for the character to go.

Despite the obvious focus of Masters’ departure, “Last Temptation” was actually one of the funnier episodes I’ve seen this season. House and Wilson’s chicken war was pretty hilarious. I’m happy that most of the damage Wilson’s chicken received was emotional, despite the fact the way they filmed it made it seem like exactly the opposite. I also really liked House’s rehab explanation for Thirteen’s absence and the fact that now she can’t drink around any of them, which according to her is her “main bond with Chase.”

I’m looking forward to next week and the opportunity to explore Thirteen’s return a little more, but I will admit, I am going to miss Masters. Farewell Amber Tamblyn.

Fringe – “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” (A+)

Look, I don't have much time. As much as I wish I could spend it thinking about television all day I need to learn the histological structure of like 1,000 organs by Thursday. That being said, I have found time to watch many of my shows over the past few weeks. When I looked up whether there was a new Fringe last Friday and saw that the episode was named after LSD, I knew it was an hour that had to be spent watching TV. So I watched, and I never wrote about it.

But that lack of commitment has been bugging at me. Not because I feel a deep seeded obligation to Brian or you, my readers. No offence to any of you. I do feel like we have this special bond where I write things and the world completely ignores me, and I appreciate you all for it. However, I feel like I need to review it because it was hands down the best episode of TV I have watched since Richard's back story on Lost.

The reasoning is simple. When a SciFi/Drama is able to write half of the episode as a cartoon and not make it seem absolutely ridiculous, but instead a logical progression of the show, it deserves an 'A'. Second, when a show drops a cliffhanger on you with the words "I'm not sure, but I think he's the man who is going to kill me" it deserves the 'plus'. That’s it. Sweet and simple. Now the thyroid follicles and zona fasciculata require my attention. Good day blue universe.

The Event – “Cut Off the Head” (B-)

So Sean is the chosen one. I guess I should hand it to the writers for taking my advice yet again and giving Sean something important to do, I just sort of wish they didn’t kill off the one person with any sort of information about the sentinels. Pretty sneaky writers. But hey, I guess now that he has that tapestry he can slowly uncover their secrets in small manageable pieces.

And I guess no one’s doubting Dempsey’s allegiances anymore either. There was something a little unsettlingly about the way his character was killed off. I’ll admit, I didn’t see it coming at all. And while they managed to kill him off in a way that gave his normally veiled character a very clear ideology, I couldn’t help but feel as though we’ll never truly understand why he was doing what he was doing. For example, what did any of this have to do with those age experiments? They very well may explain this (that is if they don’t get cancelled), but my gut is telling me they won’t.

The rest of the episode was spectacularly mediocre. I’m still not loving Sophia’s new attitude. This week she was trying to manipulate the Vice President into assassinating the President and you could notice a stark contrast from the Sophia of old. She just seems evil now. She talks about killing off the human population without even a hint of remorse and at the same time gleefully manipulates the people around her. It bothers me because this is just not the character I’ve been watching over this past season. They can easily justify what she’s doing – her whole species is at risk of extinction – but what they can’t justify is her lack of conflict over it.

I wasn’t that into the President’s story this week either. If his wife had ended up actually being a sleeper agent I would probably be singing a different tune, but they really didn’t have my interest with this storyline until right when he confronted her, and then it didn’t take long for her name to be cleared. Of course if she somehow still is a sleeper agent, then bravo writers.

Even though some of Sean’s story was interesting and I liked the reveal of the frozen dead guy at the end of the episode, my interest is really starting to wane on this series. I really don’t see them getting renewed and while they’ve improved the show from its lackluster beginnings, it’s still not where it needs to be.